Chapter LV: Recovery
Hello again, dear readers and thank you again for your wonderful reviews. 15animefreak15 thanks you for the warm reception the Haverbrooks have gotten. She is very happy you like them. Anyway…thanks again for your continued support, and on with the next chapter!
Last time, Violet's family arrived in Domino and met the Kaiba family. Kisara updated Alan (Violet's dad), Barbara (Violet's mom), Bobby (Violet's 23-year-old brother) and Haylee (Violet's 7-year-old sister). Seto and the four Kaiba children met up with the Haverbrooks when they arrived at the mansion. While the elder Haverbrooks went to take a nap, little Haylee played with the Kaiba kids. So what will happen next? Just stick around and we'll show you!
Disclaimer: We don't own GX…We just own our OCs, this story and this version of the Yugi-verse!
It was a good seven hours before Kisara called home to let the Haverbrooks know that they could come and see Violet. She was being moved out of the isolation ward and back to Bastion's room. Kisara had also called the Misawas to get them to come as Bastion would be meeting his future in-laws.
Kisara smiled at the group of kids in the room as Violet was brought back in. They had been asleep and had just awakened when she had received the news Violet was coming back. "Okay, guys, just be calm."
Bastion pressed the lift button on his bed and got into a sitting position. "She's definitely all right?"
Before Kisara could answer, Jaden said, "Yes, she is, Bastion. Just calm down."
"But..."
"Bastion, he's right," Kisara said. "She was in the isolation ward as a precaution and her vitals are okay now...She'll be here a week and so will you..."
"Okay," Bastion said, easing into his pillows.
Finally, Violet was rolled in on a stretcher and placed on the bed by two orderlies. She was paler than usual from the strain of surgery and fighting the infection, eyes half-lidded tiredly from pain medication. Her stitched-up side was hidden by her top and the covers, but her arm had a few band-aids on it from emergency vaccines.
"Violet?" Annie asked, coming over to the bedside. "Violet, how are you feeling?"
"Yeah...man, you scared us!" Chazz said, shivering.
"Violet...darling," Bastion called softly from his own bed.
"I feel...ow...and tired," Violet mumbled. Her eyes glanced over at Bastion, and she smiled. "Yay...hi, Bastion-baby," she greeted, unable to show her enthusiasm.
Syrus noticed her bandaged arm. "Hey, Kisara, I thought it was just her spleen that needed to be fixed."
"Well, we wanted to minimize the risk of sepsis to Violet's system," Kisara explained.
"Uh...what's sepsis?" Chazz asked.
"Man, I know that one," Jaden said.
"You actually know that, Jaden? You know something?" Chazz teased.
"Yup...sepsis is a body-wide bacterial infection that can be really dangerous...right, Kisara?"
"That's right, Jaden...the spleen is a line of defense in fighting infections and removing it removes a line of defense in the body. If Violet got sepsis now, it'd like if you had Ring of Defense, had it removed and got hit with a Crush Card virus," Kisara explained.
Violet blinked. "I didn't know we had Duel Monsters cards inside of us," she responded, a bit out of it.
Syrus sweat-dropped, grinning sheepishly. "Uh, I don't think that's what she meant, Violet," he stated.
"It's an analogy, honey," Kisara smiled, gently tapping Violet's shoulder. "I'm used to explaining things in Duel Monsters terms...it helps when I'm working with kids who are fans of the game. Anyway, we're just making sure you don't get something nasty."
"Right," Violet answered.
Then, there was a knock on the door, and Hiro poked his head in. "Hello everyone. Hope we're not interrupting."
"Oh, hi, Hiro! C'mon in! Everybody's up," Kisara said.
"Hey, Dad..."
And then Katai stuck her head in. "Hi, sweetheart...And hello, Violet...welcome back to the land of the living."
Violet's eyes widened. "I died?!" she asked incredulously.
Hiro sweat-dropped. "Eh, no, Violet. It's just a saying," he explained, rubbing the back of his head gingerly.
"You were out for quite a while, sweetie," Katai said softly, coming over to the bed. "Is it okay if I give you a kiss on the forehead, sweetheart?"
"Sure, fine with me. Since my mom's not here to do it," Violet replied, sighing.
Some of the others grinned. "Should we tell her?" Atticus asked Kisara.
"Yup...Violet, your mom, dad, brother and sister are coming and should be here in a few minutes. We flew them in from Cleveland early this morning."
Violet blinked a few times as the information sunk in, then gaped. "What? They're here??" She'd meant it to be a yell, but such energy wasn't in her at the moment.
"Yes, Violet, they are. One of the reasons we're here is to help Bastion meet them face-to-face," Hiro explained.
"I was just...uh...I don't know if lucky is the right word...meeting one's future in-laws can be...difficult," Kisara said. "My mom had that problem...But even with the nicest of people it can be an awkward situation..."
"Awkward?" Bastion asked.
Katai smiled. "Yeah, sweetie...when my parents met your father for the first time, even though they were nice it was...nerve-wracking. But it worked out..."
"That's good," the boy said, but looking a little apprehensive.
Amazingly, since they were on the subject, another knock on the door was heard. "Pizza delivery for a Miss Haverbrook!" called a male voice.
Violet groaned and rubbed her forehead with her non-sore arm. "That's Bobby, all right."
"C'mon in, guys!" Kisara called cheerfully.
"No tackle-hugging, Haylee, remember?" Alan asked his daughter.
"I remember, Daddy," the small girl said, holding a bouquet of flowers she'd picked from the Kaibas' garden. Katai and Hiro stood up from where they'd been sitting as the Haverbrooks entered.
"Hey, Vi," Alan said, coming up to his daughter's bed. "Kisara, can I..?"
"Just hug her gently..."
Violet brightened when she saw her family, and carefully hugged her father. "Hey guys. Oh, Haylee, are those for me?" she asked, smiling.
"Yup. She picked them just for you, sweetie. I'm so glad you're okay." Barbara replied as Bobby also hugged his sister.
"I told you you'd get into trouble without me around," he joked.
"Sissa," Haylee said, tugging on her father's pants. Alan lifted his youngest child so she could hug her sister. "Violet, I was scared," she said. Children have a knack for sensing how the grown-ups around them are worried and knowing that something is wrong even when the grown-ups try not to act like it.
Violet used her good arm to pull Haylee onto the bed, setting the girl beside her. "Sorry I worried you, Haylee. I'm okay now, though. See?" she asked, tickling her little sister.
Meanwhile, Bobby made a quick glance around the room, eying each of the boys. "So, who's Bastion?" he asked, forgetting the boy was also being hospitalized.
"Terribly sorry, that would be me," the boy said from his bed. "Bastion Misawa...a pleasure. Um...I'm afraid I can't get out of bed at the moment..."
Alan came over to shake Bastion's hand. "It's all right, Bastion. I'm Alan; I'm Violet's dad..."
"She has your eyes," Bastion observed, shaking his hand.
Bobby smacked his forehead. "Oh, right, duh! Forgot you were sick, too. The name's Bobby! Nice to meet you!!" he greeted, shaking Bastion's hand eagerly.
"So we finally meet in person. I'm Barbara of course, Violet's mother," Barbara greeted, simply waving.
"Hello, I'm Hiro; Bastion's father. And this is my wife, Katai," Hiro greeted.
"I'm so glad to finally meet all of you," Katai said happily, shaking the men's hands and hugging Barbara.
Haylee climbed down from her sister's bed and tore over to the Misawas. "HI! I'm HAYLEE!!" she squealed, happily ready to tackle-hug, but Katai knelt down and caught the small girl easily.
"My goodness! You look a lot like your sister! It's been wonderful to have her with us, too, Alan, Barbara."
"She's quite the ball of energy," added Hiro, smiling.
"Oh yes, she takes after Violet in a lot of ways," replied Barbara.
Violet grinned sheepishly. "She's like a mini-me, I guess," she added.
Bobby laughed, then finally noticed the necklace she was wearing. "Hey, Vi, where'd you get that?"
"I...gave it to her," Bastion said shyly. "I wanted to give Violet something...to celebrate...our engagement...Mr. Haverbrook, I'm terribly sorry, but I asked your daughter to marry me before I formally asked your permission. Please forgive me..."
"No worries, Bastion," Alan said. "It's all right, and I can't think of a more wonderful young man for my little Violet." Bastion looked very relieved.
"Hooray. The family accepts," cheered Violet as enthusiastically as she could.
"We can hardly wait until you two are healthy enough to come to Ohio. We'll treat you just like family, Bastion," explained Barbara, smiling.
Bobby grinned. "That means you're liable to get prank-OW!! Ow-ow-ow-ow," he whimpered.
Violet, even in her weak state, had quite the hold on his ear. "Don't...you...dare..."
"Oh, don't worry about it...Jaden's pranked me a few times...as have the others...And I've survived a run-in with your sister's pink bazooka," Bastion said very seriously.
Alan looked at his daughter. "You used your bazooka on him?"
Violet sweat-dropped and promptly released her brother. "Uh, well, you see, there WAS a good reason at the time," she mumbled, blushing. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to bring up the panty raid.
"Sometimes I wonder if we should have bought her that thing, Al," stated Barbara, sighing.
Bobby rolled his eyes. "She'd have just made her own, anyway..."
"She can make her own weapons?" Chazz suddenly looked frightened.
"And who might you be?" Alan asked.
"Charles Xavier Rhodes, but you can call me Chazz. Everybody else does, Mr. Haverbrook..."
"Oh, everybody just call me Alan...that goes for my future son-in-law...and who's Annie?"
"Um...I am," Annie said from her lounger. "Nice to meet you finally!" she said happily, hugging him.
"Of course I can make my own weapons. But that's beside the point. Mom, Dad, that boy right there is Syrus Truesdale. He's Annie's boyfriend," Violet explained, pointing.
"Uh, hi. It's nice to meet you," greeted Syrus nervously.
"It's wonderful to meet both of you. Do call me Barbara," replied Barbara, smiling.
"Hi, Barbara, Alan...Violet's my best friend," Annie said. "Hi, Haylee," she greeted the small girl.
"ANNIE!!" squealed the seven-year-old. Haylee climbed to the lounger and hugged Annie.
"I'm Jaden Yuki," Jaden said shaking hands.
"Zane Truesdale, I'm Sy's brother," Zane introduced himself.
Jaden grinned. "Violet and I drew in a duel and Annie kicked Zane's butt!"
"Ha, so my sis has some talent, after all. Like the card I gave you, Vi?" joked Bobby, grinning.
She merely sighed and flicked him, sending him sprawling to the floor. "I'm Alexis, Jaden's fiancée. And this is my older brother, Atticus," greeted Alexis.
"Bobby, you're lucky she didn't use her special pink boomerang on you for that card," Annie joked. "Poor Paula Abdul...I hear she's still in the psych ward at Cedar Sinai..." Everyone who had sang in the infamous worst version of "My Heart Will Go On" exchanged glances and grinned.
Bobby sat-up and blinked. "Well, at least I got to see Seto Kaiba!" he retorted, completely changing the subject.
Violet's brow twitched and Barbara sighed. "You should have seen it. He fainted the moment they came face-to-face," stated Barbara, grinning.
"Mom!!"
"Oh, my," Kisara said, laughing. "That's not the first time it's happened. And it won't be the last. Did you get to meet our kids?"
"Oh yes. All of them are just adorable, and Haylee seems to have lots of fun playing with them," replied Barbara, smiling.
"Oh, wonderful...Oh, Violet, I forgot to mention..." Kisara said with a look of surprise on her face, "Karen will come down here to check on you...I told her you were unable to have a formal session today..."
"Karen?" Alan asked.
"Karen Otani...she's the counselor I set Violet up with. She's very relaxed and likes to get to know a patient before she talks about their problems."
"Oh, okay. And she's better than the other ones, Dad," added Violet, smiling.
"I'm glad to hear that, sweetie," replied Barbara. Then, for the third time that day, there was a knock on the door.
"Hello, Violet!" Karen Otani greeted as she came in the room. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. Hi, Kisara!"
"Hey, Karen!" Kisara greeted. "You're not. In fact, you finally get to meet Violet's family."
"Oh, I see the resemblance!"
"Hi, Karen," greeted Violet.
"Hello, Karen. I'm Barbara; Violet's mother. It's so nice to meet you," greeted Barbara, shaking her hand.
"I'm Bobby, her big brother! Thanks for helping my sis'!!" greeted Bobby, grinning.
"Hi, I'm Alan, thanks for helping my girl," the father said, smiling.
"And I'll bet I know who this is," Karen said, kneeling down at Haylee's level. "Hello, Haylee!"
"Hi! You're pretty!"
"Thank you," Karen said, blushing nicely. "Violet's told me about all of you and I'm so glad to meet all of you...I'm sorry you're sick, Violet...You won't be going home tomorrow?"
Violet sighed and shook her head. "No, Kisara says I have to stay here for a week because of the surgery," she explained, frowning. Sure, Violet may have been nervous about going home, but she'd been looking forward to it as well.
"Is that right?" Karen asked. "Yeah..." Kisara answered. "Violet needs the week and then she'll have to be careful for a few weeks...but she can go home very soon here..."
"Wonderful...so we'll just have a casual chat again," Karen grinned. "Unfortunately, I'll bet Mountain Dew is off the menu?" she asked.
Kisara nodded. "You guessed right...no soda for a bit..."
"Eh?? Man, this is worse than the time Mom declared a soda ban for a week 'cause I mixed Bobby's white clothes with my red ones," Violet muttered, pouting.
Bobby glared at his bed-ridden sister. "I was wearing pink for weeks," he grumbled, arms crossed over his chest.
"Oh, man…" Jaden started cracking up. "Sy, do you remember when we did the laundry?"
Syrus grinned sheepishly and sweat-dropped. "Yeah, Jay, I remember. They never did give us laundry duty again after that," he replied.
"Oh...is that why we ended up with pink boxer shorts that week?" Zane asked.
"Oh yes," Bastion answered. "Many Ras weren't that surprised...Atticus, you were still missing at the time, but the Obelisks nearly rioted, and Dr. Crowler...well, we all know how he reacts..."
"Did I miss something?" Chazz wondered.
"Oh, yeah...you were at North Academy when that happened, Chazz!" Jaden realized.
Violet snickered, remembering how the Obelisk boys had rampaged about the island waving their pink boxers. "I didn't think they'd get that upset. So much for being the 'elite' of the academy," stated Alexis, sighing.
"That was back when everybody was still so divided," Annie commented. "Jaden's kind of been our unifying force."
"Unifying force?" Karen asked.
"Well, back when we started, the Obelisks, Ras and Slifers all were divided along our dorms, but a few of us broke ranks and became friends. And Jaden proved that it doesn't matter what blazer you wear that makes you a great duelist. In fact...some of the Obelisks are downright idiots," Annie concluded.
"Don't forget annoying. They were always hitting on us girls," added Violet, frowning.
Alexis nodded and glanced at Chazz. "At least some of them managed to change their ways. Right, bro?" she asked.
"Yeah...I was a real jerk in our first year...I was...dealing with a lot..."
"Yeah, I saw that," Karen said. "I'm glad you ended up with what you probably really wanted all along..."
Chazz looked at Karen. "Was it that obvious?"
Karen smiled sadly. "I've seen kids who've had that sort of damage and all they want really is a family that will love them..."
"And that we do!" cheered Atticus. Both he and Alexis placed their arms around Chazz and grinned happily.
"Yeah, family's great. Even if some of them can be annoying at times..." replied Violet, glancing at Bobby.
He sweat-dropped. "What? You can be annoying, too, you know."
Haylee looked at her big brother and sister. "I love my brother and Sissa!!" she smiled, tackle-hugging her brother.
"So, Annie, you've been here in the hospital, too?" Alan asked.
Annie nodded. "Yeah...I'm having some heart trouble...but Kisara and Dr. Benson think I'll be okay..."
Violet grinned as another one of her crazy ideas struck her. "Hey, Annie, we can be hospital buddies," she stated happily.
Bobby blinked. "That's the crazy sister I know and love," he replied, poking her. Violet poked him back agitatedly, and the two met in the classic "sibling rivalry glare."
"Yeah...we'll be hospital buddies," Annie said.
"And Violet, we wouldn't have you any other way than what you are. I think that's what your brother meant," Alan said.
Violet finally turned away from her brother, crossing her arms over her chest. "I know, I know. But he's still annoying," she replied simply.
Barbara sighed. "We might as well give it a rest, Al. Those two will always get on each others' nerves."
"Bobby, just keep your sister calm and happy, okay?" Kisara asked. "Violet, are you happier when he's like this?"
Violet sighed, frown quickly replaced by a grin. "Yeah, he may be annoying, but he's still my big brother. Besides, I'll get him back when I'm out of this hospital bed," she replied, eyes shimmering with mischief.
Bobby sweat-dropped. "Just leave my boxers out of it for once, all right?"
Everyone laughed. "Never mess with a guy's boxer shorts...unless they're Doctor Crowler's!" Zane grinned wickedly.
Violet couldn't laugh for more than a second before holding her side, wincing. "Ouch. Don't tell me I can't even laugh," she groaned, falling against her pillows.
Kisara was over at Violet's bedside in an instant. "It's hurting? Let me have a quick look..." She checked fast. "Just relax a minute, Violet...Laughing will hurt a little, but you can still do it if you take it easy...in the meantime, I think you're ready for another shot of pain medication," she said, consulting her patient's chart.
"Great...more needles," Violet grumbled, sighing. They didn't scare her as much anymore, but all those emergency vaccinations hadn't exactly been pleasant.
"Oh, so that's why your arms all bandaged up. I'm surprised you didn't faint like you used to," replied Bobby.
"She had the shots when she was in a lot of pain," Kisara explained. "And Violet, this just goes through your IV," she added, loading a syringe with some medication. She put it in through a stopper-like thing in the IV and it flooded into Violet's bloodstream quickly.
"Oh, right. Well, that's good. Since I'm still having trouble feeling my arm," she joked, grinning. Suddenly, a few stomachs grumbled, causing the respective teens to blush.
"Is everyone hungry?" Kisara asked knowingly.
"Yeah, I'm starved!" Jaden said.
"Me, too," Chazz added.
Annie, too, nodded. "We slept so late; we didn't really get hungry until now."
Violet lifted her top to look at the bandaged, stitched spot on her lower abdomen. "Uh, can I still eat without my spleen?" she asked warily.
"I didn't even know that you didn't need it," stated Syrus, grinning sheepishly.
"You can still eat without your spleen, Violet," Kisara assured her. "What the spleen does is filter your blood and help fight infections. It also is like a reserve system so you have extra blood in an emergency. But when the spleen does what yours did, it needs to be taken out...The rest of your lymphatic system can take over for what was lost."
"Wow," Haylee said. "That's a lot of stuff."
Violet blinked a few times, then shrugged. "Well, as long as I can still eat, then I'm good," she replied simply.
"She's a Haverbrook, all right," stated Barbara, sighing.
"Whoa," Jaden said.
"So what does everybody want for breakfast?" Kisara asked, looking at the clock. "Or should I say, a late lunch?"
"Eh, I don't really care what so long as it's not Chinese food," Violet asserted.
"Yeah, Violet, you've told us already," Syrus reminded her, sweat-dropping.
"We should get something that can be split into multiple servings. That way we don't have to order a bunch of food," offered Alexis.
"Hmmm...How about sub sandwiches?" Kisara suggested.
"Sounds great to me. Do they have tuna?" asked Violet.
"I'll take ham and mayo," Syrus said, smiling.
"A TLT, please," Alexis requested.
"What's that??" asked Bobby curiously.
"Turkey, lettuce, and tomato," Alexis explained.
"I'll take salami, pepper jack, lettuce, tomato, and jalapenos," stated Atticus, grinning.
Jaden grinned. "I want roast beef with everything!"
"Italian sub," Chazz requested.
"Meatball, please," Zane said.
Kisara looked at the other four Haverbrooks. "What would you guys like?"
"Oh, thanks, but I'm not very hungry myself. Only the kids inherited their father's appetite. Eating like a bird runs in my side of the family," Barbara explained, smiling.
"Well, I'll take a tuna with lettuce, mayo, and cheddar," replied Bobby, grinning.
"Ham and cheese!" Haylee squealed.
"I'll take a tuna as well," Alan said.
"Barbara, are you sure?" Kisara asked as she wrote down the orders.
"Oh, don't worry about me. After seeing the way these four eat day-in and day-out, I never really could keep up much of an appetite," she replied, grinning.
"Kind of like Jaden," stated Syrus, sweat-dropping.
Jaden grinned. "Only Violet and maybe Atticus...oh, yeah and Tyson can match me at eating!"
Alan sweat-dropped. "Are you kidding? My daughter has competitors?"
"Yeah, Dad. Those guys can really eat. I think we scared some of the other students when we had eating competitions, though," Violet replied, grinning sheepishly.
"I know I couldn't eat dinner after watching you guys scarf down all that fried shrimp," stated Alexis, grimacing.
"Hmmm...sounds like Joey," Kisara said, shaking her head.
"Joey?" Alan asked. "That wouldn't be Joey Wheeler, would it?"
"It would, actually...he's one of my friends who eats just like these kids. When we were in here with Annie that first night, Seto ordered pizza and the restaurant brought in 20 boxes of large pizzas. There was nothing left. Violet felt a little lousy but she went through seven slices."
Bobby frowned. "If it wasn't for the face that you were feeling lousy, I'd say that you lost your touch, Vi. Last time I checked, you held the family record for being able to eat twenty slices of pizza," he stated. Quite a few jaws dropped.
"T-Twenty??" asked Syrus, looking sick.
"Hey, she only beat me by one slice! And it wasn't exactly fair since she managed to snatch the last one by playing dirty," Bobby explained.
"Whoa..." Jaden was awed.
Zane sighed. "Oh, lord..."
"Don't try it, kids. Violet was home sick for two days after that and couldn't eat pizza for months. She hasn't tried anything like that since then," Barbara explained.
"Yeah, no higher than fifteen from now on," stated Violet.
"How can you do it, Violet?" Annie asked. "I still can't figure it out...But we'll have a week to do it, because Sy and I aren't leaving until you're out of the hospital, okay?"
"Oh, thanks you two. Hugs please," Violet requested, unable to do so herself. 'As soon as I've fully recovered, I'm gonna tackle hug every person I see,' she thought.
Annie and Sy hugged her first and then the rest of the group followed suit. "I'm sorry, darling, I wish I could," Bastion said sadly, still too tired to get out of his own bed.
"Violet, we aren't leaving you," Annie said. "You're my best friend...and as Tyson says, we don't leave a fellow soldier behind."
"Yeah," Jaden said. "We aren't leaving either of you..."
Violet sniffed a little, and wiped some tears from her eyes with the back of her arm. "You guys...thanks. I never thought I'd be able to have such good friends..."
"Neither did I," Annie said, hugging Violet again and crying a little herself.
Unfortunately, the fluffy moment was interrupted by more knocking on the door. This time it really was a delivery man with the subs, as he poked his head around the door. "I have an order here for a Kisara Kaiba..."
"That would be me," Kisara smiled. She paid the delivery man and then handed out the subs. She'd gotten snacks for herself and the Misawas (Bastion's throat was really too sore to do anything more than swallow some chicken soup), and soon the room was filled with the sound of eating.
"Man, this is great," Jaden grinned.
"Yeah..." Zane said.
"Oh, Violet! I have something big to tell you!" Annie said excitedly, "and it involves you too, Kisara!"
Violet had about a fourth of the six-inch sub in her mouth, and so could only blink at Annie's statement. Bobby had almost half of his six-inch sub in his mouth, so it was up to Barbara to communicate for Violet. "If you're wondering, she asked 'what?'" she stated simply.
"How'd you know what she said?" asked Syrus, confused.
"Well, when you've eaten around this family long enough, you get used to how they communicate with their mouths full."
Oh…Annie has a surprise and it sounds like a good one! So, what does she have in store for the group? Next time: Surprises! So stay tuned and please leave your reviews! We're glad to respond to them! Thank you!
