A/N: I'm not dead! I am so sorry it has taken so long for an update on this fanfic. Nursing school as been so time consuming and I'm starting my clinicals real soon! I can't post as fast as I used to but thank you thank you thank you to all of you who have been so patient and supportive and have liked this story so far. I'm going to try and continue as fast as I can. :)
Tifa walked the hospital corridors with Denzel, a bagged up lunch in her arms and a messenger brown bag dangling from her shoulders. She had promised Denzel she'd bring him so that he could spend time with his new friend. It warmed her heart to see her son smile. He had been a little down since Barett had taken Marlene with him so it was nice to see perk back up again.
"This is her room!" Denzel pointed out as if Tifa hadn't been there with him before but she chucked that up to his excitement.
"Go on!" Tifa encouraged, opening the door for him. Denzel rushed in and immediately the silver-haired girl perked up in the bed she was sitting up in.
"Denzel!" Raisel gasped happily at the sight of him. Denzel hopped on Raisel's bed, sitting at the edge of it with a toothy grin.
"Are you ok? How's therapy going?" Denzel asked her.
"I'm great and therapy is really helping. I can walk from the bed to the door now without getting tired." She answered him, throwing her legs over the bed, swinging them back and forth.
Tifa walked in setting the bags on the nearby countertops in the room. "Good morning Raisel." Tifa greeted, walking up to her hospital bed. She couldn't help but notice how long Raisel's silver hair was. It cascaded down her back and pooled around her as she sat. "Your hair is so pretty." Tifa complimented. "It's so long. Does it bother you?"
"Uhm, a little. It gets in the way sometimes." Raisel smiled shyly while playing with some strands of her hair.
"Would you like me to cut some of it?" Tifa questioned, "I could trim some of it so it's not so troublesome."
"Oh that would be lovely!" Raisel beamed up at Tifa.
Tifa giggled a bit at Raisel's eagerness. She had quite the endearing personality underneath all that mystery and shyness and Tifa was beginning to notice. From the brown messenger bag she had brought in, Tifa pulled out a pair scissors. She had anticipated giving Raisel a haircut since the day she met her. "I came prepared." The barmaid winked at the children.
Denzel smiled at the girl and helped her get out of the bed and walk slowly to the chair next to them. "Easy." He told her while helping her sit down.
"Thank you." Raisel looked up with a grateful expression, her eyes glowing like bright emeralds. She was excited and nervous about cutting her hair. Tifa wrapped one of the blankets around the younger girl's neck and pulled back on the long silver tresses that ran down from her head.
"This really is beautiful hair. When I'm done with you, you're going to look even prettier Raisel." Tifa assured her, making the first cut. Denzel watched as Raisel's hair fell to the ground. It almost looked like tinsel.
"You think I'm pretty?" Raisel blushed.
"Absolutely!" Tifa nodded while continuing to cut away at the silvery strands. "Your eyes are like gemstones, you have a cute little nose and you have a delicate looking face. Yes you're a very pretty girl. Don't you see it?"
"Not until you pointed it out." Raisel smiled shyly. While Tifa cut away at her hair, Raisel actually started to feel lighter. Denzel just kept watching as long strands just covered the floor around the chair. "How's it looking?" Raisel asked, wanting Denzel's approval.
"Pretty amazing actually." Denzel smiled at her. Tifa was trimming her hair so it reached just past her shoulders, giving it a little bit of body. Raisel's bangs were now framing her face on the sides instead of just running straight down and past her shoulders. When Tifa finished she couldn't help but smirk in accomplishment.
"Here you go. What do you think?" Tifa asked, handing Raisel a small mirror from her bag. Raisel took a hold of the mirror and gasped. She smiled brightly and a sweet little giggle escaped her. She ran her fingers through her silky hair and made a flirty face at her reflection. Tifa laughed at Raisel's girlish reaction. "I take it you like it?"
"I love it!" She exclaimed. She felt so feminine and beautiful, something that she had not though to be possible.
"Wow you look really pretty." Denzel smiled while taking Raisel's hand. The young girl blushed at the touch and stared up at Denzel's sweet blue eyes.
"Thank you." She said gratefully at the compliment while her hand gripped his. She made a motion to stand up and Denzel was ready to catch her just in case she fell but she didn't. She stood with grace and it was then Denzel noticed, Raisel was slightly taller than he was. "Let's try and go for a walk." She suggested.
"Can we Tifa?" Denzel asked with pleading eyes. Tifa of course nodded. "As long as her care staff says it's ok, I don't see why not."
There was a knock on the door and all three looked up to see the small framed blonde nurse with the pixie cut come in. "Good Morning." She smiled at them all. "Oh Miss Raisel! You're up! Good!"
"Yes. Actually we were wondering if I could go for a walk?" Raisel asked hopefully.
"That is actually on your goal list so yes you may but you need to be accompanied by someone from physical therapy just in case." The nurse answered. "This is good Miss Raisel. Very good! I'll send someone right away but first I have to take your vitals. Could you have a seat please?"
Raisel nodded and sat back down on the chair while Tifa cleaned up the mess of silver hair on the floor. "Sorry, we thought a nice hair cut would cheer her up." Tifa apologized to the nurse.
"That's alright. It looks like it did the job. Alright Miss Raisel let's get started." The nurse chuckled, beginning her vitals check up. After everything seemed to check out, the nurse smiled at her and nodded. "All is well. I'll send in for that physical therapist and the three of you can go for a walk."
Once the nurse left, Tifa thought it was a great opportunity to speak to them both about the events to come after Raisel completed her healing. "We need to talk." She smiled at them. Both children looked up at Tifa with attentive eyes. "Denzel, Cloud and I have talked it over. We've both decided that when Raisel finishes her treatment here at the hospital that we'd like her to come home with us if she would like. We would like to make her part of our family just like we did with you. Now of course that in the end remains Raisel's decision. She has to choose if she wants to come home with us."
"That's great!" Denzel cheered, taking Raisel's hand in to his once more. "You'd love it at 7thHeaven. Cloud and Tifa, they're the best parents a kid could ask for!"
Raisel was in shock and didn't know what to say. She was staring at Tifa with shimmering eyes, her mouth slightly gaped at the news. She had a family once and they were gone. This was her second chance. It would mean she would get to be around Denzel more, it would mean she would have a home, a family once again. She wanted that, more than anything but fear hovered over her like a dark storm cloud. What if she disappointed them? What if she lost them too? She had grown attached to Tifa and Denzel after their many visits and she trusted Cloud, being the first person she came into contact with when she was rescued. What if she wasn't good enough to be in this lovely family? She certainly didn't want to cause them harm however she didn't want to be alone either.
"Well Raisel? Would you like to come home with us?" Tifa asked.
"I..." She bit her bottom lip as tears welled up in her eyes, a small little sob escaping her. Denzel frowned when he saw the reaction.
"Don't you like us Raisel?" He asked her, tilting his head to try and meet her gaze.
"Of course I do but-" Raisel was gripping tighter on to Denzel's hand as she spoke. "I don't want to impose. I don't want to be a disappointment. I don't want to be a burden."
"You wouldn't be a burden to us. We chose to have you so it's definitely not imposing." Tifa smiled at her. "And how can you possibly disappoint us?"
"I don't know." Raisel whimpered.
"Oh sweetie." Tifa rushed to the girl and embraced her as she cried. "It's ok. We would love you and care for you and guide you whenever you needed us. Don't be scared."
"Yeah!" Denzel reaffirmed her. "I felt the same way when they first adopted me too but I promise you'll love living with us!"
Raisel looked at them both while drawing in a deep breath. She exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself down. Denzel seemed so excited to have her become part of his family and Tifa was still holding her in comfort. It reminded her of her own mother when she was a little girl. Her hands clasped over Tifa's arms in an embrace, letting herself be drawn in closer by the loving barmaid. "Do you want to come live with us?" Tifa asked Raisel once more.
"Yes. I would like to come live with you." She answered softly, nuzzling against Tifa for some comfort. "More than anything."
"Good." Tifa smiled. "Because we'd love to have you, more than anything Raisel. It'll be you, Denzel, Cloud, myself and the baby."
"Oh there's a baby?" Raisel crooned.
"Yes, there will be. I'm having a baby." Tifa chuckled, stroking the young girl's hair. "So I'm gaining two children at once."
Raisel leaned against Tifa and smiled, relaxing in her arms. "Will you be my new mother?" She asked her.
"If you want me to be your mother that's what I'll be to you Raisel." Tifa offered.
"Yeah, I want a mother. I want you to be my mother." Raisel smiled. "I can't wait to go home."
A/n: Fluff chapter, I know. It's been so tough to keep up with this fanfic but please be patient with me. :) To all who have favorited, followed and commented, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I will keep trying to push for this fanfic as I work. So TBC!