Chapter 16: Last Morning

The late October sun shone golden on the red-bronze tree tops outside of the old farmhouse. And inside their daycare center sat Selphie and Rinoa and the three children who had been entrusted to their daily care: Win, a three year old boy whose parents worked at the Balamb train station, Marelle the four year old daughter of a single mother who was a maid at the hotel and Kyrin a 2 year old whose father worked at the docks and his mother as a waitress. The three children all spent their days playing with toys, finger painting and squabbling at the Alcauld Childcare Center. There was a box of applications from interested families to be considered and it looked as if the center's numbers would soon be growing. Soon, no matter what, Selphie's child would increase their numbers by one. There was still six weeks to go before her due date but Rinoa was very excited almost as if it were she who were pregnant instead of Selphie. Yet the reality of Selphie's severe illness put a damper on that excitement.
As time had gone by, Selphie had gotten gradually worse. Her stomach had grown larger but her overall health had rapidly and steadily declined. Every bit of energy and health she'd had went to the growing child inside of her, transposed to the constantly kicking infant who kept her awake with its activity at night. The cancer had gone deeper into her body by this time, saturating her bones and Rinoa could tell that she was in severe pain even though she never mentioned it. Selphie winced slightly with every step she took and every move she made. She was not allowed to take painkillers due to the threat of fetal harm and magic curing was only useful in battle injury or illness. Selphie was left in a constant state of devastating pain. She was stoic and never said much about it, always trying to be the ever cheerful one. But it was obvious from the bruises that still covered her body and the black circles under her swollen eyes that the pain she was in was hellishly brutal. She did her best not to say anything about it but it was obvious from the way she winced when she walked how much she hurt.
"Miss Sefie?" giggled one of the children, "Wanna see my picture?"
Selphie glanced absently at the yellow sheet of paper coated in blue scribbles, "Oh beautiful..." she mumbled absently.
Rinoa looked at the look on her friend's face with alarm. "Sef? Do you need to go and rest? Is everything ok?"
Selphie blanched with nausea, her face turning green and drawn, "Umm, I'm fine... I'll be ok..."
Rinoa shook her head, "No you're not ok... Go and lie down... I know how that baby keeps you awake at night with it's kicking."
Selphie managed a grateful smile, "Well if you insist... I really could use a nap."
Rinoa was relieved, "Good you go ahead and lie down then."
Selphie looked hesitantly at the children, "Are you sure you can handle this alone? The kids, I mean?"
Rinoa reassured her calmly, "Yes we'll be fine... Just go before the kids start bawling and notice that you're leaving. You know how attatched to you they are.
Selphie stood up from the low table she had been sitting at. She walked sway-backed now because of her stomach and her swollen ankles made her hobble. Rinoa watched her friend with a look of sympathy before returning her attentions to the small children who waited expectantly for entertainment. Rinoa got out the puppet theater and the children entertained themselves pretending to be Hyne, Adel, Ultimecia and Edea in sorcery filled puppet show.
Lunch time came and Rinoa fed the children cheese sandwiches cut into the shapes of moogles and chocobos, cinnamon cookies and lemonade. Afterwards the children helped clean up as Rinoa felt all children needed to learn chores and responsibility young. Then she helped them to their mats on the floor where their blankets and pillows waited for naptime. While the children slept, Rinoa went over lesson planning and applications which was something she normally did with Selphie. But more and more often lately Rinoa found herself doing these things alone. She didn't mind though because all she wanted was for Selphie to get better. She hummed a favorite Timber Owls song while she worked and wished they had more time to devote to their band.
When the children awoke, Rinoa thought it might be nice if they went outside to the small play area in front of the house. She bundled the three youngsters up in their coats and herded them out. It was a beautiful sunny day for late October. She watched as they giggled and played and realized with a start, that she had not seen Selphie in hours and Rinoa began to worry. She wanted to check on her friend and make sure everything was alright but at the same time she didn't want to leave the children alone. So Rinoa quickly came to a decision.
"Kids? How would you like to go for an adventure? We can go inside the big house and um... um do a scavenger hunt. She was met by cheers of excitement and decided that it must be a good idea. The children trooped behind her in a short line as she led them to the house.
"Ok guys... wait right here in the living room while I go and see how Miss Selphie is doing..." Rinoa instructed the children and she quickly left them and acsended the stairs to the upstairs of the house.
"Sef?" She knocked on the slightly ajar bedroom door, "Sefie? Are you ok in there? Are you awake?"
Rinoa peeked into the room and saw Selphie sprawled out on the bed. She stepped inside, meaning to go over and gently shake her friend awake but Rinoa suddenly stopped in horror by what she saw. Beneath Selphie, the bed was covered in blood.
Rinoa gasped and wanted to scream but she held her voice for fear of frightening the children playing innocently downstairs. She knew she had to remain calm for their sake. Rinoa reached for the telephone that sat on a bedside table. Shakily, she lifted the reciever and dialed the number of the construction site where Squall and Irvine worked. Impatiently she waited as the phone rang while conspicously keeping her eyes on Selphie.
Squall answered, "Balamb Construction! Squall speaking! How may I help you?"
Rinoa breathlessly choked out a reply, "Squall? Squall! It's me Rinoa! Something awfuls happened! It's Selphie... I sent her to take a nap and now she's unconcious and there's blood all over the sheets!"
"Selphie? Selphie's bleeding? Ok Rinoa stay calm... Irvine and I are going to be on our way... Is she breathing?"
Rinoa quickly looked and noticed Selphie's chest moving slightly up and down with shallow breathing, "Yes, yes I think so... Oh Squall please hurry! Please! I'm so scared she's going to die..."
"Rinoa calm down... Ok? Irvine's calling the hospital. We're lucky that the one in Balamb finally opened. So there'll be help on the way very soon ok? Just hold on... An ambulance is coming and Irvine and I will be there soon too. Just calm down and make sure the kids are ok..." Squall hung up and Rinoa ran down to the living room where the kids were waiting. She didn't want to leave Selphie alone up there but she knew she needed to take care of the kids as well. Besides there was not anything she could do for her friend until the ambulance arrived.
Rinoa took the kids out onto the porch. They wanted to know what happened to their scavenger hunt but obviously the terriefied look on Rinoa's face made them know enough not to ask questions. They noticed her crying and one of them sat in her lap to cuddle her. Rinoa buried her tear streaked face in the child's soft hair and the other children curled up at her side to comfort her.
Soon she heard the sirens in the distance but it seemed to Rinoa and eternity before the ambulance finally pulled up to the house. Irvine and Squall's car was right behing it and they both ran up to the house looking frantic. The ambulance attendants ran out carrying a stretcher and Irvine followed them into the house to where Selphie was, obviously to lead them the way. Squall went over to where Rinoa was sitting and hugged her even though there was still a child on her lap. He held her for a moment and Rinoa tried to block out the sound of the commotion up stairs.
Squall finally pulled away from her to speak, "Rin? Have you called the kids parents?"
Rinoa shook her head softly and he nodded knowingly, "Ok Rin, I'll do it... Don't worry about anything."
He walked back in the house and Rinoa could hear him talking on the phone. Shortly he returned to where she was waiting and sat down beside one of the children. "All of their parents are coming to get them. That way we can follow Selphie and Irvine to the hospital."
A few minutes later, the ambulance crew came out of the house, followed by a distraught Irvine. They carried the stretcher bearing Selphie on it into the ambulance and he got in after them. The children naively though it was great fun and jumped up and down with excitement which made Rinoa cry harder as the sirens wailed away into the distance. Squall held her silently as the children danced giddily about the lawn. The adults waited quietly for the parents of their young charges to arrive which thankfully they all quickly did. When the last car and last child had finally left, Squall took Rinoa's arm and led her to their own car for the journey to the hospital. The autumn sunshine had changed to clouds of grey and a late afternoon rain began to fall.
They arrived at the hospital and checked with the front desk to find out where they needed to go. They were directed to the right ward and found Irvine pacing the waiting room frantically.
"They're doing an emergency c-section to deliver the baby and they won't let me in the room... She hasn't woken up at all yet... And... and they don't think she will..." Irvine choked back a sob."
Rinoa and Squall stayed with him and tried to comfort him during the long hours of waiting in the drab room. Finally Rinoa fell asleep and Squall was halfway there too but Irvine stoically showed no signs of being tired whatsoever. Finally when none of them thought they could take the ceaseless waiting any longer, a white gowned nurse came out and faced them.
"Well Mr.Kinneas, you have a beautiful baby girl." The woman announced.
"But what about Selphie?" Irvine snapped pretending like he had not heard her statement.
The woman sighed, "She's still sleeping. The doctor says it is entirely possible she may wake up briefly but beyond that we have little hope for her recovery. I am so very sorry..."
Irvine finally broke down and started crying and Squall and Rinoa both woke up out of their states of half sleep to comfort him. The nurse looked helpless but they all were helpless at this time of grief.
The young woman nervously cleared her throat, "Well would you like to see your baby? She a preemie so we have her in the special care unit for newborns but she is beautiful and I'm sure she'd love to see her daddy. I can show you where she is."
Irvine nodded numbly and he and his two companions followed the lithe young nurse down the antiseptic hallways to a big glass viewinf window. Through the window, they could see many babies. The nurse pointed at one in a corner. "See? There she is? Isn't she gorgeous?"
The child she pointed at, had a full head of dark soft hair the same color as Irvine's. She was very tiny and had her eyes scrunched shut. Irvine looked like he was going to cry at the sight of this tiny creature.
The woman examined his face carefully, "Would you like to hold her for a moment?"
Irvine nodded hesitantly, "I think I'd like that... Her name is going to be Emily you know. Selphie wanted it that way."
"Well you'll have to put on hospital scrubs first. Right this was please." The woman pulled him through a door and a few minutes later, Squall and Rinoa watched as a scrub clad Irvine walked into the baby room and as the nurse gingerly placed the newborn into his arms, Irvine's eyes filled with tears.
Irvine didn't say much to either Squall or Rinoa when he left the nursery but neither of them expected him too. They weren't surprised at all by his mixed feelings, if anything they felt the same way. They took him down to the hospital cafeteria, insisting he needed to keep up his strength. Irvine ate next to nothing but neither Squall nor Rinoa pushed the issue of food.
Later on they returned to the waiting room and were greeted by a grim faced doctor who informed them that Selphie had passed on. Irvine was numb with grief and nearly passed out from the shock. But it was no real surprise and all of them knew that.
The days that followed were a blur. Well wishers crowded the tiny farmhouse, as practically everyone who had ever known Selphie had come for her funeral. The day before the funeral, the doctors decided that Emily was well enough to come home and as Selphie's frail body was lowered into the ground, the daughter that she had never seen slept in Irvine's arms, blissfully unaware of the tumult her life had caused. Afterward, when most of the people had left, Irvine stood there by her freshly dug grave with Emily and cried for a long time.
Rinoa and Squall saw him and weren't sure if they should approach him or not. They left him alone for awhile but knew that their support as friends would mean a lot to him on this day. So the two of them walked out to where he stood.
"Irvine?" Rinoa took his arm and looked up into his grim eyes.
"We're there for you... No matter what... You don't have to be alone." Squall quietly informed him.
Irvine nodded shakily, "I know... I'm grateful for both of you and for everyone. Selphie would have been happy to know how much people loved her and how much she'll be missed. I just wish she could have seen Emily just one time before she died. I know Selphie would have been so proud of her. She was so happy about Emily coming."
Rinoa stroked the baby's cheek softly with her finger, "I'm sure that wherever she is, she's seen Emily and she knows how much everyone loves her. I just hope she's happy and not in any more pain. That's all I want for her now."
Irvine glanced down at Emily and then back at his friends, "Could you leave me here for just one more moment? I promise I'll come right to the car. I just have to do one more thing."
Squall looked at him thoughtfully, "Yeah, take care ok? We'll be waiting at the car for whenever you're ready to leave."
Irvine watched for a moment until he could no longer see Squall and Rinoa. Then he took one more look at the mound of dirt covering Selphie. Out of his pocket he took a bunch of dried flowers. They were the wildflowers from their trip to the mountains which Selphie had carefully pressed and saved. At his touch, the flowers finally crumbled and Irvine mashed them in his fist. He scattered the dry flower dust onto the grave and took one more look at it before returning to Squall and Rinoa.
"Bye babydoll..." And then he turned away and tearfully left her behind him.


THE END