Chapter XXXVII: Karma
Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to Summer Love, Summer Fears. We are glad so many of you are still enjoying this story. And thank you for all your reviews! We hope those of you who are going back to school will be able to keep up on this and we hope you have a great school year. Anyway, last chapter, we saw Tyson "Tyranno" Hassleberry win the hand of the fair yet tough Rosadina Jimenez. And as the chapter closed, the GX kids still in Domino heard a gurney being wheeled down the hall. So what will happen next? Read and discover!
Disclaimer: Again…we don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. We own our OCs, non-established characters, this story idea and our version of the Yugi-verse.
In Domino City at Children's Hospital, the group of teens and parents heard a gurney rolling down the hall. Jayda and Scout got up, gave their children hugs and headed out to the hallway. Darla held Sy and Annie close, and Kisara also headed out to the hallway. "Oh, my...that poor boy," Kisara said softly. Chazz was a pitiful sight from what he'd been early in the morning. He was unconscious now, and badly bruised. He had an IV running into him and bandages all over. The orderlies pushed his gurney into the room carefully and the kids got a good look at their friend and brother for the first time since the beating.
Violet had to turn away, unable to look without bursting into tears. Syrus frowned sadly along with Atticus, while Alexis buried her face into her mother's side.
Jaden clenched his fists. "Those...excuse me..." He walked out much as Bastion had done when he had found out about what Mike had done, and as Tyson had done in Texas when he'd found out about Rosa's ex-boyfriend, Jorge.
Bastion looked out the window in the hallway and saw Jaden in the field, yelling at the top of his lungs and commented, sweat-dropping, "That field is rather handy, isn't it?"
Jayda nodded. "You'd be surprised at how many people use it on a weekly basis. You poor baby," she said softly, moving over to Chazz's gurney. "Let's get him into bed...He'll be awake in a little bit."
"Hey, Chazz," Annie said, tears coming to her eyes.
Kisara, meanwhile, clenched her own fists and Seto Kaiba looked things not lawful to be uttered. "I'm calling that restaurant," he said softly and she nodded.
Syrus wrapped an arm comfortingly around Annie's shoulders, while Atticus glared at the tiled floor. Violet remained turned away, shaking a little, while Alexis was trying to hold back tears beside her mother. "Don't worry. Everything will be okay," stated Darla reassuringly.
Jaden walked back in about 5 minutes later. "Do you feel better, Jaden, honey?" Jayda asked.
"Yeah, Mom...I just needed to let some stuff out...it wouldn't have been cool..." Chazz was now in the hospital bed and Jaden moved to the bedside. "Chazz...bro, I'm here...we all are..." Scout moved to the other side of the bed and gently brushed the unruly mop of raven hair.
Violet took in a breath, finally working up the nerve to look at her friend. Tears sprung to her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. "Poor Chazzy..." she mumbled sadly.
Alexis finally joined most of the others at his bedside, staring down sadly at her new brother. "Bro..."
Kisara said, "I'll be right back...Slade's going down..."
Seto followed her out in the hall. "Babe, what are you doing?" he asked.
"Making my phone calls." She dialed fast and made a conference call to the chair people of the Republican and Democratic National Committees. "Hi, Karl, hey, Hillary!" she greeted.
"Mrs. Kaiba," Karl said, "to what do we both owe the pleasure of this call?"
"Yes," Hillary said, surprised, "I'd think you wouldn't call us at the same time..."
"Guys, I'm calling in a solid 'you-owe-me...' Slade Princeton is a child beater and I have the proof to bring him down. I would like you both to pulp his Senate run...I'll have Seto send you the DVD copies."
"Yes ma'am..." They thanked her, she thanked them and they hung up.
"Done..." she said.
"Babe, you enjoyed that," Seto said, surprised.
"I did...taking down abusers is fulfilling, honey."
The Kaibas walked back into the room. "Kisara, what happened out there?" Annie asked.
"Just took out the trash...Slade Princeton is finished," Kisara said, grinning wickedly.
Violet smiled along with Syrus. "Thanks, Kisara. Now we just have to deal with Jagger," replied Alexis.
"Yeah...leave that to me..." Seto grinned in much the same way he had when he and Yugi had faced Lumis and Umbra at Battle City. "I know some of Princeton Corp's shareholders and I'll make some phone calls...at the very least, the company will have a plurality and those jerks won't be in control." At this moment, Chazz moaned softly.
"I think he's waking up!" stated Syrus. Alexis bent down slightly, watching Chazz and waiting for him to open his eyes.
"Chazz, it's Mommy...I'm here," Scout said softly.
"He'll squeeze your hand, Jaden...Chazz, if you can hear me, squeeze Jaden's hand," Kisara said quickly. Jaden felt a weak squeeze. Kisara moved quickly to dim the lights in the room. "Chazz, try opening your eyes, kiddo..." Chazz groaned softly and managed it as one eye could barely open due to his swollen cheek.
Alexis smiled and just barely stopped herself from hugging the living daylights out of him. "Oh, Chazz, thank goodness you're awake! We were so worried..."
"You feelin' okay, little bro?" asked Atticus.
"Kinda...spacey...where am I?" Chazz asked.
"You're at Domino Children's," Kisara said. "Chazz, what's the last thing you remember?"
"Mom...in the alley...Ojamas...Everything's kind of a blur...after that..."
"Well, you were in the ER. They had to treat your injuries and now you're going to be Annie's roommate for a little while," explained Darla.
"I was...in the ER?" Chazz considered that. "Wait..." He got a little agitated. "Slade...Jagger..."
"Sweetie, they're not here..." Scout soothed, brushing his bangs.
"They'll come after you," he croaked, worried that his old family might hurt his new one.
"We won't let them near you," Kisara said.
"Yeah, I'm already getting extra security," Seto said. "They won't know what hit them if they try anything."
"Thanks...Sis...big bro..." Chazz whispered. Jaden let go of the boy's hand and moved back so his brother and sister could move close.
Atticus and Alexis did so, each standing on either side of him. "Don't worry, bro, they're going to regret doing this. Along with everything else they've ever done to you," stated Alexis.
Atticus nodded. "And if they ever try to touch you again, I'll give them a taste of their own medicine," he added.
"Can't...Atty," Chazz managed. "Don't...want you getting hurt...that's why..." He looked up at the man he now called father. "Dad...they would've...hurt you too..."
Jack sighed. "I understand what you're saying, son. I know you don't want any of us getting hurt. But we're family, and family stands up for each other. Next time they come around, they'll have to face all of us. Then, we'll see just how tough they truly are."
Seto moved. "Jack, trust me...I'm posting security around you and your family as a precaution. Kisara has dealt them a bad blow and they will want revenge. My guess is when they realize they will lose Chazz, they might get mean...We're helping, too."
Chazz started to relax. "What'd you do?" he asked.
Kisara grinned. "Slade's not going to get his senate run..."
"How'd you do that?"
"Made a call to both party heads, kid...Oh, that was fun..."
"See, bro? They're going to get what's coming to them. So don't worry," Alexis stated, smiling.
Atticus grinned. "Oh yeah, we have great news, little bro!"
"Wh-what?"
"Well, Jaden and I aren't the only ones engaged anymore. Violet and Bastion and Rosa and Hassleberry are, too," explained Alexis happily. Violet held up the peace sign from her spot beside Bastion, grinning.
Chazz looked over at Bastion. "Congrats..."
"Thanks, old friend," Bastion said.
Then the raven-haired boy in the bed noticed the trace of tears on Violet's face. "Violet? Were you upset about me?" he asked tiredly.
Violet's smile instantly became a frown, and she turned away from the others. "Well...yes...and no...it's complicated," she mumbled, staring at the floor.
Annie looked at her best friend and knew she needed out of bed. Sy moved to help Annie and she climbed out quickly. "Violet..." Annie moved and hugged her friend close. "It's okay..."
Violet sighed. "I don't know...I thought that I was okay, since the nightmares stopped. But...Annie, when you told me about Chazz, the memory came back and hurt worse than the
nightmares. Then, it happened again, when Alexis was telling Hassleberry about it. I don't know why they won't go away..."
Annie just hugged her. Kisara said, "I think I know why...until I was about 10, I freaked out when someone said a certain word because it reminded me of my biological parents' last fight...it took a long time before I was okay when somebody said the b-word...Honey, you've have had some bad things happen..." Bastion moved and hugged both girls.
Violet felt a little better now that she knew what the problem was. "Okay, so...we should probably figure out which word it is for future reference, huh?" she asked, glancing over at Kisara.
Kisara nodded. "What was said?" she asked, looking at the other kids.
"Well, she said it happened when Annie and I talked about what happened to Chazz. All we said was how his brothers beat him up pretty badly..." Alexis explained. Violet twitched, body tensing up in the double-hug from her best friend and fiancé.
"Violet?" Annie asked. "Is that it? When they said 'beat him?'"
Again, she tensed, able to respond with a nod. "It's probably just the word 'be-I mean, the first one," stated Alexis.
"Okay...Violet," Kisara said, "I'm going to need to talk to your mom, honey. You need a counselor, and when you get back home, you're going to need a little time with one, all right?"
Violet nodded. "So, uh, you probably need my phone number, right?" she asked.
"Yeah, sweetie, I'll need your number...It'll be okay, Violet..."
Annie pulled away from the hug, letting Bastion take over. "Darling...darling, I'm here...he won't hurt you again if I can help it," he whispered.
Violet sighed and told Kisara her phone number, then just allowed herself to be lost in Bastion's arms. 'I trust you, Bastion. I know that you'll protect me,' she thought.
Syrus thought of something, and followed Kisara out into the hallway where she was going to make the phone call. "Uh, Kisara? I have a question..."
"What is it, Syrus?" Kisara asked curiously, kneeling down slightly.
"Well, uh, it's about Violet. What if she runs into Mike when she and Bastion go to Cleveland? He did hurt her once already..."
Kisara was quiet for a minute. "With any luck, honey, she won't run into him...but if she does and he tries something while Bastion's with her...well, I'd hate to be that guy..."
Syrus nodded. Violet would probably never even leave Bastion's side, so she would probably be okay. "All right...thanks, Kisara." He quickly went back into the room, leaving her alone in the hallway.
"No problem, honey..." she said as he headed back into the room. Kisara dialed the number that Violet gave her and waited as the phone rang.
All the way across the country, the phone at the Haverbrook residence began ringing as incessantly as it always did. Barbara sighed and quickly dried her hands, answering the phone. "Hello, Haverbrook residence. Barbara Haverbrook speaking."
"Hello, Mrs. Haverbrook. This is Kisara Kaiba...I'm a doctor at Domino Children's Hospital, ma'am and I need to talk to you about your daughter..."
"Really? As in 'Kaiba Corporation' Kaiba??" asked Barbara, surprised. However, the second part of Kisara's statement then registered. "Hospital? Did something happen to Violet??"
"Seto Kaiba is my husband, yes, ma'am. As to Violet, physically she's all right, but she's having some emotional difficulties at the moment. Has she been keeping in contact with you the last few days?"
Barbara frowned, guessing exactly what the problem was. "Well, no, actually. She hasn't called since the time she asked if it would be all right to stay with her new boyfriend in Domino. Then, she asked if we'd let him visit Cleveland and stay with us," she explained thoughtfully.
"Well, first let me say that her young man is an absolute angel. He's so sweet with her...and right now that's a very good thing. Memories of her previous boyfriend have been coming back to haunt her, I'm afraid..."
Barbara sighed, having guessed correctly. "That's what I thought you meant. Violet changed, after that event. Of course, she was still the hyper-active, giddy girl that she'd always been. But Alan and I could tell something was wrong. Personally, we were hoping that getting a new boyfriend would fix this problem."
"Well, in light of recent happenings, I think she needs counseling. She's had a rough few days. Two of her friends are in the hospital and one of them was brought in due to...sibling abuse. Violet reacted badly..." Kisara was barely managing to keep her temper at this.
"Oh my, how terrible..." Barbara had to sit down, as nothing bad like that had ever really happened in their quiet town. "I see how those things could bring back the memory. If you needed our permission for counseling, you have mine. If it helps Violet, then I'm grateful, to say the least."
"Okay, thank you, Mrs. Haverbrook. I'm surprised Violet didn't call you when her friend was brought in here...Do you know of Annie Hanson?"
"Yes, Violet's told us about her best friend many times. We're so glad that she was able to make one. All of us were worried that Duel Academy would be a repeat of her original school..."
"Well, Annie's here because...it looks as if she might have a heart condition. We don't know if it's going to be life-threatening or not, but Violet's been pretty upset about it. She has her other friends around her, but for a bit, she blamed herself for what happened to Annie..."
Barbara sighed. "I should probably tell you that it was hard for Violet to make friends. She really only had two close ones, but then after the incident...of course the one was out of the question for doing such a thing. Her only remaining friend unfortunately moved away the next week, so she was alone. After so many bad things happening at once, I'm not surprise she blamed herself for another bad incident."
"She opened up and told us everything the morning after Annie was admitted. My husband and my friends, her boyfriend and her other male friends were about ready to come to Ohio and hunt Mike down, to be honest. She had to tell Bastion to calm down." Kisara drew a breath and continued, "And then this morning, her friend, Chazz was admitted and someone used a certain word to describe what happened to him and she got very upset. It's what we call a trigger-word situation where a person associates a word or certain words with a trauma. It's common enough and Violet definitely has it."
"I see. She did see a counselor after it happened, but it didn't seem to help much. All the counselors ever seemed to do was make things worse. If it was the same situation now as it was before she left for Duel Academy, I would have had to say no to your proposal. But...maybe she'll make some real progress now that she has friends and a boyfriend to lean on."
Kisara smiled. "No one in the group will abandon her. And Bastion loves her. She was so upset the night Annie was admitted, she ran out into the rain and he ran after her into the storm. They came back soaked to the skin and she got quite a nasty cold, but she's okay now..."
"It's good to know that she found some true friends. She gets sick easily, because she has a weak immune system. Luckily, it's never very serious..."
Suddenly, a door being opened could be heard in the background. "Mama, I'm home!" called a childish female voice.
"Oh, I have to go, Kisara. Thank you for looking after my daughter and calling me."
"No problem, Mrs. Haverbrook, and I'll have her call you...doctor's orders. Bye now..."
"Goodbye, Kisara." Barbara hung-up the phone and went to greet her youngest child.
Kisara came back into the room. "Violet? Sweetie, I'm going to have you call your mother later, all right? She knows what's happened, but I think she needs to hear it from you, okay?"
Violet was now sitting in one of the chairs, much more calm than before. "All right, but do I really need to see a counselor, Kisara? All of the other times it didn't really help much..."
"Violet..." Kisara sat down next to her. Bastion kept his arm around his fiancée, concerned. "Honey, you need this...One thing you have going for you is a big support group...And another thing you've got is better resources..."
"Kisara?" Bastion asked. "What do you mean?"
"Seto and I have connections and we can find the best counselor for you, Violet."
Violet smiled. "Well...all right. But can Bastion be with me?" she asked anxiously.
"Of course, honey; he can be with you. You'll get a counselor here and a counselor where you live, okay?"
She nodded. "Thanks, Kisara. But...it's not going to be right away, is it?" Violet didn't want to leave Chazz right now, when he needed all the support he could get.
"No, Violet," Kisara said. "I have to do a little looking here, and the earliest session you'll be in will probably be tomorrow."
Violet let out a sigh of relief and rested her head on Bastion's shoulder. "That's good...I'd feel bad if I had to leave Chazz right now."
"No one has to leave," the doctor said.
Seto, meanwhile, stood up. "I'll be back, okay, everybody? Chazz...your brothers are about to pay...big time..." He came over to the side of the bed and clasped the boy's hand in a friendly gesture.
"Bye, honey," Kisara said.
"Bye, Seto. Thanks again," Alexis said, smiling.
Seto nodded and headed out. Chazz looked around. "Violet?"
Violet looked up. "Yeah, Chazzy?"
"Don't be upset..."
"Sorry, Chazzy. I just can't stand seeing one of my new friends get hurt." Violet still considered them to be her "new" friends, because they'd only become friends in the past two years.
"New friends?" Jaden asked, moving over to Violet. "We're your friends, even if it's only been for a little bit...and I don't like it when anybody's hurt..." He looked up at Bastion. "Can I hug your fiancée, Bastion?"
"It's all right, if it's all right with her," Bastion answered.
Violet smiled. "I know, Jay. And of course you can hug me. In fact..." Her smile turned into a grin and she jumped up, nearly sending Jaden to the ground with a hug of her own.
Alexis laughed. "She always has to be the one to start the hug..."
Jaden grinned. "Dad said one day I'd meet my hugging match, right, Mom?"
Jayda smiled. "He did..."
Violet pulled away, smiling. "What can I say? I'm a huggy type of girl..."
Atticus grinned. "So we noticed."
Annie smiled. "GROUP HUG! Violet, hug Chazz!"
Instantly, Violet had her arms wrapped around Chazz's neck, Alexis joining her. Syrus and Atticus also hugged their brother and friend, laughing happily. Zane moved over, as did Jaden, and Annie got out of bed to join in the hug. Each of the doctors hugged too, enveloping Chazz and Violet tightly. Bastion, of course, hugged Violet first.
"I love a good group hug! Hooray for us!!" cheered Violet. 'Not that I've had many...' she added mentally as an afterthought.
"Yay!" Annie said, smiling at her friend's enthusiasm. "I've got to sit down. Kisara, when are my tests?"
"In about an hour, all right?" Annie nodded.
The group hug ended. "Kisara, we have to wait here, don't we?" Syrus asked.
"Well, Annie can bring a friend if she wants. I doubt you want to go alone, do you, Annie?"
"No...and...Violet, you should stay with Bastion...Sy...could you go with me?"
Syrus nodded. "Of course!"
Violet smiled. "If any of us were allowed to go, Annie, it should be Sy. I don't mind staying here with the others."
"Okay...I just didn't want you to feel bad...I hate having to choose..." Annie said, blushing. Kisara sighed and smiled. "I understand...when you have so many good friends, you can't totally choose...Okay, Sy...you're going to need to be outfitted for this, all right?"
Syrus blinked. "Uh, okay..."
Violet grinned. "Oh, oh, is he going to have to wear one of those smock things that doctors wear??"
"He gets a pair of scrubs, honey," Kisara grinned and winked at Darla. Ordinarily, it wouldn't be necessary, but Sy might feel more helpful if he wore something similar to what his mom was wearing.
Darla smiled. "Don't worry, son. It's nothing much. Just something to make sure germs don't spread."
Syrus nodded. "Okay."
"Okay, then." Kisara called for an orderly to bring a wheelchair so Annie could ride. "You two ready?"
Annie nodded and took Sy's hand when she got into the wheelchair.
"Yeah. We'll see you guys in a little bit," Syrus stated as they left. Darla went with Kisara and the teens, pushing Annie's wheelchair.
Annie is about to undergo testing to determine what is really wrong with her. Is Kisara's assessment correct about Annie's heart? And how will Syrus deal with Annie's tests? Please stay tuned for the next chapter, "Testing." Until then, read and review! 15animefreak15 and Peach Wookiee thank you all!