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All characters are mine
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Love Keeps the Pain Away
A. Gunner
Animator03@wolf-web.com


	The alarm rang at exactly five o'clock in the morning. Gunner moaned, then 
sat up in bed. He reached over and turned the alarm off. He stretched, then looked 
behind him and smiled. Andrea laid beside him, sleeping. Gunner got up and walked 
into the bathroom with his uniform to get dressed. As soon as he got in his uniform, 
he brushed his shoulder-blade length, dark gray hair, then tied it back. As soon as 
he walked out, he smelled frying bacon. Gunner smiled, then walked downstairs to find A
ndrea cooking them breakfast. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her 
waist from behind and kissed her on the cheek. Andrea smiled and turned around, 
kissing him back. Gunner smiled again, then said, "Is that new earpiece working?"
	Andrea nodded, then said, "Yes, it works great. It's great being able to hear your 
voice again."
	Gunner kissed her on the top of the head, then said, ""Just wait, in a couple years 
we'll be able to get you the second one. Then you'll be able to hear out of both ears."
	Andrea shook her head. "No, one is fine with me. As long as I can hear your voice, "She 
smiled. "I'm fine."
	Gunner shrugged, then walked out of the kitchen and to the front door. He looked at 
his watch and grinned. Quickly, he opened the front door, just in time to catch a newspaper 
flying towards him. Gunner laughed then waved the paper at the young tiger mutate on a bicycle.
 "Right on time, Jason!" 
	The teenage tiger waved back then said, "Thanks, Mr. Johnson! Bye!"
"Bye, Jas!" 
	The boy rode off, and disappeared down the street. Gunner walked back into
the house, shutting the door behind him. He sat at the table, then said out loud, "TV on, 
channel eleven."
	An image suddenly hovered over the table, showing a cartoon of some sort. 
Andrea walked out carrying two plates, and set one in front of Gunner. She chuckled, then said, 
"Will you ever grow out of cartoons?"
	Gunner grinned, then said, "Never." 
	They both laughed, and started eating, watching the cartoon in front of them. Gunner 
finished his breakfast, then stood up. "Well, I'm off into the wild blue yonder.."
	Andrea stood up and walked over to Gunner and handed him his coat. "You
just had to become a fighter pilot so I'd worry non-stop, right?"
	Gunner grinned, then said, "Yep, "He laughed, then added. "Of course not. I've always 
wanted a job that had to do with flying and adventure!"
	Andrea pointed at Gunner's wings and said, "Why fly a plane when you have 
your own wings?"
"Don't start with me, Andi," Gunner smiled. "You know me." His smile turned to a grin as he 
puffed out his chest. " 'Adventure's' my middle name!"
	Andrea rolled her eyes, then said, "Yeah, so is 'Danger' and..."
"Aw, quit it!"
	Andrea laughed, then kissed Gunner good-bye. He did the same, then walked 
out to his car. Gunner waved good-bye as he drove down the street.

	Later, at Gunner's work, his squadron walked about, cleaning their planes, and doing 
other things. Gunner was sitting in the cockpit of his fighter when a head poked up. Gunner 
looked over and said, "Hey, Ace. What's up?"
"Ah, nothing much, "Ace said, adjusting his cowboy hat. "Ready to fly?"
	Gunner grinned. "Always!"
"Hee-haw!"  Ace shouted as he jumped down and ran to the speaker system. "Saddle
up boys! It's time to rock and roll!!!"
	Cheers came from everyone, and the pilots jumped into their fighters and took off. 
"Let's go, Gunner!" Ace said through his radio.
"You first, bud!" Gunner laughed.
	Gunner watched as Ace's fighter sped down the runway and took off. Gunner 
followed, and was soon in the air, following his squadron. Gunner looked down at the houses 
below him and smiled when he saw his. Suddenly, a red light started flashing on his control 
panel. "Uh-oh. Ace, I'm returning to base. Something's wrong with my right wing."
"Ok, be careful."
	Gunner gave Ace thumbs up, then turned back towards the runway to land his 
plane. As Ace watched Gunner descend closer to the runway, he gasped when he saw 
Gunner's plane suddenly barrel roll and slam into the concrete. "GUNNER!!" Ace 
shouted. "Gunner's plane is down!!! I repeat! Gunner's plane is down!!!!"
	Ace landed his plane as quickly as he could, and ran up to Gunner's wreck.
"Gunner!! Gunner, ya in there????"
	Ace threw a piece of wing aside, finally finding Gunner. Gunner, still tightly fastened 
in his seat, just hung upside-down, not moving. Ace gasped when he saw Gunner's condition. The 
left side of his body seemed to be the worse, the clothing was ripped to shreds, and what was 
left of them, was soaked with his blood. Ace quickly turned away when he saw Gunner's face. It 
was horrible. Ace turned to the gathering crowd of pilots and shouted, "What are you standing 
there for????? Get help!!!!"
	Some of them turned and ran towards the building. Ace turned back to Gunner and carefully 
got him out of the plane. *There's no way he's alive.* Ace thought as he laid Gunner on the pavement. 
Soon, Gunner was lying in a pool of his own blood. 
	But, amazingly, he was alive. Barely. "Gunner, we're getting help. Just stay calm...," 
Ace said shakily.
	
	The phone rang at exactly 9:43 AM. Andrea picked the receiver up and said,
"This is the Johnson residence, Andrea speaking. Ace?"
	As Andrea listened intently, her knees felt weak and she slowly sunk into a chair. 
"Oh, God....." she whispered.

	Andrea sat in the hospital, waiting for any more news. She looked over to Ace, who was 
sitting across from her. He held his head in his hands, not moving. She had turned off her 
hearing piece about ten minutes ago; she was sick of hearing all the doctors being called to 
Gunner's room. Finally, the doctor came into the waiting room. Andrea turned her piece back 
on as the doctor sat next to her. "Mrs. Johnson, Sgt. Ace, Mr. Johnson is very badly injured."
	Ace snorted, then said, "Tell us news, not history, Doc."
"Yes, well, "The doctor said as he cleared his throat. "I think you should see him first, then 
I'll explain."

	Dr. Kato led Ace and Andrea to Gunner's room in the ICU unit. As he was about to open the 
door to Gunner's room, he warned, "Remember, his injuries are extensive, you probably won't 
recognize him."
	With that, the doctor opened the door, then closed it once Ace and Andrea were inside. 
Andrea's eyes welled up with tears when she saw Gunner. Half of Gunner's face was bandaged 
completely, and he appeared to be unconscious. But when Andrea walked up to his bed, Gunner 
opened his uncovered eye and looked at her. Slowly, Gunner raised his right hand and started 
to finger spell. "What's he saying? "Ace asked.
"He's asking what happened, "Andrea turned back to Gunner. "You crashed."
	Gunner seemed to try to smile, but was unsuccessful. He continued the hand
signals. Andrea interpreted, "'You were right. I should have kept to my own wings.'"
	Andrea looked at Gunner's wings. They were both badly torn, there was no way they would 
heal. And even if they did, he would never be able to use them. Gunner exhaled a deep sigh, 
then slipped back into unconsciousness. "Mrs. Johnson?"
	Andrea turned to the doctor, who motioned her outside the door. As soon as
she was out, the doctor began, "Mrs. Johnson. The entire left side of his body is beyond all 
repair. There is a very high chance we'll have to amputate his left arm and leg. His face and 
chest area will be scarred for life."
	Andrea shook her head and looked at the doctor, the pain clear on her face. "There's 
nothing you can do?"
"Well, there is one thing, it's still in the experimental stage, and it's never been tested 
on a patient."
"What is it?"
"We replace amputated limbs with machinery, which is controlled by the brain. It's very 
high-risk, but if it works, it will be a medical breakthrough."
"How much would it cost?"
"Well, we never had a patient that needed the operation, so, if you'd agree to let us work 
on your 
husband, it will be no charge."
	Andrea sighed heavily. "Is there a chance he could die?"
"There's always a chance, even now. But the worst that could happen from the surgery is it 
not working."
	She looked through the door and at Gunner. She sighed once more then said, 
"Alright."

-------------------------------------------------------

	Several doctors and the surgeons that were to operate on Gunner met the next day to 
make the plans and measurements. 

	Andrea stayed by Gunner's side, although he was deep in a coma. Ace had to 
return home, but he made her promise to call if there were any changes in Gunner's condition. 
	Once, he opened his eyes and looked at Andrea, then quickly slipped back into his comatose 
state. Andrea took his hand, squeezed it, and kissed his unbandaged cheek.

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	One week later, they were ready to operate. Before his operation, everyone came to say good 
luck and best wishes to Gunner and Andrea. Gunner's squadron came, his parents, her parents, 
even Jason and his family came.
	One of the surgeons walked in and asked to speak to Andrea privately. She 
walked into his office, and once the door was shut, he began speaking. "Mrs. Johnson, I'm sorry, 
but after the surgery is complete, you won't be able to see your husband."
	Andrea angered at this statement. "Why not??"
"Because Mr. Johnson will be contained in a sterilized room, only doctors are able to enter." 
"You mean I won't be able to see my husband after this major operation, but doctors would be 
able to go in and out of his room as they please?? That's unfair!"
"I'm very sorry Mrs. Johnson. There will be TV screens and an audio system you can use to see 
and talk to him. That's the best I can do."
"Well, see if you can do better!" Andrea growled. "I'm not going to let my husband go through 
this surgery, and wake up not knowing anyone around him!"
	The doctor sighed, then said, "I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you, "Andrea said, then walked out the door. 

	She walked back into the waiting room with everyone and sat down. "Mrs.
Johnson?" Andrea looked up and saw Jason. "You Ok?"
"Yes, I'm fine, Jason. "
"I'm really sorry about Mr. Johnson."
	Andrea smiled. "I'm sure it would be alright with him if you called him by his 
first name."
"I don't know what it is..." Jason said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"Well, most of his friends call him by his pilot's code name and nickname, Gunner, but,"Andrea 
leaned closer to him and whispered, "His real name is Paul."
	Jason smiled a little, then started to walk away. "Oh, and Jason?" he turned and faced 
Andrea. "It's alright if you call me Andrea, also."
	Jason's smile grew and he walked back to his parents. Andrea settled in her chair and 
began the long wait through Gunner's surgery.

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	Sixteen hours after the surgery began, one of the surgeons walked into the waiting 
room. "Mrs. Johnson?"
	Andrea shook off as much sleep as she could, then looked up at him. "Yes?"
"The surgery is completed. When Mr. Johnson wakes up, we'll need you to be there. But listen 
to this warning; the entire left side of his body is now mechanical, and his face has a large 
plate, including a mechanical eye. He will look frightening at first, but try not to show it. 
He needs all the support he can get."
	She nodded, stood up, and followed the doctor into one of the recovery rooms. When she 
first laid eyes on Gunner, she gasped. The doctor was right, he was frightening to look at. 
Suddenly she wished she was somewhere else. She hadn't been feeling very well lately, and 
this wasn't helping.  She shook her head mentally, then walked up to Gunner's bed. She observed 
his new mechanical arm, it was very well crafted, and when the doctors moved it, it appeared as 
if muscles were moving. His legs were covered by a sheet, but she was sure that his new leg was 
as finely crafted as the arm. His face, in her opinion, was the 
worst. From about the middle of his forehead down to just above the jawline, stretching from his 
forehead to his cheek, just below his ear; was a metal plate, molded to suit his facial features. 
His eye was gone, and replaced by, yet another, mechanical device. "He's waking up, " One of the 
doctors pointed out.
	Andrea looked at Gunner, and sure enough, he was slowly blinking awake. She smiled when he 
looked at her. "Hey, how're you?"
	Gunner blinked, then said groggily, "How come I can't feel anything with my left side?"
	Andrea looked at the floor, so Gunner lifted his head up as far as he could and looked. 
"What??? What happened to me??? Wha-"
	He slumped back into unconsciousness, and Andrea looked up to see a doctor 
holding an empty syringe. She sighed and buried her face in her hands. *This ISN'T working.....* 
She thought.

	A couple days later, the doctors applied 'fur' onto Gunner's mechanical parts, making it 
almost impossible to tell the difference from the end of the real fur, to the fake. Gunner woke 
up again that day, and was able to control himself long enough for Andrea to explain what 
happened. "So. I'm half machine now, huh?" Gunner mumbled.
	She only nodded and squeezed his hand tighter. Gunner looked at his hand in amazement. 
"I felt that... How-"
"I don't know. One of the doctors explained it to me, but I couldn't make anything of it,"Andrea 
laughed.
"I can't wait until they let me get up and start walking around..... my back is killing me..."
Gunner groaned as he tried shifting his position. 
"The doctors said that they're going to start physical therapy soon, they said it will be very 
painful."
"Well, I suppose that's better than not having a leg or arm anymore...." he murmured.
	Andrea leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Gunner smiled and carefully brought her 
hand to his lips and kissed it. "Will you help me through it?"
"I'll be there by your side the entire time, " Andrea smiled.
	Gunner smiled back. "I knew you would."
	She smiled lovingly at him, and he looked at her, a little look of worry on his face. "Are 
you feeling alright? You look pale..."
	Andrea shrugged, then said, "I have been feeling sick, but that's to be expected. You are 
in the hospital, after all."
	He smiled. "I suppose so."

	About three days later, they started his therapy. Gunner was wheeled in on a wheel-chair, 
after a lot of complaining that he could walk himself. 
"Okey, Paul, "a friendly-looking doctor said. "try to lift yourself up with these poles."
	Gunner did so, cringing slightly with the weight on his 'new' arm. "Hey, this isn't so 
bad..., "Gunner said through clenched teeth. 
"Now, try and take a step, left foot first."
	Gunner did so, slowly, then fell to the floor with a yelp of pain. Andrea 
helped him back up to the poles. The doctor patted his hand, saying, "You've got to get used 
to putting your full body-weight on your leg."
"No kidding, "Gunner growled.
"Paul, "Andrea said firmly. 
	Gunner sighed and tried it again, this time crying out in pain, but not falling. Sweat 
was beginning to roll down his forehead and into his already burning eyes; but he couldn't 
reach up to wipe it away. Andrea took a paper towel and dabbed it away carefully. He took 
another step on his non-mechanical leg, gritting his teeth. It didn't hurt as much, but it 
was stiff and sore from not being used in a long time. His long hair stuck to his neck, and 
hung dripping into his face. 
	Another painful step, then another, and another. Finally he found himself at the end 
of the railed walkway. "There, that wasn't too bad....," Gunner boasted, laughing a little.
"Okey, now turn around and walk back, "the therapist said.
	Gunner sighed and shook his head, carefully turning around and starting the seemingly 
eternal journey back to the other end.

	One month of painful therapy sessions later, Gunner was running on a treadmill. He was 
as strong as ever now, and he could walk without help of railings or other people. He kept 
his muscles, both mechanical and not, in tone by lifting barbells and jogging.
	Not that this was the only good news they were told that month, not by a long shot. 
Andrea had some tests taken, complaining of headaches and nausea. The extremely happy couple 
found out that day that she was pregnant. 
	With that fact encouraging them further, Gunner seemed to have new strength during his 
weekly sessions. He did what they told him and more. If they told him to do twenty sit-ups, 
he did forty. If they said ten push-ups, he did fifty. The doctors and therapists both were 
surprised, but they also warned him of over-exerting himself. He simply shrugged and said, 
"If I can do more; why shouldn't I?"

"Okey, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, you ready to go home?" 
"More than ever, "Gunner laughed as he signed the release forms. 
	Gunner picked up his duffel bag, and they both walked out the hospital and to their 
car. As soon as he tossed his bag in the trunk; Gunner ran over to the passenger door and 
opened it for his wife. She laughed. "I don't need any help yet!"
	He grinned and shrugged. As soon as he helped her in, he got in the driver's side 
and started the car. "Man, it feels weird to be driving again. But it's nice, "Gunner 
said, smiling.
"Yes, "Andrea reached over and put her hand on his leg. "It means you're going home."

"How about Michele?"
"No.... how about Elisa? Like your friend?"
"Naw." 
	Nine months had past; and Andrea and Gunner were trying to figure out names for the 
upcoming new addition to the family. They had gotten word back that it was, in fact, a girl; 
which made the naming a whole lot easier. Or so it seemed.
	The couple sat on the couch, staring at the fire in the fireplace, thinking of names.
"You know, this baby's going to be a year old before we get a name for her at this rate?" 
Andrea laughed.
	Gunner laughed. "How about Amber?"
"No. We should have started this a while back, like I said we should have," Andrea grinned.
"Okey, so you were right, "Gunner chuckled. Suddenly he snapped his fingers. "Jessica!"
"Jessica.... "Andrea considered the name for a few seconds. "That is a nice name..."
"See, I can come up with pretty good names."
"Okey, Smartguy. Now for the MIDDLE name."
	Gunner answered with a slight groan.

Jessica Kay Johnson.
	The owner to the name was now sleeping in her mother's arms. Her proud father sat on 
the bed next to his wife tenderly stroking the small infant's hair. Andrea carefully handed 
the baby over to Gunner. He stood up, cuddling his daughter into his chest. She yawned, then 
rubbed her cheek against Gunner's neck, falling back asleep, her head leaning on his shoulder. 
Gunner smiled lovingly at his wife, and gently patted Jessica's back. After all that has 
happened within the past almost ten months, things couldn't have turned out better. He looked 
at his wife, his love showing in his eyes. She smiled at him,knowing what he was thinking.
Our little Jessie.

THE END