Chapter 49: As Lovers Go

This is easy as lovers go

So don't complicate it

By hesitating

This is wonderful as loving goes

This is tailor made

What's the sense in waiting?

And I said

I've got to be honest

I've been waiting for you all my life

So long I thought I was asylum bound

But seeing you makes me think twice

Being with you here makes me sane

I fear I'll go crazy if you leave my side

As Lovers Go – Dashboard Confessional

"Take four of these a day and come back next week for a check up. Any problems come to the hospital straight away." Doctor Spencer told Aeris. She nodded and said,

"Thanks doctor."

"No problem. But try to keep out of trouble."

"Will do."

She looked across at Vincent. He was sitting in the wheelchair next to hers.

"Ready to go?"

"Of course."

"OK. Let's go." Tifa took Aeris's chair and Cloud took Vincent's.

"We'll take you back home and then we'll all meet up at the café in, let's say an hour?" Tifa said.

"See you then." Aeris smiled. She and Vincent touched hands and then left.

"I feel like a two year old in a pushchair." Aeris complained as they went down the street.

"Well, you'll just have to live with it. Anyway, your leg will only take three weeks to heal. Then you can walk about."

"Only three weeks, she says." Aeris muttered. Tifa laughed and turned a corner, jumping as a camera went off. A reporter thrust a microphone at Aeris who pushed it away.

"Look, guys, I literally just left the hospital. A little personal space, please?" She said loudly. Tifa pushed her through to the dormitory entrance and closed the door behind her.

"Geez, they just don't let up, do they?"

"They're not prone to, no." Aeris commented, shifting the bag on her lap. Tifa unlocked the door to the room and pulled her in backwards.

"OK… we'll just unpack your stuff. Do you want to get changed or anything?"

"Yeah, I'll change. By the way, do you know what I have to do if I want a shower? Tie plastic bags around my casts!"

"You're kidding? Oh my god, that's going to be fun!"

There was a knock at the door and the girl form the room next door popped her head around the door.

"Hey, I thought I heard voices! Aeris, how are you?"

"Hey Cassie. I'm actually in quite a lot of pain! But never mind, how are you?" Aeris smiled. Cassie grinned.

"You need anything, you just call, OK?"

"Thanks."

Getting changed proved to be a very interesting experience. Aeris managed to herself sitting on the bed and then found she couldn't actually get her trousers off. Tifa found this very amusing, laughing as Aeris struggled. Eventually Aeris threw her alarm clock at her and Tifa found herself far more inclined to lend a hand.

"Maybe you should just stick with skirts. I mean, with that cast on your leg, you'll just end up ripping your trousers."

"I guess you're right. Find me one, will you?" Aeris said, slipping a shirt on over the cast on her arm.

"I really didn't expect it to take that long to get changed." Tifa commented as they left the building twenty minutes later. Aeris glared up at her.

"You try doing it with various broken limbs!"

"Not a chance."

Cloud and Vincent were already at the café with Yuffie. Reeve had left the previous day for his mechanics retreat. Aeris waved at Barret who was busy serving a customer. Vincent asked,

"What took you so long?"

"The fun of trying to get changed. It's not too easy. And boy is Music going to be fun tomorrow what with the not being able to actually play anything." Aeris said. Yuffie shook her head.

"You can help me with piano. You do one hand, I'll do the other."

Something trilled and they all jumped. Both Aeris and Vincent gasped in pain, clutching various wounds. Then Aeris realised,

"Oh, that's my phone." She dug it out of her bag and answered it.

"Hello?"

While she listened Tifa said,

"OK, I'm supposed to be working right now. Does anybody want a drink?"

"I'll have a coffee." Cloud said and Yuffie agreed.

"Decaf please. Can't take caffeine with my medication." Vincent said. Tifa went to the counter but stopped as Aeris hissed,

"What do you mean? They can't do that! …But it's not... can't you do something? I don't want him here…"

She looked furious as the person on the other end spoke.

"I'm not going to see him. No, you can't make me! Mom, don't yell. No, I'm not. Look, I have to go now. I'll call you tonight." She hung up without saying goodbye. Vincent stared at her.

"What was all that about?"

"…They're transferring Eric Gainsborough to Midgar Hospital as soon as he's well enough to move."

"What?! Are they insane?"

"They think he'll be safer here. The police told Mom and asked her to call me. She wants me to go and visit him."

Aeris threw the phone back into her bag. Vincent said,

"That's unreasonable."

"Unreasonable? It's ridiculous! I never want to see him again. He nearly got us and himself killed!"

Vincent reached out and took her hand.

"Aeris, it'll be OK. They can't force you to see him. It's unfair."

"Well that's good because I'm not going to."

"Were you always this stubborn?" Yuffie asked. Cloud sniggered and Aeris threw him a killer look.

"Don't you dare."

"I won't. I certainly won't tell them about how you wanted to sleep in the tree house when you were nine so you chained yourself to the tree and then lost the key to the padlock and your parents had to get the blacksmith over to cut you free. Nope, wouldn't breathe a word of it."

"You have no idea how much I want to hurt you right now." Aeris said calmly.

Aeris had to get up especially early on Friday, the next day. Her Literature class was at 10 and she had to struggle with getting dressed by herself since Tifa was at work. By the time Cloud arrived, at 9 she was tying up her hair. He grinned.

"Ready for another riveting hour and a half of Literature?"

"The anticipation is killing me." Aeris said sarcastically. She picked up her bag. "How was Vincent when you left him?"

"Fine and well enough to go out sketching this morning."

"Good. We're meeting for lunch later."

Cloud wheeled her out of the building and they set off towards Literature. It was a beautifully sunny day and Aeris relaxed in the warmth.

"I can't believe the school year is nearly over…" She said.

"I know. Another few weeks and that's it. Well, until September anyway. Got any plans for the summer."

"Not really. I know the Turks are starting their tour in August. I think I'd like to get away for a while. Maybe go up to the Icicle Inn."

"That sounds good. Well, let's try and reach the end of the year first, huh?"

"Sounds like a good plan." Aeris laughed.

They reached the hall and Cloud wheeled her in. There weren't many people there but the few that were stared as Cloud sat her at the end of the row and took the next seat.

"Boy, this isn't uncomfortable in any way." Aeris muttered. Cloud laughed.

"Don't worry about it."

"I won't. Well, I'll try not to."

"You do worry way too much." Cloud agreed. Aeris smiled, putting her pen, books and notepad on the tray-table on the wheelchair. At least she hadn't broken her writing hand.

As more people arrived in the classroom, Aeris found it harder to ignore the stares and comments. Eventually she felt like screaming for them all to shut up but she sensed that that might not go down too well. When Professor Jenova arrived he glanced at Aeris but didn't say anything.

"OK, we'll start off where we finished yesterday. How is Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice able to apply to modern life?"

Aeris found it rather relaxing to concentrate on something that wasn't life-threatening.

At the end of the class she and Cloud waited for everyone else to leave before moving. Professor Jenova stopped her.

"I'm glad you're back with us Aeris."

"Thanks Professor."

"Keep up the good work."

Aeris had a half hour before music started, but Cloud had an appointment with Cid Highwind.

"Go ahead. I've got a half hour before music, so I'll go a bit early."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Go on!" She gave him a little push and pressed a switch on the side of the wheelchair. She hadn't tried it out yet but apparently this would mean she could control the wheelchair from the joystick on the arm of the chair. She tentatively pressed the joystick and chair lurched forward. She seized the arms of the chair.

"I'm so glad that no one was around to see that." She muttered.

Tseng was in the music room when she arrived. He smiled.

"Hey."

"Hey. Where's Shera? I thought it was her last teaching day today."

"It is. She's getting something from her office. How are you feeling?"

"OK, I guess. Bit sore."

Shera came in and smiled.

"Ah, bothered to show up today?"

"Yeah, I'm over skipping class!" Aeris joked. She held up her left arm. "Not sure how I'm going to do anything though!"

"We'll manage." Shera said. She looked at her watch. "You're rather early aren't you?"

"I wasn't sure how long it was going to take me in a wheelchair. So I wanted to take a test run."

"Good idea."

People started arriving about fifteen minutes later. Yuffie came early and grinned.

"Hey, you made it."

"Yup. Almost like I'm not nineteen and perfectly capable, isn't it?" Aeris sat at a table and started to write notes out on a piece of paper. There was a keyboard on the table and she tapped out the tune, and then corrected a couple of notes. Tseng was talking to the other students. Shera was watching him. Yuffie and Bernadette were discussing something.

And then she saw James. He was sitting on another table, apparently working n a violin piece. He was making marks on the paper. Aeris remembered that he did this to remind himself of how it should sound. He looked up suddenly and caught her looking. He smiled. She nodded to him and returned to her sheet.

"Aeris?" She looked up. Tseng sat down.

"How you doing?"

"It's frustrating, not being able to play properly. But my wrist will be fine in about 6 weeks." She sighed. "Only six weeks. Geez, doesn't sound much does it?"

"Are you OK? You don't seem quite yourself." Tseng asked quietly. Aeris shook her head.

"They're transferring Eric Gainsborough to Midgar hospital."

"What? Can they do that?"

"They can and they are." Aeris said. She rubbed her face, wincing as her nail caught a graze. Tseng didn't say anything.

"OK, class, since this is my last class before my maternity leave, I just want to say a few things." Shera said. They put their chairs into a circle, Aeris awkwardly manoeuvring the wheelchair with the joystick.

"I won't be seeing you again until next year, I expect. So I just want to say thank you for this year. You've been an extraordinary class. The music department here at Midgar U has never had such a successful concert before." A few nods of agreement. Shera smiled. "You're an extremely talented group of people and I know you're going to go far, whatever you do. Just keep working and try not to give Tseng too much trouble!" They laughed and Shera said, "I think that's everything. Except thank you. It's when you get a class like this you remember why you're a teacher."

There was a round of applause and Shera dismissed the class. Yuffie looked at Aeris.

"Want a coffee?"

"Sure. Let me just say goodbye to Shera." She wheeled over to the teacher who smiled.

"Hello Aeris."

"Just wanted to say goodbye. We're all gonna miss you."

"I'm going to miss you all too. You truly are a remarkable class." Shera smiled, looking rather sad. Aeris put out her hand.

"It's been an honour working with you, Aeris."

"And you, Shera. I hope everything goes OK with Faith or Liam."

"Thank you. I'll bring him or her in to show you all."

Vincent was sat in the café with his sketchbook. It was all very well that he had a piece due next week, but he was having trouble concentrating. He was worried, about many things. Aeris, mostly. As if she hadn't been through enough, she now had to worry about Eric Gainsborough again.

As if reading his mind she came through the door with Yuffie. She came over and kissed him. Then she paused.

"You're worried."

"What?" He said, surprised.

"You're worried about something. What's wrong?"

"…Everything. Mostly you." She smiled and said,

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Besides, if you're worrying, that means I can't worry. And I might need to panic occasionally."

"I'm not sure that made sense." Vincent told her.

"It probably didn't." Aeris commented, taking her medicine out of her bag with a bottle of water. She swallowed the pill and pulled a face as the taste.

"Nasty. Anyway, I've decided that there's no point in worrying."

"And why is that?" Vincent asked, smiling wryly. Aeris smiled at him.

"Because… I don't need to worry with you around. It's easier to be calm with you around. You always make me feel like everything's OK."

"I do?"

"Yup. That's why I love you so much. Coffee?"

(A/N: OK, it's finally here. I'm sorry it took a while. We had a bit of a frantic Christmas! Lol, none of our presents showed up until three days later, so it was a bit of a panic! Never mind, I got it up eventually. I promise something interesting will happen in the next chapter, OK? Please review!)