Author's Note: Hope you all enjoyed yesterday's double chapter! And I hope you'll all enjoy this one too!

When Seto awoke two hours later, he hoped the worst of the day was now behind him. He could tell that Mokuba was still asleep and was going to check on him. He tried to sit up when a pain in his stomach brought him swiftly back down to his pillow. What the heck was that? He took a minute to take stock of his body. His stomach hurt like hell and he felt nauseous. Plus he was freezing cold despite being under several blankets. He figured it might be the beginnings of food poisoning and made a mental note to take legal action against the restaurant the two of them had gone to for breakfast that morning.

He lay very still in his bed, afraid to move and hurt himself even more. As the minutes passed he noticed that the pain seemed to be moving from his navel and down more toward his abdomen. Something wasn't right here. As quickly as he tried to figure it out, his paternal instincts flared up and told him that Mokuba was awake and would likely be expecting him shortly. Despite the pain, he rolled out of bed and got shakily to his feet, doubled over in half as the pain grew worse. Slowly, he made his way to the nursery. He didn't think that the walk there had ever been so long or arduous. When he got closer to the door he could hear Mokuba crying. For a few seconds his paternal instincts overrode the pain and he got inside.

He used every last bit of strength he had to let down the crib bar before the pain overwhelmed him again and he collapsed to the floor.

"Daddy!" Came the panicked cry and Mokuba jumped out of the crib and sat beside him. He shook his shoulder softly. Seto looked up at him, trying to be reassuring despite the fact that the pain was chipping away at his bravery.

"I'll be okay, but I need you to listen very carefully, okay, buddy?" Said Kaiba, gently. Mokuba nodded, eyes wide as he wiped his nose with his hand, sniffling. "I need you to go get the phone and call 911, then bring a few of the servants back to help me get to the couch. Can you do that for me?" Mokuba nodded and did exactly as he asked before helping move him to the couch. Seto took the nursery key from his pocket and handed it to his son. "You need to keep the key while I'm gone, and I'll call you when I find out what's wrong."

"I wanna go with you." He whimpered.

"I know you do, but if something's wrong I need you here to hold down the fort until I come back." He said, squeezing his hand. The front door was already open when the medics came in with a gurney and strapped him in. He made sure his cell phone was in his pocket before they wheeled him into the ambulance. The last thing he saw before they shut the doors was Mokuba's tear-stained face. They asked him questions about himself and his condition and he did his best to answer them. It wasn't until they got to the questions about pain that he really paid attention.

"Where is the pain?" He pointed to his abdomen.

"Does it radiate?"

"Yes."

"Intensity on a scale of 1-10?"

"Ten."

"Is it dull or sharp?"

"Sharp."

"Does it go away or is it constant?"

"Constant."

"Does it hurt more or less when inhaling/exhaling?"

"More."

"If you change position does that help?"

"No."

"Have you ever had appendicitis?"

"No."

When they arrived they swept him to the ER and the doctor started examining him. He pushed gently on Seto's abdomen and watched his body go rigid as the pain sharpened to an unbearable point.

"Mr. Kaiba, you're suffering from appendicitis. We caught it in the early stages but we still need to get you prepped for surgery immediately before your appendix bursts."

"Fine, but I need to make a call first."

The doctor nodded, and he called home. Mokuba, who had stationed himself by the phone with only his bear as company was quick to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey bud."

"Daddy! What happened? Are you okay?"

"Daddy's got appendicitis, so I'm going in for surgery. But don't worry. I'll be fine." He promised, hoping it would be true. He could practically see Mokuba's broken hearted face in his mind, and it absolutely broke his heart.

"Do you promise?" He asked in a meek voice that almost instantly choked him up.

"I promise."

"Okay. Bye bye Daddy. Feel better."

"Bye buddy." He said, and then hung up. It took him about two seconds to realize that Mokuba needed someone there with him tonight. He couldn't just leave him there by himself. The servants were fine at doing their respective jobs (and that was why he paid them), but none of them truly cared about his son. He needed someone who cared for him enough to meet his needs. Only nobody knew about those specific needs.

Nobody, that is, except for four other people.

Seto went back and forth with himself about doing this for a good minute or so, but it came down to the fact that he knew he had to get ready for surgery right then and there. He was absolutely terrified over what he was about to do, but he knew it was something that was necessary. Someone had to look after his brother while he could not. Feeling a deep sense of urgency that could not be quelled, he started dialing the number he had hoped he would never had to use. His finger hovered over the call button as what he was about to do sank in.

Swallowing every last bit of his pride, he hit the call button and listened as his phone dialed the only person that could possibly help him in this situation: Yugi Moto.

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