Blood, Sweat and Tears Part 17
Duo took a seat at one end of the long couch as Noin took the other end. There was a steaming teapot and two mugs atop the table beside them. Reaching to pour the brew into one of the cups, the young woman smiled, "I want to start this meeting by saying that everything that we discuss will stay between us. I may be Zechs's wife, but I'm here to be a confidant to you and your teammates and I will not break that trust."
Easing a bit at those sincere words, Duo accepted the mug handed to him with a grinned, "Thank you, Noin. I was glad to hear that Dorothy hired you for this job. I can't think of anyone who would be better at it."
Her eyes brightening at that, the young woman lowered his head in a respectful bow and smiled, "I appreciate that." Taking a sip from her own mug, she lowered it back down to meet her guest's violet eyes and folded her hands in her lap. "Now, how can I help you?"
With a deep breath, the running back lowered his own mug and began, "Well, I know how important practices are going to be from here on out with the pre-season right around the corner." He chewed on the inside of his lip nervously before stating, "But something's come up that would make it difficult for me to make tomorrow's practice."
Noin's eyes widened in concern. "Is it a family emergency?" she asked.
"Not... exactly," Duo winced. Quickly choosing his words, he added quickly, "But, I came to you because it is something that only another parent would understand." Ducking his braided head, he closed his eyes tightly in fear of what the reaction would be.
Gasping widely, the administrator' s eyes grew and blinked. "A-another parent?" she whispered in disbelief. Shaking her head, she frowned, "I'm afraid I don't understand."
Leaning forward a bit, the football player explained, "I've been a foster parent to eight children for the last two years. A judge has declared me fit to become their legal guardian through adoption when I turn twenty-one this coming February."
The wind seemed to be knocked from Noin's lungs. When she was finally able to catch her breath, he managed weakly, "How... how on earth have you managed to keep something like that a secret?"
"Quatre and two childhood friends of mine are the only other people that know about this," Duo stated as he played with the end of his braid nervously. "I know what kind of media frenzy something like this would cause and I don't want the kids involved in that. Even I have a hard time handling the press sometimes."
Numbly, the young woman nodded, "Yes, of course. Children have enough to worry about as it is. And those vultures that call themselves reporters would have a field day if word ever got around." The shock of the revelation began to clear and she smiled warmly, "Do you have any pictures?"
Quick to return the smile, Duo reached into his back jeans pocket to remove his wallet. "Never leave home without them," he chuckled deeply. Opening his wallet, he pulled out a small, electronic display. Noin moved in close for a good look at the screen as the images were paged through.
The first image to appear was a family shot with the braided athlete in the center and his children surrounding him. Pointing to each of the little ones, Duo went down the names. Using the paging buttons, he went through the slideshow of pictures he had saved. Transfixed, the short-haired administrator shook her head in wonder as her smile grew.
At the end of the display, Noin sat back and appraised the young man before her in a whole new light. The pride and love that he had for his children was evident. "Whatever made you want to become a parent so young?" she inquired.
Braid back in his hands, Duo replied, "I was adopted, myself, just before high school, so I know how hard it can be to never know where you're going to be from one day to the next." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and shrugged, "It only seemed right to be part of the solution when I was able to help. Solo and Hilde helped me track down a couple of tough cases. Before I knew it, I had eight kids to look after and I couldn't turn any of them down."
His eyes losing focus as his head lowered, the American all but whispered, "They've all seen some pretty rough times. No kid should have to go through the things they have."
There was a pain in his voice that could have only come through his own personal experience, Noin realized quickly. Not wanting to force him down a road that he might be uncomfortable with, she decided to change the subject. "Well, they're all beautiful children, Duo," she told him quietly as she reached for his hand to squeeze it. "And they're very lucky to have you looking out for them. I think it's wonderful that you're doing this."
Brought back to the present, the running back blinked his eyes and focused back on his coach's wife. Returning the smile and squeeze, he didn't trust his voice at that moment. Instead, he nodded firmly in appreciation and cleared the lump from his throat.
Noin pulled her hand back and inquired, "Now, I believe you were mentioning something that came up with your family."
"Oh!" Duo grinned sheepishly at recalling his initial reason for their meeting. "Flora's freshman year is up by the end of this week. She plays in her school band and their last concert is tomorrow night. I'm not one to miss out on any of their games or events when I can help it." To seal the deal, he rushed, "If I could just have tomorrow off, I promise that I'll be back in plenty of time for Wednesday's practice."
Shaking her head, the young woman told him, "Nonsense. Take the rest of the week off and enjoy more than a long weekend with your family for a change." Noin's eyes shimmered with mischief as she smirked, "And don't worry about Zechs. He won't have a problem with you taking a much-needed vacation."
Taken aback by the offer, Duo's violet eyes widened. "A-are you sure?" he stammered. "It's really no trouble to get back here if there is any trouble. I mean, with pre-season not far from now, I know that-"
Waving her hand to stop him short, Noin reassured him, "It won't be any trouble. You need to be with your children. That's far more important that anything else." She tilted her head and winked, "As parents, we both know that. I promise you that there will not be any trouble in your spending the time away."
Unable to help himself, the running back lunged forward to hug her tightly. "Thank you," was all that he could manage.
Chuckling deeply, Noin returned the embrace and smiled, "You're welcome." As they pulled back, she raised a finger and jokingly ordered, "But I want you back fresh and ready to work hard next Monday. Don't think that because of this break you're allowed to slack off from here on out."
His braid swinging with his laughter, the American saluted, "Yes, ma'am." Rising from the sofa, he looked to his watch and whistled through his teeth. "I'd better get going soon if I want to make the last flight out tonight," he thought aloud.
The administrator rose to her own feet and nodded, "Go on. I'll pass the word on to Zechs. And Dorothy entrusted me with decisions like these, so she won't question it when she returns from her meetings later this week."
She reached out for her guest's hand and squeezed it once more. "Thank you very much for sharing this with me, Duo. I'm honored to have your trust and I promise that your secret will stay safe with me. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask." Gently kissing her cheek, Duo said quietly, "I won't." Squeezing her hand gratitude, he winked and followed as she led the way to the front door.
With a wide smile, Noin saw him out and wished him a safe flight. Closing the door after the running back, she sighed deeply. She shook her head in amusement over the thought of the well-known trouble making running back being an adoptive father. "Wonders never cease," she grinned to herself as she headed down the hallway.
Opening the door to the study, Noin stepped in to find her husband and their children sitting together on the couch before the television set. The head coach looked up to her and smiled lovingly. "So, how did it go?" he asked.
"Just fine," his wife replied. Settling onto the couch with their boys curling up to her, she kissed his cheek and said simply, "I gave Duo permission to miss practice for the rest of the week."
Zechs's eyes widened at the announcement, but he soon recovered. While he was hoping to have all of his first-stringers at practice for the next few weeks, he knew that the running back was still one of his strongest players on the team. A few days off wasn't going to hurt him on the field in any way. Not to mention the fact that he was in Duo's debt. If he needed some time off, he would have it.
What was more, he was not about to question his wife's decision. Instead, he just smirked and nodded firmly, "All right. You're the boss."
Leaning up against him, Noin giggled, "Good. I knew you would finally figure that much out." Zechs's head fell back as he laughed.
* * * * * *
Heero was had just finished cleaning up after his evening training in the gym when he found Duo, Quatre and Lady Une at the front door with two suitcases standing by. As the two childhood friends shared a quick hug, the agent requested quietly, "Tell the family that I say 'hello.'"
Tilting his head as he neared, the quarterback repeated, "Family?"
He looked to the suitcases and frowned, "You're going home tonight?" Duo turned to him with a sheepish smile. "Yea. Sorry for not saying something sooner, but I wasn't sure I'd be granted leave," he explained. "I have some family things that I need to take care of. Nothing too major, it's just that they need me right now."
His cobalt eyes blinking owlishly, Heero answered with a surprised, "Oh." Quickly getting over the initial surprise of the news, he gave a small grin and extended his hand with a friendly, "Well, have a safe trip, then."
The running back's smile grew at that and he shook the offered hand firmly. "Thanks, man. I'll see you all again Sunday night." Just behind him, Quatre and Lady Une shared amused and pleased smirks in seeing once more how far their friends had come.
When the handshake ended, the young maid moved forward to kiss the braided youth's cheek and requested, "Let us know as soon as you get into Chicago. You know that Quatre and I will be staying up until we know that you're back safely."
Chuckling deeply, Duo nodded, "I will. Thanks, Lady Une." After fastening the sunglasses at the top of his head securely, he bent at the waist to take up his suitcases. Quatre held the door open for him as he stepped out into the warm evening air.
Overhead, the stars began to shine through the darkening skies that late-June night. In the distant west, the lights of Pittsburgh rose over the hillside. Dozens of fireflies twinkled throughout the grounds as Duo headed down the white cobblestone path weaving through the long front lawn. The small lampposts at either side of the walkway began to burn at the fading natural light.
Just as he was about to reach the garage, the braided athlete froze when he heard his name called. Looking over his shoulder, he watched as Heero ran towards him. "Hey," the quarterback began as he came to a halt just before his teammate. "When you get back, maybe we could work together on that catching problem of yours on our own time."
Stunned, Duo's eyes widened. "Really?" he managed in barely a whisper. It was difficult for him to believe that he actually heard his housemate correctly.
Heero shrugged, "Why not? Teammates look out for each other, right? We'll talk about it more when you get back."
"Yea," the running back replied with a wide grin. Quickly lowering his bags, he held out his right hand with a sincere, "Thanks, 'Ro." An unexpected lump formed in his throat that he swallowed past roughly. "No one has ever offered to help me with that," he commented.
Lowering his braided head, Duo frowned deeply and muttered, "Actually, not many people have ever offered to help me with anything before." He nearly jumped when a strong hand gripped his own to shake it firmly. When he looked up, he found a warm smile and bright cobalt eyes.
With a deep breath, Heero commented, "Maybe it's because not many people have had the chance to see the real you." Chuckling deeply, he added, "And it doesn't hurt to swallow your pride from time to ask for help in the first place."
Duo laughed, "I guess that does kind of make of difference." Reluctantly releasing the quarterback' s hand, he sighed quietly. "Well, I better get going," he announced with a forced smile as he took up his luggage once more.
Grabbing one of the bags, the team captain and led the way to the garage. The running back followed and gladly accepted the assistance in packing his car. Once the cases were sealed in the trunk, Heero gave a friendly pat to his housemate's shoulder. "Take care," he said quietly.
"You too," Duo answered. "Tell the others to take it easy on Terry. Lord knows that the last thing we need is having him panic if he's ever needed during the regular season. This week might be just might give him the boost in confidence he needs."
Heero smirked, "You got it. See you on Sunday." That said, he waved and headed out of the garage.
Shaking his head as he opened the driver door, the running back chuckled deeply, "Wonders never cease."
* * * * * *
After a long night's sleep Flora blinked her brown eyes open. Checking her alarm clock beside her bed, she sighed deeply and stretched her arms over her head. She reached over to flip the alarm button before it went off in two more minutes. Pushing herself out of bed, she went over to her little sisters and started waking them up for another day of school.
Before long, the two upper floors of the converted apartment complex was crawling with youngsters as they washed up and did their morning routines. Together, the lot made their way down to the ground level. The smell of eggs, bacon along with an array of other breakfast foods filled the air as it always did at this time of the day. When they reached the dining room, however, something was drastically different.
At the string of hot pans stationed at the counters of the adjoined kitchen, Duo was working along with Solo and Hilde. Spotting his wide-eyed children, the running back grinned widely, "Good morning." The youngest of the group cheered and ran to their guardian.
Chuckling deeply, the braided young man scooped as many up at a time as he could with kisses and tight hugs. After greeting each of the smallest kids, he clapped his hands together and told them, "Get your plates. We have a half-hour before we have to get you all to school."
Much more awake than they had been before entering the room, the little ones gave affirmatives and did as asked. Solo and Hilde began filling each plate that passed with bright smiles of their own.
Tears filled Flora's eyes as she approached her foster parent along with Marcus and Tai. "You made it," she whispered brokenly.
Wrapping his arms around her, Duo replied, "I promised I would." As he pulled back, he gently wiped a stray tear from his daughter's cheek and winked, "I told you that I wouldn't miss your concert for the world." Flora giggled as he kissed her forehead and gently urged her to get something to eat.
Marcus and Tai, being the oldest at thirteen and the 'men' of the kids, welcomed their 'father' with one-armed hugs and firm handshakes. It was evident in their faces, however, that they were just as thrilled as the others to have him back home.
"And the two of you are coming to the concert tonight, too," Duo ordered. Before either of them could groan or argue he held up a finger and reminded, "We're a family and we support each other. Flora's come to every one of your baseball and football games."
Smirking, the boys nodded and gave their affirmatives before grabbing a plate. "I just hope that this thing isn't too lame," Marcus commented. Looking over her shoulder to her older brothers, Flora stuck her tongue out. Duo just shook his head and laughed.
It was great to be home.
* * * * * *
At the end of the concert that night, Duo was waiting with his whole family in the back of the high school gymnasium. His braid tucked up in the baseball cap that he was wearing and shades to hide his violet eyes, he smiled proudly when Flora finally managed to push through the crowd to reach him.
Handing over the wrapped, red roses that he'd been holding, he hugged her tightly and said, "You were great, kiddo."
"Thank you, dad," she grinned as she returned the embrace. Taking a good whiff of the flowers, she beamed with excitement.
Marcus neared with a shrugged, "That actually wasn't as lame as I thought it'd be." He laughed when his sister lightly hit him with her flute case.
"All right, all right," Duo snickered. "Let's get ready to go out to dinner to celebrate." His lot looked up to him with wide eyes. Tai frowned, "But don't you have a flight so you can be at practice tomorrow?"
His smile widening, the running back shook his head, "Nope. I'm home 'til Sunday." Elated, the youngsters cheered and cried as they all but tackled him to the ground. Lost in the midst of the group hug, Duo just laughed and returned as many hugs as he could.
'Yea,' he thought to himself, 'it's great to be home.'
TBC...
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