Rufus stared at Reno for a moment before turning to the doctor.

'For my "well-being"? Doctor Collins, I do not appreciate being left in the dark when it comes to things that involve me personally or those around me.' Rufus turned to look at Reno and Tseng.

'From what I gather, Tseng and Reno already know what you want to tell me. I must admit, that I am rather shocked and upset that you would converse with them about my health before talking to me personally, but I am sure that you have a very good reason for that. Am I right?'

The doctor swallowed nervously and nodded. 'I only spoke about it to Tseng sir. I didn't mention it to anyone else. I asked him his opinion regarding your health and the benefit to you if you were to be relocated.'

If I were relocated? That's a nice way to put it. Rufus couldn't help but laugh at the doctor's comment.

'If I were relocated? Are you trying to tell me nicely that you want me anywhere but here?' He added with a smirk, 'Am I that bad of a patient?'

The doctor quickly shook his head. 'No, that's not it at all, sir. I'm not denying that you still need to be in a hospital, however the conditions have changed.'

Looking up at Rufus and seeing that he was interested in his explanation and didn't seem like he was thinking of ways to kill him, he continued. 'Before you were simply injured, gravely injured, but you had injuries that could be treated here. Now you have Geostigma. That isn't something that I would like to see you stay here for.'

Tseng scoffed at the doctor's comment. Rufus glared up at the man standing beside him. 'Let the man finish his explanation Tseng.'

Tseng stared in shock at the President. 'Of course. I'm sorry sir.'

Turning back to the doctor, Rufus urged him to continue. 'Why is this place not good enough for me to stay in now that I have Geostigma?'

Encouraged by the fact that Rufus seemed to be considering what he was saying, Doctor Collins continued. 'Because this place is loud, busy and noisy. It is not the best place in the world to relax. When you had your attack, it seemed like it was caused by the stress that you were under after being told about the disease. If the trigger for your attacks is stress, this isn't the best place for you to be.'

Rufus considered this for a moment. He does have a point. But then again, moving around will cause me stress too.

'So, if you don't want me here, where do you want me to go? I can't go home; it's probably been reduced to rubble.'

'No sir, I don't want to send you home. It wouldn't be wise for you to go home and not be under medical supervision. I had suggested that you be relocated to a facility that has been just recently been constructed, specifically for Geostigma patients called the Healin' Lodge.'

Rufus glanced at the other four individuals in the room. Tseng looked upset about the suggestion to move while Reno looked interested in the idea. Rude almost managed to keep his thoughts about it completely hidden, but Rufus judged by his body language that Rude was torn between being upset at the suggestion of moving him and thinking that it was a good idea. Elena on the other hand was hiding her thoughts rather well. It seemed like she was waiting for the doctor to fully finish his explanation before judging anything.

'What is so much better about that place as compared to here?' Rufus was trying his best to understand how the stress of moving from one hospital setting to another would benefit him.

'It's quieter for one. It's away from the city therefore the noise and the pollution won't be a factor in your recovery.'

Rufus scoffed at that. 'What recovery? There's no cure remember?'

The Doctor sighed, 'I'm sorry sir. I meant that those issues won't aggravate your condition. You'll also have a personal doctor there who will be able to help you stay comfortable during your illness.'

'The rooms themselves are quite spacious. They really are more like small houses then actual rooms. There's the main room, a kitchen area, a bathroom obviously and a private room to the side for you to rest in. There are relaxing views of the waterfall and the surrounding forest.'

The doctor knew that this was the last chance he would have to convince the President that the move was for the best. He knew he had to do his best to "sell" the idea to him. 'I feel that being in this setting and being able to move around in your own "home" so to speak, would be most beneficial to you and minimize any attacks that you would have. Of course, it's not possible to completely avoid attacks, or the fevers caused by the disease, but they should be minimized by keeping you relaxed.'

The doctor sighed when he was done. There's not much else I can say that will convince them that this is for his own good. I'm not trying to throw him out; I'm trying to keep him alive as long as possible.

After giving everyone in the room a few minutes to think everything over, the doctor spoke again. 'Mr. President? Do you have any questions about what I have said? I'm ready to answer any questions you may have.'

He sincerely hoped that he didn't have any questions, but somehow he knew that he wouldn't get off that easily.

Rufus nodded. 'I just have a couple. Granted, given that now I have been told that I'm going to die, the first question doesn't seem that important. However I would still like to see it done on the off chance that a cure is found. What about therapy for my legs? I don't think I can handle a trip back and forth to see my therapist every other day.'

The doctor nodded. 'I'm sorry sir, I forgot to mention that. I did discuss the chance of your relocation to the Healin' Lodge with your therapist. He said that he has no problems traveling there to work with you on the same schedule that you have right now. There is a guest Lodge for visiting physicians and he would spend the evening there and see you in the morning as usual. I would also be visiting you approximately once a week to monitor your progress and ensure that everything else is healing properly. What is your other question sir?'

Rufus shifted uncomfortably in his bed. 'Well, who would accompany me there? Though I truly hate admitting it, the prospect of being alone in a hospital, no matter how comfortable the setting isn't appealing to me in the slightest. I'd rather be uncomfortable here, then alone up there.'

Rufus was never one to admit to others that he liked having people there for him and disliked being alone. However, seeing that only the Turks were in his room, and guessing that they had probably figured that out about him by now anyway, he didn't see the point in hiding that fact.

'There is a spare bed in the main area. If they truly dislike leaving you, which I am sensing that they do, another room can be added to accommodate them. They also have the option to stay in the guest lodge if they want.'

A sigh of relief fell from his lips, even though he tried hard to suppress it. 'Very well. I don't believe I have any further questions regarding this at the moment Doctor Collins. I'll think this through and give you an answer by the end of the day.'

The doctor made his way to the door. 'Of course sir, take your time. I understand that this is a big decision. I'll ask you about it during my rounds this afternoon.' He bowed to the President, nodded to the four Turks then exited the room.

Once gone, the President turned to his Turks. 'I would like to hear anything and everything any of you have to say about this. Whether you think it's a good idea or a bad one, if you think it would be beneficial or a waste of time and energy. Anything. I know that Tseng has plenty to say about this, but I am sure that you three have something to say as well.'

Rufus leaned back into the pillows on his bed and waited patiently for one of them to begin what he was hoping would be an interesting debate.

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A/N: His decision is coming! I'll have the next chapter up soon, I promise!