Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Going For Gold ❯ Chapter 92 ( Chapter 92 )

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

Happy New Year everyone and thank you to all who are reading and warm hugs for the very kind reviews!
 
Going for Gold”
 
January 2007 ShenLong
 
Chapter 92
 
Once more the crowd all seemed to hold their breath as they watched the bay stallion and his rider launch into the air.
 
Zoe closed her eyes and willed her horse on. She could feel the power in the body beneath her and prayed her horse would clear this last fence. The angle changed and Zoe opened her eyes as Lion reached for the fast approaching ground.
 
Hooves bit deep into the ground, shoulders jarring slightly with the force of impact. Hind legs followed the front and touched down, pushing the forehand up slightly and away from the jump.
 
As soon as her horse was safely on the ground, Zoe took up the contact, drove her legs and seat against the bay and rode for all she was worth for the finish flags. Lion flattened out, legs pistoning as he lunged into a gallop, obeying his mistress.
 
They passed between the flags, the timer beam stopped and a roar went up from the crowd.
 
Clear round for Zoe Rundell riding Lionheart for Australia!”
 
The cheers and whistles from the Australian camp were the loudest of all.
 
Zoe heard the commentator's announcement and her heart filled with happiness. Tears sprang to her eyes and blurred her vision, but she didn't care. She'd gone clear! Remembering she was still in the arena, Zoe pulled herself together, shortened her reins and brought Lion back to a trot. Moments later they exited the arena, accepting the congratulations from the New Zealand rider as he passed and wishing him good luck in return.
 
Once she was safely outside, Zoe brought her horse to a walk and then halt, slipping from her saddle to pet and make a fuss of the stallion. “You were such a good boy, Lion,” she said as she patted the bay neck.
 
Lion wuffled and nudged his mistress.
 
Zoe laughed and reached into her pocket to pull out a sugar cube and give it to the horse. “You deserve it, boy. You were fantastic.” Zoe put her arms around Lion's neck as her tears of joy ran down her face and dripped into his mane.
 
She did it!” Duo cried out as Zoe flew through the finish.
 
Yes!” crowed Heero.
 
Way to go, Zoe!” called Kyle.
 
That was just superb,” Noin added with a broad smile.
 
Absolutely fantastic,” Treize agreed, his grin nearly rivaling the coach's.
 
I think I'm going to pass out.”
 
All eyes turned to Michael who did look a little on the pale side.
 
Head between your knees, buddy,” said Zechs as he reached the other man and pushed Michael's head down between those knees.
 
After a minute the color had returned to Michael's skin and he announced he was feeling much better and wanted to go out to congratulate his wife. Zechs made him remain seated for another couple of minutes first just to be sure. When Zechs was comfortable enough with Michael's current state, and was sure he wouldn't fall over on them, he allowed him to get up and make his way outside.
 
Zoe smiled and waved as she saw the rest of the team exiting and looking around for her. Leading Lion, she walked across and met them all half way.
 
Immediately Michael saw his wife, he shot forward and grabbed her in a bear hug. “You were fantastic!” he said as he hugged her close and then pressed kisses to her face.
 
Blushing, Zoe returned the kisses and then gave a sort of embarrassed snort. “Michael, we have company,” she muttered.
 
Ah.” Michael released his wife and gave a sheepish grin.
 
Don't mind us,” Duo quipped, “We're quite enjoying the show.”
 
Duo!” Zoe thought she would combust with the heat in her cheeks.
 
Congratulations,” Duo laughed and grabbed the woman in a hug of his own.
 
The rest of the team followed suit, hugging and offering their own congratulations.
 
I'd say we're really in with a chance at that gold medal now,” said Kyle. “With two clears and two lots of four faults, that's a pretty impressive score.”
 
That it is,” stated Treize “It will all come down to which scores the team managers drop and how the remaining riders go.”
 
Either way, according to my calculations, it will be very close,” Noin informed them all and then turned back to Zoe. “You rode wonderfully, I'm so proud of you.”
 
Aw, Noin. It's thanks to your excellent coaching and this great horse I'm privileged to have bought from Treize,” Zoe returned.
 
Noin smiled. “Thanks for the compliment, but there is only so much a coach can do. The rider needs to have that special extra, the will to win, the natural ability to ride and the most important of all, that rapport with their horse. All of you have that and it's been my pleasure to have worked with such a talented and dedicated team. Thank you.” Noin looked at all her team members and then lowered her eyes, the blush staining her cheeks.
 
Errr... I think we better get back inside and see how the rest of the riders are faring,” said Treize attempting to break the awkward moment.
 
I'll come back to the stables with you, Zoe. I need to check Lion over,” Duo said.
 
No problem,” Zoe replied and with her hand in her husband's, she led the horse back to the stables, Duo and Heero following behind.
 
* * *
 
Everything looks fine, Zoe,” said Duo as the woman trotted the horse out for him. He'd gone over Lion and hadn't found anything out of the ordinary which pleased him.
 
Thanks, Duo,” Zoe replied and put Lion back into his stable, Michael following behind and hanging up a haynet for the bay to chew on until it was time to feed up later.
 
Heero had been to check on Shini and found the stallion dozing in his stable. He'd spent a few more moments with his horse, petting him, feeding the much loved carrots and generally letting the gray know how proud Heero was of him. A glance at his watch told him time was passing by very quickly and he was eager to get back to the arena and learn how the remaining teams had fared and if there was any result yet.
 
Duo noticed the nervous tension in his lover and chuckled softly. “I think we should be getting back to the main arena, the results should be out very shortly.”
 
Shit! I didn't realize how much time had passed,' exclaimed Zoe. “Come on, we'd better move our butts.” Grabbing Michael by the hand, the woman set off at a jog for the arena.
 
Duo shook his head and then stared in disbelief as Heero turned and sprinted after the pair. “Hey! Wait for me!” he yelled and ran after the fast disappearing trio.
 
Within a couple of minutes they were back at the main arena and sitting down inside. All four were out of breath, but pleased to note the final rider was still jumping.
 
What were the other scores?” Heero asked Treize.
 
The New Zealand rider had four faults and the Norwegian scored twelve. His horse decided it really didn't like the look of the triple combination and slammed the brakes on at the last minute.”
 
Ah.”
 
The rider was lucky and didn't fall off but they slid into the jump and sent poles flying everywhere,” Treize informed.
 
Made quite a mess,” Zechs added.
 
I'll bet it did,'” mused Duo. “The horse okay?”
 
Yeah, he was fine. Took them a short while to rebuild the jump though as one of the poles got broken when it fell,” Zechs replied.
 
Then we're still in with a chance at the gold medal?” asked Heero.
 
I'm not too sure, but it will be close,” Treize stated. “Noin has all the scores but she's not saying much.”
 
The French rider landed over the last jump and the spectators all applauded as the commentator announced they had finished with eight penalties in total. Once the French rider had left the arena, the ground crew moved in to rake the arena.
 
That concludes the second round of jumping. The team coaches will now report to the steward's office where the final scores will be determined. Once the stewards are satisfied and the result determined, we will make the announcement. Thank you all.”
 
The team members all looked to Noin who gave a smile. “I'll be back soon, guys.”
 
Any hint at all?” questioned Zoe.
 
It's too close to call. I'll have to report in and let them know which score I'll be dropping, and then it all depends on the other countries and which scores they drop. Once that's done the stewards can add up the remaining scores and we should have a final result. This will probably take about half an hour or more so I suggest you might want to get some refreshments.” Noin stood and with one last smile, left the team to go to the steward's office.
 
Well, I'm famished so I'm going to take Noin's advice and go get something to eat,” said Duo. “No point in hanging around, as Noin said, it will be awhile before we know anything.”
 
Good luck in getting something,” Zechs snickered.
 
Huh?”
 
Take a look around you, half the arena is empty.”
 
Duo looked around at the now partially empty spectator stands.
 
Guess where they have all gone.”
 
Ah. Damn.”
 
Yeah, it's gonna take about an hour to wait in the queue at the vending vans.”
 
No it won't,” interrupted Kyle.
 
It won't?” asked Zechs.
 
There's vending machines and also a couple of food vans up by the stabling area for the competitors only. I'll bet we can get something quicker up there.”
 
Kyle, I like your way of thinking,” smiled Duo.
 
* * *
 
Noin sat in the stewards' office along with all the other team coaches and managers. One by one they were called to the stewards' bench and informed the stewards of which team score they would be dropping. The stewards noted that down and passed it over to the scorers.
 
Noin was naturally going to drop one of the four faults. It didn't matter to her if it was Treize's or Kyle's, just so long as one of the four faults was removed from their team score. When it was her turn, she approached the 'bench' and gave the information. It was noted down, removed from the team score and the information passed over to the scorers.
 
Once all team coaches had handed over their dropped score, they all sat back to await the double checking of the final scores. Once that was done, they left the office to return to their respective teams and await the official announcement.
 
* * *
 
Shouldn't you guys all be mounted and waiting out in the warm up arena?” asked Duo.
 
Why?” replied Heero.
 
If you have won a medal, don't you need to be mounted to come back into the arena for the medal presentation?”
 
I think I can answer that for you, Duo,” said Treize. “The results and medal placings will be announced shortly. The medal presentation takes place about an hour after the announcement. Otherwise they would have ten teams, that's forty horses and riders out the back there waiting to possibly come in. Not only would that be dangerous, but there's just not enough room to hold them all. After the announcement, the three, medal placing countries go back and fetch their horses and get ready for the medal ceremony.”
 
Ah, I see. That makes a lot of sense. Thanks, Treize.”
 
No problem, Duo.”
 
Is that Noin coming back?” asked Zoe.
 
Yes, it is. Maybe now we will find out what the placings are,” said Kyle in an excited voice.
 
I don't fancy your chances,” snickered Treize. “Knowing the Olympic committee, she's been sworn to secrecy, not that she would tell us anyway.”
 
How cruel. Guess we will just have to try and read the body language if we can't get a verbal.”
 
You can watch her body all you like, I'll pass,” muttered Zechs, quiet enough that Kyle couldn't hear him. Treize, Heero and Duo did though and all three sent the blonde vet a smirk, smile and snicker respectively.
 
Deciding to try his luck anyway, Kyle waited until the coach was back amongst them and then hit her with the ultimate question. “Miss Noin, how did we finish up? What are the final scores?”
 
Noin gave the rider a patient look. “I'm sorry, Kyle, I'm not allowed to say anything. The official announcement will be made shortly though.”
 
Not even a hint?” Kyle pressed.
 
No, not even a whisper.” Noin would have loved to have told her team what the scores were, but under the rules of competition, she wasn't allowed to say a word. If she did, she could risk eliminating her team from the competition. She turned to Duo and changed the subject. “How did Lionheart pull up?”
 
Fine so far. All the horses seem okay in their preliminary vet check after their respective rounds. I'll be doing another check this evening after they've all been fed just to be certain all is still well with them,” replied Duo.
 
Thank you. I trust if there are any problems, you will let me know?”
 
Of course.”
 
When will we know who is through in the individual competition?” asked Kyle.
 
Individual competition?” questioned Zechs, he'd forgotten about that.
 
They will most likely announce the twenty-five riders that will go through once the team event placings are announced,” replied Noin.
 
Before anyone could question her further, the public address system crackled into life.
 
Ladies and gentlemen, the scores have now been finalized and the results of the Team jumping competition are ready to be announced. It is my pleasure to hand you over to the vice president of the Olympic showjumping committee, Mr. Frank White.”
 
There was a round of applause and a few cheers as the announcer and the vice president stepped out into the arena. All of the Australian team was sitting on the edge of their seats in anticipation.
 
The system crackled again, this time the vice president's voice came over the loud speakers. He made a short speech, thanking the competitors, the countries, course designer, judge and the many helpers - all of whom were needed to make the event work. After saying how much he'd enjoyed the competition and rambled on about the high standard of jumping, he finally got around to the important bit, as Kyle called it.
 
Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure you are all eager to hear the final placings so I won't keep you waiting any longer. In reverse order. In tenth place with a combined two round total score of fifty-two penalties; France.”
 
There was the usual round of applause and then Mr. White continued.
 
In ninth place with a combined two round total score of forty-four penalties; Italy. Following Italy, we have a tie for seventh place...”
 
What happened to eighth?” whispered Duo.
 
If there are two teams tied together then there isn't an eighth place, they will both be equal seventh,” Heero whispered back.
 
Ah, I see. Thanks
 
With a combined two round total score of forty-two penalties; Ireland and Norway.”
 
The cheers and applause rang out again and it was a few seconds before the noise died down enough for the vice president to continue.
 
In sixth place with a combined two round total score of forty penalties; New Zealand.”
 
Shit! The scores are close,” exclaimed Zoe.
 
In fifth place with a combined two round total score of thirty-six penalties; Germany.”
 
So far we're still in with a chance,” muttered Treize and crossed his fingers.
 
Ladies and gentlemen, we currently have a tie on penalties for the Bronze medal position. Both Sweden and the United States of America are equal on thirty-two penalties. This means there will be a jump off for the Bronze medal.”
 
The crowd went wild, all cheering and clapping loudly.
 
Heero swallowed hard. If America and Sweden were tied for the Bronze, then it meant that the Australians were either in the Silver or Gold medal position. His mouth went dry and his hands felt cold and clammy.
 
Once the noise had settled again, Mr. White continued. “We also have another minor problem. There is another tie on penalties for the Gold medal; with a combined two round score of eighteen penalties each, we have a jump off between the United Kingdom and Australia!”
 
The roar that went up from the crowd was louder than a jet engine taking off; or at least Heero thought so. With the games being held in London a lot of the spectators were British, and to have the host nation in the jump off for a gold medal caused great excitement - and they were certain to let everyone know how pleased they were.
 
The Aussies weren't quiet either though and added their own yells and cheers to the ruckus.
 
Yes!” yelled Duo at the top of his lungs and only just managed to stop himself from grabbing Heero and kissing him senseless.
 
Zoe had dissolved into a flood of tears, Treize looked like he'd just won the lottery, and Kyle was simply bouncing in his seat and punching the air. Zechs looked bewildered, Noin, proud and Heero...
 
Heero was sitting with a vacant look on his face; a sort of stunned mullet expression, or so Duo thought.
 
Heero? Earth to Heero... Come in, Heero.”
 
Aa, sorry, Duo.” Heero's mind returned from where it had disappeared to.
 
Aren't you pleased?” asked Duo.
 
I'm finding it a little hard to accept,” Heero returned honestly. “I knew we were in with a chance, but I never dreamed... It's just all so surreal.” Heero shook his head. “I think maybe you should pinch me, I'm sure I must be dreaming.”
 
It's a dream, buddy. The dream you've been working so hard towards. You're tied for the gold medal in the Olympic games,” Duo said with a wide grin.
 
Well, shit.”
 
* * *
 
Once all the excitement had cooled a little, the commentator took over from the vice president. “Ladies and Gentlemen, the jump off for the medals will take place tomorrow morning at nine sharp. The medal presentation will take place an hour after competition has finished and the placings decided. The individual competition will commence in the afternoon and the following riders have made it through to the top twenty-five...”
 
The commentator began to read out a list of names and their total faults, starting with those that had a combined two round score of twelve faults and working his way down to the top four. All the Australian team members listened intently to see if they were included in the final twenty-five.
 
Kyle scraped in on the bottom level, having a combined two round total of twelve faults. He knew he probably wouldn't stand much of a chance at finishing in the top three, but was pleased he'd managed to get into the third round for the individual.
 
There were two riders on ten penalties, Treize was one of them and thus made it through to the third round. Treize was quite pleased he'd gotten through and very happy with Romeo's performance so far in the competition. He did realize that they would need to go clear and hope all other riders made a lot of faults if he were to finish in the top three. The experience would do Romefeller the world of good though.
 
Zechs was torn between being happy for his lover in making the final twenty-five, and scared shitless that something would go wrong and his lover would get hurt. He turned to Duo and hissed through his teeth. “You said he probably wouldn't have to jump again. That's the last time I ever listen to you.”
 
Duo simply shrugged. “You're just worried you won't have any fingernails left to claw down his back.”
 
Wha...?” Zechs blinked and gaped like a stranded fish.
 
Duo snickered and turned his attention back to the commentator.
 
There were a few riders on eight faults and one on six. “Ladies and gentlemen, this brings me to the final four competitors to go through. Each has a combined two round score of four faults. Those riders are; from the United Kingdom, Arnold Penn on Jigsaw.”
 
The crowd cheered and applauded before going quiet again.
 
From the United States of America; John Burrow riding Graduate.”
 
Once more the applause and cheers rang out. Duo was again biting his fingernails. He was certain that Heero was one of the four, but he wasn't about to get too excited until he'd heard it announced.
 
Our last two competitors are both from Australia. Zoe Rundell riding Lionheart and Heero Yuy riding Shinigami!”
 
Zechs thought Duo was going to burst a blood vessel the other vet was so excited. He turned to look at Heero who was extremely pale in comparison and he wondered if Heero was about to pass out.
 
You did it, Heero! You're through to the third round of the individual competition and tied in first place with Zoe and two others.” Duo was almost hyperventilating.
 
Aa.” Heero couldn't believe it. Not only had the team made a tie for the gold medal in the team jumping, but he also had a shot at the individual gold as well?!
 
The congratulations began to flow thick and fast.
 
* * *
 
It took a while for the reality of the situation to sink in and when it did all the riders were on cloud nine. Their team was tied for the gold medal and all four of them had made it through to the third round in the individual as well. On top of that, two of their team were vying for the individual gold as well!
 
Putting all thoughts of the individual competition aside for the moment, Heero walked alongside Noin and asked the question everyone had been thinking about. “Miss Noin?”
 
Yes, Heero?”
 
The team jump off; will it be the entire team, or will it be one of us to do the jump off?”
 
All the others moved closer, curious to hear the answer too.
 
It will be one rider from each team,” Noin announced. “The stewards have already asked us to think about who the team representative will be and I have to give them my nominated rider first thing in the morning.”
 
Any idea who will be the vict- err... rider?” asked Duo.
 
I haven't made up my mind completely yet,” Noin returned with a smile. “Don't worry though; I'll be sure to let you know who I've selected a little later this evening. I suggest we all have dinner together to celebrate getting this far and I'll make my announcement then.”
 
Sounds okay to me,” said Kyle. Everyone else agreed but knew they would be on tenterhooks until they knew for sure if they would be the one riding or not.
 
Good. There's a nice restaurant in the local village...” Noin went on to explain to the team where the restaurant was situated and make the arrangements for their dinner. By the time they arrived at the stables, the dinner was organized.
 
I suggest you all feed up and settle your horses for the night. I'd like Doctor Maxwell to check them all over once again first though,” stated Noin.
 
No problem,” Duo replied and went into the small locker room to fetch his basic `tools'.
 
One by one the horses were brought out and Duo went over them from the tips of their ears to the nails in their shoes. Marksman was fine, the palomino having recovered well from his round. Shini was also fit as a fiddle, his vitals all having returned to normal. Heero was relieved to hear that, not that he'd doubted Shini wouldn't recover. He knew his horse was fit and well, all he needed was a short rest, some electrolytes in his water to replace the salts lost through the exertion of competition and a good feed to rebuild the energy levels.
 
Romeo was still a touch dehydrated, but Duo wasn't overly concerned about the bay as he'd not had as long to recover from his efforts as the other two had and Duo was confident the bay would be completely normal by morning.
 
Lion was quite happy in himself, having drunk about half his water with the electrolytes in it. Like Romeo he was still a little dehydrated, but would return to normal overnight. Duo had Zoe hold the horse whilst his hands and fingers ran over the animal. Finding nothing, he got Zoe to trot the horse out for him and watched the horse's gait with a keen eye.
 
Duo scrutinized the legs, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him or not. He was unsure if he'd seen a very slight limp or not. He had Zoe trot Lion again and concentrated hard. The limp was barely discernible and Duo was still unsure if it was there or if he was imagining it.
 
Zechs?”
 
Yes?” The blonde vet approached Duo. “What's up?”
 
I'm not sure. Zechs, would you mind having a look at Lion's legs as he trots out? In particular the left fore? I think there might be a very faint trace of a limp there, but I'm not sure if my eyes are tricking me or not.”
 
Sure.” Zechs stood next to Duo whilst Zoe ran Lion out again, his blue eyes watching for any trace of unsteadiness.
 
Well? What do you think?” asked Duo when Zoe brought the stallion back.
 
There is a limp there, but it's so very faint it's extremely hard to pick up on,” Zechs confirmed.
 
Zoe was starting to look alarmed. “What's up? What's wrong with Lion?” she asked in a shaking voice.
 
We're not completely sure,” replied Duo honestly. “He looks like he has a very slight limp, so slight that it's extremely difficult to pick up. I'd like to check him over again, a little more thoroughly and I'd like Zechs to have a look at him too if you don't mind, Zoe?”
 
Of course,” replied Zoe, her tone worried. “He's going to be okay, isn't he?”
 
Let's take that closer look first.” Duo and Zechs both moved in and went over Lion's left shoulder, upper leg, cannon bone, fetlock joint, pastern and hoof. They prodded, poked, pushed and pulled before having Zoe trot him out again. Then they went into a huddle together.
 
By this stage the rest of the team had noticed something was up and had gathered around Zoe, trying to find out what the problem was. Zoe was as much in the dark as the rest of them though as Duo hadn't said anything at that stage.
 
After a couple of minutes, Duo and Zechs had both agreed on what they thought the problem was and returned to Zoe and the rest of the group with their diagnosis.
 
Duo directed his words at Zoe and Noin. “From what I can tell, Lion has a very faint trace of a limp in his left foreleg. Doctor Merquise agrees with me. There is no evidence of external damage and I'm confident in saying that it appears to be a form of jarring to the leg that is causing the slight limp. The horse isn't lame per say, and it's my professional opinion that he most likely sustained the jarring during an awkward landing over one of the jumps. I propose to treat it by rubbing a liniment into the cannon bone and wrapping the leg overnight.”
 
Both Zoe and Noin heaved a sigh of relief.
 
Will he be fit for competition tomorrow?” asked Zoe.
 
There is always that slim chance it may not have cleared up by the morning, but I'm pretty sure he will be perfectly fine and able to jump,” Duo replied.
 
Thank you, Duo.” Zoe turned and led her horse back to his stable.
 
Duo went in search of the liniment and took it to Zoe along with a bandage. “Here, Zoe. I'll rub some of this in now and if possible can you repeat it again tonight before you retire?”
 
Certainly. I'll be coming back down to check on Lion after dinner so I'll do his leg again then.”
 
Good. This is how much I want you to use.” Duo proceeded to show Zoe how much of the liniment to rub in and then once he'd finished he bandaged the leg securely. “The bandage is to act as a bit of support for the muscles and also keep the heat in from the liniment,” he explained.
 
Thanks, Duo. I would never have picked up on that slight limp and it could have made things a lot worse if I went out and jumped again tomorrow.”
 
You're welcome, Zoe. I'd suggest putting bandages on him tomorrow when you jump and not the usual boots. They will give a bit more support to that leg.”
 
I'll remember that.”
 
* * *
 
Dinner had been a happy affair, all team members enjoying the company and plentiful food. They had reached the coffee stage and all talk went back to the upcoming jump off on the 'morrow.
 
Have you decided who will be representing the team in the jump off, Miss Noin?” asked Michael.
 
Yes, yes I have,” replied Noin and then smiled at the expectant faces all looking at her. “It hasn't been an easy decision to make as each one of you has worked so hard to achieve the placing we're currently in. However, I have looked at each one of you performance wise and made my decision to give the team the best possible chance to take this gold medal.”
 
The four riders all held their breath.
 
Zoe, unfortunately with Lion being a touch sore I don't want to risk him. I know Doctor Maxwell said he should be fine for competition tomorrow but with you being in such a prominent place in the individual competition as well, I don't want to put any further stress or strain on that horse's leg by asking you to do the jump off and then compete again in the afternoon.”
 
Zoe nodded. She agreed with Noin. It was best if Lion only had to jump one round and not two.
 
Therefore, after much contemplation, I've decided that the member to represent us in the jump off tomorrow will be Heero and Shinigami.”
 
~ * ~
 
tbc...