Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ ShadedViolets ❯ Rescue ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

ShadedViolets : Prologue

Scene 3: Rescue

Heero's heart beat rapidly in his chest as he pulled out of his driveway, heading for Duo. He felt shocked by what was happening. This call had started with Heero refusing to meet Duo and now, only fifteen minutes later, he was racing to Duo's side. Solo was dead, and Duo was trapped in a car and injured. Since the moment Heero had first heard Duo scream his brother's name and the sound of the crash, he'd felt like he was listening to a nightmare unfold.

Duo's cries to Solo had been terrifying. Heero had never heard such anguish or mournful rage from anyone before in his life. If Solo was dead, then Heero understood why Duo was so torn. The two were closer than anyone Heero knew, with such a deep bond for such a long time. Even though they weren't blood related, they had been brothers forever. It was obvious to anyone who saw them together that they were the closest of friends. But Heero knew that Duo had always been dependant on Solo, and he feared what was going to happen from now on. Solo was the solid rock for everyone, especially Duo. Heero was afraid for Duo. He was afraid Duo wouldn't last without Solo.
And so when Duo had finally grabbed the phone and told Heero about Solo, he decided to push down his own shock and his own pain and focus his efforts towards helping Duo survive this. Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. He did his best to distract Duo, even for bare moments, with questions and orders and things that had Duo thinking to answer. But Duo's voice had such sorrow and loss in it as he answered, and he wept between answers.

"Duo, are you bleeding anywhere? You said you broke your ribs and arm," Heero asked more about his injuries as he drove, unconsciously speeding in his urgency to get to Duo. "Is there anything else?"

( I...no, I think I'm okay...my face is a bit cut up, ) Duo's voice trembled as he answered, his breathing erratic. ( It's just...just my right side...Heero, why is this happening? ) Duo suddenly exclaimed, crying out in grief. ( It isn't fair! He didn't deserve this! I don't deserve this. Hilde and the kids don't fuckin' deserve this! How can I tell the boys that their dad is dead?! And Cadee...she's only six months old! She's never gonna know her daddy! It's over, it's all fucking over! )

"Duo, it is not over," Heero answered sharply. "You're right, this isn't fair and it's bullshit. But you are alive, and you can't give up on that. Hilde and the kids will need you. You'll need them! It's going to be hard as hell to survive this, Duo, but you have to. For everyone's sake, you can't give up!" Heero ended his rant, breathing a tad quickly from his exertion. It felt unusual to use so much passion when speaking. Heero was usually very reserved and controlled, but he had felt very lost just now. "Duo," Heero continued as Duo was silent. His voice was a bit more steady now, his emotions leashed in. "I need you, okay? I need you."

There was more silence from Duo's end. ( I know, 'Ro, ) Duo finally exhaled shakily. Though he agreed with Heero, his voice was still helpless, sorrowed and lost. ( But...I don't think I can do it...I can't. Not without him... )

"You can, Duo," Heero urged him, encouraging strength. "You can do it, and you will do it, I promise. It might not be right away, or easy, but you can do it. You're stronger than you think, Duo."

Duo began to whimper, his fears taking over him. ( I don't wanna be in here anymore, 'Ro...he's dead an' his blood is everywhere an' I can't get out... )

"We'll get you out of there, Duo. I'm going to be there in less than a minute. Just hold on." Heero turned onto Valley Drive. He could see smoke in the air ahead and hear the sirens wailing clearly.

( Yeah, ) Duo answered. ( I'm just so fuckin' tired of it...hey, somebody's here. They're bangin' on the door. Hey! )

Heero heard Duo begin to shout and yell, and a pounding noise, which was likely Duo kicking or hitting the door back. He let Duo focus on that effort as he pulled up to the scene.

It was a brutal sight. Heero pulled to the side and parked, as he couldn't get his car any closer, the street filled with emergency vehicles. Yellow tape was being put up to keep the growing crowd at a distance as medics and first responders rushed about. The crash site took up the entire intersection. Heero saw the truck that hit them first, a chunk of black, burning metal. Firemen were working on dousing the flames and containing the fire, but it was obvious from the visual damage that the driver of the truck didn't survive. Heero ran up closer and looked around.

Then he saw it. The car was on its hood off the side of the road, the driver side door crushed inwards in a twisted mess. A collection of firemen and paramedics were gathered about the opposite side of the door, the passenger side. Heero could hear Duo shouting at them to get him the hell out, his tone rising under the strain. A sick feeling filled Heero's stomach as he realized that Solo was inside that twisted frame of metal, crushed to death by his own car, the very car that he and Duo had spent so much time working on. Worse, Duo was inside, too, trapped with his dead brother. Heero once again wondered how the fuck this was happening.

Heero ducked under the yellow tape, dodging an officer before another stepped up to stop him. "I'm his friend, I know who's in the car," he explained quickly. "I have him on the phone."

"Excuse me, sir?" Officer Lavelle, as his nametag informed, was confused. Heero clarified that he had the victim of the accident on his phone. Lavelle was quick to secure the phone as soon as Heero explained it to him, bringing it to the rescue workers, who took over the communication as they worked to cut Duo out of the car. Heero, now lacking his connection to Duo, stepped out of the way of the rescue workers and ran his hands anxiously through his messy hair, waiting for them to get Duo out.

Another officer approached him, this one named Graves. It seemed ominously fitting for the situation. "Sir, I am told you know the victims? May I get your name?"

Heero nodded. "It's Heero Yuy." His thoughts were raging inside his mind, thoughts of the mess that was happening, and how hard it would be to fix it. If it could be fixed… "He's dead, isn't he?" Heero asked, needing to hear it. He had to hear it confirmed. It felt so hard to believe. Maybe this was somehow a nightmare, and Duo's mournful cries had been imagined.

"The driver did not make it," Officer Graves confirmed, bursting the last hope. "The passenger is alive, but he is trapped at the moment. We won't know his condition until we get him out. I need their names, if you could, Mr. Yuy," Graves requested somberly. "I need to inform the families."

Heero felt faint for a moment, the world spinning a little. He leaned on the side of the police cruiser he stood near, answering the officer's questions as the brutal reality struck him fully. "Solo…the one who died is Solo Maxwell. His brother is the passenger, Duo Maxwell," Heero managed to explain. "Solo has a wife, Hilde." Thoughts of a widowless Hilde struck Heero. She would be crushed, and then there was the children to consider. "Sir, if it's alright with you, could I be the one to tell her?"

Graves seemed to be a touch relieved. "That may be best, sir."

"How long until they get him out of there?" Heero asked, looking back to the metal wreck. He already missed Duo's voice. It was hard to not feel worried about him, considering he was trapped in a destroyed car and Solo was now dead. Heero needed to see Duo alive and well before he could chance a moment to breathe.

"A few moments," he pointed to a waiting ambulance. "You can wait there for him. Just don't get in the way, please. I'll get you a phone to make the call." Heero went as directed and soon had another cell phone. Instead of dialing Hilde immediately, he dialed up a different number. The phone had to ring quite a few times before it was finally answered.

(Hello, what is it?) Quatre's voice sounded on Trowa's phone, with a hint of annoyance lacing it.

"Quatre, it's Heero."

(Damnit, Heero, what do you want this late? I am literally naked right now, so this better be damn good. Why are you calling me?)

Heero hesitated, then sighed a bit. "There's no easy way to tell you this, Quatre."

(Tell me what?) Quatre sighed in exasperation. Obviously, he and Trowa were in the middle of something. Heero was glad that Trowa was with him. Quatre was more of a sensitive soul. This was going to be brutal for him, but Trowa would be strong. Trowa could help Quatre, and he could help Hilde, too.

Heero certainly couldn't.

"Solo's dead," he replied. There was a following silence, then some shifting.

(Heero, are you trying to pull a joke?) Quatre asked. (Because, if so, you're sucking at it like usual.)

"I wish I was. There's been an accident, Quatre. A truck hit the Mercedes as they were driving home and totaled it. Duo is injured and trapped right now…..Solo didn't make it, Quatre," Heero revealed the dark truth of the moment, and Quatre's gasp was very audible. More silence followed, then Quatre came back, his tone much more weak.

(Are you sure he's gone?)

(Who is?) Heero heard Trowa inquiring about the conversation. (What's going on?)

"Yes, he's gone," Heero confirmed for Quatre, looking grimly back at the busy cluster of rescue workers by the car. They had a stretcher near, the paramedics ready.

(Trowa, Heero says Solo is dead!) Quatre burst out to his companion, forgetting Heero in his sudden grief.

(What?) There was some rustling and then Trowa had the phone. (Heero, what's going on? What happened to Solo?)

Heero gave Trowa the same quick summary as Quatre, then explained how he was at the scene, waiting for Duo to be removed from the car. Then Heero asked a favor of Trowa. "I need you and Quatre to go to Hilde and tell her. She's not going to sleep tonight, obviously, and someone has to be there for her. Quatre can comfort her. And you'll have to comfort Quatre. Bring Catherine with you to help with the kids."

Trowa readily agreed. (We'll take care of her. Call us as soon as you know how Duo is, and which hospital he goes to. Hilde may want to see him.)

Heero agreed and hung up. Without pause, he dialed a new number. Unlike Quatre, Wufei picked up on the first ring. Heero knew he would be in the middle of a meditation cycle about now.

(Chang,) came his answer.

"Wufei, Solo is dead," Heero cut to the chase with Wufei.

(I…what?) Wufei requested further clarification. (What did you just say?)

Heero explained about the accident, Solo's death, and Duo's condition. "I think the firemen are close to getting him out now," he finished. "How soon can you get here? It's the intersection of Valley Drive and Cherry Street."

(I'll be less than ten minutes,) Wufei answered, and Heero could already hear him moving to get his jacket. (Call me if anything develops.)

Heero hung up and exhaled, forcing himself not to rub at his hair in worry as he waited by the ambulance. Officer Graves retrieved the phone a moment after and Heero looked at the crowd that had gathered. It was already quite large. In the star studded city of Haven, everything became big news in a matter of minutes. Even now, Heero could see four different news vans parked in hopes of getting a good scene, and a group of paparazzi had stopped by for the action, too.

Heero cursed under his breath as he observed the paparazzi, a pack of feral dogs, waiting to pounce on a celebrity, regardless of their human rights. Once they found out that Solo Maxwell was dead and the victim being rescued was Duo Maxwell, the tabloids would go crazy.

A cheer went up and Heero looked back to the totaled car. He breathed a moment of relief as he saw Duo emerge, the firemen passing him to the waiting paramedics and the stretcher. Heero dashed forward and met the stretcher, following it and speaking to Duo.

"Duo," he spoke. "Duo, it's Heero. I'm here with you."

"Heero," Duo's voice was muffled beneath an oxygen mask. His face was bloody, and Heero specifically noticed the telltale streaks of tears down his cheeks. In fact, the tears were still coming, though Duo was not weeping audibly. "Solo's dead, Heero. Solo's dead."

"We're going to take care of you, Duo," Heero spoke, unsure how to answer that statement. "It's going to be okay."

"No…no, it's not," Duo slowly shook his head. More tears fell. "Solo's dead. It's never going to be okay again…"