Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ My Happy Ending ❯ What's Going On? ( Chapter 37 )

Chapter 37: What's Going On?

 

“Sometimes all I really want to feel is love,
Sometimes I'm angry that I feel so angry,
Sometimes my feelings get in the way.
Of what I really feel I needed to say.”

-Modest Mouse “Edit the Sad Parts”

 

Cid picked up his cell phone and checked his messages one more time - still nothing from Raye. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before picking up his tools and putting them in the box. He was finished with the engine room and now made his way down a narrow corridor. It had been two weeks since Raye had kissed him out on the observation deck, and he was beginning to worry. Was she avoiding him? Had she freaked out again?

Cid sighed and put his tools down near the door of the main bridge. He decided that he would come back and work on the main bridge controls after lunch. He went down to the diner that he and Raye had eaten at and sat down at the very table they had shared. For the past week, Cid had collected his things back in Rocket Town as well as Captain, and he'd been living in a WRO-funded apartment in order to be closer to his beloved ships. Besides, now that the Tiny Bronco was finished, he decided that it would be far more economical to stay in Junon during the week and fly back in the Tiny Bronco on the weekends.

The waitress put Cid's plate down and poured him some more iced tea. As she walked away, Cid took a bite of his sandwich and gazed out the window at the passersby, his thoughts turning heavily on Raye. She had mentioned that few weeks before that one of the boys had been acting like he was getting sick, but though she thought he would be fine, Cid couldn't help but wonder if perhaps the opposite had come true, that Mark was ill and Raye simply had not been able to call him to tell him the situation. Or was she avoiding calling him because of the fact that she'd kissed him?

He pushed his hands through his dirty blond hair. He was worried. In fact, he'd been worried about her for a week, and of all the things Cid had faced in his lifetime, including his adventures with Avalanche, he'd never turned tail on anything. But calling Raye was something he could not help second guessing himself on. In fact, it scared him even more than the thought of facing Sephiroth. Would she be angry for checking on her?

He finished his lunch, paid his bill, and sat for a moment at the table thinking. Finally, he decided that it was now or nothing. His father had always said it was easier to ask for forgiveness than it was permission, and with that in mind, Cid rose from his table and left.

Forgetting his work in the shipyard, he jumped into his old pickup truck and started it up.

“Hey, Captain, where you going?” one of his workers asked.

“None `o yer business,” Cid told him as he pushed the accelerator and sped off.

Raye sat at the counter of the shop and filled out some parts orders. She paused to rub her tired eyes before going back to her work. The door opened, and she looked up to see Cid casually strolling in. She let out a shaky breath, her mind flitting back to that night in Junon when she…

She couldn't even finish the thought as she spoke. “Cid…”

He leaned on the counter, but there was no smirk or playful gleam in his eyes. He seemed rather mellow toward her as he looked at her with a concerned expression.

“Forget about me?” he asked.

Raye sighed and blinked weakly. She was too tired to fight with him. “No, I've just been covered up.”

Cid was about to speak, but he noticed that something was terribly different about Raye; she looked tired, as though she hadn't slept in a fortnight. Her face was solemn and unemotional, and she offered no fight or even a smart assed remark.

“You look tired,” he said. “Have you not been sleepin' or somethin'?”

“Only when I can,” Raye responded. She stood up and began fiddling with a bad part on the table behind her. “Look…I've just been busy. Sorry to keep you out of the loop, but…it's nothing to concern yourself with.”

“Bullshit, Raye,” Cid responded. “I've every right to be concerned and come a' checkin' on you. You won't return my calls, you won't come down to Junon, and either something happened or you don't want to see me after…well…”

“It isn't that,” Raye said sharply. “I mean…well, part of it is, but…I've had other crap going on. Don't make this all about you, alright?”

Cid frowned. “I'm not, Raye. And you ain't actin' right? What the hell is going on? I ain't gonna be mad; I'm just…worried about you, is all.”

Raye put down her tool and balled her fists up at the table. Her back was turned to Cid, and he could see her shake a little. Now he knew that something was definitely wrong.

He stepped behind the counter and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. “Raye, you kin tell me…what's goin' on?”

Raye slapped his hand away and turned to him with an angry glare. “Just…mind your own fucking business. Go back to your airships and do your goddamn work and let me do mine!”

With that she ran away from him and he could hear the back door slamming to her house. He stood there slack jawed and awed at what had just happened. Just then the door to the garage opened and Brad stepped inside to get a part, but he stopped when he saw Cid.

“Hey…” he greeted weakly, his face full of the same fatigue that Raye's was. “I didn't expect you to be here.” Brad glanced around. “Where's my sister?”

Cid rubbed the back of his neck. “She's inside, pissed off at me as usual.”

Brad closed the door to the garage and approached Cid. “What happened?”

The pilot bit his lip, unsure of where to begin. He knew he shouldn't, but he told Brad about Raye kissing him and then his reasons for showing up.

“Holy shit…she kissed you? Really?” he asked.

“Yeah, an' dun give her shit about it, okay?” Cid groused.

Brad shook his head. “On the contrary, I was hoping it would happen someday. I know my sister well enough to tell when she likes someone.” He sat down on the stool. “Honestly, there really has been a lot going on. I've tried to get her to call you, but she wouldn't do it. She's too proud to ask for help - you know how she is.”

“Ask for help…” Cid faltered.

Brad nodded gravely, tears welling up in his own eyes. He put up a hand to his eyes to wipe them away. “Mark's really sick. He might die.”

Cid nearly choked. “Wh-what? Oh…I…” He fell silent for a moment, at a loss for what to say. Then, he composed himself enough to speak. “What's wrong with him?”

Brad shrugged. “The doctors don't know, but apparently, a lot of kids have been affected by a disease they're calling Geostigma. It cropped up after Meteor and it affects mostly children. A few rare adult cases have been reported, though. They're saying Mark's got it.”

“Is there a cure?” Cid asked.

Brad shook his head. “As of yet, no.”

“Goddamn…” Cid trailed.

“Our brother…he's in a lot of pain. Some days he's okay, but others…he is bedridden. And Dad…he's doing all he can, but he had a minor heart attack last week from all the stress he's been under and so he's been told to take it easy, but...he can't. And he won't, so Raye and I have been taking on all of the work.”

Cid sat down on another stool, shocked at what he was hearing. “Damn…Brad, if she'd have just called or you…I'da been here in a moment's notice. You should have called if she wouldn't.”

Brad shook his head. “I probably should have, but my sister scares me more than Bahamut himself.”

Cid chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you do have to live with her.” He crossed his arms. “Look, you've got my help whether she likes it or not. Just…lemme talk to her when she calms down.” He paused as another person came in mind. “And how come you didn't call Shera? I mean, she'd be out here in a second for you guys.”

Brad shook his head. “I didn't want to take Shera away from her business. I know she loses money when she closes.”

“You know she ain't gonna care about that,” Cid said. “She loves you and would do anything for people she loves, so you get on the phone and get her ass here, pronto.”

Brad smiled weakly. “Yeah…maybe I will…Raye isn't going to like getting all this help, but…we've been working around the clock for two weeks, sleeping when we can and all that, but, the work is just piling up. And Dad, well, you know how he is. He's been working hard, too despite what the doctors told him and our efforts to keep most of the hard work off him.”

Cid stood up from the stool. “Well, Shera and I…we'll help you all we can. You call her up an' get her out here an' I'll go talk to Raye and call my supervisor an' we'll figure thing out, `kay?”

Brad nodded and picked up the phone as Cid made his way for the house. He put his hand on the doorknob, but at a glance he turned his head toward the back office door to find Raye seated at the desk slumped over and sleeping. Somewhere in the conversation, she must have returned and went to the office with the intention of both hiding out and doing some work. The pen rested loosely in her hand as her head rested atop folded arms. She breathed deeply in her slumber, and Cid quietly stepped into the small room. He approached her, removed his jacket, and put it over her shoulders gently. He reached out and touched the soft tresses of her blazing red hair before leaning down and kissing her on top of her head. She did not stir as he stepped back and closed the door to the small office before going inside to call Reeve and talk to the rest of the family.