by NightsDawne
Chapter 4: In The Hospital
Cid looked up as someone burst through the waiting room door. Flashbulbs and shouts from reporters filtered through, only to be cut off by the doors shutting again. Laguna flipped long black hair out of his face and locked aqua eyes on Cid's violet ones. "How is he?"
"They're both in surgery." Cid put a hand on the shorter man's shoulder reassuringly. "They expect both of them to make it. Irvine came in in shock with a shattered leg and spinal injuries. Squall has a head injury and they're trying to relieve the pressure. I know you care about them, but frankly I'm a little surprised that you would break away from your duties, Laguna."
Laguna looked away before slumping into a seat. "When your son is injured nothing else matters much."
"I know exactly what you mean." Cid furrowed his brow. "Squall? Your son?"
Laguna nodded. "Edea never told you, I guess. I didn't know until a couple of days ago myself."
Cid sat down next to Laguna. "Then I guess we're both in the same boat. My son is in there with him."
Laguna pulled himself out of his thoughts and blinked at Cid. ".... Irvine?"
Cid nodded, puffing out his cheeks a bit and taking off his glasses to clean them. "Anyway, Rinoa and Quistis should be back soon. They went down to the cafeteria."
Laguna leaned back in his chair. "So it's just us.. fathers."
The door on the opposite side of the waiting room opened and both men stood, looking anxiously at Dr. Galoway. She smiled, walking over. "Which one of you is Irvine's father?"
"That would be me." Cid slid his glasses back on. Laguna sat back down again slowly, chewing on a fingernail.
Dr. Galoway nodded and indicated that Cid should sit. She herself took a seat on the corner of the coffee table. "He's out of surgery, and the good news is that we don't think there was any permanent damage. We'll have to wait until he wakes up and we can do a mobility test, but we got good responses on the reflex tests. We had to reconstruct his leg. Apparently he had a previous fracture of that leg and it was healed with magic only?" Cid nodded. "Magic can set a bone, but unless it's given a chance to heal completely it leaves it vulnerable to future fracture. He's going to be in a cast for a month or so even though we used an elixir on him. I'm afraid I'm going to have to request that he be removed from active duty until the leg heals properly."
"Of course, doctor." Cid closed his eyes for a moment, sighing in relief. "But he'll walk, right?"
"He should. The cervical fracture was minor. There was just pressure on the spinal cord, no actual damage. Once we got everything back in place there wasn't really any further threat of paralysis. He's quite a lucky young man." Dr. Galoway tapped her finger on her clipboard. "Drinking and driving doesn't usually end this well, especially when you wrap your car around a tree at forty miles an hour with no seatbelts on."
Cid and Laguna both leaned forward. "What?"
Dr. Galoway looked down at her clipboard. "Blood alcohol on Irvine was point oh eight five. Squall's was point oh nine eight. Not falling down drunk, but it probably would have been safer for them if they had been that drunk. They never would have gotten behind the wheel."
Cid dropped his forehead in his hand. Laguna chewed on his lip. "What about Squall? How's he doing?"
"He's still in surgery. It shouldn't be too much longer. He has a cerebral hematoma. Basically a bruise on his brain. His head impacted something in the car fairly hard from the side and his brain is bleeding, but because his skull stayed intact, there's no place for the blood to go. Right now it's just building up pressure. They're drilling a small hole in the skull to drain the blood off. Most of the time these injuries are only severe until the pressure is relieved and the patient makes a full recovery." She gave the men a reassuring smile. "It will be a while before they're awake and ready to see anyone. Why don't you get some coffee?"
"Thanks, doctor." Laguna put his hand on Cid's shoulder as the doctor made her way back into the surgical area. "Sounds like a good idea, Cid. What're you thinking?"
Cid looked up with a sigh. "Just trying to figure out how to tell the press that two of the six heroes of the sorceress war crashed their car because they were drunk."
"Forget the press for now. Our kids are in there, remember?"
Cid nodded, getting to his feet. "You're right. I remember. At this moment they're what matters."
Irvine heard a persistant beeping through the fog of sleep and reached his arm over automatically to turn off his alarm, fumbling and opening his eyes when his nightstand wasn't where it was supposed to be. His head hurt, his neck hurt, and his leg was hot. He started to sit up, falling back against the pillow when the room tilted at a very nauseating angle. "I hate hangovers," he mumbled.
"It's not a hangover, sweetie." Irvine looked to his side to see a pretty blond closing the pump that ran the iv that trailed to his arm. "I'm Jax, I'm going to be your nurse."
"Nurse?" Irvine grinned charmingly.
Jax grinned back. "That's right. Do you remember anything of what happened?"
"Um.. no."
"You were in a car accident. You shouldn't be drinking at your age to begin with, much less trying to drive afterwards." Jax pushed a button on the side of the bed, lifting it up so Irvine wasn't lying completely flat. "You're lucky you're not going to be in a wheelchair. You dad and your girlfriend are here. Do you want me to send them in?"
"Don't you think I should have a spongebath first, darlin'?"
Jax's smile widened as she leaned over the bed. "Irvine, sweetie? Don't forget that I'm a nurse. I can make sure you don't get your pain meds."
Irvine lost his grin. "Yes, ma'am. Speakin' of which..."
"I'm taking care of it now." Jax picked up a syringe from her tray and injected a clear liquid into the iv tube. "Do you want your visitors?"
"Um, I.. yeah." Irvine looked down, pulling the blanket to the side to look at his leg, which was completely covered in a white cast. "... What's that for?"
Jax looked back from the door. "We decided not to amputate. It's not too late if you change your mind."
Irvine gulped. "No, ma'am. Nice cast. I think I'll keep it." He squirmed a bit, trying to get his shoulders comfortable against the matress, then looked over the table at his bedside. A television remote lay on one corner. He sat forward, pleased that the pains in his neck and shoulders had diminished to a foggy blur, and stretched his fingers out, trying to reach the remote. It skittered away from his fingers and dropped to the floor with a clatter of plastic. Irvine sighed and blew his bangs out of his eyes.
"Irvy?" Quistis looked around the edge of the door, her worried expression melting into a smile. "Oh, thank God you're alright."
"Hey, darlin'. Do I look alright? I was in a car wreck." Irvine winked and held his hand out to her.
Quistis shook her head and walked over to take the hand, giving it a little squeeze. Irvine winced. Quistis jumped back, dropping his hand quickly. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Irvine. Are you alright?"
Irvine chuckled. "I was just foolin' with ya, darlin'. Hey, look, I gotta cast. You gonna sign it?"
Quistis rolled her eyes and brushed Irvine's bangs over his face with her hand. "Too bad you didn't injure your funny bone. Is the morphine kicking in yet?"
"Is that what I got? Uh huh." Irvine nodded, blinded by hair.
"Son?" Irvine pulled his hair aside with his hand to see Cid looking at him worriedly from the door. "Is it okay if I come in?"
"Yup! Heya, Cid.. Quisty, meet my dad!" Irvine collapsed back against the matress, giggling.
"I already know him, darling." Quistis gave Cid a bit of an apologetic look. "His nurse said she just gave him some morphine."
Cid walked over to the bedside. "I see. It seems to be working quite well."
Irvine stopped giggling abruptly and pointed his finger at Cid. "You.. are a lousy dad.." Cid swallowed. Irvine waved his finger. "You didn't ask ta sign my cast!"
Cid relaxed a bit. "I will if you want me to."
Irvine gestured towards his plaster encased leg. "Ever'body has ta sign my cast!"
Cid obediently took a pen out of his shirt pocket, walking around to sign the cast. Irvine nodded. "Now you, darlin'. Quisty. With a lil' heart over the i like Sefie does when she signs her name."
Quistis took the pen. "I don't do little hearts, Irvy. Well, I guess now is the time to tell you."
"Tell me what?" Irvine pushed himself up on his elbow. "You know I ain't got nothin' on under this blanket?"
Quistis rolled her eyes, bending over his cast. "Irvine Kinneas, you're impossible. Anyhow... they cut your boots off in the emergency room."
Irvine sniffled, his lower lip trembling, then fell back against his pillow, covering his face with his hands. "My anaconda boots! My little twin buddies!"
Cid eyed his sobbing son. "Maybe you should have waited until he was asleep to tell him."
Laguna watched Squall's sleeping face. Except for the bandages around his head he looked fine. Only the sound of the monitors and the unmistakable smell of a hospital room continued to force the gravity of the situation on the scene. He looked over to where Rinoa slept, sitting close to the bed, holding Squall's hand in hers, tears soaking the blanket where her cheek pressed against it. Laguna sighed, staring at the indecipherable numbers and lines on the monitors, willing them to be good. He started at a soft moan and looked back to Squall to see his eyes half open.
"Squall?" He was half afraid to use anything above a whisper. Squall's head slowly rolled to the side, the SeeD commander struggling to focus on the speaker. Laguna smiled softly. "You're awake. You've got no idea how worried you made us."
Squall furrowed his brow, staring silently at Laguna. "... Clown," he whispered finally.
"What? You want a clown?" Laguna scratched his hair, wondering if this was a temporary side effect.
Squall looked up at the ceiling, squeezing Rinoa's hand. She woke up instantly, looking to his face, her tears dissolving in a joyful smile as she wrapped her arms around him. "Oh Squall. Don't ever scare me like that again!"
Squall lifted his hand shakily to stroke her hair. "Get him out of here."
Laguna let his breath out, feeling as if he'd been stabbed with a blade of ice. He stood, giving Rinoa a half-smile. "I'll just.. let you stay with him." He walked out, looking back from the door, but Squall's eyes were only on his girlfriend.
