New Haven

Chapter Twenty-Five: How soon?
Duo sat and watched as Katey and Sakura played the game Sally had brought in earlier with their breakfast. He occasionally threw anxious glances at the door. He knew that it would be a while before Wufei returned but he wanted to know what was going on.
“Duo,” Katey asked him softly. “What’s wrong?”
Duo looked over at Katey and gave her wry grin. “I don’t like hospitals. Wufei not being here makes it hard to trust the people here.”
Katey blinked and nodded in understanding. “I’ll make sure they don’t try anything.” She stated calmly. “You would do the same for me.”
“Me too!” Sakura shouted in delight. “No one hurts Duo-Daddy.” She growled sounding very much like her father.
Duo let out a shout of laughter. He pulled Sakura to him for a gentle squeeze. “Don’t ever change. Little munchkin you are just like your Baba.” He heard a snort from Katey. “What?”
Katey shook her head smiling. “She’s just like you!” She told Duo with a grin. “She may look like Wufei. But she has your energy and your sense of humor.” Katey informed him as she rolled the die. She moved her marker for the proper amount.
Sakura wiggled away from Duo to take her turn. “I like being like Duo-Daddy. He is fun!” She shouted with a giggle throwing the die.
Katey rolled her eyes and retrieved the die so she could try again. “You know better Sakura. Throw it properly.”
Duo rolled his eyes and chuckled. “You got me there.” He reached out his hand and tweaked Katey’s pert little nose. “Now how about you tell me what you are going to do? Do you want to go to school or be tutored? Do you want to go to college?” Duo looked over at the girl in concern. “I want you to have a life. A real life.”
Katey looked stunned. She had never thought of the future before. “I don’t know…”
“Don’t know what?” Duo asked softly as she looked away.
“How to read.” She whispered.
Duo leaned forward and grasped Katey’s chin. He turned to look at her. “You listen to me.” He ordered her softly. “I didn’t know how either till someone taught me. So a tutor it is.” He looked straight into her eyes. “A whole new world is about to open up for you to see.” He told her calmly. “You can decide what you want after you see what the universe has to offer.” He leaned back slightly letting go of the chin. “You don’t have to make a decision till you’re ready to make your choice.” He leaned back completely as his stomach objected to his scrunched position. He winked at Katey to take some of the sting out of what he said.
He sighed as he closed his eyes. He listened absently to the girls continue the game. He had been unsurprised by the confession. The idiot of a commander didn’t like the kids to be smart. He would take great joy in creating very intelligent people out of Damian and Katey. He would let them decide what they want and still prove that they were more intelligent than anyone could imagine. They wouldn’t be him but they would be great people..
He opened his eyes slightly as Katey and Sakura giggled at something. He smiled at the happiness on their faces. It was a step in the right direction. He couldn’t wait for them to actually laugh. A real out right laugh.
Sakura was enjoying life. She didn’t have any worries. She was safe. She had her Baba and Duo-Daddy. She had nothing to worry about anymore accept the word PINK.
He gave a little smile at the whispered conversation. They were trying to decide if they should go for a walk.
He say up abruptly. “Let’s go ladies. I want to meet this little guy that has Trowa turning back flips.” Duo said as he slithered out of the bed. He was tired of being bed ridden. He quickly grabbed a post it note pad and wrote a quick note incase Wufei came back to find them gone.
Sakura and Katey were startled. They had thought the man was asleep. They shrugged and followed Duo.
Katey took up a position to offer support to the paramedic if he needed it. Sakura danced ahead leading them to the room that Trowa and his son were in. Duo shuffled along chuckling as Sakura kept him in sight at all times. As if she was afraid he would disappear. She stopped in front of a door and waited for the two to catch up to her.
Sakura knocked on the door politely swaying from side to side as she waited for an answer. She flashed a smile up at Duo. “You’ll like Alex.” She stated firmly as the door opened. She danced through it not even waiting for a greeting.
Trowa looked down as the black haired girl skipped into the room. He turned his attention to the other two and raised an eyebrow.
“Bored.” Duo said with a big grin.
Trowa chuckled softly. ‘How Wufei kept him in bed as long as he did I will never figure out.’ He thought silently. He motioned them in and supported Duo as he made his way through the door.
“Alex, how ya doing? Are you any better? Have you had a goodnights sleep?” They laughed at the questions pouring out of Sakura who knelt on a chair looking down at the child on the bed.
“Alex can’t answer if you don’t let him answer.” Duo told Sakura as Trowa helped him settle into a chair near the bed. “Slow down. Let the guy get an answer in.”
Trowa chuckled softly. “Alex. This is your Uncle Duo.” Trowa told the boy propped up in the bed as he settled the younger man into the chair.
“Know how you feel little buddy.” Duo told the youth in the bed with all the emotions he could portray in his voice.
Alex looked him in the eye and slowly nodded. This man understood what he was going through all too well. He glanced over at Sakura and whispered answers to the girls questions as the adults and Katey watched.
Trowa broke the silence. “You do know how it feels, don’t you?”
Duo blinked at the picture before him and turned to look at Trowa questioningly. He didn’t know where the question had come from. “Yeah, why?” He asked the much taller man suspiciously. He suddenly very much wanted Wufei there for comfort.
“Because we will need all your help to help Alex and Angel.” Trowa met Duo’s eyes calmly. He saw the fear in the depths and left the rest of what he wanted to say unsaid. Some thing there told him that he shouldn’t take this any further.
Duo let his eyes trail away to the giggling children and nodded. He had already promised himself to do so. That was all the promise he would voice right now. He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Lunch time.” He said absently. “How much longer do you think they will be?”
Trowa glanced at the clock as well. “An hour or two at most.” He replied calmly. He blinked as a head peeked into the room.
Lucrezia Noin was looking at them hesitantly. “Do you mind visitors who bear food?” She asked as she acknowledged the people in the room.
“Depends on what ya brought us.” Duo answered quickly. “Anything has to be better than hospital food. But I have a craving at the moment.”
Noin opened the door further to show the boxes she carried. “I thought pizza would be appropriate but it seems that part of the group is missing.”
“They can heat it up when they get back.” Duo answered quickly. His arm was outstretched in begging style.
Zechs Merquise’s laughter rumbled out in delight at the antic. “Behave. Or you don’t get any soda as well.”
Duo looked at the tall man as innocently as he could only do. The look said ‘Who me? Would I do that?’
Katey erupted into giggles at his antics. She enjoyed when this man played like this. He could make the day seem so bright and worth living in.
Noin winked at her and placed the boxes on one of the tables as Zechs dug plates, napkins, and disposable glasses from the bag he was holding. She opened the boxes and announced each type. “Pepperoni, cheese, the works (no olives or hot peppers), meat lovers, and veggie. All humongous party size of course. Who wants what?” She asked as she looked at the group expectantly.
“Give Sakura the cheese. She can try what I’m eating.” Duo answered promptly. “I recommend the same for Katey. She can try everything since I want a slice of every type there.”
Noin rolled her eyes she should have known that answer.
Trowa chuckled. “I recommend that Alex do the same. My order is the same as Duo’s.”
“Ohh,” Duo added. “Only half a cup of that orange soda for Sakura Zechs. What other flavors do you have?”
“I have Pepsi, root beer, and Diet Pepsi.”
“I’ll have Diet Pepsi and I recommend root beer for Katey.” Duo told the man. “Steal come of Alex’s ice chips for mine would you.”
Trowa watched the intake of food carefully. He made sure that no one ate too much. He smiled as Katey and Sakura helped Duo finish his pizza slices. Sakura liked the veggie and pepperoni. Katey liked the works and meat lovers. The only thing Duo wouldn’t share was the crust. He sipped his own soda as he watched the girls take care of Duo with out his knowing. It seemed that Wufei had a perfect set of babysitters for the braided baka.

Quatre growled angrily at traffic as Heero steered threw it. “I can’t believe my sisters were stooping so low to get what they want.”
“I was on the list.” Damian murmured from the back seat behind Quatre.
“So was I.” Angel added softly.
“What list?” Three voices echoed through the course.
“The one for the lady who was doing the experiments.” Damian said quietly as he watched the traffic go by. “When the older kids get to old for them they send us to the lady.” Damian looked up as a hand caught his chin. He looked over to see onyx eyes regarding him. “That was the last night I was supposed to be there.”
“She is going to go to jail for a very long time correct the past. I wish that I could but it is not possible all we can do is safe guard for tomorrow.” He absently tucked a loose wisp of hair behind his ear as they pulled into the parking area of the hospital. “Right now we need to concentrate on what we are going to do first. Like maybe set up rooms for the children who will be going home tomorrow.”
Quatre groaned. He had completely forgotten about that.
Heero chuckled. “Iria is taking care of it. She knows that pink is out of the question.” He winked in the rearview mirror at Wufei. “She apologized profusely and wanted to make it up to us. She has seen the kids and know what not to get and what to get.” Heero said as he pulled into an available parking spot in hospital parking garage.
Wufei pushed the door open. He stepped out and offered a hand to Angel to get out. He looked slightly amused as he watched her crawl out the other side of the car. He shook his head and jogged for the elevator. He wanted to get to Duo. He had a feeling that his love was already wandering.
He held the elevator for the others and pushed the button for their floor. He looked at them absently. They were all thinking of something that had gone on at the meeting. Wufei smiled absently. They were already on the wagon and buying out buildings. He wondered what Duo would say. They had a work force and a few architects that Duo had mentioned that wanted to help on the project. They had said that they had crews waiting to start.
He smiled when he thought of Duo’s reaction to the information. Duo would insist on being there for the whole event. The ding of the elevator broke into his thought. He stepped out and watched in amusement as everyone seemed to head for the room Duo was in. He chuckled and headed in the opposite direction. He knew where the room Quatre’s new son had been placed and knew that was where he would find his partner.
Wufei knocked on the door and poked his head into the room. Sakura was sleeping on the bed with a little boy and Duo was asleep in a chair.
Trowa looked at Wufei in amusement. “Did you get to the other room before turning around?”
Wufei grinned. “I knew I would find him here. Do you actually think that a person with his energy wouldn’t want out of a room if it didn’t have something interesting to keep him there?”
Katey grinned. “Two hours.” She told her brother. “He lasted two hours. So did Sakura.”
Wufei rolled his eyes and moved to the chair his love was sleeping in. He crouched before it and looked into the down-turned face. He smiled and brushed a gentle kiss over pouty lips.
Duo muttered and leaned forward. And hissed in pain. He wanted to get closer to those lips. He opened an eye to see how close the person was and grunted. “No fair.” He muttered. “I can’t reach.” He grouched as he lifted his left hand to pull Wufei closer.
Wufei resisted and grinned as the muttering grouching continued. “Wake up and I will tell you the good news and the bad news.”
Duo promptly opened both eyes and looked with fresh awareness at his dragon.
Wufei chuckled at the look in Duo’s eyes. “The bad news is that Damian almost ended up an experiment in a medical facility. The good news is that after we get you home tomorrow and you have relaxed for the day. The next day we will be going over to the building where you had put for four businesses. They are going to be putting in an emergency hospital that Quatre wants to put there.”
Duo stared in stunned Amazement. “When?” He whispered in confusion.
“Two days from now.”