Chapter 17
Zidane closed the door behind him as quietly as possible and stood silently for a moment, watching Garnet. She was sitting on one of two chairs by Blank's bedside, her hand resting on his arm. She looked horrible; dark circles under her eyes showed just how little she had been sleeping, and her hair and clothing were rumpled and unkempt. Looking at her, it was obvious that she had scarcely left Blank's side since he had fallen. She probably wouldn't even have eaten if he hadn't been bringing her food and practically feeding it to her, Zidane thought. He closed his eyes. It was a difficult time for all of them.
With light footfalls, he crept forward and took the seat next to Garnet. She had not heard him enter, and started when he sat down.
"Oh, it's you Zidane. You startled me." Her voice was hoarse and tired, and she barely spoke above a whisper.
"How is he?" Zidane asked.
"Not good," she replied honestly. "The poison constricts the lungs, and he's already begun to have difficulty breathing. Eiko and I have been taking shifts healing him, but the poison is still spreading. Kuja better get back with that medicine soon."
Zidane looked pityingly at Blank's prone form, reaching out and brushing some hair off of his friend's damp forehead. Garnet had removed the belt and patch from his eyes, and replaced it with a cool wet cloth. His body was trying to fight the poison, and had given him a high fever. Zidane felt a knot twist in his stomach. It killed him to see Blank lying here like this, on the edge of death, and knowing that there was nothing he could do.
"How much longer?" he asked.
"Two days, if we're lucky," said Garnet. "Blank has a fighting spirit; his body's not giving in easily. If not for that, we might have lost him already."
Zidane nodded, and was about to speak again when suddenly Blank shot bolt upright in his bed. The cloth fell off his eyes, revealing the blank, staring gold irises. His breathing was heavy, and Zidane heard again the strange rattling sound in his lungs.
"Kuja?" Blank gasped out.
Once Zidane came out of his startlement, he realized that Blank was unaware of his surroundings. Possibly the poison in his system was making him hallucinate, or the fever was. He was certainly not conscious.
He put his hands on Blank's shoulders and gently pushed him back down against the pillows. "Kuja's gone to get you some medicine. Don't worry. He'll be back soon."
Blank lay still enough, but his eyes remained eerily fixed open, a wild madness in them. Zidane winced slightly and lay his hands over Blank's eyes, knowing how it pained his friend when they were uncovered. Garnet had retrieved the cloth and was currently dipping it in a bowl of water by her side, wringing it out and holding it ready to re-administer.
Zidane used his other hand to stroke back the hair that had fallen into Blank's face during his sudden violent upheaval, and then took the cloth from Garnet. Carefully he removed his hand and, making sure that Blank's eyes were closed, replaced the cloth.
He heard Garnet take a deep, shuddering breath next to him. "That's the third time he's done that," she said, "and it still scares me. His eyes are so... well, blank."
Zidane nodded. "It's been that way since he was a child. As far as we know, there's no way to fix it. And it's come in handy sometimes, too. But it is kind of painful for him if he doesn't keep them covered."
"Poor Blank," Garnet said softly.
Zidane put an arm around her shoulders. "What about you?" he said. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm tired," she admitted. "Eiko can't really help as much as I thought she would; she just doesn't have the endurance. And staying here so long, just watching him lie there like this..." she trailed off, looking depressed.
Zidane leaned over and pressed his lips softly to her hair. "It will be all right," he said. "You'll see. Is there anything I can do?" He asked the question even though he had already been told that there was nothing.
Garnet looked over at him, and in her eyes he saw fear, sadness, and resignation. "Pray," she said quietly.