A/N: This is the final installment of this particular meeting. I've decided not to go through all of Cloud's recovery, as that would make this a full-fledged story instead of a nice little mini-series. I hope that isn't a disappointment, but I really want to start the next episode…
Chapter Summary: Fearing for the sanity of the man he helped rescue, Denzel and Marlene decide to gang together in an attempt to reach the withdrawn Cloud Strife before it's too late. Knowing nothing of Zack and Aerith's revelation, one can only imagine their surprise when they sneak out to the terrace garden and find…
The Patient, Part 4
By Ivy Elise Tanté
Drying his hands after cleaning yet another table, Denzel Lockhart restlessly walked into the downstairs kitchen of his mother's bar, Seventh Heaven. Giving only a grunt of greeting to his adopted sister, Marlene Lockhart, he pulled out a chair at the table where she was peeling potatoes. No sooner had he sat down than he was up again, pacing back and forth over the gleaming tiles until Marlene pointed her paring knife at him and snapped, "Sit! I'm not mopping that floor again because you've scuffed it up!"
Very grudgingly he did as she ordered.
"I don't know what your problem is today, but that dishwasher needs emptying and the trash can is full enough to go out," she continued, peels flying as her nimble hands gave the potato in her grasp in one quick twirl, then tossed it into the huge bowl of water at her side and reached for another.
Grateful for something to do, Denzel leaped up and opened the door of the dishwasher, then waved his hand in front of his face when the steam boiling out nearly fogged up his eyeballs. The plates and utensils were too hot to handle right then, so he changed out the trash can liner and sprinted outside to toss the bag into the dumpster behind the bar.
When he came back inside, Marlene gave him a sympathetic look and said quietly, "I sent Aerith and Zack off earlier. He looked so…" Rubbing the side of her nose, she stopped to consider her words before continuing, "…so lost. He wasn't just sad, Denz. He looked beat up."
Collecting plates from the lower rack of the machine, Denzel gave another grunt before admitting, "He's worried about Cloud. I am, too." Shoving his armful onto the plate rack near the door, he turned and asked in a breathless rush, "Is he going to die like the others, Marlene?"
Marlene thought about it as she set down her latest and only half-peeled vegetable victim. She knew what he was thinking about - the fact that the other four SOLDIERs had ended up killing themselves when their minds snapped. The adults thought they were too young to know what really happened down there in the dark prison where ShinRa had stuck them. But with both children so determined to save Zack Fair and Cloud Strife, their mother Tifa Lockhart and her friend Aerith Gainsborough had eventually give in.
Both were terrified for Cloud's well-being since being told. And although it was nice to know what they were facing, there was a part of Marlene that wished she'd remained ignorant. Having lived in an orphanage, she and Denzel knew what it was like to feel hopelessness and despair.
Finished with the unloading, he commenced reloading the poor over-worked machine. Utensils rattled as he divided the different types into the correct baskets. "Come on, Mar. Tell me what you're thinking, cause I'm scared. All he does is sit in a corner and stare." Spinning around, he argued passionately, "He was reacting and trying to talk when I found him! I heard him say Zack's name!"
Pushing away from the table, Marlene got up and went to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I don't doubt you, Denz. But for some reason he's…" she had to pause to remember the word Dr. Rayleigh had used, "…retreated so far inside it's like he's not even here. I don't know why - he's in a safe place now." Releasing her brother, she started pacing as well, forgetting about the squeaky clean floor. "We give him plenty to eat, he's not in the dark anymore, we talk to him all the time. I just don't understand. Look at how much Zack has recovered!"
With a sigh Denzel sank to the floor and put his head in his hands. "But he has Aerith to help him. It's pretty gross, but he sure seems to like her kissing him all the time."
Indignantly, Marlene rapped out, "It's not gross! I think it's really sweet." She couldn't quite stop the giggle as she confessed, "And it really upsets the girls that come into the bar to see him."
Even Denzel -as clueless as all young boys tended to be about such matters- knew Zack loved Aerith. "He doesn't really see them. I mean, he knows they are there, but Aerith is the one that matters to him." Then he glanced up at the ceiling and asked, "Hey, where's mom? I haven't seen her since I came back from deliveries." Jumping back up, he started loading the washer again.
"Upstairs with Cloud. On the terrace, I think. Aerith's been trying to get her to take him out there, and when I told her Cloud was in the corner again…" Shaking her head, Marlene returned to the helpless tubers. Peeling another, she worried over something until she finally blurted out, "Have you noticed how mom's been acting lately?"
Blinking, Denzel looked up from where he was shoving plates in any which way he could and asked, "Huh? Mom? What are you talking about, sis?"
Chewing on her lower lip, Marlene tried to articulate what she didn't know how to say, "She's been acting weird since Zack and Cloud got here. Every time she looks at Cloud she gets all teary-eyed."
"She's worried about him, too," Denzel assured her, tongue sticking out one side of his mouth as he maneuvered another plate into a space that didn't seem big enough for a mouse, let alone a full sized diner plate.
Marlene couldn't help the grin from showing. No one, absolutely no one, could load a dishwasher quite like Denzel. "But she seems to like him so much, even if we don't know what's he's really like."
The comment caught him off guard. "You think she… likes him?" Denzel asked, wedging in a sauce dipper. "I mean, like Aerith likes Zack? In that mushy stuff kind of way?" he clarified as he adjusted and re-positioned two cups so he could slip a plastic lid between them.
Narrowing her eyes at him, she waved the paring knife and asked, "Would it bother you if she did?" Denzel wrinkled his nose, though whether it was at the question or the dishwasher she couldn't tell.
After looking over both racks carefully, he finally admitted he couldn't sandwich anything else in and closed the door after dropping in a cleaning tablet. "Only if she takes to kissing him all the time. What is it with girls and kisses?"
As she wasn't too sure about that herself, Marlene didn't address the rhetorical question. "Should we check on them?"
A glance at the clock in the kitchen had him nodding. "Yeah, I think so. Ben and Tony are covering the bar, but Lydia sure is slow about orders." Denzel and Marlene exchanged a glance over the antics of the young waitress - the only time she seemed lively was when Zack worked the tables.
Both rinsed their hands and headed upstairs, carefully avoiding the creaky third step more out of habit than design. But the door to the office was closed and they stood before it, wondering if they should venture inside or not. It wasn't a forbidden area of their living space, but Tifa didn't encourage them to just wander in whenever they wanted to, either, because of the paperwork usually littering every available surface.
Marlene finally shrugged and twisted the knob open, saying as she did, "We might as well. It's nearly time for her to start preparing for dinner, anyway. I don't know what she's planning to serve, but I figured you can't go wrong with potatoes."
The door to the office may have been closed, but the one to the terrace stood wide open, letting in the soft breeze and the lingering odor of tart grapes mingled with the sweetness of honeysuckle. Tiptoeing over, the children peeked around the door frame. Marlene couldn't stop the abrupt squeak from escaping when she saw Tifa and Cloud.
They were laying on the grass under the shade of the trees. Tifa was on her side, curled up slightly, with her head resting on… Cloud's outstretched arm. He was behind her, body fitted snugly against the curve of hers, an arm around her waist and one leg thrown over hers. Both were sleeping peacefully in the mid-afternoon warmth, small dapples of sunlight filtering through the overhead branches to leave their skin spotted with softly glowing patches.
Marlene took Denzel's hand in hers and stood staring in wonder. Because… Cloud looked so relaxed.
He normally slept all tightly balled up, arms crossed protectively over his chest with his knees drawn up to further shield himself. Even in sleep, his jaw would be clenched and his shoulders tensed. The slightest noise or movement nearby would have him jolting awake violently - possibly in shock or fear or both. And still his eyes would be so empty, almost like his body was simply functioning out of habit.
But there was no tension in his frame now. He lay holding Tifa as though she were the most precious thing in existence, his forehead resting against the back of her head. And the hand curled around her waist was tucked slightly under the hem of her shirt, his fingers spread over the bare skin of her stomach.
Both children were far too young to understand the term intimacy. But they knew how comfortable it was to be held by someone who loved you without reserve, and both responded to what lay before them.
Moving without conscious thought, wanting only to be included in the warmth he sensed in the couple sleeping on the grass, Denzel made his way over as quietly as possible before tucking himself behind Cloud, back to back with the SOLDIER. There was a sweet smile on his face when he heard Marlene curl up in front of Tifa. Why this felt so right, the four of them all cuddled together, he couldn't say.
And he didn't care if it made sense or not. The smile remained as he drifted off to sleep with the soft breeze gently fluttering his hair and the sweet scent of honeysuckle surrounding him…
-‚¬ƒ-
The sensation was like finally coming to the surface of the water long after you've accepted you're going to drown. The rush was painful and frightening - Cloud didn't want to feel anymore, longed for the black oblivion where all awareness was numbed and the world couldn't intrude. Reality was horror, filled with madness and despair.
But… the breeze over his skin was soft and fragrant, no longer reeking of enclosure and impending death. Even with his eyes closed he could tell there was light around him. The chill dampness was but an unpleasant memory under the warmth of the sun.
The change in environment was a shock his system could barely endure.
He needed to return to the darkness inside, needed to go so deep within himself that none could reach him, or hurt him, ever again. But try as he might, the light and soft air remained. Worn out from fighting against surfacing from the comforting blackness, his eyes drifted open.
The light was painfully bright to eyes no longer used to anything but the dark. Even in the shade the intensity had tears blurring his vision. The colors around him seemed garish, almost neon. And everything was moving, swaying in the breeze; nothing remained stationary. Suffering from sensory overload, he tried to curl into a ball to escape.
And the woman in his arms shifted slightly in her sleep at his movements.
Cloud's incredibly-blue eyes popped wide open in almost comical surprise. Rational thought being beyond him at the moment, there was no way to take in what he was seeing, experiencing. The fear had a soft cry slipping past his lips as his pulse thundered in his head, reverberating throughout his entire body.
But a gentle hand resting on his shoulder stopped the anxiety from becoming a full-blown panic attack. "It's okay, Cloud. You've just been asleep, that's all." The voice was young and childish, but strangely familiar and reassuring at the same time. Hadn't he heard it before?
Faint memories struggled to the surface. They came in a rush of fractured images: A boy, face pale and eyes wide with fear, still daring enough to pull him to safety. Thin arms encircling him as he was urged to drink, cool and clean water trickling past his lips to soothe his parched throat. Crying in fear for Zack, knowing he was still down in the darkness but helpless to do anything about it. Being moved past half-submerged rooms and dusty bones, through the darkness and into light and sound and voices he didn't know. Feeling the unaccustomed heat of the sun burning against his skin, that first horrifying sight of a white lab coat, the terror of needles pricking his skin.
And gentleness. Dark hair and wine red eyes. Soft touches so lovingly gentle, that soothing voice whispering so tenderly… and tears. A name floated in his mind, fluttered frantically for release. "Tifa…" it was little more than an exhaled breath.
"She's sleeping, too. She's tired from making sure you're taken care of, Cloud. See? You're holding her." Denzel leaned over the man and touched his mother's hair. "She's barely left your side during all this time."
Warmth seemed to seep into his bones, at last replacing the chill that had encased him for so long. His eyes began to drift closed again as her presence finally permeated his senses. "Light," he murmured.
Confused, Denzel didn't understand what the man was referring to. "Light? Is it too bright for you out here? There's a pair of sunglasses on the bench. I can put them on for you."
But Cloud was already sliding into sleep as the fear seemed to evaporate, leaving his body limp and relaxed…
-‚¬ƒ-
When Zack and Aerith returned to Seventh Heaven later that afternoon, they walked into bedlam. Ben and Tony had the bar going, smoothly and just as efficiently as ever, but Lydia seemed to be drifting back and forth with no discernible intentions. Although there weren't many people in the room, some of them looked a little angry at such apathetic service.
"Aerith," Zack said quietly as they lingered near the door, "will you call Janice and Yuffie and see if they will come help? I'm not sure what's going on, but Tifa obviously isn't here to keep Lydia in line, and nothing is posted on the dinner menu." So saying, he walked over to the bar and gestured towards Ben.
When he approached, Zack asked, "Is everything alright?"
Ben shook his head. "From what I understand, Tifa was really worried about Cloud and took him to the terrace garden. Then the kids were concerned when she didn't come back down and went up to check on them. They haven't returned yet, and it's been just busy enough that I can't leave Tony all by himself to head up there." He glanced over at where Lydia was listlessly taking an order. "And Lydia has been in a weird mood ever since you carted Aerith out of here earlier."
Sighing, Zack pinched the bridge of his nose to combat one of those sudden headaches he was still getting on occasion. "Okay. Aerith is calling in the reserves to get everything back on schedule. Any clue what Tifa was planning to offer tonight?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aerith take hold of Lydia's elbow and give it a shake as she spoke sharply to the younger woman.
"I'm not really sure, but there's a big bowl of peeled potatoes on the table in the kitchen. The easiest thing would be fish and chips. It's not one of her usual menu items, so it tends to go over really well when she offers it." Ben glanced back and said apologetically, "I need to get back on the stick; Tony's got some exotic mixes to make and they take time."
Zack waved him away, "Go ahead. We'll take care of the rest if you and Tony don't object." He walked over to where Aerith stood, hands on hips and glaring at the waitress. "Calm down, love of my life. As soon as Tifa walks in and sees how she's acting, there will be very entertaining hell to pay." Steering her into a corner, he repeated what Ben said. "So if you can hang on here for a couple of minutes, I'll go up and see what's going on."
"If she's missing when you get back…" Aerith started grimly.
"Have pity on the woman, Aerith. I think she's just lonely and doesn't know how to separate her personal life from her job yet." Zack ignored her disbelieving snort and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead before bounding up the stairs. He was through the office door and onto the terrace before the shock of what he was seeing really registered. Before he could say anything, Denzel's head popped up just beyond Cloud's shoulder and nodded towards the benches.
Moving quietly, he joined the kid and wordlessly asked just what was going on with a wave of his hand towards the trio still asleep on the grass.
Keeping his voice down, the boy informed him, "They were like that when we came up here. And I… that is, we… Well, I…" Helplessly flapping his hands, Denzel tried again to explain, "I don't know why we snuggled in against them, but… I… just wanted to!" The boy was blushing as he stammered a bit more. "The sun, the honeysuckle, they were sleeping, it looked so nice…"
Smiling, Zack laid his hand on Denzel's shoulder and reassured him, "I understand, I really do. That cuddle puddle looks really inviting to me as well." The contented, relaxed expression on Cloud's face was all he could really see at the moment. "Did he wake up when you settled down?"
"No, it was a while later when I felt him tense up, then he started shaking. I told him he was sleeping in case it was a nightmare. And he said mom's name, really soft." Scrunching up his face, Denzel added, "Then he said the word light, almost as quietly. I thought he was complaining about how bright the sun was and offered to get the sunglasses on the bench, but he went right back to sleep."
The whole world opened up for Zack at that moment, and the sudden release of tension and worry nearly tumbled him from the bench. When he regained his senses he found Denzel propping him up, softly whispering his name over and over. "Zack, Zack! Oh, come on, answer me! Zack!"
"It's okay, kid. Just kinda overwhelmed for a moment, there." Righting himself, he brushed a hand over his wildly spiking black hair and gave a sigh of relief as he gripped Denzel's hands. "He's gonna make it, Denz. He's still got a long and hard road to recovery ahead of him, but he's gonna make it." The violet-blue eyes were glimmering in relief, and the SOLDIER didn't seem ashamed of the tears streaking down his face.
Confused, Denzel release his hold and asked, "How do you know?"
"Because he's in love with your mom, and has been for over two years." Smiling despite the tears, Zack tried honestly to explain. "Aerith is what saved me while I was trapped down there, in the darkness. And it was a combination of a thousand things about her - the memory of her smile, that wicked giggle, the smell of her hair, those kisses that leave me feeling drugged." He had to laugh at the revulsion on the young boy's face, as well as the gagging sounds he was making. "You think it's mush now, kid, but just you wait. You'll figure it out soon enough when you hit that age."
Shaking his head fiercely, Denzel said pleadingly, "Don't tell me Cloud feels the same way about mom? About MY mom?"
"You should see your face, really. Love isn't a death sentence, you know. And yes, that is the way he feels about Tifa." Rising, he stood looking down at the couple still spooned together and said quietly, "That love will save his life. It kept him sane even in the darkness, and will give him the courage to keep on living now that he's realized his light is right here with him. That's what he meant, Denzel. His light has a name again - the darkness took that away from him, but he didn't forget her. And now his fractured mind has finally connected the two."
Denzel's only response was more gagging.
"Yeah, yeah. Spoilsport." Turning, he eyed the kid and asked, "Know how to cook fish and chips?"
The question surprised him, but he nodded. "That's really simple. Even Marlene can do that."
"Good. The crowd downstairs is getting hungry, and I don't want Tifa to wake up and find out we kept her customers waiting for their meals. It's already going to take some creative thinking to keep her from tearing strips out of Lydia's hide for the way she was treating everyone while working the tables." Crouching down, he gently woke Marlene. As she sat up and knuckled her eyes, he put a finger to his lips to indicate silence, then scooped her up. "Come on, kiddies. We've got a lot of work to do."
As he turned around and headed for the door, Denzel hovered near Cloud and Tifa while protesting in a soft tone, "It'll be dark soon. They'll get cold out here."
Zack and Marlene exchanged an amused look as he entered the office. "They'll keep each other warm. Now come on. Time's a wasting."
-‚¬ƒ-
Not five minutes after Zack and the children left, Tifa jolted awake. For a long moment she wasn't sure where she was, then the memory of pulling Cloud off the bench and onto the grass returned, causing her to carefully turn around. He lay behind her, sleeping peacefully, body curved against hers in a rather intimate manner that had her blushing. Without thought, she gently stroked a hand over the haphazard spikes of his blonde hair…
…and he mumbled very softly, "Tifa… light…" Then breathed out a sigh and finished with, "…my light…" as he rubbed the side of his cheek against her wrist. There was a faint, startlingly innocent smile on his face as he shifted a little closer to her, as though missing her warmth.
All Tifa could do was rest her forehead against his temple and weep, tears of sheer joy streaming down her face as she curled back into his embrace…
