Till Death Do Us Part…

Chapter Two

By Aryn

 

 

            Ed Harris quietly took a seat next to Wufei, who remained steadfastly attentive to the swinging doors Mei disappeared behind. Ed could see the younger Chinese man was getting anxious. Softly, Ed cleared his throat.

            “How long have they been in there?”

            “About an hour, I guess.”

            “Have they come out to talk to you yet?”

            “No.”

            Ed fiddled with his hands and just waited. The Changs had worked for him for three years now and he knew when to talk to Wufei and when to leave him to his thoughts. A nurse ran out of the ER room to the secretary. Ed watched as the young girl, an assistant most likely, grabbed a clip board and ran back through the swinging doors. When she opened them, Ed caught a sound that sent shivers down his spine. Someone had flat lined. Out of the corner of his eye Ed saw Wufei jump to his feet. He laid a hand on Wufei’s arm.

            “Sit down,Wufei. It’s probably someone else.”

            Wufei remained stoic and steadfast. The sounds of shouts and movement drifted out of the still swinging doors.

            “There’s a bunch of rooms back there. Lots of patients.”

            A doctor in green scrubs came out of the doors and pulled his face mask off. His gaze rested on Wufei. Ed saw the younger man’s jaw clench.

            “Are you Mr. Chang?”

            “Yes.”

            Ed felt like he was watching a movie. He was nothing more than a helpless observer, allowing a director to dictate what was said and how it was said. He wished there was a stop button, or even a pause. But there wasn’t. This was reality. Cold, hard, merciless reality.

            “Mr. Chang, we did everything we could. The head trauma had caused a rupture of blood vessels in the brain. There was no way to fix it. It was a fast way to go. She felt no pain. I’m sorry.”

            “May I see her?”

            “I’m sorry, at this point it’s not allowed.”

            Wufei mutely nodded his head.

            Ed stood up on shaky legs. It was like losing his daughter all over again. Mei had been vibrant and alive. Larger than life and all that. He shouldn’t have let her go out tonight. Ed laid a hand on Wufei’s shoulder.

            “I’ll drive you home.”

            Wufei said nothing and turned to walk out the door. Ed grabbed a hold of the doctor’s shirt sleeve.

            “What’s the meaning about not seeing his wife?”

            “Hospital protocol. If you have a problem with it, go talk to the administration.”

            “What are you going to do to the body?”

            “We’ll run a full autopsy and then send it to the funeral home to be embalmed. He can say his goodbyes in the funeral home.”

            The doctor yanked his arm away from Ed and returned behind those doors. Ed jerked his coat up onto his shoulders and walked out the door. Wufei was already standing outside. He was staring blankly at the ground. He glanced up when Ed walked through the doors.

            “I didn’t know where you parked.”

            “This way.”

            Ed lead the way to the car and turned around to see where Wufei was. The Chinese man had stopped by the passenger side of the beat up pick up truck. He had slipped his hands into the pockets of his leather coat and found a slip of paper. Ed’s heart broke as he saw a tear slip from underneath tightly shut eyes. The unwavering hand that held a gun steady trembled and strong shoulders shook. Ed fought back tears of his own.

            “What is it, Wufei?”

            “Grocery list.”

 

_______________________________

 

            She was gone.  She did not want to believe it.  Part of her cried out that it was not true, that this was a dream, that she would wake up and Heero would ask her what was wrong and she would say that it was just a bad dream.  Arys touched the picture of her and Mei on the bookshelf.  Her hand jerked back as her fingers felt hard wood.  Arys closed her eyes.  It was real.  She opened her eyes and picked up the framed photograph, struggling to hold back the tears.  She and Mei had decided to dress all in black one day while at work, back when Mei and Wufei still worked for the Preventers.  She would never forget Heero and Wufei’s faces when they had seen her and Mei stalk into the lunchroom and sit down across from them, eyes hidden by black sunglasses.  Heero had been in a rare good mood that day and had insisted on taking their picture.  The picture blurred suddenly, and Arys set it back on the bookshelf.

            “Arys?”  Nari’s quiet voice forced her to clear her eyes of tears.

            Arys turned around, keeping her face stoic, her eyes hidden.  “What is it, Nari?”

            “Are you…”  Nari hesitated, and Arys could see the slight fear in the redhead’s eyes.  Arys softened, trying to smile. 

            “I’m fine, Nari.  Thank you.”  Arys sighed, glancing at where Wufei was sitting on the couch, his arms tight around his son, chin propped up on Li’s head.  Li was gazing at his father with confused eyes, and Arys felt sorry for the little boy.  She wondered where Hana was.  She hoped Hana was with Michi.  That was where Li should have been right now, but Wufei had not expected his friends to show up and had not wanted to be left alone.  “If anyone needs help right now, it’s Wufei.”

            “I know you were good friends with Mei, Arys.  All of us were, but you two always got along so well.  If you ever need to talk…”  Nari shrugged.  “Well, I’m here.”

            Arys put a hand on Nari’s shoulder, glad for her friend’s support.  “Thank you, Nari.  That means a lot to me.”  Arys motioned toward Wufei.  Heero sat beside the fifth pilot, staring at the floor, unsure of how to comfort Wufei.  “Come on, someone needs our help.”

            Arys walked over to Wufei.  The Chinese pilot stood to his feet when she approached, and she could see the pain in his eyes.  Without a word, Arys pulled him into a hug.  She felt him stiffen at first, but gradually, he relaxed, hugging her back.  Arys peered down at Heero, seeing understanding in his blue eyes.  Arys pulled away from Wufei and tugged Heero to his feet.

            “I’m sorry, Wufei.  But I figured you might need it.”

            Wufei shook his head, looking down at his feet.  “That’s something Mei would have done.  No need to apologize.”  He looked up.  “I miss her.  I never thought I’d miss anyone so much.”

            At that moment, Duo, Hilde, Trowa, and Triniti walked into the apartment behind Quatre.  Arys took Heero’s hand and stepped back as the two couples talked to Wufei.  She could tell this was hard for him.  He probably just wanted to be left alone.  She felt Heero squeeze her hand.

            “This is good for him, Arys.  With all these people around, he won’t be tempted to do anything stupid.”

            Arys knew exactly what Heero was talking about.  Something like this would probably cause Wufei to go over the edge.  She turned to look up at her husband.  There was something in his eyes she had seen before.  Suspicion.

            “What is it, Heero?”

            He took Arys aside to one corner of the living room where no one else could hear them. 

            “Arys, do you realize that Wufei hasn’t even seen her body yet?  They wouldn’t let him into the emergency room at the hospital.”

            “What are you saying, Heero?  That Mei could still be alive?”  Arys had to fight down the urge to believe him, to allow that small flame of hope to burst into a fire.

            Heero nodded.  “You know the work I used to do.  And in my work, you didn’t believe someone was dead until you saw the body for yourself.”

            Arys hated hearing the cynicism in her husband’s voice but she knew he was right.  “But why?  What could possibly be the motive?”

            “I don’t know.  That’s what has me stumped.  I think we should wait until the funeral before we say anything to Wufei.”

            Arys nodded.  “Good idea.  But, Heero, I hope you’re right.”

            A sober expression came over his face, an expression she knew well and had seen during many missions.  “So am I, Arys.  For Wufei’s sake.”

           

            _______________________________

 

            Wufei leaned against the railing by the artificial river that ran through the L-5 colony. He and Mei would often walk down here, stop and talk by the water. Sometimes, words didn’t even need to be passed. All it took was a look, or a touch. That was enough for them.

            He felt the need to weep once more, but all his tears had been used up. He didn’t have enough tears to cry anymore. A part of him had died when Merian did. A larger part went with Mei. He had nothing left to give anyone. Whenever he did, he lost it when he lost them. Never again. He had Hana and Li depending on him.

            He slipped his wedding band off his hand.

            Hana and Li needed a protector now. A mother and a father, and now he had to play both parts. He wouldn’t be any good to them if he had to go through the paralyzing grief of losing another loved one.

            He reached into his pocket and drew out Mei’s wedding band.

            Walls that he had set up in his heart after Merian’s death snapped back into place. His protection from dependence on others was now functioning. He would be strong. He would fight. And he would not love.

            His fist closed over the two rings. Emotion caused his hand to shake. He held the clenched hand to his face.

            “Good bye my lovely Mei. When I’m certain Hana and Li are no longer dependent on me, I’ll join you.”

            He drew his arm back and with one last sound of grief, he hurled the two rings into the murky water of the river.

 

You found this fanfiction at Gundam Wing: Alternate Universe. 

URL: https://www.angelfire.com/gundam/altuniverse

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