Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Chimaera ❯ Chapter 57 ( Chapter 57 )

Chapter 57

Heero shot across the room to where the prone form of his lover lay. He called Duo's name several times but received no response and his worry began to mount. Recalling everything he'd ever learnt about first aid he swiftly knelt beside his partner and located the pulse. It was steady but fast. Heero also noted Duo's breathing was shallow and rapid, but at least he was breathing. Satisfied that Duo wasn't about to go into cardiac arrest on him, he began to visibly check what parts of Duo he could see. He ran his hands gently over legs and arms, not wanting to move Duo in case he'd broken something. The limbs all seemed to be intact but his lover was still unconscious.

Carefully he looked to see if he could find where the blood was coming from, easing Duo's body to a slightly more comfortable position and lifting his head. The blood appeared to be coming from the region of Duo's head so Heero gently brushed the chestnut bangs away from Duo's face and that's when he saw it. A nasty gash about two inches long across his lover's forehead. The blood was oozing sluggishly from the wound and dripping onto the drop sheet below.

Heero reached into his pocket and grabbed his handkerchief. It wasn't as clean as he would have liked but it would suffice for now, until he could get to the med. kit as well as call for help. Gently he pressed the handkerchief to the wound, staunching the flow a little as he contemplated his next move. He checked Duo's pulse again. It was becoming a little erratic and Heero felt the cold pit of fear settle into his stomach. He made his mind up then and gently lowered Duo back to the floor. Quickly he arranged his lover into the 'recovery' position [1] and checked that the handkerchief was still in place.

Satisfied that he'd done what he could for Duo at the moment, he ran from the room, charged across the hall and into their bedroom, snatching the telex from beside the 'phone as he dived into the bathroom to get the med. kit. Running back out he quickly scanned the telex for Sally's pager number and grabbing the cordless 'phone from beside the bed he shot back into the nursery.

Duo hadn't moved.

Frantically he dialed the number for Sally's pager and waited for the call to connect.

"This is Doctor Po's pager service."

"Heero Yuy here. I need Doctor Po to call me back immediately, this is an emergency."

"Can she call you back on the number you have dialed from?"

"Hai, please hurry."

"Thank you, sir. We will alert her now."

The line went dead and Heero pushed the small end button before dropping the 'phone to the floor and grabbing the med. kit. He yanked open the lid and rummaged inside for gauze and a bandage, tossing other items to the side in his haste. He grabbed the bottle of smelling salts and looked at it for a second then thought he'd better wait until he'd spoken with Sally before shoving them under his partner's nose.

Finally locating the gauze and bandage he dropped the med. kit back to the floor and set about tending to the wound on Duo's head. The 'phone rang and he jumped a mile, the gauze and bandage dropping from his fingers with the fright. He grabbed the 'phone and pressed the receive button. "Yuy."

"Heero? What's wrong? I got a page to call you." Sally's voice sounded concerned.

"Thank god it's you, Sally. Look, it's Duo. He's unconscious and..."

"What happened?!" Sally's voice demanded.

"I don't know. We were painting the nursery and I left him to go and make some tea. When I came back I found him on the floor." Heero swallowed. "There's blood..."

"Where?!"

"From what I can tell it's only his head. There's a large gash on it, it's going to need stitching. I don't know if he's bleeding anywhere else."

"Right. Where is he now? Is he still unconscious?"

"He's still in the nursery. I haven't moved him and he's still out."

"Okay. Heero, don't move him; we don't know if there are any other injuries either to him or the baby and moving him could make things worse. Take care of the wound on his head for now and stay with him. Get a blanket and keep him warm. I'm on my way."

Heero had to choke back a sob. "Hurry, Sally."

"I'll be there as soon as I can, Heero."

"Arigato." The line went dead and Heero tossed the 'phone to the side. He picked up the gauze and bandage and began to clean up the wound on Duo's forehead. He pressed the gauze to the bleeding cut and gently wrapped the bandage around it. Judging by where Duo lay, Heero guessed his lover had hit his head on the window sill. He desperately hoped that all was well with the baby and softly stroked his hand over Duo's swollen abdomen, whether to comfort himself or their unborn child he didn't know.

"Shit!" Heero quickly got up. "The security system." He took another look at his lover. "I'll be right back, Duo," he murmured then shot out of the room and took the stairs three at a time in his haste to get to the security room and make sure that Sally would be able to drive straight in. He contacted Harim on the com unit and informed him that the doctor would be arriving and to head to the gates to allow her to get through without any hold up. He briefly explained the reason for the haste and Harim assured him he would go to the front gates immediately and wait for the doctor's car. After reassuring Harim that Duo should be all right, Heero cut the com and checked that the front door was unlocked; being the weekend, Siska wasn't working so there was only himself and Duo in the mansion.

Satisfied that Sally would be able to come straight in and up to the nursery, Heero charged back up the stairs again, trying not to panic and hoping his lover was going to be okay. Entering the nursery again after grabbing a blanket from their room, Heero noted that his lover still lay unconscious on the floor. He covered the still form with the blanket and sat down beside him, fingers gently running along Duo's braid as he prayed and hoped that Sally would get there soon. Unsure of what else he could do for his lover, Heero leaned down and pressed a kiss to Duo's cheek. "Please be all right, Duo," he whispered over the pale skin as his eyes began to burn and his chest constrict.

~ * ~

"Margaret!?"

Nurse Brown looked up from where she was putting pills into little containers ready for the 'drug run'. "In here," she called out.

Sally stuck her head around the door to the drug room. "Leave it, get someone else to do that we have an emergency."

"Oh?"

"Heero just paged me, Duo appears to have taken a fall and is unconscious."

Nurse Brown quickly turned to the younger nurse who was assisting her. "Go and get Sister Pollard to help finish this off. I have an emergency to attend to with Doctor Po." The young nurse nodded and left the room. Nurse Brown quickly dumped the drugs back into the cabinet and locked it. "Let's go." Moments later they were speeding down the road towards the Winner Mansion.

"What happened?" Nurse Brown asked as Sally drove.

"Unsure. Heero said they were painting the nursery and he went to get some refreshments. When he came back he found Duo unconscious on the floor. He said there was blood but he can only find a head wound."

"Right." Nurse Brown furrowed her brow in thought. As much as she might appear to be cold hearted at times, she had a soft spot for the American agent and couldn't help but admire the cheeky young man for his courage. She sincerely hoped that there wasn't anything serious happening here.

Sally was similarly lost in thought, several reasons for Duo's unconscious state running through her mind; but until she got to the mansion and managed to examine Duo she wouldn't have a clue as to what the problem could be. She honked her horn and flattened the accelerator as she overtook a slow moving driver. "It's not bloody Sunday!" she growled as she sped past the slower vehicle resisting the urge to give the driver the finger in return for the dirty look he had given her.

Nurse Brown's eyebrow twitched. Hopefully they would arrive in one piece, they wouldn't be much good to Duo if they ended up having an accident themselves. A smile tugged at her mouth as she observed the doctor's restraint to the obvious annoyance at the slow moving driver.

The mansion's side road loomed up and Sally turned down the driveway. She suddenly thought about the security and hoped that Heero had had the forethought to open the gates. As she sped towards them so she spotted Harim, at the same time the gates began to open. She waved in thanks to the Manguanac as she sped through and on towards the impressive front doors of the Winner home. Seconds later she was turning off the key and grabbing her bag, Nurse Brown right behind her.

They raced up the front steps to the door, Sally knocked on it and then turned the handle. It opened immediately. "Heero!?" She stepped into the foyer area calling Heero's name as she headed for the stairs. Heero had said the accident occurred in the nursery and as far as she knew the nursery was by Duo and Heero's bedroom.

"This way," said Nurse Brown and led the way to the stairs. She knew exactly where the nursery was.

Heero heard the front door open and Sally's shout. A wave of relief swept over him. "Up here!" he yelled back and then turned to his still unconscious lover. "It's going to be all right, Duo. Sally's here now so she will take care of you." He didn't like the paleness of his partner's skin nor the cold and clammy feel of it either.

Sally followed Nurse Brown up the stairs and along the hall. "In here," the nurse said as she turned into a room. Spotting the two men by the window the nurse was across the room in a flash, Sally right with her.

Heero moved to the side to allow Sally to check Duo over, hovering nervously in the background and trying to keep his emotion in check. Duo didn't need for him to go to pieces now.

Sally quickly opened her bag while Nurse Brown removed the blanket and began to loosen Duo's clothing. While Sally listened to Duo's heart and lungs the nurse was busy taking his pulse and respiration rates. They conferred with each other before Sally's expert hands began to wander over Duo's body, feeling for any possible broken bones and then moving to his abdomen to see if there was any tenderness, bloating or other abnormal features. Straightening she turned to face Heero. "How long ago did this happen?"

"I called you about five minutes after I found him." Heero looked at his watch. "About twenty five minutes ago, give or take five minutes."

"Hmmm. And you say he was fine when you went to fetch the refreshments?"

"Hai. He'd gone to the bathroom a short while before but he seemed okay. Maybe a little pale but that was all. He was painting around the edges of the window sill and the skirting boards. I wouldn't let him do anything more than that as it involved stretching or climbing. He didn't say he was feeling unwell." Heero was looking positively miserable and Sally knew the Japanese man was blaming himself.

"Heero, this isn't your fault," she said quietly. "Did you have the window open? Some ventilation in here?"

"Hai. The window is open and we had the door open too. The windows in the other rooms are also open to let the air circulate."

"I'm guessing that maybe it was the paint fumes that have gotten to him and caused him to pass out."

"But wouldn't he have come around by now?" Heero's eyes widened.

"Usually he would but from the cut to his head I'd say he hit it hard on the window sill as he fell and that's what rendered him completely unconscious." Sally paused. "I don't think there are any internal injuries and I'm sure that the baby is safe but I'd like to get him to your room and into the exam room so I can check him out with the ultra sound to be perfectly safe."

"I'll carry him." Heero stepped forwards.

"Heero, are you sure? I mean he's getting a lot heavier now with the baby as well."

"I'm sure," Heero returned firmly and walked over to his lover. He bent down and scooped the unconscious form into his arms, grunting a little as he straightened up. Duo had certainly put on some weight. He carried his lover through to the small exam room and laid him on the bed, tucking his braid over his chest and then stepped back to allow Sally and the nurse to do their job.

Nurse Brown pulled the ultra sound machine over to the bed while Sally exposed Duo's torso and belly. She took the offered gel from Nurse Brown and spread a liberal amount on Duo's skin before passing back the tube. The machine was switched on and once the screen had warmed up, Sally took the sound head and began to press it to Duo's body, carefully watching the screen for signs of anything abnormal.

Heero moved as close to the bed as he dared and glanced at the screen. Even though the images on screen were alien to him he felt a little better for simply looking anyway. His hand subconsciously drifted to Duo's and he found his fingers entwined with those of his lover without being aware of it.

"Looks good so far," said Sally as she manipulated the sound head. "I can't detect anything wrong with any of the internal organs."

A soft groan from Duo alerted everyone to the man's return to the world. Sally immediately passed the sound head to Nurse Brown and took out her small flashlight. Heero leant close, his heart hammering as Duo's eyelids began to flutter.

"Hey, Duo. Can you hear me?" asked Sally.

"Anyone get the number of that Gundam?" muttered Duo, as he blinked open his eyes and went to raise his hand only to have it stopped when he realized that Heero was holding on to it.

"How are you feeling, Duo?" asked Nurse Brown as she took his pulse rate again.

"I've got a terrible headache," he answered. "What happened?"

"We were kind of hoping you could tell us, Duo." Sally folded her arms across her chest.

Duo frowned as he fought his mind to try and recall what had happened. "I was painting along the skirting board... Heero... " he swallowed. "Heero went to get some refreshments and I started to feel a little dizzy so I thought I would go by the window and get a little fresh air. That's all I remember." Duo turned his head and realized where he was. "How did I get in here? Did I pass out or something?"

"It sounds as if the paint fumes got too much for you, Duo, and you passed out. You have a nasty cut to your head which I think I would be correct in saying happened when you collapsed. I think you hit your head on the window sill which is why you have been out for so long." Sally moved over to him again. "The cut to your head will need a few stitches but I want to examine you and you tell me if anything hurts, okay?"

"Okay." Duo did his best to give her a grin but his head hurt too much. He stared at Heero who was standing to the side, a worried expression on his face. // Fuck! Now Heero wasn't going let him do anything after this episode. // He lay back and resigned himself to Sally's prodding and poking. When they established that there wasn't any other injury that they could find, Sally picked up the sound head of the ultra sound machine again.

"From the scanning I've done so far I can't find any internal damage which is good. I want to check that the baby is okay though and hasn't suffered any distress."

Duo turned his wide, violet eyes to the doctor. "You think there could be anything wrong?"

Nurse Brown smiled and patted his shoulder. "It's highly unlikely but it's best to be on the safe side and check these things out."

Duo gripped Heero's hand even tighter. He didn't know how he would react if anything was wrong with the child. He bit is lip and stared into Heero's equally frightened eyes.

Seeing how his lover needed reassurance, Heero leant in close and brushed his lips softly over Duo's. "I'm right here, Duo. I'm sure that the baby is fine," he said with more conviction than he felt.

Sally lowered the sound head again and began to press against Duo's lower abdomen. The screen hummed and the picture changed slightly as Sally moved the apparatus around, finally locating Duo's womb and the small fetus within. Four sets of eyes turned to watch the monitor.

This time the baby could be much more clearly seen. Both Heero and Duo were able to make out the tiny infant which appeared to be lying on its back, curled into a ball and resting happily on Duo's bladder.

"It appears to be fine, Duo," Sally said in a quiet tone as she maneuvered the sound head trying to get a slightly clearer picture. She pushed a couple of buttons on the machine then continued to explore Duo's insides. "Everything seems normal, the length is sixteen centimeters..." Sally paused and looked again at the monitor where the figures were coming on the screen. "And the weight is eighty six grams. I'm happy to say that all that is well within the normal range for your current stage of pregnancy." She fiddled with a dial and then the sound of a rapid heart beat permeated the room.

Duo was spellbound, eagerly watching the screen and listening to the child's heart beat. He squeezed Heero's hand and looked up to see his partner equally fascinated. On the screen the small fetus moved and stretched its limbs, kicking its legs around and turning a little. It appeared to look directly at them and Duo could swear the baby was smiling. They continued to watch for a while longer as the fetus put on a *show* for them, waving its arms and legs around before it tired of the game and began to curl up, snuggling back down against Duo's bladder once more.

"Where exactly is the baby lying, Sally?" Heero asked as the machine was turned off.

Sally gave them both a grin. "Seems the little one has taken a liking to your bladder, Duo. It apparently enjoys lying on it."

"See! I told you the kid was using my bladder as a pillow, Heero. No wonder I'm always pis... peeing." Duo scowled.

Nurse Brown hid the smile on her face by busying herself with putting the ultra sound away. She returned with suture items in a kidney dish as well as a syringe.

"I'm going to clean up that head wound and stitch it, Duo. I'd also like to take some more blood and run a couple of different tests and eliminate any other possible cause for your passing out."

"Fine," Duo said quietly and let the doctor do as she wished.

Fifteen minutes later, Duo was stitched up and a fresh bandage on his head. Nurse Brown had taken the blood sample and all seemed to be well. Sally removed her latex gloves and tossed them into the bin. "Right, Duo. You are not allowed to do any more painting." She raised her hand to silence the protests that were about to be voiced. "If it was the paint fumes then I'm not having you put yourself at risk again. If you were to pass out like that once more you may not be so lucky next time around."

Duo sighed. She was right, he knew that but he couldn't help feeling cheated out of sharing in the construction of the nursery.

"Further more, you are to spend the rest of today and tomorrow in bed doing nothing."

"What?! No way!" Duo protested loudly.

"Yes, you will, Duo." Heero turned his blue eyes to meet his lover's annoyed violet. "You will listen to Sally and do as she says. I will not have you putting your health or the baby at risk. I can finish the painting off by myself; most of it is nearly done anyway." Seeing the pain, anger and raw need in Duo's eyes he softened a little, understanding how much Duo wanted to share in the preparation of the nursery for their child. "I promise there will still be plenty of things you can do in the nursery once the painting is done and the room aired out."

"That's right, Duo," Sally chipped in. "There is still all the furniture placement to work out, not to mention curtains and filling the place up with the toys and things you've bought."

"And the border still has to be done," added Heero.

Somehow Duo knew he wasn't going to win this one; Nurse Brown confirmed the fact for him. "Might as well give up now, son. They have you surrounded." She gave him a wink. "And if that's not bad enough, I'm going to be moving in too in the next week or so."

Duo rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay! I give up. I'll spend the rest of today and tomorrow in bed like a good little boy; but," he eyed each one of them. "After that, I'm up and about again and no treating me like an invalid." The last comment was directed mainly at Heero and Heero flinched. Duo could see the mother hen coming back out in Heero with twice the force of before and there was no way that Duo was going to sit there and take it. "Understood?!"

One smirk, one raised eyebrow and a complete hesitation greeted his words.

Duo scowled. "Understood?!" he repeated.

"I will monitor your progress," replied Nurse Brown.

"You will only get up if I clear you to do so," stated Sally.

Heero thought about the handcuffs and the bed posts and changed his mind. "I'm on their side," he said and quickly looked away.

"Might as well be locked in some Ozzie cell again for all the damn freedom I get around here," Duo muttered but could see that neither Sally or Nurse Brown were going to budge. Heero he could work on later.

"Come on, let's get you into your pajamas and into your bed. You need to rest," said Nurse Brown as she diffused the moment.

Duo struggled to his feet and swayed a little, the dizziness returning for a moment. He felt Heero wrap an arm around his waist and support him while the nurse took the other side. "I can walk," he growled.

"I know you can, Duo," replied Heero but continued to support the American through to the bedroom where he sat Duo on the bed.

Nurse Brown fetched Duo's pajamas from underneath his pillow and brought them around, passing them to Heero. "I'll go and tidy up the exam room," she said. "I'll meet you and Doctor Po downstairs shortly."

"Thank you," replied Heero as he took the pajamas and assisted Duo into them. Once Duo was undressed and tucked safely into the bed so Heero pressed a kiss to his lover's lips. "You really did scare me, Duo," he said softly. "I thought... I thought I was losing both you and the baby."

Duo reached out and touched Heero's cheek. I'm sorry for scaring you, Heero. I scared myself too. I promise to take better care of myself in future, okay?"

"Okay." Heero took another kiss. "You had better do as Sally said and get some rest. I'll be downstairs talking to Sally, if you need anything just call."

"I will, Heero, now you'd better get going, I'll be fine."

Heero pressed one last kiss to Duo's lips before heading out and down to where Sally waited to speak with him. Duo lay his throbbing head back on the pillow and closed his eyes. He still felt rather light headed and in one way was glad that he'd been ordered to rest. Rubbing his swollen stomach he spoke quietly to the child within. "You're one tough little kid, sunshine. But then again, you're going to have to be with parents like us." Duo smiled as his eyes drifted shut and sleep claimed him. Inside the amniotic sac, the small baby curled contentedly against its *pillow* and slumbered on, oblivious to all the excitement that had occurred.

~ * ~

tbc........

[1] Recovery position. This is a basic position in which injured persons are placed while awaiting medical assistance. It ensures that the injured party's air way remains clear and they cannot roll over or do any further damage to themselves.