[Sequel to: "Deadly Secrets" Book 2 of the "Secrets" Arc]
Author: Enigma
Written: September, 2000
Rating: R
Pairings: (1+2) (3+4) (5+S)
Category: Angst, AU, shonen ai
Warnings: Angst, AU, graphic depiction of surgical procedures, shonen ai, sap, OOC
DISCLAIMERS: I don't own any of the Gundam Wing Universe (but I wish I did) or any other anime characters I use here, just the parts of this story and some characters that are new are truly mine [especially the little girl, she's *my* daughter after all!]. Obviously, I also don't own Blue Oyster Cult or the rights to their lyrics. Please don't sue me, it would be like trying to get blood from a rutabaga (bet you thought I'd say 'turnip', right?).
NOTE: Timeframe---after the war has ended and the Gundams were destroyed.


No Time For Secrets
Part 10



An orderly was cleaning up the blood from where Laurel had fallen and the emergency room slowly returned to normal.

With Mitsu's help, Joe had been infinitely gentle giving Laurel an anesthetic and then setting about the task of cleaning and closing her wound. He looked over at his fiancée with a look of utter despair. "Mitsu-chan, how will I ever be able to forgive myself for ordering live ammunition in an emergency room, for God's sake?"

"Koibito," she looked at him sadly, "there was no way you could have known what was going to happen. It wasn't your fault."

"But *she* knew it would happen! She even *arranged* for it to happen the way it did; Heero's friends are certain of it. They said she hadn't told any of them of this aspect of what happened and I strongly suspect Heero didn't know either. He never even turned around, I'm certain he has no idea she's badly injured, and she did it for him!" Applying a last layer of antibiotic cream to augment the mixture of antibiotics in the IV which was now in place on her tiny left arm and bandaging the wound, Joe leaned back and closed his eyes. "She's only 7 years-old, an orphan, and now she's been shot! Why, Lord, why would you allow this to happen?" He looked upwards in supplication.

"Because it *had* to happen," a low voice came from behind him. He turned to see Wufei standing there, his arm already encased in a cast much like the tiny sleeping girl still clutching her toy kitten.

"How do you know that?" Joe asked wearily. He hadn't worked a double-shift in years and he was ready to drop.

"I know that because the child is clairvoyant. Long before the news about Duo came, she told me his heart was irreparably damaged and that I would have a broken arm." He paused to glance at Sally who had unconsciously wrapped an arm around his waist; who was supporting whom was unclear, but he didn't try to dislodge it. Actually, to his surprise it felt good, even right somehow.

"Perhaps you are right. She seemed to have a reason for naming such a sweet toy a name with such a horrible meaning. The fact that it was a keyword Heero would react to instinctively seems to support the idea she had indeed planned it out. I just don't know why." Joe shook his head sadly, guilt and remorse in his eyes.

"Oh, Wufei's right, you know," Quatre, still pale and shaking a bit, stated joining the small group and looking fondly at Laurel. "She told Wufei that he shouldn't be angry with Heero for what happened. I'm certain she would tell you to stop blaming yourself for what happened to her; she couldn't warn you like she did Wufei because it would have changed the apparently necessary events. Somehow destiny speaks to this small child and she, in turn, is brave enough to face what must be done." Trowa moved closer to him fearing he might be needed by his lover.

Quatre, however, was looking down at Laurel, asleep thanks to painkillers and anesthetic. He gently touched her face with a look of protectiveness as well as something close to possessiveness for the child who had already stated that she would be his daughter. Amazed at his feelings for the girl, he looked to Trowa and saw the same emotions in his eyes as well.

"Yes," added Wufei with a touch of awe on his face, "she even told me she knew about the bus accident and the role she had to play in order to save the children on board. Whatever the source of her knowledge, she seems to know much more than we do about certain events yet still has the ability to accept the dangerous consequences without hesitation. If only all people could be so courageous."

Sally added her second arm to the first and hugged Wufei tightly to her to reassure herself that he, too, would recover quickly. Reluctantly, she loosened her hold slightly as he turned his head to her as if asking her a question silently. "No, Wufei, she didn't give me any 'messages' but I'm relieved she told you about Heero's actions in advance. It won't heal your arm any quicker, but at least there is no useless anger; for *either* of us."

"Actually, Sally," Wufei's face showed a strange mixture of confusion and contentment. "She gave *me* a 'message' about you. I wonder if it is true as well?"

"Really? What was it?" Sally looked intrigued.

Wufei smirked and wound his uninjured arm around her waist. "She told me, and I quote, 'Dr. Sally likes you bunches'. Is this perhaps true, Dr. Po?"

Blushing suddenly, Sally looked at the floor. Wufei tightened his arm a bit, prodding her to answer. "Well, Wufei, um, you know, um, well. Aw hell!" She cursed in a most unladylike manner. "Yes, Mr. Chang Wufei, I *do* 'like you bunches'! Actually, I *love* you bunches, but I thought it might scare you away if I told you."

With a graceful, fluid movement born of years of martial arts practice, Wufei turned and kissed her soundly in front of the entire group. Then, cocking an eyebrow and staring into her eyes, he asked, "Does *that* tell you how I feel about you in return?"

"Sugoi!" Quatre's voice rang out. "Oh this is such a wonderful surprise, isn't it, Trowa?"

"Yes, Little One, it is indeed wonderful, but I don't think it's really a surprise. As Heero would say, if you were observant you would have noted this months ago." Trowa couldn't help adding a little teasing, though. "Correction. It wasn't a surprise for me, but I dare say Wufei is quite amazed."

Wufei tried to sputter something indignantly about honor and respect, going into rant-mode rather than deal with the sudden changes his world was experiencing. Sally smiled and simply kissed him, effectively halting him mid-rant in a most pleasing manner.

Still smiling, Sally asked, "What's this I hear about you and Trowa becoming 'daddies', Quatre? Apparently Laurel has seen that piece of the future, too. You'll probably need to get married to get such an unusual adoption through. Do the two of you think you are up to parenthood at such a young age? Not much privacy for newlyweds with a little one in the house," she smirked.

"Hentai! It's a pretty big house, no da," Quatre grinned back, then gave a happy little laugh. "I don't think we have any choice in the matter! Besides, Laurel is such a joy, I'm sure the three of us will be very happy together. Actually, I never thought I'd have a child of my own, but it sounds better and better each time I think about it. As for our ages, well, Dr. Po, you tell me, are a couple of former Gundam pilots *mature* enough for this particular assignment?" Quatre's small smile spoke volumes.

"Yes, sir. I do indeed believe two *men* who once carried the weight of humanity to freedom can handle raising such an adorable angel!" Sally was reveling in the fact she finally knew that Wufei returned her love. She couldn't recall being happier.

Quatre giggled a bit at her comment. "Ne, Trowa? Did Sally just propose to me on your behalf?"

"Not exactly," Trowa commented dryly. "I plan to propose to you myself directly. But it would be more appropriate to do so under different circumstances."

Then Quatre's face became creased with concern, because he could sense that things would get worse for Duo before they got better. "But, I'm worried, too. They just told us Heero stole an ambulance and sped away, sirens blaring. Do you think he'd really be crazy enough to try to *steal* a new heart for Duo?"

"Yes." Trowa and Wufei stated simultaneously voices filled with certainty.

"Koibito, can't you see?" Trowa brushed a kiss across Quatre's worried brow, easing some of the tension away. "He is in love so deeply and completely that he would do anything to save Duo's life, no matter what the risks to himself."

"Remember that he offered his *own* heart as a transplant when it seemed the only solution. To be so willing to give up one's life for the life of another is noble." Wufei commented yet had the same concerned look as the other two pilots.

"Besides," Trowa added solemnly, "If *you* were in Duo's condition, *I* would have done the same as what Heero plans to do without hesitation."

Quatre stared at his lover in disbelief then accepted it fully. "Arigato, Trowa. Let's hope that never happens, though. However, you certainly gave me a scare when you offered yourself as well."

Questioning aquamarine eyes met with emerald ones and a source of fear was erased when Trowa stated, "I knew I'd be rejected. I have a very rare blood type not the least bit compatible with Duo's. I felt Heero needed reassurance we were there for him."

A sigh of relief burst out of Quatre. It never even occurred to him that Trowa knew ahead of time it wouldn't go through, he assumed he actually intended to do it.

"Trowa, you truly are amazing. I never even thought of that, thank you for trying to help him before he was too far gone to think rationally. However, now, Heero is in grave danger. I can sense that he has internalized his pain and is carrying out his intentions, his 'mission', with the precision and ruthlessness he did during the war. He plans to steal the life of another by taking that heart in Tokyo. The prison sentence for such an act is long and virtually unavoidable. If Duo survived the surgery necessary to give him another heart, he couldn't live with himself knowing that Heero was locked away like that. Knowing it was done for him will slowly drain the life from our dear friend."

Tears had been gathering in his eyes and now flowed freely, encouraging Trowa to wrap his long arms around Quatre to try to soothe him.

"Shhh, Little One, do not worry so, it will all work out." Trowa comforted. "Laurel told us everything would be okay if Heero did what he was supposed to do, even if she didn't tell us what that is."

"Oh, Trowa," Quatre cried bitterly. "I'm not so sure. Laurel said that *Duo* would be all right not that *Heero* would be. I think, well, I think we really are going to lose both of them this time.

Wufei's face was also darkened with worry despite his newly discovered feelings of love both given and returned. Sally tried to give him a reassuring hug, but he failed to notice it, his focus was so intense. "Unfortunately, Trowa, I, too, believe that Heero has finally lost control and possibly lost his mind as well. I strongly sense the real danger of losing both of our friends very soon."

"Well, Wufei," Quatre sighed. "We shall know soon either way. I can feel that Duo's condition is deteriorating, he may never even regain consciousness after surgery and we have no way of telling Heero to come back. It's like another of those damned secrets, but this is no time for secrets! He needs to know. I'm afraid that Duo will be dead without ever seeing Heero again. We must hope that I am wrong, though. The world would be an empty place without those two."

"You are right, my friend, you are so right. Let us hope Heero comes to his senses and realizes what he is doing is wrong and returns before more harm can be done."

A tear slid down Sally's cheek at this clear display of the tight bonds between these bold young men she had tried so hard to understand and now understood too well. Deep in her soul she knew that burying one would insure burying the other shortly thereafter, but fervently prayed it would not come to that.

In their sorrow, none of them even considered another possibility; that a small girl with a sunny smile, strawberry-blond hair, and ice-blue eyes might awaken later with the answers they all needed to survive and possibly conquer the dangers looming on the horizon. Dangers brought about by the tragic circumstances of one friend which had led to the irrational behavior of another friend quite capable of leaving a trail of destruction in pursuit of achieving his personal mission objectives.

Yes, ice-blue eyes would lead them to aid cobalt-blue eyes safely through a veritable valley of the shadow of death and they didn't even know it. They simply needed to have faith.





Notes:

1. Very special thanks go to Laura, Lady DarkAngel, Silver Vixen, Demon Child Hachi Mitsu, and my mother who underwent emergency open-heart surgery several years ago. All of these fine people helped me a great deal with the medical details, though some minor creative license was invoked for the RPAI disease.

2. Thanks go to all those readers who have told me they like my fics. It really helps to know someone reads them and it's even better to hear people *like* these!

3. With such a dark story, Melpomene gets most of the muse-related credit since this whole arc is pretty tragic. She was, however, bitching that the ancient Greeks never bothered to give her credit as the Muse of Angst. Sigh, there's just no pleasing some muses, no da?



~~~Here's those special end credits and notes I promised you!~~~

4. Guest Stars!!! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we have guest stars again! And, boy-howdy do we have a lot of them! Real people include my daughter Lauren in the role of Laurel (even though I'm the clarvoyant in the house!) and my darling Demon Child Mitsu returns as our favorite nurse. From anime, we have Condor Joe Asakura from "Gatchaman" who reprises his role as the ER doctor; and I sneak in another "Gatchaman" reference, too, did you see it? If I have to explain who our organ donor was, you need to watch some classic anime, ne? Our two heart surgeons, Limone and Fuuma are from the ultimate shojo anime "Wedding Peach". Our organ donation coordinator is Twilight Suzuzka from "Outlaw Star". Wow! That's a lot of guest stars! How many did *you* spot?

5. C & C's always welcome at EclecticAnimeFan@aol.com! Remember, writers live for feedback since we don't get paid for this stuff! Heaven only knows how we still eat when we spend all our time writing !

owari

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