Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Chimaera ❯ Chapter 89 ( Chapter 89 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Please see previous chapters for notes, disclaimers etc.

"Chimaera"

By ShenLong.

Chapter 89

Heero carried the bird cage through to the lounge room and set it down on the coffee table, Duo and Nurse Brown immediately behind him. "Duo, would you like to take Nurse Brown up and show her the room we thought she would like to use whilst Wufei and I fetch the boxes in, please?"

"Love to," replied Duo a little absently, his mind was still on Barney.

"Thank you, Duo," said Nurse Brown. "Barney should be okay here for a while whilst we go and have a look."

"This way, ma'am," smiled Duo and led the way out of the lounge and to the stairs. They climbed them slowly, Duo using one hand on the banister while keeping the other on his lower back.

"Your back giving you trouble?" asked Nurse Brown as she observed Duo's movements and small winces from time to time.

"A little." Duo knew it was fruitless to try and deny anything, the nurse had an eagle eye on her and had been nursing pregnant women for longer than Duo cared to think about.

"It will. As the baby grows so all the weight is out front and it puts a lot of strain on your lower back muscles. Now is the time to be really taking care and not straining those muscles," replied the nurse. "Resting, making sure you sit in a comfortable chair, one that supports your back is essential now. Hot baths and gentle massages also help," said the nurse softly.

"I try to rest as much as possible, but, well... You know what it's like," replied Duo.

"Yes, I understand. It's not easy to sit back and relax when you're used to being so active, and in your case it's harder. Believe it or not, Duo, I do understand and I do want to help you; both you and Heero."

"Thanks." Duo ducked his head and shyly reached out to give the nurse's arm a light squeeze. "I appreciate everything that you, and Sally are doing for me."

"I know you do, son. I'm only happy that I can be here for you both and I intend to make sure that you deliver a healthy, happy baby and remain healthy yourself to love and nurture the child."

Duo had to hide his face for the moment lest the tears that were forming began to spill. Nurse Brown, whilst there were no doubts of her nursing abilities, was becoming something more to Duo. He felt the change between them and it warmed him inside. Yes, she would nurse him through the final stages of this pregnancy; yes, she would help him, teach him what he was going to need to know in regards to looking after a newborn; but more importantly, she was a friend, someone he could confide his concerns to without fear of ridicule.

Nurse Brown was fast becoming the mother he'd never known.

Sensing Duo's emotional turmoil, Nurse Brown tactfully changed the subject. "Okay, so which one of these hotel suites is going to be mine?"

"Hotel suites?"

"Well, that's what they remind me of. The luxury of this place is like a five star hotel to me. Mind you, I've only ever stayed in one once and that was ages ago when David took me away for an overseas holiday not long before he passed on. I've only ever been able to afford cheap motel rooms since."

Duo laughed. "Somehow I can't imagine you in a seedy motel."

"I said cheap, not seedy," corrected the nurse with a twinkle in her eye.

"There's a difference?" asked Duo as he opened the door to the room he thought the nurse would like.

"Certainly is. In a cheap motel they change the sheets every second day; in a seedy one they only top and tail them, plus the mini bar isn't quite so watered down. Oh, this is nice."

Shaking his head, Duo stepped aside so the nurse could enter the room. Looked like this woman had a sense of humor after all.

Margaret stepped into the room and took a long look around. The walls were a pale peach color with cream drapes and a matching, peach bedspread. The thick carpet was a soft beige, the wooden double bed frame some sort of blonde wood, as was the dresser and the sliding doors of the built in wardrobe.

"Bathroom is through there," said Duo as he pointed to a slightly open door.

Walking across the soft carpet, Margaret pushed the door open a little more and stepped inside. The vanity unit ran almost the full length of one wall, a cream colored sink set into the middle of it. A large mirror hung above, fixed carefully to the wall. Opposite the vanity was a large bath tub and separate shower stall whilst at the opposing end to the door, a gleaming toilet sat. Towels were hung on the rack affixed to the side of the tub and someone had put a vase of fresh cut, cream roses on the bathroom vanity. Margaret walked over to them and buried her nose into the soft petals, inhaling the scent. "These are gorgeous," she said with a smile. "Thank you, Duo."

Duo suitably blushed. "I thought it might make the place a little more homey."

"They do." Margaret gave the young man a warm look. "I love the room, it will be perfect."

"I thought it would probably be the best one for you. Our room is a couple of doors that way," Duo indicated with his hand, "and the nursery is next door up on the left."

"Ideal. Just close enough if you should need me and yet far enough away to give you two lovebirds some privacy," Nurse Brown said with a wink.

Duo felt his face flush with heat but was saved from further embarrassment as Heero and Wufei arrived with the first of the boxes.

"Thank you, boys. Just drop them over there if you would, I can sort through them and put everything away shortly."

"Is the room to your satisfaction?" asked Heero as he placed the box he was carrying on the floor where Nurse Brown had indicated.

"It's perfect, Heero."

"Good. We'll go fetch the rest of the boxes then." Heero turned and left the room, Wufei behind him.

"Would you like a hand to unpack or would you prefer to do it yourself?" asked Duo politely.

"I'll be fine to do this myself, but thank you for the offer. You should really go and rest now, take some weight off your feet and give that back of yours a break. This won't take me long and once I'm done I'll show you some easy exercises you can do to ease those muscles and strengthen them a little too."

"What's wrong?" asked Heero as he reentered the room with another box and caught the tail end of the conversation.

"Nothing is wrong," replied the nurse, beating Duo to explaining. She could tell from the look on Duo's face that he didn't want to explain anything and judging by what she knew of the couple, Heero was a regular fusspot when it came to his partner.

Duo gave her a grateful look.

"Duo's lower back is going to be under a lot of stress and strain with the rate of growth of the baby. All the weight is out front and his back muscles have a much greater load to try and support so I was going to show him some ways in which he can strengthen those muscles and relieve some of the ache. It's a very common complaint in pregnant women," stated the nurse.

"I can understand his back aching," said Wufei as he put down another box and straightened up to rub his own back. "These boxes aren't that heavy but just carrying them up the stairs has made my back ache, I can imagine how much Maxwell's must bother him if he has that weight all the time."

"Well knock me down with a feather," said Duo. "Wuffers is actually admitting to a weakness."

"I haven't admitted to any weakness, Maxwell. Just simply stated a fact," growled Wufei and before Duo could respond, he spun on his heel and left to fetch another box.

"Would massaging the back muscles help?" asked Heero as he stepped beside his lover and gently ran his hand in soothing circles over Duo's back.

"Most definitely, as will a soak in a hot tub. I suggest that you do that every evening if you can, Duo. Take a long soak in the tub, that will not only ease the back muscles but will help with the stretching of your stomach too and alleviate a little of the discomfort there for you. A massage afterwards will assist those muscles to relax further." The nurse turned to one of the boxes and began to open it.

"Then a soak in the tub followed by a massage it will be," stated Heero and quickly kissed his partner to stop any objection coming from those sweet lips; not that Duo had any intention of protesting, he was quite taken by the idea of a long soak and massage, especially if it included Heero also naked, wet and soaking too.

"Yuy! Will you stop with the sappy stuff and help me with the last of these boxes? I do have a life of my own waiting for me, you know," snapped Wufei as he brought another box into the room.

"And that life wouldn't happen to have two braids of hair and go by the name of Sally Po now would it, Wu-man?" teased Duo as Heero released his lips and made a move out the door.

Wufei turned a rather fetching shade of red. "What I do in my private life is no concern of yours, Maxwell!"

"Awww... 'Fei, 'Fei is in love..." crooned Duo, an evil smirk on his face.

Knowing he wasn't about to win this round and really not wanting to discuss his private life in front of a nurse who was an employee and close friend of his love interest, Wufei opted to shoot Duo a glare that promised a slow, torturous death at a later date before leaving the room in a hurry. Duo's laughter trailed after him.

"You really shouldn't tease him like that," chastised the nurse. "He's quite a nice fellow when you get to know him and Doctor Po seems to like him."

Duo's eyes widened. "So it is true then? Wuffers and Sally are going out together?"

"I don't know so much about going out together as you call it, but I do know that they have gone to dinner and the movies a couple of times," replied the nurse as she unpacked.

"Well, I'll be," said Duo as he shook his head. "Wuffy deserves to have someone though, he's always working too hard."

"Doctor Po also," said the nurse. "Duo? Would you be an angel and make me a cup of tea, please? I'm absolutely parched."

"Sure, I'll go do it now. Sorry, I should have offered before."

"It's okay. I'll finish unpacking and come down for it."

"No problem. I'll take it through to the lounge for you." Duo turned and left, heading for the kitchen to put the kettle on and make a drink for them all.

***

Sitting in the lounge a short while later, the three men and one nurse relaxed and enjoyed a welcome cup of tea. Barney still sat in his cage, although it had been moved from the coffee table and now hung on a stand that the nurse had brought with her. Duo kept looking at the bird who found Duo as equally fascinating.

Miracle lay curled up on the rug, her head resting on her paws. She cast glances from time to time at the cage with its occupant, not quite sure what to make of this strange creature. She knew it was a bird, or at least she thought it was. It had those feathery things that it flapped and it made noises like those things she often chased outside, but it also made sounds like her masters and the other humans did. It had her a little confused. She'd wanted to get a little closer and sniff at the creature but so far she hadn't had the chance. She didn't think her master would be too happy with her if she went over and stuck her nose in the bars, so Miracle waited and watched.

"Barney is a Weiro, Heero told me," said Duo as he studied the bird.

"That's correct," replied Nurse Brown. "He's a type of cockatiel which is a small parrot. They are wonderful companions and great mimics. They are highly intelligent and learn to talk very fast."

"Really?" Duo's eyes were full of mischief.

"Oh yes. They pick things up pretty quickly. It's simply a case of repetition, the more they hear a word or phrase the quicker they learn how to vocalize it themselves. The also have very strong individual characters as well." Nurse Brown stood up and went to the cage. "The dog won't mind if I let him out, will she?"

"I don't think so," replied Duo. "Although it's hard to tell as she's never been with a bird that I know of before."

"I'll keep a close eye on her and if she shows any signs of wanting to attack Barney I'll put her out," said Heero.

"Thanks. I do hope that they can be friends though," said the nurse as she opened the cage door and put her finger there for Barney to hop onto.

Barney cocked his head and jumped down from his perch and onto the finger of his mistress. "Hello," he chirped.

Nurse Brown carried the bird on her finger back to her seat. Once she sat down again she brought her finger closer to her face and stared at Barney. "Hello, Barney. How are you today?"

"Pretty boy, pretty boy," said Barney as he bobbed his head. "Give me a kiss."

Nurse Brown leaned forwards a little and the bird lightly nibbled her lips. "You're a cheeky boy today."

"Cheeky boy," echoed Barney and looked around. He spied Duo and turning on his mistress' finger, flew across the room to perch on Duo's head. He lowered his beak and plucked at the thick hair on Duo's crown. "Who's gorgeous?"

Heero laughed, Nurse Brown smiled and even Wufei had the ghost of a grin on his lips. Duo could only blush.

"Hey, take it easy on the hair, man,” he said. The bird wasn't hurting him; in fact, the gentle pulling was almost tickling in a way.

"I think he likes you, Duo. He's trying to groom you the way he preens his own feathers," smiled Nurse Brown.

"Just as long as he doesn't try to build a nest there," said Duo with a grin. "Carrying around one baby is enough for me."

Miracle noticed the bird on her master's head and her protective instincts came to the fore. Her hackles rose slightly and she growled softly. Instantly Heero's hand was on her collar. "It's okay, Miracle," Heero told the dog. "It's just a bird and he's not hurting Duo."

"Maybe we should introduce them," said Duo.

"Well, they're going to have to get to know each other sooner or later," replied the nurse. "Might as well get it over with now."

Duo reached his hand up to the top of his head and the Weiro jumped on his fingers. Slowly Duo brought his hand back and looked at the bird. "Now, I'm going to introduce you to Miracle, Barney, and I want you two to be friends, okay?"

"Kiss me quick," chirped the bird.

Duo laughed. "Okay, Barney." He brought the bird closer to his face and felt the little beak nibble along his bottom lip.

Heero brought Miracle over to sit in front of Duo, still holding her collar just in case. Duo lowered his hand a little and brought the bird closer. Miracle's ears were up and she gazed at the bird with curious eyes. Barney's beady black ones stared back, equally as interested.

"Miracle, this is Barney and you're to behave yourself with him. Barney, this is Miracle and she's a dog. You also behave yourself with her." Duo watched the pair carefully.

Miracle stretched her nose out to sniff at the new comer and gave a low whine. Her tail wagged across the floor as she sniffed again, scenting no danger. Barney suffered the sniffing with good grace and even stretched his head forwards, cocking it to one side to get a better look at the dog. He raised his crest feathers, startling Miracle who gave a low growl. Barney instantly reached forth with his beak and gave Miracle's nose a gentle nibble. The dog recoiled in shock and rubbed her nose with her paw before looking again at the bird with a little more respect.

"I think they will get along just fine," said Duo as he stroked the bird's feathers and then scratched Miracle's ears.

***

Duo lay on his side, moaning softly as Heero's hands worked over the aching muscles of his lower back. "Ahh.. That feels so good, Heero."

Adding a little more oil to his hands, Heero continued with the massage. "Why didn't you say something before about your back, Duo? You know I'm happy to massage you if you want me too."

"Didn't want to add any more to your worries, Heero." Duo's eyes were sliding shut, Heero's hands on his sore muscles was doing wonders for him.

"From now on, every night you get a massage, little mother, whether you want it or not," stated Heero in a voice that clearly said he meant it.

Too tired and relaxed to argue, Duo simply agreed. The afternoon had gone well. Heero had taken Wufei back to his apartment and Nurse Brown had finished her unpacking and shown Duo some exercises to help with his back. Miracle seemed to have accepted Barney and the bird was given the freedom of the house to fly around. Barney had taken to his new surroundings like a duck to water, flying here and there, investigating the curtains, top of the book shelf and any other place he could get. He seemed to have taken a strong liking to Duo and would continuously fly back to the pregnant man and land on his shoulder where he would snuggle up to Duo's ear and gently nibble along the earlobe sending Duo into near hysterics as it tickled so much.

Once Heero had returned they'd gone into the study to work some more on their wedding vows whilst Nurse Brown had taken Miracle out for a long walk around the estate. With Wufei's acceptance of Heero's request to be his best man, there only remained the vows and ceremony itself to finish. Howard had sent them an e-mail to let them know he was putting the finishing touches to the proposed ceremony and would send it through the next day. Duo was feeling a lot happier with that information and had set about the vows with renewed vigor.

Duo's enthusiasm had been contagious and Heero had joined in with his own suggestions for their vows. Slowly the words had started to come together and finally they had something they could work with. Yes, it still needed a little tweaking, but that they could do over the next few days. Trowa and Quatre would be arriving in a week and a half, having decided to come a little earlier than previously arranged to give Trowa a little more time to plan the final stages of the buffet with Siska. He also said he needed the time to make the wedding cake. When he'd been questioned over the cake he'd refused to answer, saying it was going to be a surprise.

"Not long to go now, Heero," said Duo sleepily as Heero finished off the massage and climbed into bed beside his pregnant partner.

"No, it isn't." Heero wrapped his arms around Duo and kissed the top of his lover's head. "You sleep now, little mother, and dream happy dreams."

"Mmmm..." Duo snuggled closer. "No regrets, Heero?"

"No. Why? Are you having any?"

"No," Duo was quick to assure. "I just wanted to be certain that this is what you want, Heero. I don't want you to think that you're being trapped, forced into marrying me for the sake of the child. Stupid, I know." Duo felt the heat of embarrassment at confessing his feelings flush his face.

Heero shifted and put his finger under Duo's chin, tilting his lover's face so that their eyes met. "Duo, listen to me. I love you,. I love you more than life itself. You are everything to me and I don't want you to think that I'm marrying you for the simple reason of giving our child a father and a name. I'm marrying you because I want too, because I love you and I can't imagine spending my life with anyone other than you. The fact that you're pregnant, whilst unusual to say the least, is not why I'm marrying you. You're everything to me, Duo, and I want to look after you, be with you for the rest of my days." Heero lowered his lips and kissed his partner, pouring all of his heart into the kiss.

"I'm sorry for my insecurities, Heero. I know I must drive you insane sometimes, but..."

"Enough, little mother. I don't care about your flaws, god knows, I have enough of my own and you still love me despite them. Duo, that's what love is about, being able to accept someone for who they are and not what you want them to be, and I love you, warts and all. I wouldn't change you for the world, for to do that would be to destroy the Duo I love."

"Aww, Heero, you say the sweetest things," sniffled Duo and cuddled as close as he could get.

"Go to sleep now, Duo. We have a busy day ahead with the last of the vows to finalize and Howard's ceremony draft due in."

"Love you, Heero." Duo let his eyes drift shut and safe in his lover's arms, allowed sleep to claim him.

Beside him, Heero stayed awake a little longer, his hand gently stoking over Duo's belly and feeling the movements of the baby within as it responded to his caresses. A small foot or fist, Heero didn't know which, pressed outwards and Heero tried to grasp it only to have it moved away and then return in a slightly different spot. As he drifted into slumber himself so his hand continued to play a game of 'tag' with the baby's appendage.

~ * ~

tbc...