Star Crossed Lovers

By RobertDogwood@aol.com

Edited by Vick330

Chapter Five
Pain

Early the next morning, Squall set off on his daily inspection of the entire property. He actually hated this duty, because it entailed returning salutes with practically everyone in the entire Garden.

His meeting with the Dollet officials wasn't scheduled to begin until after lunch, which is why he was surprised to observe three visitors standing near the front gate.

This was not the appropriate time for visitation, and as he stood and studied them, he had the nagging impression he had seen them somewhere before. But he just couldn't remember when or where.

The strange little party consisted of three people: A tall, but badly stooped man, who looked to be in his mid-thirties and had a ferret looking pock marked face; followed by a young blonde woman, who stood about five foot, five inches tall. She might have been fairly attractive, at one point in her life, but now mostly looked hard. Rounding out the party stood a freshly scrubbed appearing young man, resembling nothing less than a young angel. The last member of the group was genteelly dressed in a brown suit, and carried a large business briefcase.

Before Squall could approach the strange threesome, and inquire of their business at the Garden, he spotted Rinoa and his blood boiled. He had expected his orders to be carried out, and the treacherous woman to be already expelled from the premises.

Turning his attention to her, Squall bellowed, "Rinoa!" his hatred and rage evident in his angry voice.

Standing gazing at him sadly, Rinoa's beautiful features took on a look of alarm, as she cried out in warning, "Squall! Look out!"

Sensing some movement to his right, Squall attempted to whirl, but his reflexes were too sluggish. All happened in a flash, and he suddenly heard the loud retorts of shots ringing out. When he finally completed his turn, he fully expected to feel the searing burning of shots, cutting ruthlessly through his body. Instead he heard the dull thuds of bullets impacting another's body. He realized that somehow, impossibly, Rinoa had reached his side and thrown herself across the path of the bullets - the bullets that had marked him for certain death.

Upon seeing Rinoa's body, broken and bloodied at his feet, Squall suddenly realized what he had just lost, and he cried out her name in anguish.

Looking up and observing the startled expressions of the three visitors, who were now holding semi-automatic machine guns - much like the one Laguna used to have - Squall suddenly remembered where he knew these people from. They were members of the Galbadian spy ring he had broken up in Esthar! Quistis had been right, he realized, for his senses had become dulled, and now it may have caused the woman he loved her life.

Observing Irvine off to his far right and Zell to his near left, he nodded at both in a silent signal. He then leaped into action, amid the barrage of bullets raining down on him. With two quick steps he was upon the ferret faced man, who was no longer stooped, but was standing upright. The spy's eyes widened when he suddenly saw the hard-faced blonde drop her weapon, and grab at her neck, where two of Irvine's shots had found a home.

Squall threw himself into a forward roll, completed one full tumble and rose to his feet. The Commander landed behind the ferret faced man, and unsheathed Lionheart in a fluid motion. The dark-haired man brought his weapon down across the spy's shoulders - BANG! - And the man's head fell to the ground, while his body continued to fire the machine gun for several seconds.

Zell made short work of the angelic appearing young man leaving him a battered lifeless body. Seeing that their opponents were neutralized, Squall raced back to Rinoa and gently picked her up in his arms. With tears streaming down his face, Squall sprinted at top speed ceaselessly through the Garden.

Barreling into the clinic, Squall cried out, "Doctor! Come quick!"

Doctor Kadowaki, hearing the fear in Squall's voice, hurried down the hall. Bustling into her office, she immediately comprehended the seriousness of Rinoa's condition. The older woman became an efficient medical machine, ordering Squall to take Rinoa to the surgery, while calling out loudly for her nurse.

With the nurse hustling here and there, setting up a blood transfusion, an I.V. drip and placing an oxygen mask over Rinoa's mouth, Doctor Kadowaki pushed Squall out of the room.

"Pray to Hyne, son, pray to Hyne," said the doctor gently.

Squall retreated to the doctor's office, and sitting down behind her desk he laid his arms and head wearily on it.

It's all my fault, Squall thought remorsefully. Quistis was right. I should have been killed. I would be dead, if it weren't for Rinoa. I don't deserve to be a commander. I shouldn't be in a position of authority over other people. I couldn't even tell myself the right thing to do. I've allowed my vanity to overrule my common sense and I've probably killed the best thing that ever came into my life.

Tears continued to roll down Squall's face. If she dies, Squall thought, I'll kill myself.


Five and three-quarters hours later, Doctor Kadowaki had done all she could do for Rinoa. She had removed the bullets, repaired slight damage to organs, removed all the shrapnel, repaired all the collateral damage, cleaned and bandaged skin abrasions, sewed up all the medium sized cuts, and then closed her back up with sutures.

After a large initial bolus of antibiotics, Rinoa was infused with a constant supply of them through her I.V. to keep her awash with the anti-infection treatment. Doctor Kadowaki was most worried about septic complications, for she knew it could carry the young woman away from them in a matter of hours.

The doctor knew it would take a miracle for Rinoa to survive, but also realized she was alive today because of miracles, and quite possibly could just be one of those star crossed people - those who survive disaster after disaster, only to finally die of old age. Furthermore, her patient was strong willed and a fighter, which counted for much in a recovery.

Fifty - fifty. the good doctor thought to herself. They wheeled Rinoa in her bed, along with the attached I.V. into the room closest to her office, so she could keep a careful watch on the young woman.

Once they had Rinoa secured in the room, Squall entered the room, pulled over a chair and sat by Rinoa's bedside. He found it ironic that this was the same room as when she was possessed by Sorceress Ultimecia - another time when he had failed to protect her.

"You have to live, Rinoa," Squall spoke aloud.

He hoped she could hear him somewhere in her soul, as she once had when she was lost in outer space. "Not for me, for yourself, I don't deserve another chance," he whispered.

As he looked at his beloved's badly wounded body, Squall realized how much he loved and needed her. He had been enraged at what he had construed as her betrayal, but realized now it was not all her fault. Maybe he should have talked to her after the incident, maybe he should have trusted her more.

And now, it might be too late.

Much too late...