Disclaimer- Unfortunately, I don’t own Gundam Wing or any of its characters.  They belong to their respective owners (Sunrise, etc.). Therefore, I do not lay claim to anything that is not mine. Therefore, do not sue me. I’m a broke little freshman and you’d be wasting your time to take the only dime I have. I am not making any profit off of this, or any of my fan-fictions, they are purely for entertainment purposes. My only reward is the E-mails, so please, tell me what ya think.

This is yet ANOTHER fan-fic about what happened after episode 45 "Signs of the Final Battle" when Hilde retrieves the data from Libra. I know you’ve probably read a million, but I wrote this fic sometime in September of 2000 and haven’t had the guts to publish it. In others words, I wrote it BEFORE I knew there was a million others like it and don’t feel like deleting for that reason. If this story is similar to yours, keep in mind I didn’t copy it. I wrote this before I began reading fan-fics. And, by the way, I know I’m not good at love stories, so I don’t need you to flame me and tell me something I already know.

Confession

From Hilde’s POV

I had been right all along. Duo never left my side unless absolutely necessary. The only time he would leave the chair by my side was when he had to fight, or when one of the pilots dragged him away. He wouldn’t even leave to eat. I wasn’t conscious and observing this, rather in a coma. My doctors didn’t think I could hear them, but Duo was another story. He wouldn’t allow the doctors to talk about my dire conditions in front of me. One time a doctor wanted to turn me off and Duo just about shot him. I heard everything that went on in my room, and felt it too. That’s how I knew that Duo was there.

I had just come out of surgery and Duo had just returned from fighting. I could faintly hear that particular night, probably from the tubes in my ear giving blood to my brain. However, I heard Duo walk into the room and say something to the doctors. Something about needing a chair and pillow. The doctors told him that I had lost too much blood and would probably die, and Duo went nuts. First he yelled about saying that in front of me and then he yelled about not getting more from him sooner. They answered back saying that he had already given his limit and he yelled that he didn’t care. I heard them mumble something about wars making people go crazy and then they walked out of the room, probably to get the needed supplies. I felt a figure sit in a chair next to me and a hand tighten around my own. It was Duo’s firm but gentle grip. I opened my eyes just a pinch and noticed that he was still wearing a space suit. I tried speaking but it was to no avail. I realized that I was still in a coma and was unable to move any part of my body anymore. I could hear the doctors’ return and approach Duo. He removed his glove and rolled up the sleeve of his suit. His hand tightened around mine and I noticed that he had cringed when the needle stuck in his arm. I remembered him one time joking about how he would never take a needle for a woman, but here he was, giving blood right and left. Anyway, Duo gave a lot of blood and then the doctors told him he couldn’t afford to give any more. So Quatre, having type O, and Wufei, having B, gave enough to keep me alive for awhile.

Duo talked to me almost all night, about the things we would do together when he took me home. Carnivals, circuses, movies, fancy restaurants, the list went on and on. He told me that I had to survive, or else none of those things he’d wanted to do would get done. He’d cried. I could feel his tears on my hand and I could hear him sobbing quietly. Duo was crying, for me? I wanted so badly to comfort him, to caress his cheek and tell him I’d be okay. But I couldn’t. All I could do was lay here and listen to my best friend, my love, in pain because of me. I made a decision then; to recover and go to those places with Duo. Somebody walked in the room and over to my bed. "How is she?" the person asked, was it Trowa?

Duo’s grip on my hand tightened, "She’s fine. She’s gonna be okay!"

"Duo, you’ve been in here for six hours straight. You haven’t eaten since yesterday, and you probably haven’t even let the nurse look over your battle wounds. Why don’t you leave for, say, an hour and come back after you clean yourself up again?"

"I’m not leaving her here! And about those ‘battle wounds,’ I didn’t let the nurse check over them because I didn’t have any!" Duo’s voice was defensive.

"Liar. Every single one of us pilots got hurt in some minor way or another, Quatre got a cut in his arm, Wufei a bloody nose, Heero a busted lip…"

"You want to see battle wounds?" Duo said, raising his voice and rubbing my forehead gently, which was bandaged, "These are battle wounds. Battle wounds nobody seems to think she’ll recover from but me! I can’t leave her till I know she’s gonna be okay!"

"At least let me bring you some food. What would you like?" Trowa asked.

"I don’t care," Duo responded, returning his hand with mine and entertwining our fingers together.

"How about clean clothes?"

"What I’m wearing is fine!"

"You’re not going to be like this when you have to leave for battle, now are you?" Trowa asked as he walked out of the room. Duo stroked my cheek with his free hand.

"No," he whispered back, "Because it’s something I have to do for Hilde." Trowa returned carrying some kind of soup, from what I could guess with Duo’s loud slurping. He seemed to devour it, but kept his left hand with mine while he ate. Later that night I got several more visitors; Sally, Noin, Quatre, and Heero. Heero mostly came to talk to Duo and mumble a ‘get well’ to me as he left. ‘Geez,’ I thought, ‘how can he and Duo even be considered friends? That guy is about as antisocial as they come!’

By the time all of my visitors left, it was around midnight, and Duo went to get a blanket and pillow. As he curled up in the chair, I felt him give my hand a kiss. Then I too feel into peaceful oblivion. I woke a few days later. Not just listening kind of waking up, but my eyes opened and I was able to move. I was testing all my muscles when I noticed my hand couldn’t move. I glanced at it and it was connected to another hand. Then I noticed Duo sitting in a chair beside me, leaned over to where his pillow was resting on my headboard. His face looked the same everytime he was haunted by nightmares, and I knew he was keeping them inside so as not to worry me. I squeezed his hand tightly and his eyes popped open, not recognizing the surroundings before him. He let his eyes focus and sat up, "Hilde?"

"Hi Duo," I answered weakly. His face broke into a grin and he jumped up.

"You’re okay! How long have you been up?" Duo asked, tightening the grip on my hand.

"About five minutes. How long have I been out of it?"

Duo’s face suddenly lost its happiness. He folded his arms out and looked down, "Since December 16th."

"What’s today?" I questioned.

"December 24th."

"That long?!" I managed to squeak out. He nodded, worry filling his eyes again.

"Hilde? Are ya gonna be okay?" he inquired, putting a hand to my forehead, "Your fever’s gone down a bit, but do you feel okay?"

I pulled his hand from my forehead and rubbed my cheek across it. He looked confused at first, then smiled. Finally I replied, "I feel fine. All I need to know is that you’re here for me."

"I’ll be here when I can, but we haven’t defeated the White Fang yet. He’s planning to…" Duo caressed my cheek gently, then pulled his hand away.

"I know, I know," I interrupted, "Planning to blow up earth, yada, yada, yada."

Duo returned his goofy grin, "That’s my Hilde! I see you’re getting back to your old self again. And if I know you, I can tell you’re starving right about now!"

"Absolutely," I chirped weakly. He squeezed my hand and smiled wide.

"Don’t worry, Hilde! I’ll be right back, I promise!" he told me as he ran from the room, returning shortly carrying a tray of breakfast. "Here ya go!" he grinned as he set it down in front of me.

I tried to hold the knife so I could butter my toast, but my hands weren’t working right. Getting frustrated, I blew my sticky bangs out of my eyes. Duo’s hands appeared over my own as he took the knife in one hand and the toast in the other, spread the butter and jam, and set it back on my tray. Grateful and a little embarrassed at my apparent weakness, I picked up the toast with wobbling hands and took a bite. The food was warm and almost foreign to my starving body, and I devoured to parcel quickly. "Geez-us, Babe!" Duo exclaimed with his famous grin, "Doesn’t that food tube feed you at all?!"

I shook my head and licked the jam from my lips, "No. It’s more of a bother than a help!"

"Say no more, Babe! I’ll have the doctors remove it. Seems you’ve gotten your appetite back anyway!" Duo laughed and handed me another piece of toast. I ate that but he wasn’t satisfied. "Eat this too," he ordered as he gave me a plate full of eggs. I tried to pick up the spoon but I instantly dropped it. "Hilde?" Duo questioned, getting nose-to-nose with me, "Hilde, what’s wrong?" His violet eyes glazed over with fear, fear of losing me?

I laughed it off, "Whoops! My bad!" I picked up the spoon again and, scooping up some eggs, tried to raise it to my mouth. Halfway there my fingers dropped the spoon and the eggs fell on my stomach and on the floor. I bent to pick the eggs of the ground and was instantly pushed back into the pillows by none other than Duo. "Duo…I…it was an accident. I’m sorry…" I began with a shaking voice but Duo held a gentle finger to my lips.

"Shh. It’s okay, Babe. I’ll clean it up. But first I’m going to buzz a doctor," he told me and leaned over me to push the call button. With quick fingers, he picked up the eggs that fell on my lap and floor. "Here Hilde. Let me do it," he whispered as he picked up my dropped spoon, put some eggs in it, and held it in front of my face. Totally embarrassed and ashamed, I opened my mouth and Duo popped the spoon in my mouth. I ate everything he offered me without complaint, in all honesty I wasn’t feeling too hot. Finally he was satisfied with how much I’d ate and put the spoon down. "There. Better?" he asked, setting the tray on the floor next to him. I nodded.

"I’m sorry Duo. I’m…" I started to apologize, but once again Duo cut me off.

"It’s not your fault Babe," he interrupted. His face was gentle, but then came into a frown, "Wait, I take that back. It is your fault. If you’d only stayed in L2 like I told you then none of this would have happened!" I lowered my head and nodded. I deserved everything he was scolding me for. "Damn it Hilde! How could you have done that to me?! I almost lost you, for Heaven’s sake, I almost lost you! Were you even thinking? Did you think about the consequences involved in your actions?!"

"But Duo, I only wanted to help…"

"Help?! Help?! Geez, Hilde, it would have helped me more if you’d stayed put! I thought you were safe at home, and then I found out that you’re seconds from death because you disobeyed me," Duo’s voice choked up and he grabbed my shoulders, "Hilde, you’re the most important person in my life. If something happened to you I don’t know what I’d do! I…I love you with all my heart, Hilde." I looked up in shock. Duo Maxwell had just confessed that he loved me! I felt like dancing or squealing like a schoolgirl or doing something drastic, but I just smiled weakly.

"I love you too, Duo. I always have," I whispered back as he pulled me into a tight embrace. Tears fell down my cheeks and he wiped them away gently. "I’m sorry Duo, I was scared that you were gonna get hurt."

"Nothing can kill the God of Death, Babe," Duo replied with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and widened them as Duo pressed his lips to mine for a short but loving kiss.

"You're by far the most stubborn person I've met!" Duo informed me when he pulled away, "Even more so than Heero!"

"That's a good thing, right?" I asked with a smirk. Duo laughed and hugged me again.

"Yeah Babe, that's a good thing."