Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ ShadedViolets ❯ Recovery ( Chapter 4 )

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

ShadedViolets : Prologue

Scene 4: Recovery

Heero was forced to step back out of the way as Duo was loaded into the stretcher, the doors closing shut after him. He was told that Duo was being brought to Mercy Grace Hospital and given his phone back. Heero quickly made his way back past the yellow tape, slipping through the crowd and running towards his car. He heard his name being called after him as someone recognized him. Then Heero cursed as he saw three paparazzi standing by his car. He did his best to just get into the car as fast as possible. Their cameras illuminated the night with flashes and their voices badgered at him like angry chipmunks. Heero hit his car horn a few times to clear up the road and managed to pull away eventually, feeling frustrated that it had taken this long already.

Heero drove as fast as he could get away with. Heero redirected Wufei to Mercy Grace. When he finally made it to the emergency doors, he found Wufei waiting for him there.

"Heero," Wufei nodded at him. "I just got here. Is this real? You weren't fucking around when you said...?"

"He's gone," Heero nodded somberly. "Solo is dead. But Duo is alive." That fact was Heero's lifeline right now. He would mourn for Solo. They all would, for a long time. But all Heero could think of at the moment was 'Duo's alive', and it kept him from collapsing at the stress of this moment.

Damnit, it was a stressing moment, indeed.

Wufei cursed in his first language. "I can't believe this. He called me two fucking hours ago, and now he's dead? This makes no fucking sense!"

"We have to hold it together for Duo," Heero insisted to Wufei, who quickly nodded in agreement. Entering, Heero encountered a nurse and asked her about Duo. She directed him to inquire at the desk, which informed them they would inquire. They stood for a few minutes waiting until another nurse came over to them.

"You are the ones here for Duo Maxwell?" she inquired. Heero nodded and she continued. "He's in stable condition. He has a few broken ribs and three fractures in his arm. There were multiple lacerations, but nothing too bad. He also fractured his collarbone. They have him in surgery right now to set the bone. He should be awake in a few hours. It will take a few months to heal, but he should be just fine."

"Thank you," Heero exhaled, more relief spreading over him.

"I'll bring you to his room as soon as we have him settled in, gentlemen. In the meantime, I'll have someone bring you to the waiting room," she paused for a moment. "I'm sorry for your loss tonight."

Heero and Wufei found the small private waiting room and sank into chairs, both feeling drained in light of the evening's events. After a few moments of quiet silence, Heero grabbed the remote and turned on the television. The local news channel popped up, with the smoking image of the crash scene dominating the screen.

[...a terrible crash at the intersection of Cherry Street and Valley Drive...]

"That's Solo's car?" Wufei inquired quietly, staring at the scene with the shock Heero had felt the first time. Heero nodded. "He's still inside there...?"

Heero nodded again. "This is a live feed."

The cameras panned over to the truck, now a flickering husk of its previous form, as the news reporter reported on the confirmation of the deceased driver. Wufei growled, muttering under his breath. "I'm glad the bastard burned."

[...we have the names of the men involved in the black mercedes. Reports are confirming that the deceased victim is none other than Solo Maxwell, the lead singer of the highly popular band ShadedViolets. Brother Duo Maxwell, the drummer of ShadedViolets, has survived and has been transported to Mercy Grace hospital with non life threatening injuries. This is truly a tragic day in history, as ShadedViolets is two weeks away from the launch of their newest tour. The loss of Solo Maxwell is a devastating blow...]

Heero turned the television off, questioning why he'd bothered to turn it on and watch that in the first place. A heavy silence fell in the small waiting room.

Wufei finally exhaled, breaking the silence. A lone tear had escaped his dark eyes, travelling down his cheek. "I just don't get it...one night we're all drinking and playing poker and the next night we're sitting in the hospital. Solo's dead, Duo's injured. I just don't fucking get it. I mean, how could this happen? Why Solo?" Wufei's voice was full of the ache he felt inside. Heero could hear his anguish welling up, even though he maintained his outward composure rather well. "Now Duo has no brother, we have no bandmate, Hilde has no husband. The kids have no father. Cadence won't even remember him." Wufei paused, closing his eyes. "Why did this happen?"

Heero didn't speak for a moment. The silence felt heavy, like a cloak of sorrow draped over them. "I don't know, Wufei. I don't know."



Duo had a numb feeling all over. There was pain, too, but it was hovering on the edge of the numbness, at a point where it wasn't bad, just annoying. His head was in a fog, a heaviness weighing on his eyelids. Duo wondered for a moment if he was dead. He remembered the halo of light and the sickening moment when the truck had slammed into their car, sending it flying across the pavement...and then Solo. Dead Solo...

"Duo...Duo, it's Heero..."

Was that Heero still on the phone? Was he still trapped in the remnants of the crushed mercedes? It had been so long in the car already. Solo just kept bleeding and getting colder and colder. How many times had he tried to find the pulse now? Twenty, thirty times? How long had he been stuck in here for? It felt like forever...trapped with Solo, dead Solo...

"...Duo..."

Duo opened his eyes with a start, inhaling sharply. The annoying pain spiked into an actual pain for a moment as he tensed, and then the image of dead Solo faded into the image of a concerned Heero looking down at him. Wufei was standing at the end of the hospital bed Duo was in. A steady beeping of machines surrounded them, monitoring Duo with the dozen tubes and cords hooked up to him.

"Heero," Duo spoke weakly, his throat parched. "Solo's dead." The image of dead Solo still hovered at the back of his mind, not completely gone.

Heero nodded sadly. "Yes, Duo. I'm sorry." He indicated for Wufei to grab the water and straw, helping Duo to soothe his dry throat.

"Solo's dead," Duo repeated, his voice clearer now. He closed his eyes to the bright lights. "An' I'm alive." Duo spoke it like a curse and, at this moment, he felt it was just that. He longed for more numbness, for more morphine. "He was bleedin' and bleedin' an' I couldn't get him out..."

"Duo, don't do this," Wufei spoke gently. "It's not your fault."

"He's dead, Wufei!" Duo broke down, his tears beginning to well up in his eyes. He raised his good hand and covered his eyes as he began to tremble."He's fuckin' dead...I wish it was me! It should have been me! He didn't do anything! He shouldn't be dead!"

"Duo, Solo shouldn't be dead," Wufei tried to offer what little comfort he could. "But neither should you. None of this should have happened. No one deserves this."

Duo simply wept. It hurt so much to think about! Solo was gone, forever! Duo would never see his brother again, after over twenty years of having Solo there. Now Duo was alone. His only family was dead. Solo was dead!

"I want him back!" Duo declared powerlessly, clinging to Heero and sobbing. "I want him back!" Heero embraced Duo as best he could with his injuries, holding Duo as he grieved for his lost brother, his heart rending in pieces. Solo, who would never be again...


Duo had wept until he fell asleep, though his rest was fitful and uneasy. When he next awoke, the numbness had returned. He lay in the bed, then, staring at the ceiling blankly as he held Heero's hand with a tight grip. Hilde was the one who broke his silence, arriving with her houserobe on from overnight and her hair a mess, Trowa and Quatre in her wake. Her eyes and cheeks were red from crying. The realization of her intense grief struck Duo strongly, and he let go of Heero, holding up his good hand towards her. They said nothing, but Hilde came over and climbed into the bed on Duo's uninjured side. She buried her face in his chest and began to sob. Duo held her, holding his own tears back now as he offered her a comfort he could not feel. His throat clenched in emotion, a painful ache spreading inside, and it wasn't from his injuries.

Hilde had as much right to grieve as Duo. Solo and Hilde had been a couple for nine years and married for seven of them, with three gorgeous children. Now Hilde was a single mother. A widow too soon. Dominoe and Jettrix would never again get to wrestle with their dad, and baby Cadence wouldn't even remember who he was. She was so little, still. She hadn't even learnt to say 'daddy' yet. This wasn't only devastating for Duo, but for Hilde, as well.

Silent tears coursed down Duo's cheeks as he wept for Hilde, this time. It was all so unfair, so cruel! She didn't deserve this! Duo felt a wave of anger, an ache inside for compensation. What right did the fates have to take Solo away? Why did they have to suffer through this?

Duo held in his anger and his overwhelming sorrow out of concern for Hilde. She didn't need the burden of a psychotic breakdown on her hands. Duo had to appear strong for her, even if he felt so weak. She needed less stress and pain now. They all did. Duo had to be strong to all of them now. They would only worry and suffer if they realized the true pain Duo felt and how darkly he raged.

Duo held Hilde as she cried for a long time, until her sobs finally subsided to whimpers, and then to a quiet silence. After a while, Quatre came over, plying Hilde away to go and get some food, despite her weak protests. Wufei and Heero went to grab some much needed coffee and Trowa remained with Duo, sitting quietly beside him.

Duo was very glad that Trowa didn't speak much. For once, he wanted silence.