Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Chimaera ❯ Chapter 119 ( Chapter 119 )

Please see previous chapters for disclaimers, notes etc.

 

"Chimaera"

 

October. 2003 ShenLong

 

 

Chapter 119

 

[Preventer Hospital]

 

Sally and Nurse Brown had managed to bring Duo out of his faint and back into the real world, much to Duo's disgust. Surrounded by the blackness Duo had felt nothing at all, now that he was back in the here and now, he was again reminded of the baby inside that was determined to be born one way or another. Before Sally could chastise him, her cell 'phone went off and she stepped to the side to speak with the caller.

 

The glances she kept darting at him warned Duo that he wasn't off the hook yet, not by a long shot. The pain in his belly had subsided to a dull ache and he now lay on his side, behind him Trowa was rubbing his back. The gentle motion of Trowa's hand had a soothing effect and Duo was grateful for it. He heard Sally exchange a few words with the person on the 'phone but only caught bits and pieces of the conversation. The little he did catch told him Sally was discussing his status with the other person and he wasn't entirely sure he liked what she was saying. Several times he heard the words 'stubborn', 'complications' and 'surgery' mentioned before the doctor walked back over to him and handed him the 'phone.

 

"It's Heero," she said as Duo took the 'phone from her.

 

Instantly Duo's face lit up and he shoved the 'phone to his ear. "Heero? Shit! I've been so worried about you. Are you okay? Sally said you've been shot. How's Quatre? And Wuffers? What other injuries have you sustained? Are you mobile?" Duo paused to take a breath which allowed Heero to speak.

 

"I'll be okay, little mother. Nothing life threatening. What about you? Sally said the contractions haven't stopped and she needs to get you to surgery quickly. Duo, listen to her. I've been worried sick about you and Sunshine, please, do what Sally advises," Heero said.

 

"Heero?" Duo's voice cracked a little. "I'm scared. It hurts so much and I don't know if I can do this. I want you, I need you; Sunshine needs you..." Duo trailed off, the lump in his throat preventing him from saying anything else.

 

"I know, Duo, and I promised I would be there for you and I will. I won't let you go through this alone, even if I have to pinch Une's broomstick to get there."

 

Duo snorted. "Une's broomstick?"

 

"Sometimes she acts like a witch so go figure."

 

It felt good to laugh and eased a little of Duo's fears.

 

"Une has an ambulance on its way, ETA ten minutes. It should take us roughly another fifteen to get to the hospital, depending on the driver and the traffic," said Heero.

 

"Okay," whispered Duo. "I'll try and get Sunshine to hang on a little longer."

 

"Duo..." Heero's voice had a warning edge to it. "You listen to Sally and do what she advises. I don't want you putting your health or the baby's health at risk. I will be there as soon as I can."

 

"I want you, Heero."

 

"I know, little mother. I'll be there soon. I love you, Duo. Don't take any risks."

 

"Love you too, Heero. Ahhhh...." Duo's voice changed into a moan of pain as another contraction assailed him.

 

Sally was quick to grab the 'phone. "I don't like this, Heero. I want to get him down to surgery now."

 

"Roger that, Sally. Take him through, do whatever you have to and I'll be there as... Hn."

 

"Heero?"

 

"I'll be there very soon. Chang has transport. Yuy out." Heero cut the call.

 

Sally was left staring at a 'phone that beeped with a disconnected signal. "What the hell was that all about?" she muttered.

 

"Doctor Po? I think you should take a look at this." Nurse Brown's words brought Sally from her musings and she turned to the bed where Duo was lying.

 

"Oh, shit."

 

***

 

[Outside the Glasshouse]

 

"Wufei, you can't," Quatre stated as he watched the agent begin to stand, his eyes fixed firmly in the direction Wufei was staring.

 

"Yes, I can," replied Wufei. "Yuy needs to be at the hospital and so do you. We can't wait for the ambulance, it will take too long."

 

"But, Wufei; a police car?!"

 

"Why not?"

 

"Because... well... that's stealing, you know, grand theft auto?" Quatre wasn't really all that sure this was such a good idea.

 

"I'm not stealing it, merely 'borrowing' it."

 

Quatre sighed. "Just remember at your trial and conviction I opposed this maneuver."

 

"There won't be a trial or conviction."

 

"There won't?"

 

"No. Une won't allow the charges to stand, besides, you have an excellent lawyer and I'm only commandeering the car to transport two people in need of immediate medical attention to the hospital. Now, shut up and keep watch." Wufei checked the area around him and noted that the police car he had his eye on was completely unattended, in fact there was only a couple of Preventer agents in the immediate area and the police were several meters away. "Perfect," he whispered and slunk across to the cop car.

 

Fortunately for Wufei, the police car was unlocked. Unfortunately the keys were nowhere to be found. "Shit, don't these coppers ever watch television?" he muttered. "Don't they know they're supposed to leave the keys in the ignition, or at least on the floor?" Opening the door, Wufei lay across the seat, pulled the panel underneath the steering column and located the wires. He grinned to himself as he proceeded to 'hot wire' the cop car. He owed Maxwell one for this, the former 02 pilot had taught him this trick on one of their many missions during the war. Wufei had been shocked and horrified at the time but still paid attention. Now he was glad he had.

 

Having located the wires he needed, Wufei began to task of stripping part of the insulation from them and then touching those he'd bared together. The engine turned over once, twice and then fired. Instantly Wufei sat up and wriggled into the seat. The passenger door opened and Quatre jumped in.

 

"Get going," he hissed. "Boys in blue at three o'clock."

 

"Shit!" Wufei slammed the car into reverse, backed up and then slipped it into first. Ignoring the angry shouts and threats from the advancing police, Wufei gunned the motor and bore down on Heero. The tires squealed as he skidded to a stop beside the agent and Quatre flung the door open.

 

"Get in, Yuy," Chang yelled.

 

Heero quickly disconnected the call and dived into the car, Wufei taking off the moment Heero's feet were clear of the concrete. Glancing out the window, Heero could see the police pursuing them on foot, yelling for them to stop. They sped past Une who gave them a wide eyed, shocked look. As Wufei slowed a little to make the turn out of the car park so Heero wound down the window. "We have our own transport to the hospital," he called out.

 

Quatre waved and gave a smile, Wufei didn't bother to look, he kept his eyes on the road, but he could feel the heat from Une's eyes as they bore into the back of his skull as they left the Glasshouse behind.

 

Une was seething as she watched the hijacked cop car speed past her and heard Yuy's words. She pressed her com unit, intent on giving the pair a good piece of her mind but static greeted her; the agents were out of range. Her hand went to her belt for her 'phone and connected with thin air.

 

"Those bastards stole my 'phone!"

 

***

 

[Preventer Hospital]

 

Sally stared down at where Nurse Brown indicated. "Shit, shit, shit," she muttered. "Quick, grab the ultrasound," she commanded and the nurse went to get the machine.

 

"Sally? I don't feel so good," whimpered Duo as he clutched at his belly.

 

"Hell!" exclaimed Trowa as he saw the reason for Sally and the nurse's concern. A small red stain was appearing on Duo's boxers, the gown he wore and the once, pristine white sheets. "What is it?" he whispered.

 

"Blood," came Sally's grim reply.

 

"Blood?" said Duo weakly.

 

"Yes. I was afraid this would happen. I need to check your insides, Duo, you're bleeding rectally and I need to find out if you've torn with the pressure of the baby."

 

Duo seemed to shrink in the bed. He closed his violet eyes and sank into misery. If anything was wrong with the baby he would only have himself to blame.

 

Nurse Brown brought the ultrasound machine over and Sally took the sound head, running it over Duo's abdomen and frowning at the screen. The nurse also watched, her eyes scanning over the images as she sorted them out to give a clear picture in her head.

 

"There," said Sally and pointed to a place on the screen.

 

"I see it," replied the nurse. "We need to take action now."Trowa watched the verbal exchange, his concerns now only for Duo. He knew Quatre was safe, that Yuy had stuck to his promise and kept his husband alive. Now it was time to return that favor. "What is the situation and what can I do to help?"

 

"The placenta is separating from the lining of the uterus. From what I can tell there isn't any bowel damage as yet but if we don't get down to surgery now and perform an emergency C-section there soon will be. The baby's head is pressed too firmly for my liking against the neck of Duo's uterus. There's only a small tube leading from the uterus to the bowel and there is no way this baby can pass through there without tearing Duo apart internally. I'm sorry to be so blunt but there's no other way to put it." Sally passed the sound head back to the nurse.

 

"Did you hear that, Duo?" asked Trowa softly, his hand resting on the trembling shoulder.

 

Duo nodded.

 

"Duo, I need to operate now if I'm to have any chance of delivering a healthy baby and keeping you alive. I can't wait any longer. Heero is on his way and if I know Chang, they will be here before you know it. I promise to take good care of you, Nurse Brown will be assisting me and Trowa is welcome to come in as well as support for you until Heero gets here."

 

Duo realized his situation was serious and he couldn't put off the delivery any longer. "Okay," he whispered. "Do what you have to do and please, take care of the baby first."

 

Sally patted his shoulder. "I intend to take good care of the both of you. Now, let's get you down to the theater and prepped for surgery."

 

Duo clutched the small cross he still wore around his neck. It had seen him through the war, his life at the orphanage and his training with G. It resembled something of a lucky charm to Duo and squeezing it in his hand he sent a silent prayer to any god that may have been listening to keep his baby safe.

 

Nurse Brown checked the drip and the monitoring machine before unclipping the bag and attaching it to the hospital bed for transportation to the theater. "All set," she said and positioned herself at the foot of the bed. Trowa took the head end and released the brakes as Sally slipped the sides of the bed up and locked them into place to prevent Duo from falling out of the bed on the short trip through the corridors to the theater.

 

Checking that their way was clear, Trowa and Nurse Brown pushed the bed and its occupant out of the room behind the doctor and followed Sally through the corridors to the operating theater.

 

* * *

 

[Inside Duo's Womb]

 

Pressure.

 

Unrelenting pressure.

 

The fetus moved slightly to try and ward off some of the pressure currently assaulting it from all sides. Strong, muscular waves passed over, around and against it, pushing it downwards; only there wasn't anywhere for it to go.

 

The fetus pressed against something solid, something that refused to give even an inch.

 

Frustrated, the fetus tried to move its arms about, striking out at anything within reach and when that failed to bring about a result, it tried to kick its legs.

 

Unable to move much at all and with the continued push of its little form downwards against the unyielding barrier, the fetus began to stress.

 

* * *

 

[Outside the Glasshouse]

 

Une watched, slack jawed as two of her agents and Quatre sped away from her in an obviously stolen cop car. Turning to Devlin, her eyes narrowed. "Give me your 'phone," she demanded.

 

Seeing the pissed off look in the commander's eyes, not to mention the tone of her voice, Devlin complied immediately.

 

"Thank you." Une took the 'phone, flipped open the cover and paused. "What the hell is my number?" she asked no one in particular.

 

"Ummm... Surely you should know, it is your number after all," said Devlin, a little intimidated.

 

Une frowned. "I know, but I never call it," she replied as she thought hard. "Ah, that's it." Quickly she punched the numbers in and waited. "Agent Day? I demand to know what the hell it is you think you're doing!"

 

Hearing the cell 'phone go off, Heero answered the call and frowned as Une's voice screeched down the line. Quatre winced as his hearing picked up on the woman's voice.

 

"It that Une?" asked Wufei.

 

"Hai."

 

"Here, give it to me."

 

Heero passed the 'phone over and Wufei tucked it into the crook between his chin and neck. "Ah, Commander. I'm afraid Agent Day's and Winner's injuries cannot wait for the ambulance. They need medical attention now so I have commandeered the use of a police vehicle in order to transport them to the Preventer medical section. I trust you will be able to inform the police of this necessary action and the police car can be collected from Preventer headquarters later this evening."

 

"Chang, I don't know what your game is but both Winner and Yuy could have waited for the ambulance; their injuries are not life threatening."

 

"I beg to differ, Commander. Their immediate injuries may not be life threatening but Yuy's partner's condition is life threatening."

 

Une rubbed her temple with her free hand and sighed. "Okay, Chang, you win. But, I'm warning you, not a scratch on that police vehicle; understand?"

 

"Yes, Commander. Now I think I'd better concentrate and hang up before I get booked for talking on a mobile whilst driving." Wufei tossed the 'phone back to Heero who disconnected it.

 

Une passed the 'phone back to Devlin, shaking her head. She had to admire the balls of those three, especially Chang. Never had she thought he would be the type to pinch a car, and a police car at that. The sound of approaching voices drew her attention and she watched as two police men came into her line of vision. They demanded to know which agent had stolen their patrol car and where they were headed.

 

Patiently Une explained the situation of Yuy's and Winner's medical status, lying through her teeth for Chang as she said they needed the vehicle to transport the injured as quickly as possible.

 

Fortunately the police swallowed the story and Une gave a sigh of relief when the officers left. She was so looking forward to a nice cup of tea and a long soak in a hot bath, but before any of that could happen she still had a mop up operation to supervise. Wearily she set to work, contacting F Troop for an update and organizing transport for the hostages and the terrorists.

 

* * *

 

[Inside the Police Car]

 

Heero caught the 'phone, disconnected the call and shoved it into one of the many pockets in his combat suit.

 

"I take it she wasn't impressed?" piped up Quatre.

 

"That would be an understatement," growled Wufei as he pushed the accelerator further down.

 

"Arigato, Chang," said Heero quietly as he watched the landscape rushing past.

 

"I made you a promise, Yuy. I intend to keep it," gruffed Wufei.

 

"Oh, what does this thing do?" Quatre's interest was focused on the dashboard of the cop car and the many switches and buttons there.

 

"Don't go touching anything,' growled Wufei, but it was too late, Quatre had pushed a button.

 

The radio crackled into life, giving the agents an uninterrupted account of everything that was currently going on in the local precinct.

 

"Cool. What's this one do? Oh, shit." The screen between the front and back seat began to lower. Quickly, Quatre pushed the button again and the screen slid back up.

 

"Leave things alone!" snapped Wufei.

 

Quatre didn't listen. "Hmmm... What's this one do?" He pushed another button and went six feet in the air as the siren suddenly blared out.

 

"Smart one, Quatre," growled Heero and went to push the button to quell the deafening noise of the siren.

 

"No, leave it," said Wufei.

 

"Huh?"

 

"Leave it on. The traffic will get out of our way when they hear the siren. It's coming up to rush hour traffic and it will be murder trying to get through the streets to the Preventer hospital, this way they should all move," said Wufei with a feral grin.

 

"I do believe you're beginning to enjoy this whole 'committing a felony' thing way too much, Wufei," stated Quatre.

 

"See if you can find the button to get the lights going as well."

 

"Right on!" Quatre grinned and began to push another button

 

With lights and sirens now going flat out, other traffic moved aside and let Wufei through. The Chinese man floored the accelerator, throwing the car from side to side as he weaved in and out of the traffic, dodging cars and even a couple of pedestrians. "Good brakes," Wufei muttered as he hit them particularly hard to avoid colliding with a car that didn't get out of his way in time and then accelerated once more.

 

Inside the vehicle, Quatre was bouncing around despite his injuries. The morphine the medic had given him had kicked in and there wasn't much in the way of pain. "That's it, Wufei! Flatten it, let's see what this baby can do!"

 

Heero and Wufei exchanged looks over the top of Quatre's head. Wufei's face broke into a wide grin, Heero swallowed.

 

"I would like to be alive when we reach the hospital. I've not survived all this shit with Jackson and his band to be killed by an overzealous blonde with a penchant for speed, nor a homicidal dragon with a death wish," he muttered.

 

"Aww, Heero. You're no fun," whined Quatre.

 

"I suggest you buckle up and hang on. This ride could get a little rocky," replied Wufei and gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Get the fuck out of my way! Move it, asshole! Can't you see or hear? Fucking hell, get out of the way!!" Wufei had wound his window down and was busy yelling and shaking his fist at those drivers who didn't get out of his way quick enough.

 

Heero had heard of road rage and there was no doubt that's what Wufei was experiencing at this very moment. The encouraging cries of the small Arab didn't help any either. Heero closed his eyes and prayed he would reach the hospital in one piece. If he did he made a mental note never to piss Wufei off when driving, and if at all possible avoid getting in a car with the Chinese man at the wheel ever again.

 

~ * ~

 

tbc.......