They stood in the infirmary once again, not speaking, just waiting. Waiting for Doctor Kadowaki to tell them. To tell them anything.
We’ve done this a lot lately, Seifer thought, his hand holding Quistis’ in a death grip. Waited, not talked. Have we changed so much? Quistis turned her head and their eyes met.
How many more people are going to die in place of me? the blue eyes asked.
None, if I have anything to say about it, the green eyes responded. But neither said a word. She nodded ever so slightly and returned her gaze to the floor. Seifer let the reassurance fade from his eyes and scanned the room. Who was next?
The curtain slid open and Doctor Kadowaki walked out, closing the curtain behind her. Immediately everyone stood, attention focused on her. She sighed, closing her eyes and bowing her head. Then she looked up. “He’ll live. Luckily. But he’s very weak. He lost too much blood.”
“Cause?” the Commander demanded, gray eyes boring into old brown ones. The question hung in the air, a question about a friend. But it was the Commander who asked, not Squall, turning it into a question of work capability, a question of a superior about an employee. A question that could ruin lives.
Doctor Kadowaki rubbed her eyes and sighed again. She swallowed and looked around. They might as well have been her children, including the one in the hospital bed. Sometimes she hated her job. “Suicide.” Hating the look in the eyes of the Commander, but knowing the expression covered Squall’s, she turned and left the room.
All hell broke loose among the group. Lila burst into tears and Ari started towards her, ready to comfort, but Seifer blocked her path with the comment that no one needed to become more upset at the hands of a psychopathic flamingo. Ari, not in the mood, proceeded to tell him exactly what she thought of him in a very shrill voice with Seifer mocking her every step of the way. Quistis and Selphie jumped in the middle to try and break the argument up and more voices joined the chorus. Attached to Squall’s arm was Rinoa, pleading for him to think about what Zell had gone through and not decide yet. She became upset at the lack of response, resulting in a loud chant of “MEANIE” to be heard amongst the other noise.
A gunshot echoed through the room, and everyone stopped mid-cry and turned toward the source. Doctor Kadowaki had rules about weapons in the infirmary. Not that Irvine cared at the moment. Indigo eyes blazed beneath the brim of his ever-present cowboy hat, and he lowered Exeter, spun it around his finger once, and returned it to his holster.
“Are you all insane?!” His normally laid-back drawl changed to an angry almost yell. “Zell is in there, barely alive, and ya’ll are out here bitching about petty things! There are more important things going on than your problems with other people in this room! Have you no shame?!” Irvine brushed auburn hair out of his face and pointed at Seifer and Ari. “If ya’ll don’t like each other, stay out of each other’s way and do us all a favor by saving it! Quisty and Sefie, don’t get involved, let them kill each other if they want. Might do them some good.” His gaze swung to the ebony-haired sorceress. “Rinoa, stop with the “meanie” crap, it makes you sound like a junior cadet, and Squall, stop ignoring your girlfriend!” The cowboy shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. “Hyne. I’m going to see how Zell is. When ya’ll grow up, why don’t you join me?” So saying, he turned on the heel of his boot and disappeared behind the curtain.
Selphie let go of Ari and stared at the floor, obviously ashamed. Ari stubbed her toe against the ground, and Seifer shrugged off Quistis’ hands, sneering at the pink-haired girl. Sniffling, Lila wiped her eyes and slid into the room behind Irvine and Squall watched her impassively, while Rinoa murmured an apology.
“Doctor Kadowaki, I need to speak with you. In private,” he said suddenly and waited for the doctor to precede him out of the room. With a nod, he shut the door behind him, leaving the others to stare at each other. Rather than wait, they followed Irvine into the room, crowding around the blonde martial artist’s bed.
Lila sat on one corner, careful not to touch him, but her hazel eyes never left his face.
His blonde hair hung around his face, unspiked, and the black tattoo made his pale face look even paler. His eyes were closed, and the purple veins were easily visible through the translucent skin. Lips were crusted with a bit of blood and his breaths came in shallow gasps, very difficult to listen to. Beneath the sleeves of his hospital gown, bandages wrapped from his elbows all the way down to just below his fingertips. Blood had soaked most of the white tape, and the sheets beneath him, but it wasn’t completely fresh, so the wounds had stopped bleeding. An oxygen mask covered his nose, a tube running to the machine by his bedside.
No one spoke, just looked at their weak friend, helpless, bedridden. Silent, yet thankful tears slid down most cheeks, and the sound of the infirmary door opening was a reason for most to gratefully escape the depressingly real room. Only Irvine, Lila and Ari remained behind.
The doctor had been crying. It was the first thing everyone noticed, though she’d attempted to hide it. Commander Leonhart stood next to her, not looking at his subordinates. There was a long silence.
“Well?” Seifer finally demanded.
“Due to questionable mental health and state, SeeD Zell Dincht is removed from active duty and stripped of the title SeeD.”
That announcement was met with matching glares mixed with disbelief. Rinoa moved first, walking up to Squall and slapping him, staring at him hard with tears in her eyes, then stalking out of the room. The sunny Selphie ran after her, after sending him a withering look. Quistis stared at him and walked up to him. She searched his eyes for a moment, before shaking her head and exiting the room.
Seifer strode toward him last, stopping only a few feet away from him. A feeling of mutual understanding passed between them, and Seifer saluted. “Commander.”
“SeeD Almasy.”
Seifer lowered his hand. “Squall.”
“Seifer.”
The blonde man smirked. “Understood, Puberty Boy.” And he walked out, leaving Squall to visit the unconscious martial artist.