Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Chimaera ❯ Chapter 65 ( Chapter 65 )

See Previous chapters for Disclaimer, warnings etc.

Chapter 65

"Are you sure, Duo? I mean, the morphine that Sally gave you could be making you hallucinate," Heero said as he watched his lover carefully.

The smile never wavered from Duo's face. "No, it's not the morphine, I definitely felt the baby kick." Duo lowered his hand and ran it over his abdomen, resting it over the spot where he'd felt the sudden pressure of the tiny kick. His patience was rewarded a few moments later when his belly jerked and he felt the unmistakable sensation of pressure against his hand. "There it is again. Heero, the baby, I can feel it. Here..." Duo reached for Heero's hand and dragged it under the covers to rest against the spot on his belly where he'd felt the baby kick. "Just hold your hand there for a moment and wait."

Considering that he didn't know how long Sally would be gone for, Heero thought it was probably best to humor his lover for the moment; but he intended to have a word with Sally about the drugs she was giving Duo when she came back. Suddenly there was a definite push against his hand. "What the...?"

"See, I told you, Heero. The baby is kicking, it's all right... our child is alive and well. Our baby is going to be fine..." The tears spilled from Duo's eyes with his happiness, the small movement had managed to ease his depression and give him hope. It also served to make the pregnancy 'real'. Although Duo was well aware that he was pregnant, all the evidence showing him as much, but somehow it still hadn't felt real, something more like a dream. Feeling the tiny kick from inside brought the whole reality that he was carrying an individual, a new life inside him to the forefront. Now he knew without a doubt that he was carrying a child.

His child.

Heero's child.

A fierce sense of protectiveness welled up in Duo, the emotion so strong that it took his breath away with its intensity. The tiny kick brought home to him the stark reality that he was carrying another life inside his body, a life that was completely dependent on him and his actions.

No amount of ultra sound pictures or reassurances that he was pregnant could take the place of actually feeling the life inside. The tears ran down his cheeks and he didn't care. He could feel his child, the trauma of the past few hours slipped away with those few tiny kicks to be replaced with an overwhelming joy.

The small push against his hand had Heero opening his mouth in awe. His eyes widened then a grin broke out over his features. He moved his hand again and was rewarded with another kick moments later. "It's alive... Duo, I can feel it."

"This isn't a corny Frankenstein movie, Heero. This is our baby you're talking about," replied Duo with a snicker.

Heero opted to ignore the comment and concentrated on trying to feel the baby move again. After several minutes and no more kicks he decided to remove his hand. Obviously the child didn't intend to move much anymore. He tugged the blanket back up over Duo, his eyes misting with tears as the full realization hit home. He took in his partner's shining eyes and decided he'd never seen a more beautiful sight.

Duo was normally what Heero would describe as a beautiful man, but pregnant, he simply glowed. It was almost surreal. Heero leant close and stole a kiss. Pulling away slightly he let his nose brush Duo's as he fought against the lump in his throat to speak.

"Arigato, Duo," he whispered.

Duo smiled. "Makes it all seem real now, don't you think? Not that it wasn't real before, but feeling the movement, kinda puts it all into perspective. I don't know how else to explain it," said Duo softly.

"Hai, it does and I know exactly what you're trying to say." Heero wrapped his arms around his lover as best he could and feathered kisses to each bit of exposed skin he could find, which wasn't a lot as the blanket was tucked firmly under Duo's chin. Sally and Nurse Brown returned just then and Duo was eager to give them the news.

"Sally!"

Sally looked at the young man as he called her name, she could see something had changed, those amethyst eyes literally shone with joy, the smile on the face simply huge. She glanced at Heero and saw the same look mirrored there. "You two haven't been into the morphine while I was gone have you?" she asked suspiciously as her eyes strayed to the drug cabinet. It was still locked but with Duo's known lock picking skills nothing was safe from the American. Not that she really entertained the idea that he would have broken into the cabinet, she was all too familiar with the boys hate for drugs.

"Nah," Duo replied. "This is something that no drug can beat," he beamed. "The baby... I felt it kick. Sally, the baby is all right, it moved!"

"That's wonderful news, Duo," Sally replied, a smile nearly big enough to rival Duo's spread across her face.

"Are you sure it was the baby and not something else?" asked Nurse Brown. She wasn't trying to be cruel, she just wanted to be certain that what Duo had felt was indeed the child and not something else that his mind may have created in order to dispel the trauma it was coping with. The drugs wouldn't help either and she had seen this before in pregnant women. Something bad happened and their minds are so desperate to make things right that they imagine all sorts of things.

"No, it was definitely the child," answered Heero. "I felt it as well."

"I wasn't sure at first," started Duo. "I thought I felt something hit the inside of my gut, then I thought I was imagining it. When it happened again that's when I thought it might be the child. The third time it kicked I knew I wasn't hallucinating and I placed my hand on my stomach and sure enough, it kicked again. I told Heero and at first he said I was imagining it, he didn't believe me until I put his hand on the spot and he felt it too."

"That's great news then, Duo," said Sally. "If the baby is moving around and kicking enough for you to feel it then it is obviously doing okay, the abruption hasn't affected it so the chances of the baby being born 'normal' are looking much brighter."

"You mean there was a chance that the child wouldn't have been 'normal'? That there could be something wrong?" Duo's happiness began to wane a little and even Heero began to look concerned.

Nurse Brown stepped in. "Sometimes with an abruption the oxygen supply and / or the nutrients that the baby needs to grow and develop can be hampered. It depends a lot on the place of tearing and amount of such a tear. As you know the baby gets all it needs through the umbilical cord that is connected to the placenta; the placenta is responsible for the diffusion of the materials from your blood stream into the baby's. When the placenta separates from the uterine wall then there is bound to be a certain amount of loss of this diffusion, the volume of the tear will influence how much the baby is deprived of the necessary elements." Nurse Brown looked at the pair to see if they understood.

They did.

"If the baby is now kicking to the point where you can feel it then I think we could be safe in saying that the child was not deprived for very long or by very much. The odds all point towards a happy, healthy child still." She declined to add that nothing could be certain though until the child was actually born. Any damage that the child had suffered due to the abruption would be evident then. Physically the baby was normal, the ultra sound had confirmed that, but it was the mental capabilities that could be affected. Depending on how much, if any, oxygen deprivation had occurred would determine any abnormal brain function.

"I'm happy to know that the child is active, Duo. It's certainly a good sign and one we will check again tomorrow with the ultra sound," Sally said and smiled at the pair. "Now, I've organized a private room for you, Duo, one that has an ensuite bathroom so you should be fine," she continued as she walked over to the bed and removed Duo's chart, scribbling notes upon it in regards to the latest 'news'.

Nurse Brown followed but went to the opposite side to check the fetal monitor screen. She smiled to herself as she noted that the readouts had returned to a more 'normal' level. It certainly looked like this child was going to be fine.

"Heero? Do you think you could assist us in putting Duo onto a gurney so we can take him to his room? Normally I would have the orderlies do it but given his special status I'd rather no one else be exposed to him and risk the safety of his secret. I don't want him putting any strain on himself either given his condition; besides, I think that the morphine has kicked in quite a bit as well." Sally said, an amused tone in her voice.

"Hai." Heero released his hold on his lover who was now humming softly to himself, glazed eyes telling Heero that his partner was indeed 'off with the fairies'.

Nurse Brown fetched a gurney from out in the hall way and between the three of them they managed to lift the pregnant Duo from the exam bed and onto the smaller bed. Sally tucked the blanket a little firmer around Duo while Nurse Brown changed the saline bag for a fresh one. Picking up the chart, the safety sides were erected and everything was set to go. Heero took up residence at the end of the gurney and prepared to push the contraption where Sally directed. Soon they were traversing the corridors and within minutes arrived at the room Sally had allocated for Duo to use.

Heero wheeled the gurney in and brought it level with the hospital bed. The three prepared to lift Duo from the gurney and place him in the bed when the American man began to protest.

"Don't wanna stop now. Was enjoying the ride. Can we go around once more, Hee-chan?" he mumbled.

Sally snickered; Nurse Brown busied herself setting up the saline bag on the hook attached to the bed while Heero turned a rather interesting shade of red at Duo's choice of endearment.

"Time for you to move into the other bed, Duo," said Heero in a firm tone. "I'll take you for another ride later," he added when he saw Duo about to protest.

"Okay. Promise?"

"Hai." Heero rolled his eyes and assisted the two women to shift his lover into the more comfortable hospital bed.

"I want to keep the fetal monitor on him for a few more hours yet. The baby kicking is a good sign and the readouts all indicate that the baby's distress levels have fallen considerably. The heart rate is still slightly elevated but I expect it to return to normal as the morphine works its way out of Duo's system," said Sally as she checked the machine.

"You should go home and get some rest, Heero," said the nurse as she fussed around Duo, making sure that the blankets were neatly over him, call button placed within easy reach and that the water pitcher on the side table was full.

"I'd rather stay," replied Heero.

A gentle snore came from Duo.

"There isn't anything for you to do here, Heero," smiled the nurse. "As you can see..." she looked at the slumbering Duo. "He's fast asleep and I doubt he will wake for quite some time yet. If anything should change I will call you immediately."

"Nurse Brown is right, Heero. Go home and get some rest yourself. You won't be any good to him if you're worn out too. He's getting the best of care where he is and there isn't anything more you can do for him," stated Sally.

Reluctantly Heero agreed. He waited until Sally and Nurse Brown discreetly left the room before cupping his lover's cheek and leaning close to whisper in Duo's ear. "I'll be back soon, little mother. You rest and take care of yourself and our child." He smiled as Duo unconsciously nuzzled into his hand then pressed a kiss to his partner's lips before pulling away and leaving the room.

***

Heero headed back to the mansion, care of a Preventer vehicle that Sally had 'found' for him to use. Having extracted promises from both the doctor and the nurse that they would contact him immediately should anything change in regards to Duo's condition, his mind was a little more at ease. He smiled to himself as he drove, thinking about the small kick he'd felt from their child. His heart warmed, what Duo had said about the pregnancy feeling 'real' now that the baby had moved filling him with an elation that was hard to describe. He'd watched his lover's body change as it accommodated the growing child, suffered through the mood swings, the complaints, the bitching about continuous visits to the bathroom, not to mention the cravings and sudden upsurge in Duo's libido. Not that he was complaining. Feeling that tiny kick had suddenly swept all those other things aside, they weren't important... the fact that their child was alive and well was worth every bit of the 'suffering' he'd endured; and he had no doubt that his long haired little mother felt exactly the same.

There was still a long way to go before Duo actually gave birth, but now it didn't seem as impossible as it had when they were first given the news of their impending parenthood. Turning the vehicle onto the access road to the mansion, Heero thought about all the things he needed to do. He first had the staff to reassure and explain to,; then there was still the question of the assignment, and Quatre to call. Heero gave a small shudder. Quatre could wait until tomorrow,; Heero really didn't feel up to speaking with the blonde right now. He was still coming to terms with things himself and didn't need an over reactive 'Mother Goose' as Duo so aptly nicknamed the Arab. No, Quatre he could contact tomorrow when he was feeling a little more clear- headed. He pulled the car to a halt outside the front entrance and cut the engine, Harim waited on the steps for him, an anxious expression on his face. Heero got out and locked the car before walking towards the man.

"Master Heero, is Master Duo all right?"

"Yes, Harim. Duo is going to be okay and the baby also. Thank you for your assistance earlier and for your patience. I appreciate it," replied Heero as he ran a weary hand over his face.

"May I be so bold as to ask what the problem was?" Harim followed Heero inside the mansion, clearly he was concerned but was hesitant to push the Japanese man.

"There was a problem with the placenta, some tearing occurred but Doctor Po managed to stop it from going any further and currently everything appears to have settled down." A smile began to form on Heero's lips. "Harim, the baby... it kicked; I felt it kick." The smile went to a full out grin.

Harim's face lit up. "Allah be praised! That is certainly excellent news, Master Heero."

"Hai, it is." The smile showed no signs of fading as Heero walked towards the kitchen to make himself a cup of cocoa.

Sensing that Heero had said pretty much all he was going to for now, Harim decided to take his leave. "I will reset the security now that you are home, Master Heero; then I will be going back to my home. Is there anything I can do for you before I leave?"

"No, thank you. You go back home to Siska and please let her know that Duo is okay but will be staying in the hospital for a few days. I will be going there first thing in the morning and I will let you know how he is progressing." Heero fetched the milk from the 'fridge and put some in a mug, placed the mug in the microwave and punched the key pad whilst speaking.

"Good night then, Master Heero."

"Good night, Harim."

The man left and Heero returned to making his cup of cocoa. With the steaming mug in his hand, Heero checked that the mansion was locked and secure before heading up the stairs and back to his and Duo's bedroom. Stepping inside he was greeted with the mess that still remained from earlier. The bedclothes were all rumpled, clothing dumped on the floor and when Heero drew closer to the bed, the now dried blood could still be seen on the sheets. Heero's heart began to beat faster as the shock of what had transpired caught up with him. Only now did he truly realize how serious the problem had been... still could be.

The lump in his throat remained as he put his cocoa down and proceeded to strip the bed, cramming the soiled sheets into the laundry hamper in the bathroom along with their discarded clothes. He knew he should really put the sheets to soak but right now he was just too tired, too emotionally drained to care. It wasn't as if they didn't have plenty more sheets. He fetched another set from the linen cupboard and inhaled the light, flowery fragrance of the fabric softener Duo liked to use. The scent reminded him again of his lover and the lump lodged even more firmly in his throat. Pushing all thoughts aside he quickly re-made the bed and drank the last of the cocoa. Stripping out of his clothes he crawled in-between the soft sheets and cuddled Duo's pillow. He could smell his lover in the foam and it offered a small comfort to his aching heart. He hated being apart from the American.

Snuggling closer to the inanimate object his mind began to wander and with a sudden shock it dawned on him just how much he had changed, how far he had come since the days of the war. The cold, calculating, almost mechanical psyche had slowly disappeared. He still planned things out with a careful, meticulous air but now he also did so with feeling, weighing up each possible scenario and outcome. Before he would plan out the quickest, most efficient way of achieving the objective with no real regard for the consequences of the actions. Somewhere along the line he'd mellowed and now considered all possible effects his actions could have.

While still decidedly painful at times, Heero welcomed the return of his emotions. Duo had taught him how to live, how to let go, explore the wonders of his inner self; but more importantly... how to love. "Duo..." he whispered to the quiet room, the ache in his chest refusing to leave; for as long as Duo remained in the hospital so Heero's soul would be missing.

***

The chirping of the birds as they heralded the arrival of the morning woke Heero. It took him a few moments to orientate himself, the warmth of the familiar body that usually lay curled against him was not there and the previous night's occurances returned in a rush. His eyes shot open, fully awake now as his body scrambled from the bed, his hand going to the night stand to retrieve his cell 'phone. Still blinking the sleep from his eyes he scanned the small screen. No missed calls. He checked the message box. Nothing.

He didn't know whether to be relieved or anxious.

Stretching, he tossed the cell back to the bed and went to the 'phone on the dresser. The red light of the answering machine wasn't flashing but he pressed the messages button anyway.

"You have no messages," the stilted voice said.

He sighed then picked up the handset, dialed in the number for the Preventer hospital and waited for the call to connect.

"Preventer hospital, how can I help you?"

"This is Preventer Agent Day. My partner, Agent Night was admitted to the hospital last night. I'd like a report on his condition please."

"Wait one moment and I'll put you through to the ward, Agent Day."

The usual crappy music came on the line while Heero's call was transferred, fortunately he didn't have to listen to it for too long.

"Nurses' station. Sister Weeks speaking."

"Agent Day here. Would it be possible to speak with either Nurse Brown or Doctor Po, please?"

"I'll see if I can find one of them for you, Agent Day."

"Thank you." There was the sound of the 'phone being placed down and then receding footsteps; Heero could hear the faint sounds of the hospital in the background. At least it was better than the music. He didn't have to wait long before the 'phone was picked up again.

"Nurse Brown here."

"It's Heero. How is... How is Duo doing?" Heero couldn't help the hitch in his voice.

"Mr. Maxwell is fine, Heero. He slept well through the night and the monitors all show normal rates."

Heero could tell from the way the nurse spoke that there were obviously people around and she didn't want to say too much. He gave an audible sigh of relief. "Am I able to come in and visit him?"

"Certainly, Heero. I think that would be an excellent idea. I will be going off shift in an hour but I'll speak with Doctor Po when she comes on in the next half hour as to who will be nursing him today."

"Arigato. I will be there soon."

"I'll keep an eye out for you, Heero."

"Thank you. Good bye for now."

"Good bye, Heero."

Heero replaced the handset and headed for the bathroom to take a quick shower. Ten minutes later he was tying his Preventer tie and slipping into his shoes. Ascending the stairs he checked that he had his wallet, keys and cell 'phone then detoured by the kitchen to pick up a Crunchie bar. Ten minutes after that he was driving down the road and on his way to the Preventer hospital to see his lover and their unborn child.

~ * ~

tbc.........

Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out, Besides working 2 jobs I was also unfortunate enough to be involved in a car accident. Shen is okay, a little battered and bruised, the car is much worse and the muse saw it coming and peed off on me!