Chapter 14: Mako Poisoning Rerisen.
Slowly, Zack made his way back over the stone paths with the light from each of the homes starting to dim as he walked passed each one.
"Stupid stubborn bastard…" Zack mumbled to himself as he crossed his arms to warm himself as the gentle breezes washed over his muscular body.
"Don't be hard on him… please its just he hasn't had any sleep yet…" Aeris whispered to him.
"I don't care, he's still an ass… Always has been…" Zack told her sighing deeply, making his gaze fall to the ground beneath him.
"You just need rest, and so does he. Cid will help you too! I know he will. Things will be like they were again when I first met you and him." She told him as she raised her eyes to his face but seeing him in rage, caused her to turn her gaze back to the ground as she walked beside him.
"Well you know, he was a stubborn ass then too. You probably didn't notice then though because you were out cold it seemed."
"No… I just couldn't move, I heard your fights and your simple arguments…but it seems as though I've known you forever… but then again I don't know…" She told him and Zack suddenly lifted his head, his eyes lit up in shock as he began to frantically look around him, at every home near by. The ringing in Aeris's head began again but violently and too painful to bear. She suddenly dropped to her knees reaching out to Zack slightly moving her head down his arm before it dropped and she collapsed onto the ground.
Zack, in a panic, dived down and caught her in his out stretched arms before she hit the ground and then lifted her up starting to rush around to a building, which she couldn't make out.
Her eyes began to sting and a cool liquid that she knew weren't her tears began to stream down the corner of her eyes. Zack lifted his right hand from under her slightly and began to pound hard against the door as she clutched her eyes shut from the pain.
"Open the door! Fucken open the door!" Zack screamed as he continued to beat against it furiously.
"Who's there!? I'm armed!" called a man from inside the door as he swiftly made his way towards it.
"Open up, damn it! A woman has been exposed to mako!" Zack called to him ignoring the man's warning.
She could hear someone sudden stir and run towards the door, his footsteps thudding against the floor as he hurried himself.
The oak door quickly swung back and Aeris gently opened her eyes shuttering, opening her mouth as if to speak but nothing came from her shaking lips. She could faintly see the man's horrified expression as he looked down upon her shuttering body.
"Get her in here now." Was all he could say to Zack and he nodded swiftly, pushing his way in passed the man.
Aeris could feel herself being laid on a cold table after someone had knocked everything from the top of it to the floor, letting it all slam into the hard coble floor. She shuttered slightly as an icy hand was pushed over her face, whipping from it the mako.
"How long has she been like this?" The man asked Zack taking a soft warm wet towel to her face and washing from it what remained of the exposed poisoning.
"Since this afternoon," Zack told him as he made his way to the other side of her and clasped his hand gently around hers.
"Did this happen before to her?"
"No, I don't think she was in mako before this."
"No! I mean did this come from her eyes before?!"
"Oh! Yeah, awhile back, she said she got confused and started crying about this, it seemed she went crazy for a second then."
"Fuck, then it might be to late now!" the doctor yelled as he pulled back her bangs to the side of her face and put a white folded cloth over her forehead, pressing it down slightly.
"What do you mean it's too late?! She's still here!" Zack yelled, his hand clutching tighter around hers as it started to shake.
"No one knows how to rid a patient of Mako, just how to control it, but if it's in the body to long it'll settle and spread throughout the inside and cause the person to go mad even!" He yelled as he walked out of the room quickly and came back within seconds, carrying a long shot needle in his right hand.
"Hold her still…" He commanded Zack as he pulled back her red jacket to the sides.
"What is that?!" Zack asked refusing to let go of her.
"Something that might help if you do as I say!" the doctor yelled and Zack slowly released her hand from his grip and placed them gently on her shoulders holding down her shaking body.
Aeris cringed as the man jabbed in the needle's end slowly beginning to calm down once he pulled it from her thin pale skin.
Gently, Zack unclenched his fingers and looked down on her concerningly as he pulled his hands from her.
"Now, she will need rest. I saw you earlier with another man, I suggest you go and inform him ab-,"
"NO! I'm not leaving her for that bitch! He's probably the reason why this is happening!" Zack said as he sent his fist back into the wall leaving a deep angry imprint in it.
"Alright, alright. You do as you choose, but she needs rest, and I suggest you go and receive some yourself…" He told him as he slowly turned and went back into the other room taking in a deep breath as he went.
Zack returned his gaze to Aeris again, her own breath now steady as she opened her eyes slightly to him, only to have them shut again by his soft gentle warm right hand.
"You shouldn't have gotten up to look for that bitch…" He started to say letting his hand drop from her cheek after he gently cuffed it in his hand.
She parted her lips for a moment to speak to him, to tell him it wasn't his fault, that it was going to be alright, but they were pushed back together from her weakness. Aeris could feel him lean close to her.
Slowly, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips against hers softly, holding to her shoulders as he did so. Aeris, despite her weakness, forced herself to press back against his mouth to return the kiss he had given her. He then pulled back from her and sat next to her wrapping her coat back over her chest and smiled slightly at her.
"Tomorrow, you will be better." He started as he twirled one of her buttons between his two fingers and gripped her hand in his other, that he slowly moved to his lips as he whispered to her, "I promise…" then lightly kissed it and placed it over her stomach as she peacefully fell into a deep calming sleep.
Slowly, Zack made his way back over the stone paths with the light from each of the homes starting to dim as he walked passed each one.
"Stupid stubborn bastard…" Zack mumbled to himself as he crossed his arms to warm himself as the gentle breezes washed over his muscular body.
"Don't be hard on him… please its just he hasn't had any sleep yet…" Aeris whispered to him.
"I don't care, he's still an ass… Always has been…" Zack told her sighing deeply, making his gaze fall to the ground beneath him.
"You just need rest, and so does he. Cid will help you too! I know he will. Things will be like they were again when I first met you and him." She told him as she raised her eyes to his face but seeing him in rage, caused her to turn her gaze back to the ground as she walked beside him.
"Well you know, he was a stubborn ass then too. You probably didn't notice then though because you were out cold it seemed."
"No… I just couldn't move, I heard your fights and your simple arguments…but it seems as though I've known you forever… but then again I don't know…" She told him and Zack suddenly lifted his head, his eyes lit up in shock as he began to frantically look around him, at every home near by. The ringing in Aeris's head began again but violently and too painful to bear. She suddenly dropped to her knees reaching out to Zack slightly moving her head down his arm before it dropped and she collapsed onto the ground.
Zack, in a panic, dived down and caught her in his out stretched arms before she hit the ground and then lifted her up starting to rush around to a building, which she couldn't make out.
Her eyes began to sting and a cool liquid that she knew weren't her tears began to stream down the corner of her eyes. Zack lifted his right hand from under her slightly and began to pound hard against the door as she clutched her eyes shut from the pain.
"Open the door! Fucken open the door!" Zack screamed as he continued to beat against it furiously.
"Who's there!? I'm armed!" called a man from inside the door as he swiftly made his way towards it.
"Open up, damn it! A woman has been exposed to mako!" Zack called to him ignoring the man's warning.
She could hear someone sudden stir and run towards the door, his footsteps thudding against the floor as he hurried himself.
The oak door quickly swung back and Aeris gently opened her eyes shuttering, opening her mouth as if to speak but nothing came from her shaking lips. She could faintly see the man's horrified expression as he looked down upon her shuttering body.
"Get her in here now." Was all he could say to Zack and he nodded swiftly, pushing his way in passed the man.
Aeris could feel herself being laid on a cold table after someone had knocked everything from the top of it to the floor, letting it all slam into the hard coble floor. She shuttered slightly as an icy hand was pushed over her face, whipping from it the mako.
"How long has she been like this?" The man asked Zack taking a soft warm wet towel to her face and washing from it what remained of the exposed poisoning.
"Since this afternoon," Zack told him as he made his way to the other side of her and clasped his hand gently around hers.
"Did this happen before to her?"
"No, I don't think she was in mako before this."
"No! I mean did this come from her eyes before?!"
"Oh! Yeah, awhile back, she said she got confused and started crying about this, it seemed she went crazy for a second then."
"Fuck, then it might be to late now!" the doctor yelled as he pulled back her bangs to the side of her face and put a white folded cloth over her forehead, pressing it down slightly.
"What do you mean it's too late?! She's still here!" Zack yelled, his hand clutching tighter around hers as it started to shake.
"No one knows how to rid a patient of Mako, just how to control it, but if it's in the body to long it'll settle and spread throughout the inside and cause the person to go mad even!" He yelled as he walked out of the room quickly and came back within seconds, carrying a long shot needle in his right hand.
"Hold her still…" He commanded Zack as he pulled back her red jacket to the sides.
"What is that?!" Zack asked refusing to let go of her.
"Something that might help if you do as I say!" the doctor yelled and Zack slowly released her hand from his grip and placed them gently on her shoulders holding down her shaking body.
Aeris cringed as the man jabbed in the needle's end slowly beginning to calm down once he pulled it from her thin pale skin.
Gently, Zack unclenched his fingers and looked down on her concerningly as he pulled his hands from her.
"Now, she will need rest. I saw you earlier with another man, I suggest you go and inform him ab-,"
"NO! I'm not leaving her for that bitch! He's probably the reason why this is happening!" Zack said as he sent his fist back into the wall leaving a deep angry imprint in it.
"Alright, alright. You do as you choose, but she needs rest, and I suggest you go and receive some yourself…" He told him as he slowly turned and went back into the other room taking in a deep breath as he went.
Zack returned his gaze to Aeris again, her own breath now steady as she opened her eyes slightly to him, only to have them shut again by his soft gentle warm right hand.
"You shouldn't have gotten up to look for that bitch…" He started to say letting his hand drop from her cheek after he gently cuffed it in his hand.
She parted her lips for a moment to speak to him, to tell him it wasn't his fault, that it was going to be alright, but they were pushed back together from her weakness. Aeris could feel him lean close to her.
Slowly, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips against hers softly, holding to her shoulders as he did so. Aeris, despite her weakness, forced herself to press back against his mouth to return the kiss he had given her. He then pulled back from her and sat next to her wrapping her coat back over her chest and smiled slightly at her.
"Tomorrow, you will be better." He started as he twirled one of her buttons between his two fingers and gripped her hand in his other, that he slowly moved to his lips as he whispered to her, "I promise…" then lightly kissed it and placed it over her stomach as she peacefully fell into a deep calming sleep.