**Passion Days**
CHAPTER 3: Sister Surgery and Girlfriend Gripes
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hmm. I'm glad everyone's enjoying this so much! As a matter of fact, I don't think I ever felt so confident in making a fic before. THIS IS THE FIRST ONE I FEEL CONFIDENT ON!! Yeah, I'll be all right.
I also made up a completely random city not even in the series. "Adriatic City," so don't give me that politically incorrect stuff and just enjoy it! ^_^ Hope ya like this one guys! Read and Review, ya know the drill.
**/\**
Téa was having merciless dream sequences from the night that drained the complete shame out of everyone; also known as Téa's dance recital. Tossing and turning isn't a very good technique for sleeping, but that's how Téa tried to accomplish maybe an hour or two. Then waking up and passing out again for another awkward hour or so.
Ever since "the unspeakable" make out session, she and Joey hadn't been able to look at each other straight to save their lives. Still, Yami kept the scene bottled up and held back from revealing the news to Yugi. For if word did get out, the yujo, or friendship of Yugi and Joey would be cracked into tiny, glass pieces that would have to be tread upon carefully, or be cut with sheer pain of a broken heart.
A smidgen past twelve in the morning, Téa remained frustrated that she couldn't get her beauty sleep—"As if you need it, my spring flower," her father would respectfully say to his only daughter.
She bounced up against her pillow and propped herself up to stare at her mirror, as the mirror would stare right back at her. Téa's facial expression was stern and fierce; gray circles shone through her creamy complexion beneath her eyes. She crossed her arms and continued to gaze into her reflection when the eerie darkness of her room was pleasantly allowing this to be swallowed by moonlight.
Téa suddenly came over a sense of sadness. The adolescent girl escaped a tear and laid her neck back against the pillow and bedboard.
Her hand lifted to her forehead then stroked its way down, halting at her chin. "Damn it, I'm calling Joey. I bet he can't sleep over this whole thing, either!" Téa rasped the whisper to herself; she wouldn't want to wake her father thinking she was a nut talking to herself at the wee hours of the A.M.
Joey had chosen this night and the next couple of days to be with Serenity for her surgery in the late morning. He had talked more with his sister every day after Téa's recital; it sort of became a habit for him, now, explaining to her when she was more calm that he had the money from dueling to pay for the medical bill. Joey and Serenity lay peacefully asleep in the same bed. Joey was breaking into a light snore and his sister snuggling up against his back—all of this going on in the next city over, and Téa hated it…why?
Grabbing the railing, she wobbled downstairs acting like she was on a rigid bridge. Mind you, it isn't easy trying to establish this in pitch-blackness. Unexpectedly, Téa loses her footing and lands at the bottom with a big thump.
"WHO'S THERE?!" Mr. Gardner slid out of his room clutching a baseball bat with both hands.
Téa grunted, "Daddy, it's just me…" She rubbed her forehead soothingly, struggling with her eyes as her father flickered on the hallway light.
Her father dropped the bat and helped his daughter to the floor to steady her. "Sweetheart, what are you doing? What's the matter?" He positioned his caring hands on her shoulders.
"I can't sleep so I figured I'd get myself a cup of water and watch some T.V. for a lil' bit."
"Well, all right. If you need me just holler, okay? Good night." With that, he scruffed up the baseball bat and casually ascended the staircase.
She was ready to say something sticking her finger in the air with a deep breath, "…nah. Too easy," smiling at herself.
**/\**
A peaceful night arised upon Adriatic City—until a certain telephone rings. This startled Joey and rolled onto the floor in a plop all tangled in part of the comforter.
"Hahmm?" Joey answers from Serenity's portable phone. He tried to knock the sleepiness out of him to sound normal while speaking.
"Joey? Téa."
His eyes perked up and a small blushing color danced upon his cheeks, "TÉA? Who—why—what's wrong, anything wrong?!" Joey realized he chattered a tad too loud and Serenity stirred yanking over the covers, causing her brother to spin out rapidly.
Téa escaped a giggle as she filled up her glass of water; hey, she wasn't lying too much to her father.
"Oh Joey, you're adorable!" The faucet lightly splashed her fingers and snapped her out of what she had just said. She sent her cup flying backwards over her head and shattered onto the floor. "Son of a biscuit!"
"Ah…run that by me again, cutes?" Joey scratched the back of his neck. "AW SNAP!" Yet again, another unconscious mistake.
"Joey, just stop! Who are we kidding? The longer we do this, the worse things are going to get against us." Wonderful, beautiful. Dad didn't wake up…Téa pondered.
"Look, Téa, I've been thinking—" He felt someone, or something stabbing their eyes into his back. The chills raced up and down his spine causing him to spasm for a mere few seconds.
"Joey!" It was Serenity, not acting very serene. "Phone?! Why!" She thrusted her hand forward while in the other adjusting her eyeglasses.
"Just a minute, please! I'll hang up in a jiff…just hold your horses, Ser'." Serenity sighed and sat on her bed quietly watching him.
"Téa? Tomorrow, meet me, and the gang at Domino City Hospital. Serenity's scheduled for twelve-thirty p.m. surgery; she should be in recovery around one-thirty. It'll be visiting hours by then. WE will talk…" After he had explained her surgery, she felt awkward and fumbled with her feet glancing down toward her magenta carpeted floor.
"All right…I'll see you there then…sweet dreams." Téa bid her goodbye and clicked the phone off. Joey lingered for a minute and then slowly pressed the power button to hang up as well.
"Kids! Everything okay? I hear too many voices! I hope I'm not going schizo!" The siblings's mother knocked intentively at Serenity's bedroom door. "May I come in?"
Joey and Serenity shot each other brief eye expressions and assured her it was okay to walk in.
"Joseph, you haven't changed one bit; staying up late with your sister camping out under the sheets in bed." she chuckled.
He gazed intently to his mother. He basically thought of her as a stranger because of no contact whatsoever between them. Arisa Saito, formerly known as Arisa Wheeler, was in a word, stunning. Her golden waves of honey-tinted hair flowed just beneath her shoulders. Many of her co-workers and friends would entitle her Angel Eyes because of her mysterious mixed eye tinting; teal blue and a touch of green created such a color as a tropical sea. She was a good woman, she really was.
"Well, we wanted to have a late night chat. I was a little apprehensive about surgery so Joey always cheers me up—if that's what you heard—us talking a bit loud…" Joey wiped his brow. He was saved, but felt bad that his sister had to lie, just like him.
"Oh, ahuh. There was someone else who magically appeared in this room then and automatically left when I came in?" Arisa questioned skeptically.
"What?" The teenage boy's heart raced.
"'Téa, see ya later, cutes!' Don't think I don't know those lines!" The mother smirked; bingo! It all was obvious now where Joey got his smiles. "Does my sweet, little baby boy have a girlfriend?" He went red in the face and held his breath. Arisa hurried over to give him a peck on the forehead.
"MA! It's nearly one in the morning! Women can wait! I need some shut-eye and especially does Serenity!"
"Exactly! Why did you have that girl call you at this time of the morning, huh?"
"I DIDN'T. She called me on her own. No strings attached, honest to gods!"
"Mom! Would you stop grilling Joey! Jeez, give my brother peace! Oh, and to answer your question, Téa's a FRIEND of Joey's; she's a nice person so give him a break, he doesn't like her any other way so you can calm your nerves…"
Friend? Oh this is making me feel fine and dandy. Joey projected his sarcasm through his head while it echoed back and forth. This was not a situation to leave bouncing off your brain.
"Oh," she twirled a piece of her hair; this usually happens when she feels ill at ease, "well, damn it Joey I haven't seen your face for so long. The only keepsake I have is a picture of the both of you when you were six and Serrie five. I keep thinking you need to be protected because that was the only vision I had left of you. I'm sorry for asking you all those questions, please don't hold it against me." As much as she meant it, she showed no emotion, "I'll let you two get your rest, sleep tight." She nodded to her children and closed the door behind her.
"It's okay, Ma…"
"Joey," Serenity knelt before her older brother, "don't worry about it. Mom tends to get sensitive on this subject. She'll be back to normal in the morning, trust me. I think we'll all be normal in the morning once we get some sleep, actually," she added while flashing a sweet smile as he did the same as they drifted into slumber.
**/\**
"All right, Serenity," the nurse said as she prepped the patient, "count backwards from one hundred as we put the mask on you, okay dear?" Soothingly she tapped Serenity's right hand and attached the anesthetic mask, covering her nose and mouth completely.
"Relax, sweetie. Now begin counting, and when you wake up you'll be wanting to see the whole world." Her doctor had assured her as he applied his rubber gloves.
**/\**
"All right where is this section?" Tristan asked, examining the hospital map layout in the main lobby, "We better make it fast because this hospital's smell is already making me nauseous…"
"Well let's see, Tristan. Serenity's having an eye operation and they have an Eye and Ear Rehabilitation, could it possibly be in OH I DUNNO, MATERNITY WARD?" Yugi barked towards Tristan.
"Yugi, YOU'VE BEEN PUSHING IT WAY TOO FAR, INCLUDING YOUR RANTS ON THE WAY OVER HERE, MAN!"
"MAYBE, just MAYBE if you didn't ask such stupid questions you wouldn't rattle my NERVES!"
"OKAY, so I don't visit hospitals much, SO SUE ME. Do you visit the hospital every chance you get, Doogie Howser!"
"SHUT UP, Tristan. Stop screwing around with Yugi because I don't want you to spin out of control and hurt him," she then continued in a whisper that Yugi overheard, "he's a little guy, you know, just remember that."
Yugi proceeded to appear angry, and neither did he speak too much after the tongue-lashing while Téa lead the way into recovery for Eye and Ear patients.
**/\**
At the door to Serenity's assigned room, Joey stood outside greeting friends and some family members.
//Yugi, before you walk in there I think there's something you should know, child…//
/Okay. Care to tell me?/
//Well--//
"Hey Yug'! Glad ya came!" Joey beamed while shaking Yugi's hand.
/Tell me. It's not like I'm talking to myself, per se./
//Too late…//
/Jerk. ¬__¬/
"Sup Tristan! Thanks for coming." The two boys greeted each other accordingly as Yugi and Tristan walked in the room together. Then there was only one left—Téa.
Joey furtively deepened his breaths as he forced his hand outward for the girl, "Téa, Serenity'll be thrilled to see you,"
He cast a foolish grin across his teeth.
"Yeah, same here. So how are you this afternoon?" Awkward intensity surrounded them in a bubble.
"…Pretty good, a little tired, though. And you?"
"Oh, great. Fine, fine." A few moments after odd silence in the hospital corridor, she cleared her throat and looked up at Joey gazing down at her. "You look nice today," stated Téa, breaking the eerie stillness.
Those frosted, aquamarine eyes of hers penetrated him once more, "Téa, don't do this to me!" He lead her to the opposite side of the hall so their conversation was barely audible to the people in his sister's room.
"Do what?!" The eyes glowed through him.
Joey activated his whiny tone. "You drive me nuts," he sighed backing her against the tiled wall, "to tell you the truth, I loved everything about that kiss, I loved everything about your body, I loved everything about your personality, and now… I love you." He finished with a flushed face and swallowing a timid lump down his sudden parched throat.
Téa wasn't the only one swallowing! She swallowed back tears and sniveled, "And I love you." The newborn couple giggled their way into relaxing kisses.
"Where in the heck are Joey and Téa?" Tristan piped up his query from Serenity's bedside.
"Hmm, Téa. I've been hankering to see this young woman; I would check, but I'm not about to leave my daughter here unattended yet, granted she's still sleeping." Arisa answered.
"Eh, he might've gone down to the vending machine. I'll check for you, Miss Saito."
"Thank you, Tristan. I'll tell Yugi where you went we he comes out of the restroom." Serenity's mother warmly smiled as the teenager stood up from the chair.
Well, Tristan never made it past the doorway, "WHOA BABY!" He shrieked, instantly covering his mouth right after.
**/\**
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ta da!! I finished this chapter after four long grueling days! Tell me how you like it in a nice, box of words, a.k.a review! Remember, I'll always be keeping my fire extinguisher handy…^_^