((A/N: Sorry the last chapter was so short....time for another!))

The wolf ripped at the skin on Cloud's throat, sending a stream of blood gushing to the ground. Tifa was attacking the wolf before she knew what was happening.

She let out a stream of attacks, Beat Rush, Somersault...it went on untill she attakced with Final Heaven. Every ounce of strength she could find was in the attack, and it knocked the wolf clear out of sight.

"CLOUD!" Tifa yelled, kneeling down next to him. His body shook and trembled, blood flowing out of numerous cuts.

"T...Tif..." He gasped, choked breaths coming out mostly in coughs.

"Just hold on Cloud....I'm calling for help, okay?" Tears slipped down her face, as she reached into her pocket, withdrawing her PHS.

Cloud tried to nod, but ended up coughing.

Tifa hastily dialed Cid's number.

"CID! You have to get to Mount Nibel, NOW! Cloud's hurt..." She yelled frantically. It took her a couple minutes to totally explain the situation. She dropped the phone, and moved closer to Cloud. She clamped her hands down on his throat, but then realized he couldn't breathe that way.

"Sorry....oh God, hold on Cloud, please...." She pleaded. Cloud continued to tremble. His unfocused eyes searched the area, and he continued to breathe in shallow, detatched gasps.

The sound of the Highwind roared over head, and the rope ladder dropped, Barret hanging onto the ladder.

Barret flinched slightly at the site of Cloud. He picked him up, and flung him over his shoulder. Tifa started up the ladder, Barret and the fallen Cloud behind her.

"Where are we gonna go?" Tifa yelled over the wind as the Highwind flashed through the air. Cid barely turned from directing the ship.

"New Mideel." He replied, the ship turning quickly, and landing soon on the small island.

"They've built a respectable hospital here....it's our best shot at saving him." Reeve explained. Tifa nodded, as she headed into the hospital after the others.



Tifa sat in the waiting area of the huge emergency center in the New Mideel hospital. She'd been sitting there with everyone else for over two hours as they waited for news on Cloud's condition. A steady flow of tears drenched her face.

Cid suddenly stood.

"The fuck's takin' so long!?" He yelled. The room was unoccupied apart from the friends, but they all still looked up. Everyone was there with the acception of Nanaki, who stayed to keep watch over Aeris. No one even attempted to answer him.

"I thought this was supposed to be a good hospital! Why the fuck didn't they fix im, yet!?" He yelled. Tears continued to flow down Tifa's cheeks. Reeve sighed.

"It takes time, Cid. You saw how bad Cloud was. I'll be surprised if they can actually do something to save him-" He stopped. He'd forgotten Tifa was in the room, and definately didn't mean to upset her.

"I'm sorry...." He said quietly. Tifa was sobbing audibly now, her face burried in her hands. A strange anger built up in Cid's face.

"This isn't fuckin right! If he dies....I'm gonna fuckin'...." Shera grabbed Cid's arm.

"Please, Cid...don't...." She pleaded, pulling him to a chair. Cid grumbled something the others couldn't hear. Tifa looked around, not sure what to say.

"That ain't gonna happen!" Barret yelled, looking over at Cid.

Tifa finally looked up, and decided to speak. Nobody expected her words though.

"Shut up! Why do you act like everything's fine....like it'll all be fine!? You saw Cloud...you saw what those monsters did to him. He's not gonna be okay...he's gonna die! Give it up!" She yelled, tears still streaming down her face.

Everyone stared at her, not saying anything. Yuffie was the first one to break down. Heavy sobs burst free, despite her desperate attempts to hold them in. Reeve wrapped his arms around her, in attempts to comfort her further.

The simple gesture made Tifa feel a thousand times worse. She wished she had Cloud next to her to comfort her, but he wasn't. He was off down some long corridor, in some creepy room. Doctors were at work trying to keep him alive. A fear struck Tifa in the midst of her thoughts...

'...maybe he isn't even alive any more....' she thought. 'and it's my fault...' guilt began to eat at Tifa more than ever. If she hadn't been so mean...if she hadn't driven Cloud away, he'd be okay now. He wouldn't be in the hospital, possibly on his deathbed.

Cid looked down. He felt bad for making Tifa feel even worse. He sat down next to her, in one of the empty seats she was sitting between. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Tifa...god, I'm real sorry.....I shouldn't have said anythin'" He said quietly. Tifa shook her head.

"No...it doesn't matter. It's the truth...why should you have ignored it? I drove Cloud away, and now he's dying...." Tifa broke down into quiet sobs, deeper than any that she had before. Cid sighed, and looked at the ground. Most of the others in the group had too.

"Um....excuse me?" A young doctor walked into the room. Everyone looked up quickly.

"Who's here with Mr. Strife?" He asked. Everyone stood up. The doctor looked surprised, but nodded.

"Follow me, please..." The group filed along after him. Cid held Tifa's arm to keep her from falling, which she definately would have if he hadn't. The doctor led them down a long hall to a room with a few doctors bustling in and out.

"Your friend was hurt badly. He had a stab wound through his chest that just barely missed his heart. He's lucky on that count. But the bite from the wolf was bad. It ripped up some veins up."

"He lost a lot of blood as well, but we've given him more." Some of the group nodded, as the doctor continued.

"The wolf definately injured his voice box, and it doesn't look like he'll be able to speak for quite some time, if ever again....." Tifa looked at the doctor, not speaking at first.

"...um...will he be...alright?" Tifa asked quietly. The doctor flipped through his folder, and shut it.

"It's hard to say. The wolf's fangs may have been venomous, which could complecate things, but it looks that he should be able to recover in time..." Tifa let out a small sigh of relief.

"Can we see him?" Yuffie asked. The doctor nodded.

"Just two of you at a time." He said, nodding towards the door. Tifa looked at Cid, who looked at Shera. She nodded and smiled slightly. Tifa and Cid walked into the small room.

Tifa was overjoyed to see Cloud, even if he didn't look well. His neck was in a brace, and his torso and head were bandaged up. Wires portruded from his body, connected to monitors lining the walls.

Tifa walked up to his bed, and pulled a chair close to him for her to sit. She brushed some golden strands of hair from his face, and smiled. The room was loud with beeping noises from the machines.

"Cloud...." She whispered, smiling at his peacefull-looking form.

"Damn...spike looks like a fuckin' mummy in all those bandages..." Tifa smirked slightly. She took hold of his hand, and gripped it lightly. She sighed, and sat back in the chair. She was allready begining to become impatient while waiting for Cloud to wake up. She smiled, and sat back in her chair, her eyes lightly closing as she fell into a light sleep.


((A/N: Another short chapter, and not that great either, but it'll get better. byez 4 now!))