Chapter Three: Bad News

Reno paced back and forth along the corridor of the medical center in Junon Harbor, unable to relax even though his legs and feet were killing him. Rude was seated nearby, exhausted and covered in blood. Only a small amount was his own, from a small cut on his forehead caused by a falling rock when the temple began to collapse. Reno, too, had blood dried into his clothing, though he'd finally had a chance to wash it from his hands and arms. They could have gone back to their rooms on the base to change, but neither dared leave until they could at least speak with the surgeon.

Tseng had survived being carried outside and flown by helicopter to Junon Harbor's highly advanced medical center, receiving blood en route that had kept him alive. He regained consciousness several times, sometimes speaking in Wutaiin, and other times a mix of both it and Universal. He was confused and in a great deal of pain, and as soon as they'd arrived at the base the head doctor had ordered him sedated and taken into surgery. Reno had practically needed to pry his and Elena's hands apart, leading her away and finally convincing her to go to the ladies' room to clean herself up a bit. The moment Tseng had come out of surgery hours later and been placed into a private room in the Intensive Care Unit, she'd claimed the chair beside his bed and hadn't moved since.

"She's taking it really hard," Rude commented, as if reading Reno's thoughts. He stopped pacing for a moment and peered through the glass wall that separated Tseng's room from the hallway, allowing the staff to keep a close eye on him. Elena was seated stiffly in the chair beside him, her hands clasped in her lap, staring at Tseng as if willing him to awaken.

"I guess this is new to her," Reno said with a shrug, though he had a sneaking suspicion it was much more than that. "I remember the first time I saw someone get shot and had to give them first aid… It really freaked me out, and this is way worse."

"Yeah…" Rude said, though he sounded unconvinced. "She's been working with him a lot, though, so I think it's more personal than that."

"Mmm…"

"I wish someone would let us know how he is," Rude continued when Reno renewed his pacing, sighing with frustration. "They just wheeled him in there and left after hooking him up to all that shit."

"Would be nice," Reno grumped, wishing more than anything that he could have a cigarette. Hospitals and their stupid rules… "It's good to know he made it through surgery, at least. He's one tough mother fucker."

"Damn right," Rude agreed with a slight smile. "With a wound like that… I never expected him to live long enough to get back here."

"Me neither. Gods, if he had died, I'd…"

"You'd be our leader right now?"

"Yeah…" Reno finally came and sat beside Rude, tiredly rubbing his eyes. "I'm not ready for that. Fuck, I may never be. Too much pressure… But aside from that, Tseng's a good guy, and he's done so much for me. I just couldn't…"

He paused as tears filled his eyes, and Rude reached out and clapped him supportively on the back. "It's all right, man. He's a fighter. I'm sure he'll be okay."

"He better be…" Reno smiled his gratitude to his best friend, thankful he didn't have to wait and worry by himself. Rude closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, his sunglasses perched atop his bald head. Reno watched him for a moment and yawned, wishing their hellish day was over and everything was back to normal.

The sound of a door opening down the hallway and rapid footsteps approaching snapped Reno from his thoughts, and when he saw the surgeon who had operated on Tseng approaching he bolted to his feet. Rude did the same, standing beside his partner with his arms folded protectively across his chest as if preparing for news he didn't want to hear. Elena looked up at that moment and noticed the gathering in the hallway, glancing reluctantly at Tseng before rising and hurrying from the room to join them.

Reno felt his stress level decrease ever so slightly when the doctor smiled, holding out his hand to shake with each of them. "Is he going to make it?" he demanded immediately, not caring if he was being rude or not. Elena fidgeted at his side, wringing her hands in front of her and staring at the doctor expectantly.

"He has a decent chance. You Turks… always getting yourselves so torn up," the doctor said with a bemused shake of his head, appearing unoffended by his attitude. Reno noted the name "C. Welsh" embroidered on his white jacket, a long string of abbreviations for the titles he held etched beneath. He had already changed out of his surgical garb, though he still wore a blue hairnet and those weird paper shoe covers. "Getting him here and through surgery was the most dangerous part, but he certainly isn't out of the woods yet. His is a very serious injury, and quite frankly I can't believe he survived that long without treatment. I've never seen anything quite like it."

"Is he... going to live?" Elena nearly whispered, close to tears again as she nervously rephrased Reno's question as if hoping to receive a more favorable answer. He tried not to roll his eyes, wishing she'd act more like a Turk in front of the base's chief doctor. Then again, he'd been fighting not to cry ever since they found Tseng, so he really couldn't scold her without feeling like a complete asshole.

There was amazement in the aging doctor's gray-blue eyes as he peered down at the chart he held through a pair of thick glasses. "I believe so, though his injuries are extensive. He lost a tremendous amount of blood, and received three pints during surgery in addition to what he was already given on the helicopter. If he'd lost any more his internal organs would have begun to shut down. The wound required a tremendous number of stitches and staples to close, both internally and externally, and he will have a good bit of scarring. He has damage to his left lung which caused it to partially collapse, a number of badly broken ribs, a lacerated spleen, and minor damage to his intestinal tract. Repairing that area was complicated by scar tissue from the bullet wound he received a few years ago… I performed that operation, too, actually. His sternum is cracked, and he's extremely lucky there was no damage to his heart. He's not going to feel lucky for a long time, though."

Reno cringed as he listened to the report, horrified by the number of serious injuries Tseng had suffered but relieved that he'd somehow survived. Guns may have been considered more modern and lethal these days, but the damage caused by one good sword strike was ghastly. Whoever had done it must have been wielding a very powerful weapon, and he knew how to use it with deadly precision. "So his chances…?" Reno asked, wanting a more definitive answer than 'decent.' He knew doctors often attempted to bullshit you with positive attitudes and vague replies, but he wanted to hear the truth no matter how bad it might be.

"Difficult to say for sure this early on," Dr. Welsh said with an apologetic frown, as if it was the question he always dreaded answering the most. "It depends on a number of factors."

"Such as…?" Rude pressed when the doctor paused again. Reno was grateful to him, as he was beginning to lose his patience due to worry and fatigue. Elena's endless sniffling was not helping.

"We don't know how much damage the blood loss might have caused to his system, for one," Dr. Welsh continued, his calm voice and open expression reminding Reno of a kindly uncle. "The fact that he was awake and talking is a good sign that he doesn't have any brain damage, but his other organs could still fail. There's also a large chance of infection because of how open the wound was in an unsanitary environment. I have him on a steady drip of fluids and antibiotics, as well as medication for pain and to help clear the fluid from his lungs. Pneumonia is always a serious risk in chest trauma cases, especially when he's going to remain bedridden for so long. He's breathing on his own so far, though, which is great. He's heavily sedated and I'm going to keep him that way for at least a few days before considering whether or not to let him wake up. There's no reason for him to suffer needlessly, and if he were to panic and move about too much the entire thing could open up again. All we can do now is support his body and hope it can heal the damage over time."

"Just because President Shin-ra is going to ask me the second he finds out Tseng made it through surgery, any estimate on when he can return to duty?" Reno knew how stupid an inquiry it was after what they'd just been told, but he still had to do his job or he'd hear about it.

"Oh… maybe never," Dr. Welsh said to his surprise, and Reno heard Elena gasp in horror beside him. "It's entirely possible that he'll never recover anything close to his previous strength and stamina, no matter what we do. If he were younger, his chances would be somewhat improved, but… I'd be surprised if he can ever be medically cleared to return to active duty, even if he gets to the point where he feels able."

"He's not going to like that," Rude said softly, glancing through the glass at Tseng's prone form with sorrow in his dark eyes. "This job is his whole life."

"Fuck," Reno swore, finally feeling bad enough for Elena to reach out and put his arm around her shoulders. "Well… one step at a time, eh?"

"That would be the best attitude to take with such a lengthy recovery," Dr. Welsh said with a nod. "Every improvement should be seen as a victory, and just the fact that he's still here for us to talk about is amazing. Which reminds me… I couldn't find any contact information for next of kin or other relatives in his file. Are you his wife, ma'am?"

Reno would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. Elena's mouth dropped open as the doctor looked her way, her face flushing a deep crimson. "No!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes wide with surprise. "He's… just my boss."

"Aah, I'm sorry," the doctor chuckled. "Do any of you know someone we could call? It would be best for him to have someone he knows with him, especially when he first wakes up. And he's going to need a lot of assistance and after care if he gets to the point where we can release him."

Reno frowned and shook his head, what little he knew of Tseng's past quickly running through his head. He was pretty sure his parents were deceased, and he'd never mentioned any siblings or other relatives. "We're his family," he said firmly. "We'll figure something out…"

"All right, then. There will be a nurse assigned to him at all times, so just press the red button beside his bed if you need anything. You can probably leave for now, since he's not going to be waking up yet. Your friend is in good hands here, and you all look like you could use a hot shower and a good meal."

Reno looked down at himself, his white shirt almost entirely stained red and his pants covered with a crust of dried blood. Rude's clothing was even worse, since he'd actually carried Tseng out of the temple in his arms. "Yeah… But unfortunately, we have to meet the President's chopper when it lands and give him a full report first."

"Well, here's my card," Dr. Welsh said, handing one to each of them, along with a spare to Reno. "Please tell President Shin-ra to call me at any time, and that goes for you all as well. Best of luck to you!"

"Thanks, man… er, Doctor," Reno said, gratefully shaking his hand. Rude followed suit, but Elena seemed to be in shock again, staring tearfully toward Tseng's room as if she was unaware the conversation had ended. Dr. Welsh hurried down the corridor and through the door, no doubt to check on other patients or help save another life. Or maybe he just had to pee.

Reno sighed heavily, pulling a trembling Elena with him to the bank of chairs along the wall and forcing her to sit. She blinked up at him as if finally snapping out of her haze, her eyes swollen and bloodshot. She looked terrible, and he had a feeling he didn't look much better. Rude sat beside her and watched her with concern, visibly worried about her state of mind. Reno knew he'd always been fond of Elena, though he really didn't understand why. She was attractive in that cute school girl kind of way, sure, but she was also naïve and annoying. Definitely not his type, but to each their own…

"Okay," Reno said, standing before his companions as tall as he could manage and trying to look confident. "Looks like I'm going to be acting head of the department for a little while. Lucky us. Um… So Rufus will be landing in about half an hour, and we get to go kiss his ass and fill him in on what's been going on while he sat and ate bonbons in his penthouse. I propose that we all give him the bloodiest hug we can manage for his nice, white suit." No one even smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood, and Reno groaned inwardly. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"We can't just leave him alone like this," Elena said quietly, panic in her voice as her eyes remained fixed on the room across the hallway. "I'm not going."

"He's hardly alone here, Elena," Reno said, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, there is a lot of serious shit going down right now, and none of it's gonna stop because of this."

"But that's… that's wrong! I'm not going to abandon him when he's so sick. You just said it yourself that we're his family!"

"I don't like the idea either, all right?! But I've got my orders, and now you've got y-"

"Do all of us really need to go to meet Rufus, though?" Rude interrupted, sensing the beginning of another shouting match between his companions. "The doctor did suggest that someone he knows should be here with him…"

"Yeah, but I… God dammit!"

Reno turned his back and fumed, overwhelmed by his sudden role and frustrated that everyone was already second guessing him. How the hell did Tseng do it? He made it look so damn easy. He spoke, and everyone instantly fell in line… Reno had never once heard him raise his voice. Even he never dared question Tseng, and Reno had always had a problem with authority and a natural desire to rebel. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself, taking a deep breath and attempting to think more clearly.

He had to leave and meet Rufus despite the late hour, that was a fact. And because he was likely going to be sent right back out on assignment to track down either Avalanche or the man who'd attacked Tseng and taken the Black Materia, he'd also need a reliable partner. He and Rude had been paired together for many years, and Elena was close to hysterical and could think of nothing but their wounded boss. Besides, she and Reno didn't get along very well, and she was still largely inexperienced and unsure of herself. The doctor had suggested that someone remain with Tseng, and he could easily tell Rufus it had been required if he said anything… He'd feel better if someone stayed behind to keep him updated, too. Though he didn't want Elena to think he had given in to her desires just to make her happy, he knew it really was the wisest course of action. Maybe Rude should have been in charge… But a good leader had to swallow their pride sometimes in order to make the best decision, he reminded himself, something Tseng once told him.

Reno finally turned around to face them again, his eyes zeroing in on Elena. "All right. This is what we're doing. Elena, I'm ordering you to stay at Tseng's bedside as his bodyguard in case the guy who hurt him comes back." When she began to open her mouth to protest how unlikely that was, he winked in an exaggerated manner, and a slow smile spread across her face. "I will, however, replace you with someone else from Midgar if you can't keep your shit together and stop crying and freaking out. You're still a Turk on assignment, and he doesn't need the stress if he's aware of what's going on at all. Can you handle that or not?"

"Yes, sir," Elena said firmly, getting to her feet and standing up straight after quickly wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her blazer. "It won't be a problem."

"Good. I'll check in with you after our meeting, but I want hourly updates on his condition. You can text me by PHS."

Elena nodded, and Reno tried not to see the pleased smile on Rude's face. Reno needed to assert himself as their leader, but he wasn't a heartless bastard, after all. He cared for Tseng almost like an older brother, his mentor who had rescued him from a dead end life and given him a chance to be someone. It killed him that he had to leave, but he knew that Elena would keep a close watch over him. It would also allow her a much needed break from action after everything she'd just been through, and hopefully give her a chance to calm down so she could get back to her normal assignments. Reno may not have seen whatever hidden potential Tseng did in the young recruit, but many people had once said the same thing about him. In that moment, he hoped his stoic boss would have been proud of him.

"All right, Rude," Reno said, stifling a yawn as his partner stood and stretched his long limbs. "Let's move out." He took one last look through the glass as they walked away, hoping it would not be the last time he saw Tseng alive.

((Author's Notes: Serious Reno is serious. …what? Oh right. Hi. I thought I'd give Reno a chance to be leader and act professional before he steps out of the main part of the fic. Gods, Reno leading the Turks… Tseng better live and be able to get back to work! It sounds pretty bad, though… poor guy. At least he has a nice doctor, and good friends who are pulling for him. I hope you're enjoying this story so far and will spare a moment to leave a review and let me know what you think. Thank you very much! ~ JenesisX ))