Hi readers. I'm very sorry for the extreme delay. Motherhood and schooling have been a priority. Sorry it's short! I will try to update soon! Thank you in advance for your reviews!
-B
Tifa sat completely still in the hard wooden chair as she stared across the table at the pair of CPS agents while they scrutinized her every move. She found it hard to even breathe, let alone speak to answer their abrasive questions. For a moment, as they sat in silence, Tifa felt as though the ticking of the clock on the wall would drive her insane.
The man across from her straightened his black tie as his eyes glanced over the information about Tifa in the file on the table. Meanwhile, the woman tried to give Tifa a reassuring smile as the man conjured up his next statement.
"I'm sure you're wondering why you're here so quickly. As you know, Marlene Wallace is ready to be released from the hospital as we speak. She's in perfect health, thanks to your facility." His voice trailed off for a moment, and Tifa had a difficult time concentrating on what he was saying.
Her adoption agent was no where to be seen, and she felt as though it was a purposeful move on CPS' account. "Any allegations against you and your involvement with your father, Nagano Lockhart have been completely dropped."
Much to Tifa's surprise, it was beginning to sound like things were looking up. She found herself wondering how on earth the investigation had suddenly come to such a halt, as the police seemed to be dead set on Tifa's involvement with her father's drug problem. It didn't seem like it was just coincidence. Just as the speediness of their interview with her could not just be coincidence. Tifa thought she had a long way to go before this day would come. But Tifa also didn't want to look too surprised, as it may make her seem guilty and or desperate. "Good." She said, with confidence.
"And all of our interviews with close friends, family and coworkers went very well. Seems as though no one had anything negative to say about you. Not even a single patient." The man ran one of his hands through his already disheveled salt and pepper colored hair. "However."
Oh no. Suddenly, Tifa felt a lump in her throat, and her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. Nervously, she clasped her clammy hands together in her lap as she looked upon the man with an unchanging expression.
"We found the child's father." The man said just as he closed Tifa's file. It was as if he were saying she didn't have a shot in the dark. "He has recently passed. But before he passed, he received news of his daughter and called an adoption agent of his own. He signed over custody to one of his family friends."
Tifa's eyes welled up with tears and she stood to her feet, placing her hands on the table. "Why wasn't I notified about this when it happened? I've spent all my time preparing for this baby to come home with me. I've spent thousands of dollars on baby furniture, clothing and formula. I'm completely prepared for this."
"Miss Lockhart." The woman said in a calm, soft tone as she too, stood to her feet. She gently placed a hand atop Tifa's and gave her another reassuring look. "We have spoken to Mr. Wallace. He would like to meet with you."
Yuffie had spent the better part of her shift avoiding a certain crimson haired obstetrician, doing her best to avoid eye contact with him throughout the day. Something about doctor Raphsodos both intrigued her and frightened her, and she could tell that he was more than interested in her. When she sat at the nurses station finishing up with a patient's chart she could practically feel his eyes on her like laser beams shooting through her and out the base of her skull. Granted, the unwanted attention made her feel a mixture of positive and negative emotions that she quite simply didn't even want to explore.
Things between herself and Vincent, the chairmen of the board, were going well. She still had strange suspicions about his unusual hatred of Tifa's father and his sudden downfall. She was silently investigating that on her own. She had yet to let Tifa know about Vincent's potential involvement but she would have to wait until she had more information on that. Either way, if he was or was not involved, it did not bother Yuffie much. That wasn't really her business but she was nosy as can be, so she did want to know. Her curiosity always had a way of taking the lead in her life.
Although Yuffie tried to avoid him throughout the day, when the end of her shift rolled around, she found herself unable to any longer.
"Nurse Kisarsgi." The baritone silky voice called out to her.
Yuffie turned and heaved a silent sigh before putting on her chipper 'can-do' smile that could stop anyone, man or woman, in their tracks. "Yes, doctor Raphsodos."
"I am aware," Genesis began as he neatly folded his white lab coat over the top of his left arm and gazed at Yuffie with an inquisitive and mysterious expression, "that you work for Doctor Lockhart almost exclusively."
"Tifa does not like to share." Yuffie stated simply. She could tell where this conversation was headed just by the tone in his voice.
"That being said," he responded quickly. "I would like your assistance tomorrow. There's going to be a high risk pregnancy birth tomorrow, and I could use Midgar's best nurse at my side. It's just this once." His smile was undeniably charming.
Yuffie seemed to have lost her immunity to such charm as soon as he grinned at her. She rolled her eyes not letting her strange mixture of emotions betray her and she nodded. "Okay, but just this once. You'll have to take up any other times with Tifa herself." And with that, Yuffie was gone and out of the building. Left with her own confused thoughts about the entire situation. She found herself questioning why Genesis wanted her so desperately on his team, and wondering if it was more than just her skills as a nurse that he was after.
Tifa watched as a gargantuan man with rippled muscles that adorned tattoos and battle scars, black course hair shaved into a Mohawk and a grimace expression hidden behind a weeks worth of stubble walk into the room with her and the CPS agents. Following him was a timid adaption agent with a soft spoken voice that could barely be heard over the sound of this very large man.
She watched him size her up with his beady brown eyes and huff. She did not know if it was in approval or disapproval.
"Doctor Lockhart," stated the female CPS agent. "This is Mr. Wallace. Marlene's adoptive father."
"It is a pleasure to meet you." Tifa said with as much warmth as she could muster, despite this being the man that took her hopes and dreams away in one fell swoop.
"Same." His voice rasped out and Tifa noticed the single tooth pick sitting at the corner of his mouth as his teeth chomped away at it. A nervous habit perhaps.
"Mr. Wallace has agreed to discuss terms of an open adoption. This means you will gain primary custody of Marlene and he will be permitted visits and certain holidays with her." The adoption agent stated softly as she stood beside her client.
Tifa pondered this for a moment. She didn't know this man, let alone if he was a good one. But she could not let this chance slip her by. She knew that this was a window of opportunity that would be closing soon and she had to act fast. She resolved that if he was a bad man, she would do what it took to protect Marlene from him, but something about his eyes settled any doubts that Tifa may have within her.
"I don't know you," she said firmly. "But if your friend was willing to trust you with his daughter, then I am going to have to do the same. I'm sure it's hard for you to trust a stranger as well."
The burly man looked at her once more, scrutinizing her every detail. "I read all about ya, and if you ain't a good mom for little Marlene you can bet your ass I'll be taking her." He grumbled. "That bein' said," he paused. "I think you'll be a fit mom for her. My job's got me all over the place, my home would be anything but stable for her. I'm countin' on ya."
Tifa couldn't believe her ears. Here she was standing before a perfect, and intimidating, stranger and he was trusting her completely with the child he was given custody of. Surly she could do the same, and perhaps he would even become a friend in he process.
Yuffie knocked on Vincent's door with a sense of urgency that wasn't normally present. She walked inside when she heard he distanced sound of his voice calling from within letting her know to come in.
The raven haired man was preoccupied with a book seated in his arm chair, thin and smart dark-rimmed glasses sat poised on the bridge of his perfect nose and crimson eyes traveled up from the words on the pages to the exasperated nurse before him. Closing his book with a light thud, he looked to her concerned. "What's wrong?"
"Do you know anything about a doctor named Genesis Raphsodos?" Yuffie inquired as she took a seat on the arm of his chair, and immediately took comfort in the feeling of his strong left arm slinking around her waist. She decided to take advantage of Vincent's power as the chairman and extract any information that she could about the mysterious doctor that seemed to endlessly pursue her attention.
"Why do you ask?" Vincent asked as he removed his glasses from his face and placed them thoughtfully on the side table to his right. He could tell just by Yuffie's body posture that something was off.
"Well he just started working with us and he just seems a bit persistent. He kept watching me, scrutinizing me and att he end of the day he asked me to assist on a birth tomorrow." Yuffie did her best to explain without sounding to frazzled or upset. She was still unsure about how Genesis really made her feel, besides uncomfortable.
"It just sounds like he has a crush." Vincent wasn't ever the jealous type, however this was Genesis that Yuffie was talking about. Vincent knew about him, and his womanizing history. He was known for being promiscuous and onto the next woman before the first could ever really be considered serious. That being said, he was incredibly charming. To say Vincent might be threatened was a stretch, but he would still need to be cautious.
"A crush on me?" Yuffie looked at her beau with a curious expression, her body now resting comfortably on his lap.
"He likes you. And it's easy to see why." Vincent gave a soft smile as he gently stroked Yuffie's cheek. "Just make it clear to him that you're not interested. Unless perhaps you are?"
"No!" Yuffie defended quickly while playfully pressing her hands on his chest. "Vincent, I'm happy with you. Don't doubt that."
Vincent chuckled heartily. "I do love it when you get upset." Vincent said before claiming her lips with his own.
Tifa walked to her car in shock after the days events. The realization that she would be a mother had finally set in. She settled into the leather seat of her car and put both hands on the wheel for a moment. Marlene would be home with her tomorrow, and Barret Wallace would visit every other weekend until they felt comfortable with each other and he would then take her on the weeks he had off.
It's really happening. She pondered to herself silently, her crimson eyes welled up with tears of joy and suddenly she felt like her life had finally come together. The pain that she experienced in the past, her lost pregnancy and broken heart began to wash away. Motherhood was not impossible anymore.
Tifa was suddenly jostled from her thoughts by the ringing of her cellphone in her purse. "Oh, where is it.." she mumbled to herself before she dug through the contents of her purse noting all the items that probably shouldn't be in there and weren't deemed as necessary at the moment.
"Hello?" She answered briskly, seconds before missing the call.
"How did it go?" Sephiroth's voice came from the other end. His tone sounded somewhere in between genuine concern and tiredness. Tifa could hear the business of the hospital ambiance in the background and she knew he must've just gotten out of surgery.
"Oh Sephiroth, it went so well!" Tifa gushed happily, her smile was evident even in her voice. "I don't know how, but everything is finalized. The investigation was dropped and the paperwork was almost all completed."
"Tifa that's-"
"I bring her home tomorrow!"
Sephiroth smiled to himself and fell silent. He was glad for Tifa, truly. Inwardly he found himself curious as to how the process which is normally extensive, lengthy and very difficult had happened so quickly. Another part of him was slightly concerned because he knew their relationship would not dare be the same.
