Chapter 14
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Authors note: Some people thought this story was finished at the last chapter but it's not over yet.
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Quistis unlocked her door and stepped inside. She flipped on the light and took a deep breath, leaning back against the wall. Home. Well at least her little part.
She pushed away from the wall and walked through the room into the bathroom. Reaching into the shower she turned on the faucet then bent down to untie her hiking boots.
As she stood Quistis caught her reflection in the mirror and stopped. She stared at herself but saw another. "Oh, Seifer" she whispered "Why didn't I ever notice before, how lost you really are?"
When the mirror began to cloud up she remembered the shower was running and hurriedly undressed. Stepping under the spray she closed her eyes and sighed.
Quistis stayed in the shower until the water started to cool down. Stepping out she wrapped a towel around herself and padded back out into the other room.
She quickly dressed herself when she realized how long she'd been away from the infirmary. The doctor wouldn't be too happy if she found out that Quistis had talked her into going against the orders that Cid had given her. After brushing out her hair she grabbed her key and headed out the door.
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Seifer pulled away from Edea abruptly when he heard Dr. Kadowaki clear her throat.
"I need to examine Seifer" Dr. Kadowaki told them, "Cid is waiting for my report."
"Of course, Dr." Edea agreed moving away from him. "I'll see you in the morning." She smiled at him then turned to go.
"Alright Seifer, off with that shirt. I need to assess any wounds that you have." Dr. Kadowaki said. She turned away to the sink.
Seifer bent his head and started to unzip his shirt. He shrugged it off and tossed it on the chair where he'd already put his coat. He watched the Doctor dry off her hands and turn around.
The first thing she noticed was the multiple bruises that mottled his body. Then she noticed how thin he'd become. "Worked you over pretty good, did they?" she asked moving over in front of him. She picked up one of his wrists, inspecting the ring of bruises and abrasions before taking his pulse.
"You haven't seen their best work yet," he answered bitterly.
Dr. Kadowaki stepped behind him. "And that would be under these?" she asked touching the bandages that ran across his back. She felt him wince when she tried to remove one of them.
"Quistis did that. It was the best she could do under the conditions." Seifer told her.
Dr. Kadowaki wrote something down on her clipboard then looked back at him. "You can go ahead and take a shower. Then we can get those bandages off and see how bad the damage is."
She reached over to the counter beside the sink and grabbed something. "Here. You can put these on."
Seifer took the offered garment and held it up. "These look like mine."
"They are. There were some of your things here from before you left. Edea had them brought here for you. Why don't you get cleaned up and I'll be back in a little bit." Dr. Kadowaki smiled at him then turned and left the room pulling the door closed behind her.
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Quistis hurried back to the infirmary. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. Not seeing anyone in the outer waiting area, she moved to the door of the examining room she knew Seifer was in.
The door was slightly ajar so she pushed it open to see if the Doctor was still in there. What she saw made her stop, frozen in place. Seifer stood in the middle of the room just out of the shower. Her eyes traveled down his back to the pair of dark blue drawstring pants that rode low on his hips.
Quistis had never noticed how truly gorgeous he was, even with the marks of his recent torture. But then she'd never seen him undressed before. He was lean and well muscled from years of working with a gunblade.
She must have made some sound because he turned. "Quistis?" he said when she didn't move. She watched mesmerized as a drop of water fell from his wet hair and slid slowly down his smooth chest. She heard him call her name and looked up into his eyes. Her heart sped up. She couldn't look away and the attraction between them hung heavy in the air.
Dr. Kadowaki bustled into the room breaking the trance and Quistis turned away quickly. "Oh good, you're back. I'll need you to come with me, Quistis, so we can get a look at that hand." Quistis looked at her stupidly for a moment, her mind still on Seifer.
"Quistis?" The doctor turned to her when she didn't get any response.
"Huh? Oh yeah I'm coming." She turned, blushing, to follow the older woman out of the room.
Seifer let out a deep breath that he didn't even know he'd been holding as he watched her go.
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The Doctor determined that although the hand wasn't broken, Quistis would need it taped up because of a severe sprain.
"I'll need you to wait while I go check on Seifer." The Doctor told her. "I did order for food to be brought in and it should be here anytime."
Quistis looked up thankfully. She'd forgotten how long it had been since she'd had a real meal. 'That's why my stomach felt all jumpy back there' she thought remembering the butterflies when she'd looked at Seifer. "I'm just hungry," she said to herself taking a deep breath.
The food arrived while the Doctor was still in with Seifer. Quistis stuck her head in the open doorway to let them know.
"Good. Bring it in here" Dr. Kadowaki told her "the two of you can eat while I finish up."
When Quistis handed Seifer a sandwich his fingers brushed against hers. Her heart started to pound as she looked up. Seifer gave her a rare genuine smile "Thanks."
She looked down concentrating on the food in front of her and not the man across from her.
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Quistis lay in her bed unable to sleep. When the Doctor had finished with them, she had shooed Quistis out with orders to get some sleep, which the girl now found she was powerless to do. She was exhausted but her mind refused to cooperate. She wondered if Seifer was sleeping.
Just thinking of him made her remember other things. Like waking up in his arms. Like the kiss they'd shared. She groaned and looked over at her clock. 3am.
This had to stop. She got up and took one of the pills the Doctor had given her for pain. The Doctor had warned her they would make her sleepy and that's just what she hoped.
She padded back to bed and snuggled down under the warm blankets. After awhile she began to slip into sleep. The last thing she saw in her mind was a pair of beautiful emerald eyes watching her.
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Quistis spent her first full day back relaxing. She'd slept in then had her debriefing with Cid in the afternoon and now she was lounging on her couch looking through a book she'd been reading.
She looked up when she heard a knock at the door. She got up to answer it and smoothed back her hair in a nervous gesture as she went. 'It's not him' she told herself 'why would he come here.'
She opened the door to a grinning Selphie. "Ok time to spill." Selphie said bounding into the room. "I want to know all about…"
'I'm not disappointed; that it's Selphie and not him. I'm not.' Quistis's mind wandered as she followed Selphie back into the room.
She invited Selphie to sit down and proceeded to tell her about the mission. 'Only leaving out a few things,' she thought with a smile.
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The next morning Quistis woke early. She stretched then looked at the clock. Deciding she'd been lazy enough yesterday she jumped out of bed deciding to get ready and meet her friends for breakfast.
Several people greeted Quistis as she walked into the cafeteria. After she had gone through the line and selected her breakfast she headed towards the table she had seen her friends sitting at. They were all there Squall, Rinoa, Irvine, Selphie and Zell.
"Hi, Quisty" Selphie said jumping up. The others turned towards her when they heard Selphie. Squall and Rinoa just waved before going back to their conversation.
"Hey Quistis." Zell said moving over to allow her a place at the table. "Where ya been?"
Irvine grabbed a chair from another table and held it out for her. "How ya been, Darlin?"
Quistis rolled her eyes at him then smiled. "Thanks" she said setting her tray down and seating herself. "I was away on a mission." She took a bite of toast as the others asked her questions, which she artfully evaded for the most part. Selphie was the only one to know that Seifer was involved and Quistis had asked her not to tell the others.
After awhile they grew bored and turned the conversation to other things. Quistis listened with half an ear as she ate her breakfast.
All of a sudden she noticed everyone had stopped talking. She looked up to see what had gotten their attention. They were all staring at something behind her. She turned to see Seifer walking across the room at the same time she heard Zell.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Zell growled in shock as he stood up abruptly, knocking over his chair. Selphie met Quistis's eyes with a sympathetic look.
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A/N: Thanks again for the reviews.
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Authors note: Some people thought this story was finished at the last chapter but it's not over yet.
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Quistis unlocked her door and stepped inside. She flipped on the light and took a deep breath, leaning back against the wall. Home. Well at least her little part.
She pushed away from the wall and walked through the room into the bathroom. Reaching into the shower she turned on the faucet then bent down to untie her hiking boots.
As she stood Quistis caught her reflection in the mirror and stopped. She stared at herself but saw another. "Oh, Seifer" she whispered "Why didn't I ever notice before, how lost you really are?"
When the mirror began to cloud up she remembered the shower was running and hurriedly undressed. Stepping under the spray she closed her eyes and sighed.
Quistis stayed in the shower until the water started to cool down. Stepping out she wrapped a towel around herself and padded back out into the other room.
She quickly dressed herself when she realized how long she'd been away from the infirmary. The doctor wouldn't be too happy if she found out that Quistis had talked her into going against the orders that Cid had given her. After brushing out her hair she grabbed her key and headed out the door.
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Seifer pulled away from Edea abruptly when he heard Dr. Kadowaki clear her throat.
"I need to examine Seifer" Dr. Kadowaki told them, "Cid is waiting for my report."
"Of course, Dr." Edea agreed moving away from him. "I'll see you in the morning." She smiled at him then turned to go.
"Alright Seifer, off with that shirt. I need to assess any wounds that you have." Dr. Kadowaki said. She turned away to the sink.
Seifer bent his head and started to unzip his shirt. He shrugged it off and tossed it on the chair where he'd already put his coat. He watched the Doctor dry off her hands and turn around.
The first thing she noticed was the multiple bruises that mottled his body. Then she noticed how thin he'd become. "Worked you over pretty good, did they?" she asked moving over in front of him. She picked up one of his wrists, inspecting the ring of bruises and abrasions before taking his pulse.
"You haven't seen their best work yet," he answered bitterly.
Dr. Kadowaki stepped behind him. "And that would be under these?" she asked touching the bandages that ran across his back. She felt him wince when she tried to remove one of them.
"Quistis did that. It was the best she could do under the conditions." Seifer told her.
Dr. Kadowaki wrote something down on her clipboard then looked back at him. "You can go ahead and take a shower. Then we can get those bandages off and see how bad the damage is."
She reached over to the counter beside the sink and grabbed something. "Here. You can put these on."
Seifer took the offered garment and held it up. "These look like mine."
"They are. There were some of your things here from before you left. Edea had them brought here for you. Why don't you get cleaned up and I'll be back in a little bit." Dr. Kadowaki smiled at him then turned and left the room pulling the door closed behind her.
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Quistis hurried back to the infirmary. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. Not seeing anyone in the outer waiting area, she moved to the door of the examining room she knew Seifer was in.
The door was slightly ajar so she pushed it open to see if the Doctor was still in there. What she saw made her stop, frozen in place. Seifer stood in the middle of the room just out of the shower. Her eyes traveled down his back to the pair of dark blue drawstring pants that rode low on his hips.
Quistis had never noticed how truly gorgeous he was, even with the marks of his recent torture. But then she'd never seen him undressed before. He was lean and well muscled from years of working with a gunblade.
She must have made some sound because he turned. "Quistis?" he said when she didn't move. She watched mesmerized as a drop of water fell from his wet hair and slid slowly down his smooth chest. She heard him call her name and looked up into his eyes. Her heart sped up. She couldn't look away and the attraction between them hung heavy in the air.
Dr. Kadowaki bustled into the room breaking the trance and Quistis turned away quickly. "Oh good, you're back. I'll need you to come with me, Quistis, so we can get a look at that hand." Quistis looked at her stupidly for a moment, her mind still on Seifer.
"Quistis?" The doctor turned to her when she didn't get any response.
"Huh? Oh yeah I'm coming." She turned, blushing, to follow the older woman out of the room.
Seifer let out a deep breath that he didn't even know he'd been holding as he watched her go.
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The Doctor determined that although the hand wasn't broken, Quistis would need it taped up because of a severe sprain.
"I'll need you to wait while I go check on Seifer." The Doctor told her. "I did order for food to be brought in and it should be here anytime."
Quistis looked up thankfully. She'd forgotten how long it had been since she'd had a real meal. 'That's why my stomach felt all jumpy back there' she thought remembering the butterflies when she'd looked at Seifer. "I'm just hungry," she said to herself taking a deep breath.
The food arrived while the Doctor was still in with Seifer. Quistis stuck her head in the open doorway to let them know.
"Good. Bring it in here" Dr. Kadowaki told her "the two of you can eat while I finish up."
When Quistis handed Seifer a sandwich his fingers brushed against hers. Her heart started to pound as she looked up. Seifer gave her a rare genuine smile "Thanks."
She looked down concentrating on the food in front of her and not the man across from her.
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Quistis lay in her bed unable to sleep. When the Doctor had finished with them, she had shooed Quistis out with orders to get some sleep, which the girl now found she was powerless to do. She was exhausted but her mind refused to cooperate. She wondered if Seifer was sleeping.
Just thinking of him made her remember other things. Like waking up in his arms. Like the kiss they'd shared. She groaned and looked over at her clock. 3am.
This had to stop. She got up and took one of the pills the Doctor had given her for pain. The Doctor had warned her they would make her sleepy and that's just what she hoped.
She padded back to bed and snuggled down under the warm blankets. After awhile she began to slip into sleep. The last thing she saw in her mind was a pair of beautiful emerald eyes watching her.
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Quistis spent her first full day back relaxing. She'd slept in then had her debriefing with Cid in the afternoon and now she was lounging on her couch looking through a book she'd been reading.
She looked up when she heard a knock at the door. She got up to answer it and smoothed back her hair in a nervous gesture as she went. 'It's not him' she told herself 'why would he come here.'
She opened the door to a grinning Selphie. "Ok time to spill." Selphie said bounding into the room. "I want to know all about…"
'I'm not disappointed; that it's Selphie and not him. I'm not.' Quistis's mind wandered as she followed Selphie back into the room.
She invited Selphie to sit down and proceeded to tell her about the mission. 'Only leaving out a few things,' she thought with a smile.
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The next morning Quistis woke early. She stretched then looked at the clock. Deciding she'd been lazy enough yesterday she jumped out of bed deciding to get ready and meet her friends for breakfast.
Several people greeted Quistis as she walked into the cafeteria. After she had gone through the line and selected her breakfast she headed towards the table she had seen her friends sitting at. They were all there Squall, Rinoa, Irvine, Selphie and Zell.
"Hi, Quisty" Selphie said jumping up. The others turned towards her when they heard Selphie. Squall and Rinoa just waved before going back to their conversation.
"Hey Quistis." Zell said moving over to allow her a place at the table. "Where ya been?"
Irvine grabbed a chair from another table and held it out for her. "How ya been, Darlin?"
Quistis rolled her eyes at him then smiled. "Thanks" she said setting her tray down and seating herself. "I was away on a mission." She took a bite of toast as the others asked her questions, which she artfully evaded for the most part. Selphie was the only one to know that Seifer was involved and Quistis had asked her not to tell the others.
After awhile they grew bored and turned the conversation to other things. Quistis listened with half an ear as she ate her breakfast.
All of a sudden she noticed everyone had stopped talking. She looked up to see what had gotten their attention. They were all staring at something behind her. She turned to see Seifer walking across the room at the same time she heard Zell.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Zell growled in shock as he stood up abruptly, knocking over his chair. Selphie met Quistis's eyes with a sympathetic look.
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A/N: Thanks again for the reviews.
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