Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Echoes of a Distant Past ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2

Sally broke the broadening silence as she replied calmly. "No?"

Duo shook his head slightly in response.

"What should we call you then?" Sally continued in a soothing voice.

"Bailey. Bailey O'Brien." He answered, nervously.

"Bailey, Bailey O'Brien." Sally repeated the name that came from Duo's lips while trying to ignore the steel trap grip Heero was exerting on her shoulder.

"Uh huh." Bailey replied, nodding his head, then winced in pain as he gripped his throbbing head.

"Du…Bailey." Sally quickly corrected herself. "We need to get you back to bed so the Doctor can help you feel better."

"Kay." Bailey answered softly as he cautiously edged towards Sally's outstretched hand.

Heero hovered next to Sally ready to carry Duo if necessary. Duo stopped and began to tremble as he stared at Heero. Sally followed Duo's fear filled eyes to Heero's tense posture. She didn't need Duo to panic again.

"Bailey, this is Heero. He is …. A special friend and will not hurt you."

Heero hesitantly held out his hand. Bailey stared at the offered hand with suspicion until a slight glint caught his attention. Bailey took Heero's hand, gently turning it over until he saw the ring Heero wore more clearly. Bailey lifted his face to Heero. "You're my special friend?"

"Yes… a very special friend." Heero said haltingly, the stress of the situation showing in his voice. "I want to take care of you."

"Mama said you would come when we needed you." Bailey said, a small smile formed on his lips. "Is Mama here too?"

"Let's get you back to bed first. You are injured and need to rest." Heero said, avoiding the question for now, not knowing how to answer.

"OK." Bailey smiled trustingly and stood between Heero and Sally. Taking a few unsteady steps, Bailey began to wobble. "I…I…feel…" Bailey clutched Heero's hand tighter as he collapsed to his knees and began to wretch and vomit.

"In here Dr. Cook, they were trying to coax him out of the closet. I've never observed this type of reaction from a concussion before." Nurse Greta informed Dr. Cook as they entered the room.

"Nurse give the patient 10mg. Prochlorperazine IM stat!" Dr. Cook instructed the nurse as he took in the scene before him.

Sally had managed to reach a waste basket in time for Duo to use while Heero supported his body and head. As the episode passed, Duo leaned heavily against Heero. Heero scooped Duo into his arms and carried him to bed. Duo moaned softly as his body relaxed into unconsciousness.

Heero and Sally looked at each other, both silently wishing this was just a nightmare or Duo would open his eyes with a huge smile on his face before shouting `gottch ya!'.

"Can one of you tell me what has been going on here with my patient?" Dr. Cook demanded from behind them.

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Lady Une threw the file down on her desk in frustration. She had wanted Heero to look the file over, but he reminded her of his and Duo's frequently delayed vacation. They would look at it when they returned, when they were both well rested from the last six months of assignments. Lady Une agreed reluctantly.

The American detective from California who compiled the information initially had only two murders that were similar. After running a computer search of other murder cases he ended up with a list of eight. Cause of death exactly the same. He sent the packet to the Preventers, suspicious of a serial killer. If so they wanted to be ready if he struck again.

Une had run the stats through the Preventer data bases and came up with the same eight cases the detective has as well as five more that matched. There was no clear motive that she could ascertain in the list of murders. There were similarities in the way they were killed, but saying they were the work of a serial killer was a bit of a stretch. No single gender was targeted, they were male and female. The killings occurred on Earth as well as the colonies. The only thing the victims seemed to have in common was being about the same age, they were all only no more than a few months apart in age and had the same physical mutilation that was the cause of death.

Une had few agents available at this time. Her best agents were all out in the field assisting numerous relief agencies with the aftermath of a series of natural disasters. Une would have to wait for Heero and Duo to return from vacation when they were both rested and recovered from their last assignment. When looking at serial killers, if indeed they were, your team needed to be as alert as possible. This kind of case was very fatiguing on both body and mind.

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