New Haven

Author Note: For those of you who know my story up to chapter 54 the last chapter was new. So I am now slowing down and doing one chapter at a time. I am sorry i am a day late but yesterday was extremely busy. I hope that you are enjoying my story. no one is actually telling me if this is so...I know a few people are because they went looking for it and got me to start posting it here.

Kit

Chapter Fifty-six: Inspection III
Duo fit the helmet over his head and followed the woman in front of him. He was making an inspection tour of the building to see what had so far been done. The hospital was well on its way to being finished they were laying down the outer wall and inner sections.
‘From the looks of the designs the floor layout is going to be amazing.’ Duo mused as he moved closer to the woman who was redoing Angel House. ‘The emergency room was going to be even better than the one at Preventer’s Hospital.’
He looked around at what had already been done to the room before him. “I see that you had the same idea as Miles.”
“Yup.” Was the answer to his statement. “He does have a few good ideas occasionally. I’m Breena Waitson.”
Duo grinned. “Duo Maxwell.” He offered his hand to shake. It was accepted and pumped a few times.
“I don’t care…”
“You should.”
“You know nothing about it!!!”
Duo and Breena followed the arguing voices to find Katey face to face with an older girl in a heated argument.
“You’ve never been beaten within an inch of your life and raped repeatedly till you don’t know what end is up.” The older girl shouted as a group of girls watched not saying a word. They would wait to see what the outcome came too.
“Oh really?” Katey said in a deadly decisive voice. “What happened to you was a one time occasion, was it not?” Katey didn’t wait for an answer. She undid the oriental fastening on her over shirt and removed it. She handed it to one of the girls before raising her camisole over her shoulders keeping in front of her breasts to show the scars over her belly upper chest and back.
The older girl stared at the scars covering her. For some reason all the girls knew that the scars covered her lower body as well. They also took more notice of the scars on Katey’s arms. They stared at the marks with horrid fascination. They noticed the whiteness of some of the scars as well as the redness of some of the newer scars.
“What…?” One of the girls managed to articulated.
“You don’t want to know.” Katey said in a world weary voice. “Just know that That guy over there and a small group of other people saved me from something out of your worst nightmare times ten.” Katey motioned towards Duo. “His scars are worse than mine. It’s why this is happening he got free and wanted to make a place for healing. When he managed to get this started he found out that the nightmare was still evolving around others still. He didn’t like it at all.” Katey gave a vicious smile.
The girls looked at each other and turned back to Katey. “So you think you’re tough?”
“You know about the accident at the apartment complex?” At the nods she continued. “What did you do? Watch from afar?” At the looks of shame she grunted. “I was sorting and working with the injured people from inside. If I can work saving people I will because there was too many that I couldn’t help in my nightmare. I was given a chance to be free and I will be doing something that I really feel with all my soul.”
Duo grinned and stepped back pulling the main carpenter with him. “I think that she is going to help them more than the counselors that have been talking with them have.”
Breena nodded in agreement. “Sometimes it takes someone who has been there to understand where they are. Which is why I have volunteered to be house mother here. My spouse thought it would help the both of us as well as them. She was attacked a few months back. This will help her heal and help them heal as well.” Breena smiled at Duo. “They need someone who has been through what they have been through.”
Duo gazed back at the group and the work they had started to continue. He looked back the female carpenter. “You have no idea.” He told her softly. “This,” He waved his hand around him, “Is for people who have no idea what is going to happen to them or how to heal. It is so that they can heal and know where to go with their lives. It’s so that they can begin the steps that they need to move forward.” Duo looked out the door of the house. “I didn’t have this. I want to make sure that others do.” Duo shook himself and brought himself back to the situation. “Well I better continue my wandering tour. It looks like you’re off to a good start here.”
Breena stared off after the man perplexedly. She didn’t understand how he could talk the way he did.
“He went through things that you will never understand.” A voice told the woman from behind her. “Some of it I will never understand.”
Breena turned to see Katey. “What do you mean?”
“You saw the scars I have.” Katey stated waiting for acknowledgement before continuing. “His are ten times worse than mine. His fiancé doesn’t see them or if he does he doesn’t notice them.” She looked back at the girls still working. “We have to find that for ourselves. He is proof that it is possible.”
Breena stared after Katey as she moved back to help the other teenagers. She looked back out the door and sighed. ‘I guess that there is always more than meets the eyes.’

Duo whistled as he moved on to the next port of call. He stood in the large doors of the soon to be fire/paramedic station. The place would fit the state of the art equipment.
“This place will be the best station in New York. Winner, the city administration, and several companies are backing it.” A man said behind him.
Duo turned to look at the man he had heard coming. “I know.” He stated simply.
“Do you think you can handle working here?” The man asked.
“I think Lieutenant Trowa Barton and I are overqualified to work here.” Duo said softly.
“That is what I have been told by everyone I have consulted.” He turned to look at the building that was being changed over so quickly. “I thought people were exaggerating how good you were than I was told to consult with Lady Une. I was informed that I couldn’t have better men in this station. Soooo,” The man turned back to Duo. “Lieutenant Maxwell I am Commissioner Dylan Calburn. I am placing you in charge of the EMS unit here when you are back in service. I am told the Lieutenant Barton will be in charge of Fire Services. This is now your station make sure that you run it well. I also hear that it will be a little while till you are back considering you’re taking paternity leave, so I asked your previous head to work here till you are back. Your partner agrees to the transfer and can’t wait for you to come back.” Dylan looked back at Duo with a half smile. “I am glad to meet an amazing man like you.” He held out a hand to Duo.
Duo looked into the man’s eyes in stunned amazement for a few seconds before shaking the hand. “I am honored by your trust. Do you think my commander would stay on to help me settle in for a coupla weeks?”
“I wouldn’t have expected any other question.” Dylan said quietly. “If you had said anything else I wouldn’t have thought you ready for the position.”
Duo grinned self-consciously. He rubbed the back of his head as he looked back at the work going on. “Do you want me to keep track of this?”
“No, Myself and Fire Chief Bollock will keep our eye on this. You take care of everything else.” He turned to join the other men. “The police commissioner is taking care of the police station and Une’s top agent is taking care of the Preventer’s new station. You take care of everything else. I am also told that other buildings have offered themselves for a makeover and to contribute to the cause of making this place alive again. The city hasn’t had this much interest in what is happening in its slums in a long time. This area isn’t as bad as some but it is a start that is needed.”
Duo stared after the paramedic commissioner in surprise. He hadn’t known that the city had taken an interest in his project. ‘There may be hope for New York yet.’ he thought as he moved away from the building and headed across the street to the Drug Rehab center. He only peered inside to see that the floors were now being placed.
The foreman glanced at him and gave him a thumbs up as he looked over what some men were doing.
Duo chuckled and moved back up the street on his tour of inspection. He looked over at the building that would hold the Preventer offices and smiled as he watched Heero arguing with the foreman of the site. He turned his eyes and found the soon to be Superstore Grocery and Wal-Mart Department Store being erected from the rubble that use to be in the lot behind his own building. He smiled as he saw a woman working at the corner building. ‘Quatre still hasn’t told me what is going to be there.’ The clinic/counsel/legal aid/childcare building was coming along quicker than thought. The foundation was extremely stable unlike the building that was torn down to make the new hospital. Everyone had decided to make three floors of office space above the two floor area for the clinic/counsel/legal aid/childcare area than fifteen floors of apartments. Everyone thought that they should be nice energy saving apartments of various sizes. (bachelor/one/two/three/four bedroom apartments) All of very good sizes. None of them the same size as Wufei’s wonderful abode, but still of good size.
Duo blinked as the woman waved him over to where she was. She had brought him out of his thoughts about the huge building that was going up behind the park and Preventer Offices. He jogged across the road dodging construction vehicles and personnel as he went.
“Hi.” She called as he got closer. “I thought you might like to know who I am and what I am doing here.”
Duo grinned sheepishly at her. “It would be nice.”
“I am going to open a pet shop. Panders to all types of animals.” She told him with a smile.
“That’s great!” Duo told her enthusiastically. “Now we just need to get a groomer and vet here as well.”
“Those are going on the third and fourth floor.” She told him smugly. “The rest is going to be apartments.”
Duo stared at her in surprise. “Ummm,” He didn’t know what to say.
“I’m Dr. Tonya Sumner. I am a vet and animal expert.” She told him with a little smile.
“Duo Maxwell, Paramedic, part-time Preventer, parent, soon to be husband, and brother.” He offered as he looked over the front of the building that was being renovated. “Ohhh, and cook. I have a diploma for that too. Ohhh, and a nurse too.”
“Is there anything you’re not good at?” She asked with a laughter tinged voice.
“People skills. I’m not good at that.” Duo said absently as he looked over the building. “I better not let Sakura in this place. Wufei almost killed me when she came home with Brussels.”
“Who is Brussels?” She asked curiously.
“A Husky/Shepherd mix. His head almost comes to my armpit.” Duo looked over at the woman more closely. She was of average height and feminine build. She had stormy gray eyes, dirty blond short hair and a heart shaped face. “Do you have your suppliers already?” He asked curiously.
“Yup. I also have some animals that are waiting to be placed in the store. How old is Sakura?
“Six…a tiny asian six year old. Looks exactly like her Baba.”
“She sounds adorable. Why would she chose such a big dog? Little girls usually like little fluffy dogs?” The vet asked curiously.
“Ohhh, she takes after her Baba that way too. They always do things in big ways. They can’t do anything small unless to them the big thing is small.” He murmured. “Well I think that I had better get back to my tour. If you have any questions or need any help ask one of the foremen they’ll get in touch with one of us and we’ll do what we can.” Duo offered his hand again and smiled his famous smile and wandered away from the vet.
He had already learned a lot of amazing things on this tour.