Rebuilding | By : YojiKato Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 693 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing nor any of its characters. I only own the original characters. And nobody's paying me to write this. |
We'd been through countless trials and devastating tragedies. As I look back on it, I think we were probably much stronger during the war. Time, it seems, can apparently soften even the most hardened of warriors. I'd always thought of Wufei as probably the strongest of us. I'd seen him at his weakest, floundering and unsure if he even had the right to fight anymore. But he answered every one of his questions. Not in the way others might have, but he stayed true to himself.
Even seeing him then can't compare to his state now. Quiet doesn't begin to describe it. There was nothing we could do when the doctors discovered bleeding on Duo's brain. There's nothing to console Wufei as the days wear on and promises of Duo awakening have turned into fear of coma... or worse. I remember all I could offer him was a lukewarm, weak cup of coffee back during the war. I don't even have something so mundane as that to offer now.
******
Trowa set his laptop aside as Wufei swiped his hands down his face and covered a yawn. “Why don't you go home and get some sleep? I'll call if there's any change.”
Tired obsidian eyes glanced to him. “I can't just leave him.”
Ronnie pushed from her chair and rubbed Wufei's shoulders. “You won't do him any good when he does wake up if you're dead on your feet.”
Wufei looked to Duo's pale and bandaged face, tracing the back of his knuckles down a bruised cheek. “But-”
“Take it from someone who's been there,” Trowa said softly. “It'll hurt him worse to see you looking so bad when he wakes up.” He leaned his elbows on his knees. “And he will wake up, Wufei.”
He swallowed and sat back in the chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. “All right, but I'll only go for a few hours.” He stood. “You'll call.”
“Of course.” Trowa looked to Ronnie. “Why don't you drive him?”
She nodded and crossed to her husband, dropping a quick kiss to his forehead. “I need to pick Tami up from the babysitter anyway. See you later. Love you.”
Trowa smiled softly. “You, too.”
Wufei followed Ronnie silently to the car. He'd felt hot anger boil in his chest at first, but he hadn't been sure who to be mad at. Une for making him come back early from L2, himself for doing it, Duo for taking the jet without doing a proper check, or the airline for chartering it. If just one of those things had happened differently, Duo would be safe and well. He fell into the passenger seat and stared out the window. That anger had now dissipated into a weary fear and overbearing exhaustion.
“Do you want to stop and get something to eat?”
He shook his head. “I'm not hungry.”
Ronnie's brows drew together. “When was the last time you ate something?”
“It doesn't matter.”
She sighed. “Wufei-”
“Please, Ronnie, just take me home.” He spared her a look he hoped didn't look as hopeless as he felt before looking back out the window. The rest of the drive was made in silence and he was grateful when his apartment building came into view.
“Do you want me to come up?”
He cut his eyes to her. “Is that really a request? Or are you just forming it as one so I'll feel like I have a choice?”
She flushed slightly but raised her chin. “The guys just want to make sure you'll be okay.”
He huffed. “Whatever.” He got out of the car and went into the building without sparing her another glance. He didn't like being treated like a child who couldn't be trusted to be left alone. But the anger quickly dissipated as he stepped through the door and was assailed by reminders of Duo everywhere. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and kicked his shoes off as Ronnie followed him inside.
“I'm taking a shower,” he said quietly and disappeared inside the bedroom. He dropped his clothes in a line toward the bathroom and turned the water on as hot as it would go. He washed his hair, staring blankly at the wall as visions of Duo flitted through his mind's eye. He tried to keep hold of the ones with his lover bouncing around their apartment, his usual ball of energy; but it always rounded around to Duo lying in the hospital bed.
With clenched teeth, he finished his shower and got out, running a towel through his hair. His eyes fell on the wall with three different color streaks glaring at him. It became hard to catch his breath and he paused in towel drying his hair, crossing silently to the wall. He put his fingertips to the bright blue shade.
'It isn't going to give you a headache.'
'It's a childish color.'
Duo frowned. 'It is not. Bathrooms should be bright, especially when they're this small and don't have any windows.'
Wufei shook his head. Had that really only been a little over three weeks ago? It seemed more like a lifetime. He chewed his lip and grabbed the swatch of color out of the bathroom drawer; all but running back into their bedroom and getting dressed quickly. He moved out into the living room and Ronnie frowned.
“Where are you going?”
“Hardware store,” he answered shortly, grabbing his shoes from where he'd kicked them off and sitting on the sofa.
“Hardware store? For what?”
He held up the swatch with one hand as he stamped his foot into his shoe. “Paint.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I thought you wanted to get some rest?”
He released a slow breath and looked up to her. “No, everyone else wants me to rest. I want something to do. Duo will be happy if he comes home and the bathroom is done.”
She looked down at the swatch in his hand. “All right. Will you at least let me go with you?”
He grabbed his jacket. “If you want.”
******
Heero pursed his lips, leaning back slightly in his chair as he rested the phone between his ear and shoulder. “When did he start?” He glanced at the clock, lips forming an even thinner line. “Yeah, I'll swing by and pick up Quatre and head over... No, you're right... Okay, see you then.” He hung up and shut down his computer, pulling his cell from his pocket.
“Hey, I'm coming to pick you up.”
“Did we have plans tonight?”
“Not until now. I'll explain everything on the way over.”
Fifteen minutes later, Quatre and Heero were following Ronnie into Wufei and Duo's apartment. “He's been in there for two hours. He won't eat. He won't lie down. And he won't listen to me.”
Quatre leaned in the bathroom doorway, watching as Wufei ran the roller brush up and down the wall. All the normal wall pictures and towels were in a heap in the bathtub. The vent was going, but it was barely enough to tone down the reek of the paint fumes. But Wufei continued working as if his life depended on it.
“Wufei?”
His hand stilled momentarily. “What?”
“Why don't you take a break? Heero and I brought some food.”
Obsidian eyes glanced to him briefly. “I have to get this done.”
Quatre moved into the room and put a hand to Wufei's arm. “Not tonight,” he said gently.
Wufei clenched his jaw and ran the roller through the paint pan. “It'll need another coat and then I'll have to wait for it to dry before I can hang everything back up again.”
“Wufei-”
“I have to have it done before Duo comes home.”
“You have plenty of time,” Heero said from the doorway. “Come eat.”
He raked his eyes over the wall yet to be painted. “When I'm done with the first coat.”
Quatre sighed and gripped his arms. “You need to get out of here. The fumes are really strong.”
He jerked free of the blond. “Just leave me alone, Quatre! You know what it's like to need to do something.”
The blond nodded. “Yeah, I do. And I know what it's like to run yourself into the ground out of the need to keep busy. Take a break before you land yourself in the hospital next to Duo.”
The fight went out of him and he let the roller drop to the pan. “I almost lost him once and never knew it,” he whispered, remembering the file from the gay bashing his lover had received while Wufei was gone on a mission. He shivered and looked to Quatre. “I just... I want him home.”
Quatre's brows drew together and he pulled the Asian from the bathroom. “I know, Wufei.”
He sat on the sofa and took the bag and drink Heero held out to him. He ate half the chicken sandwich, which he was sure probably wasn't made out of cardboard, no matter what it tasted like. He dropped the half-eaten sandwich back in the bag and leaned his elbows on his knees, rubbing his face.
When the silence dragged on too long, he looked to the others, trying to think of something to say to distract himself. “When are you supposed to...” He frowned, not sure how to put it. “The baby?”
Ronnie chewed her lip. “The clinic called yesterday and wanted to schedule it for Thursday.”
He tilted his head to the side. “Wanted to?”
Quatre, Heero, and Ronnie exchanged glances and it was the blond who answered. “With everything going on, we weren't sure... We thought it might be best to wait.”
“For what? Duo will get mad if you do. When he wakes up, I'll sure he'll want to know...” He trailed off, eyes dropping to the floor as his mind returned to his last few moments with Duo.
'A... p-preggy... F-F-Fei... S-s-s-sounds... fun.'
Had that been a delirious joke, or did Duo really want to have children? That was something else Wufei was going to have to think about. If that's what Duo wanted, he hadn't lied when he said he'd give it to him. But that was something they'd never talked about. Wufei had just assumed that Duo felt the same way he did. That the two of them were enough.
“Wufei?”
He looked to Quatre. “Hm?”
“You spaced out. What is it?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. I was just thinking.” He stood. “I better get back to the bathroom.”
They watched him leave and Ronnie sighed. “He's really not handling this well.”
Quatre raked a hand through his hair. “We've all had to play this waiting game over the last year. I understand how he feels.”
Heero reached over and squeezed his lover's knee. “We came through it, they will, too.”
Ronnie nodded slowly. “True, but all of us knew what we were facing. Either Trowa got use of his hand back or he didn't. Either you got well or you didn't. With Duo, we don't know if he'll wake up. And if he does, we don't know if there will be brain damage or if he'll be able to walk again.”
Quatre's brows drew together. “The surgeon said it was likely he'd walk again.”
Heero folded his arms over his chest, grunting softly. “They also missed the bleeding on his brain.”
“It didn't show up on the scans until later,” Quatre reminded him. “You can't blame the doctors for that.” He began gathering up the bags and empty food containers and Ronnie glanced at her watch before standing.
“I need to go pick up Tami. If y'all need anything, give me a call.”
Quatre saw her to the door while Heero pushed to his feet and leaned into the bedroom far enough to see into the bathroom, sighing softly when he saw Wufei. The Chinese man was sitting on the floor in the bathroom, arms wrapped around his legs and forehead pressed to his knees. Heero knelt next to him and put an arm over the other Asian's shoulders.
“Duo's strong, Wufei. He'll make it through this.”
Wufei raised his chin to rest on his knees, gaze locked to the floor. “He is strong,” he said quietly. “I know that. He's lived through more than I can imagine. I'm the one who's weak. I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't come back to me like his normal self.”
Heero frowned. “You'll be there for him, just like he'd be there for you.”
He rubbed his forehead. “I don't know how to be strong for someone else.”
Heero grabbed Wufei's shoulders and waited for onyx eyes to meet his. “Do you love him?”
“Of course.”
“Then you'll do whatever it takes, be whatever he needs. I know it seems impossible right now, but you can't give up before you even start. Sometimes just being there is more important than anything else you can do. Surely you can do that.”
Wufei swallowed. “I will.”
Heero smiled weakly. “There's nothing wrong with being scared, but don't let it overwhelm you. You're not alone. We're all here to help, no matter what happens.”
He nodded. “Thank you, Heero.”
******
Trowa stretched his arms over his head, covering a yawn. He stood and paced the room a moment to stretch his legs before sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. “You planning on waking up anytime soon?” he asked quietly.
The only answer was the steady rise and fall of Duo's chest in time with the respirator. “Wufei doesn't know what to do without you, you know. I think you gave him a reason for living outside of Preventers.”
He cleared his throat. “He needs you... We all do.”
“How's our patient this evening?”
Trowa stood as the night nurse came in. “Good evening, Melanie.”
She smiled and hooked the blood pressure cuff to Duo's arm. “Evening, Mr. Barton. How's that lovely wife of yours?”
“Doing good. She managed to get Wufei out of here to get some rest earlier.”
The nurse nodded as she continued marking down Duo's vitals. “You're a lucky young man, Mr. Maxwell, to have such loving friends and family.” She cut her eyes to Trowa. “He can hear you, you know. So keep talking to him. It may not seem like it, but it does help.”
Trowa looked down to Duo, throat tight. “How can you be sure?”
She shook her head. “Now, now, sweetheart. It's way too early to be giving up, yet. This one here is a fighter. Anyone with eyes in their head can see that.”
Trowa couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him. “That he is.”
She smiled fondly and patted Trowa's cheek. “See that the rest of you keep up the fight, too. Or I'm sure he'll have words for you when he wakes up. Right?”
“Probably. Duo's never had a problem speaking his mind.”
She tilted her head slightly. “Have you ever sat at someone's bedside before?”
He nodded. “Quite a few times.”
“But never his.”
Trowa took a breath and shook his head. “There's only been one time before that we know of when he was badly injured.” His brows drew together. “And none of us knew,” he finished softly. “He wouldn't let anyone tell us.”
She looked back down to Duo's pale face. “He's one of those that likes being the center of attention when it's fun, but doesn't like anyone fussing over him, yes?”
He nodded. “Pretty much.”
She squeezed Trowa's shoulder. “Like I said earlier, he's strong. I'm sure he'll come through and be lighting up your lives again in no time.”
“I hope so,” Trowa whispered. “I really hope so.”
TBC...
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