Disclaimer: I do not now or before and most likely not in the future, own Final Fantasy, Square Enix or any of the characters.
A/N: The flashback at the beginning of this chapter takes place right before Cloud disappears and is put in the tank and Zack is put back in the smaller cell. I got the idea of using this song from my awesome beta! I'd never heard this song, and when she told me about it, I thought it would fit into a scene that I had planned later. However, as I wrote this flashback, I thought it fit better here. The song is, "Into the Night" by Santana featuring Chad Kroeger.
Guest review for chapter 22: (I am posting this on here so that if you want to know what the review said that I am replying to down below the following review, now you don't have to hunt for it.)
Anon
Wait, why is Zack going preparing to give her a C-section? In real life they give coma patients medications to induce labor, and only do a C-section for a specified set of circumstances. Zack has no medical training. He would likely kill both the baby and Cloud. If she doesn't die from exsanguination, she would die of infection and septic shock. There is no way Zack will be able to operate under sterile conditions because even if he sterilizes the operating equipment, the whole room is filled with germs. In the 1950s they used to put women under twilight sedation and the babies pretty much came out themselves. Just because she is in a coma doesn't mean she needs a C-section. Either Nanaki is stupid, or you want to torture Cloud unnecessarily. Zack's ability to perform a C-section is about the same as your ability to perform a SUCCESSFUL knee surgery in your house, assuming you aren't an ortho surgeon. Successful defined by doing it correctly and the patient not dying of blood loss or septic shock. If you did a quick google search on coma patients and pregnancy you would see that they don't need to do a C-section unless a patient fits a specified set of criteria. And even if she needs a C-section, Cloud would be better off with a dead baby then getting a C-section by someone who knows nothing about gynecology, surgery, sterile conditions. If Zack does a C-section I'd give both the baby and Cloud a 0.1% chance of survival. I'm a med student so I know a few things about physiology. . .
To the Anon review:
If you had reviewed with an account, I could have responded to you privately. Your review raised certain points that I wanted to address so I am answering you in this way. I don't normally like to do this, but just in case that there is any other readers with the same concerns, they can get the answer at the same time as you. Since you are posting anonymously and publicly, I am guessing that it won't bother you for me to do that.
I understand your concern about the c-section. I am not a doctor, I am not even a med student, but we must remember that Cloud is mako enhanced and this is a fantasy story filled with psuedo-science. I have four children that I gave birth to naturally so I have never had a c-section, but I am writing some of these things from what knowledge I do have about carrying/giving birth to a child. Perhaps you are correct that I should google more things, or make certain things more clearly written in the chapter itself.
Please let me clarify things here; Nanaki and Bugenhagen were simply bringing to Zack's attention that if the baby gets stuck, breech or in the unlikely event that he needs to, he should read up on what to do, because they do not have a doctor. My ex-husband was military and every military member is required to have field medic training and in chapter 15, I have Zack thinking back to his "field medical training classes". My Vietnam veteran father even took classes on the basics of how to deliver a baby, in addition to fixing up minor battle wounds. With the introduction of the book that Bugenhagen sent with Nanaki, I would think that he should be prepared before the event happens instead of during. I am the type of person that likes to be prepared, and if he were to have to do a c-section after she has been in labor for a while, if he had to stop what he was doing to read about what to do in a book, Cloud could then die from his lack of action, so Zack's preparedness is key in this situation.
Also, Sharna, the village medicine woman, is in the village and unable to go to them. Cloud's mako enhancement will take care of most infections, as with most Soldiers and with Hojo's tampering, she is more powerful than the average Soldier just as in the original game and the male Cloud. Please remember that in chapter 19, Sharna also packed up medical supplies and medicine and told him of the time-table of the birth. Zack is intelligent enough to understand what he read, wash his hands, sterilize the immediate area and do what has to be done to save them both.
I hope that this clears things up for you. Thanks for the review, "Anon" ;B (*winky face with bunny teeth*)
(Just for future questions about the birth in later chapters, Interesting fact: When I say that I gave birth naturally, it means that I gave birth vaginally, but I also had no pain medicine at all during the entire duration of labor and the actual births of all four of my children. So the birth of Cloud's baby will be from my perspective of actual events that happened to me.)
Thanks to my wonderful beta SubZeroChimera!
"A loving heart is the truest wisdom." –Charles Dickens
To You I Give My Heart
Chapter 23
~Some Memories Will Never Be Forgotten~
They had been together as a couple for almost three months now and thankfully hadn't seen Hojo since then, but that was bound to change soon. Cloud slept on her side as he stood guard so that she could rest, she had begun to have more vivid nightmares that seemed to start just a few weeks ago.
If they had not been imprisoned, it would be considered creepy the way he watched her sleep, but he wanted to wake her at the first sign of a nightmare. Keeping her safe was his priority and if it meant he didn't sleep much so that he could keep her from dreaming of terrifying things, then so be it.
While he kept his vigil over her, he watched her lips purse softly, as if she were kissing the cheek of her mother goodbye. A few moments later, her lips would become a thin line of stress, but then just as quickly relax and curl into a subtle smile. Soon enough, a twitch of her delicate eyebrows signified a questioning in her mind as she tried to decide if she should be afraid or not. It was close, the nightmare of her personal hell and Zack was there to rescue her from it, before it got to the point of her screaming.
As soon as her eyebrows stitched together and a grimace crossed her ample lips, Zack shook her gently, "Cloud…" Her eyes snapped open just before she jumped and ran for the bathroom to vomit, this was the newest part of their routine now.
Exiting the bathroom, she held her mouth as she panted lightly, her pale face finding his concerned eyes, "I'm sorry."
Zack stood and embraced her before she could say anything else, "There is nothing for you to be sorry for," He was the one who was sorry, he felt fully responsible for them both being here, but he didn't want to burden her further with his own insecurities.
Relaxing into his arms, she hummed in contentment and swayed slightly under her own weight. Catching on, Zack tried to play off her muscle weakness so she wouldn't feel upset about him helping her, he held her upright and began to sway with her, in a kind of slow dance. Beginning to sing, softly at first, her face slid weakly on his chest as she tilted her head and asked quietly, "What are you singing?"
"Oh, just a song that I really like," Rubbing her back reassuringly, he continued, "It kind of reminds me of you, it was one of the songs that played the night when we went out dancing the first time," With a shrug of confidence, he added, "I liked how you looked when you danced to it."
Folding her arms around his waist, she grasp on to him. Sliding her face back down and burying the side of her face in his chest and nuzzling her forehead into his neck, she asked, "Will you sing it to me?"
Without question, he wanted to do anything for her, and he would. If she asked him to kill someone, he would, even if she asked him to kill himself, he would, so if singing a song is what she wanted, by everything that he held sacred in his heart, he would sing until she asked him to stop, "Of course. Now, you know that I'm not the best singer, but I will do my best."
"You're a really good singer. I love to listen to you, I always have."
When she said that, he ached at the thought of all the times that she caught him singing and she would giggle, it wasn't a bad thing, he wanted to make her happy. Once, he even purposely sang horribly just to get her to laugh until she snorted in that cute way that always got him to laughing, which started them both laughing at each other. Wanting so much to make her smile again, he took a deep breath and began singing the best that he could…
"Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell
It was love from above, like it saved me from hell
She had fire in her soul, it was easy to see
how the devil himself could be pulled out of me
There were drums in the air as she started to dance
Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands and we sang…
"Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay
And the voices rang like the angels sing
We're singing, ay oh ay oh ay oh ay
And we danced on into the night
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay
And we danced on into the night
"Like a piece to the puzzle that falls into place
You could tell how we felt from the look on our faces
She was spinning in circles with the moon in our eyes
No room left to move in between you and I
We forgot where we were, and we lost track of time
And we sang to the wind as we danced through the night, and we sang-"
Zack's singing got cut short when a tranquilizer dart pierced the skin on his neck. Being pulled into darkness, he still felt Cloud grip his waist harder in her shock. With nothing but boneless legs holding him up, he fell, taking her with him to the floor. Inky blackness moved across his vision and the last thing he saw was her eyes widening, and he tried taking a hold of her, but the lab techs still pulled her away, out of his weakening hands, it was useless; he was useless.
Becoming more aware of his surroundings, the cold chill in the room left him with no doubt that he was in the lab and either naked or damn near naked. Cloud's scream of painful anger brought Zack's focus, but with the laced sedative that they gave him anymore, it left him unable to move or open his eyes, "Hojo! Leave him alone!" Without a warning, a sharp pain shot through his thigh. The sedative may have left him unable to move, but he could still weakly cry out in shock. Their short reprieve because of Hojo's absence was over now.
Just when he was able to regain control of himself, the pain intensified, but he was able to grit his teeth instead and the grinding vibrated through his skull. The abrasive noise from his teeth almost drown out the voice of the man who he despised, "Inject another dose in the IV again, the noises it is making is distracting," Hojo's loud sigh as he struggled with pulling at the meaty flesh deep in the brunette's leg almost overshadowed the Professor's words to the blond on the table next to him, "Now, don't be so dramatic C, it will not be permanently damaged."
Listening from a deepening tunnel, Cloud's voice sounded as though it was starting to get farther away again, "He is not an IT! His name is Zack!"
Deep in the well, so far away, he heard her voice, the softness of her skin when she touched him, the gentleness of her soul that reached out to him and spoke to his heart. The way she welcomed him into her world, he wished he could live there, within her, behind those deep blue eyes forever. The feeling of heaviness left him wanting to not wake up, he wanted to stay in his dreamland, where they were free.
Small delicate fingers drifted through his dark hair, waking him slowly, peacefully, her voice wrapped around him in a concerned whisper, "Shhh, it's okay now."
If a voice could quiver, it was then. Zack could hear fear woven in her words. With a shake of his head, he was finally able to move, and open his eyes. From his back, his head turned slightly to his left, her eyes widened when they met his, "Zack!"
Through his windpipe that felt like it had been stuffed with dry wool, he forced a mouth full of saliva down his throat, moistening the overly dried and tender tissue, "H-hey there babe." Not wanting to leave her distraught eyes, he glanced around to notice that they were in their cell, but there was something else, blood. Smudged on her cheek, her neck and across the front of her white t-shirt was bright crimson splattered in a spray in a gruesome display, "What did he do to you!"
Jerking up, Zack grabbed a hold of her, cradling her, but also trying to assess her injuries. From against his chest, she sobbed, grabbing handfuls of his stained shirt, unknowingly scratching him with her nails as she tried to hold as much of him as she could, "It isn't me."
"What?!"
"It's you… he did terrible things to you. I heard him say something to Jacob about increased number of muscle fibers."
Looking at himself, he noticed the bandages, around his thigh, the same one that caused him to scream upon waking in the lab, and he felt more bandages around his torso and hips. Registering pain then found its way through him, like a seven-foot katana slicing him open, again. The burn jolted him, but he was more concerned about Cloud, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. What did he do to you?"
Shaking her head, she got out, "Just the usual exams and blood draws."
They laid there, he stroked her hair, kissing her forehead from time to time as she slept off and on. He pondered what the rest of their lives would be like down here in this dungeon of terrifying despair, there had to be a way out. Interrupting his thoughts, her voice sleepily filled the silent and darkened room, "I wish I knew you before all this happened."
Clearing his throat, he stroked her hair slower, "You did know me before we got kidnapped."
Shaking her head a little, she spoke again, "No, that's not what I mean."
"What do you mean then?"
Raising her head, she moved to his line of sight, her eyes peered deeply into his, "I mean, if I had given you a chance before…" With a slight fidget, she continued in a whisper, "I wish I had given you a chance to love me while we were still free."
Giving a gentle squeeze, he closed his arms around her, but then felt the pinch of another tranquilizer dart stab him. The next time he saw her was when Harding directed him to the other lab where she floated in water, the day of their escape…
Those were her last words to him before Hojo took her away, "I wish I had given you a chance to love me while we were still free," They were the most precious to him. Now, he stood and stared at her, sun beaming around her, but her words were incomprehensible to him. He shut down, his jaw fell slack and he was left stammering, "What…? Y-you're joking right?"
Her eyes never wavering from the focus, her voice betrayed her fear, "Please tell me who you are. Where am I?" Through her dress, Zack saw the baby move and she froze, eyes widening as she bent forward, grabbing at her enlarged stomach, "W-What!" Staggering backward, her back hit the wall and she let out a scream, "What is this?!" Wild eyes darted back and forth between Zack and her belly, "What did you do to me?!"
The accusatory tone that filled her voice hurt him more than the words themselves. Hands up in surrender, he stepped forward, but she jerked back and hit the wall again, but he tried to speak to her, to calm her, "I didn't do this… Well, that's not exactly true, but listen, it's a long story."
She plastered herself flat against the wall, eagerly looking for a way out. His words didn't seem to reach her completely, pointing a condemnatory finger at him she yelled, "What a minute! I know you, you're the guy in the lobby that gave me his phone number! What did you do to me?! Did you drug me and drag me off somewhere?!" Her hysterics caused her voice to pitch higher with each question. "I'm calling the authorities! I knew I should have listened to my mother, she told me that Soldiers were bad news!"
Nanaki stepped forward, standing next to Zack, "Excuse me, but if you could calm down for a moment, he could-"
Freezing in place, and now pointing her finger at Nanaki, her eyes grew wide, disturbingly astounded, it was like Zack and Nanaki were watching someone go insane right in front of them. Right then, her high-pitched scream filled the room, unabated. Zack dropped his hands to his sides, it was useless while she screamed at the top of her lungs; he couldn't even hear Nanaki right next to him.
Inching closer to the door, all the two males could do was watch as she screamed at them, and flailed at every attempt that Zack made to comfort her. Finally she saw the buster sword leaning up against the wall and made a mad dash for it. In her expectation of the heavy weight of the sword that was as long as she was tall, she held on to it as she swung wildly, trying to get control of it and herself.
In surprise, she whispered to herself, "How can I lift this thing like it's nothing?"
"If you'll let me, I'll explain," Jumping in surprise at Zack's words, she swung again, losing control of the blade and causing the former Soldier to duck twice while she took out a lamp, a bookcase and the ceiling fan.
"Stay back!" Holding him at bay, she edged closer to the door, "I'm just going to walk out of here, and you can just forget all about me."
Hurt swallowed him, falling down into an instant depression, he half-heartedly whispered, "I can never forget about you Cloud… but apparently you can forget about me…"
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reads, favorites, subscribes and/or reviews, I appreciate your time and I dedicate all of this to you. To quote another author, "Getting reviews makes me feel all warm and squishy."
Please send me your reviews if you want. It is really easy. Just click your arrow in the little box, write what you thought or felt about the chapter and then click right down there, just below the box. A little lower… a little to the right… yeah, right there! Click it! *grinning*
