A/N: Wow thanks so much for all the reviews! You guys are freakin' awesome! This is my Easter gift to you all :) Have a great and safe holiday! Oh, and the song (in bold italics) is What Hurts The Most by Rascal Flatts... it is my entire inspiration for this fic! If you haven't heard it, you should check it out... unless you absolutely abhor country music that is. LoL. Love you all! Muah! Mina Wolf AKA Starry Kitty
Disclaimer: All characters, places, and past events belong to Square-Enix. :) I'm playing them like a fiddle :P
The next few days were like a lifetime of baited breath and restless sleep for all fourinhabitants of the Mideel clinic. The doctors checked in every other hour, but nothing had changed. If anything, Tifa's heartbeat had gotten extremely weak and her breath very shallow. On the fourth day of Tifa's coma, Cloud was sitting there next to her staring at her lifeless face, his eyes burning with lack of sleep. He was exhausted, but even more than that, he was in a state of shock and sadness. His soul cried out for the woman dying in the bed, and his body was weak to the point of breaking down. His mind reeled as he stared at the closed eyes and lips.
I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house, that don't bother me
The tears were just springing from Cloud's eyes as he let out an anguished sob from the bottom of his very heart and soul.
I can take a few tears now and then and just let 'em out
He had seen the grim looks the doctors had exchanged when they had checked on her earlier that morning.
I'm not afraid to cry every once in awhile even though going on with you gone still upsets me
She was fading fast and that was a fact. Who knew that the poison hadn't already reached the point where it could no longer be neutralized?
There are days every now and again I pretend I'm okay but that's not what gets me
Cloud felt his hope fading along with the beep of the heart monitor which screamed a testimonial to the state Tifa was now facing.
What hurts the most is being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
Anguish tore at his battered soul repeatedly until suddenly a solid beep was emitted from the machine, signifying his worst fears.
And never knowing what could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do
Tears were falling freely now from the deep azure eyes as Cloud stared at the machine that said her heart had stopped.
It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go but I'm doing it
Suddenly he was angry; angry enough to ram his gigantic sword through the machine.
It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone
Gone? She couldn't be… no… it wasn't true. The fear that he had been facing for the past few days suddenly was coming alive and it ripped a wide hole inside of him.
Still harder getting up getting dressed living with this regret but I know if I could do it over
Tifa Lockheart… The tomboy who had accepted him into her world with the ease of a long lost friend… the girl who had made promises with him around a well… the woman who had chased evil with him and helped him save the world…
I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart that I left unspoken
The woman who had fiercely protected him and then gone inside his mind and brought him back to the living world. The woman who would always be there for him, even when he pushed her off the face of his planet. Cloud realized with a start how damned lucky he had been to have someone like her around… and how little he wanted to go on without her.
What hurts the most is being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
The anger suddenly was so overwhelming, and his head throbbing hard enough to match his heart's pounding, that Cloud let out a low growl, looking at the heart monitor.
And never knowing what could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do
His hands were raised, the sword in them poised and ready to do some real damage when a soft sound stopped him.
What hurts the most is being so close
"…Cloud? What… are you… doing?"
And having so much to say
It was the unmistakable sweet tone of Tifa's voice.
And watching you walk away
Cloud thought he was dreaming, and cursed silently to himself that his conscious would play tricks on him like this.
And never knowing what could have been
He closed his eyes in an effort to banish the cruel trick and the haunting voice.
And not seeing that loving you
When he reopened them, he was still staring at the heart monitor but suddenly… he looked down at the deathly angel lying on the bed.
Is what I was trying to do…
Her beautiful ruby eyes were opened in slits and she was looking at him. As if to clarify that he wasn't imagining things, the heart monitor picked up her heartbeat again.
"Why are you c-crying?" she got out weakly, having noticed the river flowing down Cloud's face. Cloud was so overwhelmed that he didn't say anything for a full minute until finally…
"TIFA! You're alive!" he exclaimed, the sun suddenly coming up in his gloomy stormy world. Tifa looked confused.
"What… happened…?" she asked him. Cloud just sighed and related everything to her. Remembrance slowly dawned on her face. "I remember… but how long… have I been… here?" she queried.
"The four longest days of my life," he returned just as the door burst open and the two doctors rushed in. They came to a complete stop, their faces amazed beyond belief when they saw her alive and… awake!
"We rushed over here as soon as we heard the heart alarm… but…?" they said, confusion written on their faces. Cloud's face was beaming as he explained.
"Her heart did stop, but just as I was thinking she was gone for good she spoke to me and came back to life!" The doctors were still stunned until they realized their duty.
"We must check her over. If you would please Mr. Strife, join your friends outside," they told him. Cloud gave Tifa's hand a squeeze before dazedly leaving the room. Everyone was standing anxiously, wondering what was going on.
"$#! man, what happened? Why'd them two run in there like Bahamut Zero was after 'em?" demanded Barret. Cloud was still looking very dazed.
"Her heart stopped… that's why they came so fast…" he started. Everyone looked shocked and stricken. Denzel's eyes were as huge as the moon. "But then she spoke… and the machine picked up her heart beat again. She woke up!" Cloud finished, amazed. It took a moment for the truth to sink in… then everyone started talking at once.
"You're such a #$ head, Cloud! I could ram a bullet up your spikey ass for letting us think she was gone!" Barret yelled angrily over the other voices. But he was too happy to really follow through with his threat.
Denzel was just standing there in amazement until Marlene gave him a big hug and made him dance with her. Suddenly Yuffie, Red XIII, Cid, Shera and Vincent came through the door. Yuffie was carrying a tray full of hot drinks.
"I was totally going to get us some coffee with Red here and these three show up. Hey, why are you all looking so happy? She woke up?" she gushed, working it all out in her own special Yuffie way. Cloud told the story again, and everyone started hugging and crying; even Cid & Vincent teared up a little. They calmed down as Yuffie handed out the drinks (she had brought hot cocoa for the kids) and they all found places somehow in the tiny room.
Silence fell over everyone as they contemplated their own musings and sipped their hot drinks.
'Sure am glad Tif's okay. I was gonna pound spikey ass over there for hurting her so bad…' was on Barret's mind.
'Aunty Tifa is alright! Now Denzel won't have to go through losing another mom,' thought the young but insightful Marlene.
'She's gonna be okay… she won't leave me! Maybe now Cloud will show her that he's not a total dummy,' was Denzel's thought.
'Tifa's okay! Woo-hoo! Maybe she has some new materia she can give me when she's back home!' Yuffie thought right before burning her tongue in her excitement. She cursed in a most unladylike manner and received a series of looks which she stuck the burnt tongue out at.
'Tifa will make it. She's a very strong person… I am quite surprised to observe the redness of Cloud's eyes…' thought the ever silent observer Vincent.
'I wonder if the puffiness around his eyes means Cloud was really crying over her… She will survive like she always has and I hope he will become brave instead of always running away…' Nanaki mused. He had held out the hope of her return to them since he'd heard that she was fallen.
'Damn Tifa, gave me a scare. Glad she's alright now… things wouldn't be the same without her. Shera wouldn't be constantly nagging me about the wedding either,' came the pilot Cid's wanderings.
'Tifa girl I'm glad you're okay. Everyone here would be devastated if you were to leave… especially the children and Cloud,' was Shera's thought. Her womanly intuition tuned her more into Cloud's feelings. Cloud's mind was the busiest of all.
'She's alright… she's going to live! I… oh gosh I've been such an idiot. I have to make it up to her somehow… but I do not even have the slightest clue how to go about it. I know she won't believe me if I just rush in there and spill my heart out… I think I need to ease into it. Argh… how does one do this sort of thing? Some advice would be appreciated… maybe… no not him. Shera? Yeah, she seems to be the one most into that romantic mindset. I'm sure she could give me solid advice,' streamed through his mind. The silence persevered until the two doctors emerged from the room about a half hour later. Everyone immediately looked to them expectantly.
"She's asleep right now. We've thoroughly examined her and found that the poison has been completely neutralized… and what's more, the antidote seemed to make her blood absorb some of it so we believe her immune system is now blocked against any sort of poisoning ever again. She needs to regain her strength though… her body is considerably weakened. We would suggest much rest and relaxation… she has made it fervently clear that she wishes to return to Costa del Sol to recuperate. I think that one of you whom she trusts should stay with her to help her return to full health… but you will work that out amongst yourselves. We two will be back shortly; we must gather the necessary medicines she will need to fight off any possible infections from both the poison and the antidote. Please excuse us," the Mideel doctor explained. The two professionals then left to complete their task.
Everyone looked at each other expectantly. Then everyone volunteered at once. They all wanted to help out. Cloud put a stop to it all though rather quickly.
"No… Yuffie, you are still in intense training with your father. He would be highly upset if you pushed it aside for even a month or two. Cid and Shera, you two are working on the new airship fleet for the new government, so you're out. Red, you've got people to lead. Vincent… restoration of the manor shouldn't be put off… I am sure you would also hate being around Costa del Sol. It's very hot there, and Tifa and Denzel are very socially popular and active. They have lots of visitors constantly, so Denzel tells me. Barret, you've got to run the bar… as Tifa asked you to. And Elmira, you've got the school to take care of. I only have the delivery service, and that has been getting less business lately because everyone is getting more into traveling. I will volunteer myself to help her heal back to her full health," he explained. Everyone was rather shocked at how… intelligent his remarks were.
"Well damn, Cloud, under that spike you've got some sort of brain. Who knew? Well that settles it… Cloud's gonna be livin' with our girl and takin' care of her. Boy, you better do a good job, or else," Barret warned, pointing his gun at Cloud. The blonde only smiled and shook his head.
"Will do," he responded, relaxing now that it was taken care of. Denzel came to sit next to him, and they sat quietly for a few moments until the boy spoke his thoughts.
"Cloud… I think you're finally growing into your brain," he remarked before giving the hero a large grin and a pat on the shoulder. Cloud just gaped at the boy as he turned to talk to Yuffie, and shook his head. Tifa was a good influence on Denzel… he would surely grow up well.
When Tifa finally awoke, the nurse made sure she was fed before allowing the preparations for her release be made. Everyone came to say goodbye to her before they went on their own ways. They all promised to visit her, and finally Cloud was left alone with her. Denzel had gone with Marlene and Barret to wave them off. Tifa and Cloud just gazed at each other for a few long moments.
"You don't mind that I'm going to help look after you, do you?" Cloud asked, rubbing the back of his head in an embarrassed pose. Tifa shook her head.
"Nope. Thank you for volunteering," she said quietly. Cloud smiled at her, making her heart lurch and her mind whirl.
"It's not a problem. Everyone volunteered, but they've all got their projects going on so I told them to go back to their lives. The delivery service isn't too important right now… I haven't had a customer in a few weeks actually," he told her. Tifa was shocked at all the support her friends had offered, but she didn't say anything about it. Instead she made small talk with Cloud about menial things; mostly about her house and the sunshine town. She was slightly nervous about living with him again, having him take care of her, but somewhere inside she also felt a warm calm. It pricked her pride to feel so helpless, but she might as well make the best of it.
Denzel returned shortly, and the doctors and the nurse helped them into the helicopter, giving them the medicine and instructions before waving them off. They promised to come back for a checkup when she was restored to normal, and then took off for the coast.