momentary lapse of reason
part 10
The first several hours of the initial encounter found Heero laying a
brief foundation for as much as he could of Duo's recent past. The
young man seemed pleased as he spoke, several times smiling at the
comments Heero interjected into the otherwise boring monologue, giving
Duo a clearer picture of who Heero was as well.
Trying not to flood Duo with too much information, Heero kept his tales
vague, focusing mostly on the immediate past. Duo rarely interrupted
him, gazing deeply at Heero as he struggled to digest the words, looking
past them to glean a better understanding of who he was.
His voice growing tired, Heero's suggestion they take a break for lunch
was met with enthusiasm. Duo's lunch had been left on the small table at
his beside over an hour ago, the standard bland liquid hospital meal not
meeting with his approval. "I wonder how long they plan on making eat
this stuff?" he mused.
"I'll ask at the nurse's station on my way to the cafeteria." Heero
replied. Stretching as he stood, Heero looked over toward Duo. A small
part of the confusion and fear that was so prevalent earlier had faded,
revealing the tiniest spark of what Heero could only describe as *Duo*.
"You look much more like yourself than you have in a while this
afternoon." He smiled.
Duo returned a weak smile. "I'll have to take your word for that. Not
only do I not know what I look like now…. but I don't even know what I
looked like before."
Heero frowned at his friend's words. "Would you like me to see if I can
get a mirror?"
Duo nodded. "Thank you, Heero."
"No problem." Heero smiled, exiting the room.
+++++++
Returning 20 minutes later, Heero stepped into the room to find Duo fast
asleep. Apparently exhausted from all the activity the morning was
filled with, the young man had fallen asleep sitting up, his neck
tilting off to one side. Setting down his lunch and the small shopping
bag he held, Heero approached the bed and carefully lifted Duo's head,
removing one of the pillows; allowing him to recline a bit further.
Heero remained standing beside the bed as he replayed the last several
hours. He was satisfied by Duo's reactions, the young man obviously
pleased and perhaps relieved that he was, by Heero's characterization, a
relatively happy person. Heero had not broached several subjects that
he knew would most likely be raised by Duo after lunch. He was somewhat
reluctant to speak of Duo's childhood or of The Eve Wars, wanting to
keep as much negativity from this first encounter as possible.
Giving himself a much-needed mental nod after accessing Duo's reactions,
Heero sat and reclined back, his own eyes closing.
//Perhaps I am capable of handling this after all.//
++++++
Afternoon rounds found Dr. Skinert at the nurse's station outside of
Duo's room. Hearing the familiar voice, Heero quickly roused himself
from his light nap and looked over toward the bed, where Duo lay still
asleep.
Heero rose as he heard her approaching footsteps from behind. "Dr.
Skinert."
"How did things go this afternoon?" she asked as she made her way to
Duo's bedside.
"Fairly well, I'd say." Heero offered. "I gave him some background
information.. pretty general stuff."
"And how did he react?" she asked, her stethoscope carefully moving over
Duo's chest.
"He seemed pleased." Heero responded.
"Good." she replied, looking down at her watch before she turned to face
Heero. "I see you two haven't had your lunch yet."
"No, He fell asleep while I was down in the cafeteria."
"I've scheduled a visit for Duo with the staff psychologist. She will be
here in an hour." Dr. Skinert told him.
"Should I wake him? He probably should eat something."
"I'm awake." Duo spoke, looking up to find both Heero and Dr. Skinert
hovering above him.
"How are we feeling, Mr. Maxwell?" she inquired.
"Considerably better than I did this morning." he smiled weakly, the
young Doctor nodding.
"Good. I'll leave you two to your lunch. Oh.. and you have an
appointment in an hour, Mr. Maxwell, try to look your best." she winked.
Duo blinked and looked up at Heero who merely shrugged his shoulders.
"Lunch?" Heero asked, a slight nod his response.
Duo shifted in the bed, once again seated, pillows behind his back.
Pulling the tray to lie over Duo's lap, Heero sat, removing his own
lunch from its brown bag. Using his eyes to motion to the tray of food
that sat before his friend, Heero spoke. "I'm afraid you'll need to deal
with that stuff for another few days."
"S'ok." Duo responded, tearing the foil lid off the small container of
jell-o. "Thanks for asking."
The two ate their meals in silence, Duo rotating the tray to the side
after he had finished. "Were you able to find a mirror?"
Heero nodded, reaching for the small shopping bag on the floor beside
his chair. Taking the small mirror from it, Heero stood, offering it to
Duo. Noting the young man's hesitancy, Heero lowered his hand and looked
up at him "The injuries aren't that extensive.... or is it something
else you are worried about?" The hesitation in Duo's eyes prompted
Heero's words of reassurance. "I don't think you'll be disappointed."
Heero smiled, placing the mirror in front of him.
Slowly letting his eyes meet with his reflection, Duo studied the face
before him, his expression void of emotion. He brought one hand up,
gently brushing one finger over the raised scar that extended the length
of his forehead. Tilting his head, Duo took careful inventory of his
features for a moment before his gaze stilled, then met with Heero's "I
have violet eyes...."
+++++++
Heero offered a brief introduction and politely excused himself shortly
after the staff psychologist entered the room, leaving the two alone.
Noting the time, Heero settled himself down onto the couch in the
waiting area and awaited his friends' arrival.
Exiting the elevator on the 2nd floor, Quatre, Trowa and Wufei followed
the signs to the East Wing, meeting with Heero as they passed through the
waiting area outside of Room 102.
The smile Heero wore eased the tension on the faces of the three young
men as they approached. Various displays of comfort and relief were
offered in silence before Heero spoke. "We talked for a good portion of
the day. Much of his character is still intact."
"Was the Doctor able to say how long until his regains his memory?"
Quatre asked.
"Her best guesstimate is several months." Heero looked up his friends.
"Dr. Skinert said it would be a good idea to bring him some photos and
anything else that we feel may begin to trigger some memories. They are
there...just buried." Heero responded, the three nodding their
understanding.
"Does he know we are coming?" Wufei asked.
"Yes, and he knows about the five of us.... our living and working
arrangements. I haven't told him about how we met yet... or mentioned
anything about the war at all." Heero began softly. "I'm guessing it
will come up this evening."
There was a silence as the four reflected for a moment on Heero's words
and there was a meeting of the eyes........ an unspoken consensus on the
merits suppressing those years could bring.
"Can we go inside now?" Trowa asked.
"The staff psychologist is with him." Heero replied, looking down at his
watch. "They should be done shortly."
+++++++
The Doctor exited and Duo's gaze fell expectantly on the open doorway to
his room. Duo's time spent with the psychologist had given him
additional insight into the upcoming process of recall and he anxiously
awaited the arrival of his friends as Heero had promised.
Duo was nervous. Heero had supplied him with a brief description of each
of the other three young men that were what he understood to be the hub
of his existence. As with everything Heero had disclosed to Duo up to
this point, he kept the summaries vague, leaving Duo the option of
requesting more information at will.
The four entered to find an inquisitive pair of familiar yet distant
violet eyes. Approaching Duo's bedside, Heero introduced each of the
young men and sat quietly while Duo reacquainted himself with the three
before him.
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