Disclaimer: I don't own FF8...
Author's Note: Hey everyone! I went to the Goo Goo Dolls concert yesterday and it was AMAZING! Johnny is SO hot and his music was just amazing...he sounded SO good! I'm telling you, if the Goo's are coming your way, go see them! They are just amazing...I can't even describe it! Anyway, here's chapter thirteen.
Never Free
Chapter 13- Break Down
The contents of the room were strewn all over the floor and smashed. In the middle of the rubble, Zell was sprawled across the floor, unconscious. He was covered in blood, and didn't appear to be breathing. Rinoa immediately kneeled by his side, feeling for a pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief as she felt a faint, but steady, heartbeat. At least he's alive... "Come on, Zell, hang with me. You're going to be alright." Rinoa stood up and pulled her cell phone out of her bag, immediately dialing 9-1-1.
"9-1-1 emergency. May I help you?" The woman on the other line asked.
"My friend...he's been hurt! I need an ambulance right away!" Rinoa said frantically.
"Calm down, Miss. Can you tell me the extent of the situation?"
"I'm not sure. He's bleeding pretty badly, but he has a faint pulse."
"Alright, Miss. Where exactly are you? I need to know where to send the ambulance."
"The address is forty-five Masters Street. It's my friend's house. Please hurry!"
"Don't worry, Miss. An ambulance is on their way. What's your friend's name?"
"Zell, Zell Dincht. I'm Rinoa Heartilly."
"Well, Ms. Heartilly, the ambulance should be there any minute. Just stay calm. Your friend is going to be fine."
"Thank you." Rinoa said as she hung up the phone.
A few minutes later, the ambulance came rushing down the street, stopping in front of Zell's house. Rinoa rushed out to meet them. "Please hurry! My friend's bleeding very badly!"
The paramedics rushed into the house. Rinoa started following them, but one of them tapped her on the shoulder. "Excuse me, Miss, but I think it would be better if you stayed out here and let the paramedics do their job." Rinoa nodded. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about your friend?"
"No, of course not. What do you want to know?"
"First of all, what is your friend's name?"
"Zell Dincht."
"And your name?"
"Rinoa Heartilly."
"Well, Ms. Heartilly, can you tell me what exactly happened?"
She nodded. "I came here to visit Zell because I hadn't seen him in a while. When I got here, all of the shades were drawn, which I thought was suspicious. Then, I tried the knob and-"
"Let's get him in the ambulance!" Rinoa watched as the paramedics took Zell out on a stretcher and placed him in the ambulance. "Miss, are you coming in the ambulance?" The paramedic asked.
"Yes, I'll come." Rinoa said as she entered the ambulance and shot down the street.
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Please let him be okay. God, please don't let him die! He never did anything to deserve this! "Rinoa?" She looked up. "I can't believe this happened to him! Who could do this?" Selphie was furious.
"I don't know, Selphie." Her eyes filled with tears. "There are some cruel people in this world."
"He's going to make it...I know it." She squeezed Rinoa's hand reassuringly.
"I hope so..." She said sadly.
The doctor walked out of the surgery room and approached Rinoa. "Ms. Heartilly?"
Rinoa stood up. "Yes, I'm Rinoa Heartilly. Doctor, how is he?" She asked anxiously.
"We were able to stop the bleeding. Right now, things are looking pretty good. If he makes it through the night, he should make a full recovery."
"What are the chances that he'll make it through the night?"
"About seventy-five percent."
"Can I see him?"
"Yes, but only for a few minutes. He's still unconscious."
"Thank you, Doctor." Rinoa shook his hand and quietly walked to Zell's door. At the sight of him, she just wanted to cry. He was hooked up to tubes in every place imaginable. His face was puffy and swollen and bruises covered his body.
"Oh, Zell." Rinoa said as she sat down in a chair next to him. "This is all my fault...Billows must have found out about me. I'm so sorry, Zell..." Rinoa sobbed.
"Rinoa?"
She looked up to see Squall standing in the doorway. She immediately got up and ran into his arms. "Oh, Squall, this is all my fault! Zell could die because of me!"
"Shh, Rinoa. it's not your fault." Squall said gently as he stroked her hair. "He's going to be okay."
"But what if he doesn't make it, Squall? It is my fault. Who else, but Billows, would have done this? He knows about me, and now he's going to kill everyone that I know."
"Rinoa, you need to get some rest. Do you want me to take you home? Or maybe to your father's house?" Squall asked.
Rinoa shook her head. "No, I don't want to go there."
"You have to get out of this hospital. How long have you been here, five hours?"
"Something like that." She mumbled.
"Where do you want me to take you, Rinoa? Name the place and you're there."
"Can you take me to your house?"
"My house?" Squall asked surprised. "You sure?"
"Mmhmm..." She said groggily.
"Rinoa, are you okay?" Squall asked worriedly. "Rinoa?"
"Tired..." She whispered, barely audible.
"Alright Rinoa, we're leaving now. Come on." He said, gently pushing Rinoa forward.
"Everything's...spinning... Squall...please take me...to your...house." She said right before she passed out in Squall's arms.
He gently scooped her into his arms and carried her out of the room.
"Hey, who are you and where are you taking Rinoa?" Squall was greeted by a very angry Selphie.
"You must be Selphie. My name's Squall, Rinoa's boyfriend. I'm going to take her home with me, okay?"
Well, he does look like how Rinoa described him... "Okay. Don't hurt her, or I'll hurt you." Selphie threatened.
Squall cracked a small smile. "Don't worry."
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Squall pulled his car into the driveway beside his house. He picked the sleeping Rinoa up gently and unlocked the door. She was surprisingly light, and Squall found himself enjoying the feeling of her in his arms.
He brought her into the living room and gently placed her on the couch. She looks so peaceful... He smiled to himself as he grabbed a blanket and covered her with it. She was so beautiful, just laying there, and Squall was overcome with feelings of love that he never even dreamed he could feel. "You really are my angel..." He said as he wrapped his arms around her and fell into a peaceful sleep...
Author's Note: Well, that's it for this chapter. Now, I'm off to go dream about Johnny...*drool*... Please review!