JT 2

"Heero's here…I guess that means Jeri's here too." Kiara said, taking off her helmet and shaking out her long, jade hair. "Duh. Of course they're both here, didn't you see Heero take Jeri in his car? I swear Kiara, you get ditzier and ditzier every time I see you. Are you sure you're not a natural blonde?" Pheonix said through her helmet. She hadn't taken it off, and wasn't making a move to do so either. Kiara almost fell over at the comment, a large sweatdrop forming on the back of her head. She soon regained her composure, flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked up to the front desk. "Um, excuse me. Could you tell us if Jeri Tyler has arrived yet ?" Kiara asked. The woman at the desk looked through her book of patients and stopped on a page, then looked back up at Kiara. "Yes, I have a Jeri Tyler enlisted in room 614, level 5, hall B. She's in the ICU right now, but she should be in her regular room by late tonight. You're welcome to visit her when the doctor says it's okay, but it'll be a long while before anything drastic happens. There are chairs over here, and I'll get you two some blankets and pillows if you wish." The woman replied.

She appeared to be no more than eighteen, around five foot five and a half inches tall, large, bluish-green eyes and bright pink, spiky hair that fell this way and that. She was wearing a pink and white striped apron over what appeared to be a school uniform. The uniform consisted of a white blouse and a purple neck-tie, and a yellow sweater vest with grass green around the v-neck collar and the sleeve holes. Her hair was pushed back by a wide, black headband, although it didn't do very much; her hair was still hanging in front of her face. The woman smiled at them and walked out from around her semi-circular desk. She disappeared into a storage room, then came out with two green, flannel blankets in one arm and large, white, fluffy pillows in the other. She then walked over to the small gathering of lounge chairs and set the pillows and blankets down upon them. When the woman was in plain view, Kiara and Pheonix saw that her school outfit was completed by a dark green, plaid skirt, yellow socks that went to mid-thigh, and tall, black, lace-up combat boots. The boots were very strange; they looked weird with her outfit, yet they matched in their own way.

Kiara sat down on one of the chairs and pulled another one across from her, placing her feet on it. After looking around once more, Pheonix finally plopped down into a chair nearby and pulled off her helmet. She was wearing a black, knit cap on her head and silver-framed, red-lensed sunglasses. Pheonix then gazed up at the woman and said, "Excuse me. May I ask what your name is?" the woman blinked a few times, then smiled at Pheonix. "Why yes, you may. My name is Yukiko, I'm a volunteer at this hospital, that's why I'm still wearing my school uniform; I come here right after school gets out and work the graveyard shift. Usually, there isn't much to do, so the silence helps me study for my college entrance exams. I'm in my fourth year of high school now, and I'm trying to get my master's degree in medicine. The pay isn't very good, but I'm getting along. So, how do you two know the young lady…Jeri, right?" Yukiko answered. Kiara scratched her head and crossed her eyes. "Vell, I'm Jeri's stepsister, and Pheonix here is a close, childhood friend. We've known each other for quite a vhile." She finished, looking back at Yukiko. The pink-haired woman nodded, smiling nervously at the two. "Um, Yukiko? How is Jeri doing? How bad are the injuries?" Pheonix interrupted. Yukiko jumped at the voice, then put a hand to her chest, calming down. "Well, they're pretty bad. Last time I heard from the doctor, your friend has broken seven ribs, broke her left arm in three different places, and has a compound fracture in her right leg. Also, her jawbone snapped out of place, she lost about two of her permanent teeth, and her right ear was cut severely, it was halfway torn off of her head. She got thirty-six stitches for that, and is currently on a respirator. She lost quite a lot of blood, and is in serious need of some rest so she can recover as quick as possible." Yukiko said, and suddenly the phone at the desk rang.

"Excuse me for a minute, I have a call." She said and nodded to the girls, reaching around the desk for the headset phone. Turning it on, Yukiko spoke into the receiving end. "Front desk…Yes, her friends are here to see her…how is she?…oh, no…since when?…oh, that's awful…I'll send them…okay, I got it…thank you Dr. Thomas, I'll send them down now…uh huh, bye." The conversation ended abruptly. Yukiko removed the headset and placed it back upon the desk, then looked over at the two pilots. "Jeri has been moved to her room, and was in stable condition, but just half and hour ago, she fell into a coma. We don't know how long it'll last, but she's alive, thank God.You're allowed to see her now, I'll show you the way. If you'll come with me, ladies." she said gently. Pheonix and Kiara stood up quickly and followed Yukiko down the hall and to a door with `614'on it in large gold characters. Yukiko knocked lightly on the wooden door, and a voice came from inside. "Yes, come in." was the muffled voice's reply. Yukiko then turned the knob and opened the door slowly, peeking her head in. "Hello, Dr. Thomas…Jeri's friends are here to check up on her." She said sofly. Dr. Thomas stood up and beckoned the three girls into the room. When they had entered, the three noticed that a crumpled form lay on the small bed, the covers halfway up Jeri's limp body. Her face was white and her hands were placed across her stomach, her eyes were closed. They suddenly seemed to realize that Heero was seated at Jeri's side, gently holding one of her hands and looking down at her pale and lifeless face with a fixated expression. As Kiara and Pheonix entered, they looked up at the doctor, and almost fell over in shock. "Oh…my…lord…Naomi? Is that seriously you? Please tell me I'm not hallucinating." Pheonix said, grabbing a neaby chair and falling into it. Naomi smiled faintly and tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder, adjusting her thin-framed glasses. She stepped foreward and shook Kiara's hand firmly, then Pheonix's.

"Yup, it's me…surprised, huh? Well, let me tell you how surprised I was when I found out I was to be treating Jeri, and now…you two. It's been a while…my, my yes…it has been ages." She said, clutching her clipboard. Yukiko, who was standing next to the doctor, raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Dr. Thomas…you know these young ladies?" she asked. Naomi looked over at the woman and smiled. "Yes, I know Pheonix and Kiara very well…too well, if you ask me. So, thank you girls for coming, thank you Yukiko, for showing them their way. You are dismissed, I think they need help in the ICU cleaning up. Jeri's operation was messy, and I'd appreciate it greatly if you stopped by and got me a black coffee. I've got some money here for you." Naomi said, enjoying Yukiko's look of bewilderment. She placed a few dollars in the woman's hand and steered her towards the door. Yukiko blinked and nodded to the doctor, closing the door behind her. Naomi looked over at Jeri and scribbled something on her clipboard. "I swear, that girl is slightly absentminded sometimes…look at me, what am I saying? I'm a year younger than her, and I'm her instructor…poor Yukiko…I hope she does well on getting her master's degree, she certainly deserves it…if she does, maybe someday, I'll be working for her. That'll be the day. Anyway, here's my number if you ever need to contact me…and believe me, with what's going on, you'll need to call me soon, I just know it." Naomi said, tearing off a small piece of paper with a phone number on it, folding it several times, and hading it to Kiara, who stuffed it in her pocket.

"Thanks, Naomi, and it's good seeing you again. We'll make sure to give you a buzz every now and then. Is there a ceratin time to call?" Pheonix asked. "Well, anytime before noon, I have this shift at the hospital, and then I have a gig at the bar…you know, that big one around the corner?" Naomi said, peering at the girls. Kiara and Pheonix looked at each other, not quite understanding. "But, I thought you didn't do bars anymore. Doesn't being a doctor pay more than enough for you to get by?" Pheonix asked. Naomi laughed. "Yes, I definitely have enough to get by. But once I started working as a bartender, I was so good at it and it was so fun, I stuck with it. Oh, if you ever happen to stop by yourselves or with any friends, preferably male friends…just ask for Bubbles, and I guarantee I'll be there until five in the morning. Anyway, on to business. Jeri is currently in a coma, we don't know when she'll snap out of it. Jeri barely got away with her life, it's a miracle she was able to survive. It's a good thing Heero brought her here as soon as possible, otherwise she would be dead right now. She's on a respirator at this time, and I'm having Heero inject a syrum that speeds up the healing process every six hours." Naomi finished, and she walked out of the room, leaving Kiara and Pheonix standing in the room, not completely sure what to do next.

` Kiara cleared her throat and nodded towards Jeri's still form. Pheonix nodded, and they both approached the bedside, sitting down in nearby chairs. Kiara looked down at her step-sister with a sorrowful expression. "I can't believe this happened. Not to Jeri, she's the only person I felt good around. She is my best friend, and I just can't bear to see her in this pain, and what if it gets worse? What if…if…" Kiara trailed off, knowing Heero and Pheonix knew already what she was talking about. Pheonix took off her knit cap and scratched her extremely short, silvery hair. She didn't make a move to remove her glasses though, Kiara seemed glad about that. "Now, let's not start thinking about that sort of thought. Jeri's going to be just fine, and we're going to sit here and wait until she does. What do you say we get some pillows and blankets, some strong coffee, and camp out? " Pheonix declared, looking at Jeri's form with a determined expression.

Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard. Kiara jumped up and opened the door. Yukiko entered again, her face hidden by several pillows and blankets. She set a pillow and blanket on Kiara and Pheonix's chair, then plopped the rest on the floor near the bed. She smiled and said, "Hi again. I just thought you might need these, and there's a large pot of coffee on its way. Well, I hop your friend heals quickly, I've got to leave now, night class for my med course. I'll see you later!" Yukiko said, smiling brightly. She then left, leaving the door open. After Yukiko had exited, Donnica, Katira, Duo, Trowa, Wufei and Quatre all filed into the large hospital room. Quatre was holding a small bunch of daisies tied together with a yellow ribbon. They didn't say anything, Quatre placed the flowers in a glass vase by the closed window. The other pilots either sat on chairs, stood, or plopped down on the floor. Donnica looked over at Kiara and asked, "How is she?" Kiara just opened her mouth to speak, when another voice was heard, "She almost died…there's still a fair chance she will in time." Heero looked away from Jeri and glared at the others. "It's my fault. If I hadn't been mad at her for this morning…if I had just been there to help her with the mission…it's my fault she's like this." He stated. Kiara stood up and tried to protest, but Heero shook his head, refusing to believe otherwise.

He held on to Jeri, trying someway to help her get better. Jeri's face was ghostly white, her lips were a light blue shade. Her chestnut hair pooled around her face, her body remained still. All that was heard was the slow beeping of the heart monitor. Jeri had several tubes stuck into her body, the tangle of wires and cables seemed endless; the respirator she was on went up and down repititiously, the only sign that she was alive. Pheonix squirmed in her chair, she placed a pillow behind her head and draped a blanket over herself, trying to warm her chilled body. Folding her legs under herself, Pheonix rested her head on the soft pillow and closed her eyes. "Well, you guys…all we can do now is wait…and hope for a miracle." She said, trying to rest. Duo sat down on the floor, and Donnica rested against him, his arms holding her close.The others all settled down grabbing a pillow and blanket for themselves and settling down to get a good night's sleep. Heero, however, simply sipped from a cup of coffee he had previoulsy gotten with one hand, and kept a hold on Jeri's hand with the other.

Kiara was the first to wake up that day, and she looked over at Jeri's bed. Kiara spotted Heero on the other side; he had finally fallen asleep, but his hand was still clenching Jeri's. Kiara smiled inwardly and slowly got up, approaching Heero's snoozing form. She draped her flannel blanket over him, not wanting to disturb his peace. She then walked over to the other side of the bed and sat down. Gazing sorrowfully at her stepsister's helplessly-looking body, Kiara brushed some chestnut hair away from Jeri's face. "Oh, Jeri…look at you, how did this ever happen…who in the world would do this to a person, more or less you? Well, you did good, sis…you cheated death again, but barely…" Kiara shuddered at the memory of the previous mission, "Guess what? I saw you fall, it was really painful looking…but I know you didn't cry, not one bit…well, that was partly because you were unconscious, but hey…if you had a chance, you wouldn't have, huh? You're much stronger than you think, much more than me at least…I'm awfully proud of you, Jeri, you did good, kid…" Kiara whispered, not really expecting Jeri to hear her.

"Thanks, Mari. It means a lot to me, you know." A voice proclaimed. Kiara's eyes shot open in surprise, she looked up and saw Jeri looking in her direction. Her face was exactly the same shade of white, her lips still blue, and Kiara could tell it was a huge effort for her to breath those few words. Jeri was taking air in shallow breaths, her body shuddered suddenly, and she forced her head to go back to resting on the large pillow, closing her eyes. Kiara gasped at the sight of Jeri conscious, her hands were shaking. "Oh my God…oh my God, oh…my…GOD." Kiara whispered. She got up slowly and placed her hands on Jeri's shoulders, waking her again. Jeri's eyes opened halfway, she smiled faintly at Kiara. She lifted the hand that wasn't holding Heero's hand, stretched to her neck, and pulled a thin, gold chain out of beneath her hospital gown. There was a silver ring hanging from the chain, Kiara knew why Jeri had a ring on a chain with her. Kiara's eyes widened, she looked at Jeri questionably. "What is that for, Jeri?" she asked quietly. Jeri unlatched the chain from around her neck and handed it to Kiara. "Here, I want you to take this, give it to Heero when he wakes up, but not until then, understand? Give it him and tell him I said I'm going to be okay and none of you have to worry. Will you do that for me, Mari?" Jeri asked, placing the necklace in Kiara's hand and closing her fingers around it.

Kiara looked at her clenched fist, then back at her stepsister. She slowly nodded, taking a deep breath. Jeri smiled, then said, "Oh, and Mari, I'm really sorry…for causing you all this trouble. Tell Quatre thank you for the daisies, it was really sweet of him. Also, tell Pheonix I'm glad she's here with us, and that a miracle has happened. All of you, being here, coming to see me, that's my miracle…God sent you all so we could take care of each other, and I thank Him for that. I broke our promise, Mari…remember, how we said we'd never cry again? The first few days I met the guys, I broke down…I cried and cried and cried, Mari…I felt like such a coward. I know what you're thinking, I know it's not the end of the world…that's true, but I know I could have kept the pain inside as long as I wanted, I'm just too emotional to bottle up my tears. Don't say anything, Mari…just let me hurt, okay? Oh, and tell Naomi I said hi, I'm proud of her for pursuing her dream of being a doctor, she deserves it. I'm proud of you all, for sticking with me through all this. One last thing, Mari…tell Heero…tell him that…that I…tell him that I love him." Jeri said in a strangled voice, then she collapsed back onto her bed, falling unconscious again.

Kiara watched the whole thing, tears pouring down her face in twin rivers. She buried her face into the side of Jeri's bed, sobbing loudly. "No, Jeri, please…don't do this to me! I need you, we all need you, don't do this, you can't…how are we supposed to take all this? How do you expect me to cope with this? Dammit, Jeri! Why do you have to be the brave one? Why? My God, answer me!" Kiara shouted. Her rantings woke the others, they slowly got up, wondering why Kiara was yelling at Jeri, who was unconscious. Heero's head snapped up, he looked over at the jade-haired pilot in shock. "Kiara! What the hell is going on? Tell, me, please!" Heero said, a concerned look on his face. Kiara just shook her head violently and buried her head deeper into the matress. The other pilots were all wondering the same thing, they each looked at Kiara, then Jeri, then Heero, becoming more and more confused. Pheonix jumped up and walked over to where Kiara was sitting. She grabbed her shoulder and shook it hard, forcing Kiara to look up. Pheonix then lifted her left hand and promptly smacked Kiara across the face, a deep red handprint marked where it had landed. Kiara shook her head, then wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, looking at them, disgusted. She took in a few breaths, then straightened up and spoke.

"Jeri woke up, she spoke to me. She said to tell you that she'll be okay and for us not to worry. She wanted to thank Quatre for the daisies, tell Pheonix that she's glad to have her here. Then she collapsed back onto the bed and that was it." Kiara looked at her stepsister in dismay. Pheonix pointed to Kiara's clenched hand. "What's that?" she asked. Kiara looked at it as if she just noticed it was there. Standing up, Kiara walked over to where Heero was standing. She grabbed his hand and placed the necklace in it. Then she closed his fingers around it, just as Jeri had previously done. "Jeri wants you to have this. She told me to give it to you when you woke up. She wants you to keep it. Oh, and one thing…she wants me to tell you that she loves you." Kiara said, looking into Heero's eyes. Heero didn't say anything, just looked at his hand, glancing at the necklace. He picked it up and undid the clasp of the medium-sized gold chain, then fastened it around his neck and tucked beneath the blue shirt he was wearing. He looked at Kiara and nodded thankfully. Heero then went over to the phone in the room, dialed a number, and waited.

The person on the other end answered, Heero spoke into the phone in a calm voice. "Dr. Thomas? Yes, this is Heero, I'm just calling you to inform you that Jeri became conscious a few minutes ago…yes, of course, I will…yeah, okay…how long will you be? I see, thank you very much…I appreciate it…uh huh, bye." He said, replacing the phone back into the cradle. "Well, everything's taken care of, guys. We just have to wait for Dr. Thomas to get here, she's at the bar, but she's on her way here." Heero said, yawning. He then leaned down and caressed Jeri's cheek with the back of his hand, kissing her briefly on the forehead. Jeri stirred and her eyelids fluttered open. She smiled at Heero and reached up with one hand, brushing Heero's dark bangs out of his eyes. Heero was not expecting Jeri to be conscious, his eyes went wide when he saw her awake. "Hey, honey…oh, man…how long have I been asleep? I'm so tired, but I want to get up…what time is it?" Jeri said, some color actually returning to her face, her lips were a light pink color.

Heero laughed and waved the others to come and see Jeri. The other Gundam pilots all gathered around the bed, glad to see Jeri was doing better. Kiara's face lit up and she leaned down to hug her stepsister. Jeri gladly returned the gesture, smiling around at them all. "Hi, guys! Wow, I'm glad to see you all here. It's awful nice of you to come visit me, it gets really lonely when I'm all by myself. So, what's up?" she said brightly. Everyone laughed at Jeri's cheeriness. The brunette pilot then slowly sat up, her left arm weighing her down, scince it was in a stiff cast. Heero helped her sit up completely, holding onto Jeri's free arm. Jeri looked at her other arm as if she had just noticed it was like that. She then flung the sheets off her lower body, looking at her right leg, also in a cast. "Damn! Now how am I supposed to fight, much less pilot my machine? Stupid cast." Jeri exclaimed. She felt her right ear, her fingers trailing along the stitches that ran along the curve of the ear. She also rubbed her sore stomach, the bandages that were there were making it hard to breath. Jeri grabbed the IV in her arm and yanked it out, wincing at the slight pain.

A knock on the door made Jeri shriek, and all the pilots glanced towards the closed door. "Come in." Heero called out. The door opened wide, and Dr. Thomas poked her head in. She smiled at them all, but yelped when she saw Jeri sitting up in bed. "Oh, Jeri! It's so good to know you're doing okay! I was just checking on you." The blonde proclaimed. She hurried over to the bed and hugged Jeri, delighted to see her friend up and well. Jeri smiled, then said, "Naomi! What a surprise! You just came in from the bar, right? I know, how about I get some normal clothes on, out of this dumb bed, and we head over there and have a drink? I really need one, those drugs you gave me to ease my pain are wearing off. What do you say?" Jeri asked. Naomi raised an eyebrow. "I'm not so sure, Jeri. You're trashed, you don't looke very up to anything. Are you sure you're alright?" she said skeptically. Jeri pouted, not wanting to stay in bed any longer. "Aww…please, Naomi! I'll be good, I promise! You can trust me, just this one time, PLEASE???"Jeri pleaded. Naomi waved the comment away with one hand. "Fine, fine. But after this, you're going straight back to this bed, understand?" she said, rolling her eyes.

Jeri cheered, her face gaining all its color, she looked a whole lot better. "Now, I'll just be a second." Naomi said, exiting the room. About thirty seconds later, she returned with a wheelchair. She and the other girls shooed the guys out of the room so Jeri could change. After a great struggle, Jeri had gotten herself into a short-sleeved, white shirt, baggy jean pants, her some black leather sandals, and a green, hooded, long-sleeved, zip-up jacket. Kiara ran a brush through Jeri's chestnut locks and braided it down her back. The girls then helped Jeri into the wheelchair, and Naomi wheeled the brunette pilot out of the room, and the bunch of them all left the hospital, after Naomi got them past a concerned-looking nurse. When they passed the front desk, Naomi invited Yukiko to come along, who gladly accepted. The lot of them all got into either Heero's Porsche, Naomi's Jeep, Duo's Viper, or Yukiko's Beetle. Pheonix and Kiara left on Jeri's motorcycle. Naomi in the lead, they all sped off towards the Screwdriver(that's what the bar that Naomi works at is called, and if you don't like the name, you can go to hell, okay?).

"Well, here we are! Let's go inside, shall we?" Naomi said, pulling up into a parking spot in the front of the building. There was a sign in front of the space that said `Reserved for Bubbles'. The others all grabbed a space nearby, and they piled out and walked into the bar(except Jeri, who was in a wheelchair, of course, much to her dismay). Once inside, Naomi walked up to the center bar, placed her hands on the table, and jumped over it. No one seemed to mind, considering the fact that she worked there and she knew everyone. Naomi then turned to the others and smiled. "So, what'll you have?" she asked. "Wait, I have to ask this first…we need at least three designated drivers, who's gonna volunteer?" Heero interrupted. "Not me, I was the one who suggested we come here in the first place. Besides, if I tried to drive, I'd probably kill us all anyway." Jeri stated from her place in the wheelchair. Naomi smiled, then looked at everyone else. "I'll be one, I have to keep my head clear so I don't bomb my final this afternoon." Yukiko said. "I'll be another, I guess. Someone has to get Jeri out of here when she's smashed. And believe me, guys, Jeri gets drunk easily." Kiara said, ducking out of the way of Jeri's free arm, which swept dangerously close to the jade-haired pilot's face.

"I'll be the last one, I've got nothing else to do. Besides, I get to drive the Viper, we can't have a mad drunk driving it, now can we?" Donnica piped up. Duo glared at her, but the blonde pilot just grinned, knowing she was right about Duo getting drunk. "Fine, sure, okay. Now that I don't have to drive my car, can I have a drink?" Duo said rolling his eyes. "Okay, it's settled then. Now, scince we have a cripple here, she gets the first drink. What'll it be, Jeri? It's on the house." Naomi said, smiling at Jeri. "I'm going to pretend you didn't call me that. I'll have a magarita, lots of salt, and a shot of the strongest vodka you have." Jeri replied. Naomi nodded and whipped up the magarita, setting a shot glass of vodka next to it. "Next?" Naomi asked, looking at the others. "I don't care what I have, as long as it's strong as hell." Duo said. Naomi mixed a few liquors together in a blender with some ice, poured the drink in a tall glass, and slid it across the bar to the braided pilot. Duo looked at it questionably, it was turning a slight bluish-blackish color, but he just shrugged and took a sip. He let out a huge breath of air after swallowing, the effects of the alcohol getting to his brain. "Holy shit, what's in here?" he said, peering down at Naomi, who laughed. "Hell if I know, I just mixed a few things together, you said you wanted it to be strong." She replied.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaning or anything, it just knocked the wind out of me the first sip, it's strong as hell, I'll give you that much. Whew! We'd better think of a name for this, and scince I'm the first one to taste it, I think I should get the honors, what do you think?" Duo said, raising his eyebrows. Naomi shrugged, then nodded. Duo held his chin in his hand, trying to think of a catchy name for the concoction. He suddenly snapped his fingers, as if a light bulb had just gone off in his head. "I know! How about…the Shinigami Tsunami? Am I a genius or what?" Duo said, grinning. Naomi's face lit up. "Yeah! That's an awesome name! Shinigami Tsunami, the God of Death's Eternal Wave, as in wave of flavor, of taste, of…of…of kickass ingredients!" she said exstatically. "Well that's fine and dandy, but all I gotta say is…I want one, and make it a double hit, okay?" Jeri's voice came from the end of the bar. Everyone looked over at the brunette in the wheelchair, her face was bright, half because she was getting better, and half because of the magarita flowing into her system. When Naomi didn't move, Jeri's face turned red in frustration. She tightened her grip on the shot glass in her right hand, so tight that it shattered into tiny shards. The broken pieces of glass cut into her hand, dark blood ran out of between her fingers.

Naomi's eyes widened in surprise, she nodded and quickly prepared a double hit of the newly christened Shinigami Tsunami. Then, she slid it down towards the end of the bar that Jeri's wheelchair was pulled up to. Jeri grabbed the tall glass with her bloody hand and took a big gulp. She closed her eyes, then set the glass down on the bar table. Jeri shook her head several times, allowing the liquor to seep into her veins. Her eyes then popped open, she lifted her bandaged arm. Digging into her back pocket, Jeri fished out a Swiss Army knife, flipped the blade up, and stabbed it into her cast. The other pilots' eyes widened, they had no idea what Jeri was up to. Jeri dragged the knife down in a straight line, then made another cut on the opposite side. Putting the knife back into her pocket, Jeri grabbed one half of the now two-piece cast and ripped it off. She pulled the other one off as well, her arm was a pale red color. She took a hold of the still-healing arm and yanked it upwards, a loud crack could be heard, signaling the realignment and full recovery of her previously broken arm. She flexed it, opening and closing her hand, making sure it was rejuvenated.

Next, Jeri took out her knife again and pulled her right pant leg up until the cast on her leg was fully exposed. She stabbed hard into this cast, considering it was extra-thick. Dragging it down three or four times, Jeri ripped that cast off as well. Using both her hands, Jeri grabbed her leg on near her ankle and just below her knee, popping it back into place in one swift motion. After she replaced the knife in her pocket, Jeri then covered her right ear with her hand, held it like that for about a minute, then took her hand off. Heero(who was sitting next to Jeri) almost spit out his beer in shock: the stitches had completely vanished, not a scar, or even a trace of blood, was left, the ear was fully repaired. Jeri then took off her jacket, placed it on a nearby barstool, and wrapped her arms tight around her middle, squeezing as hard as she could, her face was unemotional. She let out a gasp of air, then released her grip. She reached under her shirt and ripped the bandages that were holding her ribs together, unraveling them. Jeri deposited the bunch of torn bandages and leftover pieces of her casts on the table, then stretched her arms in the air, popping the kinks in her stiff neck.

Jeri put both hands on top of the bar and pulled herself up to sit on the table. She turned herself around to face the others, then kicked the vacant wheelchair across the floor with her right leg, the chair skidding across for about ten feet and coming to a stop. After that, Jeri jumped over the other side of the bar and gave Naomi a fierce hug. "Thanks, hun…you're an Angel, if you catch my drift. Promise me you won't tell anyone how I healed myself, okay?" Jeri whispered into the blonde's ear. Naomi looked at the brunette and forced a tiny smile, nodding a few times. Jeri smiled and then looked around at the others. They wore mixed expressions: Heero was having a hard time swallowing his beer; Donnica's eyes had gone to the size of saucers; Katira had tried to keep her drink in her mouth, but had promptly spit it all over Trowa, Trowa was wiping the beer out of his eyes, Duo's jaw was literally on the table, Wufei was blinking rapidly, trying to wake up; Quatre was trying to keep a steady flow of oxygen passing through his lungs(he almost had a heart attack, but not really);Yukiko had accidently dropped her glass of water and it had made a crashing sound as it hit the floor; Kiara had smacked herself in the forehead with her hand, looking to the sky; but all Pheonix was doing was calmly drinking her martini, wondering what all the fuss was about.

"Oh, my Lord…you have NO IDEA how much BETTER that FEELS!" Jeri said, stretching her arms in the air. She looked around, just seeming to notice the spectators. She blinked a few times, wondering what they were gawking at. Jeri whipped her head around, glancing over at Naomi. "What's with them?" the brunette asked. Naomi shrugged, and started wiping the counter clean where Jeri had broken the shot glass, cleaning the blood off before it seeped in and remained. "Hey, Naomi? Do you think you could let me whip up one of my famous drinks, like I made in the old days?" Jeri inquired. Naomi smiled and nodded, motioning to the shelves of assorted liquors behind her. "Stellar! You have Absolut Mandarin, that is like the best vodka in the world…oh my God! Capitan Morgan's! Oooh, oooh…Apple Puckers! I think it's time for me to make my specialty…you, know…the Shithole Smoothie! Outta my way!" Jeri exclaimed, Naomi had to jump out of Jeri's path, the brunette reached up and grabbed about ten bottles of liquor and set them on the bar in front of the pilot. Then, she plugged a blender near her pile of bottles, dumped some crushed ice into the pitcher, and began mixing drinks.

"Let's see…some Cuervo Gold, Kaluha, Tequila, Apple Puckers, Absolut Mandarin…oh, can't forget the Grenadine! Now, for the finishing touch." Jeri mumbled outloud. She mixed the liquids together until the concoction turned a reddish-orange. Then, Jeri poured the drink into twelve medium-sized glasses, applied a pile of whipped cream on the top of each, and placed a marachino cherry as the finishing touch. Sticking a straw in each glass, Jeri set one glass in front of each of the other pilots, handed one to Naomi, and kept one for herself. The brunette pilot raised her glass towards the others and took a big gulp of the drink and shook her head. The others all did the same. When Jeri looked back towards Naomi, there was something different about them both. Their expressions were the same, but their eyes…their eyes had changed a gold-yellow color. Then the two girls glanced over in the direction of the rest of their party…Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei looked as they always had…but the other girls' eyes had all turned the exact same goldish-yellowish color. Jeri's eyes, still the gold shade, widened.

"Okay, that was unexpected." The brunette said, blinking. "I guess we have two more." Naomi stated. "You mean three, right?" Jeri inquired. Naomi shook her head. "No. I mean two. I already knew my cousin was one." The blonde verified. "Your cousin? Which one?" Jeri asked. Naomi rolled her eyes and pointed towards a shocked Yukiko. "I didn't know Yukiko is your cousin…" Kiara's voice was heard. "Not very many people do, they ususlly don't see any resemblance. She's related to me on my mother's side. My mother's maiden name is Mizuno, that's also Yukiko's last name…my uncle's only child. My mother is part Japanese, but my father is Austrian, I don't look anything like my mother." Naomi said matter-of-factly. "Cool. So…what are we gonna do with these two?" Pheonix asked. "Don't know. Doesn't really matter." Naomi said, shrugging. Jeri shrugged as well, then went back to drinking her smoothie. "Oh, well…usually they come to us, so we shouldn't really do anything now." Jeri said, draining her glass and handing it to Naomi. The blonde washed the glass quickly, then dried it and replaced it on a nearby shelf. Putting away the assorted bottles of liquor and wiping off the table, Naomi then leaned on the bar, sighing. "Man, I am REALLY bored…working at the bar has its advantages, but sometimes it's boring as hell." Naomi said, closing her eyes. "Why don't we go somewhere? There's got to be something to do around here." Pheonix suggested. The girls nodded, and helped Naomi clean up. Jeri had to smack Duo upside the head to snap him out of it. Eventually, thanks to the help of Jeri, the others all got up and left the bar.

Just as they were about to drive out of the parking lot, Jeri spotted a figure walking down the sidewalk. She blinked a few times, making sure she was seeing straight. "Stop the car! Stop, stop…STOP!!!" Jeri shouted to Donnica, who was driving Duo's Viper. Donnica's eyes went wide as to why Jeri would want her to do such a thing. Jeri screamed and grabbed the steering wheel, forcing the shiny blue car onto the side of the road. The brunette then hopped out of the car and slammed the door behind her. Bolting over to the sidewalk where she saw the figure, Jeri looked around, then spotted what she was looking for. Jeri sneaked up behind the stranger and placed her hands over their eyes. "Guess who…" Jeri whispered. "I don't know, but if you just happen to be a gorgeous woman, could I have your number?" the other person replied. Jeri laughed and spun the unsuspecting person around, lifting her hands from their face. "It's me, you dork!" Jeri exclaimed. The stranger's eyes lit up and he picked the brunette up into his arms and swung her around. Jeri held on with all her might, shutting her eyes. When the other person set her down on the ground, Jeri grabbed his hand and led him over to where the others had pulled over.

Jeri walked up to the group, who had gotten out of their cars(or motorcycle, in Kiara and Pheonix's case), an excited smile on her face. "Y'all…I'd like to introduce one of most important men in my life…this Rusty, Rusty Morgan. Rusty, these are my friends. You already know Kiara, Naomi, and Pheonix…so, let's see, where shall I start? Okay, um…the guy with the braid is Duo, the blonde guy is Quatre, the Chinese guy is Wufei, the blonde chick over there is Donnica, the short, black-haired chick is Katira, the tall guy here is Trowa, and the chick with the pink hair is Yukiko." Jeri said, her face lit up. The others just stood there, not sure what to do. Quatre then walked over and shook Rusty's hand, nodding in greeting. "Hello, Rusty. I take it you're a friend of Jeri?" he asked. Rusty flashed a smile, then said, "Hi, Quatre. Nice to met you. As a matter of fact, I am a good friend of hers." He looked around, sticking his hands into his jeans pockets.

Rusty was nineteen years old, six feet tall, with deep green eyes and short, unkept black hair. He had an earring in his left ear, a white, hooded sweatshirt, dark, denim pants, and brown leather sandals. "It's so good to see you, Rusty! I'm sorry if we almost ran you over. Jeri gets a little too excited sometimes, you know what I mean." Pheonix said, ducking out of the way of Jeri's fist, which had swung around in an attempt to connect with her face. The brunette pilot rolled her eyes, dismissing the comment. "That's perfectly all right, my evasive maneuvers needed improvement anyway." Rusty joked. They all laughed at the statement. Rusty blinked a few times, then asked Jeri, "I don't believe I've been introduced to everyone, there's still a new face." Jeri raised an eyebrow, then realized what he was talking about. "Oh, duh! I totally forgot to introduce somebody. Rusty, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Heero Yuy. Heero, this is Rusty." She exclaimed, waving a hand towards Heero, who just standing there, glaring at Rusty.

The green-eyed young man carefully approached Heero, sensing some sort of negative feelings in his direction. "Uhh, nice to meet you, Heero." He said meekly. Heero didn't respond, just nodded slightly. Jeri felt something was wrong, so she physically put herself in between the two young men, ready to prevent anything. "Jeri, why don't you and your friends come over to my place? It'll be kind of like a reunion of some sort, there are some people there you'd like to see again." Rusty suggested, changing the subject before Heero killed him. Jeri's face lit up. "Yeah! That's an excellent idea, Russ! Let's go, you guys!" she said, excited. The others just nodded or shrugged, not really having anything else to do. Jeri gave Rusty a bear hug, almost knocking the breath out of the young man. Rusty coughed slightly, then regained his composure. Running a hand through his messy black hair, Rusty looked at the others. "Okay. It's only about seven blocks away, I usually run every morning, but I think I'll stop the tradition, considering I almost became roadkill today. Anyway, the drive is short, we can leave now if we want." He commented. With that,the twelve, now thirteen, youths left for Rusty's apartment, not really prepared for what was ahead of them.