Denzel woke with a gasp as the pain racked his body again. His eyes shot open and met those familiar, troubled, deep velvety brown orbs. Marlene stroked his arm and he managed a weak smile.
"I'm okay Marlene, really..."
Marlene looked sadly at him, not convinced. He sighed "I'm fine... sometimes I just wish there was a friend who understood..."
Marlene looked sadder, she knew she was his friend, but she also knew she couldn't understand what he was going through with this horrible stigma. She hated for so many reasons, she hated it for taking her Denzel away, for tearing them apart, for causing him pain. She wished there was something she could do about it, but she knew there was nothing.
She waited until he was asleep again, then went back to her room, throwing herself on the bed, trying to think of something that might help him feel better. Even flowers from Aerith's church weren't helping. She rolled onto her back and picked up her favourite bear, holding him above her.
"I just wish there was something I could do... I don't want it to take Denzel away..." she whispered, she confided everything to her bear, and he could always make her feel better.
That was when the idea hit her. She went downstairs to the bar and tugged on Tifa's sleeve. They had a murmured conversation and Tifa shook her head and pointed her in the direction of the redheaded Turk sitting in the corner with a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.
Marlene did her best puppy eyes "Please... Mister Reno..."
Reno took the cigarette from his mouth and raised an eyebrow "Whaddya wan kiddo?"
"Please Mister Reno... will you teach me to sew?"
Reno inhaled in shock, eyes widening. He began choking on his cigarette ash. Marlene hid a smile, managing to continue her best puppy eyes.
"Why th hell woul ya ask me?!"
"Tifa says you're good at sewing..." she lisped "And I want to make something for Denzel..."
Reno's expression softened "Th ki' wi th stigma?"
Marlene nodded.
Reno sighed, turning away for a moment and swearing under his breath as he turned his eyes to the ceiling. He looked back at her after a long pause during which Marlene bit her lip.
"Fine. L help ya."
Three days later, Denzel once more woke to be confronted with that gentle face and those deep brown eyes.
"Hello Marlene..."
She smiled and held up a small teddy bear in bright red fabric "Here... this is for you..." the bear had bandages around its chest like Denzel did "He understands... you can talk to him..."
Denzel took it and gasped, looking at it "For me?" he smiled "You made this?" Marlene nodded, smiling shyly and Denzel somehow found the strength to hug her.
"Thank you Marlene... it's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me..."
Meanwhile, down in the bar, a certain redheaded Turk was nursing fingers covered with track marks. Noone would ever believe that these ones were from teaching a kid how to sew. He wondered how the hell he could explain it to Tseng.