Tifa awoke to the soft sound of rain pattering against her bedroom window. She stretched and looked around, blinking her eyes. The clock on her night table read eight thirty. Karisa had let her sleep late today.
An aching hollow feeling filled her heart as she remembered why. Her daughter wasn't here. She sank back down on her bed, staring at the rain on the window. She felt tears filling her eyes again. It looked like a rainy cold miserable day out, the perfect day to just lie in bed and cry her eyes out.
She sighed, then forced herself to get up. Much as it might feel good to just lie in bed all day feeling sorry for herself she wasn't going to do that. She wanted to get back to the hospital and see Karisa as soon as possible. Already she missed her daughter so badly she could barely stand it. Tifa wanted to spend as much time as possible with her child before... the end.
Again Tifa had to fight to keep the tears from overwhelming her. She had a feeling that wasn't going to change anytime soon.
Stiffly she walked over to her closet and gathered some fresh clothes. She had slept all night in the clothes she wore yesterday, and she felt uncomfortable and dirty. She should have known she would conk out and put on something more comfortable. Drinking always made her tired but at least she didn't have a hangover. She had drunk just enough to feel it but not enough to suffer any ill effects.
Clutching her clothes in her hands she walked out into the hallway. She peeked into the living room before entering the bathroom and was not surprised to see Reno sprawled out asleep on the couch.
She walked into the bathroom, slipped out of her clothes, and hopped into the shower. As soon as the hot water struck her she felt much better. As she let the water stream over her she shook her head, thinking about and having a hard time believing how nice Reno had been to her last night. Looking back, she thought maybe now she had been too hard on him the last few days. She had said when she first met him she was going to give him the benefit of the doubt, but now she realized that maybe she hadn't lived up to that. She had decided long ago that he was a jerk, and everyone knew a leopard couldn't change its spots. Maybe she had let her preconceived notions get the better of her. Maybe deep down inside she had just been waiting for him to screw up. Maybe she hadn't given him a fair chance.
That wasn't to say that what he had done was okay. He still couldn't go around beating up her boyfriend. It was her life to live. She hadn't been wrong about that. Still, everyone made mistakes. She's had plenty of fights with Brent and she'd forgiven him when he'd hurt her. She supposed she could do the same for Reno. The problem was she wasn't sure if he had learned anything. If they were going to be... friends he was going to have to learn to live with Brent, but she wasn't sure if they could coexist with one another.
Friends with Reno... she still could hardly believe it.
She turned off the water, dried herself off and put on her clothes. Reno was still asleep when she exited the bathroom and she had a feeling he wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon, not without a little prodding anyway. Still, there wasn't any reason to wake him just yet. She walked into the kitchen and started making breakfast. The kitchen window was right above the sink, and she could hear the rain slapping against it even above the sizzle of sausage frying. Occasionally the window would rattle with the howl of wind outside. She hadn't heard the weather, she didn't know how long the storm would last. She glanced outside and could see the wind whipping the rain through the air. The sky was a mottled gray with no break in the clouds in any direction. It didn't look like the rain would be letting up anytime soon. Seemed like they were in for an all day affair.
Well, it didn't matter all that much to her. She wasn't planning on spending too much time outside anyway.
She glanced over and Reno and saw he was still sleeping. Breakfast was almost ready. She walked over to him and poked him on the arm.
His whole body jerked and his eyes flew open. Tifa jumped herself and stepped back, just as startled as he was by his reaction.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly, her heart thudding in her chest, "I didn't mean to startle you."
Reno sat there for a moment, blinking. Then he grinned.
"Looks like I scared you as much as you scared me," he said.
Tifa nodded.
"Yeah. I didn't expect that kind of reaction. Do you want breakfast? It's almost ready."
"Sure," he said immediately. He was starved, and just the smell of the food was already making his mouth water.
She walked back into the kitchen and finished cooking. It didn't take her long. She hadn't made all that much, just what she thought Reno would want. She wasn't really all that hungry herself.
Reno stretched, then walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. He arched his back, trying to get the kinks out. His ran his hand through his hair. It was a mess. From what he could feel, an exceptionally bad case of bed head. He tried to flatten it as best he could, not all that concerned. He'd clean up after he ate. Man, was he hungry!
Tifa placed the food on the table. Reno quickly filled his plate and dug in. Tifa poured herself a glass of orange juice, then walked over to the window, looking out.
"What a miserable day," she commented.
Reno was too busy eating to reply. He wasn't too concerned about the weather either. Rain or shine, there wasn't much anyone could do about it. After a while, however, when she showed no inclination to move from her position by the window, he looked over at her.
"Aren't you going to eat?" he questioned between mouthfuls.
She just shrugged.
"I'm not very hungry."
He gave her a sour look, but didn't say anything. She was a big girl, it certainly wasn't his job to mother her. He went back to the job at hand, consuming every last scrap of food on the table, determined, apparently, to make sure none of it went to waste.
A motive that wasn't lost on Tifa. She straightened, seeing the food on the table disappearing at a prodigious rate.
"If you like, I can make some more," she offered.
"No, this is fine," he responded. "Are you sure you don't want any?"
Tifa shook her head. Eating was really the farthest thing from her mind at the moment.
When every last crumb was gone Tifa walked over and cleared off the table. Reno sat back in his chair, quite content. It wasn't often he got a decent meal like that.
"Can I use your shower?"
"Of course," Tifa replied.
She did the dishes while Reno cleaned himself up. When he came back out of the bathroom he looked presentable. He still had the same clothes he was wearing yesterday, however. Not much Tifa could do about that. She didn't have any spare clothes for a guy. Reno didn't seem to care all that much.
"I'm going to go see Karisa," she announced. "Are you going to come along?"
She wasn't sure if he wanted to go home and change.
He nodded.
"I don't have anything else to do," he said.
That reminded Tifa she had to call work and let them know what was going on. She wasn't anxious to do that. She didn't want to talk about what had happened to Karisa. She wasn't in the mood to discuss it with anyone. She would have to tell them what happened and talking about it would just bring it all back to her once again. The only way she could function right now was just not to think about it as much as possible.
It didn't matter, it was too early. No one would be at the club right now. She'd have to do it sometime during the day, however, and she wasn't looking forward to it.
She got her coat, and an umbrella. In this weather, it might be easier to take a taxi. She really didn't want to get wet, but the hospital was only a few blocks away, and she hadn't thought to call a taxi earlier. By the time one got here now, she could be there already.
They started on their way. Tifa's umbrella wasn't meant for two people, but she tried to use it to shield both of them as best she could. Reno didn't seem all that interested in using it anyway, mumbling something about real men not needing one which she didn't pay much attention to. It didn't really matter anyway. The way the wind was blowing the umbrella wasn't much protection to begin with. The rain was icy cold and by the time they reached the hospital they were both wet and uncomfortable, and taking a taxi, in retrospect, now seemed like it would have been a much better idea.
Tifa felt a little better once they got inside and she could doff her coat. They were directed to the ward where Karisa had been placed. It was a large room on the second floor. There were twelve beds in the room but only eight were occupied. They weren't exactly beds though. They were more like cribs. Each had metal slats surrounding them, running up to a crossbeam and then along the top as well, completely enclosing the child within. There was a latch on the side of each that could be swung open to gain entrance, but they were all closed. A clear plastic cover encased the metal bars, completely cutting off the child inside from contact with anyone without. To tell the truth , neither crib or bed was the word Tifa thought of when she looked at them. The word that came to mind, instead, was cage.
"Mommy!"
Karisa was in the third bed on the right. Tifa ran up to it, her hands reaching out, but were foiled by the bars and plastic separating them. She ached to hold her daughter in her arms. Denied her most intimate sense, she looked around and saw the nurse from the night before by one of the other beds nearby. Nurse... Taylor, wasn't that her name?
"Can I open this?"
The nurse looked up from what she was doing.
"I'm afraid not."
Tifa's hands fell to her sides. The walls of the room had been painted in bright colors. Most of the children had toys and stuffed animals at their bedside. The staff had obviously done everything they could to make the ward as bright and cheerful as possible, yet still it looked to Tifa like Karisa was an animal trapped in a cage.
"Does she have to stay in there?" she pleaded.
Nurse Taylor walked over to her.
"I'm sorry but yes," she said sympathetically. "It's for her own safety and the safety of the other patients and visitors. If she tried to get out of there she could fall and hurt herself, and we can't let her wander around, she does have a contagious disease."
"But can't I just hold her? Just for a minute? Adults can't get the disease, can they?"
"No, no adult has ever gotten it, but that doesn't mean you can't pass it on to someone else without getting sick yourself. We just don't know enough about it."
"I just want to hold her hand for a second," Tifa said, not willing to give up.
"I'm sorry," the nurse repeated. "It's against hospital policy, and for good reason. You don't want to spread this disease to someone else, do you?"
"Oh give her a break," Reno intervened. "Who's she going to spread it to? The only other people in the ward are adults or kids who already have it."
The nurse did not look convinced.
"C'mon," Reno cajoled. "She was with the kid all day yesterday. If she was going to be contaminated she would be already. Letting her hold the kid's hand for a minute isn't going to do any more harm."
Nurse Taylor didn't reply, but it was obvious from the way she hesitated that Reno was making inroads. She looked around. Another nurse stood near a desk at the other end of the room, but she was occupied with something else.
"This is so against the rules," she finally said. "Look, you can open it here, using this zipper. I'm going to go get some supplies. I'll be gone about three minutes. When I get back this better be closed. Whatever you do, do not take her out. You can reach in, but that's all. Understand?"
"Yes, thank you," Tifa replied gratefully.
"All right then. And if anyone asks, this never happened."
She walked away without waiting for a response. Tifa waited until she was out of sight, then quickly pulled down the zipper she had indicated. A moment later she reached in and pulled Karisa into her arms.
The day passed slowly yet entirely too quickly for Tifa. Due to the circumstances every moment she spent with her daughter was precious, and she wanted each day to last an eternity. Yet the hands on the clock on the wall marched on, as they inexorably must. By late afternoon Reno began to get fidgety, not to mention hungry. Eventually he convinced Tifa to take a walk with him down to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat.
The cafeteria was on the first floor, not far from the emergency room entrance. The entire east wall was made of glass. Tifa had almost forgotten the weather, but from here they could see the storm was raging outside unabated.
The cafeteria wasn't crowded. It didn't take long for Reno to get the cheeseburger he ordered. Tifa was already at the table when he sat down, a cup of coffee in front of her.
"Is that all you're having?" he questioned.
Tifa nodded, taking a sip.
"I told you, I'm not hungry."
"Yeah, and you told me that this morning. It's now late afternoon. Hours later."
She just looked at him for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders slightly.
"I guess I'm just not in the mood to eat."
Her gave her an appraising look.
"Okay, okay, I'm not your mother or anything here. You're a big girl. You can decide for yourself what you want to do. There have been plenty of days where I lived on candy bars and cigarettes and lived to tell about it. Just don't get carried away, all right? You're not going to help your daughter by getting sick yourself."
Before last night she would have considered him saying something like that totally uncharacteristic of Reno. To be concerned about someone other than himself had seemed beyond his emotional capability.
"You telling me to eat right?" she said wryly. "That's a switch."
Reno didn't say anything but a peculiar expression crossed his face. He had to admit she was right, that was a rather odd for him to say. Why the hell was he so concerned about her all of a sudden? What had gotten into him?
All right, so things had gotten tough for her with the kid and all, but still, he'd seen shit like this before. It wasn't anything new. He'd lived in the slums of Midgar, where everyone had some kind of sob story. He'd heard it all and seen it all before and he'd never let it bother him. So what was different about this? Why was he getting all touchy feely all of a sudden?
Sure, part of it was an act. It had been all along. She was a woman, and a beautiful one at that, and it was only natural for him to try to charm her. After all, it was what he did, right? And he had to admit that what happened to her kid had given him the perfect opportunity to get in her good graces. Ordinarily he would he proud of himself, he was playing her perfectly and she was falling for it hook line and sinker. Even so, telling her to watch what she was eating seemed a bit over the top. He'd certainly never said anything like that to any of the other girls he'd met. So what exactly was it he was trying to accomplish here?
He wasn't sure. He had been playing her yes, but he hadn't been playing her last night. No matter how much he tried to deny it he had really felt for her then, and he had to admit that scared the hell out of him. He hadn't felt like that in a long long time.
He didn't know how to reply, so he said nothing, and instead concentrated on finishing up the burger in front of him. Tifa fell silent too, not really able to think of anything to say, contenting herself with just watching the rain striking the glass windows and running down them in little rivulets.
Eventually, when he had finished the last of his burger, he looked at her again.
"Well, I guess I better get going," he said slowly.
She turned toward him, something flickering across her face. He was looking at her closely. He was keenly interested in how she would react to their parting. He realized they had been together ever since Tifa had found out about Karisa. Would she be surprised at the suggestion? Did she want him to stay?
He couldn't read exactly what it was he saw there, however.
"I have some things I have to take care of," he continued, sounding slightly apologetic.
Whatever thoughts were going through her head, she composed herself quickly.
"Of course," she said. "I didn't mean to keep you from anything."
"You're not keeping me from anything," he said quickly, more quickly than he had intended. "I just gotta get home and get a change of clothes and get cleaned up and well... you know," he finished awkwardly.
"No, no, go right ahead," she replied. "I can't expect you to hang around with me all day long."
They fell silent, just looking at each other, neither one of them moving to get up. Reno felt something more should be said, but he couldn't think of anything to add. He looked at her again, then finally shrugged and forced himself to his feet. As soon as he stood up she did the same.
"Are you going to be all right?" he asked.
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes, thank you. How about you though? It's still storming out and you don't even have an umbrella."
Sheesh, her kid was dying, her life was a mess, and she was worried about him getting wet? Was she some piece of work, or what?
"I'll be fine."
Again they just looked at one another. Feeling vaguely uncomfortable, Reno finally turned and started to walk away.
"Reno."
He looked back. She hadn't moved. She stood there for a moment just looking at him. He began to feel impatient. Did she have anything at all to say?
"Are you going to come by tomorrow?"
Reno didn't show it, but that did surprise him. All this time she had been trying to make him stay away from her, to get him to leave her alone. This was the first time she had ever invited him back. Looked like things really had changed.
"Yeah, sure," he replied, then turned and walked away.
There was an overhang over the entrance where he left the hospital. He stopped as soon as he walked out the door. Digging in his pocket, he pulled out a cigarette and quickly lit it, slipping it into his mouth and inhaling deeply with a need that only the addicted felt. He had been dying for a cigarette all day long, but he knew if he lit one up in the hospital he'd be tossed out on his ear before he could even blink. Used to be a man could light up a cigarette anywhere he pleased, nowadays it was nearly impossible to smoke indoors anywhere. For someone who considered cigarettes one of the few enjoyments in life, it was a difficult adjustment to make.
The wind howled, blowing the rain under the overhang in gusts. Except for the fact that it made it difficult to light his cigarette, he didn't care. He stayed there only long enough to finish the cigarette, then walked out into the rain. It was as cold as before, and if anything the wind was blowing even stronger, so much so the rain seemed to be moving more horizontally than vertically. It stung his face when it hit him, but pulling up his collar a bit was the only concession he made to it. He almost had to laugh, looking at the people scurrying to or from their cars in the parking lot, going to great lengths to try to keep dry. It was only water, it wasn't going to kill them. They were so pathetic. He didn't mind the wind whipping through his hair, of the sting of the drops on his face. In fact, he welcomed it. It just made him feel more alive.
By the time he got home, of course, he was drenched. A quick shower and a change of clothes, however, made him feel like a new man. He had planned on looking for a job today. Not exactly the most exciting thing in the world to do, but unfortunately necessary. He opened up his wallet and counted his gil. Enough to last him a day or two more, but that was it. He'd have to go to the bank and make a withdrawal after that, and deposit that severance pay check. Even so, it wasn't like he had much savings to begin with. He'd lost everything when Shinra went down, and since he'd been blacklisted the jobs he could find hadn't exactly paid all that well. He'd been making barely enough to get by, and putting more than a few gil away per month had been impossible. He wasn't exactly sure how much he had in his savings but it wasn't going to last him very long. If he didn't find another job real soon he'd be in deep shit.
Still, after what had happened, he had something else he wanted to do today. Job hunting could wait. He hadn't worried about what was going to happen in the future up to this point and he wasn't about to start now. Besides, job hunting was boring anyway.
His coat was still soaked from the walk from the hospital. He couldn't really wear it again until it dried. Hunting through his closet, all he could find was a light navy blue windbreaker. The jacket might protect him from the rain but wouldn't be much use against the cold. Still, it would have to do. He didn't have anything else and he didn't have far to go anyway. Rude's apartment was only three blocks away. Thus equipped he ventured out into the rain once more, making his way more cautiously this time. On his way home it didn't matter how wet he got since he knew he had a change of clothes available when he reached his destination. He would have no such luxury this time, and he didn't want to hang around at Rude's place soaking wet for however long this took. Fortunately the streets in this area were lined mostly with shops, and almost all of them had some kind of overhang or awning in front of the store that offered him at least a modicum of shelter as he traveled. That, combined with the fact that the rain seemed to finally be starting to let up a bit, meant that he was reasonably dry upon reaching his destination.
Rude's flat was on the second floor of a small apartment building wedged into a corner between a Laundromat and a kosher delicatessen. It had six floors and was the tallest building on the block. It was also newer than the one Reno lived in and in considerably better condition.
Reno took the elevator up to the second floor and then used his key to let himself into Rude's apartment. The place was empty, as he had expected. It was getting on to almost five o'clock now and Rude would already be at work. He slipped off his jacket and hung it up. He wasn't all that wet but his hands were ice cold and he was shivering. There was a computer on a small stand beside Rude's television. Reno walked over and flicked it on, then headed into the kitchen and, as he had hoped, saw there was still some coffee in Rude's coffee pot. It was shut off, but the coffee was still warm. Not warm enough, however. He popped it into the microwave for a minute, until it was steaming, then drank it down black.
He poured himself another, then walked back into the living room and sat down in front of the computer, which had now booted up. Placing the coffee on the table beside the keyboard, he logged onto an internet search engine and typed in the words Meteor Fever.
Two hundred and eleven thousand matches. Hmm, well, he'd had a feeling this was going to take some time.
Three hours later he finished off his fifth cup of coffee and rubbed his eyes. He'd barely made a dent in all the websites related to Meteor Fever, but even so he'd learned a hell of a lot more than he knew before. He put down the coffee cup and pulled all the relevant data he'd printed out off the printer. Sitting back in his chair he looked over what he had so far.
METEOR FEVER
Cause and Incidence:
Meteor Fever occurs in about 10 of every 100,000 people, with the incidence on the rise. It affects both genders equally and only seems to infect prepubescent children under the age of twelve. The cause of MF is unknown, but it is suspected to be a virus similar to that which causes most common flus. The first case occurred in Junon almost a year after meteor destroyed Midgar. Within the next few months dozens more cases began to be reported in major population centers around the world, with the most cases centered in Junon, Kalm and Gongaga. It was soon noticed that all the children that initially came down with the disease had lived in Midgar and been evacuated from that city when Meteor had struck. The disease got it's common name because of this connection. Form of transmission is unknown at this time but it is suspected to be air born since even incidental contact with those infected can produce the disease. Infectivity is considered high. Since the initial infection the disease has spread worldwide and is considered a serious threat.
Signs and symptoms:
Following an incubation period of 24 to 48 hours, the first signs of MF are similar to a bad cold or flu. Sudden onset of chills, temperature of 101 to 104 degrees F (38.5 to 40 degrees C), headache, and malaise are common. A non productive cough, laryngitis, hoarseness, conjunctivitis and rhinitis are occasionally seen as well. These symptoms usually last for approximately a week, and during that time it might even appear that the patient is improving, but soon more serious symptoms inevitably begin to be seen. Coughing accompanied by bloody sputum, severe sore throat, shaking chills and growing unresponsiveness are common during the second week. Fevers tends to increase in frequency and acuity and breathing becomes labored. By the end of the second week, most patients have lapsed into a coma which leads inevitably to respiratory failure and death by the end of the third week.
Diagnosis:
There is no definitive diagnosis for MF yet because the causative agent has yet to be identified. Diagnosis is based on symptoms and characteristic clinical history
Treatment and nursing intervention:
MF has no known cure, treatment is supportive, protective and symptomatic. Supportive treatment can include oxygen therapy given to reduce hypoxemia, mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure, a high calorie diet and adequate fluid intake, bed rest and an analgesic to relieve pain. Isolation is absolutely necessary in order to contain the spread of the disease.
It didn't seem like much for all the time Reno has spent looking, but that was the thing about this disease, apparently no one knew a great deal about it. It had been around for over three years now and they still didn't even know what caused it. You think they'd at least know that after all this time.
Satisfied that he had learned all he could for the moment he shut the computer off. He put on his coat, gathered up the print outs, and headed back home. Night had fallen when he stepped outside. It was colder than ever, but at least the rain had finally stopped. Lighting up another cigarette as he walked, he quickly made his way down the street back to his own apartment.