Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Road to Kindness ❯ Surgery Part 21 ( Chapter 28 )

The Road to Kindness

Chapter 7

Part 21

 

          Duo had told Heero about Amaaya and the others once, just that once, back in Boston before everything had gone to shit and he and Heero had still been the best of friends. Heero had said that he wanted to meet them and Duo had told him that one day, he would, but that one day had never come. It would never come and that was all Duo's fault. He had thought that day that it would be a lot like bringing a potential lover to meet the family, that bringing Heero to meet Solo and the others was like asking for their approval. But he had screwed up. He had put Heero in danger and more than that, he was such a coward, he couldn't even talk to Amaaya. Some friend he was.

Shi had saved his life at least twice that he could remember and he had abandoned him, left him alone to think Wes had brutally killed him. Shi had to hate him, just like Heero had to. Wufei was right; his fears were driving away his friends. He had so few; would the day come, very soon, when he had none at all? He had nothing in the world but the people he had connected with. Without the Yuy's, Quatre and Trowa, Wufei and Fai, Solo and the gang… what was he without these people that he loved? Just an ex-whore, with more emotional baggage than three airports, who couldn't even keep his life together.

He had told Heero about his first meeting with his first real friends, but it had been a lie. After finally telling Heero about his past, Duo had vowed that he would try all that he could not to lie to him anymore, but in that moment, he couldn't bear to tell him the truth. He had told Heero that he had been restless and had settled for walking the streets late at night. The truth was that he had been working all day and by the time he had gotten off, it was late to begin with, but who wanted to hear something like that? He had told Heero that he had been stalked, which was the truth, but he never found out what the man wanted, which was a lie. He had said that Shi was also stalking the man, and had saved him before anything bad had happened, beating up his assailant. Lies, all lies.

          When faced with having to tell Heero about that night, Duo could only think of lying, because Heero knew so much about his past. He knew the dirty things, the times he had been most afraid, all sorts of things that made Duo want to die of shame for having Heero, of all people, know them. Why should his best friend know another dirty little secret, that one dark night, when it hadn't been too cold or too hot, and the moon had been full in the sky, he had silently begged a man to kill him? He never wanted Heero to know how close he had come to death, to wanting death, and that was before Chris had kidnapped him. How could he possibly tell him now, after they had both almost died? Why should Heero know that, at one time in Duo's childhood, he had had so little respect for life, he had witness Shi kill a man and had felt nothing, that he had felt nothing at the prospect of his own death, but he had still cried, for reasons he still didn't understand? He probably never would understand.

          And what did it matter now? Yuki was dead, Amaaya, Alex, and Aluxiel were long gone, he hadn't even seen Solo or Shi in months, and Wes had come back for him, maybe to kill him. Through all those months… through all that hope and darkness, Wes had found him again. Was there no limit to the man's tenacity, to his resolve to control Duo? He could have let him go easily enough. Duo had been free for a very long time, and no action had come against Wes. So why should he come after him, to make sure he wouldn't talk? Or was it just the fact that one of his sluts had gotten away and Wes felt slighted? Or was it that frightening notion that Wes had some sort of twisted feelings for him and would rather that he die than not be with him?

          Seeing his abuser after all this time was making him feel things, bringing thoughts to the surface that he didn't dare look at. He felt like he had been thrown into the past, back into his memories. Maybe he was dreaming. Maybe this wasn't real. Maybe he had finally snapped and this was one of his blackouts. And yet… he couldn't deny the things he was feeling when he looked into those grey eyes. He couldn't deny the sick feeling in his stomach at the knowledge that he had just defied the one man who had instilled those mental blocks against such things.

          Wes suddenly slapped him across the face, whipping Duo's head to the side and forcing Duo out of his thoughts. The blow and the feeling of intense heat and throbbing on his cheek gave Duo a deep sense of déjà vu. He almost laughed at himself. Of course he should get déjà vu! Wes had smacked him around so many times, déjà vu was a pretty weak way to describe it. Had he survived this long, only to find that absolutely nothing had changed? Wes was the same man that he had always been while Duo had been trying so hard to both strive to change, and to fight against it, longing for some solid ground to stand on. It was just too bad that that solid ground had been filled with cracks from day one. Those cracks had only grown bigger and bigger as time had passed, finally shattering when he had met Heero.

Had all this… normal life been a mere vacation and Wes was going to drag him back to the nightmare place where nothing had changed? And was he so… lonely for stability and love that he was actually considering going back with him? For the first time in his life, he actually cared about what was going to happen to him. He told himself that, if Wes did kidnap him instead of killing him, Name would find him. If Wes was tenacious, then so was Name Yuy. It was just hard to tell his ego, or lack of one, that the woman would want to search for him that hard. He just… he felt like he was going insane. Did he want to stay or go? Did he want to cling to this man… this monster in front of him, or did he want to go running to Name? Would they forever be the two choices in his life; one darkness, but foreseeable, the other light, but chaotic? He wanted to be loved… but what was the cost?

There was a cost for everything, he had known that key rule for as long as he could remember. Everything had a price, why should love be any different? No matter who he chose, he would have to sacrifice something, but the sacrifices… he wasn't even entirely sure what he was giving up, feeling like he was going into this blindly.

“You've changed,” Wes said, almost mournfully, as he studied Duo's face, “Never in a million years would you raise your voice to me. That boy did this to you, didn't he?”

Duo stared back at Wes, his heart racing. Once again, he heard his instincts screaming at him to cower, like a beaten dog, but the courage and self-respect that Name had just begun to teach him refused to do it. For once in his miserable life, he had to stand up to this man. That's what that part of him was telling him. Just this once… even if it got him killed… even if he loved Wes, which he still wasn't willing to acknowledge, he wouldn't become a slave again. And there was a bitterness inside of him at Wes's blow, too. It was a bitterness that he had felt only a handful of times in the past and it had nothing to do with the pain and bruise on his face.

It always came back to Heero with Wes, maybe for Duo, too. But right then, his feelings had nothing to do with that. Maybe Heero had changed him, no, it was more like definitely. Of course Heero had changed him, how could he have spent so much time around the strong, beautiful boy and not have changed? But he had screamed at Wes, had told him his sorrow over losing Yuki and not getting to say goodbye. For the first time in his life, he had opened up to Wes, honestly, even if it had been in anger and sadness, and the man had hit him. Wes didn't give a shit about Yuki or how Duo felt. He said that he loved him, but that seemed so superficial.

Name would care. That was the point, wasn't it? Name would care. If he came to her and told her about Yuki, about how much he had loved him and how much it hurt that he was gone, he was quite sure, as sure as he was about anything else, that she would hug him tight and shed a few tears for the sweet, quiet boy who had been slaughtered, and who no one had known shit all about. Wes didn't care, he didn't care to the point that he refused to even address it. What was the point of love if he couldn't even make Wes understand, to care? With Wes, he saw exactly where the road went. With Name, there was just so much in the way, he couldn't see if the road bent, let alone where it would lead him to.

Wes' road was safe, because he knew what would happen once he surrendered to it. Of course, the path was bleak as all hell, but it was something he could see. Name's path… but that was good, too, wasn't it? He couldn't see it, but that meant it had limitless possibilities. They could be bad, but he would never know unless he kept going on the way he was, staying with her and Heero, trying to become better… He felt Wes wrap his fingers around his neck, but the grip wasn't tight or even in warning, it was warm, and his fingers traced over his skin, making Duo shiver, though it wasn't from the cold air.

         “You owe me your life, you know,” Wes murmured, “I could have let Chris kill you in Boston. I should have let him kill you, you and that Jap piece of shit. I hope you realize how hard it was to call him off. I only did it because I love you and I couldn't bear to do something like that to you.”

Duo swallowed roughly, a tear going down his cheek as he felt Wes press his hard body against his own.

“I know,” he whispered brokenly.

Of course he knew. He had known it the second that phone call had come in. He owed Wes his life. This new thing, which was just starting to become precious to him, that he was finally starting to love and cherish, and he owed to one of the monsters in his past. How wrong was that? He appreciated Wes for it, because he knew first hand that Wes never showed mercy. He had seen the man blow away old friends for a lot less than what Duo had done. All logic told him he should be dead ten times over by now, yet here he was, here they were, and he was still breathing. It defied everything he knew about Wes and that scared him.

“Please, please let me go,” he begged, starting to cry harder.

Wes hated weakness, and he especially hated crying, so Duo was surprised when the man kissed his cheek where he had hit him instead of screaming at him or hitting him even harder. That plea hadn't worked on Chris and he didn't expect it to work on Wes, but…

“No,” Wes said firmly, and leaned in to kiss the teenager.

But once those words left Wes' mouth, Duo felt something heavy clamp around his heart and squeeze painfully. More hot tears fell, trailing down his neck. Wes's lips were hot and insanely passionate as he practically attacked Duo's mouth. He could feel his familiar tongue press against his own closed lips and before he could find the ability to deny him access, he instinctively opened his mouth. He felt Wes slip a hand under his shirt and felt his body shake at the sensation. He felt like he was going to throw up. He had thought, no, he had wished, that once Heero had saved him that night, so very long ago, he would never have to do this again, but it was like… it was like it was fate and he couldn't stop it anymore than he could stop the wind from blowing.

“Get off of him!” a very familiar voice screeched in fear and panic and Wes suddenly let go of Duo, pushing away from him.

It was dark out, but the nearby lamps gave Duo all the light he needed.

“'Fei,” he breathed out in disbelief, but there was his Chinese friend, standing in the clearing with them, his body tight and dropped in an offensive stance that Duo didn't recognize.

It was like watching lightning as Wufei darted forward and aimed a lethal looking kick at Wes's head. Duo didn't know who was more shocked, himself or Wufei, when Wes quickly, with the air of a street fighter compared to Wufei's textbook martial art stance, kicked Wufei's other leg out from under him, sending the teenager crashing to the ground.

“Stop it!” Duo screamed as he watched his friend fall to the ground.

          He got to his feet, ready to do whatever he had to to save Wufei, all issues of mental blocks and allegiances gone at the sight of Wufei's fall. Wes growled when he saw Duo about to go to his friend and dug a black cylinder from his pocket. Duo was taken aback at the move, thinking that Wes would go for his gun. Wes hit a button on the side and the cylinder expanded into the shape of a baton. With a hit of another button, electricity sparkled around the long rod of the baton. Duo was completely unprepared when Wes grabbed him by his shirt and hit him with a blinding force with the baton twice, in his stomach and his thigh.

          Duo didn't have time to scream in pain as electricity shot through his body and he lost the ability to move his legs. He fell to the ground, his lower body spasming, and glared up at Wes, only able to use his arms, which was useless at this point. Pain hit him in incredible waves and he fought against the urge to vomit, unable to stop the spasms.

          “Duo!” Wufei gasped, getting to his feet.

          He saw the gun that was tucked in Wes' belt and ran towards him, terrified that, with Duo immobilized, and clearly in some pain, the man in front of him would shoot his friend. He had no idea what was going on and he didn't care. All he knew was that Duo was in trouble, and right now, he was his only protector. What in the hell was taking Trowa and Heero so long anyway?!

          “Damn kids,” Wes ground out, “Like fucking cockroaches.”

          Wufei was fast, but he was in a panic, leaving himself open to the punch in the stomach that Wes threw at him. Wes was also bigger and stronger than Wufei was, by a lot, and the blow sent him back to the ground.

          “Do yourself a favor, runt,” he snapped as Wufei curled into a pained ball, clutching his throbbing stomach, “And stay down this time.”

          Giving Wufei a final glare, he turned to Duo, who was still twitching and lying on his stomach, tears tracking down his cheeks at the pain. The last time Wes had used that damn thing on him, it had been as punishment, and it hadn't been on the outside of his body. In comparison to having that nasty thing penetrating him and Wes actually fucking him with it, this wasn't nearly as bad, but that didn't mean he could move any quicker. Five minutes, maybe even ten, but before that, he was useless and Wes could do whatever he wanted to him. Goddamn it, but it was Boston all over again! He was helpless and one of his friends was going to pay the price unless he did something about it!

          “This could have been simple,” Wes glared at Duo as he approached him, “Just you and me, now I have to kill this brat, too.”

          Panic flared inside Duo and the only things keeping him still were his numb legs.

          “No! Please, he has nothing to do with this!” Duo begged, “If you kill him, he has family and friends that will come looking for him!”

          `Fai,' Duo thought in devastation, `I can't let Fai down… I have to save `Fei, somehow…'

          “He got involved the second he butted in,” Wes snapped.

          The bushes from where Wufei had come from suddenly parted and, like guardian angels, or some sort of holy vision, Trowa and Heero darted out, followed by Quatre.

          “What the-,” Heero started.

          “What are you, a pack of wolves?” Wes grumbled.

          Duo's eyes widened as he saw Wes take out his gun from behind his back where his three friends couldn't see it.

          “Wes, don't!” he screamed.

          His dream came back to him where he had seen Heero being shot by Zechs and he felt like that terrible nightmare was coming to life.

          “Heero, gun!” he yelled at his best friend, but it fell on deaf ears once Heero heard Duo scream the man's name.

          Heero's face contorted into one of intense rage, making him appear like the animal that Wes had called him. Quatre gasped as he and Trowa finally realized who the blonde man was.

          “You bastard!” he roared and lunged at Wes suddenly.

          Wes raised the gun as quickly as he could, surprised by Heero's sudden, chaotic attack. Duo thought that his heart had actually stopped when he saw his past guardian fire off a single shot.

          Quatre's scream was nearly deafening, but not nearly as loud as the sound of the bullet hitting one of the metal lampposts and ricocheting into a nearby tree when Wes missed Heero by mere inches. Heero tackled Wes, but the man was heavier and taller than him and ended up flinging the Japanese boy to the ground. Heero was like a rabid dog, on his feet in milliseconds and continuing their scuffle. Wes was the first one to manage a blow, punching Heero in the neck. Duo watched Heero fall in horror, thinking that Wes was going to manage another shot when the blonde man found his gun among the leaves, but Trowa was like a cheetah, even faster than Wufei had been, kicking the gun out of Wes' hand and finally managing to punch the man in the chest.

          Quatre watched all of this with his breath in his throat. Even his lover's punch hadn't done much, leaving Wes winded for only a second before he was dodging Trowa's attacks. The little blonde wasn't a fighter or even a good runner and he felt helpless. Duo and Wufei were too far away for him to run to without getting spotted. Heero was quickly on his feet and Quatre realized that it was only his intense hatred for Duo's abuser that was keeping him in the fight. The blow to his neck had left a terrible looking bruise and he was wheezing for air, so Quatre was completely shocked when Heero landed a vicious blow to the side of Wes' head, dazing the much stronger man. There was an insane grin on Heero's face as Wes stumbled and Quatre knew that Heero had been waiting a very long time to hit the man. If he wasn't so terrified, he would have wanted to do exactly the same thing.

          Trowa had a hard time keeping up with the brawl between Wes and Heero, being so concentrated on Duo, who seemed to be incapable of movement for some reason. A surge of protectiveness welled up in him and he wanted to run to the longhaired boy, to keep him safe and get him as far away from the monster Heero was trying to beat to a pulp as he could, but in order to do that, they needed to knock Wes out or something… He just felt like he was in shock from Wes' mere presence, the boogieman that they had heard Duo talk about so many times, but he had never imagined he would ever actually meet the bastard. He had to die… rage filled Trowa's heart. They had to kill Wes, not because he was threatening Duo, but because of what he had already done. This man had raped his friend, a mere child, and had kept him locked up and repressed for most of his life. Hell, this… man was the source of all of Duo's sorrows and pain, and he was responsible for Duo almost dying, at least twice since they had met him. Wes deserved to die just for one of those things, let alone all of them.

          Suddenly, a shot rang out into the air and they all flinched, sure that Wes had, somehow, gotten the gun back. Then, Wes turned and Quatre's eyes widened as he saw Wufei standing behind the man, the gun held in his hands, pointing the gun straight at Wes' chest, though the last shot had been aimed for the tree next to him. Wufei's hands shook as he held the gun, something he had never even seen before, let alone had control of. Wufei had no idea what was happening or how it had happened. The gun had just been in front of him and he had grabbed it and…

          “What do you think you're going to do with that, kid?” Wes asked and Trowa noted in astonishment that the man wasn't even slightly scared, he was looking at Wufei condescendingly.

          Was this guy completely sociopathic, Trowa thought, that he wasn't even scared for his own life? Wes walked towards Wufei defiantly as Wufei's hands continued to shake at the knowledge of what he was holding. He could kill someone with this thing, he realized, and immediately felt sick at the thought.

          “I-I'm going to kill you!” he stammered as Wes continued to walk towards him.

          “Oh, really?” Wes asked with a grin, “You think you can do something like that?”

          Wufei nodded hesitantly.

          “Well, I'm not so sure,” Wes was practically teasing Wufei now, “For one, you're aiming at my chest, little boy. You want to kill a man, you aim for his head. All sorts of ways you can fuck up when you shoot a man in the heart. Now, in the head, even if you screw up, he ain't going anywhere any time soon.”

          Almost obediently, Wufei lifted the gun to aim at Wes' head. It wasn't very hard. Wes was so close to him, the barrel almost touched Wes' forehead.

          “Good. Now, if you're really serious about killing a man, you look him in the eyes. Only pansies shoot a guy in the back of the head. You look me right in the eyes, boy, and now you tell me that you're going to kill me,” Wes demanded.

          In that instant, Wufei completely understood what Duo had told him in the hospital, so very long ago. He had chastised Duo for not fighting against this man when he had raped him, but now he understood, more than he ever wanted to. Here he was, he had the gun in his hands, his finger on the trigger, and Wes' skull lay out like a gift, and he was frozen. Completely frozen to the spot. He looked into Wes' eyes, though he didn't want to, and felt what Duo must have felt every time he did the same, complete and total terror. Looking into the man's eyes was like looking into a pool of nothingness. It was like looking into a dark closet and finding out that the monsters from your childhood really did exist. In that moment, he empathized with Duo, and he was only looking at him for a second, Duo had been forced to live with this monster. The coldness of those grey eyes caused Wufei to make a vital mistake; he looked away.

          Wes' eyes grew intense and he grabbed the gun from the Chinese boy and aimed it between Wufei's dark eyes.

          “Now,” he said with a cruel smile, “I'll show you what it takes to really kill somebody.”

          Ice filled Wufei's stomach and he felt his heart stop. All of sudden, Wes pitched forward, but the gun didn't go off. He whirled and stared in shock at Duo, who was standing behind him, a huge tree branch clutched in his white fingers. Duo was panting with exertion and Wes felt pride that the boy had gotten control of his legs so quickly. Then he noticed the redness that was staining the branch and he shakily pressed his fingers to the back of his neck and head. They came away brilliantly red and Wes' face paled at the realization of what had just occurred.

          “You… what did you do?” he gasped out.

          There was no way that Duo had just done that… no way… Duo stared at him with the exact same expression, shocked at his actions. He almost blurted out `I'm sorry', Wes' expression filling him with sickness, shock, guilt, and, oddly, excitement, but he bit it off. He had just saved Wufei's life, there was no way in hell he was going to apologize for it! Did Wes' control over him really run this deeply?

          “Leave him alone,” Heero's rough voice, a near feral growl, demanded, “Just leave him the hell alone!”

          The gun in Wes' hand was the only thing that kept Heero from engaging the man in a fight again, that and Duo's proximity to the one man on the planet that Heero really didn't want him near. Still, he felt an incredible pride, just like Wes', that Duo had finally stood up to his abuser. Wes looked at his rival, his eyes just as feral and insane as Heero's were.

          “ `Leave him alone'?” Wes asked in confusion, “Why would I ever do that?”

          The teenagers stared at Wes incredulously, unable to believe the depths of his obsession.

          “And what about you, Yuy?” the blonde snapped, “Could you let him go?”

          Heero felt frozen by the accusation. This man understood how he felt, he realized. Wes loved Duo, too… No! his mind shouted back at him angrily. Wes didn't love Duo, he wanted to possess him, to hurt him, that wasn't love, just insane obsession! He would never let Wes claim that he loved him! That was the difference between them… if Duo asked it, Heero would let him go, because what else mattered in the world besides Duo smiling, besides him being happy? If he couldn't have that… nothing else mattered.

          “I can't let him go,” Wes murmured, “Not ever. I won't let him go. You can't shelter him forever, either.”

          “I'll protect him!” Heero swore, “Until my dying breath, I'll protect him from scum like you!”

          Duo stared at Heero in shock, as though he couldn't believe Heero would say something like that.

“Oh, really?” Wes smirked.

          He pointed the gun at Duo and fired. Duo dropped the tree branch as the bullet pierced his shoulder, pain exploding in the wound. His eyes went wide and his face drained of color. He looked at Wes in betrayal even as blood blossomed on his shirt.

          “See?” Wes said mockingly to Heero, who looking like he was about to go completely off the deep end at the assault, “You can't even protect him now.”

          “You're insane,” Quatre whispered, terrified of what he saw in the man's eyes.

          Heero turned to Wes, his face filled with insane rage and made to leap at the man, not caring about the consequences.

          “Heero, no!” Wufei ran to him and grabbed his arms, holding him back.

          Heero fought against Wufei like an animal, but Wufei refused to release him.

          “Looks like your friends have more brains than you do. What Duo sees in a brat like you, I'll never know,” Wes spat.

          He looked at Duo, who had his hand clenched around his shoulder, uselessly trying to stop the flow of blood.

          “We're too entangled in each other for me to let him go. He'll figure that out soon enough,” Wes said.

          Wes raised the gun again, this time aiming at the lamppost and fired. The bullet shattered the bulb and sent the forest into darkness. Quatre, feeling useful for the first time that night, got his phone out of his pocket and used the flashlight app he had on it to light up their way. Light filled the area, a little less than before, but Wes was long gone.

          “Who does he think he is?” Wufei ground out, “Batman?”

          `Why didn't he just kill all of us? Or maybe this is just a big game to him, scare the shit out of all of us, make us think he can come for Duo and kill us whenever he wants…' Wufei thought, but didn't say it out loud.

          Trowa and Heero ran to Duo's side as the boy knelt on the ground, breathing heavily in pain.

          “Duo, let me see,” Heero ordered, trying to place a hand on Duo's bleeding shoulder.

          Right away, Heero's two main concerns were the shock he knew was coming and Duo's anemia. As he touched Duo's shoulder, Duo flinched from him and pain and bitterness filled Heero's heart.

          `Of course he doesn't want me to touch him,' Heero thought angrily, `I failed him, again. Wes is right, I can't protect him. I couldn't protect him in Boston and I can't protect him here. He'll ask Trowa to take care of him. Trowa kept his head, he didn't fly off the handle like a fucking animal. Trowa always knows what to do.'

          “Don't…” Duo gasped out.

          `Don't touch me,' he thought, `Don't let my blood touch you… I can't lean on you, I have to be strong, then you won't hate me anymore… I have to… I can't… I… why am I pushing you away? Why did I ever push you away? I can't remember…'

          He was so confused… was it the pain or the panic that was starting to fill him? Heero started to stand and that panic intensed. His hand moved, almost as though it had a mind of its own, and grabbed onto Heero's arm.

          “Don't leave me,” he begged, clinging onto his best friend.

          Heero stared at him with wide eyes. Duo had reached out to him and he was begging him… how could he ever refuse?

          “I'm right here,” he soothed as Trowa shrugged off his jacket and handed it to him.

          “Thanks,” he nodded to Trowa, his bitterness and anger at him leaving him all at once.

          Heero tried to use the jacket to wipe up the blood, but there was a lot of it.

          `He needs a transfusion,' he realized in fear.

          He also realized that there was no exit wound in the back of Duo's shoulder, which meant surgery, at the very least… That was when he and Trowa noticed that their friend was starting to hyperventilate. Trowa fell to his knees and gathered Duo up into a rough hug. Heero let him, for some reason no longer feeling jealous, just wanting Trowa to give Duo some sort of comfort.

          “I'm sorry,” Trowa whispered as he held Duo tightly.

          Duo wrapped his arms around the tall boy and let him shelter him.

          “I'm so sorry,” Trowa repeated, “I'll protect you, I promise. No matter what happens… I'll protect you.”

          Duo squeezed his eyes shut, just taking comfort in the presence of his friends. Memories were starting to boil up, terrible, violent things, and he didn't want to remember.

          `Take this burden from me,' he wanted to beg, but he never would. He could never ask that from anyone but himself. Fuck, he didn't want to remember…

          Quatre and Wufei shared a worried look as Duo started to laugh.

          “He said I owed him my life and he was right,” Duo said as he laughed crazily, “That first time… he choked me… but he saved me… then Boston… and I love him for that. He saved me and I love him…”

          Duo's laughter became indiscernible from his sobs and his hands clutched at Trowa's back in anguish and desperation for contact. Quatre looked like he might start crying, too. Heero hugged Trowa and Duo together.

          “It's ok, it's going to be ok,” he promised.

          Duo let go of Trowa, his laughter and sobs stopping abruptly. He wiped almost violently at his face, cleaning off his tears. Trowa put Duo in Heero's lap, which Duo didn't seem to notice, but Heero wrapped his arms around him. His heart suddenly realized it. Duo had chosen him, not Trowa. He thought he would surely die with how that made him feel and he was surprised that he wasn't crying, too.

          “I'm ok now,” Duo said, but his voice was flat and he didn't try to get off Heero's lap.

          “We need to get him to the hospital,” Trowa whispered to Quatre and Wufei as Heero continued to see the bullet wound, “And we need to do it as soon as possible. His wound isn't life threatening, but he's going to go into shock at any minute.”

          “Shock? But he seems fine now,” Wufei said in confusion.

          Trowa's intense green eyes held Wufei's captive.

          “Look him in the eyes,” Trowa demanded, “And remember who it was that we just saw.”

          Wufei's eyes widened as he understood what Trowa was saying and he looked over at Duo. He was staying completely still as Heero tried to bandage his wound, but the stillness was unnatural, like he was frozen, and his eyes held a startling quality that Wufei had never seen before.

          “Fuck,” he whispered.

          “This is going to be bad,” Quatre murmured.

          “Can you stand?” Trowa heard Heero ask and he turned his attention back to their injured friend.

          Duo was starting to stand up and Heero had his hand in the middle of the longhaired boy's back to keep him steady.

          “I think so,” Duo murmured.

          “I don't think so,” Wufei scolded, walking up the braided boy, “I saw what he did to you. He hit you with a stun gun, twice, it's a miracle you're moving at all! You probably have burst blood vessels, at the very least!”

          Quatre and Trowa watched Wufei rant in amusement. As much as Wufei claimed that he wanted nothing to do with his mother's profession, they both knew that the Chinese boy could recite all the things that could have happened as a result of being struck with a stun gun. Then the fact that Wes had electrocuted Duo finally clicked and they stared at the American. Quatre fought the urge to run to him again, this time because Heero and Wufei seemed to have a handle on things.

          “I'm fine,” Duo protested, “And I can walk.”

          “Uh-huh,” Wufei said, clearly unconvinced, “I'll believe it when I see it.”

          Duo gave him a small, annoyed look and defiantly stumbled to his feet. He made it exactly one and a half steps before a strong tremor went up one of his legs and without Heero's hand holding him up, he nearly fell to his knees. In complete synchronization with each other, both Wufei and Heero grabbed the back of Duo's shirt and pulled him back upright.

          “Yeah, you can walk,” Heero said gruffly.

          “Just give me a minute,” Duo protested.

          “You're bleeding all over the place, I'm not giving you thirty seconds,” Heero snapped, his anxiety over seeing Duo shot making him heavily impatient.

          He grabbed Duo's arm, ready to drag him back through the store if he had to in order to get him to safety. His resolve broke when Duo looked up at him with pleading, violet eyes.

          “Heero… please don't make me go through the store like that,” he begged.

          Heero faltered. His over-protectiveness of  Duo told him to damn the other boy's pride, he was hurt and he wasn't going to risk making things worse with those muscle spasms, but his pure love for him couldn't force Duo to do anything that he didn't want, unless that something would get him killed.

          “Fine,” he grumbled, “But I'm still going to help you.”

          Duo gave him a small smile and they continued along with Wufei keeping a hand on his back to make him steady. Heero, Trowa, and Quatre walked carefully behind them with Heero watching Duo's legs for any tremors.

          “Softie,” Trowa leaned in and whispered in Heero's ear playfully, “I never would have pegged you for a sucker for a pair of doe, violet eyes.”

          “Oh, shut up,” Heero growled at him.

          Quatre fought against a smile. Both Wufei and Heero had almost died today. Perhaps all of them had been staring death in the face. Duo had been electrocuted, shot, and who knows what else. Both Wufei and Heero had been punched around. It seemed like only Quatre and Trowa had come out of this unscathed, but that wasn't a fair evaluation. They had met Wes, the worst monster that plagued all of Duo's nightmares. Who knew what was going on in Duo's head and heart right now, but here they were, making jokes at Heero's expense. It didn't seem right, but what else was there?

          Trowa was right. Soon, very soon, the darkness would catch up with Duo and they would have a lot to deal with, but not now. All he could think about, which was silly considering the circumstances, was how Duo had reached out to Heero and how not once in the last hour, had he ordered Heero not to touch him. He had clung to him, just like he used to. He was terrified of what had just happened, but his heart felt oddly light. Tonight, he would have nightmares, they all would, but for now they were safe, they were all safe… but then again, these people had come for Duo in Boston and now here, so close to a retail store, where Duo was supposed to be protected. Had any of them ever been safe? As though that thought was linked, psychically in all of them, a heavy silence fell on the group of friends as they escorted Duo back inside The Cottage.

 

*****

 

          “Duo, are you trying to tell me something?” Hilde teased as she saw her students come in through the back door, all huddled around Duo, who was clutching his shoulder and looking a little pained, “It seems like every time I see you, you have some sort of injury.”

          She should have been on her way already, having finally picked out something to buy, but she had wanted to say goodbye to Duo first, and the way his friends had ran through the back door, saying that Duo should have been out front waiting by now, had worried her. Duo didn't have the greatest track record when it came to looking out for himself and he didn't disappoint this time, either. With the way that he was clutching his shoulder, Hilde thought that he might have hit it on the dumpster or something, but as he got closer, she saw that his hand was stained with blood. The way that his friends were surrounding him made Hilde think of a pack of wolves and she remembered how Duo had told her that, as long as he was with his friends, he would be protected. She wasn't sure how to take this new injury, then. He had clearly gotten himself hurt, and by the looks of it, seriously, but he was still standing, and that was something.

          “Oh my god, Duo!” Sarah nearly screamed as she and Mr. Hastings came over to see what had taken Duo so long.

          His bloody hand, clamped over his shoulder, was a beacon and Mr. Hastings was already ordering her to call 911 even as Sarah ran over to Duo to inspect him.

          “Duo, what happened?!” she demanded, ignoring Hastings's yell.

          “He'll be ok,” Quatre assured her, not wanting a panic to ensue.

          He wished that they hadn't had to take Duo back through the store just to get to Heero's care; it was inevitable that his coworkers would cause a fuss over this. What on Earth were they going to tell them? How could they possibly explain how Duo had gotten shot without divulging the secrets of Duo's past, that he still wasn't comfortable talking about, especially to the people he just worked with. It was only Heero's intense glare that kept the girl from trying to look at Duo's wound and it made Quatre wonder about Duo's ability to instill loyalty in nearly everyone.       

          His longhaired friend had only been working at this store for a few months, but these people were so worried about him. Duo seemed to either make the people around him fall in love with him or hate him. Just look at all of them, they were usually very closed off, distrustful around everyone except for their little group. Heero, Quatre, and Trowa had a hard time making friends, because they understood, even before Relena's betrayal, that very few people could be trusted, but they had connected to Duo so quickly, even after figuring out that he had been lying to them. Something like that should have been seen as a major betrayal, but here they were, the best of friends.

          And then there was Wes. The man was a monster; a drug dealer, psychopath, pimp, bully, murderer, and who knew what else. Such a man could never form any real attachments. Wes struck Quatre as someone who was incapable of having, let alone understanding, such an intimate thing as friendship or a close connection with another human being. Maybe Chris was his right hand man, but Quatre seriously doubted that Wes trusted him. But tonight he had risked his welfare and secrecy to come back for Duo himself, not to punish Duo or shut him up, but because he had `missed him'. He wanted Duo by his side, a man that was so cold, he had been ready to shoot Wufei in cold blood. Quatre could understand why Wes had wanted to kill Heero, even that bastard could see that there was some sort of link between the two boys, but why Wufei? At that point, the Chinese boy had been helpless and Wes had tried to mow him down, just out of spite, or perhaps merely because he had the power to do so.

          That sort of man was terrifying because he had no limits. He no longer seemed to have any fear of what Name could do to him, or maybe he had never had that fear to begin with. He just couldn't understand why Wes had let them all go. He had had the gun in hand, but he hadn't killed any of them, even Heero. His obsession with Duo was also frightening. What had he said? That Duo and he were entangled and, he had insinuated, when Duo figured it out, he would come to him of his own free will. Quatre knew that would never happen. He just refused to believe that Duo would go back to the one place he freely called `Hell'. But Duo's current attitude was just as scary as Wes's. He had just met the man that scared him the most, that had hurt him more than anyone else, but he wasn't crying anymore. He wasn't freaking out like Quatre knew that he should, he was just… numb. No, it wasn't even that.

          Duo wasn't acting like a zombie; he was acting like someone with a role to play. It was like he was pushing down all of his feelings, pretending that everything was just fine. He was even smiling at Sarah as his shoulder bled and his right leg shook a little. Quatre saw the pain and unfathomable darkness in Duo's eyes and knew that that smile wasn't real. But Duo couldn't wear it forever, Quatre knew that, soon that mask would crack and he had no idea what would happen at that point. He wanted to believe that Heero's presence, Duo reaching out to him, was what had given Duo the strength to not fall apart yet, but he knew that that wasn't it. Or maybe it was. Maybe Heero's opinion of him was so important to Duo, he was willing to deny himself any real feeling, just so Heero wouldn't have to see him break down.

          Quatre wasn't a psychologist, but he knew his friends well and was good at reading people. He knew that Duo's fear of losing Heero, his memories of that moment when Heero had struck him and called him disgusting, were so powerful, Duo was pushing Heero away just to make sure Heero couldn't see how weak he felt. Boston, in Duo's mind, had showed Heero that Duo was powerless against the monsters of his past and Duo truly believed that Heero looked down on him for that. Quatre was sure that there was a lot more than that to it, but he also knew that that was one of Duo's very worst fears.

          “Don't bother calling for an ambulance,” Wufei told Hastings, “We're taking him there now. It'll be much faster, especially with Heero's car.”

          “What happened to him?” Hastings demanded, looking at Duo, “Did you try to use the machine? I told you not to, you don't know how to use it, and I never trained you.”

          “He was shot,” Heero snapped, angry that the man was accusing Duo of something that he would never do.

          Both Sarah and Hastings looked at Duo in shock. They both knew that this town had its dark spots, but not here, not near their little store. Sarah saw Duo's bleeding shoulder, but couldn't understand why anyone would shoot the boy.

          “Was it Merquise?” Hilde asked, her expression tight.

          She never would have pegged Zechs for the sort of thug that went around shooting people, but nowadays… the boy was so tightly wound, she found that it didn't take much a stretch in her imagination to see him doing it, especially to Duo.  

          “No,” Quatre said with a shake of his head, “Zechs had nothing to do with this.”

          “I'm fine,” Duo tried to assure them.

          “You still have a bullet in your shoulder!” Quatre scolded, “You are far from fine!”

          “Yeah, I think I can feel it in there,” Duo remarked with a wince, rolling his shoulder a little.

          “Don't fidget,” Wufei ordered, “Or you'll just make it worse.”

          Duo gave him a small smile. He really didn't understand why Wufei claimed that he had no desire to become a doctor like his mother. He was well suited for it. Wufei was bright and picked up all the little stories his mom told about her job easily. He liked to help people and Duo thought that he had a much better bedside manner than any of the doctors he had met. Of course, the only doctors that had ever really taken care of him were the off-the-radar ones Wes got when he hurt Duo too badly to take care of it themselves and Stark. Those men had never really cared about Duo, had just patched him up like a mechanic would do a faulty bit of machinery. They had cut corners a lot too, not caring if they left scars. Then there was Stark who, though an excellent doctor, wasn't such a great person. Duo thought that Wufei would be a wonderful doctor and wondered why Wufei was so sure that he wouldn't be.

          “Come on,” Trowa urged, “We need to go.”

          “Duo, do you need help?” Sarah asked, nervously.

          “Nah,” he said, with a shake of his head, “These guys are taking care of me pretty well.”

          Hastings watched the group of boys as they shuffled out of there, wondering if he should call the cops or not. In the end, it was Duo's business, wasn't it? He didn't even know if the shooting had happened on his property, and honestly, he wasn't sure if it was the wisest thing to get involved with this.

          The more Duo walked, the less his legs shook, and by the time they got to Heero's car, he no longer needed support. To Heero's continuous surprise, Duo sat in the passenger's seat up front instead of in back with Quatre or Trowa. It was the first time since Boston that Duo had sat next to him in the car. Before then, he had done it so often that his place there had never been contested and even Wufei knew to sit in the back. But after Boston, Duo had stopped doing it and it was usually Quatre or Trowa who sat next to him. Now, the sight of Duo sitting back in his usual seat filled him with an incredible joy.

          He wanted to believe, so very badly, that things were fixed between them, but he knew that it wasn't that simple. So many things that needed to be said, had gone on silent. Duo was terrified after having Wes attack him, so he was clinging to Heero as an old instinct, searching for comfort where it had so often come from. And Heero would give it to him. As long as Duo asked for it, Heero would always give Duo anything he needed. But he couldn't allow himself to hope that Duo's issues with him were settled just because he was leaning on him again. Even if they were, they still needed to talk about this. And what if he believed that things were settled, but as soon as Duo was better, his fears settled, he would start pushing Heero away again? He couldn't deal with that. He was sure it would happen, but for now, Duo needed him and that was the only thing that mattered.

          Quatre sat in between Trowa and Wufei in the back seat. It wasn't a very long drive to the hospital, but the blonde could easily see the tension in Heero's back and the way that Duo's shoulders were drooped, as though he were about to fall asleep, but Quatre was sure that he wouldn't. Though it was less obvious than in Heero, Quatre could see a similar tension in Duo's smaller frame. They had been lucky… so very lucky. It was just like in Boston and maybe that was a part of Heero's problem. It was just as Wes had said, for all of their desires towards protecting Duo, to make sure he was safe and healthy and looked after, in reality, they couldn't do anything. They were helpless. In Boston, Duo and Heero should have died in the hotel room. It was only because of Wes that they hadn't been brutally slaughtered.

          As alarming as it was, Quatre could understand Duo's thoughts that he owed Wes his life, even if that sort of mentality scared him. They had found Duo and Heero, through Name, but that had only been because of chance and luck, nothing tangible. It was the same now. Perhaps they had done more this time, but even then, being here had just been chance. Small events resulting in something else… because Fai was gone, Wufei was lonely so they had agreed to go out to the movies, which had led to them to picking up Duo. But Duo hadn't come out to greet them when he should have, so Wufei had run in to get him. If they hadn't done those things, would Duo be missing right now, or even dead? Even their attempts at overpowering Wes had been futile; they were only alive right now through luck, and Duo.

          Ironically, it was probably Wes's obsession with Duo that had kept them alive towards the end. Duo had saved Wufei's life and Quatre believed it was only to save Wufei that Duo had struck Wes. There would be consequences from that too, he was sure of it. He glanced over at Wufei and saw that he wasn't just being very quiet, but also very still. He was looking out the window, his eyes cloudy with deep thoughts. Quatre put a hand on Wufei's knee and the Chinese boy looked at him in question.

          “Are you alright?” Quatre asked.

          He, Trowa, and Heero hadn't been around to see the whole fight. He wanted to ask Wufei what had happened before they had shown up; if it had appeared that Wes had done anything else to Duo. But the longhaired boy's clothes were intact and it seemed like the worst of his injuries was just that bullet wound in his shoulder. He wondered if Duo would be able to keep it together so well if Wes had raped him, like Chris had. He also had no idea what Wufei's injuries were like. He had mentioned that Duo had taken two hits with a stun baton, but Quatre knew that there was more than that to the story. The black haired boy had his hand curled over his stomach, but Quatre couldn't tell if it was because of pain or nerves. He was more worried about the depressed expression in those nearly black eyes.

          “I should have shot him,” Wufei murmured, “I had the gun in my hands… but I couldn't do it.”

          “Wufei… no one blames you for that,” Quatre said with a frown.

          “I let that… rapist bastard get away,” Wufei hissed, but low enough that only he and Quatre heard it, “I had the shot, had the means, but I let Duo down. I could have gotten revenge for him, but I let him down. Now that asshole is out there again, and who knows when he'll threaten Duo.”

          “Duo doesn't see it that way,” Quatre assured him, “Do you really think that he hates you? He hates violence and that's what killing Wes would be, not revenge, just violence. He hurt Duo, but he didn't hurt you and Duo would never want you to do that for him. I think… I think Duo would say `better a coward than a murderer,' and we know you aren't a coward.”

          “I just couldn't do it,” Wufei murmured mournfully, “After all the things Duo's told us about Wes, I thought time and time again, `if I had the ability to take this monster out, I wouldn't hesitate,' but I did. I didn't just hesitate; I couldn't do anything at all. He was right. There are things that seem so easy, so simple, but when it comes time for your turn, you freeze, you aren't as brave or noble or strong as you think you are.”

          “Well, I don't know about Duo,” Quatre said, “But I think your inability to take another man's life is pretty noble.”

          Wufei looked away from him.

          “And what if he is angry that I didn't take that shot? What will I do then?” he demanded.

          For once in his life, Quatre found that he had not one decent answer to give. They went the rest of the way to the hospital in silence. When they got there, Duo was almost non-responsive, like he was falling asleep, but was still wide awake. Trowa wondered if the shock was settling in yet and hoped that it would wait until they got that bullet out of his friend, and Heero and Wufei's injuries looked at. He knew that they weren't as serious as Duo's, but he had seen the powerful blow to the neck that Wes had given Heero and how the Japanese boy had struggled to breathe afterwards. He didn't know if Wufei was hurt, but with the stiff way he walked, he was sure that he was.

          It suddenly struck Trowa that the last time they had been in this place, was when Duo had been released to go live with them. It seemed so… odd. So much had happened; so much had changed since then. It seemed kind of… like fate. Last time they had learned about Duo's `father', and now they had just met him. At least this wasn't a life and death situation this time. Duo's shoulder was still bleeding sluggishly, but Duo was blood type AB positive, so Trowa wasn't worried about Duo not getting a transfusion, which, with the way he was swaying on his feet, he needed. The emergency room was crowded, but Duo's bullet wound, and his status as someone with anemia, got them service a lot quicker, for which Trowa was grateful. It looked like Heero was about to blow something. Of course, this always happened when there was something wrong with Duo, but it was still alarming to watch.

          Things had been going pretty well until one of the nurses told them that she was taking Duo in for minor surgery and Duo started to hyperventilate. Heero was at his side so fast, Trowa thought he had teleported. Heero grabbed Duo's hand, which helped immensely.

          “Breathe,” Heero commanded his best friend.

          Duo took deep breaths, trying to take control of his rapid heartbeat.

          “I'm sorry,” he apologized.

          This was so embarrassing. He had been holding things together so well. His head felt like it was incased in steel wool, squeezing around his skull and stabbing it sharply at the same time. It hurt so much, he could barely think. He wasn't sure why it hurt, if it was because of the things bubbling to the surface, long, forced forgotten memories, or if it was a result of his training and hitting Wes. Or maybe it was something else entirely. His heart had been racing unpleasantly ever since he had struggled to walk through the store, but he had managed to keep the others from knowing it. The last thing he had needed was for Heero to find out how much this whole situation was affecting him, but his stupid anxiety had completely destroyed his carefully constructed mask the second he had walked into the hospital.

          Some of his worst memories had occurred here, but he supposed, so had some of his best ones, like Heero watching over him, taking care of him despite his obvious failings, Name telling him that he was coming to live with them… those memories made it easy to forget Stark's inappropriate behavior, his withdrawal, and the dark feelings of weakness and depression he had felt in his worst stages of recovery. Though Heero was by his side, once they had approached the front desk, he could only think of his fears and all the bad stuff that this place of whiteness and death brought with it. He knew that Heero felt the same way, because the boy tensed when they were speaking to the nurse. He instantly had felt a pang of guilt, knowing that Heero's issues stemmed from his father's death. He wanted to tell him to wait in the car, not wanting him to remember that terrible time in his life, but he was a coward. He was petrified of Heero leaving him alone in this place. That terror eroded any thoughts of distancing Heero from all of this, or himself.

          So when the nurses insisted that his friends, including Heero, stay behind while they got the bullet out, he panicked. Duo wasn't an idiot, he knew exactly where his fear of hospitals, doctors, and any sort of medical aid really, came from. It wasn't so much the hospital itself or the doctors. He didn't hold any love for doctors, because he had never met one that actually cared for his wellbeing, but he didn't hate them. But hospitals meant just one thing to him: needles. When Wes had been… training him, in order to get him used to pain and pleasure, or in Duo's mind, in order to find new ways to torture him, he had injected him with all sorts of terrible things. KL6 had undoubtedly been the worst, but there had been others. Aphrodisiacs, chemicals that attacked his nerves so even the slightest touch had him either screaming in forced pleasure or intense pain, hallucinogens, Wes had even tried to get him to try coke and E, but Duo's young heart, weakened by years of malnutrition and poor living conditions, had nearly stopped each time.

          Now it didn't matter if the person was taking his blood or giving him medicine to help with pain, needles only meant pain and humiliation to him. The only time he could ever trust a needle was if Heero told him it would make him feel better. He didn't trust this place, its nurses or doctors, but he trusted Heero. He thought he could put his hand into a thresher if Heero told him it wouldn't hurt him. His love for him was that blind. That sort of trust, for someone like him who had spent his life alone and isolated, was frightening, but it felt good, too. He refused to go into that operation without Heero, that was what his subconscious was telling him, even if he knew how silly it was. But still… through everything, his fears of Heero hating him, his belief that he had truly hurt his best friend, Duo wanted him with him. Forever, if such a thing was even remotely possible. It probably wasn't, but he wished for it…

          Hadn't he thought that he wanted dreams? Well, he had finally found one. Even if it hurt… he wanted to be around Heero forever. Dreams were bad, he knew that, but this one… this one he could never get rid of, no matter how pessimistic he was. Was it even worth it anymore? Could he even remember, and truly believe, in all the reasons why he had pushed Heero away? He didn't know… he was just so scared… and he felt so weak. To his immense surprise, Heero didn't scold him for being so pathetic, for having a panic attack in a waiting room. Heero smiled at him.

          “Don't apologize,” he soothed, which was all Duo's heart needed to start to slow, “Just concentrate on your breathing, ok? I won't let them take you away.”

          Duo stared at him, his cheeks glowing red as his heart suddenly felt incredibly warm at Heero's words.

          “What's wrong with him?” the nurse, who had brought the wheelchair over and demanded that Duo come with her, asked.

          “He has issues with being alone in places like this,” Trowa explained, “If you don't want him to have panic attacks while you guys operate on his shoulder, I suggest you let Heero into the room with him. You just have to remove the bullet, stitch him up, and give him a transfusion, right? It's not like you're giving him open surgery, so it should be fine.”

          The nurse frowned at Trowa.

          “It's against regulations. We'll just give him a sedative-,” she argued.

          “So, that's your answer, shooting him up with drugs?!” Wufei snapped, “Who cares about regulations if it stops him from being stressed! He was just shot, he doesn't need to have you pumping him full of sedatives!”

          “Settle down or I'll have you removed,” the nurse warned, irritated with Wufei's attitude.

          “What's going on here?” a very familiar voice asked.

          They turned towards the doors leading to the E.R. and saw Wufei's mother walk out, looking very professional in her white coat, her black hair pulled up into a high ponytail.

          “Doctor Chang, these boys are being unruly,” the nurse tried to explain.

          “Mom!” Wufei greeted.

          He had completely forgotten that his mother was working tonight, but he was definitely glad to see her. It was nice having a doctor for a mother in situations like this.

          “Duo!” Lian rushed over to them when she saw his bloody shoulder, “What on earth happened to you?”

          The nurse's righteous attitude deflated as she realized that the doctor knew these boys and one of them was her son, but still refused to back down.

          “I had a little accident,” Duo said sheepishly.

          Lian's almond shaped eyes narrowed as she examined the bullet wound.

          “I'd say that's a little more than an accident!” she exclaimed.

          She turned to the nurse.

          “Why isn't this boy in the operating room? The longer he stands here, the more likely he'll get an infection!” she scolded.

          The nurse nearly flinched from her.

          “He was having a panic attack. I was just trying to convince these boys that they do not need to be in the operating room, we'll just give him some medicine to calm him down,” she explained.

          Lian frowned.

          “And why aren't we letting one of his friends into the room? If he's having a panic attack, it makes a lot more sense to have someone there with him than give him drugs,” Lian said, angry at having one of her son's friends being treated this way, “He's anemic and with the medicines that he's on, I wouldn't risk giving him anything for such a small reason.”

          The nurse swallowed nervously. Wufei felt a swelling of pride, having never seen his mother yell at anyone but him before, but she took charge of things with a lot of grace.

          “T-that's against policy,” the nurse felt silly for pointing out such a thing to one of the best doctors the hospital had.

          “Maybe in normal circumstances, but don't we also break such rules to make things more bearable and healthy for our patients?” Lian snapped, “Besides, the boy that you refuse to let into the room is the son of Name Yuy. If you do get into trouble, I'm sure she will sort things out. And I'm also sure that she'll be quite happy with you and this hospital if you help out her son's friend. Have you contacted Stark, yet?”

          “N-no,” the nurse stammered.

          Lian sighed.

          “I'll do that. I'll be around to check up on his patient later, understood?” Lian warned.

          The nurse nodded.

          “Y-yes, Doctor Chang,” she murmured.

          “I'll see you later, Duo,” Lian smiled at the longhaired boy.

          “Thank you, Mrs. Chang,” Duo said sincerely.

          Lian's smile grew and she patted his head.

          “I'm just doing my job. As far as I'm concerned, there's no point in being a doctor if rules get in the way of taking care of my patients,” she said cheerfully, waving as she left to go get Dr. Stark.

          The nurse sighed in submission.

          “Fine, if you're coming in with us, I expect you not to get in the way,” she warned Heero, forgetting for a moment who he was, “Now in the wheelchair,” she ordered Duo.

          Duo blinked at her.

          “But I can stand,” he protested in confusion.

          “It's a rule,” Wufei told him, “So if an injured patient falls while under a nurse or doctor's care, they can't sue the hospital.”

          “That's stupid,” Duo grumbled, “And humiliating.”

          “Just get in the chair so we can get you fixed up,” Trowa ordered.

          Duo sighed, but sat. He looked back to where Mrs. Chang had disappeared to. He wished that, back when Heero had found him and he had almost died, he had gotten Wufei's mother as his doctor and not Stark. She was so kind and understanding. It was like she had said; she cared more about the feelings and welfare of her patients than rules. She reminded him of Name, strong-willed, professional, but also kind. Maybe he just had a thing for women who tried to protect him. He had felt the same way for Sister Helen, though no one could hold a candle to the way he felt for Name. But it wasn't like he could switch doctors (1). He was just stuck with the jackass, until the guy stopped practicing anyway.

 

End Part 21

 

(1)          &n bsp; No, this is not me being ignorant. I'm well aware that you can request to change doctors, you don't even have to give a reason, but Duo is so used to getting the short end of the stick, he can't even fathom that he could take control of the situation.

Heh. Two parts in one week, I guess that's an accomplishment. Consider it making up for November, but don't get used to it. My writing steam will probably peter out soon. Hopefully, otherwise my brain might explode.