Lost in the constant darkness

[Squall Leonhart]

Open to: Anyone who knows Squall - aka Seifer, Rinoa etc

Squall's teal blue eyes were still covered by closed lids. The good staff at Gaia Gardens infirmary had tended to his wounds as best as possible. Who knew though if he'd recover from the length of time he'd been in such a deep coma. They kept him alive through life support only, tubes hooked into his body. A low constant even beep from the monitor and the slight rise and fall of his chest with the aide of the ventilator the only signs of life the brunette was showing.

He'd been like this since Seifer had brought him in. Although physically he could come out from his coma he wasn't. It was something that had puzzled the doctors. Also it had worried them. They'd had to remove a leg - it had now been replaced by a temporary false one. Ideally to have the best chances of them making a fully working replacement leg - after all he'd lost it above the knee - they'd need to work on it soon so they could link it where needed into the nervous system to allow him to keep the natural movement.

Unknowing of any of this though Squall had stayed in his coma for many nights, fed only by an iv drip. He had no knowledge of time in the safety of the darkness that encapsulated him.

[Rinoa Heartilly]

Outside the infirmary, it was mostly silent. An awkward, natural silence broken by just the keys of a computer being tapped at. A silence soon broken by an angry yell.
"What do you MEAN he's in a coma?!"
Dark brown eyes glared up into the eyes of a doctor far taller than her, fire burning in their depths as Rinoa Heartilly stared the surgeon down, daring him to repeat his sentence. Her tolerance for just about anything was at a breaking point.

She had been travelling for just over fourteen days solid, walking from Balamb Garden to Gaia. It had taken her a while to find out where Squall was (after discovering that he was still alive), and even longer to find Gaia Garden itself. She had figured that it was nearly impossible to get to by car alone, and so had opted to walk most of the way.
Rinoa was exhausted; her feet hurt and she was hungry. She needed a decent sleep.

What she did not need, was some idiot doctor telling her that Squall was in a coma. She cursed internally - she knew that she shouldn't have left him to fight those T-Rexaurs alone. She'd had a bad feeling, a hunch that something might go drastically wrong, and her hunches were usually right.
"I've gotta see him." She told the surgeon confidently, forcing back a yawn.

He looked her up and down, this odd, loud young woman. Her eyes screamed 'don't try me', and it was clear that she was very serious about wanting to see the patient.
She pushed open the door without waiting for his confirmation, near on rushing into the room. She stopped dead when she saw the body on the bed, moving slower now as she approached, her expression soft.

"Squall...what's happened to you?" She whispered, standing a few feet away. She was too scared to go any closer, although she didn't quite know why.

For: Squall
Status: Completed
Music: Holding Out For A Hero - Bonnie Tyler

[Edwin Faye]

Edwin was by his office in the infirmary, the only one actually, checking the records of the current patients and quietly tapping away. He wore a white doctor's vest, and long black sleeves, black glasses as well though without a hat, and long black pants with neat simple loafers. The most recent patient worried him, being in a coma like that even though he had done his best in the surgical unit to provide the best care. Yet now even though physically possible, Squall - the patient in subject - had not yet awakened.

Reviewing the report he had the other doctors to write on Squall for perhaps the hundredth time, Edwin came to the same conclusion that Squall had retreated into a haven within as the check ups have shown that he was in no way at the moment feeling agitated or stressed. Which could have been a different mental stress, such as trauma or remaining in a torturous trance of horror. In a way, Edwin was glad it was the former, though the former presented more problems.

Just as he was thinking of a way to draw Squall out of his coma, he heard an angry yell, getting up then quietly, heading out of his office to see what the commotion was about. Seeing the distraught woman, Edwin hastened his steps though with a declaration, the woman had simply brushed past him without any recognition. It wasn't so much as a sudden stab to his heart as it was a crack of ice within, blinking as he was caught off guard by it, breathing slightly harder. Such symptoms have been increasing lately, making him wonder if he had coronary problems, the stark reality of being unable to be noticed leaving him feeling like there was wind blowing within a chasm within him.

Edwin brushed his personal problems aside, following after her hearing her whisper, placing a hand gently by her elbow, offering the little comfort he can.

[Squall Leonhart]

Squall's fingers gave the lightest twitch. Maybe it was co-incidental with hearing Rinoa's voice. But that was more then likely able to be ruled out. Maybe he'd 'decided' to wake up by himself. From the comforting darkness. It was a tentative move. One that was wracked with 'should I go further or not'. Indeed there was no promise that he would wake up.

But there was a chance.

[Seifer Almasy]

Seifer shifted uncomfortably as he walked into the room. Soft blue gaze was slightly shadowed over from lack of sleep. Since bringing Squall in, Seifer had made sure he had the proper care. He had put off going to see Squall, hating to see someone he cared about so deeply like that. His heart twinged, and he came into the room, seeing Rinoa,he nodded once to her, and sat down on the edge of Squall's bed. He took off his gloves. Stuffing them in his left pocket, he gently touched Squall's hand, wanting him to come back soon. Seifer hadn't told anyone, but he had a severe crush on Squall, and, he dare not let anyone know about it. However, the gentle look in Seifer's gaze gave it away, and the way he softly stroked Squall's hand.

"...Come back to us soon Squall.." Seifer murmured in Squall's ear, not daring to leave lest he miss Squall waking up. It hurt...like a knife plunging into his very soul. He was deeply concerned that Squall wouldn't wake up. "...We need you...I need you.." He whispered in the brunette's ear.

[Squall Leonhart]

Squall reacted stronger to Seifers voice. Not a visible awakening but instead a more noticeable movement of just some of his fingers. A slight tilt of his head. A flicker of movements from behind his still closed eyelids. All the same a hope for those who he was unknowing of being there with him.

He could see the darkness receding. There was a light ahead of him. The tunnel where he'd hidden away from for so long was opening up. The coma was letting him out of its grasp. Slowly but surely he was coming back awake and out of the chains that had held him in that constant sleep for so long.

The machines were showing the change as well, the heart rate that had stayed so slow and weak picking up as he started to awaken to his more natural resting heartbeat.

[Rinoa Heartilly]

Although she heard somebody else enter, Rinoa did not turn. She was too focussed on the body in front of her, the person she couldn't quite believe was Squall. She felt a gentle touch at her elbow, and turned. A guy in a doctor's coat stood there - not the same person whom she had yelled at last time, thank Hyne. Her lips twitched up in a brief smile, acknowledging his presence, before returning her eyes to Squall.

Then Seifer entered, and Rinoa knew that she needed to take a step back, just from the blonde mans presence. He was a big guy, bigger and burlier than Squall and herself, but she knew he could be gentle. And he was proving it now, as he sat down on Squall's bed. At his look, she smiled reassuringly at him, trying to convey what she felt; she knew that Squall would wake up.

Eyebrows shot up into her fringe as Seifer took Squall's hand. So there was something going on between them - she had suspected after her and Squall's last conversation, but it had never been confirmed to her.
She frowned, keeping her eyes fixed on Squall's face, willing him to wake up. She felt so useless; she had all the powers of three sorceresses combined, and yet she couldn't pull somebody out of a coma.

His eyes flickered momentarily behind his lids, and Rinoa couldn't stop herself from leaning across to him.
"He's coming to!"

[Seifer Almasy]

Seifer glanced up at Rinoa's voice and merely nodded "...That he is..." He said quietly and dropped his gaze to rest upon Squall's features. He bent his head down and breathed gently on Squall's neck, whispering in his ear.

"...Hurry and come back Squall.." Seifer whispered "...You've been asleep too long..." His grip tightened upon Squall's hand "...I want to look in your eyes again...I want to be with you Squall...You wouldn't believe how hard it is for me to see you like this...." Still whispering in Squall's ear, he continued saying things like this. It was his heart speaking, desperately reaching out for the one that had melted the ice around his heart.

[Edwin Faye]

Edwin nodded to the lady's acknowledgment, feeling more soothed by it than perhaps he had done for her, stepping aside after when another man came in. At least they weren't disturbing the other patients, and it seemed that these two were close to Squall. If anyone could pull him out of coma, perhaps its these two, Edwin thought to himself.

It only took a short while for Edwin's thought to prove himself right, from seeing the twitch of fingers to the more active response from the comatose patient. Stepping silently without even a scuff towards the machinery, taking up Squall's patient's writing board and removing the pen from his side pocket to jot down what was needed. Then he proceeded to work in the back ground, checking that the IV was just alright, not calling in the nurses, knowing that they who could not erase their presence enough would just disturb the atmosphere and take up space in the one-patient ward. Besides, the number of guests were the number of nurses allowed into the ward and it would be unwise to chase them away just when they proved so effective to Squall's recovery.

Edwin thought about the medical prescriptions he should get for Squall, studying the information on the writing board.

[Squall Leonhart]

After a few more hours Squalls teal blue eyes showed just the hint through beneath the still lowered lashes. All of a sudden he let his eyelids fall fully open. At first his eyes were unfocused. As he looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings once they'd focused though he was clearly confused. A frown marred the face that had remained so smooth during the deep coma he'd been in.

A hesitant cracked voice tried to speak, but the throat was too dry to support such an attempt. He didn't recognize his surroundings though. Where was he? He had no recollection even of such a place. Though it did seem remotely familiar.... but... at the same instant unfamiliar. Should he know where he was or shouldn't he?

Seifer.... he knew that face.... what was Seifer doing here? What had happened with the T-Rexaurs? He struggled to sit up to try and get to his feet... oh...

[Zell]

The otherwise silent infirmary would get a few shouting people now, nurses wheeling in Zell after a few students found him in the training room unconscious and bleeding quite badly. Among the bleeding, his jaws was dislocated, his nose was broken, his left shoulder was dislocated, right wrist was broken, bite marks and scratches on various parts of his body, five broken ribs and a sprained left ankle. Yup, He was quite a mess when he was brought in, the nurses all chatting to each other for the tools they would need to patch him up as quickly as they could, one of them a bit worried with how pale he had gotten since they got into the infirmary.

He didn't make any movements on his own will, only moving in ways the nurses would move him, the machines he was being hooked up to would tell that he was still alive but things weren't looking too well at the moment. The students who found him were hurried out, told to go back to their own business and to come back later to check on him.

[Squall Leonhart]

Squall looked around hearing the chattering of nurses before he groaned seeing Zell. If he could have done he would have been over to see he was all right. After all he had been in his party. What sort of leader had he been if Zell had gotten injured. Even though the effort was futile he tried to get up and get out of bed. The machines held him back and he gave a growl of fustration.

A frown was showing on his face wanting to know how he was. Would he rest until he found out.... the answer was.. no. He might have had the role of leadership thrown onto him but be damned if he wasn't going to at least live up to his duties.

His blue eyes turned to Seifer and Rinoa asking them to help him. Especially Rinoa She'd always complained at him for not showing enough support towards other people in his team.

[Seifer Almasy]

Seifer rolled his eyes seeing a battered and beat up chickenwuss being rolled in. Raising an inquisitive eyebrow, he turned back to Squall, looking at him "You ain't goin' anywhere " He said quietly to his rival, a frown appearing on his features. "Not till the nurse says so anyways" He shrugged. "Looks like the kid got himself into some nasty trouble." He got off the edge of the bed, looking at Zell "Damn..he's in worse shape than you Leonhart.." He straightened up and sat on a chair beside Squall's bed. "I hate to say this..but I hope the kid's gonna be alright.." He muttered under his breath, so no one could really hear him. So maybe Seifer was worried about Zell, though, he dare not show it, to keep up his reputation. Though, that had nearly been squashed when he had let his emotions show for Squall. Shaking his head, his gaze hardened and he looked at the opposite wall, falling silent.

[Edwin Faye]

Edwin was by Squall's side, checking on him and his eyes when he'd came back to while remaining inconspicuous, hearing that cracked speech. By his side, he poured some water, just a little, for a couple of mouthfuls, into a glass. Leaving that for a moment, Edwin was just about to help Squall sit up when they wheeled in Zell, becoming concerned and alert almost immediately. For a moment he was tempted to leave Squall and head over immediately to check on Zell and make sure those doctors are doing alright with him. Sometimes they're still new to certain kinds of wounds and make careless mistakes about the care, even though they had studied well enough in theory.

Then Squall tried to get up, drawing back Edwin's attention, a hand discreetly on Squall's shoulder pressing him back down so that he wouldn't pull the attachments to the machines further, knowing his presence would not be so easily sensed. He then helped Squall sit up, adjusting the foldable bed's settings, his hand still on Squall's shoulder where it wasn't wounded gently. After he was sure Squall was comfortably reclining, he leaned in close. "Do not worry, we'd do our best to make sure he's alright and support him. Rest for now so you'd get better soon enough to go check on him." Edwin suggested quietly, soft enough to be heard just between him and Squall. Edwin then took the glass of water and tried to help Squall drink, holding it by his lips.

He hoped to be done with Squall soon enough to go check on Zell too though, motioning to a nurse to go get the details and report to him.

[Squall Leonhart]

Squall took a few drinks from the offered glass looking up at the doctor who'd pushed him down steely eyed determined. "He's a part of the SeeD party I was given duty to lead. Its my responsibility if anythings happened to him," he muttered. "I shoulda been there to help him fight, not stuck here for who knows how long. Wherever here is" he finished. His eyes were still trying to find something familiar besides Rinoa, Seifer and Zell.