The Meaning of Life Part 34
Duo let out another sharp cry as a fresh wave of pain in his lower back hit him. Nearly breathless, he struggled to pant for air as his eyes squeezed closed. In the driver's seat, Heero gripped the wheel tightly with both hands as he sped down the nearly vacant back roads leading to the hospital to avoid any police cars patrolling the highway.
"Just hang in there, baby," the artist urged as calmly as he could given the situation. Keeping his eyes ahead on the road, he forced the vision of the blood on his husband's hand away, lest he lose the little control he had.
Every mile moved at an excruciating crawl despite how fast Heero tried to go without risking an accident. Frantic, he reached into the van consul for his cell phone. As he flipped it open, he hit a speed dial number to a direct line and pressed the receiver to his ear.
A couple of rings later, a familiar voice greeted, "Doctor Khushrenada."
Over the drone of dirt and rock kicking up from the van's wheels, Heero cried, "Treize! Duo and I are heading for Saint Michel's! He's going through lower back spasms and bleeding!"
A sense of urgency dripped from the doctor's voice as he responded, "I'll be waiting at the ER along with some staff for your arrival. I do know that Hilde is in the middle of a class at this time, so I will do everything I can to get hold of her. For now, just focus on getting here in one piece."
Slightly relieved in knowing that someone they knew and trusted would be there to help them, Heero sighed, "Thanks." Closing the cell phone, he slipped it back into his pocket and reached over for his husband. Still panting, the cat-eared boy held on with his own hand and tail.
"It's going to be all right," the artist reassured. Really, he was not sure who he was trying to convince more... Duo or himself.
When the hospital came into view at long last, Heero nearly let out a sob of relief.
* * * * * *
Resting on a hospital bed, Duo groaned as he was wheeled down the corridors of the ER with Treize by his braided head calling orders to his staff all the while. Opposite of the tall doctor, Heero continued to hold onto his husband's hand and tail as he offered soothing words.
When they reached the examination room, the bed was brought to a halt so an ultrasound could be run. Tears in his violet eyes, the neko looked up to Treize and whimpered, "I... I can't lose the babies."
Gasping softly, Heero nearly fell apart at being hit with that possibility. Up until then, his focus to get them to the hospital overrode every other thought to what may or may not happen. But now, realizing the possibility of losing his lover or the babies was all too much for him to bear.
Treize bent at the waist with a sad smile. Gently patting the top of his friend's head. "I promise that I will do everything in my power to keep that from happening," he vowed without a hint of uncertainty. Biting his lip, the neko nodded in appreciation as he kept his free hand over his abdomen.
His eyes looking up to the artist, the doctor informed, "I am still having trouble reaching Hilde, but I know enough through working with her to know what I need to do. There is another maternity ward doctor making her way here now to guide me as well in the meantime. I know that the situation is not ideal, but should the c-section need to be performed now..."
Already knowing what the man needed as he was the only legal adult at twenty-one, Heero stated, "You have my consent to perform it. We trust you." Without hesitating, Duo bit his lip and nodded his agreement.
"Okay," Treize replied. Taking a deep breath, he informed the artist, "In that case, while I examine Duo, I will need you to go to the waiting room down the hall. As soon as I know anything of what is going on, I will have one of the nurses get you."
Both Heero and Duo sucked in a deep breath at that. However much either one wanted to argue they understood the doctor's need for space to work. Their joined hands tightened.
Quickly bending at the waist, the Japanese youth kissed his nervous husband's lips. "I won't be far," he whispered while running a hand through the neko's sweat-soaked bangs. "You and the babies are going to be fine."
Unable to trust his voice, Duo whimpered and nodded. With one last squeeze onto the hand and tail, Heero allowed one of the nurses to gently usher him from the room. Only when the door closed behind him did he take his eyes off his partner.
Left to stand alone in the hallway, it was all that the artist could do to stay on his feet. Staring at the closed door, his mind raced with thoughts and worries. Once he finally managed to get some hold of himself, he slowly turned and headed for the waiting room.
Numb from head-to-toe, Heero reached into his jean pants pocket to remove his cell phone with a trembling hand. Pressing one of the speed dial options, he pressed the receiver to his ear just as the call was picked up on the second ring. His voice cracking, he greeted, "Mom?"
* * * * * *
Less than fifteen minutes later, Danielle all but ran into the waiting room with Trent, Noin, Zechs and Danny right behind. Nearly coming undone at the sight of her son slouched heavily in one of the chairs , the young woman breathed, "Oh, sweetheart."
Slowly raising his head, Heero looked up just before his mother threw her arms around him. Grateful beyond words to have someone there with him, he clung onto her and let the tears he had been fighting break through his defenses as he sobbed onto her shoulder.
Pale and nearly trembling in fear, Noin sank into the chair at her son-in-law's left to rub his back gently. Sniffling, she wiped at a stray tear that rolled down her cheek. "Has there been any news yet?" she managed in a pained voice.
Heero took a deep breath as he pulled back to meet her gaze. Shaking his head, he frowned, "No. There hasn't been word since Treize started examining him as soon as we arrived."
Tail gripped in his hands, Danny bit his lip worriedly in his father's arms. "Duo and the babies are gonna be okay, right, daddy?" the boy asked softly while resting his head on a shoulder and looking up at the tall man's face.
Offering a small smile, Zechs answered quietly, "That brother of yours is a strong one." He spoke a bit more clearly so the artist could hear. "The fact that there has not been bad news yet is a very good sign." Heero actually did straighten a bit as that logic set in.
After a brief visit to the room's water cooler, Trent offered a filled cup to his step-son. With a soft 'thanks,' the artist took a few sips to dampen his dry throat. Slowly feeling more like himself, he leaned heavily against his mother when she took the chair at his right.
Nearly panting, Cassie appeared dressed in a set of lilac-colored scrubs. "I came as soon as I heard," she panted from exertion. "A pregnant neko doesn't make an appearance to maternity without word spreading around the ward."
Kneeling before her strained friend, the teenage girl purred deeply as she pulled him into a tight embrace. "Hilde's on the way," she reassured. "I just called her cell phone and she's stuck in traffic, but she's coming." A quiet sigh of relief escaping him, Heero returned the much-needed hug.
Gracefully sitting back on her heels, Cassie's calico spotted tail swayed behind her. "I also called Solo and Quatre, so everyone will most likely be finding out within the next hour," she grinned. "Expect a lot more hugs before the night's out."
Despite his mood, that did brighten the artist enough for him to chuckle, "Thank you, Cassie." His cobalt eyes widened when spotted Treize entering the room, his white coat removed so that he stood in only his pale blue scrubs.
Jumping to his feet, Heero ran up to his friend and question in a single breath, "How is my family? What was causing that bleeding and those spasms?" The inquiries would have continued had the doctor not raised a hand to stop them.
Smiling, Treize replied patiently, "Duo and the babies are fine." That was all the artist needed to hear for his knees to buckle. Instantly at his sides, Zechs and Trent carefully helped him sit back in a chair.
Hands shaking, Heero reached up to dry-wash his face as he breathed, "Oh, thank God." Noin let out a small whimper of relief as she squeezed her husband's hand and held her son close in her lap with her free arm.
Giggling, Danny let out a pleased, "See. I told ya they'd be all right." Zechs snickered and mussed the top of his son's head between his tall ears.
Quickly raising his hand again, Treize added, "But, we are going to have to perform an emergency c-section quickly here. There was a slight rupture in the uterus lining from the babies trying to shift into position to leave the womb. We were able to stop most of the bleeding, but the fluid around the babies is draining. So, they need to come out now."
"N-now?" Heero stammered, wide-eyed as his hands fell from his face. In the next second he was on his feet when he realized that his friend was coming not only to inform him of the news, but to invite him to the delivery. Ready and willing, he nodded firmly, "All right. Let's go, then."
Smiling, Treize turned to Cassie and told her, "I can use an extra pair of hands for this. Considering how you've helped with c-sections in the past and your connection with Duo, I am sure he would appreciate another friend there."
Without hesitating, the spotted neko straightened to attention. "Just get Duo prepped and I'll get Heero to the changing area for some scrubs and a mask."
Before he was led away, the artist quickly turned to embrace his mother. Danielle chuckled and held him tightly. "Give Duo all our love," she whispered. Noin rose, keeping Danny in her arms, as she was given her own hug and kiss on the cheek from her son-in-law.
Facing Cassie, Heero grinned, "I'm ready." Tail swinging excitedly, the young woman returned the smile and turned to lead the way out to the changing area with Treize heading down the opposite hall to check on his patient.
* * * * * *
Dressed in a set of light green scrubs, a cap and a surgical mask for his mouth and nose, Heero was heading for the delivery room with Cassie when he suddenly froze as the door opened to reveal a welcoming sight. Mask in hand, the neko's eyes widened as she gasped, "You made it!"
In a set of pink scrubs, Hilde snickered, "A bit delayed, but just in time." Heero breathed a sigh of relief as he moved forward to throw his arms around her.
Laughing quietly, the obstetrician returned the embrace. Pulling away, the obstetrician informed, "Duo has already been set with pain medication, so he will be alert but a bit out of it."
Her eyes then falling on the neko, Hilde announced, "Cassie, you'll be assisted by Treize and Sally. My hands will be full between the deliveries and patching everything up, so you'll be the head nurse in there." Heero nodded in understanding, silently grateful that his husband was no longer in pain.
"Got it," the neko replied. Her friend role was forgotten as she fell into the part of a nurse focused on her task at hand.
Satisfied that all was in order, Hilde winked at the artist, "Ready to become a father?"
Unable to help the wide smile that threatened to split his face, Heero answered, "More than ready." Raising his mask, he secured it over his mouth and nose.
Her cheek bones rising with a grin, the doctor chuckled, "Good. I just need to wash up before getting to work, so I will be with you soon. Go have a moment with your husband." Not needing to be told twice, the artist took hold of the door handle and pulled it open to enter the delivery room.
Before he even had a chance to see what was happening inside, Heero heard the beeping of a heart monitor. His tension rising at the sound, he found solace in seeing his lover lying on his back in the center of the brightly lit room.
A sheet hovered over his middle to keep him from seeing his abdomen while the heart monitor to his left monitored his pulse as well as the babies' heartbeats. To the right side of the bed, a tray of various medical tools shimmered in the light.
Just the sight of the long knife amongst those instruments made Heero swallow nervously. He turned his head away from the tray to avoid the sight of that blade.
Wearing a medical cap that had been cut to allow his tall ears to stick out crinkling with his movement, Duo turned his head towards the door. His violet eyes a bit clouded but very much alert, they widened a bit. "Heero," he breathed.
Quickly closing the distance between them, the Japanese young man bent at the waist to kiss his partner's forehead through his mask. Relieved beyond belief at actually seeing that the neko was fine, tears filled his cobalt eyes as he whispered, "Love you."
Closing his violet eyes, Duo purred deeply while his partner rubbed the top of his capped head. "Love you, too," he answered in kind when he glanced back up. "Sorry I scared you. I could tell you were pretty upset."
"It's all right," Heero snickered. "A little rise in blood pressure every now and then is good exercise for the heart. I'm just so glad that you and the babies are okay." The neko chuckled and leaned his head up into his husband's touch as his purring resumed.
Hilde entered the room fully prepared with her mask and surgical gloves on. Cassie, Treize and Sally followed right behind. Dressed in yellow scrubs, the braided doctor winked to Heero in greeting. He smiled back in return, reassured all the more to have another trusted friend there to oversee the delivery.
There certainly was not another team of people he would have trusted Duo and their babies' lives to.
Standing beside the curtain, Hilde leaned towards her patient and told him, "We're ready to administer the local and get this going whenever you are."
With one of Heero's hands slipping into his, the neko wrapped his tail around them and squeezed. Smiling widely in anticipation, he nodded firmly, "I'm ready." Hilde straightened herself with a grin behind her mask as she reached for the syringe on the table.
Grateful to not actually be able to see what was happening, Duo looked up to his husband's warm eyes as his focus. His smile never leaving his face, he mouthed, 'Love you.' Heero winked and squeezed his hand in response.
Moments later, Hilde's hand replaced the syringe and took up the surgical knife. "Ready to make the incision," she announced to her team quietly. Biting his lip, Heero refused to look past the curtain and kept his gaze on his lover instead.
At the initial feeling of something brushing against his abdomen, Duo fought a whimper and gripped the hand in his own tightly. Once that initial sensation passed without any real pain, he released the breath he had been holding and loosened his hold.
Standing closely by on the opposite side of the doctor, Cassie's eyes lit up moments later. "There's the first," she breathed as Sally and Treize's eyes widened in awe over witnessing their first delivery first hand.
Very slowly lifting the small one from the womb, Hilde cleared the mouth and a high-pitched cry mixed as a mew filled the air. Their eyes widening at the sound, Heero and Duo gasped sharply and froze. Without even seeing the baby yet, they were instantly in love with them.
"This one is the full neko," the obstetrician informed the new parents over the crying. "And she is a beautiful girl with a healthy set of lungs."
Small tears stinging their eyes, the couple looked to each other and grinned, "Shannon." It had been the first girl's name that they both agreed on. Meaning 'little wise one,' it was a compliment to Duo's eagerness to learn and experience the world.
Carefully handing the infant to Cassie, Hilde moved to deliver the next baby. Efficiently and gently, she demonstrated to Treize and Sally how to clean the newest additions and tie off their umbilical cords. Tiny cat ears and a tail perked as Shannon was wrapped into a plush, pink blanket. "There you are, sweetheart," the nurse in training giggled as the small one's cries were hushed.
Being the quick learners that they were, the doctors were confident in what to do when they returned to the hospital bed for the next squealing and mewing baby. Her smile only growing behind her mask, Hilde stated, "Second baby is the one with the feline ears. A very active little boy."
Heero bit back a sob. "Odin," he whispered. It had been no question for either young man that if they had a son, they would be names after the artist's late father in honor of him.
To know that they would have that tribute, he could not help the overwhelming surge of emotion that came over him. Smiling lovingly, Duo turned his head to kiss his husband's cheek.
Gingerly, Sally carried the boy over to the table where Cassie was working with Shannon. Odin was easily calmed, his tiny ears twitching as he was cleaned, snipped free of his excess cord and wrapped in a blue blanket. Both little ones' eyes were closed under the bright lights but were slowly opening.
"Last one," Hilde muttered as she reached into the uterus for the last infant. A mewing cry filled the air as she chuckled. "And we have another girl." Treize took the cat-tailed baby carefully and moved to the table where a pink blanket was waiting.
Chuckling, Duo whispered the last and also fitting name, "Hope." Heero grinned and nodded as he watched his squirming babies across the room.
Now, they could honestly say that this was the happiest day of their lives... the official start to a new beginning.
TBC...
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