Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Truth About True Love ❯ Promises Not Made ( Chapter 2 )

The Truth About True Love

A.C. 200
January
Old Oz Compound

It was unreal.

Listening to Duo's confession.

And then he went silent.

His name erupted from her lips. "DUOOO!!"

In front of her Wufei rushed forward as Quatre collapsed against the side of the door, his arms crossed over his chest, face twisted in torment.

Heero then pushed his way past Trowa, who was catching Quatre.

Relena cried, unable to hold onto Duo as Wufei pulled him away form her.  His limp body was laid out flat against the ground.

"No pulse!" shouted Wufei.

Heero stayed rooted where he was as Wufei began to do compressions on Duo's chest. He stopped for a moment and then lowered his head to Duo's lips.  "He's not breathing, either." Wufei began to blow into Duo's lungs.  "Heero, dammit! I need help!"

"So c-cold," Quatre murmured.

Trowa pressed the button for his walkie.

"Officer down and in critical condition, room 746."

"More paramedics on the way," came the response. X

Everything happened so quickly.

Duo had dragged her into the room, told her to stay, then was in her arms, his life bleeding away all around her.

His words shocked her to the core.

She should have felt repulsion...but she didn't.

Instead, she felt a deep sorrow.

So much sorrow, that she couldn't help but whisper his name.

Then the rest of them entered, and froze in shock.

And when he went limp, Quatre had folded over in pain.

Trowa was there to keep him from falling.

Wufei rushed over and took Duo from her.  He mentioned something about no pulse and no breathing.

And Heero. . .

Heero remained frozen where he stood.

Trowa spoke to the paramedics on the walkie, while she remained kneeling in cooling blood.

Before she knew it, the medical team had arrived, and whisked Duo away.

He looked so frail strapped to that stretcher.

Quatre volunteered to go with them while Trowa and Wufei stayed behind to talk with Lady Une.

She looked grim.

Suddenly, someone stood before her, offering a hand.

She took it without thinking, and slowly stood up, watching how the blood stains were slowly turning brown on her dress.

Then she looked up into the eyes of her helper.

Heero.

Relena felt herself trying to speak, the knot in her throat making it difficult.

"He...he..." The tears started again.  "Duo risked himself...saved me....for you..."

"I know," Heero murmured.  "We heard."

Relena pulled back.  "Is it true?  Were you two involved?"

Heero remained silent.  Then he nodded. "During the war.  But it was nothing."

"Nothing?" Relena whispered.  Her mournful face became twisted with rage as she pushed Heero away from her with a surprising amount of strength.

"Nothing?! It may have meant nothing to you, but it obviously meant a lot to Duo which does not make it a nothing!!! He was willing to die to make you happy!!"

"He knew I didn't love him."

"When?! Before you came to me? During the war, Heero?  That's a long time! If you didn't love him, why did you get involved like that?"

"I didn't know how to show love."

"So you used your friend? That's wrong!! Oh, Heero, how could you?"  Relena gave way to crying, her hands covering her face.  "Duo loved you with everything he had, and you just used him to learn how to love, and for what? To be with me? Dammit, Yuy!  If you wanted to learn, you should have learned with me!!"

Relena removed her hands, looking at Heero.

"Gods, Heero...to sink to such a level with your own friend. I...I don't know you at all."

"Relena?"

"Don't...don't talk to me..." Relena looked down at her hands, calming down.  She began to toy with the jewelry there.  She took a shuddering breath of air.  "Right now, I can't help but feel disgusted with you.  And disappointed."

Heero watched her as she came closer and took his hand.

"From the look in his eyes...Duo's love was pure... and you had to taint it.  I can only imagine his pain...and to be part of the wedding....Heero... you heard what he wanted me to promise... but he didn't give me the chance to do so... and I'm glad.  Because it's hard to make someone happy, especially when all you feel at the moment is contempt.  Heero Yuy... I can't accept you as my husband."

With those words, Relena walked away, leaving Heero behind, holding the engagement ring. X A.C. 200
January
Hospital

"He's coding, he's coding!"

"We're losing him again!"

"Quick, charge!"

"He's not breathing again!"

"Clear!"

"Nothing!"

"Compressions again, now!"

"Doctor Johnson, it's been too..."

"Dammit, you're a nurse, you do as I say. And you! You were a fucking Gundam Pilot!"

"Doctor!!"

"Don't give up now! Clear!"

"Still nothing."

"Breath, you mother fucker, breath!"

"Doctor, please!"

"Clear!"

"We got a pulse!"

"Breathing erratic."

"Stablizing."

"Told you those pilots were fighters."

"Doctor..."

"Yes?"

"You know he's been clinically dead for more than ten minutes.  Was it even worth going at it for so long?"

"..."

"Don't be such a pessimistic nurse." X The waiting room held many people, but eight of them were together, yet separate.

Trowa, Wufei, and Quatre stood to one side.

Relena, Zechs, Noin, and Lady Une stood to another.

And Heero was left standing alone.

They all snapped into attention when a doctor stepped in.

The doctor gave a quick nod to Wufei.  "I'm assuming that all of you are here for Mr. Duo Maxwell?"

The others nodded.

"Please, sit down."

"That usually means bad news, Doctor Johnson," Wufei grounded out.

The doctor looked pained.  "Not exactly."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Relena asked.

The doctor closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Duo suffered from tremendous blood loss.  His most dangerous injury was the one to his head."  He gave them a shaky smile.  "We did our best to not cut away most of his hair, but we did have to cut through the skull to remove the bullet.  It was lodged between brain and bone.  Just a fraction further downwards, and Duo wouldn't have even made it to the hospital."

The others sighed in relief.

"However...we did lose him four times total.  At the site, twice during the surgeries, and just a few moments ago. All together, he was clinically dead for half an hour."

A cloud of fear covered the eyes of all but one.

"And just what does that mean?" Relena asked, not fully understanding the implications.

"With that amount of time without oxygen to the brain, we're looking at a high risk factor of permanent brain damage."

tbc...

A/N: Still plodding along.  Quick things that slow me down.  Working on Never Meant to Be, a Disney Gargoyle fan fic which really has my priority in terms of working on it and length.  Next is my online comic found at http://fadinginnocence.keenspace.com .  Gory and het and slash and comedy and drama, you name it, it should be there in one form or another.  For those that are reading this and haven't read my other GW fic, Living Hell, take the time to read that and let me know what you think.  I'm toying with the idea of making a manga variation of that one, see if I can do spooky, not just gory.  Any personal messages can be sent to my email, or you can check out my Live Journal, link found at the bottom of my online comic book page.