Consequences
While Sephiroth is stepping off the elevator, Shai is struggling to slide on her Chelsea boots while standing. Her foot is wedged half way in and isn't budging without a tug from the pull loop sewn on the back of the boot, but she's trying her best to avoid bending over or sitting down. She's tried a few workable solutions, but they proved to be too much stress on her lower back. She gives her foot one final shove and when that fails she kicks the boot off in a fit of frustration. It flips through the air and bounces off the bathroom door with a bang.
"Shai? Are you alright?" Several seconds later, Moreau peeks her head through the bedroom door. Shai is standing next to the cheval mirror, a boot for the left foot on the floor in front of her, the right boot lying on its side a meter or so from its mate. Shai looks exasperated.
"Trouble putting on your shoes?"
Yes.
"Allow me." Moreau grabs the wayward boot and kneels down in front of Shai.
I am sorry.
"No apologies. I'm happy to help."
Is the general getting impatient?
"The general? He went on ahead of us."
Oh, I see. Shai is unsure why, but her whole disposition is awash in swirling shades of blue.
"Done! We can go." Moreau stands, dusting off her hands and flashing a smile at Shai, unaware of the change in her temperament. Seeing her eyes, though, distant and lost in thought, Sybelline's smile fades from concern.
"Shai? Are you ok?" The sound of her name snaps Shai out of it. She smiles at Moreau.
I am fine. We should go.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
As Sephiroth is secured to the examination table, Shai and Moreau walk through the double doors to the Shinra Polyclinic on the 66th floor. They are welcomed by the secretary behind the reception desk, a bubbly young woman with strawberry blonde hair styled in a bob and wearing cat-eye glasses. Pleasantries are exchanged, introductions are made, vitals are taken by the intake nurse, and Shai is admitted into the clinic. She and Moreau are ushered to an exam room. As they walk by the waiting area, several cadets awaiting care glance up from their phones or magazines to catch a glimpse of Shai, the mysterious woman rumoured to live with General Sephiroth. Shai and Moreau ignore the whispers and prying eyes and follow the nurse down the hall into the exam room. Sybelline shakes her head as she seats herself in a chair next to the physician's desk. The prolificacy of the rumour mill at Shinra, a company steeped in secrets, never ceases to amaze her, especially when it pertains to their general.
While the two women wait for the orthopaedic surgeon, two floors up an IV bag containing an experimental "therapy" drips down 3mm tubing and exits into a peripheral vein in Sephiroth's right forearm. Two stories down, Shai is lying on her side on a padded exam table, reading promotional posters for various pharmaceuticals and instructions on how to do a breast exam in the shower. Moreau decides now is as good a time as any to hear about Shai discovering Sephiroth and the events that developed thereafter.
"Shai? If you don't mind me asking, how did you know the general was home?" Shai motions for a pen and paper. Moreau pulls a pad and pen from her pocket and hands it to her. Writing at an awkward angle, she gives her answer, passes the pad to Moreau, and then signs for her.
I heard him collapse in his bathroom, unconscious.
"Unconscious?!" Shai nods her head, repeating the hand signs.
"Oh dear gods! How did you manage to get him into bed?" Moreau returns the pad to her. Shai adds several more sentences and hands it back to Moreau. As she reads it to herself, Sybelline's expression changes so dramatically that Shai has to stifle a laugh lest she suffer an adverse reaction. The pad slips from Sybelline's fingers to flutter and flap to the floor.
"You undressed him?!"
Yes. Shai's cheeks blush scarlet and she bites her lower lip. Moreau snatches up the pad and practically throws it at Shai.
"What happened next?" Shai positions the pad against the exam table and continues her narrative of the night before, but is unable to finish. The surgeon enters the room. She greets Sybelline with a smile and handshake, introduces herself to Shai, and begins the examination with asking the standard questions of how, what, where, and when. Speaking on behalf of Shai, Moreau leaves out specific details that may prove to be troublesome for the general. She only informs the doctor of the facts she needs to know to reach a diagnosis. The physical exam begins with the surgeon feeling the soft tissue around Shai's lower spine. She finds no obvious swelling around the tailbone, which would indicate a fractured coccyx. She tells Shai she is very lucky given the severity of the fall. A fractured tailbone can take anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks to heal. However, there is extensive bruising on and around the points of impact, which is still evidence of serious trauma. She orders x-rays to confirm there is no break and calls for a nurse. As Shai is led to radiology, she notices that while the exam rooms are all occupied, the hospital beds in the short-stay care unit are empty. The communication barrier prevents her from asking the nurse the question forefront on her mind; where is the general? Six and half meters above her, research techs are preparing to monitor Sephiroth's heart, placing electrode leads on his arms, legs, between his ribs, and on either side of his sternum.
As expected, her x-ray shows no fracture. The doctor tells Shai that bruising of the tailbone heals on its own, taking approximately 4 to 6 weeks for a full recovery. In the meantime, to ease the pain and speed healing, she is given a standard treatment plan: an appointment to receive instructions on pelvic floor relaxation techniques from a physical therapist, alternate heat and cold packs on the affected areas, use a special V-shaped cushion whenever she sits, and a prescription for painkillers. If the pain becomes too much, she tells Shai to return to the clinic and she will give her a corticosteroid shot. Up in the main laboratory on the 68th floor, a bright blue liquid is administered into the IV's injection port.
"To manage any constipation, use over-the-counter stool softeners," advises the surgeon, "Oh, and I would avoid sex until you are healed." Shai's whole face reddens. She doesn't know which topic is more embarrassing and, after careful consideration, decides the former is embarrassing while the latter is just sad. Shai thanks the doctor, accepts her prescription from the nurse, and she and Moreau leave the clinic. As they ride the elevator to floor 63, Sybelline offers to take the prescription to the pharmacy in the lobby and have it filled for her.
"I'll buy your cushion and some hot/cold packs." Shai writes on the pad, gives it to Moreau and signs.
I have taken up enough of your time today already. I am sure you have more important work to do. The elevator signals their arrival and the ladies step out. Shai unlocks and opens the door, politely stepping aside to allow Moreau to enter first.
"Nonsense! I am my own boss. Well, for the most part. And my only patient is currently undergoing a physical. Here, give me the prescription and I'll be back shortly, giving you time to think of what you would like for lunch. My treat."
Thank you.
"No, thank you, Shai. As Sephiroth gets older, he calls on me less and less for help." A sadness tinges Sybelline's words, a fragile smile bringing memories of times when his hand was small enough to fit into hers.
"It makes me feel better knowing he has someone like you in his life to be there for him." Shai is overcome with a bout of shyness, not knowing what to say other than the obvious.
You are welcome.
"I'll be back soon." Moreau exits the condo, leaving Shai with more to think about than what to have for their afternoon meal. She opens a drawer in the island and removes a stack of takeaway menus she's accumulated from local eateries. She stands at the bar and sifts through restaurants until she decides on a burger joint known for their half pound hamburgers. She leaves the menu on the bar and puts the others away. Next to her, on the counter, is the halved grapefruit and dish containing several sections of fruit, now dried and unappetizing. She tosses everything into the garbage and puts the bowl in the dishwasher. With that small chore completed, now what does she do? She can't sit down until she has the cushion. She can't do anymore cleaning or tidying up until she has some pain relief. She can't even right the dining chair still tipped onto its back. She can put the notebook and pen away. She picks up the notebook and is about to flip the cover closed when she notices a page has been hastily removed, the perforated paper left with an unclean edge. It was the page she wrote on this morning. Curious, she walks to the garbage receptacle and looks in. Nothing. She looks in recycling. Empty. It could only have been torn out by two people, but why? Of the two, Moreau makes more sense, but what if it was the general?
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Five stories up from where Shai stands in the kitchen playing detective, Hojo has inserted a second syringe into the injection port. As he depresses the plunger, a dark blue liquid speckled with iridescent particles travels through the tubing and flows into Sephiroth's arm. His skin has paled and his body has broken out in a fine sweat. The primary IV bag has emptied and has been replaced with a bag containing a saline solution. Team members work at their stations, typing frantically on their keyboards. Video equipment stationed at points around the examination table is turned on. When the research team has finished, they break for an extended lunch. Only Hojo remains. He walks at a leisurely pace around the exam table.
"An interesting bit of information," he begins, "the therapy I introduced into your body today would have had minimal physical effects on your system. In fact, compared to treatments in the past, this one would have been quite innocuous." Hojo stops and leans in close to Sephiroth's ear, his voice little more than a serpent's hiss.
"But you pissed me off, boy." He stands, his demeanor returning to nonchalance.
"So, as punishment for your insubordination, I have injected tomorrow's treatment into you as well."
"Bastard!" Sephiroth struggles against the restraints to no avail. His muscles are beginning to seize in painful spasms.
"Oh, don't look so mad. In a way, I have also rewarded you. You can return home a day earlier than scheduled. Of course, I am not entirely sure what condition your body will be in. I guess we shall soon see." The professor walks over to an instrument tray and picks up another syringe filled with a yellow fluid. He holds it in Sephiroth's line of sight.
"You see this? This is a serum to reduce, shall we say, the unpleasant effects of the second treatment." He places it on the exam table next to Sephiroth's hand.
"I'll just leave it right here for you." Hojo turns off the surgical lighting save for one small bulb. Sephiroth's body begins to seize so violently, the restraints draw blood. Hojo gives him one last look and walks out of the lab, locking the doors behind him. As he strolls down the hallway toward the elevator bank, his hands clasped behind his back, he lets out a little chuckle as Sephiroth releases an agonizing scream that fills the corridor.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Shai and Moreau enjoy a hearty lunch of burgers piled high with a rainbow of toppings, sides of curly-Q fries and onion rings, and diet soft drinks to wash it all down. Shai finishes her account of her night caring for the general, but reveals little when Sybelline brings up the encounter with the aides, other than it went south fairly quickly. She gives a brief description of what happened once the general intervened, and ends the story there. Sybelline decides not to pursue the subject any further lest Shai become suspicious. Instead, she reviews the instructions for the prescribed painkillers with her and makes sure the young woman takes two tablets with her food. The women part ways with a hug at the doors and a wave at the elevator. Moreau hates to leave Shai injured and alone, but she has another important person expecting her. She makes a stop at her office to hang up her lab coat, grab her purse and briefcase, and lock the door for the day. She takes the elevator to the 68th floor, and is surprised to see a squad of SOLDIERs lining both sides of the hall. Perhaps the treatment is still in progress? As she walks by them, she notices a few have a sickly white pallor while others look on the verge of breaking down. Moreau's guard goes up like hackles on a threatened animal. She goes to open the laboratory door and nearly bumps her nose into it when the handle refuses to turn. The room is locked and guarded. This is not normal nor is it protocol. She scans her ID over the card reader and opens the door.
The laboratory is dark with the exception of a single surgical lamp over the examination table. Sybelline gasps when she sees the focused beam shining down onto Sephiroth's midriff. Throwing her purse and briefcase to the floor, she shoves aside office chairs, surgical trays, and video cameras as she charges towards the exam table. Once by his side, she is quick to remove the IV catheter from his arm and examine his condition from the drenched hair on his head to his cold, bare feet. She places her hand on his forehead. No fever. He's unconscious, his body pale, trembling, and covered in sweat. His breathing is laboured. His fringe is wet and sticking to the sides of his face and neck. His lashes are bathed in tears that spill from the corners of his eyes.
"What has that demon done to you now?" she says, fully aware of the cameras recording all around her. She glowers at the restraints still secured around his wrists, ankles, and neck. She notices encrusted blood on the wide metal bands where the edges have cut into his skin. ECG leads have fallen off him and lie on the floor. There is also a syringe full of an amber liquid resting near his right hand.
"This is madness! It's barbaric!" Moreau turns and looks right at a security camera. "And I don't give a fuck if you can hear me or not!" She stomps to the double doors, opens one, and orders two SOLDIERs to enter the lab. She goes to a computer and inputs the codes to release the restraints. There's a momentary pause before the table's security system is activated, the inner components whirring as they disengage the locks and the restraints open. Dried flakes of blood slough to the table.
"You two! Please carry him to the specimen containment unit. Carefully!" As the SOLDIERs lift and transport Sephiroth to the SCU, a speaker turns on overhead and a rather irate Hojo can be heard through intermittent crackles of static.
"Sybelline! How did you get the codes to the restraints?!"
"Magic!"
"Don't mess with me, woman, or I'll-"
"Or you'll what?! Tell me! Go to President Shinra?! Who do you think authorized me to have the codes?!"
"Sybelline, I swear-"
"Let me remind you, again, that when it comes to this man, I have final say with regards to his well-being. Me, Hojo. Not you. You and your team are finished for the day. Do not come back into this lab!"
"One day, woman. One day." Static blares from the speaker before it finally clicks off.
"Always has to have the last bloody word," she mumbles as she walks over to the SCU. She thanks the SOLDIERs and tells them they are dismissed. She steps into the unit and kneels down beside Sephiroth. He's lying on his back, his head flopped to the side, fringe draped over his face from his forehead to below his nose. Sybelline takes his left hand in hers and lifts his arm to better examine the lacerations left by the restraints. She jumps when he suddenly grips her hand, a long, low moan following soon after. His chest heaves with each breath, slowing his speech.
"...hurts..."
"What hurts?" His eyes peer up at her through bands of silver.
"...everything...hurts...need syringe..."
"There was a syringe on the table next to your hand."
"...pain serum..." She gently lays his hand back on the padded floor and exits the unit. One of the SOLDIERs set the syringe on one of the surgical trays. Sybelline grabs it and an alcohol pad, and walks briskly back to the SCU.
"This would be better administered if it went through an IV."
"...any...where..."
"When you were younger, I used to give you your intramuscular shots in your gluteal muscle."
"...except...there..."
"Fine. Your vastus lateralis muscle it is." Sybelline swabs about 12 centimeters up from his knee, then, with a flick of the wrist, jabs the needle into his thigh. He takes a sharp intake of breath as she injects the entire contents of the syringe into his left leg.
"I hope this works. Goodness knows what I just injected into you." Sybelline lifts the stray fringe away from his face and lets it lie on the floor.
"Let me get you a pillow and blanket. Do you want the heat on?"
"...yes..." She goes to the cabinet and pulls out two pillows and the last two blankets. She walks over to the nearest work station and turns on the SCU's heated floor. She steps up into the unit, leaving the door wide open, and kneels back down next to Sephiroth. She has him roll on his side so she can pull his hair out from underneath him, the long strands soaked through from being pressed against his body. He lies back down and she coils it above his shoulder, making it that much easier to slip the pillow underneath his head.
"Before I cover you up, I should clean and bandage the lacerations around your wrists and ankles."
"...I'll...heal..."
"The treatments slow your cellular regeneration. Why do you think it takes you so long to recover afterwards? Do I need to bring up your fall this morning?"
"...you...do not..."
"Normally, these cuts would have healed by now."
"...I know..."
"I know you know, which is why you should let me bandage them."
"...I'm in...no...position...to argue...do as...you wish..." Almost from the moment he was born, Sephiroth's recuperative abilities have surpassed all research models. They are literally off the charts. So Sybelline finds tending to his wounds a novelty for her.
"There. Finished." She covers him with the blanket, tucking it securely around his feet.
"...thank you..." Sybelline flashes one of her signature smiles.
"You're welcome. Now, see if you can get some rest. Is the serum working?"
"...yes..."
"Excellent! I'll be back in about an hour or two. I just need to change out of my office duds and gather a few things."
"...Ok..."
"Go to sleep, if you can. I'll return soon."