A.C. 200
Duo finished wiping down the kitchen counter and nodded with satisfaction. Won’t Hilde be surprised when she comes home, he thought gleefully. The entire house was spotless. Duo wasn’t a complete slob, but he was the stereotypical bachelor even if he didn’t really live alone. He was used to leaving dirty dishes in the sink and dirty laundry on the floor, but he felt kind of guilty when he saw Hilde doing all the housework. He figured this would be a good way to repay her for putting up with him. He’d done the dishes, the laundry, vacuumed and dusted, and had even put away the junk he had lying around his room. She’ll be more than surprised. She’ll probably keel over in shock. Hilde was on Earth, visiting with the other pilots’ significant others, and she was due back in a few hours.
Duo rinsed off the washcloth and wrung it out. When it was only slightly damp, he folded it and put it on the edge of the sink. Perfect.
He went up to his room. Sitting down on the bed, he opened the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out a small velvet box. He opened it and stared at the ring, stomach quivering with irrational fear. What am I afraid of? he asked himself. I’m sure she’s going to say yes. Why am I so nervous about this? If Hilde didn’t like me, she would have left long ago, I’m sure of that. The ring was the prettiest one he could afford, gold with a heart-shaped diamond on top. This was the other thing he was going to do to repay her for all her hard work. He snorted. Some reward. "Now you get to clean up after me for the rest of your life, isn’t that great?" He wouldn’t be surprised if she made it a condition for marriage that he had to pick up after himself. "Ah well," he said softly, closing the box and putting back into the drawer. He slid the drawer shut and lay back on his bed. When Hilde got home, he’d surprise her with the house, and then...hmm...he’d take her out to dinner. He could propose to her in the restaurant, although baring his soul in front of a bunch of strangers wasn’t exactly his cup of tea.
He figured they’d better talk about that other situation, too. When they first started living together, they swore they’d never sleep together, to try to keep their lives from becoming too complex. But they’d gotten falling-down drunk at the reception for Heero and Relena’s wedding. Late that night, they’d headed upstairs toward their rooms, giggling, stumbling, and leaning on each other all the way. One thing led to another, and they’d awakened the next day with their arms still around one another. Our little slipup might not be much of a problem after tonight, though, Duo thought.
He wandered back downstairs and plopped on the couch in front of the television. Now that everything was done, he couldn’t wait for Hilde to get home. He grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and started flipping through the channels. There had to be something good on. He hoped.
He spent the time watching court shows and trying to guess which way the judge was going to rule. He was kind of proud that he got it right most of the time.
He heard the front door open and then Hilde’s voice. "Hey, Duo, I’m home!"
"Hey, babe," he replied, standing up.
She walked into the living room, then stopped, blinked, and looked around. "Am I in the right house?"
He grinned as he walked over to her. "Well, if it isn’t the right house, then we’re both in the wrong house and somebody’s gonna be mad at us."
"You cleaned the house?" She was staring at him incredulously.
"Yeah."
"All of it?"
"Yeah. I figured it’d be a good way of saying welcome home."
She laughed and hugged him. "Duo, you’re the best!"
"Yeah, I know," he replied, grinning, and then ducked as Hilde took a mock swing at him. "Hey, what time is it?"
"It’s almost five o’ clock, why?" she asked.
"I wanna take you to dinner, and it’ll take both of us a little while to get ready."
"Get ready?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow. "The places we usually go, I’d be overdressed if we went right now."
He shook his head. "We’re going someplace special, so put on your fanciest dress and heels." He said the last over his shoulder as he headed for the stairs.
"What? Duo, where are we going?"
"It’s a surprise!"
* * * * *
In an hour, Hilde was ready. She wore a long, dark blue sleeveless formal dress and matching heels. Small silver hoops in her ears sparkled in the light. Subtle makeup brought out her eyes and highlighted her cheekbones. A soft tap on the door sounded simultaneously with Duo’s voice. "Hilde, are you ready?"
"Yeah," she replied, walking to the door and opening it. Duo stood there, wearing a black three-piece suit with a white shirt underneath. His tie was black with gray pinstripes. "Wow, Duo, I didn’t know you owned a suit."
He grinned and blushed a little. "I don’t. I borrowed it from Quatre."
"It looks great. Turn around, let me see the whole thing." Laughing, Duo did a slow spin, showing off. "What did you do with your hair?" Hilde asked.
"Down the back of the shirt. I don’t think the place would let me in if they saw it. You look fabulous, by the way."
"Thank you."
They left the house and walked to Duo’s car. He opened the door for her and she settled in the passenger seat, giggling softly. Whatever Duo was planning, it sure seemed like it was going to be fun. He shut the door and then walked around to the driver’s side. He got in the car, and in a few minutes they were heading down the road.
"Where are we going, Duo?"
"I told you, it’s a secret."
She sighed and watched the buildings go by until the car slowed, and then turned into a parking lot. Her eyes widened as she saw the name of the restaurant. "Cher Le Restaurant? No way!" Cher Le Restaurant was well known as the most expensive eatery in the entire colony, although the people who had had the fortune to have eaten there swore it was the best food they’d ever had.
Duo grinned widely. "Yes way."
"Did Quatre give you the money for this place, too?"
"No, I’ve been saving up for a while."
Duo parked, then got out and went around the car to open the door for her again. She took his hand and let him help her out of the car, after which he shut the door. "Ready?" he asked her.
"As I’ll ever be," she replied.
They walked into the restaurant.
* * * * *
Duo was glad he had been saving up for three months, although he had to admit the food and the service lived up to the restaurant’s reputation. He looked across the table at Hilde, and she beamed back at him. "Duo, this is the most wonderful thing anyone’s ever done for me. Thank you so much."
He smiled. "You’re welcome, Hilde." He slipped a hand inside his right pants pocket and felt the small, hard box. Now’s the time, buddy, don’t screw this up, he thought. "Uh, Hilde? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, Duo. What is it?"
Looking into her blue eyes, Duo felt himself falter. His sheepish, oops-I-screwed-up smile crossed his face. "Uh, I hope you brought money, ‘cause I forgot my wallet."
Her mouth dropped open. "Duo! You’re not serious!"
He grinned. "Just kidding. It’s right here." He reached into his other pocket and brought out his wallet.
She let out a sigh that was half relief and half exasperation. "You’re impossible."
He shrugged and stuck his wallet back into his pocket. Coward! he thought fiercely at himself, but even that couldn’t make him propose to her. I’m hopeless, he decided. I’ll never get the courage to ask her to marry me, and then she’ll leave and marry someone else, and I’ll regret not asking for the rest of my life. It’ll serve me right, too, for being such a spineless loser.
In spite of his cowardice, the rest of the evening went magnificently. He had enough money to pay for the meal and tip the waiter generously. The man offered the first real smile he’d given them all night. "Thank you for your patronage, sir and madam. I hope you enjoyed your meal and will visit us again."
They both nodded and smiled. Duo waited until they were outside before he said, "I guess even at this place they don’t get ten-dollar tips."
Hilde just laughed.
~~Two Months Later~~
"Duo, I’m heading out to do some shopping," Hilde called from the front door.
"Want me to come with?" he asked, appearing at the top of the stairs.
"No, ‘cause you’ll be throwing all the junk food you can get your hands on in the cart," she said, smiling.
"Hey, that’s not fair," he mock-complained, grinning back at her. "I only choose the best-tasting and most fattening junk food."
She laughed. "Forget it, Duo. There’re only a couple things I need to get. I’ll be back soon."
"I’ll be waiting."
She left the house and walked to the Colony Market grocery store. Once inside, she grabbed a cart and headed down the aisles. She passed the snack aisle, then sighed and went back. She picked up a package of Matt’s Chocolate Chip Cookies and dropped them in the cart. They were Duo’s favorites, and it had been a while since she’d bought him anything. Maybe I’ll make him beg for them, she thought with a grin. She began to push the cart down the aisle again.
There was a loud crack, and then the ceiling overhead groaned. Hilde looked up and saw it bowing dangerously. Oh my God, she thought, and began to run toward the entrance. With another loud crack, the ceiling gave way. It collapsed with a roar, burying the store’s patrons in heavy rubble.
In moments, silence reigned, and Hilde tried desperately not to cry in fear and pain. Her legs were pinned beneath chunks of the ceiling, as was her left arm. Some miracle had spared the rest of her body. A set of metal beams had fallen at angles to each other, catching and holding the falling ceiling and leaving a space beneath them. So I’ll survive, at least for a while. She rubbed her right hand over her abdomen. I have to survive.
* * * * *
Duo glanced at the clock again as he paced by it on his route from the kitchen to the living room and back again. It seemed to be an awfully long time since Hilde had left. She said she was only going to pick up a few things, he thought. I wonder where she is.
Irritated at himself for wandering around the house, he sat purposefully on the couch and turned on the TV. "--unknown how many survivors there may be at this point," a news announcer was saying as the picture came up. The screen showed an aerial shot of a building with a collapsed roof. "Once again, this is the scene at the Colony Market. The cause of the collapse is still unknown. Rescue teams are working quickly to free people from the debris."
Duo bolted up and ran from the house, almost tripping over his feet in his attempt to get to the market as fast as he could. Please, let Hilde be okay, he thought. She left before it happened, she had to have!
When he reached the market, he had to work his way through a crowd of gawkers to where the yellow caution tape marked off an area around the building. "Hey, can you help me?" he said, waving a hand at a passing police officer.
"What’s the matter?" the man asked, walking over to him.
"My...my girlfriend might be in there," Duo replied, pointing at the rubble.
"Come with me," the officer said, walking along the tape. Duo followed on his side of the tape. The officer led him to a group of people standing to the side. Some were crying, and Duo realized that these were the loved ones of others who were trapped in the collapsed building. "Officer Bradford will take down all the pertinent information and you can wait here with the others, if you like."
Duo nodded. "Okay, thanks."
After he gave Hilde’s name and description and his own name, he stood with the other hopeful friends and family of the other victims. He closed his eyes for a moment and offered a brief prayer, asking that everyone would be okay. He knew that probably wouldn’t happen, but it certainly didn’t hurt to ask.
After a few hours, someone brought blankets, food, and water for those keeping vigil. Duo sat on a blanket, munching a peanut butter sandwich and watching the rescue teams dig farther into the rubble of the building. No one had been rescued yet, but hopes were still high among the watchers. The day gradually turned into night and most of the spectators left. The majority of those who remained were, like Duo, hoping to hear that their loved ones were found and safe.
* * * * *
Hilde opened her eyes, momentarily startled at the pitch-blackness around her. She jerked involuntarily, and the pain shooting up her legs reminded her of where she was and what had happened. Now that she was awake, she couldn’t believe she had fallen asleep in the first place. I wonder how much time has passed, she thought. Are they even looking for us? She shook her head a little. Of course they are. Nobody would be so heartless as to not help search for survivors.
She lay as silently as possible, holding her breath as she listened for any sounds. Nothing so far, but she didn’t give up hope. They’d find her soon. She had faith in that.
* * * * *
Duo was sleeping, wrapped in his blanket, when the cry woke him. "There’s somebody over here!" a searcher shouted, and everyone’s attention was focused on the spot where the team was hastily removing debris. It was the first survivor.
Throughout the early morning and through the day, the rescue teams came across more survivors. The count reached fifteen as the last of the artificial daylight was fading from the colony "sky". They continued to search, but no one else was pulled from the wreckage. Except for the three clerks, the survivors had been shoppers waiting in line to buy their groceries. There were tearful reunions and the screaming of sirens as ambulances rushed the most seriously wounded survivors to the hospital. The vigil membership was reduced by quite a few people as friends and family followed the ambulances to the hospital or took their loved ones home to be cared for.
He was glad for them, but turned his gaze toward the collapsed building again. Hilde was still somewhere in there. Was she alive or dead? Duo desperately hoped that she was alive. Please God, he prayed. I love her, and I need her. Please let her be okay.
Eventually, Duo fell asleep, huddled in his blanket. He dreamed of Hilde.
* * * * *
Two days passed. Most of the remaining vigil group had drifted away, either after their loved ones had been found or just because they had given up hope. Duo was one of a small core group of people that remained at the site day and night. He refused to give up hope. I know you’re taking care of her, God. I won’t give up yet. I can’t. He tugged the blanket closer around himself and watched the rescue crews dig through the rubble.
* * * * *
Hilde had no idea how much time had passed, but she knew it was long enough for her stomach to finally stop protesting its empty state and just accept it. She also had a raging thirst. She wondered how long a person could survive without water. A week? Only a few days? They’d better find me soon.
Another disturbing development was the lack of feeling developing in her legs. She had spent some time twitching the muscles, trying to get a response, but the pain was dulled and getting duller every time she tried. She was afraid that gangrene would set in and she’d lose both her legs. No, that can’t happen. They’ll find me. They have to!
* * * * *
Another two days went by. The rescue teams were beginning to slow their efforts, looking for bodies rather than survivors. Duo watched as one of the workmen began to pull debris away from a large pile of ceiling chunks and twisted metal support beams. Another workman said something to him, shaking his head. The first man nodded and began to walk away, then paused. Duo sat up straighter as they began to talk. Then the first man’s voice carried through the still air as he shouted, "There’s somebody alive under this pile!"
* * * * *
Hilde forced her eyes open. She’d heard...something. She heard it again, the rubble scraping together as it was being moved. "Hey," she tried to call, but it came out as barely a whisper. She licked her lips and swallowed, then tried again. "Hey, I’m in here!" It was louder, but she didn’t know if it carried beyond her prison. The sounds of the searchers seemed to be getting fainter, and she panicked. "HEY!" she shouted as loud as she could. "DON’T LEAVE ME IN HERE!"
There was silence, then a man’s voice as he approached the place where she was buried. "I thought I heard something."
"Are you sure?" another voice asked, farther off.
"Yeah, I’m sure," the man said. He was nearly on top of her.
"Hey!" she shouted again. "I’m right here! HEY!"
"There’s somebody alive under this pile!" the man shouted, and in a moment she could hear them clearing away the debris above her. In a few minutes, a shaft of sunlight hit her chest. She blinked in the light, unaccustomed to it after days in darkness. The hole was widened, and a face looked down at her. "I’ll be damned," the man said. The feeling of relief was so intense that Hilde started to cry. It’s finally over, she thought.
They uncovered her quickly and soon she was on a stretcher, being carried toward an ambulance. "It’s a miracle," one of the searchers was saying. "A miracle."
"What’s your name?" one of the paramedics asked.
She was about to reply when she heard her name being called. "Hilde!" Duo came into view, skidding to a stop and then walking alongside the stretcher. The sight of him brought tears to her eyes again, and she reached for him with her good hand.
He grabbed it with both of his. "I knew you’d be alive. I just knew it. I saw the stretcher and knew it had to be you." He was grinning ear to ear, but his eyes were shiny and he kept blinking, and she knew he was trying not to cry. "I love you, Hilde."
"Love you," she whispered.
He had to let go of her hand when she was lifted into the ambulance. "I’m sorry, but there’s no room for civilians in here," she heard one of the paramedics saying. "You’ll have to follow us to the hospital."
"Okay," Duo said, then called to her. "I’ll be there as soon as I can, Hilde, okay?" She raised her hand and waved a little in acknowledgment, and the paramedics shut the rear doors.
The ambulance started down the street. "I’m going to get an IV started," one of the paramedics said.
"I’m pregnant," she half-whispered. "If that makes any difference."
"How far along?" the paramedic asked.
"Four months."
He smiled. "This is just going to be a basic saline/electrolyte drip to get you rehydrated, but we’ll be sure to tell the ER staff at the hospital."
She nodded and didn’t even flinch when the needle went into her arm. For the rest of the trip she lay silently, wincing only a little when the paramedics examined her broken legs and arm. The ambulance stopped at the hospital and she was transferred into the care of a team of doctors and nurses. "Don’t worry, honey, we’ll take good care of you," one of the nurses said, patting her shoulder comfortingly. She smiled.
* * * * *
Duo, freshly showered and clothed, walked into the ER waiting room and walked up to the admissions desk. The attending nurse looked up at him. "Can I help you?"
"My girlfriend Hilde was just brought in here a little while ago."
"Oh yes," the nurse said. She glanced over toward the wall and waved a little. Duo looked and saw a doctor walking in their direction.
"I’m Doctor Jeffries," the woman said when she reached them. "I worked on her here in the ER. She’s in surgery right now. They’re repairing her broken legs and arm."
"So...so she’s gonna be all right?" he asked.
"She’ll be fine. You’ll be able to see her after she recovers from the anesthesia." She smiled. "I think she has a surprise for you, too."
Duo mulled over that while he sat and waited to see Hilde. What kind of surprise could it be? Was she going to propose to him? The thought brought a little smile to his face, and he patted the bulge in his pocket where the ring box was. The hospital wasn’t the ideal place for a proposal, but he wasn’t going to wait any longer. The past week had been the most agonizing of his life, partly because he’d been too cowardly to take the chance in the restaurant and he was afraid he’d never get a second one.
"Mr. Maxwell?" the desk nurse called, breaking into his thoughts. He stood up and walked over to the desk. "She’s in room 511. Just take the elevator there up to the fifth floor and turn right."
"Thanks," he said, and followed the nurse’s directions.
Reaching room 511, he knocked lightly on the door. "Come in," Hilde said. He walked in, and she smiled. "Hi, Duo."
"Hi, babe," he replied, smiling back at her as he walked over to the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired, mostly. They have me doped up on painkillers, so I can’t feel anything from my legs or arm yet. I was afraid they’d have to amputate or something, but I guess I’m lucky."
"Maybe God saved you," Duo said. "I prayed for you. I think I didn’t stop praying for the entire week."
For some reason, that brought tears to Hilde’s eyes, and she blinked them away. "Thank you, Duo." She looked down at her good hand, which was picking at the blanket spread over her torso, then back up at him. "Duo, I have something I need to tell you."
"Can I say something first?" he asked.
She nodded. "Sure."
"I...I was going to do this at the restaurant, and I chickened out." He laughed a little, then sobered. "When...all this happened, I realized I don’t have time to be a coward. I passed up the first chance and almost didn’t get another." He took the box out of his pocket and opened it with shaking hands. When Hilde realized what he held, her eyes widened. She looked up at him, her good hand covering her open mouth. "Hilde, I know I don’t deserve you, but will you marry me?"
She laughed a little, but the sound was pure joy. "How could I ever say no?"
He took the ring out of the box, and they both laughed when they realized that her left hand was encased in a cast. "I guess it’ll have to go on my right hand for a while," she said, and Duo nodded as he slid the ring on her right hand ring finger.
He kissed the back of her hand before releasing it. "What did you want to tell me? The ER doctor mentioned a surprise."
"Oh yeah, it’s a surprise all right," Hilde said, admiring the ring. "And it doesn’t seem to loom so large anymore..."
"What? Hilde, you’re killing me with suspense."
She looked at him, meeting his eyes. "I’m four months pregnant."
His eyes widened in surprise, then a joyful grin took over his face. "Yes!" he said, trying to keep the volume of his voice down. He spun around in a circle, trying to express some of the exuberance welling up inside him. "Yes, yes, yes, yes!"
She laughed. "I guess I shouldn’t have worried about how you’d react."
He turned back to her. "The baby’s okay after...after everything?"
She nodded. "They did an ultrasound and an amniocentesis and everything came back a-okay. The baby survived better than I did."
He leaned down and kissed her gently. "I love you, Hilde. More than anything else in the world."
"I love you too, Duo." She giggled. "So, do you want to marry me with casts on or with a big fat pregnant belly?"
He chuckled softly. "Either," he said, and kissed her again.
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