As soon as they heard what happened, everyone met up and rushed to the hospital. "I hope he's okay," Tea said to no one in-particular.
"Hey, Mokuba's a strong kid," Tristan told her, trying to make her less worried, "I'm sure he'll be fine."
"Does anyone know what happened to him?" Yugi asked, "the only thing I heard was from one of Kaiba's maids, and she said that they had to call an ambulance for him but that was all she knew."
"That doesn't sound good," Joey commented. He flinched for a second and turned just in time, almost missing the turn-off that led to the hospital.
"Hey watch it, don't send us to the emergency room too," Tristan told him, earning a glare from the blonde. In the backseat, both Yugi and Tea were silent once more. They were thankful that the staff at Kaiba's house knew enough about Mokuba to contact his friends, but at the same time, being kept in the dark about what was happening to the younger Kaiba brother made them sick to their stomachs.
'I just hope Kaiba's doing alright,' Yugi thought to himself.
As soon as Joey drove into the hospital parking lot, he parked in the first spot he could find, and they all jumped out and ran towards the building. Yugi reached the front desk first, so he was the one who got the nurse's attention. "Excuse me, Ma'am?"
The nurse looked up from the computer. She looked friendly enough, and when she noticed how distressed the boy and his friends looked, she decided to skip pleasantries. "Yes, how may I help you?"
"We need to find the room our friend is in," Yugi told her, "Kaiba, Mokuba?"
"Oh yes, he just came in," the nurse said, "I'm sorry but he's in surgery right now."
"Surgery!" the group all said in unison, shocked.
The nurse nodded sadly. "I'm afraid he has a case of Appendicitis. Luckily, we got him here just in time, so there's a chance it might not rupture before we take it out of him. Even so, it'll take a few hours, but rest assured. Once we heard who was coming into our hospital, we put our best doctors on the surgery."
Even though it wasn't completely good news, it was still nice to know the situation wasn't going to turn into a tragedy, at least not any time soon. "Thank you," Yugi said, making the nurse smile at him.
"You're very welcome," she replied, "If you'd like, you may sit in the waiting area and someone will come out when the surgery is complete."
When turning to look at the small waiting area - a few couches and a coffee table filled with old magazines - they all noticed that one person was missing. "Where's Kaiba?" Tea asked.
"Maybe he went to go wait somewhere else?" Tristan said.
"Oh, you mean his brother?" the nurse asked, getting their attention once more, "He accompanied Mokuba in the ambulance ride here, and once the doctor told him what was going to happen, Mr. Kaiba headed towards the cafeteria. One of his employees came in a few minutes ago to drop off his laptop, so he's probably doing a little busy work while waiting."
While everyone accepted this, Joey wasn't very happy with what Kaiba had decided to do. As they sat down in the waiting area, Yugi was the first to notice the sudden scowl on Joey's face. "Hey, what's wrong Joey?" he asked.
"That creep," Joey said, "his little brother's in the hospital and instead of waiting what does he do? Goes off and does work, as if his company is more important than his brother!"
"Joey, you know that's not true!" Tea scolded, "Remember Noah and the digital world, and when Pegasus kidnapped Mokuba? Kaiba would've done anything to get his brother back, you've seen that yourself!"
"Yeah, and it might not be as bad as it seems," Yugi added, "I mean, maybe he's just doing some work to keep himself from worrying too much." He looked at the old magazines, most of them about celebrities or fashion. "I have a feeling looking through some magazine wouldn't be enough to keep Kaiba occupied."
"Still, it just doesn't seem right," Joey continued, "I mean, if you want to do work, that's one thing. But he can't even get updates from the doctors when he's in the cafeteria. He's probably only thinking about havin' a quiet place to get some paperwork filled out. Mokuba could come out of surgery right now and Kaiba wouldn't even know it!"
"Hey man, calm down," Tristan told him, "I know you and Kaiba don't get along, and sometimes Kaiba seems like a jerk, but that's just how he is. You shouldn't be getting yourself all upset about it. And hey, it's like Tea said, no matter what he does, he still cares about Mokuba the most. That's what really counts, right?"
"I guess," was all Joey could really say. Still, he couldn't help but still feel angry. "But I still think I'm gonna go have a talk with Kaiba." With that, he stood up and headed towards the cafeteria.
"Joey, don't go starting any fights," Tea called after him, but Joey didn't reply, "Great, here we go again."
"At least he can't start too much trouble with all the doctors around," Tristan commented.
"I just hope you're right, Tristan," Yugi told him, watching his best friend walk away.
It only took Joey a few minutes to find the cafeteria. Since it was late morning, they were just getting rid of some of the breakfast food and starting to prepare lunch. Hardly anyone was sitting at the tables, just a couple doctors wanting to get a bite to eat before starting their days. But even if there were a lot of people, Kaiba's dark blue coat and high tech laptop would've still been easy for Joey to spot.
As he walked towards the table Kaiba was sitting at, Joey couldn't help but notice how he was sitting. He was slouching, something Joey had never seen Kaiba do before. He also had one hand on his head, blocking part of his face, and it looked like he was reading something on his computer. As Joey got close enough to look at the screen, all his anger went away the moment he read the title of the webpage Kaiba was on.
It was all about Appendicitis. What caused it, what were some of the symptoms, how doctors took care of it, as well as what could go wrong during surgery and that it was fatal if something went wrong.
'Okay, maybe I was a little wrong,' Joey thought, feeling a bit guilty, although part of him still wondered why Kaiba couldn't just look at webpages about Appendicitis in the waiting area. He started to take a step back when Kaiba spoke up.
"What do you want, Wheeler?" Kaiba's voice sounded so... different. Almost, defeated.
"I was just, checking up on ya," Joey lied, taking a seat at the table, "So, uh, are you doing okay?"
Kaiba slowly turned to glare at him. When he did, Joey couldn't help but stare. While Kaiba wasn't crying, Joey could see it in his eyes that what had occurred that morning had taken a toll on him. His face was strong, not showing any signs of weakness. But in his eyes, Joey could see that Kaiba was scared, as well as emotionally drained. Any doubt Joey had before about Kaiba not caring about Mokuba as much as he should disappeared in that moment.
"I don't need anyone checking up on me," Kaiba told him firmly, sitting up, "I'm not some child."
"You sure, cause you don't look to okay to me," Joey said. Kaiba looked away, not giving him a reply. Knowing Kaiba would never admit how he was truly feeling, Joey decided to change tactics. "Hey, so what exactly happened? I know all the guys are pretty scared, and none of us really knew why Mokuba was in the hospital, so do ya think you could fill us in?"
Kaiba wasn't sure what compelled him to tell Wheeler what had happened. Maybe it was because he knew Joey wouldn't leave him alone until he did, or maybe a part of him just wanted to get this off his chest. Either way, he started talking.
"I didn't think anything was wrong. He didn't feel sick yesterday, he seemed normal. The only thing that was different was that he went to bed about half an hour earlier than usual... how on Earth was I supposed to know..." He scowled, angry at himself for not noticing the signs earlier.
If it were any of his other friends, Joey would've put a comforting hand on their shoulder, but he had a feeling that would just make Kaiba angrier. So instead, Joey just said, "It's okay, just tell me what happened this morning."
Kaiba took a moment to compose himself, and then continued. "This morning, I went into his room to wake him up for school..."
()()()()()()
Kaiba had just finished getting dressed himself. He had a meeting that day, but luckily it was a short one. He would be out of there just before Mokuba finished school, and was thinking of maybe taking his little brother out to eat that night. 'He has been wanting me to take him to that fast food restaurant that just opened up downtown,' Kaiba thought. It would be a nice treat for both of them, even if the thought of hamburgers and french fries didn't appeal to him in the slightest.
After quickly petting their cat Kuma - who was sleeping comfortably on Kaiba's bed - he went down the hall and into Mokuba's room. Looking at his little brother's bed, he could only see a small lump under the blankets. He smiled slightly, amused at the sight. "Mokuba," he said, quietly but firmly, "wake up."
His brother didn't answer, not even a mumble. "Mokuba, I said wake up," Kaiba repeated, and again, no reply.
'He must have snuck out of bed and played one of his video games last night,' Kaiba thought, 'Well, if he's tired today because of it, it's his own fault.'
"Mokuba," Kaiba said as he grabbed his brother's blanket and started to pull it off, knowing that the bright light of the sun would wake him up, "It's time to-"
He froze. As soon as he saw his brother, he knew something was wrong. Mokuba was on his side, bent over and holding his stomach. His face was pale, and it looked like he was in a lot of pain. "Mokuba!"
Kaiba bent down and placed a hand on his brother's arm. "Mokuba? Can you hear me? Look at me!" Slowly, Mokuba opened his eyes, but only slightly. "S-Set" was all he could get out before squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his teeth. It hurt so bad, he couldn't even groan or talk.
That was all Kaiba needed. He took out his cellphone and dialed the number for an ambulance. As soon as he finished making the call, he turned his attention back to Mokuba. "I called an ambulance, just hold on Mokuba. I promise everything will be okay."
With the pain just barely going down, Mokuba looked at Kaiba again, this time only opening one eye. "I, can't, move. It, h-hurts!"
Kaiba squeezed his brother's hand tightly. "Just hold on," Kaiba told him, "You'll be fine."
Mokuba looked at his brother one last time before another flash of pain made him let out the loudest cry he could make, and even that sounded more like a weak dog than a little boy. After that, his eyes were closed and his face relaxed just a little. He had passed out from the pain.
"Mokuba!" Kaiba shouted, letting his panic take hold of him for a moment, "Mokuba, you need to stay awake! I know it will be hard, but-" Looking at his brother, Kaiba knew it was too late. He just hoped his brother would wake back up once whatever was wrong with him was fixed. Kaiba kept a tight grip on his brother's hand, and didn't let go until the ambulance team came into the room and loaded Mokuba onto a stretcher.
()()()()()()()
"Kaiba..."
Joey couldn't imagine that he would be as calm and competent as Kaiba had been in that situation, especially if the person hurt was his little sibling.
"I've never seen him in that much pain," Kaiba said, almost at a whisper, making Joey think for a moment that he was crying, "It was the first time I ever thought, maybe I was too late to save him."
"I'm real sorry this happened," was all he could say. Since it didn't sound too comforting, he forced a smile and added, "But hey, thanks to you, Mokuba's gonna get all the help he needs. He'll get through all this just fine."
Kaiba was silent for a moment. "If you think you're going to make me feel better, you're a bigger idiot than I thought," he told the blonde coldly.
He couldn't help but scowl again. "Mokuba was in horrible pain all night, all night. And I didn't even notice. He almost never goes to bed early, I always have to practically make him go to bed. That should have been my first clue. What if he was calling out for me when the pain started, and I just didn't hear it? What if because of me..."
"Look, nothing bad is gonna happen," Joey told him, shutting Kaiba's laptop so he couldn't list all the ways it could go bad, "You did all you could do, you shouldn't beat yourself up for it."
"You just don't get it," Kaiba said, making a fist. Not being able to hold it in any longer, he turned to Joey and yelled, "What the hell is the point if I can't even protect him!"
The cafeteria fell silent, or maybe it was silent before and Joey was just now realizing it. Not saying anything more, Kaiba looked back at the table, obviously more angry at himself than anyone else.
If he was being honest, Joey wasn't sure how to even answer Kaiba's question. But luckily (to him at least), Kaiba continued, this time at a much quieter level.
"I promised both him and myself that I would protect him. He's the only family I have left and I wasn't going to let anything happen to him. I need him. But, no matter what I do, he always ends up getting hurt." Memories passed through his mind, all instances were Mokuba was hurt or kidnapped because of him. All the times Mokuba had to be left alone, because Kaiba was trying to make sure they could have the good life. Sometimes, it just didn't seem like an equal trade.
Kaiba would always protect his little brother, that would never chance. But shouldn't a good brother prevent these things from happening before they happened? What did it matter that he would always rescue his brother whenever he was kidnapped if Kaiba was practically the one who got him kidnapped in the first place? All these thoughts and more berated Kaiba, screaming at him loud enough to make him want to hit something.
What was worse, he actually believed them.
"Kaiba, look at me." Kaiba was reluctant at first, but he ended up eventually turning his head, showing Joey he was going to listen to whatever Joey had to say.
"I get it, you feel useless," Joey started to say, "You feel that, even though you try your best to protect him and make him happy, Mokuba still ends up getting hurt. You feel like you're failing at being a big brother, right?" Kaiba didn't answer, but Joey was expecting that, so he continued.
"The thing is, if you're such a 'terrible older brother who can't protect Mokuba', why does he keep coming back to you? Why is he always standin' by your side, calling you the best big brother ever?" Kaiba looked at him curiously, not really having an answer rather than not wanting to reply.
"I know why," Joey told him with a smile, "because you guys are brothers, and he knows you love him. And sometimes, that's enough."
This time, it was Joey who looked away. "I've kinda been in your shoes before. There are times when I think I've been a failure at being a big brother. I mean, I've missed out of most of my sister's life. Not exactly 'Brother of the Year'. But, I'll always love her, and I'll always make sure she knows that, just like you'll always love Mokuba." Joey looked back up at the young millionaire. "To him, that and all the other stuff you do, is enough. Even he knows the Great Seto Kaiba can't protect him from everything, but that doesn't make any less of a brother."
Kaiba didn't say anything, but he didn't glare at Joey either, so he took that as a good sign. "I guess that's all I wanted to tell you." Standing up, Joey told him that he was going back to the waiting area. "You want me to get you a coffee of something?" Joey asked.
"No," Kaiba replied simply. If it were any other situation, Joey would've been annoyed at his attitude, but he was more than happy to let it go this time. Once he got back to the waiting room, he didn't answer too many of the questions his friends had. When asked what had taken so long and what he had said to Kaiba, Joey just smiled.
"We just had a small talk about being big brothers."
Nearly three hours passed, and a doctor finally came out to speak with them. "Are you all here for Kaiba, Mokuba?"
"Yes, is he okay?" Tea asked.
The doctor smiled. "He's doing just fine. He was placed in his room a few minutes ago and the anesthesia should be wearing off soon." He told them Mokuba's room number, and they all thanked him before heading down the hall.
"Oh, and Doc?" Joey said, "Do you think you could go have someone tell his brother that he's awake. He's down in the cafeteria."
"I'll get someone to go do that right away," the doctor replied. With that, Joey followed his friends down the hall.
()()()()()()()()
"How are you feeling, Mokuba?"
"Does it still hurt?"
"You were very brave."
Mokuba gave them all a weak smile. "I'm doing okay," he said in a quiet but happy voice, "It still hurts a little, but not nearly as much as it did before."
"That's good," Yugi said.
"Yeah, glad to hear you're doing well," Tristan added.
Mokuba was about to thank them when he saw a familiar face in the doorway. "Seto!"
Turning their heads, the four friends could see Kaiba standing behind them. He had a small but relieved smile on his face. They all smiled and quickly moved away so Kaiba could sit next to his brother.
"Are you okay?" he asked, sitting in the chair next to his brother's bed.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Mokuba replied, "I'm feeling a lot better now."
Kaiba's face became serious. "Why didn't you tell me that you were hurting earlier?"
"I thought it was just a small stomachache," Mokuba said honestly, feeling a little ashamed, "That's why I went to bed earlier, I thought sleeping would make it go away. When it got worse, I thought I could deal with it by myself. When it started really hurting, I could barely talk and I couldn't get up to get you. I'm sorry, Seto."
Kaiba's face softened a bit. "Next time, tell me right away, okay?"
"I will." Kaiba smiled and gave him a small hug.
"I'm glad you're okay, Mokie," he said, just loud enough for Mokuba could hear him. The younger Kaiba brother was a little surprised. Kaiba hadn't used his nickname since they were little. But still, it made Mokuba smile, and he happily hugged back.
Knowing they should give the brothers some time alone, they all said their goodbyes and 'Get Well Soon's, getting ready to leave.
"Wait," Kaiba said, standing up, "Wheeler." Joey stopped and turned to look at Kaiba.
The brunette and the blonde stared at each other for a moment, and then Kaiba gave him a small nod. He didn't have to say anything, Joey knew what he meant.
"Thank you."
"See you around, Kaiba," Joey said, "and you too, Mokuba." With that, he walked out of the room, leaving his friends slightly confused.
"What was that about?" Tea asked him when they were getting into the car.
"Yeah, what did you say to him, Joey?" Yugi asked.
"Like I said," Joey replied with a sly smile, "just some older brothers stuff."
Longest YGO oneshot yet! I've had this idea for a while, I think it was the second or third idea I got, but I wanted to get used to writing the characters before I tried writing a more serious oneshot. Also, this is the first time I've wrote a big part for one of the other characters, and hopefully I did a good job writing Joey. I think I did an okay job... right? Well, just give me some feedback, I want to know if I kept Joey - as well as all the others - in character. After all, that's the only way I'll learn.
Also, when I wrote this, I intended it to just show that Joey and Kaiba can have some friendship-type of moments, and they are kinda similar, so I imagine they could have a good conversation and give advice to one another if they put their opinions of each other to the side. So yeah, no intended shipping on my part, but if any of you out there really want to interpret this as Puppyshipping, I don't care. I personally don't ship it (I really can't see Kaiba with anybody romantically), but I have nothing against those who do.
Anyway, thanks for reading! Please review, and I'll see you all in the next (and hopefully not my last!) Kaiba Brothers oneshot I have planned. Have a nice day!