Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Echoes of a Distant Past ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Echoes of a Distant Past

Chapter 3

Heero studied the relaxed features that now graced Duo's face as he slept. He desperately wanted to believe that the doctor was correct about Duo only being confused from the concussion and he would wake up being Duo Maxwell. But what he and Sally witnessed could not be labeled simple confusion. The strange name, his speech pattern, his behavior, it was not the way Duo would behave.

"Heero," Sally interrupted his silent musings. He hadn't heard her enter the room. "I just spoke with Lady Une. I filled her in on everything that's happened…..except for the part about his behavior. I thought it better to wait and see what happens when he wakes up again."

"I agree," Heero acknowledged and returned his attention back to his sleeping spouse. Sally settled into one of the uncomfortable, standard issue hospital chairs next to Heero.

The two friends sat in companionable silence as the sounds of hospital life drifted into the room. Muffled pages from overhead speakers, nurses voices, some serious, some light hearted, the sounds of heavy carts pushed past the door and the smell of hot food being served, activities acknowledged then ignored on the periphery of their senses, as their thoughts centered on the person lying in restful slumber as if none of the days events had occurred.

Sally noticed the slight movements of her sleeping friend's eyelids and reached out, touching Heero's arm. He nodded, letting her know he noticed it also. "I'll ask the nurse to page Dr. Cook," Sally whispered, as she slid quietly from her seat and left the room.

Heero adjusted his position closer to the bed, wanting his face to be the first thing Duo saw when he opened his eyes.

Duo grimaced as he stretched and began to yawn. His eyes fluttered open, his brow furrowed in concentration as he focused on the face in front of him. A gentle smile instantly graced his lips. A smile Heero returned and hoped meant that Duo recognized his as Heero, his spouse and best friend.

"How do you feel?" Heero asked cautiously.

The smile disappeared as a mental inspection seemed to take place before an answer came forth. "Tummy's better, but my head still hurts."

Heero inwardly frowned at the choice of words but didn't want to jump to conclusions, just yet.

A short knock on the door preceded Sally's entrance followed by Dr. Cook. A frantic hand reached out for Heero's as they approached the bed; violet eyes searched the faces and settled on Sally's.

"Hello, it's good to see you're awake and feeling better," the doctor stopped next to Heero. "I'm Dr. Cook and I need to examine you to make sure everything is working properly. You sustained a substantial concussion from your accident."

Duo remained silent; a cautious look crossed his features as he stared at the doctor; his grip on Heero's hand tightened. Heero returned it with a squeeze of his own in reassurance. "I guess its okay."

Dr. Cook began his examination by checking pupil reactions. The quick flashes of bright light caused Duo to squint and turn his head away. The doctor instructed him to grip his fingers and squeeze tightly as the nurses had asked him to do before. He released Heero's hand reluctantly to comply. Dr. Cook remained silent as he moved down his body to check the patellar reflex and almost got a broken nose as Duo's leg jerked up violently. Last, the doctor checked his feet for the Babinski sign and was presented with a loud laugh as Duo pulled his foot away.

"Hey! That tickles!"

"So far everything is within normal limits," Dr. Cook sat in the empty chair next to Heero that Sally occupied earlier. He took out a pad and pen from the deep pocket of his white lab coat. "I want to ask you a few questions before I can clear you to go home."

"Questions, like a game?" The impish face brightened in anticipation. "I like word games."

Sally and Heero exchanged a worried glance. Dr. Cook raised an eyebrow slightly but kept his composure before starting. "What day is today?"

"Duo chewed on his lower lip in concentration. "I think its Monday."

"What season is it?" Dr. Cook asked next as he jotted down the answer.

"Season?" A puzzled look crossed his face then the bright smile of recognition followed. "I know that one! It's spring; because my birthday is in the spring and I had my party last week."

Sally let out a stifled gasp while Heero sat frozen in place; his eyes bulged wide with shock as his only visible reaction.

"You just had a birthday? How old are you now?"

"I'm five now," Duo proudly beamed as he held up the five fingers of one hand. "I get to go to real school now. Not the baby school at Mama and Papa's work," Duo fidgeted in the bed, pleased he seemed to be giving the right answers. "This game is easy. Its all stuff I know. Ask me something harder."

Dr. Cook sensed the tension in the room and made eye contact with Heero. He silently seemed to ask if they were prepared for whatever answer came to his next question. Heero barely moved his head to give his agreement. "Alright, what is your name?"

"Another easy one," Duo giggled. "My name is Bailey O'Brien." The room became deadly silent.

"You're name is Bailey O'Brien and you are five years old," Dr. Cook jotted quickly on his pad before looking very sternly at him. "Are you sure you are telling me the truth?" He finished gruffly.

The happy countenance changed to worry and fear. "Yes, Mama says it's bad to lie," he turned to Heero. "I never tell lies. Please, Uncle Heero, I don't wanna play this game anymore. Take me home to Mama." Duo's chin began to quiver and his eyes glazed over with impending tears.

"Doctor Cook," Sally quickly intervened. "We need to talk outside."

The doctor grunted in agreement and followed her out of the room.

Heero pulled Duo into a hug and rocked him gently. "It's alright…Bailey. You don't have to play the game anymore."

Tears rolled down high cheekbones onto Heero's shirt. "I want to go home, I want to go home."

"You can't until the doctor says you are better, Bailey. Come on now, look at me," Duo pulled away reluctantly and looked at Heero. He blinked away the last few tears and sniffled. Heero grabbed a tissue from the box on the bedside stand and gently dabbed Duo's face dry, then held a fresh tissue to his nose. "Blow." Duo did as he was told. "Now take a deep breath and let it out," Duo took a deep breath and let out a stuttered sigh. He sat there quietly waiting for more instructions from Heero.

Heero looked closely at the person who sat in front of him. Yes, he looked like Duo, but that was where the similarity ended. The way he held himself lacked Duo's confidence. The eyes did not have Duo's keenness. The hands now looked frail instead of strong as slim fingers fidgeted with the sheets. Duo, his Duo was lost somewhere inside this new person; a five year old child named Bailey.

The photo the detective had shown him of Duo as a child flashed in his mind, putting it together with Duo's early memories of his life on L2, could it be, could Duo really be this Bailey O'Brien? A laundry list of questions filled his head. Where are his parents now? Who is the man who tried to kill him and especially why? Could this Bailey help answer these questions? How am I going to take care of him until he becomes Duo again? A more frightening thought came next. Will he ever be Duo again?

"Uncle Heero," A tug on his sleeve brought Heero back to the present. "Uncle Heero, is something wrong?"

"No, Bailey, I was just thinking," Heero stopped short and thought, `Uncle? Why did he call me Uncle Heero? Was he expecting a relative?'

"Is it okay to call you Uncle Heero? Mama said it was polite to call grownups Aunt and Uncle when you are friends of Mama and Papa. Were you thinking of them?"

"I was thinking about a lot of things, Bailey," As hard as it was for Heero to use this new name, Heero knew it would keep him calm and cooperative. Bailey had mentioned that his Mother was expecting someone to help them in some way. Were they in trouble? Could Duo's attacker have been involved all those years ago also? Either way he would stay strong and supportive of the man he loved more than life itself.

"Heero, could you step out here for a moment," Sally's head peered in the doorway.

"I'll be in the hall talking with the doctor," Heero stood up to leave. "I want you to stay here and rest until I come back."

"Do you have to?" Bailey's voice quivered.

"Just for a few minutes," Heero reached for the call bell cord and handed it to Bailey. "See this red button? It turns on a light above the door; if you feel sick or need me in any way just push the red button and I'll come right back."

"Are you sure it works?" Bailey looked at the red button with suspicion.

"Try it," Heero instructed, which Bailey did. After the signal went on, Heero pushed the cancel button on the wall before a nurse answered the call. Bailey lay back against the pillows, clutching the call bell cord tightly as Heero left the room.

"Let's move across the hall please," Dr. Cook motioned them along toward a small alcove. "I apologize for not believing you earlier about the change in your spouse's personality, Mr. Yuy. Dr. Po has filled me in on the circumstances of his accident and the strange photo his attacker left behind at the scene."

"I'm not sure if Sally has told you, but as far back as Duo can remember he had been an orphan growing up as a street child on L2. This picture shouldn't exist and people shouldn't be looking for him the way he was hunted today." Heero paused to gather his thoughts. "He doesn't know who he is, Duo Maxwell-Yuy. He has amnesia? But how can he remember who he used to be when, as Duo, he had no memory of ever being this Bailey O'Brien. Gods, he thinks he is still five years old!"

"I'll have to discuss this with our psychiatrist to confirm my suspicions, but here is my theory on this. Let's say your spouse really is Bailey. At the time he was five he had a traumatic experience or physical accident, most likely on L2 that caused a form of amnesia. The age at which a person starts to form memories about themselves is about three; when speech and cognitive abilities are integrated. There are numerous young children orphaned during the wars that have no memories of their earlier lives. They successfully joined with foster and adoptive families as your spouse did with the street children he grew up with.

"Your spouse's accident, because of the physical trauma, caused a retrograde amnesia where the person can't remember events prior to the accident including the accident itself. It's difficult to say how or why the old memories of his earlier forgotten childhood were re-ignited, but it's what we are left with for the present."

"How can we treat him to bring Duo back?" Heero asked.

Dr. Cook paused and looked at Heero with pity. "Mr. Yuy, each case of amnesia is different from the next. He could wake up some morning as if nothing had ever happened or as his concussion heals his memories will return slowly in bits and pieces until he has regained his life back, or which has unfortunately occurred before; never regain his memory of being Duo Maxwell-Yuy."

Heero swallowed hard, knowing each scenario the Doctor mentioned were a possibility, but actually hearing that Duo may remain Bailey O'Brien, currently five years old, for the rest of his life; he did not want to accept that outcome. He would do whatever it took to help Duo regain his memory and their life together.

"Heero," Sally's hand was on his shoulder. "We, I mean all your friends at Preventers, will support and help you in any way we can."

"But what do we do know? Can he be released today? Should I bring him to our home? What about the accident investigation, he may need protection from the attacker," Heero expressed his concerns aloud.

"At this point, Mr. Yuy, I would like to keep him overnight just for observation for medical reasons. After the psychiatrist sees him there should be no reason to keep him here. He does have a family support system. Being close to his friends and familiar surroundings may trigger his memory to return."

"In the mean time I have to get to know who Bailey is and was. Duo would want to know who he was before L2. It's something he always longed for. It may also help us find out why he was followed and attacked. Sally we need to talk to Lady Une about this as soon as possible, but I can't leave him here alone," Heero paced anxiously as tried to organize what needed to be done but was unable to do himself.

"Give me a list of things you need done. I'll talk to Lady Une today. She may have the picture already."

"I'll leave you to your business. Feel free to contact me if you need anything," Dr. Cook shook their hands and left them alone.

Heero asked for a pad from the nurse's station and began making his list. Sally waited patiently, watching as Heero frequently checked the call light over Duo's door.

*****

Bailey lay on the bed clutching the bell cord like a life line. His thumb passed over the button several times as strange noises scared him enough to want Uncle Heero back. But Mama had told him he had to be brave and do what their friend told him to do. So he didn't press the button. A sloshing sound followed by the squeak of wheels outside his door captured his attention. A hand knocked once and announced, "Housekeeping, just need to mop the floor." A wet mop and it's long yellow handle entered the room before the man pushing it did.

Bailey watched as the mop made swirling patterns across the floor tiles. After every two to three passes the man would dip the mop back into the wheeled bucket then squeeze out the excess water. The man smiled and hummed as he worked and continued the pattern of mop, dip and squeeze. The continual sounds of water began to make Bailey restless as the pressure in his bladder increased. Bailey eyed the bathroom door as the housekeeper approached it to clean it next. The man stopped his work. He looked at Bailey directly in the eye and stared at him. When nothing happened, the housekeeper smiled broadly. Bailey instinctively smiled back.

"Do you need to use the bathroom before I clean it?" The housekeeper asked.

Bailey didn't know what to do. He desperately needed to go, but Uncle Heero wasn't here and he said to stay in bed until he came back. Bailey wasn't sure if he could wait any longer. He didn't want to wet the bed like a baby. He was a big boy and Mama wouldn't be happy if she found out. So, the call of nature spoke louder than Heero's instructions.

"Yeah," Bailey moved to the edge of the bed and stood up, finding it easier for his feet to touch the floor than he thought. He started toward the open bathroom door when a draft from the air conditioning touched his exposed backside as the back of his hospital gown opened widely. He pulled the loose edges together behind him and hurried into the bathroom.

The housekeeper stepped aside as Bailey entered and slammed the door and locked it behind him. His head began to swim, so he sat on the toilet before he ended on the floor. Finally able to relieve himself, he sighed with relief. He felt cold and his stomach was starting to feel bad again. He now wished he had stayed in bed like Uncle Heero had told him.

"Hey, are you okay in there? Do you need the nurse?"

`I must have been in here to long.' He thought. "I'm okay," Bailey stood next to the sink to wash his hands. As he soaped up, something didn't feel right. He looked closer at his hands. He had a ring on just like Uncle Heero. The same one Mama and Papa wore with the little hands and heart. Why was he wearing it?

"Hurry up in there, I have work to finish," the housekeeper called again.

Bailey's head jerked up in surprise when the housekeeper knocked loudly on the door and came face to face with himself in the mirror.

*******

"I'll be staying with him tonight. Wu Fei can bring us both a change of clothes in the morning," Heero handed Sally his apartment key," We'll need a ride home until I can arrange for another car. I'd say ours is inoperable for the time being and Duo's motorcycle is definitely out."

Heero seemed to be running on automatic pilot, Sally thought as she looked at the signs of fatigue that were cracking Heero's usual calm and serious expression. After all that had happened today, any other man wouldn't even be standing.

The ear piercing scream caught everyone's attention up and down the hall. Heero reached the room first with Sally on his heels as the screams continued.

The housekeeper was banging on the bathroom door. "Unlock the door."

Heero threw the man aside like a rag doll and put his shoulder to the door with strength only Heero Yuy possessed.

In the small space, Bailey sat on the floor with his arms covering his face. Heero knelt down and pulled his arms away fearing he had hurt himself. Bailey struggled until he recognized Heero then he flung his arms around Heero's neck tightly. "Uncle Heero….a stranger….a stranger looked at me in the mirror. Make him go away."

"What stranger? Do you mean the housekeeper? He wasn't in here with you….." Like a ton of bricks, the truth of the situation hit Heero like a ton of bricks. The stranger in the mirror wasn't another person. He had seen his own reflection. Five year old Bailey didn't recognize himself as twenty year old Duo. Fuck, why didn't he see the coming? He needed to come up with an explanation and quickly.

"We better get him back to bed, Heero," Sally moved the mop bucket out of their way. The housekeeper had disappeared leaving his equipment behind.

Bailey refused to release his strangle hold on Heero, keeping his face buried in Heero's chest as he was led to bed.

"Is he gone, Uncle Heero?" Bailey asked nervously, not wanting to show his face yet.

"There is no one else here Bailey, only you, me and Sally."

Bailey peered up at Heero then at Sally. "Did you see him?" he whispered in fear.

"Tell us what he looked like, Bailey. There were a lot of people around," Sally took over answering her friend's questions, not knowing how much more Heero could take right now. It would definitely be a long night ahead for him.

Bailey licked his dry lips. "He was big, bigger than me, `n had a lot of hair, long hair all around his face and it hung down in front of him," Bailey relaxed his hold on Heero and faced Sally. He, he had cuts and big purple marks all over his face. He looked really scary. And then he yelled at me and I yelled back."

Sally collected her thoughts on how to proceed next. Sitting gently on the bed she looked into eyes that now shined with childhood innocence where once glinted the deadly stare of a jaded youth with knowledge beyond his years. "Bailey," Sally started as this unfamiliar name awkwardly rolled off her tongue. "Do you remember when we told you that you were in an accident?"

Bailey nodded wordlessly.

"When you were injured, you fell asleep for a long time. While you slept your body grew up," Sally took a long strand of loose hair and tucked it behind Bailey's ear. "The person you saw in the mirror wasn't a stranger at all. You saw yourself in the mirror."

They both remained silent and held their breath, as they waited for Bailey's reaction.

Bailey finally released his hold on Heero and looked down at himself. He stretched out his long legs and wiggled his toes. He held out his hands and turned them over and over as he looked at them then he took Heero's hand and pressed them together; comparing their similar size. Bailey then touched his head and found his long braid, pulling the disheveled mass around to inspect it. Lastly he touched his face and felt the fine stubble of facial hair along his jaw. "I was asleep and when I woke up was all grown up?" Bailey paused deep in thought. "Just like Rip Van Winkle." [1]

Sally and Heero looked questioningly at each other, not recognizing the name. "Who?" Heero asked.

"Rip Van Winkle. My Papa read me the story. He got lost in the woods, met some strange people who gave him funny beer to drink and he fell asleep for a long time. When he woke up he was all old, with white hair and a long beard."

"We are not familiar with the story, Bailey," Sally said.

"I bet Papa will let you read it. He has lots of old books like that," Bailey gasped loudly and began to shake.

"What's wrong, Bailey? Do you feel sick again?" Heero reached for the small basin the nurse had left for them.

"Mama, Papa?" The simple question spoke volumes.

"We don't know where they are, Bailey." Sally answered sadly.

The day had finally taken its toll. Tears flowed freely once again; this time from both of them. Heero wrapped his arms tightly around Bailey, each mourning lost loved ones and unsure if they would ever return into their lives again.

"Find them, Uncle Heero," Bailey sobbed. "Please find them," buried his face into Heero's chest once again.

"I promise you, Bailey, no matter what it takes, I will find them for you."

Tears slid down Sally's cheeks as her heart broke into pieces, knowing Heero never broke a promise; especially to Duo.

TBC

[1] Rip Van Winkle: An American folk tale written by Washington Irving. A man goes hunting in the Catskill Mountains during colonial times. He meets a group of strange men who invite him to drink and play a sporting game with them. He eventually falls asleep and when he awakes he is not longer a young man, but an old man with long white hair and a beard. When he returns home from the mountains, he discovers that his wife had died and the towns people do not recognize him until his daughter does. His daughter is now a grown young woman. He lives to a ripe old age with his daughter.