Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Time, Fault and Out ❯ Chapter 25 ( Chapter 25 )

Chapter 25

 

Treize hurried through to the bathroom where he washed up and then changed his clothes. He'd spoken briefly to Zechs, telling him what Duo had said about Heero. Zechs had insisted he drive Treize to the hospital, an offer Treize had declined and then been forced to accept when the vet had pointed out that Treize had partaken of a strong scotch. While he was by no means inebriated the last thing he needed was for a police car to pull him over for a random breath test. Reluctantly, Treize had agreed.

 

While Treize was getting changed, Zechs made a call to Oakford. His shift had almost finished anyway and after explaining to the head vet what his plans were and what had occurred with the client's horse, the head vet agreed to let Zechs knock off early on the proviso that Zechs made up the missing half hour on the following day. Zechs agreed.

 

Treize emerged, freshened up, wearing a pair of black slacks and gray shirt with a sports jacket hung over his arm. It was all Zechs could do not to drool. The hungry look didn't go astray, Treize noticed and hoped he hadn't misread those looks.

 

"I'm ready," Treize said softly.

 

"Then let's go," replied Zechs as he stood up and followed Treize out of the house.

 

Treize locked up and then climbed into the passenger side of the vet's vehicle. "Do you mind if we just stop off at the stable block on the way out? I'd like to let Otto know where I will be in case he needs me for anything."

 

"No problem." Zechs started the car and drove slowly down the driveway that would take them to the main road via the stables. He pulled up by the courtyard entrance.

 

"I'll only be a moment," said Treize as he got out and disappeared into the stable complex.

 

Zechs kept the motor running, turning the heater on to dispel the chill of the early evening air that was beginning to infiltrate.

 

Treize spoke briefly with Otto, letting the groom know he was heading to the hospital to see Heero. He promised to call and let Otto know how Heero was once he'd gotten the details himself. Otto informed him that the backhoe had been dispatched to the paddock and that Taurus' body had been buried. Treize thanked the groom, unable to talk much about the chestnut as the wound was still raw. Treize would come to terms with his grief at losing the horse, but it would take time.

 

Having concluded his business in the stables, Treize returned to the car and Zechs slipped it into gear. They rode in companionable silence for a while before Zechs broke the quiet by asking Treize subtle questions such as: How long had he been riding? How long had he known Heero for? The questions were answered easily enough, Treize beginning to relax a bit in the company of the vet. Zechs then took the questions a step further. What sort of music did Treize enjoy? What sort of movies did he like to watch? What foods were his favorites?

 

Treize had a pretty good feeling that the vet was fishing for information, but in a not so noticeable way and he had to admire the man for that. He answered the questions and even asked some of his own. The answers he got confirmed his suspicions that the vet was interested in him.

 

By the time they were pulling into the hospital car park, they had a date for the following Wednesday night.

 

***

 

Sister Clarke led Duo down the corridor to Trauma 2. Duo could see Heero lying on the bed, wires and tubes connected to his body and he had to bite his lip. The anguish he felt threatened to bubble over and he couldn't afford to break down now. He had to be strong for Heero. Gritting his teeth and squaring his shoulders, Duo followed the sister inside.

 

"Ah, Doctor Maxwell," greeted Doctor Standish. "Mr Yuy is awake and I'm sure you wish to speak to him. Come over here and I'll give you a couple of minutes with him before I explain the extent of his injuries and what we propose to do."

 

"Thank you." Duo stepped forward, the lump in his throat getting bigger by the second. Then he was beside the bed and looking into half closed, clouded cobalt. "Heero?"

 

Heero opened his eyes a little wider and peered out through his bangs. "Duo?"

 

"Oh god, Heero." It took a mighty effort on Duo's part not to wrap his arms around his lover and kiss away all the pain. There was nothing he wanted to do more than hold his love, reassure Heero that everything was going to be all right. He raised a hand to Heero's forehead instead and brushed back the dark locks. Tears welled in his eyes but Duo blinked them back and tried to force the lump from his throat. Gazing over Heero's injured body, Duo could see the twist to Heero's broken upper right arm, the swelling and darkening bruises making their presence known. Heero's shoulder was also sitting uncomfortably, the dislocated collar bone being the cause of that.

 

"Doctor Maxwell, if I could have a moment of your time to explain what we wish to do for Mr Yuy and get your signature of consent on the forms?"

 

Duo turned to see Doctor Standish at his elbow. "Of course."

 

"Once the formalities are taken care of you may sit with Mr Yuy until it's time for him to go up to surgery."

 

"Thanks."

 

Doctor Standish led Duo to the side of the room. "The humerus splintered when it broke, we're going to need to operate to pin and plate it back into place so it can heal properly. We will also put the collar bone back in place while he's under the anesthetic."

 

"The concussion? What did the cat scan show?"

 

"The scan shows some very minor bleeding inside Mr Yuy's skull. His brain is also slightly bruised and we need to keep an eye on that to make sure no swelling occurs. There shouldn't be a problem but it pays to keep an eye on it. I need your signature on the surgery forms for us to be able to operate. Normally I would have Mr Yuy do it as he's conscious and lucid, however, he's physically unable to do so and as his next of kin we can accept your signature to confirm his verbal consent."

 

Duo quickly read over the form, it was a standard form, similar to the ones he used for his animal patients. Picking up the pen, he signed the bottom of the page and handed the form back. "Anything else?"

 

"No. That's all for now, Doctor Maxwell. The orderly will be down in about fifteen minutes to take Mr Yuy up to the OR. I have other patients to see and there isn't anything more we can do for Mr Yuy down here. I'll leave you to sit with him until it's time to take him up. Sister Clarke will keep an eye on you and if you should need anything in the meantime, just press the buzzer over there." Doctor Standish pointed to the call button located above the bed Heero was lying on.

 

"Thanks, doc. I appreciate all you've done for him."

 

"My pleasure, Doctor Maxwell, it's what I'm here for." Turning, Doctor Standish picked up the paperwork and stopped by Heero. "Good luck, young man. I'll check on you tomorrow up in the ward."

 

"Thanks," Heero managed to get out around his dry mouth.

 

Doctor Standish left, leaving Heero, Duo and Sister Clarke in the room. The sister checked over Heero's vitals again and adjusted the saline drip flow. Finished with her checks, she turned to the patient. "Are you comfortable?"

 

"As comfortable as I can be," replied Heero.

 

The sister smiled and patted Heero's left arm. "I'm going to give you a pre-med now. I'll put it through the drip tube, no sense in sticking you with a needle when we don't have to," she said and went to the cabinets at the side, returning moment later with the drug and injecting it into the cannula attached to the saline drip. "That should start to kick in very shortly. You'll start to feel drowsy, but that's all."

 

Duo watched the proceedings from the side, patiently waiting for the sister to leave so he could have a few minutes of quality time with Heero before he disappeared to surgery.

 

"I'm all finished here now," said Sister Clarke as she dropped the syringe into the bin and the needle into the sharps box. "I'll come back once the orderly arrives at the desk." Pausing, Sister Clarke looked from Duo to Heero and back again. When she next spoke, her voice was low. "I think he could do with a hug," she said to Duo, a knowing look on her face. "I'll close the blinds on the window to give you two some privacy. I'll also put a sign on the door to keep people out."

 

Duo's eyes widened in shock, then softened at the sister's understanding and acceptance. "How did you know?"

 

She smiled again. "The look in your eyes, your body language around him and the way you speak about him. Don't worry, I won't say anything and I don't condemn you either. Personally, I think it's sweet."

 

"Sister, I wish there were more open minded people like you," said Duo with a warm smile.

 

"The world might be a better place if people weren't so narrow minded and bigoted about a lot of things," she replied. "Go and be with him, he needs you. I'll knock when I come back with the orderly."

 

Before the sister could leave, Duo grabbed her hand and raised it to his lips. He kissed the back of it before letting it go. "Thank you, sister."

 

"You're welcome." Sister Clarke moved to the window and pulled the blind closed before exiting the room and leaving the pair alone.

 

Duo moved quickly back to the side of the bed and took Heero's hand in his own, his thumb caressed the back of it while his eyes gazed lovingly into Heero's. "How are you really feeling?"

 

"Like I went ten rounds with King Kong, and lost."

 

Duo chuckled. "If it's any consolation, you look like it too."

 

"Thanks a bunch."

 

Duo's voice turned serious as he leaned in close and placed a tender kiss to Heero's lips. "You scared the shit outta me, Heero. When Treize called and said you'd had a bad fall, well..." Duo's voice began to break as the tears filled his eyes again.

 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to be worried."

 

"Not your fault," Duo ground out, forcing the tears away. There would be time for that later, when he was home and didn't need to be strong for Heero.

 

"I don't remember what happened."

 

"What do you remember?"

 

"I was in the jumping paddock." Heero's brows knitted together as he scanned his memory for any scrap he could find. "I was working Taurus and we were doing some slightly harder courses on him. He went really well, clearing everything and listening to me as he should. The next thing I remember is waking up in the ambulance, although that's a bit foggy. My next clearest memory is being in here."

 

As Heero spoke, Duo moved closer, his hand still caressing Heero's while the other gently ran over Heero's forehead.

 

"What happened, Duo?"

 

That was what Duo had been dreading. He really didn't want to explain to Heero the circumstances of the fall and the resulting aftermath; Heero had a right to know though, but was this the right time to tell him? Duo had to do some quick thinking. How much did he tell Heero?

 

"Duo? Can you tell me what happened?" Heero's words were a little slow, his voice thick as the pre-med began to kick in.

 

"I don't really know all the details, Heero. Treize filled me in a little when I got to the stables just after the ambulance had left."

 

"Tell me what you can, it doesn't matter how much, but I have to know, Duo. It's driving me nuts here."

 

Duo swallowed and tried to comply with Heero's request without lying. "Treize told me that Taurus bolted, you tried to stop him, turn him, anything to bring him back under control, but Taurus didn't listen. He tried to jump the paddock gate and fell. You were thrown clear but hit the road and then a tree."

 

Heero closed his eyes for a moment, desperately searching his mind for any memory of the fall. He found nothing. "Why would Taurus have bolted though? He'd been working so well and listening to me. Something must have caused him to bolt and it would have had to be something pretty frightening." Heero voiced his thoughts. He'd been around horses long enough to know that they didn't bolt for no reason. And if Taurus had ignored every effort on Heero's part to stop him, as Duo said, then the horse must have been really spooked.

 

/Oh shit. How to explain this one?/ Duo could feel the anger rising again when he thought of Relena.

 

"Duo?" Heero could see the flare of rage in Duo's eyes. "What caused Taurus to bolt? And how is he?"

 

/Fuck, fuck and double fuck!/ With Heero due to go down to surgery very shortly, Duo didn't want him to be upset, but he couldn't see anyway out of the question. With a sigh he decided to tell Heero the truth, well, about Relena anyway and hopefully he could avoid answering the question about Taurus' health until Heero had gotten over his trip to the OR.

 

"You're hiding something," said Heero as he studied his lover's face.

 

Meeting Heero's eyes with his own, Duo began to explain what had happened. "Treize tells me that Relena was in the jumping paddock as well. She was watching you work Taurus. Apparently she got bored when you two went up to the far end of the paddock and she decided to follow you. Taurus didn't like the look of her coming up the paddock on her crutches."

 

"Aa."

 

"Mind you, I don't blame him for taking off at the sight of her. What creature in their right mind would want to hang around when that pink parasite is out and about? Just one look is enough to scare the spots of a leopard." Duo knew he was running off at the mouth, but he was trying to lighten the mood a little as well as distract Heero from Taurus and the horse's fate.

 

Heero wasn't fooled for a moment. He knew there was more to this than Duo was telling him and he wanted to know it all. Duo was evading the questions and Heero had to try and get him to spill somehow. "Taurus took fright at Relena?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"Duo?"

 

"Yes, Heero?"

 

"You said Taurus tried to jump the paddock gate and fell."

 

"Yeah, he did. You pitched over his shoulder and ended up against the trunk of a tree. I'd say that's what caused the fracture and dislocation."

 

"Duo? You haven't said what happened to Taurus."

 

/Shit!/ Duo knew he had to tell Heero, there was no avoiding it. Heero knew there was something up and like a dog with a bone, he wouldn't let go until he had the truth. "Taurus, he, he hit the ground pretty hard."

 

"And?"

 

"I didn't treat him, Treize called a vet from Oakford. I'm pretty sure it was Zechs who attended."

 

"Duo? I know you too well. There's no way you would have left a injured animal without doing something for it, regardless of whether or not you'd been called in to treat it. Please, tell me. I have to know, Duo."

 

Duo sighed and slumped. Moving closer to Heero, he kissed his boyfriend tenderly and then pulled back just a little. He couldn't look Heero in the eye. "When he connected with the ground his head must have hit the roadway. His muzzle was crushed in."

 

Heero gave a soft gasp.

 

"But that wasn't all. His forelegs, when he landed they didn't take his weight properly. He broke the left forearm bone, twisted it and severed the muscles in the upper forearm. He also had numerous lacerations to the hind legs."

 

"Oh god. What...?"

 

"I gave him a painkiller before I left to come here. Treize had called Oakford and as you know with the vet board code of practice, one vet cannot treat another vet's patient without permission from the other vet. As it was I was breaking the rules by giving him the painkiller." Duo hoped that Heero wouldn't ask any more questions, that he would leave it there and accept that Duo had left before Taurus had been treated and therefore wouldn't know what had happened as far as Taurus' fate was concerned.

 

Heero wasn't stupid. He had a pretty good idea of what would have happened to Taurus. Whether Duo knew the fate of the animal or not, he wasn't sure. Broken legs in horses were extremely difficult to treat, involving plaster casts, slings to keep the animal off the broken limb and a lot of time and effort. Even then there was no guarantee that the bone would heal and the horse would always be weak on that leg, that's assuming it didn't die from shock. For the shock reason alone most times the horse was put down. With Taurus being a showjumper a broken leg was the same as a death sentence.

 

"Do you know what happened to him?" Heero whispered.

 

Duo swallowed, Heero could see the pain in those violet eyes and knew his assumptions would be correct. He just needed Duo to confirm it. He decided to give the vet the easy way out.

 

"He's been put down, hasn't he?"

 

Duo slowly raised his eyes to meet Heero's. "Yes. There wouldn't have been anything anyone could have done for him, Heero. Not just the leg, but the muzzle too. It was the kindest thing to do." Duo's voice hitched as he spoke.

 

Heero lay in silence, mind churning. A soft sob escaped his lips. "He didn't deserve that," he breathed.

 

"I know," replied Duo and kissed his lover again. "I'm so sorry, Heero."

 

"That bitch."

 

"Huh?" Duo lifted his head a little and gazed curiously at Heero.

 

"Relena. This is all her fault. I've tried time and time again to tell her I'm not interested in her or her advances. It's her stupid obsession that's responsible for this," Heero snarled.

 

Duo took a step back for a moment. This was a side of Heero he very rarely saw. While he had his own reasons for hating Relena and knew his boyfriend wasn't keen on her either, he didn't think Heero would be this vengeful. "Heero, calm down. What's done is done, as horrible and sad as it is, we cannot change that."

 

"I know. And that's what hurts the most. She's going to get away with the death of a good horse."

 

"She won't get away with it, Heero."

 

Heero fixed his gaze back onto his boyfriend and noticed the anger in those violet eyes.

 

"Once I catch up with her I will be letting her know exactly what her actions have done. Not just to Taurus but to you too."

 

"Duo, remember one thing, it's twenty-five years for murder."

 

Duo shook his head, the anger leaving him momentarily. "What a time for you to get a sense of humor, Heero."

 

"I don't want to be separated from you, Duo. I don't think I could handle it if you were locked up, especially on account of that selfish woman."

 

"Don't worry. As much as I would love to slip her a dose of the green dream, I won't [1]. I do not make any apology though for thinking about it."

 

The knowledge of Taurus having had to be put down weighed heavily on Heero's mind and he wished he could remember exactly what had happened. Had he tried hard enough to stop the chestnut? Had he tried to turn him?

 

"Oh no, you don't, buddy." Duo could see the emotions flickering through Heero's eyes and knew exactly what was going on in his lover's head. "You did everything you could to stop that horse. This was not your fault, you couldn't stop him, even Treize couldn't have stopped him if what he said was true." Knowing that the orderly would be there to take Heero to the OR in a few minutes, Duo was determined that Heero wouldn't depart wondering if it was his fault.

 

Gently, careful of Heero's injuries and the drip, Duo squeezed himself onto the side of the small bed and wrapped his arms around Heero's bruised and battered frame. He held his lover close, whispering endearments into Heero's ear, stroking one hand softly against Heero's back and then kissing him.

 

***

 

Relena was getting angrier by the minute. So far she hadn't been able to come up with a way of finding out what was happening with her Heero. She was frustrated and majorly annoyed that a cheap vet should be Heero's next of kin. Heaving herself out of the chair again, she pushed the crutches under her arms and began to limp out towards the nurses' station. She needed to find a toilet. As she approached she couldn't help but pick up on the tail end of a conversation a nurse was having on the 'phone.

 

"...That's fine, send the orderly down now then. Come to the nurses' station first though, you will need to speak with Sister Clarke as she has all the details on Mr Yuy. Yes, the patient is in Trauma 2. Thank you." The nurse hung up and turned to Relena. "Can I help you?"

 

"Ah, yes. I need the bathroom."

 

"Just go down that corridor there, take the first right and the bathroom is half way down on the left."

 

"Thank you." Relena began to hobble away, her mind working overtime. Heero was in Trauma 2. As she moved down the corridor so she took note of the surroundings, reading the signs on the doors as she passed them. 'Drug Room', 'Doctors Lounge', 'Trauma 3'. She passed by each one searching for the one she wanted. Arriving at the first right, Relena turned and spotted the sign for the bathroom up ahead. Moving down the corridor she glanced from side to side.

 

Bingo.

 

Trauma 2.

 

She slowed her hobbling as she neared the door and then frowned when she noted the blind was closed. With the frown still in place she began to hobble towards the bathroom again. She really needed to go. She could stop at the trauma room on her way back and see how her Heero was doing.

 

Finished with the call of nature, Relena washed her hands and headed back out. As she approached the Trauma room she noticed that the blind wasn't completely closed in one spot. Not wanting to walk in on the wrong patient, Relena snuck up to the window and squinted as she peered inside.

 

Her jaw hit the floor.

 

Despite the small space she had to look through, she could clearly see what was happening inside that small room. Her Heero was lying prone on the hospital bed with that, that cheap, no good, two bit vet taking advantage of him!

 

Kissing him!

 

Her Heero!

 

Relena's rage swelled inside, completely blind to anything other than the fact that that long haired, creature was kissing her Heero. He was a male, dammit! One male shouldn't be kissing another male!

 

Relena's mind began to work overtime, twisting and turning what she had seen. She'd always known there was something funny about that vet. The fact that he had such long hair wasn't normal to start with, and now... He was a queer, a fairy, and he was corrupting her Heero!

 

Had Relena looked closer she would have seen Heero kissing back with just as much passion, noticed his lips working over Duo's neck, but no. She only saw what she wanted to see and that was Duo forcing himself and his faggot tendencies on her fiancé!

 

With a gasp, Relena pulled back from the window and pressed against the wall. The anger tore through her, rage bubbling inside. She had to save her Heero, had to stop that excuse for a male from corrupting her future husband, but how to do it?

 

The sounds of approaching people drew her back to the here and now and she looked around quickly for somewhere to hide. Remembering that the bathroom was just behind her, she quickly hobbled back to it and slipped inside. She kept the door open a crack and watched intently as a nursing sister and orderly stopped outside the trauma room and knocked.

 

* * *

 

Duo continued to kiss his lover, lips playing softly over Heero's as he did the only thing he could think of to ease Heero's pain and feeling of guilt. He didn't notice Relena peering through the crack in the blinds, his concentration was fixed solely on his partner. A soft knock to the door alerted him that Sister Clarke was back.

 

Reluctantly pulling away, Duo smoothed down the hospital blanket and then tugged his shirt into place. "Come in," he called softly.

 

Sister Clarke entered, followed by a cheerful looking man in blue scrubs. "It's time for Mr Yuy to go up to the OR," she said quietly.

 

"Okay."

 

With a warm smile, the sister moved to check Heero's vitals again, noting them down on his chart. "How are you feeling, Mr Yuy?"

 

"Groggy," replied Heero.

 

"Good. The pre-med is working. Sebastian here is going to take you up to the OR where the surgeons are waiting for you."

 

Sebastian gave a smile as he moved to the bed and checked that everything that should be attached was attached. He double checked he had the chart and anything else that needed to go up with the patient before releasing the brakes on the wheels.

 

Duo stepped forward as Sebastian prepared to wheel Heero from the trauma room. He rested his hand against Heero's cheek and leaned close to whisper in his ear. "I'll be right here waiting for you, Heero."

 

"Thanks. Duo?"

 

Duo leaned in closer.

 

"I love you."

"Love you too, Heero." Duo stepped back as Sebastian began to wheel Heero and the bed away.

 

As Heero departed so Duo let his facade drop. His shoulders slumped and an overwhelming tiredness swept over him. A gentle touch to his arm reminded him that Sister Clarke was still in the room.

 

"Duo? I have to finish up a couple of things relating to Mr Yuy and take them to the OR. I won't be long and as soon as I'm finished I'll come back down to get you and take you up to the OR waiting room."

 

"Thanks. I'll head out to the waiting room down here then and wait in there for you."

 

"Okay. I'll come and get you shortly." Sister Clarke left the trauma room and headed back out to the nurses' station and then the OR, leaving Duo alone for a few minutes to regain his composure.

 

Straightening himself up and taking a deep breath, Duo quickly smoothed down his shirt and ran a hand through his disheveled bangs. With a sigh he stepped towards the door and out into the corridor.

 

"You bastard."

 

~ * ~

 

tbc...

 

 

[1] Green dream: This is the slang term applied to the drug Lethabarb which is used to put animals to sleep.