Chapter 11: Alone Again
The Kaiba brothers were both sitting in big arm chairs, silent. Mokuba was leaned back into his, comfortable and content. Seto, on the other hand, sat up straight, seeming to stare into space, stuck in deep thought.
Mokuba pointed out suddenly, "You've been acting kind of weird ever since you got home from the hospital." He paused for a moment, then asked, "How come?"
Seto just shook his head.
"Please tell me."
Kaiba sighed. "Mokuba, I don't know what's been wrong with me."
Mokuba looked over at his brother quizzically. "Hmm?"
"Before that day that we all dueled in the park, I didn't want friends. I didn't need any. I couldn't have cared less. Then, Serenity popped up and everything changed. Suddenly, I wanted to be her friend; more than that even. I don't know what it was about her. She just gave me such weird feelings, and they changed me. If it wasn't for her, I would've beaten the shit out of Joey. I really should have."
"I could have told you that," Mokuba said. "You could take him any day. Besides, Joey was wrong about what happened. Not fighting back because of Serenity was sweet and all, but you should've proved to him that the things he was saying weren't true."
"What in the hell have I been thinking all of this time? I don't need anyone. I never have. Serenity and I are over, Mokuba, and that's the way it should be."
Tristan Taylor lay in a bed on the left side of the hospital room, Duke Devlin on the right, with a desk in between them. Tristan glanced over at a small digital clock on the desk. It was 9:05 a.m., Tuesday morning. He then looked to Duke, who lay in his bed with his eyes closed, quiet and motionless. "Hey, Duke," he called. "You awake?"
"Yes," Duke replied without stirring. "I've been awake for about an hour now."
"You don't look like you're awake to me."
Duke opened his eyes and looked to Tristan.
"You know, there's only five minutes till your examination," Tristan told him.
"I know."
"Are you worried?"
Duke nodded.
Tristan frowned. "Does your leg hurt you, Duke?" he asked.
Duke wouldn't admit to true pain, so simply replied, "Yes."
"That's funny cause my shoulder doesn't hurt me at all. And I couldn't help but notice yesterday that they're giving you a lot more medicine and shots and stuff then they are me. If you've had all that medicine, I don't really understand how you're hurting and I'm not."
Duke sighed. "They've given you some painkillers, right?"
"Yeah."
"And did they help?"
"Yeah."
"They're not helping me. And that other stuff they're giving me, all it does is... well... it kind of makes me... ya know... high."
"Oh! So that's why you went rambling on and on yesterday!" Tristan exclaimed.
"What?"
"Yesterday, after they gave you your medicine, you were talking about a bunch of stupid stuff. I couldn't really understand much of it, and I really wanted you to shut up, but you wouldn't. Eventually, I just started to ignore you." Tristan laughed. "It really was the funniest thing," he added.
"You've got to understand, Tristan," Duke told him, "I didn't know what I was doing. In fact, I don't even remember that."
"So are you high now?"
"No, but I wish I were."
Confused, Tristan asked, "Why?"
"Because it makes me feel better," Duke answered. "Like I said, painkillers don't help me. They don't get rid of the pain like they're supposed to. Being high takes my mind off of the pain and it makes me forget all of my worries."
"Mm-hmm... And they're giving you more medicine than me because...?"
"My injury is worse than yours," Duke explained. "You weren't hit directly like I was. Plus, I took two bullets, not just one like you. You see, the bullet that hit you ricocheted off something first, then it just nicked you. I mean, it barely even hit you, Tristan. The bullets I took were direct. They nailed me right in my leg, and you know what? They stayed there. When we got to the hospital the doctors had to remove the bullets. And now..." His voice trailed off. Duke bit his bottom lip, holding back his tears. He swallowed hard, then attempted to continue; "Now they're going to amputate it."
"You don't know that. They're just taking you away to examine your leg."
"Yeah, and after they examine it, they're going to amputate it."
Disgusted, Tristan raised his voice. "Stop thinking like that! When they examine your leg, they're gonna see that there's nothing wrong and everything will be alright!"
Duke shook his head. "Did you look at your shoulder that day when we were hit, Tristan?" he asked.
Tristan nodded.
"Have you looked at it now?"
"I have, and it's getting better. In fact, I get released from the hospital today, did I tell you that?"
"No, but I'm happy for you. Your wound is healing, Tristan..." A tear rolled down Duke's cheek, then he went on, "Mine isn't. My leg isn't healing. It's not healing. That's why they're going to amputate it. It's not healing and it's never going to."
"Man, stop saying that! You've gotta think positive! Even if things do come to the worst and your leg does have to be amputated, life's gonna keep going. You and I may fight a lot, especially over Serenity, but you're still my friend, Duke. If I have to, I'll push you around in a wheel chair anywhere you need to go. Around school, around town, anywhere, Duke! I'll help you."
"Thanks. Listen, I... I'm really sorry for crying like this. I'm such a wimp, huh?"
"No," Tristan told Duke, "you're not. I totally understand, buddy."
There were a few minutes of silence between them, and soon footsteps could be heard in the hallway. Duke wiped away his tears, then said, "Here they come, Tristan. They're going to take me away, and I'm going to come back one leg short of a man."
Two days passed. Serenity Wheeler lay in her bed, bored, waiting for time to go by. She could leave the hospital later that day, but now it was too early; only noon. She hadn't heard anything from Seto Kaiba, nor had she gotten word of what had become of Duke Devlin.
There was a soft tap on the door and the voice of Tristan Taylor calling, "Hey there, Serenity! Can I come in?"
Ever since he'd been released from the hospital, that silly Tristan had stopped by to see her two or three times a day. Serenity knew that his visit would certainly make time pass quickly. "Come on in, Tristan!"
The door opened a bit and Tristan poked his head in. "You just look better and better every day!" he exclaimed. He then pushed the door all the open and entered the room. Poor Tristan had his arm in a sling, but the injury never seemed to bother him. He wore a huge smile on his face as he looked upon Serenity, seeming happier than ever. "I've got some news for you."
"What is it?" Serenity asked curiously.
"I'll bet you're tired of being kept in this bed all day, huh?"
"Well... Yes."
"Good, cause the nurse said I could take you to go visit Duke- he's still in the hospital too, you know- if you're feeling up to it."
Serenity sat up, excited. "Yes! I'd love to go see Duke! Please, Tristan, let's go now!"
"All right," Tristan said as he took Serenity's hand in his. He helped her to her feet. Then, still holding her hand, he led her to Duke's room. When they entered, Tristan let go of her hand and waved at a rather sickly looking Duke Devlin, who'd been sitting up, dazed looking.
Duke smiled slightly. "Hi," he said. He then looked to Serenity and nodded to her. "You're looking well today," he said.
"I wish I could say the same to you," Serenity said sadly.
"Yeah, well, I'm still weak from my surgery I guess."
Serenity's heart began to race. "Duke," she said softly, "please don't tell me that they..."
"Had to amputate my leg?" Duke asked, interrupting her. He grinned, then threw the covers off of him...
"You didn't have to get it amputated?" Serenity asked hopefully.
"Nope. I didn't have to have the amputation, but they did some sort surgery on my leg. I can't exactly remember what at the moment. They had me on some medicine when they told me."
Serenity had been brought to tears of joy. She hugged Duke tightly, whispering, "I've been so, so worried. You wouldn't believe how much I've thought about you. But now I know that you're going to be fine. I'm so glad you're ok..."
Tristan cleared his throat and interrupted the sweet moment by saying, "There's something I gotta tell you, Serenity."
She let go of Duke, looking to Tristan. "Yes?"
"Kaiba had those three guys arrested the other day," Tristan told her. "Nobody knows the whole story, so there's going to be a big trial next week and you're supposed to testify. In fact, just about everybody is. I mean me, Duke, Joey, Kaiba, Mai, Bakura, and Yugi. We were all involved in it too, you know."
Serenity quieted. She remained silent for a moment, and then smiled. She squeezed Duke again. "I'm so glad that you're ok, Duke!"
It was only a teenage thing. Hormones were out of whack. That's what had caused it all. That's what caused a lot of problems in teen-agers. It was something that couldn't be controlled, therefore, there was no way that he could have prevented what happened. That day at the park, Serenity Wheeler had sparked something, causing hormones and things to churn inside him, changing his thoughts, changing his actions, changing who he was. He knew that teens these days are often mixed up, trying to find out who they are and searching for an identity. But not him. He already knew these things, despite his young age. For a while he had nearly forgotten, only concentrating on the Wheeler girl. Now that she was gone, he was alone again, and remembered his identity. He was Seto Kaiba, the wealthy CEO of Kaiba Corporation.
These things Kaiba had forced upon himself, forced into his mind. Whether they were true or not didn't matter. All that mattered was that the remaining thoughts and feelings of Serenity were out of his mind; they had to be forced away.
He was headed to Kaiba Corp. that evening, with Mokuba following behind him, carrying a briefcase. Kaiba, with all of his superiority, looked down upon everyone else around him, his head held high and standing tall. He strolled- with a bit of a swagger- leisurely down the crowded sidewalk, pushing away anyone who was in his path. Every now and then he gave off a rude, bitter comment, or would give someone a cold, piercing glare.
The old Seto Kaiba was back, and worse than ever.
