*Hi to everyone! I'm so sad right now, because this is the LAST CHAPTER of
this story! This is the end, my friends. After this chapter, you'll know
what's going to happen. . . will Syaoran be a single father of three? Or
will Sakura pull through and enjoy being a parent with him? I won't
distract you anymore with the possibilities. Go read it. Enjoy it. And
thank you all for reading/reviewing over this . . . . couple months of
updating!*
Fighting For My Family
Time passes like molasses when the one you love could die. For Syaoran, the molasses was frozen, unmoving. He watched as doctors and nurses walked through the corridor, past Sakura's room. No one had left that particular room since he had been shoved out. That was almost half an hour ago, and Syaoran still did not know the status of his wife. The young man sat on the ground, still wearing his yellow throw-away scrubs. His hair was sticking to his forehead as a result of the sweat. Pain filled amber eyes watched the door, waiting for some kind of sign, some kind of indication that Sakura, his only love, was still living.
Syaoran thought back to the moments before he had brought himself back to Sakura's door. Eriol had stopped him, his eyes filled with concern and sympathy as he walked his cousin back to wait.
*Flashback*
"Syaoran. . . you need to wait here. She needs you. But you need to be a father too." Eriol said quietly as Syaoran nodded.
"Even without her? Can I do that?" Syaoran whispered, tears choking his words.
"You have to. This is what you have to be. You won't be alone though, because Sakura's going to make it. She's strong." Eriol stated, slapping Syaoran's back before retreating to Tomoyo, who was struggling with three sleepy toddlers. Syaoran looked at the door, his heart breaking as he thought to himself.
'Don't leave me. . . please. . . don't leave.'
*End*
Syaoran continued to stare, at what he wasn't certain. Somehow he felt that if he stared long enough, the door would open, and Sakura would walk out, healed and healthy. He would carry her out of the emotionless hospital, to the home they had built on love. They would play with their children, love each one as the days melted into years. Syaoran imagined birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, college. . . their children getting married and having their own families.
'Without you, Sakura, I can't do it. I need you to tell me when I'm being to hard on Cass and Shawnn. I need you to remind me when I'm smothering Aksana and worrying too much. I need you when they leave.' Syaoran thought, feeling a hot tear form in his eye.
"Mr. Li?" Dr. Eddington said quietly as he opened the door. The look of sadness on the doctor's face brought Syaoran to his feet reluctantly. He had faced so much adversity in his life; losing the only person he loved was something he wasn't ready to admit defeat to.
"God, tell me she's alive." Syaoran breathed, his eyes showing his desperation.
"She's alive. Complications from the delivery occurred, and instead of clotting, your wife continued to bleed. We had to perform an emergency hysterectomy to save her life. I'm sorry." Dr. Eddington said, his voice showing his sympathy. He was taken aback when Syaoran brought his hand to his shoulder and gripped it tightly.
"She's okay, though? Sakura's not going to die?" Syaoran asked hurriedly, watching as various nurses walked out of the room with surgical instruments. Dr. Eddington nodded, and Syaoran practically leapt into the air with excitement.
"Would you go tell my cousin and family that she's ok? I have to see her." Syaoran asked, stepping toward the room Sakura occupied.
"Of course. Go see your wife. She's awake and alert." Dr. Eddington replied. Syaoran thanked the doctor once more before bounding into the room. He saw Sakura in the hospital bed and felt a wave of relief. Though she looked small and weak, she was breathing; and she was smiling at Syaoran softly.
"It's about time you came back." Sakura whispered weakly as Syaoran approached her bedside. He kissed her tenderly on the lips, then held her hand in his.
"I thought I was going to lose you." Syaoran answered, resting his head against Sakura's pale hand and looking down at the bed.
"Is our baby alright?" Sakura asked worriedly, her emerald eyes misting slightly. Syaoran nodded and grinned.
"His name is Shawnn Hunter, just like we decided. He's got all his fingers, all his toes. He'll be in the preemie unit for a few days, but Tomoyo said that the nurse was optimistic about his health." Syaoran replied.
"We have a son. . . God Syaoran, we did it. . . "Sakura breathed, an ecstatic smile covering her weary face.
"We did. I always knew we would have the family we've always wanted. We just had to fight a little harder for ours than most other families." Syaoran said, kissing Sakura's forehead lightly.
"I love you, Syaoran." Sakura whispered, her eyes getting heavy.
"I love you too, Sakura. Always." Syaoran replied quietly, lulling the tired woman to sleep as he stroked her hair gently.
*Eight days later*
Sakura rode in the car with Syaoran, glancing back at the baby carrier every so often. Inside, Shawnn slept peacefully. Syaoran smiled at Sakura, who sighed happily. She had been waiting to get out of the hospital for days, and now that she was out, she was radiating with happiness. Syaoran reached over without a word and took Sakura's small hand in his, squeezing gently. The couple parked the car in the driveway of their home and unpacked Shawnn. Upon entering, they were mauled by Aksana and Cass, who were excitedly chattering about their new baby brother.
"I wan hold him!" Aksana gushed as Sakura put the carrier down. Cass jumped into the couch across the room where Eriol and Tomoyo sat. Candidas was sleeping soundly on her father's chest, and Tomoyo was filming the entire thing. Sakura unbuckled her tiny son and smiled as he opened his big amber eyes. He looked more like Syaoran than her, but Sakura didn't mind; he was perfect.
"Alright, Aksana, sit over here, and you can hold Shawnn. Cass, you come too, okay?" Sakura instructed. The two children jumped onto the couch, squirming for space for a moment. Syaoran cleared his throat, and the two of them straightened up and looked expectantly at their mother. Sakura gently set Shawnn in Aksana and Cass' laps, Aksana gently holding the tiny baby's head as Cass played with his new brother's feet contentedly. Tomoyo said something about a perfect filming opportunity and began to tape the children as they interacted with their new brother quietly.
"Hi Tawnn!" Cass said, touching Shawnn's little stomach. Shawnn, tired of being bustled about, began to cry. Cass looked fearfully up at his parents, but smiled as he saw they weren't angry. Syaoran carefully plucked Shawnn out of his older children's laps and cradled him gently, rocking back and forth slowly.
"You've become quite good at that in the past four years." Eriol joked. Syaoran smiled and nodded, looking over the room at his family. Sakura was hugging Cass and Aksana, telling them about how 'yucky' the hospital food was, and how much she had missed them. Cass was listening intently, his serious blue eyes focused on his mother's face. Aksana was leaning against Sakura, her green eyes heavy as sleep threatened to take over.
'Four years. . . who would have known this would happen to us?' Syaoran thought. Tomoyo and Eriol prepared to leave, carrying a still sleeping Candidas along. After everyone was settled into bed, Syaoran walked through the house, looking at everything as he thought.
On the wall there were lots of pictures, most of them taken by Tomoyo. The first was of Sakura and Syaoran on their wedding. Sakura was twenty-one; Syaoran was still twenty. The happy looks on their faces made Syaoran think back to the first days, when they thought a family would be as easy to have as their parents had. The next picture on the wall was taken on their second anniversary, after they had lost all hope of having children on their own. They were both smiling, but Sakura lacked the sparkle in her eyes she used to have.
'I missed that sparkle so much. . . ' Syaoran thought, moving to the next picture. He smiled as he saw the family portrait of himself, Sakura, and Cass, who was only a couple of months old at the time. Sakura was beaming, her head leaned against his shoulder. Cass was yawning, his eyes scrunched. There were some snapshots on the table of Cass as a baby, playing in a bath, sleeping. . . but after awhile the pictures were gone, just like he was.
'Missed you too, Cass. . . ' Syaoran thought, moving along the wall. He caught sight of a picture taken right after he'd returned from Russia with Aksana. They were out on the swing, Cass between himself and Sakura, Aksana on his lap. Sakura had her hand on her stomach, and a wide grin was radiating from her face. Syaoran smiled and touched the photo lightly, fearing it would disappear, and he'd lose it all.
"Syaoran. . . what are you doing?" Sakura asked groggily, causing Syaoran to jump slightly. He turned to his wife, who was wrapped in a satin night gown and running a hand through her very messy hair with a confused look on her sleepy face.
"I was just looking at the pictures." Syaoran replied, offering a hand to Sakura, who accepted and stood next to him.
"Can you believe all that has happened in the past four years?" Sakura mused, her eyes fixed on the various images on the wall.
"It's a little hard to believe. You know, we gained three children in less than a month's time. That's amazing." Syaoran answered, his amber eyes focusing on Sakura, who nodded.
"We're so lucky, Syaoran. We have a beautiful daughter and two wonderful sons to love for our whole lives." Sakura said, meeting Syaoran's gaze and smiling. Syaoran leaned down and kissed Sakura passionately on the lips, pulling her closer to him.
"Yes, we are. I don't think I could get any luckier." Syaoran whispered, kissing Sakura once more before picking her up gently and walking toward the stairs.
*Done! Thanks to all of you who reviewed (most of you who reviewed like a lot!): synchrogirl, Kikakai, AnimeObsessionFantasy, Di, Laura-Grace, lilqtazn35, anjuliet, sweet-captor, tenshi cherry blossoms, AnonymousT, mystery child, moon mage megrim, Star Cherry, Laura-Grace and Kali, Kari Hiiragizawa, Her Royal Demoness, Ann, & lizbeth. Now that it's over, I should get to work on another. . . WAIT! I just started the pilot chapter of my newest fic "The Luckiest"! Watch out for it, it should be coming out on the first of April! Thanks again to the reviewers, the readers. . . EVERYONE! I hope you liked this fic!*
Fighting For My Family
Time passes like molasses when the one you love could die. For Syaoran, the molasses was frozen, unmoving. He watched as doctors and nurses walked through the corridor, past Sakura's room. No one had left that particular room since he had been shoved out. That was almost half an hour ago, and Syaoran still did not know the status of his wife. The young man sat on the ground, still wearing his yellow throw-away scrubs. His hair was sticking to his forehead as a result of the sweat. Pain filled amber eyes watched the door, waiting for some kind of sign, some kind of indication that Sakura, his only love, was still living.
Syaoran thought back to the moments before he had brought himself back to Sakura's door. Eriol had stopped him, his eyes filled with concern and sympathy as he walked his cousin back to wait.
*Flashback*
"Syaoran. . . you need to wait here. She needs you. But you need to be a father too." Eriol said quietly as Syaoran nodded.
"Even without her? Can I do that?" Syaoran whispered, tears choking his words.
"You have to. This is what you have to be. You won't be alone though, because Sakura's going to make it. She's strong." Eriol stated, slapping Syaoran's back before retreating to Tomoyo, who was struggling with three sleepy toddlers. Syaoran looked at the door, his heart breaking as he thought to himself.
'Don't leave me. . . please. . . don't leave.'
*End*
Syaoran continued to stare, at what he wasn't certain. Somehow he felt that if he stared long enough, the door would open, and Sakura would walk out, healed and healthy. He would carry her out of the emotionless hospital, to the home they had built on love. They would play with their children, love each one as the days melted into years. Syaoran imagined birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, college. . . their children getting married and having their own families.
'Without you, Sakura, I can't do it. I need you to tell me when I'm being to hard on Cass and Shawnn. I need you to remind me when I'm smothering Aksana and worrying too much. I need you when they leave.' Syaoran thought, feeling a hot tear form in his eye.
"Mr. Li?" Dr. Eddington said quietly as he opened the door. The look of sadness on the doctor's face brought Syaoran to his feet reluctantly. He had faced so much adversity in his life; losing the only person he loved was something he wasn't ready to admit defeat to.
"God, tell me she's alive." Syaoran breathed, his eyes showing his desperation.
"She's alive. Complications from the delivery occurred, and instead of clotting, your wife continued to bleed. We had to perform an emergency hysterectomy to save her life. I'm sorry." Dr. Eddington said, his voice showing his sympathy. He was taken aback when Syaoran brought his hand to his shoulder and gripped it tightly.
"She's okay, though? Sakura's not going to die?" Syaoran asked hurriedly, watching as various nurses walked out of the room with surgical instruments. Dr. Eddington nodded, and Syaoran practically leapt into the air with excitement.
"Would you go tell my cousin and family that she's ok? I have to see her." Syaoran asked, stepping toward the room Sakura occupied.
"Of course. Go see your wife. She's awake and alert." Dr. Eddington replied. Syaoran thanked the doctor once more before bounding into the room. He saw Sakura in the hospital bed and felt a wave of relief. Though she looked small and weak, she was breathing; and she was smiling at Syaoran softly.
"It's about time you came back." Sakura whispered weakly as Syaoran approached her bedside. He kissed her tenderly on the lips, then held her hand in his.
"I thought I was going to lose you." Syaoran answered, resting his head against Sakura's pale hand and looking down at the bed.
"Is our baby alright?" Sakura asked worriedly, her emerald eyes misting slightly. Syaoran nodded and grinned.
"His name is Shawnn Hunter, just like we decided. He's got all his fingers, all his toes. He'll be in the preemie unit for a few days, but Tomoyo said that the nurse was optimistic about his health." Syaoran replied.
"We have a son. . . God Syaoran, we did it. . . "Sakura breathed, an ecstatic smile covering her weary face.
"We did. I always knew we would have the family we've always wanted. We just had to fight a little harder for ours than most other families." Syaoran said, kissing Sakura's forehead lightly.
"I love you, Syaoran." Sakura whispered, her eyes getting heavy.
"I love you too, Sakura. Always." Syaoran replied quietly, lulling the tired woman to sleep as he stroked her hair gently.
*Eight days later*
Sakura rode in the car with Syaoran, glancing back at the baby carrier every so often. Inside, Shawnn slept peacefully. Syaoran smiled at Sakura, who sighed happily. She had been waiting to get out of the hospital for days, and now that she was out, she was radiating with happiness. Syaoran reached over without a word and took Sakura's small hand in his, squeezing gently. The couple parked the car in the driveway of their home and unpacked Shawnn. Upon entering, they were mauled by Aksana and Cass, who were excitedly chattering about their new baby brother.
"I wan hold him!" Aksana gushed as Sakura put the carrier down. Cass jumped into the couch across the room where Eriol and Tomoyo sat. Candidas was sleeping soundly on her father's chest, and Tomoyo was filming the entire thing. Sakura unbuckled her tiny son and smiled as he opened his big amber eyes. He looked more like Syaoran than her, but Sakura didn't mind; he was perfect.
"Alright, Aksana, sit over here, and you can hold Shawnn. Cass, you come too, okay?" Sakura instructed. The two children jumped onto the couch, squirming for space for a moment. Syaoran cleared his throat, and the two of them straightened up and looked expectantly at their mother. Sakura gently set Shawnn in Aksana and Cass' laps, Aksana gently holding the tiny baby's head as Cass played with his new brother's feet contentedly. Tomoyo said something about a perfect filming opportunity and began to tape the children as they interacted with their new brother quietly.
"Hi Tawnn!" Cass said, touching Shawnn's little stomach. Shawnn, tired of being bustled about, began to cry. Cass looked fearfully up at his parents, but smiled as he saw they weren't angry. Syaoran carefully plucked Shawnn out of his older children's laps and cradled him gently, rocking back and forth slowly.
"You've become quite good at that in the past four years." Eriol joked. Syaoran smiled and nodded, looking over the room at his family. Sakura was hugging Cass and Aksana, telling them about how 'yucky' the hospital food was, and how much she had missed them. Cass was listening intently, his serious blue eyes focused on his mother's face. Aksana was leaning against Sakura, her green eyes heavy as sleep threatened to take over.
'Four years. . . who would have known this would happen to us?' Syaoran thought. Tomoyo and Eriol prepared to leave, carrying a still sleeping Candidas along. After everyone was settled into bed, Syaoran walked through the house, looking at everything as he thought.
On the wall there were lots of pictures, most of them taken by Tomoyo. The first was of Sakura and Syaoran on their wedding. Sakura was twenty-one; Syaoran was still twenty. The happy looks on their faces made Syaoran think back to the first days, when they thought a family would be as easy to have as their parents had. The next picture on the wall was taken on their second anniversary, after they had lost all hope of having children on their own. They were both smiling, but Sakura lacked the sparkle in her eyes she used to have.
'I missed that sparkle so much. . . ' Syaoran thought, moving to the next picture. He smiled as he saw the family portrait of himself, Sakura, and Cass, who was only a couple of months old at the time. Sakura was beaming, her head leaned against his shoulder. Cass was yawning, his eyes scrunched. There were some snapshots on the table of Cass as a baby, playing in a bath, sleeping. . . but after awhile the pictures were gone, just like he was.
'Missed you too, Cass. . . ' Syaoran thought, moving along the wall. He caught sight of a picture taken right after he'd returned from Russia with Aksana. They were out on the swing, Cass between himself and Sakura, Aksana on his lap. Sakura had her hand on her stomach, and a wide grin was radiating from her face. Syaoran smiled and touched the photo lightly, fearing it would disappear, and he'd lose it all.
"Syaoran. . . what are you doing?" Sakura asked groggily, causing Syaoran to jump slightly. He turned to his wife, who was wrapped in a satin night gown and running a hand through her very messy hair with a confused look on her sleepy face.
"I was just looking at the pictures." Syaoran replied, offering a hand to Sakura, who accepted and stood next to him.
"Can you believe all that has happened in the past four years?" Sakura mused, her eyes fixed on the various images on the wall.
"It's a little hard to believe. You know, we gained three children in less than a month's time. That's amazing." Syaoran answered, his amber eyes focusing on Sakura, who nodded.
"We're so lucky, Syaoran. We have a beautiful daughter and two wonderful sons to love for our whole lives." Sakura said, meeting Syaoran's gaze and smiling. Syaoran leaned down and kissed Sakura passionately on the lips, pulling her closer to him.
"Yes, we are. I don't think I could get any luckier." Syaoran whispered, kissing Sakura once more before picking her up gently and walking toward the stairs.
*Done! Thanks to all of you who reviewed (most of you who reviewed like a lot!): synchrogirl, Kikakai, AnimeObsessionFantasy, Di, Laura-Grace, lilqtazn35, anjuliet, sweet-captor, tenshi cherry blossoms, AnonymousT, mystery child, moon mage megrim, Star Cherry, Laura-Grace and Kali, Kari Hiiragizawa, Her Royal Demoness, Ann, & lizbeth. Now that it's over, I should get to work on another. . . WAIT! I just started the pilot chapter of my newest fic "The Luckiest"! Watch out for it, it should be coming out on the first of April! Thanks again to the reviewers, the readers. . . EVERYONE! I hope you liked this fic!*