Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Chimaera ❯ Chapter 16 ( Chapter 16 )

Disclaimer: I don't own the G'boys, I just borrow them from time to time to play with and return them a whole lot happier, ne?

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Yaoi, Lemon, sap, angst, Male Pregnancy, medical themes

Pairings: 1x2x1

Archive: http://gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com

http://sweetlysour.net.

http://adultfanfiction.net

http://www.theforsakenwk.com

Many thanks to DBZVelena, Ryouga and Yami_Tai for the beta. Also thanks to Yami_Tai for the title of this fic.

Notes: Set partially during the series but main bulk after the war. EW didn't take place. The Eve wars are finished and the peace retained. The pilots have all gone their own ways, Heero and Duo have made a life together both working for Preventer when Duo's world is turned upside down as his unknown past comes back to haunt him.

Dedication: To Velena who gave me the plot bunny for this little gem.

Status: In progress.

~ Indicates flashbacks ~

/ thoughts /

"Chimaera"

October. 2003 ShenLong

Chapter 16

Duo found himself outside Sally's office. He wiped his sweaty palms on his uniform trousers before raising a hesitant hand and knocking.

"Come in."

Reluctantly Duo obeyed the request, closing the door behind him and forcing his unwilling feet to carry him across the room.

"Ahhh.... Duo. Thank you for coming down so quickly." Sally gave the young agent a smile. "Please, take a seat. This won't take long."

Duo did as Sally asked, folding his hands nervously in his lap and ignoring the urge to fiddle with his braid, a habit he reverted to when unsure or nervous.

"I'll just get your blood test results." Sally pushed her chair away from the desk and went to the filing cabinet that stood against one wall. Opening a drawer she flipped through the files until she found the one she wanted and pulled it out. Returning to the desk she sat again and opened the file. She lifted a piece of paper from within and laid it out on the desk top, skimming through the results to refresh her memory.

Duo continued to fidget nervously, chewing on his bottom lip as well as running his hands along his thighs to keep the sweat at bay.

Sally looked up at him and smiled. "No need to be nervous, Agent Night, I did say it wasn't anything to worry about."

Duo did his best to give her a confident smile. "Sorry, can't help it," he replied. "So, you gonna tell me or keep me in suspense?"

"It's really quite simple. The results of the blood work show that everything is fine as far as your immunity and any disease goes..."

Duo relaxed a little.

"However..."

Duo tensed again.

"However, your iron levels are a little below normal. Are you eating properly? Do you get dizzy spells? Feel lightheaded?"

Duo let a relieved sigh escape. It was something as simple as iron levels; for a moment there, he had had thoughts that some sort of foreign disease was ravaging his body and that there was no cure for it. He dimly registered that Sally was asking him questions. "Sorry, Sally. Could you repeat that, please?"

"I asked if you were eating properly, do you feel lightheaded or have dizzy spells at all?"

Duo frowned. "I eat normally, Heero makes sure of that. Mainly vegetables and meat, occasionally junk food, but nothing like I used to eat though. Sometimes I've felt a little lightheaded but not often and I haven't felt dizzy at all."

Sally studied the results again. "Well, it's nothing we can't fix. I'm going to prescribe some iron tablets for you. You need to take one a day for the next two months. At the end of that time, we will take another blood sample and see if the levels have improved. If they have, we will take you off them and repeat the test a month later to see if your body is managing to keep the levels constant." Sally rubbed at her chin, lost in thought.

Duo leaned over the desk. "There's something bugging you, Sally. What is it?"

"I'm not really sure, I can't find a cause for the low levels." Sally replied. "It's just that, well, I usually only see low iron levels like this in the female agents when they are menstruating, which is common, the levels I mean, not the menstruating, I mean the females usually menstruate.... I'm getting side tracked, aren't I?"

Duo nodded, an amused smile on his face.

"Or I see it in patients that have either suffered injuries resulting in bleeding or surgery. Occasionally it's also present when the person isn't eating a regular or well balanced diet."

Duo sat back and folded his arms, the thought of his past bleeding sprang to mind but he kept quiet. Sally hadn't found anything in her physical exam so there was no need for him to bring that up. His diet had settled into a regular routine, living with Hilde first and then Heero as well, had seen to that. Heero more than Hilde was a balanced diet freak, insisting that Duo's feeding habits incorporate more of the basic meat and vegetables and less of the hamburgers, fries and pizzas. "I don't know the answer to that one, Sally. I told you, Heero insists that I eat regular meals and I haven't suffered any injury lately, nor have I undergone surgery. Maybe it's something left over from the war. OZ did, after all, use different drugs and things on us on the odd occasion they had us as their guests. Add to that the training we endured under the mad five, especially the building up of our tolerance levels to drugs and the like, it doesn't surprise me that something like this has been affected."

Sally sighed. "I guess you're right. More than likely it's something along those lines but I'm still going to give you the prescription and I expect you to take the pills. Hopefully that will work and your iron levels will stabilize."

"What happens if they don't?"

"I'm afraid you wont be able to go on field duty until they do. I can't run the risk of an agent passing out due to low iron levels whilst on a case where his or his partner's life may depend on him."

Duo's face fell.

"But there is no reason why the tablets shouldn't bring your levels back up within a few days and then you will be able to go on field duty. Until then though I'm afraid you will be confined to desk duty. I will take another blood test from you in three days and if the levels have increased I'll free you for active duty." Sally gave him a small smile and placed her hand over his. "I'm sorry, Duo. I know how much you want to get out there and make a difference, but my hands are tied. I'm bending the rules as it is by redoing the test in a couple of days instead of waiting the two months, although you will still need to have that one."

"It's okay, Sally. It isn't your fault and like you say, the tablets should work, anyway, the case we are working on now will take a few days of desk work before moving into the field so it shouldn't matter. Now, if you want to give me the 'script I'll go and get it filled and start taking the pills straight away."

"Thanks, Duo. It isn't easy to break this kind of news to agents, especially ones as skilled as you, which is why I am prepared to bend a little here. Preventer needs agents such as yourself." Sally proceeded to write out the prescription and hand it to Duo. "Take it to the pharmacy around the corner, they will fill it for you straight away."

Duo stood up. "I will, and thanks." He gave Sally a warm smile and left the office, his mind though was a whirl of thoughts. He headed out of the building, wanting to get the prescription filled before he went back to Heero and broke the news. He also wanted a few minutes to himself to digest the information and come to terms with it.

~ * ~

Heero glared at the door for the tenth time then looked at his watch. Duo had been gone for nearly an hour. His mind, unable to concentrate on the case file, was gleefully conjuring up all sorts of scenarios for Duo's need to visit Sally. He wished he could shut his mind down as easily as he'd been able to during the war. Unfortunately he couldn't do that anymore, Duo had become such a large part of his life. Combined with the humanity that had been restored to him, not to mention his emotions, he found himself musing over his protective streak. He hadn't known he had that touch of mother hen in him. Quatre had been the one to fuss and worry over them during the war, he'd scorned such feelings, labeling them as unnecessary. Now he found himself doing the same things.

He gave a wry smile. Just another of the many traits that he had buried deep inside and had Duo to thank for setting free. The opening of the door alerted him that Duo had returned. He quickly busied himself with the keyboard, trying to look as if he hadn't been worrying at all. He looked up at his partner and gave a small smile. "How did it go? What was wrong?"

Even though Heero looked as if he was working hard, Duo could read the body language, picked up on the tension in Heero's shoulders and knew that the smile was there for his benefit. He could also tell that the only thing stopping the Japanese man from grabbing him and enveloping him in a bear hug right now was the fact that they were at work and anyone could step into the office at any time. He gave Heero a smile in return. "It went okay."

Heero's eyebrows shot up. "It went okay? Is that all you're going to tell me?" he growled. Unable to take the suspense any longer, he pushed away from his desk and stalked around it to stand in front of his partner. Placing his hands on his hips he leveled his gaze to meet with amethyst and spoke in a low, but demanding tone. "You were gone for almost an hour and all you can say is, it went okay?"

"Worried about me, were you?" Duo teased and then dropped the mask as he realized that Heero was deadly serious. He *had* been worried about him. He raised a hand and brushed his knuckles against Heero's cheek. "I'm sorry if I worried you, Heero. Sally just wanted to see me about my iron levels. The blood test showed they were a little low and so she just needed to confirm a couple of details with me and she's given me some tablets to supplement my intake. I should have my levels back to normal within a couple of days."

Heero's shoulders visibly slumped in relief.

"There's one problem though."

"Oh?" Heero looked up sharply.

"Until the levels return to normal I can't go on field duty."

"Shit!"

"It's no big deal, Heero," Duo said as he moved to his desk and placed the small paper bag that contained the pill bottle onto it. "We're gonna need a few days in the office to work on this case anyway and by the time we're ready to move into the field, I should have had the next blood test done and be all set to go."

Heero's mind was working overtime. "Any particular reason why they are low?"

"No. The only thing we can think of is that maybe the drugs that OZ used on us, or something in the ones the mad five used when building up our resistance, may have affected them." Duo shrugged his shoulders. "I'll just take the supplements and get the next test done in three days." Duo opened the paper bag and took out the bottle. He untwisted the cap and removed one of the pills from inside. He placed it in his mouth and then took a large draught from the water bottle he'd brought back with him, swishing the contents around in his mouth and swallowing them all. "There, that's the first one." He gave Heero a smile. "I have to take one a day and see what the next round of tests have to say."

"How long do you have to take them for?" Heero asked as he picked up the small bottle and studied the label.

"Until my levels stabilize. Should take about two months, then Sally will take me off them and we will take another test, then another a month later and see if the levels are staying constant. If they are then I don't need to take them anymore, if they aren't...." Duo shrugged his shoulders again. "…I guess then I will be taking them for a while."

"Low iron levels, you said?"

"Errrr... yes." Duo gave Heero a funny look and took a step backwards; he didn't like the gleam that was appearing in Heero's eye. "Ummm... Heero?"

"I think we can help the pills out a little, Duo."

"Huh?"

"If I remember correctly there are several foods that are rich in iron...."

"Oh no, Heero. I refuse to eat liver or spinach. Nuh uh... no way..…" Duo folded his arms across his chest defiantly.

"I didn't say I was going to cook you liver or spinach, now did I? There are lots of other foods that are just as high in iron content."

The look in Heero's eyes was one that Duo knew all to well. It meant that Heero was on a mission and Heero in mission mode was not to be trifled with. Duo sighed and visibly surrendered. "Okay, Heero. You win. Just promise me no liver or spinach. I don't want to be another Popeye."

Heero gave him a special smile, the one that literally turned Duo into putty. "Fuck! Heero. Don't smile at me like that. It's way too long until lunch time when I can drag you off into a closet and kiss you senseless."

Heero smirked and with a quick look around, darted forwards and placed a kiss on Duo's lips. "Consider that a rain check," he snickered and then went back to his desk to continue his work on the case file.

Duo glowered at him and licked his lips. "I'll get you back later, Yuy," he said and then turned to sit at his own desk, slipping the pill bottle into the drawer.

~ * ~

Wufei called in a little later to see how far they had progressed with the case. They were pleased to be able to inform him that they had found several possible leads and were in the processes of narrowing things down. Wufei spoke with Duo in relation to Sally's report and confirmed her earlier statement that he would not be able to go on active field duty until his blood tests showed his iron levels had stabilized. Duo's reply was to roll his eyes and assure Wufei that everything would be fine and that he would be cleared in plenty of time for them to 'hit the streets.'

~ * ~

Three days passed and Duo found himself in Sally's office once again. He'd been a good boy and taken the pills and was now awaiting the results of the latest test.

"Duo." Sally said as she entered her office, the young agent rising to his feet to return the greeting. Sally moved to sit behind her desk, laying the piece of formal looking paper onto the surface as she settled into a comfortable position and faced the long haired man. "Have you been taking the supplements I prescribed?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Duo grinned. "And Heero has been feeding me anything and everything he can find that is supposed to be rich in iron. I swear he's fed me so much of the leafy green variety that I'm expecting to sprout large ears and a fluffy tail any day now."

Sally laughed. "I didn't know that Mr. Yuy was the domestic type."

"Mother hen is more like it," Duo gruffed. He nearly added the words 'overprotective like someone guarding their young' but stopped himself in time. "So, I reported to the medical wing, suffered through being used as a pincushion and donated half my life fluid to the cause of science like I was asked to. Now, are you going to tell me what my fate is or am I going to have to torture you to get the results?" Duo's tone was light and cheery, but it was all forced. Underneath he was a mess of pent up nerves.

Sally lifted the sheet of paper and studied it intently. Fixing her eyes on Duo she spoke in a calm voice that gave nothing away. "Agent Night, I am pleased to tell you that your results show that your iron levels have increased significantly since your last test..."

"Wooohoooo!" Duo jumped up and punched the air. "Yes!"

Sally watched him, an amused smile on her face.

Duo quickly sat down and tried to compose himself, a sheepish grin adorned his face as he turned to Sally. "Sorry."

"No problem, Duo. I'm just relieved it was good news."

"I guess that means?"

"Yes. You are fit for active field duty, effective immediately."

"Thanks, Sally." Duo stood up. Sally also stood and extended her hand but to her surprise Duo reached across the desk and planted a kiss on her cheek. "You have made my day. Maybe now Heero will start to feed me decent food again."

Sally shook her head. "You still need to finish the course of tablets, Duo, and there will be another blood test in eight weeks."

"No problem." Duo turned and went to leave; pausing at the door, he faced Sally once more. "I really am grateful, Sally. I guess this job means more to me than I'd thought." His voice was low but the grin plastered from ear to ear said it all.

"My pleasure, Duo. Any problems come and see me, okay?"

"Will do." With those parting words Duo left Sally's office and went back to his own to break the good news to Heero.

Deep inside Duo's body, a small follicle began to appear on an ovary.

~ * ~

tbc...........