Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Family Ties ❯ Chapter 114 ( Chapter 114 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

“Family Ties”

January 2007 ShenLong

Chapter 114

By the time Une and Heero reached the officers’ sitting room Relena had commandeered to look after Keitaro in, the Commander had a fairly good idea of the injuries that Duo had suffered. Her heart went out to the agent beside her, he was obviously worried sick about his partner, and rightly so.

Although there was still a tremendous amount of work to be done, Une decided it could wait for a short while. She would get her reports from her agents over the next few days, Day and Night’s reports could wait until both were medically stable and well on the road to recovery.

Reaching the office door, Une knocked and then opened it, stepping inside and to one side to allow Heero to move inside. Across the room, sitting in a large armchair was Relena. Keitaro was sitting on a rug at her feet and the pair looked to be playing with something. At the sound of the door opening, both turned to see who was entering.

Relena’s eyes widened when she saw Heero, a smile finding its way to her mouth. Keitaro stared at the two people, blinked and then his face lit up into a huge grin. He dropped the toy he’d been playing with and rolled to his fours. Moving at a rapid pace, Keitaro crawled across the room, his eyes fixed on Heero.

Heero’s eyes went misty when he saw his son. Tears began to form as the child started to crawl towards him, a wide smile on his face. It was Duo’s smile. Crouching, Heero opened his arms wide and scooped his son into them, pulling him close and feathering kisses all over the soft head of hair and chubby cheeks.

“Oh, Keitaro,” Heero mumbled as the tears ran unchecked.

Keitaro grabbed onto his father as tightly as he could, soft gurgles of delight coming from his throat.

“Oh, god how I’ve missed you.”

“Da... Da...”

Heero stiffened, than a smile started to form. “Did he just say-”

Une nodded along with Relena.

“It sounded like a Dada to me,” the Commander said softly.

Holding the infant slightly away from him so he could see the child’s face, Heero gazed in wonder at his son. “Daddy’s home, Keitaro and so is your other Daddy.”

“Da... Da...” Keitaro gave a squeal of delight and tried to grab Heero’s bangs.

Managing to avoid having his hair pulled, Heero hugged his son close to his chest. “Your other dad is going to be so pleased and proud of you,” he whispered.

“How is Duo?” Relena asked, getting up from her chair and walking towards the agent.

“He's in surgery. We won't know anything more until Sally's finished, but he's pretty badly hurt,” Une replied on Heero's behalf.

“I'm sorry to hear that, but Sally is an excellent doctor and I know she will be able to help Duo. If there is anything I can do?” Relena directed her words at Heero.

“Thank you, Relena, I appreciate that. You've done a lot already, looking after Keitaro for us.”

Relena waved her hand in the air. “It's been my pleasure to watch over him. He's a lovely child, Heero. Anytime you need someone to babysit, I'm more than happy to.”

Heero gave the woman a soft smile. “Thank you, I'll remember that and I know Duo would also like me to thank you on his behalf.”

“You tell Duo to worry about getting well, that's the best thanks anyone could ask for.”

“Da.. Da..” Keitaro squealed.

“Yes, Keitaro, I'm going to take you to see your daddy,” Heero replied, pressing a kiss to the child's head.

“I'll get his things ready for you,” Relena said and moved back across the room to pack up Keitaro's toys and other bits and pieces into the bag Nurse Brown had given her earlier. “There's a couple of tins of baby food, a bottle of water and a bottle of formula in there too,” Relena informed Heero as she handed over the bag.

“Thanks.” Heero did his best to shuffle Keitaro around in his arms and grasp the bag, but Keitaro didn't want to move. He'd just gotten one of his fathers back and no way was he letting go! His chubby hands managed to latch onto the tank top Heero had put on after Doctor Phillips had finished treating him and no way was he about to let anyone or anything move him.

“I'll take the bag, Agent Day,” Une offered, a smile playing on her lips as she watched the display.

“It's okay, I can manage,” Heero began.

“Agent Day. Give me the bag and that's an order.” There was no way Heero would possibly be able to manage both the child and the bag.

Reluctantly, Heero let the Commander take the bag.

“Good. Relena, if you aren't busy doing anything else, the Preventer legal team is starting to prepare its case against Barton and his followers. They will need a statement and information from you in regards to the senators Wainright and Richards.”

“I'll go there now. Please let me know how Duo is and pass on my kind regards for a speedy recovery. I'll stop by and see him later when Sally allows him to have visitors. Take care, Heero.” Relena pressed a kiss to Heero's cheek. “If you need anything, you know where to contact me.”

“Thank you, Relena, for everything.”

“My pleasure, Heero.”

“Agent Day, I suggest we get moving back to the medical section and see if there is any news on Agent Night.” Une picked up the bag from where she'd set it on the floor and moved to the door. “I'll talk to you later, Relena.”

Relena nodded and watched the pair leave, then she set off for the legal section.

* * *

[Satellite XRB 23]

When Zechs awoke he felt much better, it was amazing what a few hours of uninterrupted sleep could do for a person's general health and well-being. A few more hours would have been perfect, but unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Rolling over in the small bunk, he glanced at his watch and noted that he'd actually slept for six hours. Running a hand over his face, he winced at the stubble on his chin. The final sweep of the satellite would be in a couple of hours and depending on what Oil and his crew were doing by way of repairs to the shuttle right now, he just might get lucky and be able to take a shower.

With that thought foremost in his mind, Zechs got up, stretched and went in search of Agent Oil.

His luck was in; the Preventer crew were working on fitting the new heat shields to the shuttle's skin and wouldn't be anywhere near the water supply. Grabbing a fresh flight suit, Zechs allowed himself the luxury of a five minute shower. Once he was back home he would have a good, long soak in the hot tub and shampoo his hair.

With the shower taken care of, Zechs walked into the small galley and made himself a coffee. Fortunately the artificial gravity was still working otherwise he'd have to resort to using a tube to enjoy his coffee from - the satellite's gravitational field wasn't very strong at all and his coffee would be likely to want to float just above the cup rather than in it. A quick rummage through the supplies and several ration bars along with a couple of heat tab meal packs were located. Zechs opted for the ration bars, the meals still tasted like cardboard.

Chewing on the ration bar and coffee in hand, Zechs headed for the cockpit to contact Mercury and find out what had transpired during his slumber.

“Agent Wind, feeling better?” asked Mercury when the communication came through.

“Much, thank you. What's been happening whilst I was sleeping?”

“Not much. We're almost finished recording all the names and details of the prisoners. The medical crew is still working on the injured and about half of the dead have been identified.”

“What about Barton?”

“He will need surgery and medical attention that we don't have the facilities to provide on the shuttle. The medics have patched him up as best they can for now but once he's back on Earth he will need that care.”

“Just make sure he will live to stand trial.”

“You can bet on that,” Mercury replied with a growl.

“When are you going to do the final sweep?”

Mercury looked at his watch. “In half an hour. You going to join us again?”

“Might as well. I'll finish suiting up and come across to you.”

“No problem.  I'll see you soon then.”

“Roger that, Mercury. Wind out.”

“Mercury, out.”

Zechs leaned back in the chair and took the last bite of the ration bar. Whilst he chewed it, he pondered the thought of there being anyone else left on the satellite. Tossing the wrapper into the trash, Zechs left the cockpit to finish suiting up and head over to the other shuttle.

* * *

[Preventer Headquarters - Operating Room]

Sally managed to put a small clamp on the main blood vessel feeding the ovary and stem the bleeding, for the moment. It was only a temporary measure, until she knew what Heero wished to do. It was clear that the ovary would need to be either removed or a repair attempted. A repair would involve a great deal of time suturing up all the bleeds and trying to put the organ back together; and then the chances of the ovary surviving were around ten percent.

Had this happened to a woman, Sally would have removed the ovary straight away as a woman had two and the remaining ovary would enough to provide eggs for pregnancy. But in Duo's case...

Aside from the fact he shouldn't have had any female parts to start with, what he did have was malformed and under the laws of nature, should be defunct. However, Duo had defied all the odds it seemed. Not only did he have those vital parts, but he was fertile, able to conceive and carry a child.

But he only had the one ovary.

To remove that would mean Duo could no longer have children.

Sally didn't want to be the one to shatter the young man's dreams, hopes and heart.

Unfortunately, it looked like she would have to.

“I'll stick my head out into the waiting room and see if Heero is back yet if you wish?”

Nurse Brown's words broke into Sally's mind. “Thank you.”

Understanding that the doctor was quite upset over her patient and the life changing decision that needed to be made and made quickly, Margaret gave a nod and went to the door. She peered through the tiny glass window.

“They aren’t back yet,” Margaret informed Sally when she returned to the doctor’s side. “I can page them if you wish?”

Sally gave a sigh. “We really do need a decision as quickly as possible, but I’m loathe to page Heero as he will undoubtedly panic thinking there’s something seriously wrong with Duo.”

“As if what injuries he has aren’t already serious,” Margaret snorted.

Sally glanced down her nose at the nurse.

“I agree with you about Heero panicking, I wasn’t going to page him. I thought we could contact Doctor Phillips, see if they are still there and if so, how long they will be.”

“Ah, good idea. Would you mind?”

“Not at all.”

“Thank you. Whilst you do that and we’re waiting, I’ll start to treat these ribs, strap them properly. Once we know how long they are going to be, we can move onto the ankle if need be.”

Nurse Brown nodded and went to the small phone on the wall of the theater. Pushing the button for the emergency room Phillips would be working in, she waited for the call to go through. After a couple of rings the phone was answered by a cheerful voice.

“Nurse Morris, how can I help you?”

Margaret asked her questions and received the appropriate replies, hanging up when she had her information.

“Well?” asked Sally, not looking up from where she was busy checking the alignment of Duo’s cracked ribs.

“Doctor Phillips has finished treating all three agents and they have left with Commander Une. The nurse said she thought they were going to find Miss Peacecraft to collect Keitaro.”

“Ah.” Sally glanced at the clock on the wall. “How long ago?”

“About ten minutes.”

“It might be wise to page Une then. We can let her know of the need for Heero to be here quickly without having the panic.”

“I’ll page her now then.” Margaret went back to the phone and put in the requested page to the Commander. Hanging up, she waited by the phone for the Commander to call in. Knowing the Commander, it wouldn’t be long.

*

Walking along the corridor towards the elevators, Heero couldn’t help the feeling of helplessness lodged inside his gut. Fear was also present and he hoped with all his heart that Sally would be able to save both Duo and their unborn child. The earlier diagnosis had been promising and whilst Heero had every faith in Sally and her skills, he wasn’t about to let his hopes get up too high.

Beside Heero, Une walked in silence. She knew the agent was lost in his thoughts and worried about his partner. She was also concerned; Agent Night was an excellent agent, one of the Preventers best. No one could touch him when it came to stealth and infiltration. He was also a crack shot and legendary with his use of explosives. He was also a cheeky young man.

But aside from all that - he was a very good friend.

As they walked, Une’s pager went off and she reached for the unit. “Sorry, Day. I need to call in, I won’t be a moment.” Une looked around to locate where the nearest phone was and spotted one just ahead. She made a beeline for it, hoping Heero wouldn’t follow and be close enough to listen in. The pager had said to call Operating Room 3 – the room where Night was currently undergoing surgery.

Taking the opportunity, Heero sat down in the corridor and placed his son on his knee where he could interact with the child whilst Une made her call.

Relieved to see that Heero was occupied, Une called the operating theater. “Sally?” she said in a low tone when the call was answered.

“It’s Nurse Brown. Is that you, Commander?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I’ll just get Doctor Po for you.” Margaret motioned for  Sally to take the call. “It’s the Commander,” she told the doctor as Sally took the receiver from her.

“Thanks.” Sally pressed the receiver to her ear. “Une?”

“You paged me, Sally? There’s nothing wrong, is there?”

“Yes and no. How far away are you and Heero from getting to the waiting room?”

“We’re almost there, about another couple of minutes. Why?”

“We have a complication with Agent Night’s surgery and I need to speak with Heero in regards to the options we have available; I’ll also need consent from Heero to go ahead with which option he selects.”

“I see.” Une’s tone was etched with worry, but she knew better than to ask Sally what the complication was; there was a certain thing called patient/doctor confidentiality. “We will be there as soon as we can.”

“Thanks, Une. I’ll have Margaret keep an eye out for you.”

“See you shortly.” Une hung up and took a  moment to collect her composure. Turning, she paused as her eyes watched the agent and his son before her. Completely oblivious to anyone around them, Heero was quietly murmuring to Keitaro, the child enraptured by his father’s voice and watching that face intently. It was a sweet scene, peaceful and serene, reminding Une of why the Preventer group had been formed.

So that scenes like this could take place all over the Earth and Colonies.

Not wanting to interrupt the moment, but having to, Une walked back to Heero, hoping deep in her heart that whatever it was that Sally needed to discuss with Heero in regards to Duo’s situation, it wouldn’t be anything too bad.

Heero looked up as Une’s shadow fell across him. “All done?”

“Yes.” Picking up the bag, Une, with Heero and Keitaro beside her, were once more on their way to the operating room.

*

“They should be here in a couple of minutes,” Sally told the nurse as she hung up the phone.

“I’ll keep an eye out for them then and let you know when they arrive.”

“Thanks. Sally returned to her wrapping of Duo’s ribs whilst she waited. From time to time her eyes darted to Duo’s abdomen, relieved when she couldn’t see anything other than very slow bleeding.

“They’re here,” Nurse Brown informed her a few minutes later.

“Thanks. Would you continue to monitor him whilst I speak with Heero, please?”

“Of course.” Nurse Brown checked all the machines that were currently connected to Duo, noting the blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and temperature. All except the blood pressure were normal. The blood pressure was slightly erratic, but that was to be expected considering the bleed.

Stepping out of the operating theater, Sally removed her surgical gloves and mask, tossing them into the trash can at the side and steeled herself for her necessary talk with Heero.

Noting movement in his peripheral vision, Heero  turned to see Sally step out and head straight for him. Her face was neutral, giving nothing away and that made Heero wary.

“Heero, I need to speak with you for a moment.”

“Is Duo...” Heero’s face visibly paled as he struggled to form words. Sensing something was wrong, Keitaro began to fuss.

“Duo is okay, we’re still operating on him, but there’s something we’ve come across that I need to speak with you about, privately,”

“I’ll take the child,” Une offered. “We can go and visit the nurses at the station and see if we can get something warmed up for him to eat.”

Wordlessly, Heero allowed his son to be taken from his lap.

Once Une had left, Sally sat down in the seat next to Heero. “Heero, we have discovered why Duo’s blood pressure is so erratic. The knife, when it penetrated his abdomen cut into his ovary. The ovary is badly damaged, a couple of large cuts to it and if the knife had been removed earlier, he surely would have bled to death internally.”

Heero nodded, skin paling further.

“The baby is fine, the uterus untouched, but the ovary...”

“What is it you’re trying to tell me, Sally?”

Taking a deep breath, Sally took the plunge. “I wish this were easier to say, but it isn’t. Heero, we have two choices here. The first; I can stitch up and repair the damage to the ovary as best I can and hope it heals itself. The second; I remove the ovary completely.” Sally paused to let the information sink in.

Heero frowned. “If you repair the ovary, what are the chances of it healing and functioning normally again?”

“I would say about ten percent; that’s if it heals. Given the amount of trauma to the ovary, I very much doubt it will heal, and if it did I highly suspect it wouldn’t produce any further eggs. There is also the risk that the ovary could tear again due to the pressure on it as Duo’s abdomen expands again to accommodate this new baby. If that happens, he will bleed internally and that is a very serious matter, especially with him being pregnant again.”

“Removing it?”

“That will stop the internal bleeding, but it also means that Duo wouldn’t be able to conceive a child again naturally.”

‘No further children?’ Heero thought. He felt like someone had plunged him into icy water.

“Heero, I need you to make a decision on Duo’s behalf. With him being unconscious I can’t ask him. You are his next of kin and have the authority to make a decision for him.”

‘What to do? Repair it and take the risk of possibly losing Duo and/or the baby further down the track with no guarantee the ovary would heal or be viable again; or remove the ovary completely and hope that Duo carried this new baby to full term as there wouldn’t be any more children?’ Either way, the outcome would be traumatic for Duo.

“Would it be just the ovary?” Heero asked.

“Yes, Heero.”

“And what of the baby Duo is currently carrying?”

“The child should be fine. I fully intend to monitor Duo’s pregnancy for the full term and believe me when I say, I wouldn’t be taking any risks at all with him. Given his injuries and the weakened state of the uterus from carrying Keitaro, I’d be inclined to have Duo on complete bed rest until this child is born,” replied Sally.

“Sally?” Heero had a sudden thought and needed clarification.

“Yes, Heero?”

“If you remove the ovary and Duo does manage to carry this second child to full term, what condition do you think his uterus would be in afterwards?”

Sally frowned, obviously the question had foxed her. “I don’t understand, Heero.”

“This is just a thought. If Duo’s uterus returns to its normal state after this baby is born, would it be able to carry a third child?”

“I, I don’t know. But besides that, without an ovary, Duo wouldn’t be able to conceive a third child. I’m not sure what you’re driving at here, Heero.”

“There have been large advances with IVF, have there not?”

The light bulb went off in Sally’s head. “Heero, are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?”

“Even without an ovary, if Duo’s uterus is okay to carry a third child, there would be the option of IVF, would there not?”

“Well, yes. I couldn’t see why not, although you would need to have a donor egg.”

“Sally, remove the ovary, keep my husband and unborn child safe. I know Duo would want you to do this too. Later on, if all is well and Duo should want another child, he will still have that option.”
Sally gave the young man a soft smile and placed her hand on his arm. “I’ll do as you’ve requested, Heero, and know that I will keep him safe and make sure he delivers a happy, healthy baby, even if I have to tie him to the bed and sedate him for the rest of this pregnancy.”

Heero nodded, words were not available to him right now. He just hoped he’d made the right decision and that Duo would forgive him for consenting to the removal  of the ovary.

~ * ~

tbc...


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