ch11 Chapter 11: Surprises

The wedding of General Richard Caraway and Eliza Dincht was held on the first Saturday of
June. It was the first beautiful,
warm day of summer and things went quite well. Even Zell was having a good time and was
dancing with his new sister, Rinoa at
the outdoor reception at the Dincht's Balamb house. Selphie had done fine for most of the day
but she'd gotten sore and tired so
Quistis had taken her back to them Garden to sleep. Irvine and Squall stayed at the party and
the two of them were semi-drunk,
sitting at a back table.

Irvine sipped some of the expensive champagne, "So um I suppose you heard that Zell's mom
is moving into Rinoa's dad's
house now that they're married…"

Squall shrugged, "Yeah? So? Why wouldn't she be? From what Rinoa's told me about her dad,
you really couldn't expect him
to be happy in a little village like Balamb."

"Yes but haven't you heard what's going to happen to this house here? Zell is moving into it!
He and his girlfriend Lindy…
Zell is getting a job at the Balamb car garage as a mechanic and she's going to work as an
instructor at the Garden. Lindy is
annoyed with Zell for not getting a more ambitious career and that he's putting all of his SeeD
training to waste but he told her that
no woman was going to run his life not even if he loved her so I guess that shut her up."

"Really? Where'd you hear about all of this from?"

"Selphie. I guess Lindy told her all about it. It seems weird to think that they are moving out
of the Garden. It won't be the
same without them." Irvine sighed.

"Irvine… we're moving out soon too. Unless of course you and Selphie are staying because of
her medical care." Squall
poked at a piece of cake that lay on a plate in front of him.

"No we're definitely leaving. She can always go back if she needs to or she can change
doctors. I guess we'll cross that
bridge when we come to it. Anyway I talked to that guy who owns the farmhouse that's for
rent. He says he wants to sell now.
If we're willing to buy we can be in there in a month. He's in a hurry to leave. He's old and he
wants to retire to a beach house
near Dollet."

Squall nodded, "Have you seen the house? I've only read the ad."

"Yeah, I've seen it. Not such a bad place. Six bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, big country kitchen,
shabby but not run down… ack I
must sound like a walking real estate ad. Well he's selling cheap for 100,000 gil, which I think
that the four of us, you and I and
Selphie and Rinoa can afford easily together. There's even a guest cottage which the girls
can use for the preschool thing they
want to open up."

Squall pondered what his friend had said, "What're we going to do then? You do realize we're
going to have to get jobs since
we won't be getting regular SeeD paycheck, only paychecks for missions if the Garden calls
on us. I don't know, Irvine, all I've
ever done has been for the Garden."

"Wait a second! I've got it!" Irvine snapped his fingers, "We could be construction guys and
build our own town!"

"Irvine... you're drunk."

"Obviously."

"Besides why would you come up with a stupid idea like that for? Remember when they were
fixing up the Garden in FH and
you had no clue what was happening because you said your specialty was guns and women
not construction?" Squall rolled his
eyes.

Irvine pounded his fist down on the table, "Dammit Squall I have to think of something. I have
to."

"Why are you in such a hurry for? We'll find jobs." Squall tended to be extremely complacent
when he was drinking.

"No Squall! You don't get it do you?" Irvine snapped.

Squall was perplexed, "Get what?"

"Squall I have to get a job really soon because," Irvine hesitated, "Selphie just found out she's
pregnant."

Squall's mouth dropped open and he gaped stupidly at his friend. "She… no come on… That's
not good is it?

"No of course it's not good!Number one, we are both way too young for this and number two
she's
sick!Dr.Feldman confirmed the pregnancy last week.She's running tests on her now to see if
the baby has been
damaged from the chemotherapy.Meanwhile all of the treatments being used to fight the
cancer are being
halted.The doctor said they aren't safe for a pregnant woman because of potential fetal
damage."

Squall thought for a moment, "Can't Selphie end it?You know have an abortion or something?"

Irvine sighed, "That's what I think, that's what the doctors think but that's not what Selphie
thinks. 'Babykiller!' she screams at
me every time I suggest it.God, Squall if she wasn't sick I wouldn't even be asking her to have
an abortion.That's be
up to her but if she stays pregnant she can't get treated for the cancer and if she doesn't
get treated for the cancer, she'll die and
so will the baby.Although there is a possibility they can save the baby even if she dies.It's
either one of them or the
other and Selphie is willing to sacrifice her own life for this baby.I don't understand it but
damn it I don't want to lose her.
She says I'm being selfish and maybe I am but I just don't want her to die.You know how I
feel though don't you?"

Squall nodded, "Yeah.When Rinoa was in that coma I would have done anything to bring her
out of it.I remember
how afraid I was she'd die and I'd never get a chance to tell her how I felt about her."

"Selphie already knows how I feel about her.I'd do anything for her, if only to make her happy
and keep her alive and well.
Unfortunately I don't know if I can do what she wants right now which is to support her in her
decision to keep this baby.
I want what's best for her and I don't think this is what she needs right now.Selphie says
having an abortion is
selfish and we made a mistake and we need to suffer the consequences.And I agree with her
to a certain extent.It's
not like I want her to have an abortion for selfish reasons or because I want us to take the
easy way out.But she's dying
and being pregnant isn't safe for someone as ill as she is and the truth is I think she's a lot
worse off then she lets on.I
guess in her mind Selphie thinks if she doesn't say anything about how much pain she's in,
we'll think she's well.I can see it
in her eyes though, how much she hurts especially now that the doctors won't let her have
pain medication.Too bad we
can't just cast cure on her but according to Quistis that only helps for battle inflicted wounds
and illnesses.I don't know
what to do now."

"I don't know either…" Squall was at a loss for words but he knew how much it would hurt him
if it were he and Rinoa in this
position and he put an arm around Irvine's shoulder and said nothing while his friend
cried.Squall watched as Rinoa danced
with Zell out on the dance floor and wondered how a day that was so happy for some of them
could turn out to be miserable for
others.A small part of Squall hated himself for being relieved that it wasn't Rinoa who was ill
and he who was facing the
prospect of a dead girlfriend and fatherhood but he figured that relief was natural and knew
that it took nothing from the sympathy
he felt for Irvine.Maybe Selphie would change her mind.Squall hoped so, for her sake and for
all of their sakes.
Even that of the unborn child because no child deserved to grow up without a mother and for
a moment he thought of his own
mother, Raine and how his life would have been happier if she'd been there for him.