Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Chimaera ❯ Chapter 58 ( Chapter 58 )

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, WAFF, humor.

Pairings: 1x2x1

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

http://sweetlysour.net.

http://adultfanfiction.net

http://www.theforsakenwk.com

Many thanks to 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 58

Heero went back down the stairs and into the lounge room where Sally waited for him, Nurse Brown joined them a few minutes later after stopping to check on Duo who was fast asleep.

"Can I get you ladies any refreshment at all?" Heero asked as the nurse joined them.

"Not for me thank you, Heero," Sally replied.

"I'm fine," replied the nurse.

Sally took a seat on the couch, Nurse Brown joining her while Heero sat opposite in one of the large armchairs.

"Is everything really okay, Sally?" Heero asked a small frown on his brow.

"Yes, Heero. This time it's turned out okay, although next time he may not be so lucky."

"There won't be a next time," growled Heero.

"Easy to say, Heero, but you know Duo."

"Hai, I do and that's why I'm asking you if you don't mind having a talk with him please, Sally. I've tried to get him to take things easy but he won't listen to me. He tells me I'm nagging at him or being too protective but I'm only concerned for his and the baby's health." Heero ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"I'll talk to him for you, Heero. Maybe if I explain things in the medical way he might take notice. All I can do is try."

"Arigato. He really scared me this time."

"He frightened the shit out of me too, I don't mind telling you," replied Sally and Heero's eyebrows shot up at her choice of language. "When your page came through I didn't know what to think, then when I spoke to you and you mentioned blood," Sally swallowed. "Well, all sorts of scenarios went through my head, none of which I'd care to let you in on."

Heero shuddered, he could use his imagination well enough without having Sally confirm some of his fears.

"Maybe I will have a cup of tea now if you don't mind. I think I could do with one if I'm going to have a word with our stubborn mother."

"I don't think you'd better let Duo hear you call him that," Heero snickered.

"Guess you're right, I would like to live to see this baby's birth after all the trouble we've gone through so far," Sally smiled.

Heero got up and went to make the refreshments, returning after a few minutes with mugs for everyone and sitting down again. He looked at the nurse as he sipped on his tea. "When did you want to move in?" he asked politely.

"Duo's in his sixteenth week now so I would say around his nineteenth to twentieth week should be about right. I still have duties at Preventer hospital so I will be required to fulfill those obligations as well," replied the nurse.

"Okay."

"I'd suggest that Nurse Brown take up residence in three weeks time, she will still be at the hospital during the day for a while but when Duo reaches his twenty seventh week then I will have the rosters changed so as she can be here permanently until Duo gets close to his delivery date. She will be able to monitor him and should anything happen that requires us to intervene, she has the skills to keep Duo stable until we can get him to hospital." Sally looked at the nurse for conformation.

"That sounds like the best thing, I think." Nurse Brown turned to Heero. "How does that sound to you, Mr Yuy?"

"Whatever you two think is the best is fine with me. My main concern is that Duo gets the best possible care that he can."

"And he will, Heero." Sally gave the young man a smile of reassurance.

Sally asked Heero a few more questions about Duo's general health, eating habits as well as his work and leisure schedule. Heero answered as truthfully as he could, omitting the Crunchie bars and toning down the coffee intake. Duo wasn't drinking that much coffee, usually he only had two or three cups a day and Heero really didn't fancy another run in with Duo if he told Sally that bit of information.

Satisfied with Heero's answers, Sally looked at her watch. "I need to be getting back to the Preventer hospital soon; I'll just check and see if Duo is awake and have that little 'talk' with him before I go."

"Okay. Good luck, Sally. Hopefully you won't encounter too much resistance."

"I'll be sure to scream if I need assistance," teased Sally as she stood up and left the room.

Heero found himself alone with the nurse and a thick silence. He knew he had to say something but wasn't sure what. He wasn't good with people, he knew that, he usually relied on Duo for the conversations in these sorts of circumstances. He knew he had come a long way since his Gundam days but he still had trouble around people he didn't know very well and the nurse fell into that category. Not to mention Heero was a little scared of the woman as well; not that he would admit that to anyone. Okay, so Duo knew but that wouldn't go any further, especially as Duo was also in awe of the nurse.

Nurse Brown gazed at the room around her, she'd been to the mansion several times already, regularly checking Duo's status but she hadn't had the time nor the opportunity to actually see the place. Taking in the area around her she noted the soft air of luxury that was present without being obvious. She liked the place, liked it very much. She also liked the two young men she was gradually beginning to think more of as the sons she'd never had. The soft voice of one of those men brought her mind back to the current situation.

"Are you sure that you don't mind coming to stay here and to help with Duo during his last weeks of pregnancy? It must be hard for you to leave your family to stay with us." Heero felt he needed to try and start some form of conversation going, after all if the nurse was going to be living here with them they couldn't exactly ignore her all the time.

A soft smile graced the nurse's lips. "No, Mr. Yuy, I don't mind in the least. I don't have any family, I'm a widow."

"I'm sorry to hear that and please, call me Heero."

"Don't be sorry, Heero. I had ten wonderful years with my husband David before he passed on. The only regret I do have is that we didn't have any children."

"You wanted children?" Heero was genuinely curious, he'd never really given much thought to the nurse as a human being... a woman.

"Yes, I love children. I guess that's why I became a midwife," she paused for a moment.

"I shouldn't be intruding," said Heero as he mentally admonished himself.

"No, it's quite all right, Heero. I don't mind telling you my story, some of it anyway. If I'm going to be staying in your home and looking after your... partner then you have a right to know some of my background."

"Arigato. I appreciate the trust."

"My husband, David was sterile. It happened during the wars. I don't know the full story behind it all, I guess I never will either. He was a lab technician and the work he did was classified, but I knew it was hazardous, all those chemicals and things." Nurse Brown paused to order her thoughts.

"Couldn't Preventer find out for you?"

"All the files were destroyed."

"Aa."

"It would appear that some of those chemicals were more dangerous than first thought, anyway he ended up sterile. We didn't know until we tried for a child and month after month... no success. We went for tests, and that's when we discovered that David was no longer fertile."

"That must have been a shock."

"It was. I was nursing at the time, general nursing but I'd always adored children and so I studied and became a midwife, I also did pediatric nursing for a while. If I couldn't have my own then the next best thing was to help other women to bring healthy, happy children into the world."

"It mustn't have been easy for you."

The nurse sighed. "At first it wasn't, but you accept these things and move on. Three years later I lost David."

Heero didn't know what to say to that, so he held his silence.

Nurse Brown looked up and gave Heero a smile. "That was seven years ago now. So, you see, I don't have anyone waiting for me at home, only my pet bird. Oh, would you mind if I brought Barney with me? He's a Weiro [1] and he's no trouble at all. It's just that he tends to fret if I go away."

Heero looked amused. "What did you say he was?"

"A Weiro. It's a type of parrot. He's very friendly and chatters away to you."

"That would be fine with me, I'm sure that Duo wouldn't have any objections, he loves animals of all kinds. You should see him with the guard dogs." Heero rolled his eyes. "He's the only person I know that can reduce those two flea bags of fur and sharp teeth into wriggling puppies."

Nurse Brown laughed. "Now why does that not surprise me? He seems to have a way about him that just draws animals and children alike to him."

"Hai, he does." Heero sat in silence once more, thinking about his long haired lover.

"He's a very special man, Heero; and not because of his physical makeup either."

Heero stared at the woman, his gaze softening as he thought about Duo.

"He will come through this pregnancy, despite all the odds, I can feel it. It won't be easy but you don't need me to tell you that, you're already finding it out. I think both of you should be awarded medals for even attempting this."

Heero shook his head. "Just trying to do the right thing. Through the war we took so many lives;… too many. There is no way I could ask Duo to take another life despite the risks and I know he feels the same way. All I can do is hope, pray and be there for him when he needs me, he's the one that has to go through all the changes, take the risks, not me."

"Doctor Po and myself will be here to help you both as much as we can." Nurse Brown smiled at him and Heero returned the smile.

"Arigato."

~ * ~

Sally climbed the stairs and paused outside Heero and Duo's bedroom door. She knocked gently and waited. The sleepy 'come in' was issued and she opened the door, stepping inside and leaving the door slightly ajar. Duo was still lying in the bed, looking like he'd just woken up. "How are you feeling?" she asked as she approached the bed and sat on the edge of it.

"Still got one doozy of a headache but other than that not too bad."

"It might take a while for the headache to go and I don't want to give you anything for it if I can help it."

"I'd rather not take anything, Sally."

"Good." Sally paused and looked around, trying to think how best to lead into the talk she had promised Heero she would have with the young man.

"You didn't come all the way up here just to see how my headache was, so spill." Duo gave her a smile of encouragement.

"No, you're right, I didn't. Well, I did come to check on you but there is something else."

"So, shoot. I'm listening." Duo didn't think he was going to like what was to be said very much but he could at least give the doctor the courtesy of listening.

"Duo, I know you're used to being active, independent and in control but this is a completely new circumstance. When a woman is pregnant she does still need to be active, it's better that she is for both herself and the baby, but..." she took a look at the man to see how he was taking things so far. He looked okay so she proceeded. "You need to understand that in your case things are different. Yes, you still need to remain physically active but you also need to know the limits and not over do things. Your body is made differently and whilst you have the female equipment to carry a child we also know that the equipment isn't stable. You need to be more careful in what you do. Something that may not be harmful to a female could have disastrous results for you."

Seeing as how Duo was about to voice his thoughts, Sally quickly continued. "I'm not saying that you should spend the rest of your pregnancy lying in bed doing nothing, what I am saying is to be careful with what you do, do. It might seem okay to you but you need to stop and think first. Ask yourself is it going to put any strain on your body in places it doesn't need the strain?"

"Sally, I'm not the type to be fussed over or smothered. Heero set you up to this, didn't he?"

"No, actually he didn't. He's concerned about you, he loves you but I was the one that suggested I talk to you, try to explain how you need to stop and think before doing things. No one is saying for you not to do anything, all I am saying is to tone down what you are doing, let people help you. It isn't showing any weakness to accept help, Duo. In fact, in this case it's showing maturity and consideration as well as respect for your body and its capabilities."

Duo picked at the blanket. "I guess you're right, Sal. It's just so hard though at times. I'm used to being independent, relying only on myself, I had too. If I didn't then I would have been dead a long time ago."

"It's not easy to change, Duo, and no one is asking you to,. All we want is for you to accept the assistance and remember you have another life inside you now to consider."

Sighing heavily, Duo turned his amethyst gaze back to the doctor. "I'll give it a try but I want you to tell Heero to let me do things for myself and in my own way. If I think it will hurt either myself or the baby or I'm not sure, then I will ask for his help. I just don't need him following me around all the time, telling me to sit down and put my feet up, or let him cook because he doesn't want to see me standing up, you know, the usual things."

"I'll tell him. In fact, little things like cooking, doing laundry and so on should be fine for you and I suggest you do some walking as well, not too much, just enough to keep you in trim. It's the things like furniture moving and ten mile hikes that you should avoid."

"So swinging off the chandelier while having wild monkey sex is out of the question then?" Duo grinned.

"Most definitely!" Sally shot back.

"Damn, that means I will have to take the Tarzan outfit back to the shop."

Sally laughed and stood up. She squeezed Duo's shoulder. "Just keep things in perspective. If you're not sure about something, then don't do it, it's as simple as that. You can check with me at anytime if you're in any doubts and I'll soon tell you if what you propose is safe for yourself and the baby."

"Thanks, Sally."

"You're welcome, Duo. Now, I'd best be going. I have patients at the hospital to attend to. No more painting, okay? Once the room has aired out enough you can let Heero do the heavy lifting of the furniture, you keep to the lighter things. I'll let you do the border though as there aren't any toxic fumes involved."

"Okay."

"I'll see you again in two weeks. Stay in bed for the rest of today, I'll let you up tomorrow on the promise that all you do is sit around, nothing else."

"I'll be good."

"Right. I'll see you later then."

"Bye, Sally, and thanks again."

Sally gave him a warm smile and left, heading back downstairs to collect the nurse and head back to work.

~ * ~

Once he'd seen his guests off, Heero wearily went back up the stairs to their bedroom to check on Duo. He found his lover sitting up in the bed looking thoroughly bored. He stuck his head around the door jamb. "Can I come in?"

Duo looked up and smiled. "Of course you can, Heero. It's your room as well."

Heero entered and went straight to the bed, enveloping his lover in a warm embrace. "How are you feeling now?" he asked as he pulled back a little.

"Still got one hell of a headache but otherwise not too bad."

"Good." Heero brushed his fingers lightly through Duo's bangs, careful to avoid the gauze covering the stitches. "Does it hurt?"

"Not at the moment. The anesthetic Sally used is still working, I guess it will throb like a bitch though once the numbness wears off," Duo grinned.

"Hungry?"

"Yeah."

Heero couldn't help himself, he had to ask. "What did Sally say?"

Duo looked up sharply and then sighed. "Not a lot that we haven't already discussed."

"Are you going to listen to her?"

"Look, Heero. I know you mean well and I've done a lot of thinking. You have to try and understand that this isn't easy for me, I know it's not easy for you either, but.… please, you have to stop trying to mother me, I can't cope with it. From now on I will listen to my body and I promise I will take things easier. You need to trust me to do this and let me continue to do some things by myself. If I don't think I can do something I will ask for help."

Heero nodded. "I'll try. I just don't want to see you hurt or anything happen to the baby."

"You agree then not to hound me and I agree to tell you when something is too much for me… deal?" Duo looked at Heero, a serious expression on his face.

"Deal," replied Heero and leant forward to steal a kiss. "Want some food now?"

"Do you need to ask?"

"I'll go and start cooking. Anything in particular you'd like?" Heero asked.

"I'm not fussy, anything you make is delicious, Heero. But I would like some ice cream for dessert."

"Ice cream?" Heero raised an eyebrow. Duo didn't usually eat ice cream.

"Yeah, Banana flavor please, with choc mint topping."

"I don't think we have any, Duo," Heero replied. Noting the look and pout on his partner's face, Heero's heart melted. "I'll take a trip to the store and get some."

"Would you, Hee-chan?" Duo gave a brilliant smile.

"Hai, I'll go now."

"Thanks, Heero." Duo wrapped his arms around Heero and kissed him soundly. "Don't be too long, will you," he said in a suggestive voice.

"I'll be as quick as I can. You stay right there and rest." Heero stood up and exited the room. He'd tell his lover later after dinner about when Nurse Brown would be moving in, he was less likely to get too much resistance when his lover had a full stomach.

Duo watched him go. Once he heard the front door snick shut he climbed out of the bed and went to the closet. He rummaged around in the corner, underneath his shirts until he located what he wanted. Having located his prize he climbed back into the bed and rested against the pillow and unwrapped the golden bar. Biting into the Crunchie, his eyes closed in bliss. He just hoped that Heero didn't find his secret stash.

~ * ~

tbc......

[1] Weiro; Cockatiels are small to medium sized Australian native parrots (slightly larger than a budgerigar) weighing around 90-120 grams and measuring about 300-330mm in length.

For further information visit:

http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/2001/archives/2001_archives/roa dtests/birds/cockatiels