( Chapter 8
)
TO: Sally Po < s.po@preventers.com >
FROM: Chang Wufei
<chang.wufei@secure.mail.net>
SENT: AC197 DEC 10
0752hrs
SUBJECT: Duo's medication.
---message begins---
I went
through Duo's pills. Is there a good medical reason
for him to get all these
sedatives? If you can't come up with
one, I'm going to throw them out. You
know perfectly well how
he feels about anything that reduces his control over
his own
body and mind. I'm also doubtful about the strength and
dosage of
the painkillers you've prescribed. I'll go along with it
for now, but if Duo
objects I'll follow his wishes.
You'll probably want to contact me at
some point, but I've
turned the ringer of the phone off so it won't disturb
Duo. Use
my pager number, or email me back.
-Chang
---message
ends---
----------
Sally's eyebrows rose as she read. *I gave
him those pills late yesterday, then he had to get Duo home and settled... he
can't have looked them all up last night! Doesn't that boy
sleep? He's obviously taking his responsibility for Duo's
recovery very seriously. And I see it's now 'Duo' instead of 'Maxwell', that's
an interesting development.*
*Loss of control, hm? That would
explain Duo's... aversion... to hospitals, all right. Well,
then...*
----------
TO: Chang Wufei <
chang.wufei@secure.mail.net >
FROM: Sally Po < s.po@preventers.com
>
SENT: AC197 DEC 10 0905hrs
SUBJECT: Re: Duo's
medication.
---message begins---
Good morning, Wufei. You're up
early!
---at 0752 hours on 10 DEC AC197, Chang Wufei
<
chang.wufei@secure.mail.net > wrote:
> Is there a good medical reason
for him to
> get all these sedatives?
They were prescribed to
ensure that he got sufficient rest
and sleep, since that's almost as
important to his recovery as
the antibiotics and vitamins. However, if you
feel he's
getting sufficient without their help, you should certainly
go
ahead and leave them out. Don't forget to get some
sleep
yourself!
> I'm also doubtful about the strength and
>
dosage of the painkillers you've prescribed.
Again, use your own
judgement with Duo's reactions and wishes
as a guide; however, do bear in
mind that if he's in pain he
won't rest well. I prescribed a non-sedating
form of
painkilling medication that wouldn't interact dangerously with
the
sedatives, so you don't need to be concerned about that aspect
of
things.
Please keep me informed of his
progress.
Sally
---message ends---
* * * * *
TO:
Lady Une < lady.une@preventers.com >
FROM: Chang Wufei <
chang.wufei@secure.mail.net >
SENT: AC197 DEC 10 0758hrs
SUBJECT: While
I'm on leave.
---message begins---
Lady Une,
The ringer on
my phone will be off while I am on leave. If
you need to contact me before
Thursday, please use my pager or
email.
-Chang
---message
ends---
----------
TO: Chang Wufei <
chang.wufei@secure.mail.net >
FROM: Lady Une < lady.une@preventers.com
>
SENT: AC197 DEC 10 0815hrs
SUBJECT: Re: While I'm on
leave.
---message begins---
Chang,
Thank you for the
information.
-Lady Une
P.S. Give Maxwell my best, and tell him I
said 'thank you for
the roses'.
---message ends---
* * * *
*
Trowa sat in the study and watched Quatre pace. *I thought if I just
let him talk it out he'd be okay,* he thought, *but it's not working...
how many hours is it now? He's getting hoarse! He just keeps repeating himself,
and drinking that damn mud he calls coffee.*
None of the worry he
felt showed on his face as Quatre made another abrupt about-face, hands
gesturing jerkily for emphasis as he talked.
*He held himself together
the whole time we were looking for Duo. At least then he had something to do,
and he could hope for a happy ending. Then we found Duo. Instead of making it
all better the situation got worse; and there's nothing he can do to help while
Duo's so angry at us. He's falling apart...*
"...never gave it a
thought," Quatre was saying. His voice cracked and he winced slightly, scooping
up his cup and gulping cold coffee before he continued. "Eight months! I should
have noticed. I should have gone looking for him. I should have checked to see
if there had been any messages, I--"
"You did check,"
Trowa interrupted. "Quatre, some days you check your messages every
hour!"
The blonde boy shook his head, dismissing the offered comfort.
"No! I should-- I should have realised something was wrong and checked to see if
his calls weren't getting through. No matter what the cause, I should have
noticed that I hadn't heard from him in
months!"
"Hindsight is always perfect," Trowa said quietly. "You were
busy, Quatre. You've been working fourteen- and sixteen-hour
days! I had more spare time; if anyone should have realised--"
"You were
completely reorganising Winner Corporation's security arm and running around
after me to all those public appearances, making sure I didn't get anything shot
off while I was helping Relena set up the Preventers," Quatre objected. "Then
you joined them!"
"Part-time."
"It's still
another job!"
"And I still haven't been as busy as you.
If you can excuse me from responsibility on grounds of overwork, you
have to excuse yourself."
Quatre turned away, shaking
his head again, and headed for the coffee service sitting on a tray on his
desk.
"Stop that," Trowa ordered, standing up and plucking the cup out of
his hand. "If you drink any more coffee you'll give yourself an ulcer. You
haven't eaten anything since late yesterday. Besides," he added as Quatre glared
at him and reached for a clean cup, "I think the pot's empty."
Quatre
slammed the cup back down on the tray and started pacing again, silently this
time; Trowa set down the cup he was holding and watched for a minute, then
commented, "Your hands are shaking. I told you that was too
much coffee."
He was ignored.
After a moment, Trowa sighed and
stepped forwards, catching his lover by the shoulders and holding him still.
"What's really upsetting you? There's something specific, isn't there? More than
I-should-haves and I-could-haves."
There was a long pause; then Quatre
seemed to crumple, resting his head against Trowa's shoulder. "He called me
'Winner'," he said in a muffled voice.
"What?" Trowa wasn't sure he'd
heard right.
"He called me 'Winner'," Quatre repeated, clearly this time.
"Duo's never called me 'Winner'. It was always 'Quatre' or
'Q-man' or 'Quat' or even 'Q-bean'. Once he called me 'Kitty-Quat'."
The
taller boy chuckled softly, pulling him into a gentle hug.
"Even when he
was mad at me, during the war, he never said 'Winner'. It was 'Damn it,
QUAT-re!' And then... when you were talking with Lady Une... he almost fell, and
I caught him, and he was so angry because I'd
touched him. I swear, if he'd been strong enough to throw me
through the wall he would have. And... he said..." Quatre shivered, pulling
himself closer to Trowa. "He said, 'Fuck off, Winner'. I ignored that I hadn't
heard from him for eight months until my nose was rubbed in it, I left him alone
in, in places like that, and he hates me for
it..."
"He doesn't hate you," Trowa cut in abruptly, arms tightening
around him.
"B-but," Quatre stammered, "I felt..."
"He kept the
photos. He kept our clothes," Trowa said seriously. "If he
really hated us, don't you think he would have got rid of them?
Dumped them, given them away, burned them... but he didn't. He didn't even
wear them. He's hurt and upset and angry, yes, and he's got
reason to be. Maybe he thinks he hates us all. But there's
still hope."
Quatre looked up at him, eyes wide; then a cool, synthesised
female voice from the computer said < < One message from Chang Wufei, >
> and he tore himself out of Trowa's arms and leapt for the
keyboard.
* * * * *
TO: Trowa and Quatre <
quatxtro@secure.mail.net >
FROM: Chang Wufei <
chang.wufei@secure.mail.net >
SENT: AC197 DEC 10 0814hrs
SUBJECT:
Duo.
---message begins---
Quatre, Trowa,
Just a note to let you
know I've turned the ringer off on the
phone; if you need to contact me, use
my pager or email.
Duo's sleeping right now; he got settled all right, had a
bath
and got his hair clean last night. He didn't eat much, but then
we
did get in very late. I'm going to let him sleep as long
as possible, then
see how much breakfast I can get into him.
I'll keep you
posted.
-Wufei
---message ends---
----------
As he
hit 'send', Wufei thought he heard a faint sound from the bedroom; he stood up
and took a slow step in that direction, listening intently, then hurried for the
door as he heard Duo whimper.
Duo was still sound asleep, not even really
restless yet; Wufei knelt next to the futon and stroked his hair, smoothing the
bangs back from his forehead. To his relief, Duo didn't flinch away this
time.
"Shh, Duo... it's all right. Shh..."
Duo frowned, eyes still
firmly closed, and muttered something under his breath; then he spoke in a
surprisingly clear voice. "Don' wanna get up. Mrs Friedrich hates me... an' I
didn't do m' English homework..."
Wufei sputtered with relieved laughter,
then got his voice under control and answered. "Go back to sleep, Duo. It's
Sunday... we don't have classes today. You can do your homework later. I'll even
help you, OK?"
"Mmm... n'kay, 'Fei. G'night."
Wufei stayed at
Duo's side, stroking his hair gently, until he was sure he was back in deep,
dreamless sleep; then he went back out to his computer, a faint smile on his
face. *Okay, it was a nightmare... sort of. But it was a
normal nightmare!*
Sitting back down, he noted with
interest that Lady Une had replied, and opened her message; then he sat back and
blinked at the computer screen, confused. *Roses? When did Duo send Lady Une
roses?*
*beep!* < < One new message
> >
*Quatre and Trowa replied already? That was fast... what
were they doing, hovering over the computer?*
----------
TO:
Chang Wufei < chang.wufei@secure.mail.net >
FROM: Trowa and Quatre <
quatxtro@secure.mail.net >
SENT: AC197 DEC 10 0822hrs
SUBJECT: Re:
Duo.
---message begins---
How is Duo? Is he really all right? Has he
been talking? I
still can't believe we let this go for so long. Has he
said
anything about what he's been doing? What happened to him? That
cough
was bad, is it still bad? Is he kicking up a fuss about
taking his pills?
That would be good, actually, because it's
like him. How did he sleep? Did he
sleep? Did he have
nightmares? I hope not. Did you sleep? You need to take
care of
yourself, too, not like that time you went on that long
mission
and forgot to eat.
If there were any sedatives in that bagful
Sally gave you,
throw them away. Sedatives make Duo's nightmares much
worse.
Quatre and I had the bruises for weeks after the one and only
time
we doped him.
-Quatre & Trowa
---message
ends---
----------
*Well. I can tell who wrote which paragraph,
even without the 'Quatre and I' comment... and Quatre knows perfectly well that
I ran out of supplies on that mission!*
Wufei hit
'reply'.
----------
TO: Trowa and Quatre <
quatxtro@secure.mail.net >
FROM: Chang Wufei <
chang.wufei@secure.mail.net >
SENT: AC197 DEC 10 0831hrs
SUBJECT: Re:
Duo.
---message begins---
Quatre: calm down. It's a bit early to tell
how things are
going with Duo, especially since he's still asleep! I'll
keep
you up to date, once I have something to keep you up to
date
on.
Trowa: thanks for the
warning.
-Wufei
---message ends---
----------
Wufei
leaned back with a sigh and a stifled yawn. *Well, that's everyone except
Relena... and Heero.* He scowled. *I should mail her, of
course, but... no. I can't just dump the responsibility for keeping
him up to date on Relena's shoulders. I will
email him.*
*He does deserve to know.*
Sitting up, he
reached for the keyboard.
*beep!* < < One new message >
>
*Hm? What's-- Quatre and Trowa
again?!*
----------
TO: Chang Wufei <
chang.wufei@secure.mail.net >
FROM: Trowa and Quatre <
quatxtro@secure.mail.net >
SENT: AC197 DEC 10 0833hrs
SUBJECT: Re:
Duo.
---message begins---
Is he still mad at us? Has he said anything
about us? Can we
come over? What does Heero say? Do you need us to
bring
anything with us? We could shop on the way! -Q
You'll have to
excuse Quatre. We were up all night and he's
been drinking that Arabic coffee
of his. He's a little wired.
-T
---message
ends---
----------
"Oh, for..." Wufei gritted his teeth. "Didn't
he read the emails?
----------
TO: Trowa and
Quatre < quatxtro@secure.mail.net >
FROM: Chang Wufei <
chang.wufei@secure.mail.net >
SENT: AC197 DEC 10 0836hrs
SUBJECT: Re:
Duo.
---message begins---
Quatre, I told you, he's
asleep! And no, I don't need you
to bring anything. There's
enough food in the apartment for
breakfast, and I'll go shopping later. Let
Duo have a couple of
quiet days to rest and heal before anyone
visits.
-Wufei
---message ends---
----------
TO:
Trowa (private) < harlequin@secure.mail.net >
FROM: Chang Wufei <
chang.wufei@secure.mail.net >
SENT: AC197 DEC 10 0837hrs
SUBJECT:
Quatre!
---message begins---
Trowa, please get Quatre
away from the keyboard and off my
back. Tie him to the bed and work some of
the caffeine off or
something, I don't care what, just keep him
occupied!
-W
---message ends---
----------
Wufei
hit the 'send' button with some force, glaring at the screen; then an expression
of mingled surprise and embarrassment spread over his face and he slumped,
covering his eyes with one hand.
"I don't believe I just
sent that. Somebody, please, tell me I didn't just send that..." He snorted
softly, torn between embarrassment and
laughter.
----------
-takatakatakatakataka-
As the light
tapping of keys switched tempo, becoming faster and louder, Duo shifted in his
sleep.
"Damnit Heero... get off that stupid thing and go to
sleep, why don't ya...?" he muttered, rolling over; then he
opened his eyes and stiffened. The room wasn't familiar, the bed wasn't
familiar, and when he checked, he was wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants that he
couldn't remember ever seeing before. He tensed and took a deep breath, ready to
roll silently to his feet, then lost the breath as pain stabbed his side and he
coughed.
The typing stopped.
----------
Wufei paused
half-way through typing his mail to Relena and raised his head, listening
intently, but the cough wasn't repeated and he
relaxed.
----------
Duo held himself still, one hand pressed
tightly over his mouth and the other arm wrapped around his ribcage as he
muffled a string of coughs, eyes watering. Once the immediate urge was gone he
relaxed slightly, hand slipping away from his mouth as he forced himself to
breathe shallowly and evenly; he relaxed a little more as the sound of typing
began again. When he was fairly sure movement wouldn't start the cough, he
rolled slowly off the futon, shifting out from underneath the quilts as quietly
as possible.
Carefully pulling himself upright, holding onto the pine
chest of drawers for support, he glared hatefully towards the door. *I
remember now,* he thought viciously. *I remember... they came to get me.
And if that's Heero out there...* He slid slowly along the wall, bare feet
silent on the carpet, until he could see through the slightly open door; then he
leaned forwards, shifting to see the edge of the desk, the
computer...
Duo's jaw dropped, lips silently forming a
name.
*'Fei?*
Wufei was sitting in front of the computer,
typing, dressed only in a pair of sweat pants. A towel was draped over the back
of the chair and his damp hair was falling loose around his shoulders, a little
longer than Duo remembered; as he watched, open-mouthed, Wufei pushed a strand
back behind his ear and turned slightly, profile visible for a moment as he
reached for a steaming mug.
Duo leaned back against the wall, swallowing.
The rest of his memories of the day before presented themselves, becoming
clear.
*"I told Duo I was taking him home, and I
meant it."*
*Oh. Oh wow. He really
did...*
*"I'll look after him."*
*'Fei
never says anything he doesn't mean. He might avoid a question, or ignore it, or
just shut up, but I've never heard him tell an outright lie. This must be his
place... and I don't hear anyone else here. He's going to look after me
himself.*
*I'm safe.*
Duo leaned forwards again and
watched Wufei type, just for a little while; then his legs began to tremble and
he reluctantly turned away, making his way back to bed.
* * * *
*
TO: Relena < flowerchild@secure.mail.net >
FROM: Chang Wufei
< chang.wufei@secure.mail.net >
SENT: AC197 DEC 10 0845hrs
SUBJECT:
Duo.
---message begins---
Relena,
The ringer on my phone is
off; email or page me if you need
to get in touch. I got Duo home and settled
all right last
night, and he's still sleeping. The cough seems to have eased
a
bit. It's too early to really tell how things will
go,
though.
I'll keep you up to date.
-Wufei
---message
ends---
----------
TO: Heero Yui < wing@secure.mail.net
>
FROM: Chang Wufei < chang.wufei@secure.mail.net >
SENT: AC197
DEC 10 0848hrs
SUBJECT: Duo.
---message begins---
Yui,
The
phone ringer is off. Use my pager or email if you have to
call. Duo's still
asleep; I'll keep you informed.
-Chang
---message ends---
*
* * * *
Heero wandered aimlessly through the house after breakfast,
unable to settle down in one place or to doing one thing. Finally, he ended up
in the study, sitting at his desk and staring moodily at the collection of
photographs by the computer. Relena; Relena with Heero; Duo with Heero; the five
pilots at the start of Quatre's party...
Heero picked that last, largest
picture up and looked at it. *I think we all have a copy of this. Relena's
got one in her bedroom. Quatre's got a copy in every single one of his houses...
even Duo kept it.* He stroked a gentle fingertip over Duo's laughing face;
then his eyes slid to the right and settled on
Wufei.
*I should be looking after Duo,* he
thought angrily. *I didn't walk out and leave him
sleeping. I didn't ignore him and drive him away.
I didn't...*
The photo in his hands began to
shake.
*I didn't worry about him for eight months.*
*I
changed all my contact details.*
*"I went away for a month to get my head
straight and you just couldn't wait to block me
out!"*
*I did drive him away. It wasn't Wufei. It was
me.*
*"Don't-- fuckin' touch me--
Yui."*
A drop of water landed on the glass protecting the photo.
Then another. Two more...
*"...leave me to rest in
peace..."*
*I was supposed to watch his back. I was supposed to
be there for him. If I'd paid more attention... if I'd just
asked him what was wrong when he said he was leaving, none of
this would have happened. He wouldn't be sick. He wouldn't be hurt. He wouldn't
hate me...*
Unnoticed by Heero, the study door
swung open and Relena stepped in. She stood for a few seconds, watching him;
then she backed out as quietly as she'd come in, closing the door behind
her.
----------
Outside in the hall, Relena stood with her hand on
the door, head down and eyes closed.
*I've never seen him cry
before... not really cry. Even when I walked in on him and Duo
that time, he looked so vulnerable, but he wasn't crying. I've never seen him
shed tears...*
*There has to be some way to fix this. I don't
think Heero can be whole without Duo's
friendship.*
----------
Some time later, Heero's computer
chimed; he looked up blearily, rubbing the back of his hand across sore
eyes.
*What...? Oh. I never logged out last
night...*
Carefully, he set the photo aside and hit a key to open the
new email; after reading it, he swallowed painfully, then slowly reached out and
hit 'reply'.
----------
TO: Chang Wufei <
chang.wufei@secure.mail.net >
FROM: Heero Yui < wing@secure.mail.net
>
SENT: AC197 DEC 10 0852hrs
SUBJECT: Re: Duo.
---message
begins---
Wufei,
Please take care of Duo for
me.
-Heero
---message ends---
----------
TO: Heero
Yui < wing@secure.mail.net >
FROM: Chang Wufei <
chang.wufei@secure.mail.net >
SENT: AC197 DEC 10 0854hrs
SUBJECT: Re:
Duo.
---message begins---
Of course I'll take care of Duo. I'm doing
it for him.
---message
ends---
----------
TO: Chang Wufei <
chang.wufei@secure.mail.net >
FROM: Heero Yui < wing@secure.mail.net
>
SENT: AC197 DEC 10 0855hrs
SUBJECT: Re: Duo.
---message
begins---
Thank you.
---message ends---
* * * *
*
Wufei wasn't pleased with the amount of food Duo ate when he finally
woke him for 'breakfast'; but Sally had warned him that it
might be some time before Duo could comfortably eat more than a few mouthfuls at
a sitting. *A few mouthfuls at a time it is, then,* he thought, watching
Duo slump back against the pillows with a half-eaten piece of toast in his hand.
*I'll just have to make him a lot of small meals every day. It's not just
that he can't get much down; just eating seems to tire him... It's a good thing
I gave him the tablets first.*
"Duo, you don't have
to finish that if you don't want it," Wufei said gently as the other boy raised
the toast for one more reluctant bite; it paused just below Duo's chin as he
looked up guiltily.
"But... you cooked, and..."
"That doesn't mean
you have to make yourself sick trying to eat it all. I can nag you about eating
your meals and proper nutrition later, after you're feeling
better."
"Like, 'pizza is not one of the four food groups'?" Duo asked
with a ghost of a smile, putting the toast down.
Wufei snorted. "That, or
'half a gallon of ice-cream in one sitting has got to be a bad
idea'. I'm still amazed you didn't give yourself hypothermia
with that stunt. You didn't even get a headache, and I'm firmly convinced that
you're the only person who could pull it off. Are you finished?"
"Um...
yeah." Duo looked guilty again; most of what Wufei had served him was still on
the plate.
"Not a problem. I'll be back... oh! I nearly forgot, Lady Une
put a message for you at the end of an email she sent me this morning. 'P.S.
Give Maxwell my best, and tell him I said "thank you for the roses".' When did
you ever give her roses?"
"Huh? Um... Townsville Base, I
think."
Wufei thought for a moment. "I remember you saying something
about 'five hundred pizzas and the Macarena make a great distraction',
but..."
Duo shrugged. "I thought she'd like them."
"...Right. I'll
be right back."
Out in the kitchen, Wufei dropped the plate on the
counter and leaned back against the cupboards. *Okay... I'm still prone to
babble, but... maybe that's good? At least he's talking to me. And he
smiled! Okay, it wasn't much of a smile, but
it was still a smile. He... oh gods, I'm babbling to myself
now. I sound like Quatre!*
----------
After making sure Duo
was settled and comfortable for a midday nap, Wufei stretched out on the sofa to
get a little rest himself.
*I won't actually sleep,* he thought,
eyes falling shut. *I need to stay awake so I can hear Duo if he needs me...
so I'll just lie here for a while. That's all...*
Three hours
later:
----------
TO: Lady Une < lady.une@preventers.com
>
FROM: Chang Wufei < chang.wufei@secure.mail.net >
SENT: AC197
DEC 10 1507hrs
SUBJECT: -none-
---message begins---
You're
welcome.
-D.M.
---message ends---
----------
The
computer beeped softly as Duo hit 'send', and Wufei's eyes flew
open.
"What... huh... Duo?" Confused and sleep-fogged, he blinked at the
thin figure sitting in the chair, listing to one side as he favoured his ribs.
"What are you doing?"
"Email."
"Um... okay. You shouldn't be up.
Why didn't you call me?"
Shrug.
Wufei sat up, scrubbing at his
face, then looked at his watch. *Three o'clock?! I slept for three hours?
Damn it, what if Duo had needed my help and I didn't hear him?!
I didn't hear him come out...* "Did you call
me?"
"No."
*That's a relief, but still, I shouldn't have gone
to sleep!* "Um." He blinked, a little more awake now. "Are you finished? You
can stay out here on the couch if you don't want to go back to bed."
Duo
nodded; Wufei helped him to the couch, spreading the blanket over his legs, then
straightened. "I should get changed; I need to go shopping, but I won't be
long."
Duo followed Wufei with his eyes as he walked into the bedroom;
then he pulled the blanket to one side and shakily pushed himself to his
feet.
Five minutes later, Wufei walked out, hair back in a loose tail,
wearing a faded pair of blue jeans and tugging down the hem of a dark sweater.
"I just need to get food, so-- Duo, what are you doing?!"
The other boy
didn't look up as he stepped carefully into his boots over by the door; he was
already wearing his ragged coat. "Going shopping."
"But-- why-- you
can't--" Wufei sputtered; then Duo peeked up at him from under
his bangs, eyes wide and imploring, and he folded. "...All right. All right, but
you're wearing my coat; it's warmer. And I'll get you a pair of
socks. Sit down, Duo, please!" He turned and
walked back into the bedroom, heading for the chest of drawers, muttering "Sally
is going to kill me if she finds out!" as he
went.
----------
"Hey look, it's that cute Preventers guy, the
Chinese one!"
"Where? ...That can't be him. He's always
in uniform. And who's that he's with?"
"I don't know, but it's him all
right. Pretty out of character, hey?"
"No kidding!"
The cashiers
watched with interest as 'that cute Preventers guy' carefully settled someone on
the bench by the customer service desk and hovered for a few minutes, talking
with a worried look on his face, before moving into the store.
"Is that a
guy or a girl?"
"Hard to say. Nice hair,
though."
"Has to be a girl. Did you see the look on the
guy's face? I say that's his girlfriend."
"Welllll, I
see a basket on the floor over there, so I guess I should go tidy it
up..."
Shortly afterwards:
"It's a
guy."
"No!"
"Uh-huh, and you should see the
bruise on the other side of his jaw! He's awfully thin, and
shivering, but he's got the most gorgeous eyes."
"Think
he's on drugs?"
"Get real! You think cute-and-Chinese would stand for
that? He looks more like my cousin Karen after she was in an accident and spent
two weeks in hospital; she was so weak, if she walked anywhere she got the
shakes."
"So is he the boyfriend, then, or just a
friend?"
"Boyfriend. Definitely boyfriend."
"What
a waste!"
"All the best guys are either dead, gay or taken. You know
that."
"Damn. Gay and taken. Guess I won't be asking him
out, then..."
"At least he's not dead. We can still
look."
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end 'Reunion'
chapter 8
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