Junior sat ridged and tense in his room. Listening to Trevor tap away at his laptop. He got up and passed the room, counting the steps that he took ad then the amount of steps to a his gundam’s step. He started to count out loud when Trevor got up and stopped his pacing by putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Relax Junior. Hera knows how to take care of herself.” Trevor said in a reassuring tone.
“Yeah, I know but he’s been acting really strange lately.” Junior muttered as he twisted a strand of his hair in his finger.
“Like how?” Trevor frowned as he sat back down in his chair in front of the desk.
“Really unsure, jumpy, quick to get mad, careless, impulsive…must I go on?” He asked after he listed off the various things.
“Well. The quick to get mad isn’t really different. She’s always been like that.” He shrugged “Maybe it’s just that time of the month for her.” Trevor said as he resumed his typing.
“No… I don’t think so. She’s been really insecure of herself, about the mission mainly…now that’s strange and her impulsiveness and her actions are senseless…cutting her hair, running off twice, getting Heero sick.” He said as he got up and started to pace again.
“Actually, she did have a reason for making hero sick. She mentioned something in the kitchen about having a bad feeling that something was going to happen and that it was going to leave her unable to fly Blackwing. Trevor said as he stopped typing and turned the swivel chair to face him. “Sit down Junior or I’ll break your legs.” He muttered.
Duo ignored Trevor and kept on pacing back and forwards. “Still…she once cried too, saying something about if she failed she would never be able to go back home. Then when I found out about Ai…I can’t believe that those two were…were” He shook his head and stopped pacing.
“That the two were more than just friends? Hera’s not married or anything, we’re fighting a war. Just because your dad and hers love each other doesn’t mean that you have to follow in his footsteps.” Trevor explained.
“Yes but she…” He stuttered.
“You couldn’t possi1bly know what she is going through right now. She technically lost her father, she’s lost two lovers and it seems she is losing her best friend…can you imagine that? By god, what she did was look for comfort…in all the wrong places. If she was any other girl he probably would’ve killed herself by now.” Trevor went on. “The least you could do is let her go. Haven’t you ever heard the phrase, ‘If you let a caged bird go and it truly loves you, it will return and never leave you’?”
“Yeah but I lost my father and I don’t use it as an excuse.” Junior shrugged.
“Yeah but, she was extremely close to her father. She was the only one that really, really loved, admired and respected her father with a lot of intensity.” Trevor explained, he looked at Juniors face which was riddled with a frown. “I know that you love your father a lot but well…do you remember when we went into that bar and that huge guy said something really nasty about our father’s…er…relationships and she started that huge brawl and the guy ended up in a coma? What did we do? We stood and watched, we didn’t defend them…that’s what I’m trying to say.” Trevor pointed out.
A grin went across his face as he remembered the scene, the mess that she left the poor man in and all she got was a bruised cheek. “Yeah who couldn’t forget that, all the men on the colony were scared of her when she walked by since then.” He laughed. “I see what you mean.” Junior then resumed his pacing and Trevor went back to his laptop, he turned and looked at Trevor smiling. “Sometimes I swear that you should be a woman.” He chuckled as he sat on the bed. “Thanks for helping me.” He said as he threw off his shoes and laid back on the pillow. He stared at the ceiling and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.
Trevor smiled and looked at the door as Quatre burst through. “She’s at the house…something’s happened.” He said slightly out of breath.
Junior jumped up and put his shoes on and ran out the door following Quatre. “What happened?” Junior asked as the two where met by Heero and Duo.
“Someone’s shot her.” Heero muttered as they climbed into an awaiting cab and sped off.
“Shot her? How? Who?” Junior asked sounding very shocked.
“Don’t know. Quatre got the phone call from one of his men at the house.” Heero said as he looked out the window, at the landscape that sped by. “For all we know she could’ve done it herself.” He added as he crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. Junior and Duo grimaced at the uncalled for statement but the two knew that this was expected it from the perfect soldier.
The car slowed to a stop in front of the big house and besides a big white ambulance. Junior got out before the car had come to a complete stop in front and ran in the house. The paramedics were in the kitchen giving CPR to a girl that lay lifeless on the floor.
“We’ve got a pulse!” The man yelled as they straightened out her body and hoisted her on a gurney. They pushed Junior out of the way as the gurney went through the hall. Junior followed quietly behind them.
“You the girl’s family?” The man asked as he hopped into the ambulance, pulling the gurney in with him.
“Yeah.” He said shakily.
“Come on then.” He said as he held a hand for him to take. Junior crawled in and watched the doors close. He saw the every move the Paramedic made, every needle that he gave her, ever time that he checked her pulse.
Junior took one of her clammy hands in his and leaned over to kiss her forehead calmly as he whispered in her ear. “Don’t you dare leave me…I’ve still got to yell at you.”
He looked at the paramedic who was injecting something into the intravenous line. “What’s wrong with her?” He asked.
“She has chest wounds that have seemed to have punctured a lung.” He said as the ambulance stopped and the doors opened. The gurney was hoisted out and pushed quickly into the hospital and down the hallway. “Wait here kid.” He said as they entered a hall with chairs in it. He was shoved out of the way by a doctor and he sat down in a chair to wait. He watched doctors and nurses run in and out of the room that Hera was pushed into. What could have caused those injuries? He thought to himself as he rested his head on the wall.
“How is she?” A voice asked quietly. Junior opened his eyes and looked at the girl that was sitting beside him.
“Fine Ai.” He muttered as he closed his eyes again.
“You are a liar.” She said as she stared at his white face.
“So what? I’m over it.” He growled.
“Please, for Hera lets just get along.” She pleaded.
“No.” He said as he opened his eyes and stared at her with hate.
“Fine Junior.” She said quietly as she crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes. “If you want to be immature about this then fine.” She said sullenly.
“Why did you do that to me? You knew that I loved her.” He said quickly.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She whispered.
“Yeah, well I do.” He said angrily.
“When Tristan Kushrenada died, I…was depressed and lonely, she knew that I loved him.” She said as she turned and looked at him.
“You loved him?” He said sounding slightly dumbstruck.
“Yes, I wanted to get married to him. We were engaged you know, well she was the one that was there and she was the one that saved my life. Without her I probably would have been dead along time ago.” She muttered.
“Oh…but you knew that I loved her. You knew it! Why didn’t that stop you?” He demanded.
“I know, but she honestly had no clue. She was hurting, thinking that you loved Katrina Noin. So she and I just went to each other for comfort. I don’t know why I never stopped myself, I just needed her or something.” She said as she started to cry, she buried her face in her hands.
“Noin?” He said as he wrinkled his nose.
“Yeah…but I’m sorry Duo, I didn’t mean what I did…can you forgive me?” She asked as she looked up at him.
“Yeah Ai…I forgive you.” He said as he put an arm around her. She put her head on his shoulder and fell a sleep in the hospital waiting room.
Junior sat still and quiet watching for any sign of a progress report. Then, after a half an hour, a doctor came to him in Green scrubs.
“Excuse me? Are you Hera’s family?” He asked politely.
“Yes.” Junior said as he nudged Ai awake. She looked around and then sat up as she realised the doctor was going to tell her about Hera.
He sat in front of them and cleared his throat quietly “Hera’s condition is stable, she’s lucky she is so healthy. We have to operate on her to repair the internal damage due to laser burns that seemed to have been very strong.” He said seriously as he looked at the two. “I have never seen such injuries before. What may I ask caused this?” He asked quietly but firmly.
“We don’t know. We didn’t even find her.” Junior said sounding slightly frustrated.
“Okay, well, she will be okay when she gets out of surgery.” He said as he stood up and glanced at his watch. “She will be going now.” He said and a few seconds later the doors to the emergency operating room flew open and a gurney escorted by five people in scrubs. The person in the gurney was disguised by tubing in all shapes and textures.