Crying Soul Part 12
Heero was sitting in the uncomfortable orange plastic chair again. But this time it was in the small private room where the pale, unmoving figure of his lover was lying on the bed. He was holding his hand, stroking the knuckles with his thumb. The skin of Duo's hand was so soft and warm. The pulse he felt on his wrist reassuring him that the boy was still alive.
When the doctor came into the waiting room looking all tired and stressed he had thought the worst. He had thought that Duo had died. That he really left him alone. That he had really lost the only good thing that had happened to him in his life.
But then the man told them that Duo was alive. The injury wasn't as dangerous as they thought it had been. The blood loss was severe, but as soon as he received the much-needed transfusion, his blood pressure started to climb up again - they had him stabilized. After that it was a piece of cake. They were sure that Duo would recover. The best news of the day.
Treize left shortly after that, together with Zechs and Wufei. After they departed, Heero felt he could breath more easily. He still didn't understand why Treize agreed to make Duo their protectee. That just didn't make any sense. He knew he didn't have any good arguments for why they shouldn't just kill him on spot as soon as they found out who wanted to discredit the clan. But Treize agreed anyway. He would have to be more careful from now on. Treize was up to something. And Heero would find out before Treize could drag Duo into his sick plans and intrigues.
There was the sound of doors opening behind Heero's back and he quickly let go of his lover's hand. He pulled away and straightened slightly in the uncomfortable chair. He didn't reach for his gun though. There was no need. It was either Trowa or Quatre. He heard them talking on the corridor just moments ago.
"Heero?" It was Quatre. Of course.
Quatre moved further into the room. He walked around the bed where Duo lay. He was looking at the longhaired boy with compassion. Heero's eyes moved away from Quatre and settled on the sleeping form of his lover. He was pale, dark circles marred his beautiful face, making it look sick and gaunt. The thick bandages that covered his shoulder were clearly visible from under the hospital gown. An IV tube had been inserted into a vein on his arm. But he wasn't hooked on the respirator, which was a good thing.
"He looks so young and innocent," Quatre whispered.
Heero agreed with that. If he had done a better job at killing Doc G and the men who were guarding him, he wouldn't be here. He wouldn't have gotten pulled in his world that was marred by death and violence.
Quatre looked at Heero. There was concern in his eyes. "I heard that Treize agreed to making him a protectee of the clan." When Heero nodded his eyes not leaving the sleeping face of his lover, Quatre continued: "You should be very careful here, Heero. Treize doesn't do anything without reason. And he would have to have a *very* good reason to extend the protection. Duo can't offer him anything he doesn't already have. We both know that. So the only reason he agreed has to be *you*."
Heero's head shot up and he looked at Quatre sharply. He had thought about that himself. And he didn't like the direction his thoughts were heading.
"You know he still hasn't forgiven you for your disobedience," Quatre said carefully. That was not something you would like to discuss with Heero. It tended to make him mad. "Everything is tied down to the girl and her dog, am I right?"
Heero looked away. The girl and her dog... The ones he refused to kill because they were innocent. He disobeyed his direct orders. He remembered how mad Treize had been. It had been the first time Treize lost his famous control. The girl and her puppy should have been a warning to everybody who went against the clan - we will punish you in the most hurtful way possible: by going after the ones you love. But Heero refused. The girl died anyway. He never found out who actually killed her and the dog.
When Heero didn't answer him Quatre continued silently: "You know that he was always looking for a way to control you. And now he thinks he's found something he can use against you." He pointed to the unconscious Duo. "Is he right, Heero? Because he will try to test you. He will try to find out how far he can push you by using Duo's safety against you."
Heero met Quatre's eyes. He knew the other man was right. Quatre could read people like a book, always able to tell what they were thinking, feeling. But there was nothing he could do about Treize right now. The best chance for Duo to survive was to become a member of the clan. The alternative was to go into hiding, to run for the rest of his life. But the clan would find you in the end no matter where you have tried to hide. So the important thing now was - how far would he be able to go to ensure Duo's safety?
His thoughts were interrupted by a small movement of the body on the bed. Heero's attention snapped back to his lover and he moved forward, trying to hide his eagerness. "Duo?" he asked silently.
The figure stirred and the beautiful violet pools opened. They wandered around the room without focus until they settled on Heero's face. Duo frowned as if trying to remember something, but then his face brightened and he smiled happily. "Dragon?"
TBC...
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