Guilt’s Cost: Part 202

Wishes Granted

By Kristen Gupton-Williams

 

            Tifa got up with the baby around six in the morning.  She’d gotten him fed and changed before stepping out into the corridor to look for Cid.  Tifa started to walk toward Cid’s room when she heard him call from behind her.

            “Hey Tifa, looking for me?”

            She spun with the baby in her arms.  There he was, strolling toward her.  He was wearing the jacket she’d gotten him, and was walking with his hands shoved into his pockets.  Tifa noticed the swagger in his step that had been missing since Shera’s death.  His cocky air was back and Tifa couldn’t help but notice that he was more like his old self than she’d witnessed in a long time.  “Cid?”

            He got to her and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him before giving her a firm kiss on the cheek.  “Kid give you any trouble?”

            Tifa smiled at him and handed him the baby.  “Nope.”

            Cid accepted his child hugged him to his chest.  “How you doing little fella?”

            Tifa had to ask the obvious.  “Where’s Jin?”

            “Airship had to leave again.  They took off at five this morning.”  Cid ran his free hand through his hair.  “I’ve just been strolling around since seeing Jin off.”

            Tifa finally understood what was going on.  “You saw her off this morning?  As in you were with her all night?”

            Cid flushed red and looked off down the hall.  “Now Tifa, what kind of a guy would I be if I went around detailing what I may or may not have done with my woman last night?”

            Tifa squealed and pushed him.  “You did!”

            He continued to stare off into the distance and just shrugged. 

            “I can’t believe it, this is great.”  Tifa was in some strange way relieved. 

            “Let’s go get some breakfast and then go see Sue, okay?” Cid said while grabbing her hand and starting down the hall.

***

            Within a week, Vincent was speaking well enough to carry on conversations again.  Everyday he would feel more and more of his body and it wasn’t long before he felt able to sit up.  Luckily, the physical therapy that he’d been receiving had allowed him to build enough strength to do so.  All of the tubes and assorted lines he had been hooked up to were removed and Vincent was more than relieved.

            Tifa went in one morning to find Vincent sitting on the edge of his bed with his legs dangling over the side.  “Vincent!  You could fall sitting like that!”

            He looked up at her and cocked an eyebrow.  “I’m not going to fall off the bed, Tifa.  I’d like to try getting up.”

            She ran to him and put her hands on his shoulders.  “No way, not yet!  At least wait until the therapist is here, Vincent.  You know that if you go down that I can’t pick you back up.”

            He looked genuinely annoyed as he had grown sick of being confined to bed, now that he could move more or less.  His upper body had made very good progress and he was able to move from the waist up with little trouble, but the therapist hadn’t thought that Vincent possessed enough strength in his legs yet to support his weight.  “I don’t feel like waiting that long.  You know as well as I do that he’s not going to be here for another six hours.  I want to get up and I want to take a God damned shower.  Sponge baths aren’t cutting it.”

            “Get it through your head, Vincent,” Tifa said back, frustrated at his recent crabbiness although she knew it was just coming from his boredom, “I can’t help you if you fall.  You don’t really just expect to jump out of that bed and start walking, do you?”

            That was exactly what he was hoping, whether it was possible or not.  He resolved however, that the truth was the truth and Tifa couldn’t help him if he did have a problem.  “Where is Cid?”

            “Vincent, honestly!” Tifa shook her head and folded her arms.  “You know that you don’t really want him to have to help drag you around.  Besides, he’s off on a little day trip with the baby and Jin.”

            He growled and then threw himself back down onto his side, pulling his legs back up on the bed.  He felt like if he had to spend five more minutes in the infirmary that he would lose his mind. 

            Tifa stood there and watched him pout.  She did really feel bad for his present level of frustration.  “Okay, wait here.  I’ll go see if that guy Kyle is up yet or not.”

            Vincent just continued to frown, although he was pleased that Tifa was going to at least put out the effort to look for the male nurse.  He watched her step out, only to return a while later with the young man at her side.

            Kyle came over to his bed and examined him.  “Tifa tells me that you think you need to get up?”

            Vincent nodded, despite the fact he was still lying on his side.  He had come to appreciate Kyle not only from the time his cybernetic body had failed and he had tended to him, but during this recovery as well.  At least all of his indignities that he had been subjected to had all been with this one nurse.  If Vincent had needed to be helped by more people than just one he would have shriveled up and died.  “I want a shower.”

            Kyle frowned for a second.  “The shower here in the infirmary isn’t working right now, so I don’t know what to tell you.”

            “There’s a perfectly good shower back in my room,” Vincent said back, his tone not one of happiness.

            “The showers in the rooms do have ledges to sit on so I guess that would be okay, but I’ll need to go get a wheelchair so we can get you there,” the nurse replied, looking around to see if he could spot one.

            “No,” Vincent huffed while struggling to sit back up and once more throw his legs over the edge of the bed, “I want to walk.”

            Kyle looked over his shoulder at Tifa.  “He hasn’t walked yet though, right?”

            Tifa shook her head and rolled her eyes.  “No, he hasn’t but he’s bound and determined that he’s going to today.”

            The nurse shrugged, knowing very well by now that Vincent was, above all else, a unbearably stubborn man and so chose to give in.  He went over and allowed Vincent to drape an arm around his shoulders before helping Vincent stand for the first time.

            Tifa stared as she watched Vincent rise from the bed.  Once he was up, she couldn’t help but notice something.  “Vincent?”

            He looked over at her, concentrating on keeping his balance even though he clung to Kyle heavily for support.  “Yeah?”

            Tifa came closer to him and looked him up and down as he stood there in his tee shirt and boxers.  “You’re… you’re smaller.”

            Vincent became more than irritated with her observation but the truth was that the original cybernetic legs along with the second body that Hojo had given him had both added a good three inches to his original height.  “I’m still taller than you.”

            Tifa immediately saw that she had struck a chord with him and backed off.  He clearly wasn’t in the mood to deal with anything for the time being.  “Sorry.”

            Suddenly, Vincent’s legs gave out from beneath him and he started to fall but Kyle was able to hold onto him.  The nurse looked into Vincent’s eyes.  “I don’t think you’re ready for this.”

            Now Vincent was a man with a mission.  There was no way on God’s green Earth that he was giving up and getting back into the bed.  “With you on one side and Tifa on the other, I know that I can make it to our room.”

            Tifa quickly got to his other side and let him put an arm around her shoulders for fear that if she didn’t, he would fall and hurt himself.  “Are you sure you can do this?”

            He looked down into her eyes and managed the first smile he’d pulled off all day.  “Tifa, I know I can.”

            They went slowly, Vincent struggling to make each step but as he had promised he kept going and after about fifteen minutes, they reached the door to their room.  Tifa opened it and they went it and headed for the bathroom. 

Once inside, Vincent pulled his arm from Kyle and relied exclusively on Tifa for support.  “Okay, I’m fine from here, Kyle.”

The male nurse crossed his arms but didn’t leave right away.  “Vincent, you still need to get undressed and into the shower.”

“I’ll be fine, it’s only three steps into the shower.”  Vincent took his free hand and grasped onto the sink for support.

Kyle still didn’t move.  “Tifa?  What do you want me to do?”

Before she had a chance to answer, Vincent spoke up.  From the expression that overtook his face it looked as though Vincent was about to break out into tears.  “Please, I only want Tifa with me, okay?”

One last time, the nurse looked over at Tifa, searching for her approval.

Tifa was at a loss for what to do.  She knew that Vincent was too heavy for her to handle on her own if he got into trouble but on the same token, she could plainly see how upset he was becoming and didn’t want him to feel any worse.  “If there’s a problem, I’ll come and get you, Kyle.”

“All right, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said while turning and heading toward the door.  “I’ll be in the infirmary if you need me.”

“Okay,” Tifa replied as he left.  She then found herself alone with Vincent.  “What do you want to do?”

He was beginning to shake terribly from his exertion and he knew that he needed to sit down soon.  “Open the shower.  I can sit on the ledge in there and then I’ll get undressed.”

Tifa reached out with her free arm and pulled open the shower door as requested and then she helped Vincent get in and sit.

Once he was sitting, he leaned forward, panting for breath.  The short walk here had taken a lot more out of him than he had anticipated.  He knew that at this point that he wouldn’t be able to do much more than just sit there and let the water run over him once it was turned on.

Tifa could feel his exhaustion and knew that he was going to need more help than he may have wanted.  “If you want, I can get in with you and help you out.”

As frustrated as he was with not being able to do anything for himself, Vincent knew he couldn’t refuse if this was going to work.  “Actually, I think I’d like that.”

“Let’s get you undressed then,” Tifa said as she stepped into the shower and knelt before him.  She pulled off his shirt and then managed to get off his boxers.  She hadn’t seen him naked since his surgery and she found herself staring.

Vincent suddenly felt self-conscious as she looked at him, since it was like being unclothed before her for the first time again.  He made the pathetic gesture to try and hide himself with his hands.

Tifa snapped out of her state and blushed.  “You don’t have anything to be ashamed of, Vincent.  In fact, I’m pleasantly surprised.”

His eyes went wide and an awkward grin came to his lips.  “Oh?”

She smiled back and gave him a wink.  “You bet.”

The ego boost she’s just given him instantly snapped him out of the horrible mood that he’d been suffering for the last several days.

Tifa could see the immediate improvement in his attitude and she stood up.  She quickly shed her clothing knowing that it was pointless to try and bathe him with them on.  With that done, she reached back and turned on the water.  Initially it came out cold and she did her best to block the icy shower from Vincent even though it made her squeal and cringe as it ran down her back.

Vincent laughed at her, becoming much more relaxed with the situation. Tifa soon stepped to the side and let the now warm water begin to run over Vincent.  He closed his eyes and just reveled in the sensation.  He had missed the little things like this while bound to the mechanical parts that Hojo had given him.  Everything felt so much more intense now that he was again in his own body.

“Well, let’s get you clean,” Tifa said as she took up a bottle of shampoo and poured some into her hand.  Vincent’s hair was now several inches long and she got to the task of washing it.

            He continued to just sit, enjoying her closeness and gentle handling of him.  “Sorry about being such a pain in the ass lately.”

            She rinsed the last of the shampoo from his hair and smiled.  “It’s okay, I know you were just frustrated.  Anyone would be after being stuck in that bed for almost five months.”

            Again he watched as she turned to pick up the soap.  With that in hand, she knelt before him once more, knowing that it would be easier to wash him while on his own level.  She lathered up his arms, chest, and neck, doing as good a job as possible.  She rinsed these parts and then locked gazes with him, holding up the soap to see if he wanted to take it.

            Vincent knew what she was wondering and he donned a smirk.  “You were doing just fine, Tifa.  I don’t mind.”

            She giggled and again turned red.  It had been so long since they had been able to be with each other like this that it was almost like the first time.  She soaped up her hands and got to the task of washing his lower body.

            It didn’t take long for Vincent to realize that his body was apparently willing to cooperate with the thoughts that were starting to go through his mind.

            Tifa also noticed his growing state of arousal as she washed the last of the soap away.  Now she was able to truly appreciate what sort of physical specimen Vincent was.  “Nope, nothing to be ashamed of at all.”

            Vincent smiled at her as she still knelt before him.  He cocked an eyebrow wondering if she would do what he hoped.

            Tifa caught his expression and knew what was on his mind.  It was something that she’d never done for him before and she was a little embarrassed. 

            Vincent managed to laugh a little at himself for the situation and gave her a way out.  “You don’t have to, it’s okay.”

            She pulled him forward for a kiss while letting her other hand toy with him.  Soon she lowered herself a little and took him into her mouth.

            Vincent gasped, ecstatic that she was willing.  He let his head rest against the back wall of the shower, trying to keep the experience going as long as possible.  As Tifa continued to work at him, Vincent realized that there was something that he wanted to do much more.  He gently reached down and placed his hands on her shoulders, pushing her back.

            Tifa looked up to see if something was wrong, but saw Vincent looking down at her with an expression of overwhelming desperation.  “What is it?”

            “Let’s go to the bed,” he whispered.

            She stood up and turned off the water.  Tifa helped Vincent up and with him hanging on her heavily for support, they made the short walk to the bed.

            They hadn’t bothered to dry off and both lay down on the bed, soaked.  Vincent rolled onto his back and looked over at her.  “Uh, I’m not really strong enough yet to do much.”

            “Don’t worry about it.”  Tifa kissed him again while getting on top of him.  She soon had him writhing beneath her as she proceeded slowly.

            A little while later they were both pleased to realize that Vincent’s body worked in absolutely every way.  Even though Tifa didn’t know it, it was at that moment that her only remaining wish was granted.