Cloud x Tifa - Last Train to Brooklyn (Final Fantasy VII)

Chapter Nine - Free Ourselves From Gravity

Chapter Nine

Free Ourselves From Gravity

"Mr. Strife?"

Cloud looked up from where he had been leaning against the armrest of a plastic chair in the cardiac wing's waiting area, his chin in his hand. It was late into the afternoon two days after Claudia's surgery, and Cloud and Tifa had visited her each day, only to find that Dr. Donovan was still cautiously keeping her in a state of sedation, allowing her body to heal. Today, they had arrived earlier that morning when Donovan called to inform Cloud that he was ready to awaken Claudia again. They had been waiting all morning for clearance to finally visit her, and Cloud's nerves were bunched up and frayed all along the insides of his limbs.

Tifa had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder, her phone gripped tightly in one hand. At the sound of his name, Cloud sat up straight, gently nudging her until she opened her eyes with a yawn. She blinked, sitting up fully, and Cloud looked up to see that Donovan's surgical nurse - her name was Emilia, Cloud had learned - was standing over them with a clipboard and a smile.

"Y-yeah?" he began, and Tifa dropped her hand to his knee.

"Great news," Emilia greeted. "Your mother is awake, and she is doing quite well. You can see her now."

Cloud exhaled, and he felt Tifa's hand squeeze his knee. He pushed up to his feet slowly, his heart thundering in his chest. Tifa was close at his heels, and she took his hand in hers, looking up at him with a smile, her scarlet eyes wistful when they met. Looking down into them, Cloud felt an aura of calmness wash over him, and he nodded, walking hand in hand with her down the hall behind the nurse.

He had to admit that his heart was centered in his throat as he walked through the hallways, his palm beginning to sweat against Tifa's, the fluorescent lighting of the hospital suddenly too bright, the sounds of the doctors and nurses pushing gurneys through the halls and the beeps of equipment suddenly too loud. His mind was still clogged with fear, despite the fact that he had been given every indication that his mother's surgery went well and that she was okay. The truth of the matter was that the past week, while he had found serenity and peace in Tifa's arms, he truly hadn't been able to completely shake the worry that gripped him over his mother's condition. This anxiety continued to live inside of him no matter how hard he worked with Tifa through their brief reprieve of domestic bliss to shove it away.

They rounded a corner and were soon at Claudia's door, the nurse pushing it open, while Cloud felt like his esophagus was stuffed with cotton. His throat was suddenly stiff and dry, and he swallowed painfully, Tifa's hand squeezing his as she followed behind him, knowing the apprehension that was tearing through him.

Sunlight was streaming in thick bands from the twin windows in the room, the blinds pulled up high to let the rays in. Flowers lined the sill, colorful arrangements that Cloud guessed must have been gifted from his mother's friends and coworkers in town. Dr. Donovan was already in the room, alongside another female doctor in a white lab coat.

Cloud followed behind Nurse Emilia, who stepped out of the way, off to the side to inspect some of the equipment by Claudia's bedside. As she moved, Cloud turned and let his eyes fall to the bed in the center of the room, finding his mother sitting up, square in the midst of its blankets.

She was smiling, and her eyes were the brightest, deepest royal blue, a color he hadn't seen in so long. They were even darker than his own, and he realized that he had been separated from his mother for too many stretches of time over the course of the last six years. Watching as her lips turned up and her smile deepened, Cloud felt the pang of guilt return as he realized how long it had been since he had last seen that look on her face, and how close he had come to losing it forever.