Author: Zazu
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Kids, angst
Pairings: 1+2+1, 5+R
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, nor do I own the characters. I have borrowed them here for some fun and creativity, and this is not for profit. I do, however, own the plot mentioned here, and any instances that you may find similar to real life events are purely a coincidence.
Notes: Not beta-read. This is a part of the babysiting adventures universe, inspired by Sharon's prompt "Babysitting adventures for uncles Heero, Duo, Trowa and Quatre. Wufei and Relena are the parents, of course". I should state now that the little drabbles in this universe will not be chronological at all!
Leila's Strength
I had wished for Leila to be older before she realized the possible dangers of my work.
But she was only six when a mission went wrong, and that was the first time she had been exposed to the kind of pain that comes when someone you love is hurt, and not only that, Leila finally saw with her own eyes the kind of hurt my job could impose upon me. To this day I'm not sure if it was a fluke or merely a coincidence that the event forced her to grow up, to speak wise words that offered comfort to me and others when I should have been the one consoling her.
I led her through several corridors, feeling her tight grip on my hand as she walked as close to me as possible. Normally, children are not allowed in hospitals, but this was the Preventer's medical bay and I'd found a way to slip her in, if only for a short while.
Knocking lightly, I eased the door open and peered into the semi-darkness. Duo looked up from where he was sitting next to the bed, clutching Heero's hand.
"Hey," I murmured. "I...Leila's here."
I could see the immediate fight on his face as Duo tried to school his features from the tired, worried look into something Leila would be more familiar with.
"Is it okay for her to be here?" Duo asked softly. I nodded and pushed the door open a little wider before reaching down for her hand to lead her in.
"Uncle Duo," she murmured, releasing my hand and heading right towards him. Duo turned in his chair and pulled her up, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Hi baby," he replied. "I'm sorry that I had to leave you with Grace that...the other day."
I recalled what I had heard from Grace, our live-in nanny. Relena had gone to L3 for a conference along with Quatre, and Trowa had gone to act as a bodyguard of sorts. When Heero and I had been called onto a mission, Duo had volunteered to take care of Leila since it was Grace's day off. Typically, Grace would spend the day at her daughter's home before returning to ours in the evening.
Early that evening, however, I'd been forced to make a call to Duo to inform him something had gone wrong with the mission. An explosive had gone off in the midst of a scuffle, blowing out one of the support beams. The next thing I knew, Heero had shoved me out of the way and he lay a foot away from me, unconscious and bleeding from the head.
With the debriefing necessary, I had been unable to pick Leila up, and Duo's only option had been to find Grace and drop Leila off. Leila knew, perhaps by the change of events or the change in Duo, that something was wrong, and she begged and pleaded, cried and sobbed for Duo not to leave her.
Grace had been forced to hold her as she struggled, trying to follow Duo even after he'd gotten into his car and backed out of the drive. She cried herself into an exhausted sleep and remained there in Grace's arms until I had gone to pick her up some five hours later. Leila had immediately begun to cry again when she saw my arm in a cast and found out that I had no strength to do more than kneel and hold her close. That alone had been heart-wrenching enough, knowing that without Heero's push I may never have held my daughter again. I knew for a fact that Duo loved Leila fiercely, and he had apologized afterwards for leaving Leila the way he did, for forcing himself not to look back even when he could hear her crying for him from within his car.
"It's okay," Leila whispered, turning to look at the bed. Today marked the third day that Heero had been in a coma. "Hi, Uncle Heero," Leila said.
"Uncle Heero is sleeping," Duo said, his voice choking up a little. "But he knows you're here."
"Does he?" Leila asked. "Can we sit closer, Uncle Duo?"
"Sure thing."
I watched as Duo shifted his exhausted body, setting Leila on her feet before he sat down by Heero's head. Then, he lifted her up again, letting her straddle his lap. She reached out and touched Heero's hair, cautious of the bandages around his head. I moved closer then, and took Duo's seat in the chair.
"Wake up soon, Uncle Heero," Leila said quietly. "You're making Uncle Duo cry."
Duo looked as surprised as I felt. Leila hadn't asked what was wrong with Heero and no one had told her that he was in a temporary coma. Not only that, but the only hint of Duo's tears were his red eyes and I certainly didn't realize that she saw it, or understood what it meant.
"Uncle Duo needs hugs," she continued. "I'll give him some until you do, okay?" With that, she promptly wrapped her arms around Duo and buried her face against his neck.
I watched as one of my oldest friends leaned into the support of my daughter, drawing strength from her little body, taking what comfort he could with no one else around to hold him for more than a brief moment. I knew without seeing it that her hand would be holding his braid, something that she'd done since she was a baby.
It made me realize then, that Leila was more to Duo than just a little girl, than just his goddaughter. Just like I needed Leila now that she was here in my life, I could see that Duo needed her in a very similar way. I am willing to bet that neither of us could imagine life without her.
"I hated that I made you cry, Leila," Duo said. "I'm very sorry."
"It's okay. Uncle Heero needed you."
I wondered where these wise words were coming from; whether she really understood what she was saying.
"He did," Duo admitted. "Tell me something, baby. What made you so strong today?"
"Strong?" She asked. "What do you mean?"
"Never mind," Duo whispered, kissing the top of her head.
Leila pulled back and drew Duo's attention to the small toy she clutched. "Can this stay with you and Uncle Heero?" she asked, offering a stuffed bear to him.
"But this is Mr. Brown," Duo said, immediately identifying the bear I'd given to Leila when she was born. "He's the most important to you."
"He is," Leila agreed. "But Mr. Brown keeps me safe, and I want you and Uncle Heero to have that."
"Are you sure?" I had no doubt that Leila truly believed Mr. Brown kept her safe, and right then, I knew, too, that Duo could easily believe in Mr. Brown the way Leila did, just because of the way she offered him.
She nodded. "But Uncle Heero has to give Mr. Brown back when he doesn't need him anymore."
"Won't you need him?" Duo asked. I had asked her the same question, and I knew her answer would surprise Duo.
"You and Uncle Heero need him more. I have Baba, and I have my Uncle Heero teddy bear."
"You're the best, Leila," Duo took the bear and carefully set it down on Heero's other side. "Mr. Brown will keep us company."
"Yes."
They lapsed into silence for a while, until I knew it was time for me to take Leila home again. I shifted in my seat and Duo immediately noticed.
"Leila, baby, it's time for you to go home."
She sighed, but didn't put up a fight. "I love you, Uncle Heero," she said softly. "Thank you for keeping Baba safe for me. Wake up soon." She leaned down and gently kissed Heero between the eyes. "Aitai," I heard her whisper. It took a moment to place the Japanese word to the phrase "I miss you", and I couldn't help but smile, thinking of the words Leila practiced whenever Heero taught her new ones.
"Come on, Leila, let's go home," I called to her.
"Bye bye, Uncle Duo," she said, hugging him tight. "Don't cry. Uncle Heero will come home soon."
"I know, baby," Duo said. "I'll see you soon, too. Be good."
"I will."
Duo set her on the floor and she came to me, taking my hand automatically.
With a nod to Duo and another long glance at Heero, we left the room, closing the door behind us.
Leila stood still though, forcing me to kneel and tilt her head up by the chin. I saw the tears in her eyes.
"He really will wake up soon, right?" she asked. "Uncle Duo is sad. I don't like it."
"I don't like it either," I said, wiping the stray tear. "Baby, we don't know what will happen, but I can tell you that the last thing Uncle Heero wants is to leave Uncle Duo sad."
"He's a fighter," she said. "Right? Like Baba. You fight the bad guys."
"Right." I nodded. "Ready to go home?"
"Yes."
I hadn't been ready for Leila to grow up like that, over that mission. But, looking down at her as she slept that night, holding her Uncle Heero bear, I remembered that it was inevitably something that she would face, and face again through her life. Duo had been right; my daughter had faced the unknown with strength, dealt with it in a way I hadn't expected a child her age to be able to. I smiled, brushing her hair from her face, and whispered to her.
"Baba's damn proud of you, Leila."
OWARI
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