How do I, say goodbye, to what we had?
The good times that made us laugh, outweigh the bad
I thought we'd get, to see forever,
But forever's gone away, It's so hard, to say goodbye, to yesterday
-Lyrics to 'It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday' performed by Boyz II Men
Crimson Bonds Part 53
[Flashback]
"I need a at least dozen hands here, STAT!"
The yelled cry for help echoed down the corridor of emergency rooms to the nurse's station, where Sally had just finished hanging her light coat up upon her return from her short break. Frowning deeply, the doctor threw a stethoscope around her neck and joined the staff around to charge for the ambulance drop-off station as a gurney was finished being pushed through.
The bloodied, twisted mass strapped down atop the bed was unrecognizable as a man or Vampire with the face tattered by long scratches.
Anna, straddling the patient's waist was the one who sounded the call of alarm and was busy tearing away what was left of the victim's shirt so that she could have easy access to their chest. "I have to find where he's losing the most blood," she whispered frantically, her hands feeling along the deep lacerations for the most prominent source.
One of the other nurses, Fran, rushed alongside the stretcher to guide it to the nearest operating room that was available as she shouted in friend, "What in the world happened to him?! I can't even tell what we're dealing with!"
"Single-vehicle car accident," the Infected rushed out while working her way to either of the victim's sides. "And he's a Vampire, so he won't have a pulse to find."
Gasping at a loud squish that filled the air, her blue-and-gold eyes widened as her already pale skin turned nearly transparent. "My God, my hand just went right into his abdomen," she whimpered, frozen where she was out of fear of doing more damage.
Quickly raising her free left hand, Anna bit into her wrist at the appearance of her fangs and held it to the patient's mouth. "Come on, Carl," she urged. "Drink. You need to start healing these wounds and fast." There was no response from the body beneath her.
That was enough for the doctor in charge to know that time was running out. Upon reaching the observation room, Sally shouted, "Here! Get him in here so I can see where to start working on him now! He won't make it to the operating table at this rate."
Obeying without hesitation, the nurses and crew around turned the gurney on a dime to get inside. Carefully removing the straps from the shambled victim, what vital machines could be used on a Vampire were strapped to wrists and ankles as Anna stayed where she was.
"Comeoncomeoncomeon," she muttered desperately under her breath. "Don't you dare die on me. Relena needs you."
By the time she had made enough of an examination o trace any sign of existence from her patient, Sally managed to pick up on her friend's words to put the name with the mangled face. Carl Darlain. Congresswoman Relena Peacecraft-Darlain's husband.
Shocked as she was by the discovery of her charge's identity, the braided doctor kept to her diligent search for any chance of saving him. Only when there was no longer a steady flow of blood flowing from the opened gaps in his skin, did she pause and wave a heavy hand to the rest the crew that had begun bringing in more equipment for her.
At the silence and stillness from her colleagues, Anna scanned them frantically. "Come on! There has to be some way to help-!"
"Sweetie," Po cut her off, a deep frown marring her face. Shaking her head, she said quietly, "He's gone... bled out. There's no way we could bring on a transfusion since his circulatory system's shut down now."
Biting her lip, the Irish Infected's eyes filled with tears. Of course she knew that Carl was beyond any help... she just couldn't process or accept it. Even with her hand still trying to keep his innards together. With a sharp sniffle, she gingerly freed herself and climbed off her friend and the stretcher to rush out of the observation room's swinging doors.
Her head bowing out of respect for the lost, Sally reverently covered him with a fresh sheet. The white linen was quickly spotted with crimson from the pool of blood that had massed beneath it. Seconds later, there was a wail from the hallway that made the staff standing by jump.
Relena had arrived... only to be told of her terrible loss. And she never had the chance to say goodbye.
Sighing, Po checked the clock hanging overhead to announce softly, "Time of death one thirty-four a.m."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It had been an emotional scene in the waiting room as the family and friends of Carl Darlain filtered out over an hour later. Relena was so despondent that she had to be half-carried out by her brother, Zechs. Noin was not faring much better as she followed behind to leave the care of her their brother-in-law's personal effects to Treize and Lady Une.
Volunteering to stay behind beyond her shift to see that their friend was properly seen to in preparation for his autopsy and cremation, Anna had to see her own family off.
With tearful farewells and especially tight embraces for her husband and brother, she went to the departed's side and never left him... just as she had vowed to the Khushrenadas and the victim's widow.
After filing the death report into her database, Sally opened the curtain of the morgue in time to watch her immortal nurse pull back from giving her fellow Vampire's forehead a kiss. "Good night, dear friend," she whispered, drawing the covering sheet back over his face. Stepping back a couple of paces, she kept her back to the living in the doorway as she wiped away the fresh, damp trails running down her face.
"Still cold," Anna mused quietly. "Even in death, our skin doesn't get to know warmth." Peering up to meet the doctor's gaze from across the room, she winced and shrugged, "Sorry. That came out a lot more morbid than I intended."
Po gave her a sad smile, replying sincerely, "I understand." The grin fading away, she offered, "I'm sorry for your loss. I know how close you and your family are with the Khushrenada Clan. And I've never heard one bad word spoken of Carl in all of his history."
Nodding, the redhead bit her lip and stared down at the covered body. "He was a really good guy," she commented in a breath. "I wish more could have known him the way we did."
In that instant, Sally silently wondered if any living would ever really appreciate just how human Vampires really were... especially when it came to how they cared for one another. They mourned the same as any warm-blooded mortal she had to deliver the heartbreaking news of a passing to.
Anna rubbed her arms, Anna sighed, "I've done all I could here. I really need to get back to my family to look after Wufei and Heero."
Something about the tremble in the nurse's frame as she turned her head away from the body made Po wonder over the cause of it when she mentioned her loved one's names. But then, she had seen how shaken up the Original and the scaly Infected had been at learning that Carl was gone.
But then, deaths of Vampires were pretty rare and therefore especially devastating to those who would continue on their immortal existences without them.
"Are you okay to return home on your own?" Sally asked. "I'm sure the other nurses that are checking out would be more than willing to offer a ride."
Turning to fully face the mortal, Anna snorted, "Nah. I'll be alright. The run back will get me enough fresh air that I could really use right about now." She swallowed roughly to cast a lingering gaze over Carl's remains. Following a long silence, she sighed, "I hope he gets to feel warmth in Heaven."
Before she could even mull over a response, Po stated plainly, "I'm sure he's surrounded by it as we speak, along with the countless people who had the honor of knowing him over the centuries."
Slowly locking gazes with her once more, the Infected smiled for the first time since her friend's arrival at the hospital. Nodding firmly in gratitude rather than trust her voice, she passed by the doctor without a sound to step out of the morgue.
For a long pause, Sally kept her eyes on the covered body in front of her.
[End Flashback]
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
With a soft sniffle at the memory, the braided doctor brushed away a few stray tears as she stared into the private nursery and maternity wing that she had added on to her new private practice for the birth of Heero and Duo's babies.
The walls had been painted to portray a jungle mural with everything from trees, vines, wild animals, streams and a sky on the ceiling that was filled with birds.
In the next room, the delivery room for Anna had already been furnished with all of her favorite things as a surprise for the big day so she could relax in comfort during the time of her stay.
Only now there was doubt as to whether or not there would be a birth to celebrate... or rooms to fill.
"Sally?" a warm, welcoming voice called softly. Closing her eyes, the Companion leaned herself against the strong chest that appeared as firm arms wrapped around her. "What's wrong, love?" Victor asked worriedly.
Growling as she blinked back more tears, Po remove took in the nursery once more. "It's just so unfair," she managed. "How could one family of such good people be dealt so many heartaches to endure? Heero, Duo, Anna, Wufei, Trowa and Midi have suffered so many things over their existences and just when they have something to look forward to, it's literally taken away from them."
The handsome Vampire gently gripped her shoulders to spin her towards him. "I know," he sighed. "But I've always been a believer that even Infected are never dealt more than they can handle. Our friends are the strongest lot I've ever come to know." Smirking, he added, "And I've been around for a little while."
Her heart lightening a bit at that, Sally snickered and hit her husband's arm with an amused roll of her eyes. "Now, in all seriousness," the Russian immortal began, "we're going to continue as we have been. We expect everything to pan out and help however we can in the search while at the same time being ready for the new baby or babies that are coming."
To the protest that his wife was about to make, he held up a hand, insisting, "I know that mid-February is around the corner for the due date, but there is still time for something to work to Duo and Anna's favor. The fact that Heero and Wufei have not felt the disconnection of their bonds means that there's still time."
More than anything, that reminder was enough to give Po the reassurance that she needed. Shoulders rolling back, she nodded firmly "You're right. We finish our preparations here and keep checking in to see if there is anything we can offer in the search."
A brilliant smile spreading across his face, Victor praised quietly, "That's my girl." Leaning in for a sound kiss, he winked, "Come on. The delivery truck with the baby supplies should be showing up soon."
There was going to be a happy delivery. And there would be babies that needed those provisions. That was the way Sally decided she would conduct herself from that time until the day Duo and Anna were returned home safely.
Until then, she would make sure that the little ones had plenty of blankets to keep them warm as their aunt would have wished for them.
* * * * * *
"My God," Charles breathed, his dark eyes wide and lower jaw falling away.
Unable to tear their attention from the monitor in front of them, the Chang brothers' hearts sank at the demonstration of the glass 'rooms' that had been specially made for the very first client to own such a space.
As one member to a very renounced family of innovative scientists, Hillary Twain had broken the molecular structure of glass and so developed ways to manipulate it.
Her patents were still just in the works, an under the table project that few in the world were even aware of; but somehow Mister M had learned about them. They had contacted Hillary and insisted that they did business together.
For the new up-and-coming designer, the money became to much to refuse even if she was still in the prototyping phase of her work. But then, before the ink on the agreement between them had dried, Damian had appeared to ensure that his boss's wishes were carried out.
If the strange Vampire's presence was not worrisome enough, Twain became beside herself when she received the order from Mister M. Eight rooms walled off by her special glass of the same size fixed with the same tools...
...including cuffs and shackles that could appear upon a typed in command. Then the material had to be able to withstand a direct hundred-ton blast- more than enough to hold back a Vampire and a Hybrid.
Charles and John now had their first look into the prison that their Mom and Uncle Duo were trapped inside. Their stomach churned at the mental images that the new insight provided.
Sensing their discomfort, Hillary frowned, "It's as bad as I feared, then." A hand anxiously running through her brown locks, she whispered, "What did I get myself into? Why didn't I do something once I thought something was off?"
"You trusted your instincts that you may have been in danger if you denied this Mister M. And you were probably right," the redheaded Infected reassured quietly as he pushed himself onto his feet. Unconsciously, he reached out to rub the lovely mortal's arms. Pulling in her bottom lip, she leaned into his touch while staring at the floor.
As happy as he was for his brother that he had clearly found his Other, John couldn't help but feel the pain of Angela's absence kick up in its intensity. At that time, knowing more of what his mother was going through, he wished more than anything that he could hold the law student that had been deemed his Chosen.
Gesturing to the laptop that they had been studying, Charles asked, "May we have a copy of what you've shown us?"
Without a heartbeat's second of a delay, Hillary insisted, "Of course. You can have whatever you want of my records." All but running around her desk to reclaim her seat, she produced a couple of data sticks that she hooked into the hard drive. Her fingers flying over her keyboard to transfer her reports, the saving barcode appeared for her to sit and wait through.
Finally acknowledging John for the first time in a while since the start of her story, the lovely brunette smiled sheepishly. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to exclude you from the conversation."
Snickering, the dark-haired Vampire raised his hands and smirked sincerely, "No apology needed. And we can't thank you enough for all of your help in this."
The small grin on her face washing away, Twain murmured, "They have someone important to the both of you..." Glancing up at her intended, she questioned, "don't they? That's the only way you could have any idea to all of this."
"Yea," was all Charles could whisper, his head nodding shallowly. John swallowed roughly and bowed his head, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by the engineer.
Pain and regret flashed across Hillary's face. "I am so sorry," she breathed. "If I had stuck to my instincts and never agreed to the contract-" Cutting herself off, she moaned, "God, I was so scared when I saw what they were requesting that someone was going to be hurt."
John beat his brother, who had to walk around the table rather than use his Vampire speed to move around the desk, to rest a hand on her shoulder as he comforted, "Like Charles said, you only did the right thing by trusting your instincts. You had no way of knowing what M was up to until it was too late."
Wiping away a loose tear, Twain smirked darkly, "Yea, well, I was able to get back at him in one sense. He hadn't counted on me being able to get a picture of his henchman, Damian. Neither of them knew I could make imprints on manipulated glass once it caught a reflection."
That said, she set her fingers upon the laptop once more to call up an image of the tall Infected mixed in with the mastermind behind the grand plan of capturing a Hybrid. Their enlarged eyes taking in the picture, Charles gently squeezed his Chosen's arm and praised, "Nice job, Hillary. We're going to need that saved, too."
Beaming up at him, the living winked, "Already on it."
John got up to stand beside his brother, suggesting, "We better get a hold of the rest of the team as soon as possible. Now that we know what this Damian looks like, we'll have to bring in our own security measures for everyone that had worked for M."
Anxiously looking from one face to the other, Hillary frowned, "Am I in even more danger than I thought? If Damian finds out that you were here-"
"I'll personally make sure that nothing will happen to you," Charles vowed, voice stoic and sure in his promise. After all, this was the word from one soul to its other half. Whatever it took, he would make sure that her safety was never in doubt.
The laptop came to life with a soft beep to announce the conclusion of the data save. Only needing half the time to transfer the remaining few reports, Twain stood and handed over the memory sticks. Centered back on the redheaded Vampire, she told him quietly, "I wish that you could stay. I'd feel a lot better if you were here."
Smiling, her soul mate replied, "Don't worry. I'll be back every chance I get." Torn as he was over wanting to spend every minute with her and his task of finding his mother, he added, "But finding the people M is holding is priority for me."
He was given a warm grin as his Chosen said sincerely, "I understand." Slowly pulling her hand away from his at the passing over of the data card, she took a deep breath to prepare herself for their impending separation. "If I hear anything, or if there is anything new that could help, you'll be the first to hear it," she stated.
"Thank you," Charles sighed, handing over a folded piece of paper. "There are the numbers that you can use to reach me and John at any time."
Farewells were exchanged and the brothers set back out. Escorted through the main gate, the pair tried their best to erase the vivid images that had been burned into their memories of the holding cells. But no matter how hard they attempted to remove those pictures, which soon included shots of their Mom and Uncle Duo pacing them or shackled inside, they wouldn't fade away.
When they were finally at a safe distance away from the estate, Charles faced his sibling and ordered, "Call Dad. We need to meet with him now."
* * * * * *
Shingami was not happy.
Broderick had not returned for the start of his shift in the holding room. No doubt Anna's confession about his father's death at the hands of a Vampire had undone every bit of good she had accomplished in gaining them an ally.
He understood that his sister had no choice but to be honest with the living, but now it seemed as though their predicament was even worse off that it had been before Dawson originally agreed to help them. No question the mortal was never going to be swayed into hearing anything more they had to say.
Fists clenching at his sides as another powerful bolt of energy charged through him, Shinigami was far beyond feeling the agony it would have caused... meaning that Duo was safe from it as well.
There was going to be a reckoning for everyone involved with Septum... the worst of the Hybrid's vengeance to be saved for the scientist heading his capture and torment. Whether Broderick was going to be on the delivering or receiving end of that wrath was up to the Hunter.
Either way, there was going to be a reckoning in blood. And Shinigami was going to be the ready, willing instigator.
Beyond the tank glass where Duo was contained, submerged in water for his 'treatment,' it was his alter ego who smiled viciously in anticipation.
TBC...
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