CH 7
Brring.
Faye's eyes snapped open, only to find herself wrapped up securely within Spike's strong, comforting arms, the dull hum of the Bebop suddenly bringing her to reality as her cell phone on her bedside table continued to ring.
Brring.
She yawned, gently prying herself out of Spike's possessive embrace as she reached for the cell phone and laggardly brought it to her ear. "Hello?"
"Miss Valentine?"
"Yes, this is she," Faye acknowledged, suddenly growing fearful. "Is-is something wrong? This is the hospital, isn't it?!"
There was a pause, and then the familiar monotone continued, "Yes, Miss Valentine, this is Dr. Nagasaki calling from the hospital. Aurora-"
"Is she alright?!," Faye cut in frantically, the blood rushing to her face. "Is my poor baby gonna be ok?!"
Dr. Nagasaki let out a heavy size, urging gently, "Just please come to the hospital, Miss Valentine......it looks like Aurora doesn't have very much time left."
"WHAT?!," Faye demanded, panic gripping her fiercely by the throat like a taut tentacle. "But I thought that you told me yesterday that the chances of her recovering were pretty good......you LIED!!!"
"No, Miss Valentine, I-"
"LIAR!!!," she accused, letting out a pained sob as she viciously chucked the cell phone across the room until it smashed into a nearby wall.
Startled awake by the noise, Spike immediately shot up in bed, grabbing Faye by the shoulders and turning her towards him as he asked fearfully, "What's wrong, sweetheart? What's happened?!"
"AURORA'S DYING!!!," she wailed, sobbing into his shoulder as she clung to his well-built frame in agony. "My poor baby is DYING!!!"
"Oh, my God," Spike mumbled, an invisible force slowly and painfully beginning to eat away at the weak strands in his heart. "Are-are we going to go see her?"
Faye nodded tearfully. "Yes......get dressed and let's go."
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Beep. Beep. Beep.
Faye tearfully watched Aurora's heart monitor skid across the screen in a zig-zaging green line, her bottom lip quivering as her grasp about her daughter's tiny hand tightened.
"Don't leave me," Faye pleaded, a single tear of lost hope streaming down her cheek. "Please don't leave me alone to fend for myself without you by my side in this
Godforsaken universe."
Spike placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, mumbling, "She looks so peaceful, huh?"
Faye nodded. "Yeah.........she does."
Spike gave her a pained look, whispering, "I'm so sorry, Faye.....if I hadn't gotten you pregnant you-"
"Stop it," she cut in gruffly, her jade eyes glistening with tears as she focused them upon her daughter's peaceful, sleeping form. "If you hadn't impregnated me, I would have never have received the wonderful, beautiful gift known as motherhood, so I am forever grateful to you."
Spike sighed; stiffening as he felt a soft, gentle touch lightly tap his hand, then grasp his fingers. He immediately looked down, only to see Aurora's small hand entwined within his own, leaving his heart pained and re-broken all over again.
"Aurora," he whispered, his breath catching in his throat. "Y-you're.....awake."
"Good morning, daddy," she wheezed, giving him a frail, delicate smile. "Why are you here?"
"To see you, of course," Spike managed to choke, the realization that he hadn't been a very good father dawning on him like a ton of bricks. "How are ya feelin', squirt?"
"The doctors gave my boo boos some medicine, but I still feel awfully sick," Aurora replied, a brief shine reflecting off of her two-toned irises. "Nurse Jayne said that you two were coming.......I'm glad."
Faye smiled tearfully, grasping her daughter by the wrist as she nodded, murmuring, "Well we're very glad to see you, as well."
Aurora smiled, replying weakly, "I love you both more than anything in the universe......even more than my dolly, Suzie!"
Faye's smile only deepened, gently stroking her daughter's arm as she asked softly, "You don't look so well, sweetheart....do you feel alright?"
"I'm tired," Aurora replied, her eyelids growing heavy as she suddenly appeared deathly pale. "I'm also kinda dizzy.....ooooh, my head is all buzzy inside......"
"Help!," Faye exclaimed, panicking immediately. "Someone PLEASE help my daughter!!!"
Aurora let out a pained cough, wheezing, "It's ok, mommy.....I just want to take a little nap."
"No, PLEASE!," Faye wailed, about to go hysterical. "Just keep your eyes open a bit longer, sweetheart!!!"
Beeeeeeeeeeeep.
Spike and Faye gasped in bewilderment as the heart monitor line dropped down to a flat plane, all of Aurora's vital signs now completely gone.
Dr. Nagasaki and his nurses immediately rushed into the room to try to save her, gathering up the defibrillator and charging it up with the hopes of reviving the young girl.
"CLEAR!"
Bzzzt!
Aurora's tiny body jumped as the revitalizing volts rushed through her being, her pulse remaining indifferent.
Dr. Nagasaki grunted in frustration, urging, "Alright, let's try again.....CLEAR!"
Bzzzt!
Still, nothing.
Beads of sweat clung to Dr. Nagasaki's brow as he frantically recharged the defibrillator, absolutely not wanting to lose his patient.
With one final, desperate attempt, he brought the defibrillator down upon Aurora's chest, bellowing, "CLEAR!"
Bzzt!
Aurora's body shook, but her vital signs still remained cold.
All of the nurses bowed their heads as Dr. Nagasaki announced gravely, "Time of death.......8:43 AM."
Faye opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her world began to spin about her wildly as she realized tearfully, "My God...............she's gone. My baby is really gone."
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"Ed is sorry, Faye-Faye," the young adolescent murmured as she gave her the sad puppy dog look. "Aurora-person will have fun being an angel, so Ed thinks that she is happy right now."
Faye tearfully dabbed at the corners of her eyes, returning softly, "Thanks, Ed....I bet she is, too."
"Where will Faye-Faye go?," Edward continued to nag, performing a perfect headstand as she watched her friend pack her bags. "Does Faye-Faye want to take Ed along?"
"No, sorry, Ed," Faye replied softly as she hooked her suitcase shut. "I'm not taking Ayame, Tracey, or even Spike along, either. I......I just need to go out and live on my own for a while."
"Will Faye-Faye ever come back?," Edward asked hopefully, rolling out of her headstand before giving her friend a pitiful look. "Ed will miss Faye-Faye a LOT!"
Faye managed to give her a small smile, replying, "I honestly don't know, Ed......I may come back or just decide to kiss the rugged life of bounty hunting good-bye. Don't tell Spike about this, ok? In order for me to escape tonight he musn't know."
"Faye-Faye's secrecy is assured with Ed!," the young adolescent acknowledged, giving her a proud salute and a goofy grin.
"Good," Faye replied, smiling as she lightly ruffled Edward's wild hair. "Now go on, get goin'.....go make yourself something special to eat."
"OH, BOY!!!," Edward exclaimed, immediately throwing herself into Faye's arms and giving her an affectionate hug. "Ed is SO happy now, Faye-Faye!!!"
Faye managed to let out a light laugh, pulling herself out of the girl's tight embrace as she urged, "Then get going....you don't want for lunkhead to get to your food before you."
Edward beamed. "Spike-person wouldn't DARE steal Ed's food!"
"Watch him," Faye retorted, giggling as she watched the young adolescent hurriedly race out of the room at hearing this.
After a brief moment, however, Faye sighed, feeling her spirit sink into the vast bowels of despair as she sat down tearfully upon her bulging suitcase and whispered out into the emptiness of the room, "Good-bye."
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This was it.....Faye's moment of truth. She would finally get away from it all and escape all of life's hells and troubles.
"Good-bye, my sweet misery," she breathed, brushing away a single tear as she stood dolefully within the cool darkness of the docking bay. "I pray that we never meet again."
Lifting up the hatch to the Redtail, she took a deep breath, and then tossed her luggage aboard.
"Going somewhere?"
Faye gasped, whirling around only to find herself gazing into two warm, mismatched eyes that were burning with a hint of hurt and bitter surprise.
"Spike, I-"
"You're leaving," he observed softly, the hurt and bitterness within his eyes beginning to fluctuate throughout his somber irises.
"Well....just for a little while-"
"You lied to me," Spike accused gruffly, taking a step forward. "You promised me that you would remain by my side......till death becomes the barrier between us."
Faye let out a miserable whimper as she cast her glistening gaze downward, replying softly, "I know, but I....I just feel as if I need to get away from it all. My precious child is dead, Spike......I want to run away from everything that reminds me of her!"
"I understand," he returned gently, reaching out a hand and lightly stroking her cheek. "I feel the same way, sweetheart. A large part of me is now dead within my being."
"Oh, Spike.....WHY WAS IT AURORA AND NOT ME?!!," Faye wailed, throwing herself into his strong arms as she sobbed woefully against his chest.
Spike buried his face into the nape of her neck, returning gently, "Because some things were just meant to be, sweetheart.......some things were just meant to be."
(Cowboy Bebop's "Blue" plays)
A/N: Well, that's it! I know that I said in the beginning that this is the last of my fics for this little romance series, lol, but....I LIED! ^.~ Keep a look-out 4 "Twilight's Symphony" cuz it's got more romance than this 1 (believe it or not, haha), & it's a quote "tear-jerker", according 2 my friendz. Well, I hope you enjoyed this....TAH! ^.~