Life Goes On Part 1

Heero paced anxiously in the hospital waiting room. Duo was still unconscious when he'd rushed him to the ER. What with living in their own apartment more than three hours out of their hometown, he did not want to wait for Sally to arrive to check on his braided lover. However, he did contact her as soon as the neko was taken in to be examined. She was the only person that he trusted when it came to Duo's health, but this was something that needed to be looked into right away.

A 'Nurse Judy'. revealed by her nametag, stepped into the room with a concerned frown on her face. "Mister Yuy," she began, worrying her hands before her blue-splattered scrubs. Swallowing hard, Heero nodded firmly for her to continue. "Someone from within alerted the media of Mister's Maxwell bring admitted. There are several reporters and cameramen outside."

"Damn it," Heero hissed through his clenched teeth. "When will they learn to just leave him the hell alone?" It had been almost two years since the trial with the Supreme Justices whom declared that Duo be treated the same as any human being. But, that did not mean that he had the same freedoms when it came to the press. Being the only neko in existence, the violet-eyed boy had become quite the interest story. No doubt hearing that he was rushed to the ER was something they found important enough to stick their noses in.

The heavy-set nurse lowered her brown eyes and said quietly, "We're still trying to find out who leaked the information. I am very sorry for the inconvenience."

Forcing a smile for her sake, Heero reassured her, "It's not your fault. Thank you for warning me. My mother is on the way, so she'll be able to handle them." The blonde nurse brightened at that, smiling a bit and nodding her own head before quickly leaving the room.

Alone again, Heero sighed deeply to himself and sunk into one of the plush chairs. After all of the precautions he had made to be sure that they weren't seen. 'Oh well,' he thought to himself. After calling Sally, he contacted his mother along with Zechs and Noin immediately after with the news of Duo's collapse. Knowing that his parents were on the way put him at ease with the issue with the press. His mother always did have a way with them.

*   *   *   *   *   *

His head hurt.

Even before he opened his eyes, it was the first thing that Duo noticed as he clawed his way back to the world of the living. Blinking his violet eyes open, he winced at how bright the white walls around him were with the florescent lighting. When he finally managed to gaze around the room after the rush of pain, he gasped nervously at finding himself in a strange bed and strange room filled with different pieces of equipment. Some of those machines he recognized from the lab where Dekim enslaved and tortured him.

Crying out, Duo frantically tried to remove the drip needle from his right inner elbow while moving from the bed. Surprised at how weak he was, he found removing the medical tape more challenging than it should have been. Desperate, he used the long nails of his left hand to start scratching away the material. Ignoring the pain and blood from his efforts, he was only one strip away when the front door opened.

The tall, ginger-haired doctor that entered gasped sharply at the sight of the neko scratching his arm. "Mister Maxwell," he cried, "Stop!" Running forward, he quickly gripped the frightened boy's arms and held them down, forcing him back into the bed.

"Let me go!" Duo sobbed through tears that ran down his face. "Please! Don't hurt me anymore!" His brown ears lowered sadly in his weak attempt to wiggle himself free from the tight grip on him. He whimpered, "I don't want to die."

His own eyes widening at the plea, the white-coated doctor stiffened. Behind him, the door flew open once more as Nurse Judy's voice filled the air, yelling, "Mister Yuy, you can't just come in here without being told-!"

Any further protest was stopped when the Japanese teen pushed the doctor aside so that he could sit beside the frantic patient. Cupping the damp, heart-shaped face in his hands, Heero urged, "Duo, it's all right. It's me, Heero."

Instantly, recognition filled those wide and shimmering violet eyes. In little more than a breath, Duo whispered, "Heero?" When the unruly-haired boy nodded, he all but collapsed against him, clutching onto the front of his shirt desperately as he whispered through his sobs, "Heero... Oh, Heero, I was so scared." Even his brown tail moved to wrap tightly around his lover's arm as his bleeding arm stained the front of the other youth's shirt.

Rocking the smaller boy as he held on tightly, Heero soothed, "Shhh. It's all right now, love. I'm here." He didn't care that there were others around. His best friend needed him there and he was going to give him whatever comfort he could.

Silently cursing himself for not thinking ahead that Duo would panic at waking alone in such a room, Heero kissed the top of his love's braided head while fighting his own tears. "You don't need to be afraid now," he promised softly, his voice cracking, "I swear I won't let anything hurt you."

Taken aback at how quickly his patient had broken from his terrified state, the doctor straightened and readjusted his white coat and turned to the nurse at is side. "Nurse Judy," he addressed calmly, "Please get some swabs and disposable stitches so that I may tend to Mister Maxwell's arm."

Quickly nodding, the blonde woman replied, "Yes, Doctor." That said, she all but ran from the room to see about carry out her orders.

Drawing a deep breath, the ginger-haired man turned to the pair sitting on the bed cleared his throat. When both young men looked up at him, he removed a small cloth from his pocket and smiled, "Sorry to interrupt, but I do need to inspect that wound."

Only then aware of the blood seeping into his shirt when he looked down, Heero gasped, "Gods, Duo." Gently taking the shaking neko's arm into his hands, he turned it to reveal the deep scratches in the pale skin of the inner elbow. Paling at the sight, the art student fought back the tears that threatened to fill his eyes once more. Quietly, the doctor pulled up a chair to work in.

With a small whimper, Duo's ears drooped as he buried his head back into his lover's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispered brokenly. "I... I thought they caught me again." Looking up from his efforts in cleaning the deep lines, the doctor frowned deeply at the scared boy. Carefully, he removed the needle for the drip for a better inspection.

"Hush," Heero managed, lightly rocking him again while rubbing his good arm for warmth. "No need to be sorry. We just want to take care of you." He could feel the braided head nod against his shoulder.

Nodding, the doctor straightened while holding the reddening cloth against his patient's arm for pressure. The nurse reappeared with the stitching equipment. "Nothing vital was damaged, so that's a good thing," the tall man thought aloud. Quickly taking up the needle and dissolvable stitches, he dismissed 'Nurse Judy' and went to his work.

All the while, Heero continued to hold the trembling boy in his arms, whispering reassurances. Still coming out of his shock, Duo never felt the stitching process. Satisfied that the gashes were properly closed where needed, the doctor placed a large, square padding over the lines and taped it in place.

Slowly looking over to the tall man, Heero sighed deeply, "Duo's never been in a hospital room before. He's only been treated by our friend, Sally Po. And the rooms similar to this that he has been in have been... less than pleasant for him. I never gave it a thought that he might panic like this."

"I see," the doctor grinned. "Well, no real harm done." Straightening himself, he rose from the chair and asked, "Is this Sally on her way here? I do have several questions and if she knows of Mister Maxwell's medical history, she would be more apt to help me find out the reason for his collapse."

Heero nodded, "She should be here in the hour. And thank you, Doctor..."

"Kushrenada, but you may simply call me Treize," the tall man smiled. Focusing on the smaller teenager that peered at him through long chestnut bangs, he stated, "The good news is that I can't find anything from the tests we've run suggesting that anything serious is wrong. Other than some minor dehydration and possible stress exertion, I can't find the reason to your collapse."

Gently pulling away from his partner to brush his bangs back, Heero frowned deeply, "These last couple weeks, he has been pushing himself pretty hard to get his last projects done before the break. He's worked into the early morning most days and skipped a few meals that he tried to cover up." Duo blushed and lowered his head, only for his chin to be caught in his lover's hand and lifted. "I'm not mad, Duo," he said softly. "I'm just worried."

Nodding, Treize thought aloud, "That certainly would explain a collapse. One only passes out when the body is sending off a warning that in some way it needs attention. That attention could mean anything from emergency medical to something as simple as rest. I've no reason to believe that this case is one of a grave nature. However, I would like to compare notes with Miss Po when she arrives just to make sure."

The relief flooding him, Heero held onto Duo once more and sighed deeply. "Thank you, Doc- Treize," he corrected himself with a small grin, "That certainly is good to hear."

Swallowing hard, Duo finally raised his head to meet the friendly eyes watching him and said quietly, "Sorry for how I acted back there."

With a deep chuckle, Treize gently patted the boy's shoulder and reassured him, "No need for apologies, young man. It's quite all right. I will take my leave to give you both some privacy while we wait for Miss Po." At that, he turned and slipped from the room.

Once they were alone once more, Heero allowed a few tears that he'd been holding back to fall as he held up the injured arm. Lightly kissing the skin just below the taped bandage, he whispered, "I'm so sorry. I should have thought better than to have you wake up alone in here."

Shaking his braided head, Duo replied, "Don't be sorry. You couldn't have known. And you were just taking care of me by bringing me here." He blushed, "I'm the one who cut my arm up by reacting so badly. But, it's all right now."

Unable to keep himself from smiling, Heero nodded, "Of course. It's over now, so we just move on." Lightly cupping the side of the neko's face, he asked, "How are you feeling? Gods, you scared the life out of me back at the apartment."

Purring and leaning into the touch, Duo answered, "I feel fine now. Like I just had a good nap." He straightened to gaze around the room for a clock and asked, "How long had I been out?"

"Over two hours," Heero responded. "If the doctor hasn't found anything wrong, then I doubt Sally will be able to either. And I was right in pestering you to take it easier these last couple weeks." he finished with a raised eyebrow.

Duo pouted, "But I want to do well in my classes. And I love learning, you know that."

The Japanese teen chuckled deeply at that. When it came to his partner, everyone knew that the cat-eared teenager was a sponge when it came to learning new things. He never could get enough.

Gently kissing the smaller boys forehead, Heero urged gently, "Well, just lie down and try to get some more rest. Our parents and Sally will be here soon and I'll stay right here for when you wake up again."

Yawning widely, Duo sighed, "'K." Despite how much better he felt after sleeping for a short bit, he did have to admit to himself that he was still quite tired. Slowly easing himself back to lie down on the mattress, he watched as Heero took the chair beside the bed.

Heero reached up to lightly hold onto his love's hand. Squeezing it, he whispered, "I love you, Duo. Rest now."

Another wide yawn and Duo's tail returned to wrap lightly around his lover's arm. "Love you, too," he muttered as his eyes drifted closed. Before long, his breathing evened and came out in a soft rumble of purring.

Resting his head on the side of the bed, Heero watched the neko sleep peacefully until the sound of his peaceful breathing lulled him away. As they slept, their hands remained joined and Duo's tail stayed wrapped around his charge's arm.

*   *   *   *   *   *

"Damned vultures," Danielle hissed as Trent pulled their car into the hospital drop-off point by the front doors. Her cobalt eyes glaring at the many reporters and cameramen lined up just outside the building, she shook her head, "They have to get their noses into everything."

In the back seat, Noin, Zechs and Sally wearily peered out of the tinted windows to the mob that awaited them. Biting her lip, the retired maid frowned deeply, "I was hoping that we wouldn't have to deal with them at a time like this. I just want to make sure that Duo's all right." Her husband wrapped a supportive arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his side.

Danielle peered over her shoulder and smirked, "You won't have to deal with them. I'll take care of it." Looking over to her own husband at the wheel, she asked, "Please drop me off here, hon."

Trent peered out of the corner of his eye and grinned, "Be good." Slowing the car, he brought it to a stop just outside the main doors and right in the middle of the crowd rushing close to see who was arriving.

A red eyebrow raised over a cobalt eye as Danielle smiled, "Of course." Opening her door, she stepped out amid a lightning storm of flashing bulbs. Several voices groaned deeply at seeing the infamous owner of the most prominent law firm in space. Closing the door after her just before the car pulled ahead to the parking area, the young woman grinned from ear-to-ear, "Why if it isn't my favorite group of busybodies. Where's the fire?"

Snorting without any humor on her face, the reporter closest to her held her microphone close to the red-head's mouth. "What do you know of Duo Maxwell's condition? We were advised that he was rushed here unconscious by your son."

That opened the door to a whirlwind of further questioning from the other press representatives that pressed forward to get their own microphones close. "Is there a chance that..."

At least a dozen video cameras flashed their lights in the retired lawyer's direction while their owners focused their lenses. Nodding, Danielle announced, "It is true that my son brought Mister Maxwell here for medical attention. I do not know the nature for his collapse, nor would I share that information with you if I did. This is a personal matter and it will stay that way."

A glare fixed on her face, she brushed back a few thick red ringlets and folded her arms. "Otherwise I will find a way to see that your networks are sued for the undue stress that your presence has caused him and his family," she warned. "Every one of you knows that I have studied the law down to the very last letter and I will make it happen."

"So," Danielle smiled sweetly, folding her arms behind her back. "Any further questions?" The wide-eyed mob before her broke from their tense shock and quickly moved out while muttering to themselves and each other of other news leads to follow up.

Once the area was cleared, the redhead smirked and shook her head in amusement, "I've still got it."

TBC...

 

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