| I AM DUO? The ride back to the safe-house was a quiet one. Neither man mentioned anything to the other about the observations they made of their once vital and energized friend. Instead they stared ahead and braced themselves for the questions that were to be asked of their visit. As the car came to a halt, Heero and Wufei sighed deeply and undid their seatbelts. They got out of the car and briefly looked at each other before walking to the front door. Heero entered the magnificent house first, followed by Wufei. They stood in the entry floor and listened for any movement in the large white house. "Good, you're back. How was the visit? Was Sally's theory right?" A thin, blond young man stood in the doorway to the library and smiled at the two. "He's there. At least, his body is. His mind is locked in limbo." Heero's monotonous voice spoke up as he shrugged past his companions and headed for the kitchen. He reached for the refrigerator door and opened it. Scanning the contents, he found a half-empty bottle of Sprite and took it out. Setting it on the counter and feeling two pairs of eyes on him, he turned to look from the bottle to the doorway. Quatre walked into the room and sat down at the kitchen table. "How was he? Is he allright?" "The nurse said he's been there for four years. If we take him out, it will take awhile for us to bring him back to reality and let him know who we are. When we walked into the room, he didn't seem to notice anyone was there. Or he didn't want to. He is Heero's problem, not the rest of the world's." Wufei stated calmly, as he sat down in a chair opposite Quatre. Heero looked at Wufei with hard eyes. He didn't want to accept that Wufei didn't care about Duo. In fact, he knew Wufei had come to like the braided twat. "What we have to do now is figure out a way to get him out of there. I promise we'll have time to settle differences later. Duo comes first, right now. Okay?" Quatre's voice broke the creeping silence that had flooded the kitchen. With folded hands and focused eyes, Wufei stared at the table and then agreed that "Doctor hin and his assisstant" would make another hospital call. But, this time, it would be to remove a patient. Heero looked from his Sprite bottle to Wufei in amazement. "Right! I'll make the arrangements. By next week, Duo will be home with us." Quatre got up from the table and stepped closer to Heero. "You do know, bringing him out of his limbo will confuse and disorient him, don't you? It is possible we may need to restrain him until he calms down." "He will be fine. I'm sure he won't need to be restrained. But, we will need some of that medicine they keep him on. Just in case." Heero sighed and stiffened before the others caught on to his emotion. Sally and Trowa were to arrive the next day from L3. It was decided that Quatre would brief them and make sure that when Duo arrived, he would be well cared for. Sally would know the right treatments to keep Duo calm and somewhat sedated, and Trowa would try his best to keep Duo relaxed and entertained. The next day.... A car pulled up around 1PM and two individuals got out and approached the house. Stepping onto the front porch, they both turned and saw the livingroom curtain brush straight. Someone had been watching them. Just then, that someone was opening the front door and smiling. Quatre. Trowa smiled slightly and then steped closer to his blond friend, as did Sally. The two were briefed as they sat in the library and sipped coffee. As the briefing went on, Sally mentioned that she was stunned at her predictions about Duo being in the hospital. "I did some checking on his past employment record and personal status. After the war, he was married briefly and had a child. They divorced and then not long after that, he went into the state he is in now." Trowa spoke up. He had been sitting quietly and listened to the information being exchanged. The rest of the weekend was spent readying a room for Duo and finding some clothes that might fit the thin Shinigami. While Wufei and Trowa were playing chess and working out a plan to bring Duo home, Heero and Quatre were tending to the arrangements and accomidations. Sally, on the other hand, was gathering equipment and supplies needed for the next week. "Next Monday, we bring him home." Heero said, joining the others in the kitchen for dinner. "This had better work, Yuy." Wufei said passively as he took a bite of cornbread. That Monday...... "Oh, hello agin. The doctor is preparing Mister Maxwell's release forms. Right this way, gentlemen." The nurse who had taken them on the tour the previous week, had stood from her desk and greeted them. Heero and Wufei had followed behind her and were eager to get the hospital obsticle over with. However, neither one of them had any expression at all, until they saw Duo. He was sitting in a wheelchair, off to one side of the hall, staring at the off-white floor in front of him. Like before, he hadn't noticed anyone coming or going. And he didn't seem to care what was happening. He was clean, however, and his braid restored to perfection. Wufei let Heero talk to the doctor and fill out the release forms while he carefully looked over Duo. He was careful not to get too close or touch Duo, just in case Duo retracted in fright. "Everything seems to be in order. Doctor, what do you propose to do to cure him? My staff and I have tried everything and nothing has worked." Doctor Baker asked as he and Hin (Heero) walked out of Baker's office and looked at Duo. "I intend on working with him. Perhaps make him come back to his senses. Perhaps if I could get him to talk to me or my staff, he might come out of this state by himself. However, it will take time and alot of patience." Heero turned and shook the doctor's hand before motioning to his assisstant that it was time to go. A short time and wheelchair switch later, Heero walked along beside Duo while Wufei pushed the wheelchair. Down the hall, through the automatic door and past the front desk. Heero noted that Duo was still staring at the ground in front of him and that he was now playing with the end of his braid, just as he had always done. When they reached the car, both noticed that Duo had looked up for a second and saw the car and felt arms lifting him from the chair anhelping him to sit in the back seat. His eyes didn't focus on the Japanese figure that was leaning across him, buckling him up. Wufei shut the trunk and was tossed the keys by Heero. "You drive. I want to make sure he is ok." Heero said as the keys landed in Wufei's hand. Heero went around and sat in the seat behind Wufei as he drove back to the safe-house. Both boys were quiet and took turns glancing at Duo. Heero had gingerly reached out and touched Duo's arm and waited to see some sort of reaction. Nothing. Not even a flinch or jerk. Duo, on the other hand, was left to wonder where he was and where he was going. Were these strangers going to hurt him? And why him? Why pick on him when he had nothing to do with them? Did they know him? Who were they and why couldn't he bring himself to look at their faces? As the car turned this way and that, Duo stared blankly at the back of the front passenger seat. He would occasionally blink or take a deep breath, but nothing more. Once again, Gundam Wing is not mine. This is strictly for entertainment and wonderings. Please do not sue. No money exchanged, nor harm intended. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |