Mokuba opened the door and peeked in, his brother was still sitting by her hospital bed. If it wasn't for Mokuba ordering takeout, he highly doubted his brother would have eaten anything. It had been a week since the shooting and she was recovering, but the recovery was slow. But she was recovering. Mokuba walked in with 2 bags and a bouquet of flowers. He replaced the current flowers in a vase and handed his brother the two bags. "I brought some Chinese food today." Mokuba said cheerfully.

"I'm not hungry," the older Kaiba replied.

Mokuba rolled his eyes, "Let's not go through this again Seto, just eat the damn food." Kaiba grabbed the bag irritably and forced the food down his throat. While he was eating, Mokuba said, "the other bag has some clean clothes in it. There is a shower right in the hospital room. Use it. You are starting to smell really bad. Kaiba was about to argue when his brother continued, "Don't worry, I will keep an eye on Téa." Kaiba nodded and quickly finished eating. He then grudgingly grabbed the other bag and stepped into the bathroom.

While his brother was in the shower, Mokuba walked over to the side of Téa's bed to hold Téa's hand. He then whispered "Téa, you need to wake up. Big brother is about to lose his mind without you. He loves you and we need you here." He looked up at the heart monitor which was beeping in the background. He then said, "I know you can hear me. Fight this, and come back home." He felt her finger twitch, it wasn't much but it was enough to let him know she was trying.

…

A few days later, Téa woke up and found herself in a hospital room. She felt something fuzzy by her hand and realized that Seto had fallen asleep in the chair. His head was resting on their entwined hands. Gently she pulled her hand from under his grasp. 'How long have I been here?' she wondered. She wanted to wake Seto, but he looked exhausted. She decided it was better to let him sleep. As she waited, her back started to ache. She tried to adjust herself on the bed but sharp pains in her other arm and abdomen caused her to yelp. Obviously, the sound caused Kaiba to jump straight up. "You're awake," he said in awe.

She nodded but didn't say anything because she was trying to stop the pain from throbbing. Kaiba was too nervous to speak to her. So, he pressed the button on the bed to inform the doctor that she was awake. He stood by the side of her bed and brushed her hair out her face. The doctor walked in and greeted, "Ah, Ms. Gardener, I see you're finally awake."

"Yeah, but at the moment I wish I wasn't," she replied, holding her hand over her injured arm, cringing in pain.

The doctor gently patted her good shoulder and said, "We will get you some pain medicine soon. How much do you remember that night? The police were hoping to ask you a few questions."

She looked over to Seto with eyes of concern and asked, "They didn't catch the person responsible?"

Kaiba shook his head no and answered, "We have several suspects, but no definite answers. The surveillance footage didn't reveal much either."

Téa's face fell, that meant the person who did this might go after Seto again. "We'll catch whoever it is Téa. But, we need your help." Seto said feeling the concern come off her in waves.

She nodded and the doctor signaled outside for a police officer to enter the room. The policeman pulled out a notepad and signaled her to start. The information she could give wasn't much, but they hoped it would lead to some sort of clue. After the police officer and doctor left, Téa and Seto both looked at each other in an uncomfortable silence. They both wanted to say something to the other, but the words seemed to escape them. Finally, Téa asked, "You weren't hurt, right?"

Kaiba shook his head and replied, "No, not a scratch. Téa, why did you do that? I thought I was going to lose you."

"I would have thought it would be obvious. I did it because I love you Seto. I can't imagine living my life without you in it. I am not sure when it happened, but I fell for you and I fell hard." Téa answered.

Kaiba squeezed her hand and asked, "So does this mean you will marry me?"

Téa looked down in fear and shame, "I want that more than anything Seto. But there is something I feel like I need to tell you first. If we go into this marriage, don't want there to be any secrets between us." Seto became nervous but he listened quietly. Téa looked out the window, unable to make eye contact with him. Tears fell down her cheeks as she asked, "Seto, do you remember when you asked about that scar on my leg." Kaiba nodded and she continued, "Well, when I was given to the ringleader, he didn't just leave me tied up in that cell…" She took a deep breath because she was struggling to say the words, "One night, he sent two men to bring me to him. One held a knife to my neck, so I was forced to follow. They brought me to a room and threw me onto a bed. I looked around, and there must have been 7 or 8 men in that room. I struggled against them, but it was no use. Finally, the one that was holding the knife stabbed me in my leg. From that point they proceeded too…too…"

Seto stopped her and said, "I get the idea. You don't have to say it if you don't want to."

She nodded, and refused to look him in the eyes as she said, "That's why I was so scared around you at first. I didn't want to get hurt like that again."

He wanted to hold her and tell her that things were going to be okay. But with her bullet wounds, he knew he would be doing more harm than good. The doctor came in at that point and asked, "Is everything alright?"

Seto nodded and replied, "Yes doctor, but I am going to need you to run a few test after you give her the pain medication." The doctor nodded and left to grab her medicine. Seto looked down at her on the bed. He noticed that she held her stomach while she cried and her muscles seemed to be tense. He knew she was in pain. He caressed Téa's cheek and whispered, "For now, try to focus on healing. All this crying is probably making your stomach hurt."

At that moment, the doctor finally returned with her pain medicine. The doctor checked a few things and said, "Try to let this pill put you to sleep."

…

A few hours later, the doctor came in with her test and determined she was clean. Kaiba felt a huge sigh of relief and thought back to the day he handed her the engagement ring. He now understood the fear in her eyes and more than anything, he wanted to make those people pay for the damage they had done. Téa was perfect in his eyes and to see her this heartbroken and scared was excruciating. But he also needed to be careful how he approached it. He didn't Téa to relive that day by seeing that video. If that video were released, it would ruin Téa.

Kaiba ran his hands through his hair and thought to himself, 'great I am dealing with a murderer and a group of gang members. Life couldn't be better…' He looked over to Téa and silently swore to protect her at all cost.

…

Finally, the day came she was able to be discharged. Seto walked her out the hospital door with his arm wrapped protectively around her waist. He was careful not to touch her injury as he helped her into the car. Once she was settled in, he slid into the car behind her. She gave him a peck on the cheek and rested her head on his shoulder. Kaiba smiled and said, "I am glad you are coming home."

"Me too." She replied simply.

Paparazzi were waiting outside the Kaiba Mansion for them to arrive. Téa's hair stood on end as she saw all the people. Kaiba sensed her discomfort and said, "Just walk straight and don't say anything. My security will keep them away from you." Kaiba walked on the injured side of her body to be safe. Some tried to grab her, but the security team was successful in defending her against the onslaught.

When they were finally safe inside the mansion, Téa was happy to see Mokuba, Margaret, and James (the dress designer) there to greet her. She gave each of them a hug and asked, "James, what are you doing here?"

He replied, "I heard one of my masterpieces were harmed, so I had to by."

"Oh yeah, I am sorry about the dress." Téa said apologetically.

James smiled and answered, "I wasn't talking about the dress…although, was stunning too."

"Can we see the your bo bo?" Mokuba asked innocently.

Téa hesitated but slowly lifted her shirt to reveal the wound. James started fanning himself and mumbled, "There is a reason I didn't go to medical school."

Seto then placed his hand on her back and said, "I think it is time to let Téa get settled in."

She nodded and thanked everyone for visiting. As Seto walked her up the stairs she asked, "Seto, do my scars bother you?"

Seto was taken back by the question and asked, "What do you mean?"

She unconsciously wrapped her arms around her waist and said, "Does the sight of them make you feel…grossed out or anything?"

Seto let out a sigh, he knew this time was coming. He opened the door for her and said, "Téa I need to show you something. Do you remember when we got into that huge fight after we went to Luigi's?"

Téa blushed, that was the night they shared their first kiss. Téa nodded and asked, "What about it?"

Seto started to unbutton his shirt and explained, "That night you said that you wanted to go into our marriage without any secrets and you asked me if someone hurt me…The truth is when someone did."

Once he finished unbuttoning his shirt, he let it slide down his shoulders and turned around. She gasped in horror when she saw the amount of marks on his backs. She saw him shirtless before, but she never saw his back. She couldn't believe she never noticed this. "Who did this to you?" She asked breathlessly.

He slid the shirt back on his shoulders and replied, "My stepfather did this to me as a child. Now, as to your question about your scars, I will simply ask, 'Do my scars make you feel any different towards me?'

Téa grabbed him by the collar of his white shirt and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Seto was taken back by her reaction, but quickly reciprocated the kiss. Téa slid her hands up his bare chest and wrapped them around his neck. His chest tingled as her hands skimmed across him. When they ran out of air, Kaiba joked, "I am going to take that as a no."

Téa giggled and pushed his white shirt back off his shoulders. This time he shrugged the shirt off and discarded the offending object on the floor. Chills went up his spine as Téa combed her hands through his hair. He started to walk backwards towards the bed. She straddled him as he laid back in the bed. Kaiba ran his hands up and down her thighs and noticed she looked nervous. He then asked, "Are you sure you are ready for this?"

Suddenly she burst into tears and shook her head no. He sat up and pulled her into his chest. "I'm sorry Seto, I want to be. I just…"

"Don't worry about it, I can wait. We probably shouldn't be doing this anyway since you just got out of the hospital." Kaiba replied honestly. She nodded and continued to cry into his chest.