Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Afterthoughts of Discourse ❯ Chapter 6
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Vega -Lume 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.07.2015 | Pages: 6 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 476 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.07.2015 | Pages: 6 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 476 | Status: Completed
September 11th 2004
Title: Afterthoughts of Discourse
Author: Vega-Lume
I make no money with this or any of my other fics.
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine, but the situations, original characters, the
M-Utatek (no matter how improbable it may be) and anything else NOT original to the GW Universe is mine. *grrrr* Any flames for any reason like pointing out that improbability will be laughed at and fed to my Plot Bunny Mkha, who will eat it and leave plenty bunny raisins for you :D
Warnings: A/U-ish (not intended to be, but turning out that way)Angst, MPREG, Yaoi, Het, Limey? Lemony? Mountain Dew? (Let's just say there are some citrusy parts, k?)
Pairings: 2x1, 2xH, OMCx1
Beta: none
Afterthoughts of Discourse
Chapter 6
By Vel
*~*~*~*~*~*
Evening, Sunday November 20th
Duo smiled brightly as he juggled the armload of gifts, flowers and balloons that had been accumulating in Hilde's hospital room over the past few days, Quatre, Sally and nearly every employee of the scrap yard had sent some kind of gift celebrating the birth of little Xiiro.
He had already hauled a load of the stuff to the car, filling the trunk with the pastel wrapped packages, the flowers and balloons going into the back seat, strings wrapped around the flowers to keep the balloons from bobbing up and blocking his view.
The car-seat was strapped safely in place in preparation of Xiiro's trip home tomorrow. Hilde was itching to get home, so to cut down on the hassle of being discharged and making sure they had everything, Duo offered to take most of the stuff home the night before and bring her back a fresh change of clothes.
Blessed Quatre had arrived the day before, insisting on a mini party to welcome home the newest member of the family. After having so many sisters and so many births in his family, Quatre knew exactly how to act in this situation and what needed to be done.
Duo arrived at Hilde's apartment and thumped the door with a booted toe, knowing that Quatre would let him in, a moment later the door swung open and hands appeared, relieving him of many of the packages he held,
“Thanks Q.” Duo breathed, trying in vain to blow a balloon out of his face.
“You're welcome.” an amused, deep voice replied.
“Tro! When did you get here?” Duo all but shouted as he unceremoniously dumped the rest of his burden on the sofa, in favor of greeting his friend with a firm hug.
“Just a few hours ago,” the taller man replied setting his armload on the sofa as well.
“Came early to make sure Q didn't book a petting zoo or something for Xiiro's home coming?” Duo teased
“Something like that.” Trowa answered with a slight smirk.
“I heard that!” Quatre called out from the kitchen “Keep saying things like that and I just might!”
“Don't you dare, this is a pet free building.” Duo countered, moving across the lounge to poke his head into the kitchen. “What are you doing?”
“Re-arranging the kitchen,” The blond replied, setting a few more cans of something on the already filled kitchen table. “Trust me, you two will appreciate being able to reach everything required to make a bottle without having to move around the kitchen. Comes in handy at three am when you don't have to turn on a light to see where something is.”
“Talking from experience?” Duo teased
“Absolutely” He replied simply. Duo shrugged in return and pulled out a kitchen chair to sit and watch the controlled chaos. It wasn't really much of a surprise when after everything was in its place that Q's system was revealed.
With a rolled up dish towel playing the part of the baby nestled in the crook of one arm, the blond whipped up a bottle in record time, with one hand, in the dark, without taking a single step.
“I'm impressed.” Duo laughed, clapping for emphasis.
“Brat.” Quatre replied, unrolling the towel to hang it back on the bar above the sink. “Just for that, I'm not going to show you any of my diaper changing tricks.”
“I'm so afraid.” Duo laughed but stopped abruptly when Quatre said “You should be” Then cackled darkly as he walked past him, into the lounge.
“Quat... Q? What does that mean? Q!”
*~*~*~*~*~*
Morning, Sunday November 20th
Mary woke to the sound of Heero coughing harshly, trying to muffle the sound with his pillow. Blinking her bleary eyes she tried to focus on the green glow of the alarm clock that sat atop the small television on the other side of the room.
1:26 am
Drained of strength, Heero slumped onto his side and took deep, slow breaths in effort to stave off another bout of coughing. Slipping from her bed quietly, Mary sat beside her brother and began rubbing his back gently.
There was a nearly inaudible creak from the door, pale hallway light framing Rachel’s face as she peeked in. “Is everything alright dears?”
Another bought of wracking coughs answered her. Rachel’s face vanished for a few moments before she returned with a large bowl. She clicked the bedside lamp on then took a few items out of the bowl, placing them on the table.
“Mary dear, please take this into the bathroom and fill it with cool water.” Rachel asked, handing the bowl to the young woman.
Mary complied, taking the bowl into the other room and filling it from the tap in the bath tub, before returning to the bedroom where she found Rachel seated on the edge of the bed rubbing Heero’s back gently as he suffered from another bout of coughing, the odor of mentholated ointment filling the room. After what seemed like a very long time Heero finally slumped over in exhaustion.
Mary gently placed the bowl on the bed stand and watched as Rachel injected a dose of medication into the catheter that Scott had placed in the back of one of Heero’s hands.
“It’s alright,” Rachel said softly “I’ll tend to him until he falls asleep again.”
“Kay…” the girl replied in a quiet voice before she made her way across the now silent bedroom, slipping beneath the covers of her now cool bed.
As she closed her eyes she heard the nurse dip into the water bowl to retrieve the cloth inside.
When she opened her eyes again, the room was dim and there was pale light filtering through the curtains. Heero, looking much more comfortable, was curled on his side snoring gently. With a slight smile, Mary closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.
The morning dawned overcast and cold as the Bennett family rose to start the day. For the most part Heero had slept through the remainder of night, waking only once more wracked with painful coughs. Rachel had rushed to his room again to help only to find Mary awake, rubbing her brother's back helping break up the infection so he could cough it out. A few minutes of coughing, another dose of cough suppressant, and one clean shirt later found Heero drifting off to sleep and the two women sighing in relief.
They made their ways back to their beds only to be awaken a few hours later, just before six when Heero woke suddenly to vomit into the waste basket next to his bed, with very little in his stomach the sounds he made were agonizingly painful, leaving Mary to watch helplessly, unable to do more then give him water when he was done.
Rachel was there, again. This time whisking away the mess before it could trigger another attack.
She returned moments later, waste basket empty and a fresh can liner in place. Another dose of antiemetic went into his I.V. adjusted the flow of fluids, then she did a quick check of his vitals and frowned at his temperature. It had gone up some during the night, not enough to worry over yet, but it meant that the medication wasn't working to keep it down.
She stroked his sweaty hair as he rasped for breath, his blue eyes barely cracked open gazing back at her.
“How is he doing?” Scott asked from the doorway, a robe pulled over his flannel pajamas.
“His temp is up a bit, still in the safe range though. He vomited once, all fluids.”
Scott frowned, “Replace the saline with a hypertonic crystalloid, also give him another dose of Paracetamol {2}” He said to Rachel then asked Heero, “Do you think you can eat something?”
“A little... maybe.” he answered quietly.
“Toast and tea?” Rachel asked, at Heero's slight nod, Scott slipped from the room while Rachel replaced the I.V. Fluids and added a dose of the paracetamol to the tube with an ease born from years of practice. “I’ll be right back.” She said with a soft smile and a pat to his arm before disappearing from the room.
She returned several moments later, a plastic tray in hand. Mary was seated on her bed talking to Heero quietly, who seemed a bit brighter now that he was fully awake.
“Here we are,” the nurse announced as she placed the tray on the bedside table. “Do you need anything else?”
“I need to pee.” He rasped looking slightly embarrassed.
She smiled in gentle understanding “Here, let me help you to the bathroom” She said as she pulled the blanket aside and helped him sit up. She disconnected the I.V. line leaving the catheter in his hand then eased his legs over the side of the bed. “I could bring you a urinal bottle if you prefer but it would be better if you could get up and walk around a bit.”
Heero nodded in understanding and let the woman help him to his feet. His head swam for a moment then cleared as he balanced, with a small nod the pair shuffled out of the bedroom. Rachel helped him into the small room across the hall and left him standing near the toilet. “I’ll go fetch you some clean clothes while you freshen up a bit.”
“Arigatou”
She smiled brightly and gave his arm a quick squeeze before stepping out so he could have some privacy.
While Heero was in the bathroom Rachel shooed Mary off to the master bath to clean up a bit while she tidied up the bedroom. By the time Heero was done the room was clean and smelled fresh.
“Would you like to eat in bed or would you rather sit in the living room.” She asked as she stood in the hall just outside of the bathroom while Heero changed into his fresh clothes.
“I’d like to sit in the living room for a while” He replied as he opened the door fully so the woman could help him walk. He felt much better today, better than he had in several days but he didn’t think he was steady enough on his legs to walk to the living room on his own just yet.
“Let’s get you settled and I’ll pop back in your room to get your robe and breakfast.” Settled again in the cozy green Lay-z boy with a robe draped over his legs, the nurse placed the tray on his lap. “Start with this and if you think you can handle a bit more I’ll make you another piece of toast.”
Heero looked down at the tray and found a single golden slice of dry toast and a gently steaming cup of sweet smelling tea. It didn’t look very appetizing now that he was feeling better. He wanted something sweet, he wanted one or two of those granola bars that Mary always saved for him, or at the very least some jam for the toast.
“Is something wrong, dear?” Rachel asked in concern when Heero made no move to eat his meal.
“He likes sweets in the morning.” Mary said as she appeared behind the chair, her face bright and freshly washed.
“Ah, would you like some marmalade for your toast?” Rachel asked and chuckled when he replied with a quick “Yes please.” Fetching the jar from the fridge she popped another slice of bread in the toaster on her way and smiled indulgently as he slathered the slice with a thick layer of jam.
By the time Heero was finished with his second slice of toast, his tea was gone, the jar was nearly empty and he was drifting off to sleep again.
*~*~*~*
“Excuse me, could you please page Doctor Masahura for me?” Scott asked a nurse sitting the nurses’ station of the Starsdale University hospital.
“I'm sorry sir, but Doctor Masahura is making his rounds right now.” She informed him softly.
“Please, I'm a friend of his and I would really like to see him.”
The nurse eyed him for a moment then asked, “Your name please.”
“Doctor Scott Bennett.” supposedly satisfied she pressed a button and leaned towards the microphone.
"Doctor Masahura to the nurses’ station - Paging Doctor Masahura to the nurses’ station"
"Thank you." Scott smiled at the nurse who had kindly paged his friend for him.
"Not a problem, Doctor Bennett." She smiled back "I'm sure he will only be a few moments, you're welcome to sit in the waiting area, I'll send him to you when he gets here."
Scott nodded and thanked the woman again and went to sit in the waiting area, he wasn't there ten minutes when his friend and colleague appeared from around a corner.
"Joe!" He called out to gain the other mans attention before he reached the nurses’ station.
"Scott? What a surprise!" Joe beamed offering a hand to his long time friend. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"
Scott glanced around and noted several people within hearing distance and nodded his head towards a hallway. "Can we talk in your office?"
"Um, sure." Joe replied cautiously "This way." The Asian man turned to the hallway and led his friend to his small office. "Have a seat," he gestured towards a padded chair then took a moment to close the door, before he rounded his desk to sit across from the other man.
"I have a patient I need help with, and due to the nature of the situation, I really need you to be discreet." Scott said, answering the questioning look on his friends face.
"What's going on Scott?" Joe asked quietly, worry lacing his voice.
"The fewer people who know about it the better, I trust you as a friend to keep this as quiet as possible."
"Why? Is all this secrecy really necessary?"
"Absolutely" Scott replied firmly.
"Very well, you have my word that no one will hear about this conversation, not even my wife."
"Thank you," Scott let out a relieved breath "Yesterday, I began treatment on a homeless teen boy, approximately sixteen years old, who is suffering from a respiratory infection, malnutrition and severe dehydration... he also has an M-Utatek implant and is approximately 27 weeks with a set of triplets."
"By the Gods... how in the Seven Circles of Hell did he get the implant at his age!"
"It seems that during the war, he was under the care of some scientist, who did some experiments on the boy, without his consent."
"So you want to keep this out of the media, I'm sure the boy wouldn't want to be in the tabloids."
"That's not all," Scott continued "He left his home for reasons he won't explain, he doesn't want anyone from his past knowing where he is. I believe he may fear falling into the hands of that scientist again and he apparently has friends in the Preventers organization. If his name appears on any of his hospital records, they will find him. As his doctor I don’t care to know the reasons at this time and his well-being is my main concern. Because of how delicate his condition is right now, I feel that if people start showing up asking for him, it could cause a set back and put his health at more of a risk. One that I would prefer to avoid at all costs."
"I agree one hundred percent. I would like to stop by your house and examine the boy as soon as I can. I will also set up a private room here for his use alone, as a delivery and recovery room. With the high risk nature of his condition I want him on total bed rest at home until his 36th week. After that I want him here in the private room."
"I doubt he'll be happy about that, but I'll make sure it is done."
“Good, now what other information can you give me?”
“I have his records under the name of Rie Amruo, I brought a copy.” Scott said as he pulled a few sheets of folded paper from his pocket. Joe pulled a pair of glasses from his breast pocket and read the sheets.
“How was he this morning?” Joe asked laying the pages on his desk
“He had a rough night waking several times and his temp was up a bit but he seems to be doing alright.”
“Any appetite?”
“He hadn’t yet eaten when I left but he did say he was willing to try something.”
“Very good. If it’s alright I’d like to stop by your place this evening and take a look at him myself.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem” Scott replied “I’m not experienced with such high rick pregnancies so the sooner you can examine him the better. Is there any equipment you’ll need?”
“Just an ultrasound, but I can borrow a portable one from the clinic and bring it with me.”
“Thanks Joe, what time do you think you’ll be stopping by?”
“I’m here until 5:30 so if I go straight there, 7-ish?” Joe replied with a glance to the clock.
“Will Alice mind? You probably won’t get home until after 10.”
Doctor Masahura completely forgot about his wife “I’ll have to give her some kind of explanation” He said thoughtfully.
“I don’t know Alice very well; can you pick her up and bring her with you, stay for dinner?” Scott said
“What did you have in mind?”
“I’m thinking that after she meets our patient she would be willing to keep it a secret.”
Joe nodded in understanding “Yes, I’m pretty sure she would. She’s a sensible woman and isn’t prone to gossip.”
“Wonderful,” Scott said, rising to his feet “I’ll call Rachel and let her know that we’ll be having guests for dinner.”
Joe rose as well, rounding the desk to join his friend near the door “I have to get back to work” he said shaking his friends’ hand “I’ll call you when we’re on our way.”
“Thank you Joe” Scott replied as he opened the door and stepped into the hall turning towards the elevator “I’ll see you tonight.”
The Asian man simply smiled and turned the opposite direction and walked away with a small wave.
TBC…
Hypertonic crystalloid—A crystalloid solution that has a higher concentration of electrolytes than the body plasma. I.V. Fluid solution.
Paracetamol— An intravenous form of acetaminophen, acetaminophen (brand name Tylenol) is safe to take during all stages of pregnancy and is effective in reducing fever and body aches, though high doses may be harmful, taken in proper doses for the usual 2-3 days associated with an illness/fever is safe for both 'mother' and baby.
Mentholated Ointment – A soothing ointment usually rubbed on the chest. Inhaling the vapor helps to open the passages, making breathing easier.
Title: Afterthoughts of Discourse
Author: Vega-Lume
I make no money with this or any of my other fics.
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine, but the situations, original characters, the
M-Utatek (no matter how improbable it may be) and anything else NOT original to the GW Universe is mine. *grrrr* Any flames for any reason like pointing out that improbability will be laughed at and fed to my Plot Bunny Mkha, who will eat it and leave plenty bunny raisins for you :D
Warnings: A/U-ish (not intended to be, but turning out that way)Angst, MPREG, Yaoi, Het, Limey? Lemony? Mountain Dew? (Let's just say there are some citrusy parts, k?)
Pairings: 2x1, 2xH, OMCx1
Beta: none
Afterthoughts of Discourse
Chapter 6
By Vel
*~*~*~*~*~*
Evening, Sunday November 20th
Duo smiled brightly as he juggled the armload of gifts, flowers and balloons that had been accumulating in Hilde's hospital room over the past few days, Quatre, Sally and nearly every employee of the scrap yard had sent some kind of gift celebrating the birth of little Xiiro.
He had already hauled a load of the stuff to the car, filling the trunk with the pastel wrapped packages, the flowers and balloons going into the back seat, strings wrapped around the flowers to keep the balloons from bobbing up and blocking his view.
The car-seat was strapped safely in place in preparation of Xiiro's trip home tomorrow. Hilde was itching to get home, so to cut down on the hassle of being discharged and making sure they had everything, Duo offered to take most of the stuff home the night before and bring her back a fresh change of clothes.
Blessed Quatre had arrived the day before, insisting on a mini party to welcome home the newest member of the family. After having so many sisters and so many births in his family, Quatre knew exactly how to act in this situation and what needed to be done.
Duo arrived at Hilde's apartment and thumped the door with a booted toe, knowing that Quatre would let him in, a moment later the door swung open and hands appeared, relieving him of many of the packages he held,
“Thanks Q.” Duo breathed, trying in vain to blow a balloon out of his face.
“You're welcome.” an amused, deep voice replied.
“Tro! When did you get here?” Duo all but shouted as he unceremoniously dumped the rest of his burden on the sofa, in favor of greeting his friend with a firm hug.
“Just a few hours ago,” the taller man replied setting his armload on the sofa as well.
“Came early to make sure Q didn't book a petting zoo or something for Xiiro's home coming?” Duo teased
“Something like that.” Trowa answered with a slight smirk.
“I heard that!” Quatre called out from the kitchen “Keep saying things like that and I just might!”
“Don't you dare, this is a pet free building.” Duo countered, moving across the lounge to poke his head into the kitchen. “What are you doing?”
“Re-arranging the kitchen,” The blond replied, setting a few more cans of something on the already filled kitchen table. “Trust me, you two will appreciate being able to reach everything required to make a bottle without having to move around the kitchen. Comes in handy at three am when you don't have to turn on a light to see where something is.”
“Talking from experience?” Duo teased
“Absolutely” He replied simply. Duo shrugged in return and pulled out a kitchen chair to sit and watch the controlled chaos. It wasn't really much of a surprise when after everything was in its place that Q's system was revealed.
With a rolled up dish towel playing the part of the baby nestled in the crook of one arm, the blond whipped up a bottle in record time, with one hand, in the dark, without taking a single step.
“I'm impressed.” Duo laughed, clapping for emphasis.
“Brat.” Quatre replied, unrolling the towel to hang it back on the bar above the sink. “Just for that, I'm not going to show you any of my diaper changing tricks.”
“I'm so afraid.” Duo laughed but stopped abruptly when Quatre said “You should be” Then cackled darkly as he walked past him, into the lounge.
“Quat... Q? What does that mean? Q!”
*~*~*~*~*~*
Morning, Sunday November 20th
Mary woke to the sound of Heero coughing harshly, trying to muffle the sound with his pillow. Blinking her bleary eyes she tried to focus on the green glow of the alarm clock that sat atop the small television on the other side of the room.
1:26 am
Drained of strength, Heero slumped onto his side and took deep, slow breaths in effort to stave off another bout of coughing. Slipping from her bed quietly, Mary sat beside her brother and began rubbing his back gently.
There was a nearly inaudible creak from the door, pale hallway light framing Rachel’s face as she peeked in. “Is everything alright dears?”
Another bought of wracking coughs answered her. Rachel’s face vanished for a few moments before she returned with a large bowl. She clicked the bedside lamp on then took a few items out of the bowl, placing them on the table.
“Mary dear, please take this into the bathroom and fill it with cool water.” Rachel asked, handing the bowl to the young woman.
Mary complied, taking the bowl into the other room and filling it from the tap in the bath tub, before returning to the bedroom where she found Rachel seated on the edge of the bed rubbing Heero’s back gently as he suffered from another bout of coughing, the odor of mentholated ointment filling the room. After what seemed like a very long time Heero finally slumped over in exhaustion.
Mary gently placed the bowl on the bed stand and watched as Rachel injected a dose of medication into the catheter that Scott had placed in the back of one of Heero’s hands.
“It’s alright,” Rachel said softly “I’ll tend to him until he falls asleep again.”
“Kay…” the girl replied in a quiet voice before she made her way across the now silent bedroom, slipping beneath the covers of her now cool bed.
As she closed her eyes she heard the nurse dip into the water bowl to retrieve the cloth inside.
When she opened her eyes again, the room was dim and there was pale light filtering through the curtains. Heero, looking much more comfortable, was curled on his side snoring gently. With a slight smile, Mary closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.
The morning dawned overcast and cold as the Bennett family rose to start the day. For the most part Heero had slept through the remainder of night, waking only once more wracked with painful coughs. Rachel had rushed to his room again to help only to find Mary awake, rubbing her brother's back helping break up the infection so he could cough it out. A few minutes of coughing, another dose of cough suppressant, and one clean shirt later found Heero drifting off to sleep and the two women sighing in relief.
They made their ways back to their beds only to be awaken a few hours later, just before six when Heero woke suddenly to vomit into the waste basket next to his bed, with very little in his stomach the sounds he made were agonizingly painful, leaving Mary to watch helplessly, unable to do more then give him water when he was done.
Rachel was there, again. This time whisking away the mess before it could trigger another attack.
She returned moments later, waste basket empty and a fresh can liner in place. Another dose of antiemetic went into his I.V. adjusted the flow of fluids, then she did a quick check of his vitals and frowned at his temperature. It had gone up some during the night, not enough to worry over yet, but it meant that the medication wasn't working to keep it down.
She stroked his sweaty hair as he rasped for breath, his blue eyes barely cracked open gazing back at her.
“How is he doing?” Scott asked from the doorway, a robe pulled over his flannel pajamas.
“His temp is up a bit, still in the safe range though. He vomited once, all fluids.”
Scott frowned, “Replace the saline with a hypertonic crystalloid, also give him another dose of Paracetamol {2}” He said to Rachel then asked Heero, “Do you think you can eat something?”
“A little... maybe.” he answered quietly.
“Toast and tea?” Rachel asked, at Heero's slight nod, Scott slipped from the room while Rachel replaced the I.V. Fluids and added a dose of the paracetamol to the tube with an ease born from years of practice. “I’ll be right back.” She said with a soft smile and a pat to his arm before disappearing from the room.
She returned several moments later, a plastic tray in hand. Mary was seated on her bed talking to Heero quietly, who seemed a bit brighter now that he was fully awake.
“Here we are,” the nurse announced as she placed the tray on the bedside table. “Do you need anything else?”
“I need to pee.” He rasped looking slightly embarrassed.
She smiled in gentle understanding “Here, let me help you to the bathroom” She said as she pulled the blanket aside and helped him sit up. She disconnected the I.V. line leaving the catheter in his hand then eased his legs over the side of the bed. “I could bring you a urinal bottle if you prefer but it would be better if you could get up and walk around a bit.”
Heero nodded in understanding and let the woman help him to his feet. His head swam for a moment then cleared as he balanced, with a small nod the pair shuffled out of the bedroom. Rachel helped him into the small room across the hall and left him standing near the toilet. “I’ll go fetch you some clean clothes while you freshen up a bit.”
“Arigatou”
She smiled brightly and gave his arm a quick squeeze before stepping out so he could have some privacy.
While Heero was in the bathroom Rachel shooed Mary off to the master bath to clean up a bit while she tidied up the bedroom. By the time Heero was done the room was clean and smelled fresh.
“Would you like to eat in bed or would you rather sit in the living room.” She asked as she stood in the hall just outside of the bathroom while Heero changed into his fresh clothes.
“I’d like to sit in the living room for a while” He replied as he opened the door fully so the woman could help him walk. He felt much better today, better than he had in several days but he didn’t think he was steady enough on his legs to walk to the living room on his own just yet.
“Let’s get you settled and I’ll pop back in your room to get your robe and breakfast.” Settled again in the cozy green Lay-z boy with a robe draped over his legs, the nurse placed the tray on his lap. “Start with this and if you think you can handle a bit more I’ll make you another piece of toast.”
Heero looked down at the tray and found a single golden slice of dry toast and a gently steaming cup of sweet smelling tea. It didn’t look very appetizing now that he was feeling better. He wanted something sweet, he wanted one or two of those granola bars that Mary always saved for him, or at the very least some jam for the toast.
“Is something wrong, dear?” Rachel asked in concern when Heero made no move to eat his meal.
“He likes sweets in the morning.” Mary said as she appeared behind the chair, her face bright and freshly washed.
“Ah, would you like some marmalade for your toast?” Rachel asked and chuckled when he replied with a quick “Yes please.” Fetching the jar from the fridge she popped another slice of bread in the toaster on her way and smiled indulgently as he slathered the slice with a thick layer of jam.
By the time Heero was finished with his second slice of toast, his tea was gone, the jar was nearly empty and he was drifting off to sleep again.
*~*~*~*
“Excuse me, could you please page Doctor Masahura for me?” Scott asked a nurse sitting the nurses’ station of the Starsdale University hospital.
“I'm sorry sir, but Doctor Masahura is making his rounds right now.” She informed him softly.
“Please, I'm a friend of his and I would really like to see him.”
The nurse eyed him for a moment then asked, “Your name please.”
“Doctor Scott Bennett.” supposedly satisfied she pressed a button and leaned towards the microphone.
"Doctor Masahura to the nurses’ station - Paging Doctor Masahura to the nurses’ station"
"Thank you." Scott smiled at the nurse who had kindly paged his friend for him.
"Not a problem, Doctor Bennett." She smiled back "I'm sure he will only be a few moments, you're welcome to sit in the waiting area, I'll send him to you when he gets here."
Scott nodded and thanked the woman again and went to sit in the waiting area, he wasn't there ten minutes when his friend and colleague appeared from around a corner.
"Joe!" He called out to gain the other mans attention before he reached the nurses’ station.
"Scott? What a surprise!" Joe beamed offering a hand to his long time friend. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"
Scott glanced around and noted several people within hearing distance and nodded his head towards a hallway. "Can we talk in your office?"
"Um, sure." Joe replied cautiously "This way." The Asian man turned to the hallway and led his friend to his small office. "Have a seat," he gestured towards a padded chair then took a moment to close the door, before he rounded his desk to sit across from the other man.
"I have a patient I need help with, and due to the nature of the situation, I really need you to be discreet." Scott said, answering the questioning look on his friends face.
"What's going on Scott?" Joe asked quietly, worry lacing his voice.
"The fewer people who know about it the better, I trust you as a friend to keep this as quiet as possible."
"Why? Is all this secrecy really necessary?"
"Absolutely" Scott replied firmly.
"Very well, you have my word that no one will hear about this conversation, not even my wife."
"Thank you," Scott let out a relieved breath "Yesterday, I began treatment on a homeless teen boy, approximately sixteen years old, who is suffering from a respiratory infection, malnutrition and severe dehydration... he also has an M-Utatek implant and is approximately 27 weeks with a set of triplets."
"By the Gods... how in the Seven Circles of Hell did he get the implant at his age!"
"It seems that during the war, he was under the care of some scientist, who did some experiments on the boy, without his consent."
"So you want to keep this out of the media, I'm sure the boy wouldn't want to be in the tabloids."
"That's not all," Scott continued "He left his home for reasons he won't explain, he doesn't want anyone from his past knowing where he is. I believe he may fear falling into the hands of that scientist again and he apparently has friends in the Preventers organization. If his name appears on any of his hospital records, they will find him. As his doctor I don’t care to know the reasons at this time and his well-being is my main concern. Because of how delicate his condition is right now, I feel that if people start showing up asking for him, it could cause a set back and put his health at more of a risk. One that I would prefer to avoid at all costs."
"I agree one hundred percent. I would like to stop by your house and examine the boy as soon as I can. I will also set up a private room here for his use alone, as a delivery and recovery room. With the high risk nature of his condition I want him on total bed rest at home until his 36th week. After that I want him here in the private room."
"I doubt he'll be happy about that, but I'll make sure it is done."
“Good, now what other information can you give me?”
“I have his records under the name of Rie Amruo, I brought a copy.” Scott said as he pulled a few sheets of folded paper from his pocket. Joe pulled a pair of glasses from his breast pocket and read the sheets.
“How was he this morning?” Joe asked laying the pages on his desk
“He had a rough night waking several times and his temp was up a bit but he seems to be doing alright.”
“Any appetite?”
“He hadn’t yet eaten when I left but he did say he was willing to try something.”
“Very good. If it’s alright I’d like to stop by your place this evening and take a look at him myself.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem” Scott replied “I’m not experienced with such high rick pregnancies so the sooner you can examine him the better. Is there any equipment you’ll need?”
“Just an ultrasound, but I can borrow a portable one from the clinic and bring it with me.”
“Thanks Joe, what time do you think you’ll be stopping by?”
“I’m here until 5:30 so if I go straight there, 7-ish?” Joe replied with a glance to the clock.
“Will Alice mind? You probably won’t get home until after 10.”
Doctor Masahura completely forgot about his wife “I’ll have to give her some kind of explanation” He said thoughtfully.
“I don’t know Alice very well; can you pick her up and bring her with you, stay for dinner?” Scott said
“What did you have in mind?”
“I’m thinking that after she meets our patient she would be willing to keep it a secret.”
Joe nodded in understanding “Yes, I’m pretty sure she would. She’s a sensible woman and isn’t prone to gossip.”
“Wonderful,” Scott said, rising to his feet “I’ll call Rachel and let her know that we’ll be having guests for dinner.”
Joe rose as well, rounding the desk to join his friend near the door “I have to get back to work” he said shaking his friends’ hand “I’ll call you when we’re on our way.”
“Thank you Joe” Scott replied as he opened the door and stepped into the hall turning towards the elevator “I’ll see you tonight.”
The Asian man simply smiled and turned the opposite direction and walked away with a small wave.
TBC…
Hypertonic crystalloid—A crystalloid solution that has a higher concentration of electrolytes than the body plasma. I.V. Fluid solution.
Paracetamol— An intravenous form of acetaminophen, acetaminophen (brand name Tylenol) is safe to take during all stages of pregnancy and is effective in reducing fever and body aches, though high doses may be harmful, taken in proper doses for the usual 2-3 days associated with an illness/fever is safe for both 'mother' and baby.
Mentholated Ointment – A soothing ointment usually rubbed on the chest. Inhaling the vapor helps to open the passages, making breathing easier.