Happy New Year!! I hope it was a good one for all of you.
This chapter is once again short, and the Kaiba/Yugi conversation isn't here. I swear that just does not want to get written. However, the fic is almost finished, so that's a good thing. Now on to replies. I'm going to reply to everyone this time, since you all were so kind to leave reviews for me.
Jadesaber: Thanks for the kind thoughts! I am feeling much better now. Sorry that there's no Kaiba/Yugi conversation in this chapter, but hopefully it'll be worth the wait.
Towairaito Zoon: Yugi bashing??? Nah... I see it more like Yugi loving! After all, we do torture the ones we love (or so the saying goes).
Linchi: I'm sorry to hear about your car accident. I'm glad that you came out of it okay, except for that minute of lost memory. That must have been freaky. Thanks for the compliment and the cyber chicken noodle soup! I think it helped. Oh, yes, I am the queen of typos. This story isn't edited, so it's up to me to fix it and I stink at finding my own mistakes.
stupid kid 04: Thanks for stopping in! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.
Crossover Authoress: I'm so sorry to hear about your accident too. I hope you're okay. How bad was the whiplash? Getting hit from behind always leaves you feeling VERY achy, but I'm glad that nothing serious happened. A Brail deck for Yugi, huh? That brings up many interesting possibilities.. *goes to fetch muse to see what he can come up with*
Sci fi fan: Thanks for the good thoughts! Glad to hear you're enjoying the story.
Luna339: Thanks for the review! Yugi definitely needs all the hugs he can get.
DustyStars: Very funny!! Blinding Yugi is pretty mean, isn't it? I do adore him though.
Cyberkat: Thanks! Glad you liked it.
Ariyah-Chan: That wasn't really supposed to be a cliffhanger, I promise!!
Mutou Yasu: Have not had any luck finding the English lyrics to Shuffle. I did, however, find a Japanese-English dictionary. But it's not very good, so doing my own translation of the song isn't going well. I am learning a few words though. I'm glad that you like the story! Thanks!
Starheart: Yup, everyone on the site obsesses over one character or another. Personally, I think Yugi is the best object of obsession, though Kaiba is a close second! 1 ½ pages of author's notes, huh? I think I'm getting there. It's fun, though! I love writing the replies to reviews.
Queen of Hearts: WOW!! You replied to every chapter. very cool! I'm so glad that you like the story, and I'm also glad that I could give you a distraction from the headache. I hate those with a passion! Oh, about the OOCness of Joey and Tristan in chapter 4: They were supposed to be OOC, kind of a throw back to when they bullied Yugi. The thing was to have Kaiba, Joey, and Tristan convince Yugi that he should die, while Tea and Yami convinced him to live. Thank you for the reviews and the good thoughts. I'm feeling much better now.
I luv Yugi and Kurt so :p: Would that be Kurt from X-Men Evolution?? Thanks for the review... you'll see what I've done about Yugi's blindness at the end of this chapter.
Whew! That was long, but thank you all so much for taking the time to review. Now I hope that you enjoy this chapter as well.
**~~**
Part 10: Comfort
"I can't see anymore."
Yugi's throat felt raw from the sheer effort it took him to admit the inevitable truth. Kaiba had guessed it, so all he'd had to do was nod in agreement when the elder teen had brought it up. Now, he had to be the one to tell his friends and his grandfather what his stupidity had caused.
**~~** Are they there? **~~** Yugi asked Yami after long minutes of deafening silence.
*~* I'm sure they are, aibou. They're probably just trying to get over the shock of hearing what you said. They wouldn't be so shocked to hear it if you'd told them what was going on before you left the hospital *~*
**~~** They wouldn't have left me alone if I'd told them **~~**
*~* That's exactly the point, Yugi. They shouldn't have left you alone at all, not in your condition *~*
Yugi sighed mentally. He and Yami had already had this discussion while they'd been in Kaiba's limo. It wasn't like Yami to nag and say 'I told you so', but in this case, Yugi thought that Yami felt justified, because he had said that leaving the hospital was a mistake in the first place. Yugi hated to admit it, but he knew that Yami had been right. If he hadn't left, he wouldn't be blind now.
Yugi felt someone shift besides him and he suddenly realized that he was tightly gripping someone's arm. Embarrassed, he made as if to let go of the arm and step away, but a hand was suddenly and comfortingly placed on his shoulder to keep him where he was.
"Kaiba?" he asked softly.
"Yes, Yugi."
Yugi nodded, satisfied with knowing the identity of the person standing beside him.
"What do you mean, you can't see?"
"What?"
"Yugi, what happened?"
"Are you okay?"
After the deafening silence, the concerned questions from his grandfather, Joey, Tea, and Tristan seemed unnaturally loud to Yugi's ears. The discomfort must have shown in his face, because everyone became quiet again. He felt someone standing on the other side of him, before feeling two rough and time worn hands come to rest on his cheeks. His grandfather gently turned his head towards where he must have been standing, while slowly caressing his cheek. Yugi wanted to see his grandfather, and his inability to do so brought tears to his eyes. He closed his eyes and the tears fell freely down his cheeks, where they came to rest on his grandfather's hands.
"Yugi," Solomon said. "I'm so sorry. I should have been there; I should have done something. "
Yugi had a feeling that his grandfather wasn't talking about being there to stop him from leaving the hospital, but being there to prevent him from being attacked in the first place.
Strong arms wrapped themselves around him, causing Yugi to lose his grip on Kaiba. He closed his eyes and let himself be embraced, while bringing his own arms tightly around his grandfather. A rush of emotion went through him, and Yugi tried to stop the tears from falling again. The events of the last few days suddenly came crashing down on him and it was all he could do to remain standing. A strangled sob escaped him, followed by a louder one. His grandfather tightened his grip around him, while rubbing his back comfortingly.
"It's okay, Yugi, let it out," Solomon encouraged and Yugi did just that.
He let himself cry in his grandfather's arms as he hadn't done in years. The release of emotion felt good, but it didn't change his predicament. Once his tears had been spent, Yugi pulled away. He clumsily wiped the tears from his eyes and took a step back. He didn't know what to do, so he kept his face down towards the floor.
*~* Aibou, do you want me to take over? I can feel your fear and helplessness, and I want to help if I can. You can go into your soul room and rest for a little while if you want *~*
Yugi was tempted to let Yami deal with this. He knew that the spirit would be better able to deal with the situation at hand.
**~~** I need to do this, Yami. It's my fault that I'm like this, anyway **~~**
*~* Your blindness is not your fault. It is the fault of the bastards that attacked you that night *~*
Yugi felt tears threatening again, but fought them off.
**~~** It is my fault. If I hadn't left the hospital, I wouldn't be like this now. You were right, Yami, I did this to myself. I made this happen **~~**
*~* That's not true, Yugi, not true at all *~*
"Yugi?"
The soft question brought him out of his conversation with his Yami. Yugi turned in the direction of the voice, letting Kaiba know that he was paying attention.
"You should go back to your room to see the doctor. Your grandfather has gone to get him now."
Yugi nodded. He stood where he was, because he didn't know where he needed to go. All he could see was black. He could hear the bustle of activity around him, but all that surrounded him was darkness. He hated himself for being weak, but he needed help. He reached out to where he thought Kaiba was, and felt a hand take his own.
"I've got you, Yug," Joey said, taking a hold of Yugi's arm.
"I'm right here too, Yugi," Tea added, taking Yugi's other arm.
They began to lead him towards his room, when Yugi suddenly remembered something. He stopped and turned his head backwards.
"Kaiba?"
There was silence for a moment, before he heard Kaiba's voice.
"I will stay here, Yugi. I'll wait for the doctors to check you out first."
"What the hell are you talking about, Kaiba?" Joey asked. "Yugi doesn't need to deal with you right now. He needs to rest and be surrounded by his friends, and you're not one of them."
Yugi winced at the venomous tone in Joey's voice. He was about to say something, when Kaiba beat him to it.
"Not that it's any of your concern, but Yugi and I made a deal. As a business man, I honor my deals."
Yugi couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at that. He had thought that he'd managed to get through to Kaiba a little through the events of the afternoon. Kaiba had seemed concerned, which had been a welcome change from Kaiba's normally cold demeanor.
*~* You didn't really expect him to change, did you aibou? *~*
**~~** It's possible, Yami **~~**
*~* For someone with a heart, maybe. Kaiba is destined to spend the remainder of his life alone. I don't think the man knows how to care. Besides, you're better off without him in your life *~*
"In case you haven't noticed, Kaiba, there's something wrong with Yugi. He doesn't need you hanging around," Joey persisted.
Yugi heard the rustle of cloth to his left, where Joey was standing, and could imagine Kaiba taking a few steps closer to Joey.
"I know there's something wrong, Wheeler. I found him wondering on the street in the middle of traffic. If I hadn't picked him up, he'd be lying dead in the street."
The cold and emotionless tone of Kaiba's voice made Yugi's heart clench. He had been a fool to think that he could get through to him. He didn't know why it was important, but Yugi didn't want Kaiba to spend his life distancing himself from everyone around him. He thought he could show the elder teen that having friends could be rewarding, but he'd been wasting his time.
"Yes, thank you, Kaiba, for finding me and bringing me back," Yugi said, his voice as cold and emotional as he could make it with his emotions in a jumble. "I would appreciate it if you could stick around, as we agreed, so I can speak to you."
Yugi could imagine both teens turning to look at him, but he turned his face away. "Tea, could you please help me get to my room?"
"Of course," she said, and began to guide him forward, leaving the other two behind.
Yugi walked slowly to where Tea was leading him. Her hand on his arm was comforting, but it didn't stop him from feeling lost and alone. Now, he even felt embarrassed for believing that Kaiba had changed. If he was going to remain blind for the rest of his life, how could he ever trust his judgment again? How could he hope to lead a life in darkness if he couldn't read the people by his side?
"It's going to be okay, Yugi. The doctors are going to find a way to fix this."
Tea's certainty was almost enough to convince Yugi that things were really going to be okay, but he knew better. It wasn't going to go away and he knew it. He was going to stay like this for the rest of his life.
They stepped into what felt like an elevator, and a short wile later exited again. Once they reached his room, a soft voice greeted him.
"Mr. Moto, you had us worried," Dr. Suzuki said. "Your grandfather has told me about your condition, and I'd like to run a few tests."
Yugi nodded, and the doctor put his arm around Yugi and effortlessly picked him up. Yugi was deposited on what felt like a stretcher, and he leaned his head back against the pillow. He felt tired and achy, as if he'd run a marathon. He wanted to sleep and escape the horror that had become his life, but the doctor wasn't going to let him.
"Yugi, tell me how you're feeling? What are the symptoms?"
Yugi took a deep breath and told the doctor everything that had happened to him since he left the hospital. He didn't keep anything back this time.
"Okay, I'm going to run an MRI on you to see what kind of damage there is to your head. It won't hurt, and your grandfather will be with you the whole time, okay?"
Yugi nodded again, too tired to speak.
The stretcher began to move, and Yugi could feel his grandfather's hand on his leg, giving him reassurance. Yugi was grateful for that one tie to reality. If not for it, he'd be tempted to just drift into the darkness. He wondered what had happened to his friends. They were probably in his room wondering what was wrong with him.
They stopped and entered another room.
"I'm going to put you on the machine now, Yugi," the doctor said, before picking him up and laying him on another soft surface.
"Grandpa?"
"I'm right here, Yugi," his grandfather said, resting his hand once again on Yugi's leg. "You're on a flat cot that's going to be pulled into the MRI machine. The doctor will tell you when it's going to happen."
Yugi nodded. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down. He really wanted to go to sleep. He wanted to forget about everything for a while. He closed his eyes and let himself drift off. It was peaceful in dreamland; there was nothing to think about, nothing to worry about. ..
"Yugi?"
Yugi winced at the suddenly loud voice and opened his eyes. The darkness that confronted him caught him off guard for a little while, before the events of earlier in the day came rushing back. He took a deep breath and turned in the direction of the voice.
"Yes, Joey?"
"Sorry, Yugi. I didn't mean to wake you up, but the doctor is back."
Yugi frowned in confusion. Wasn't he still at the MRI machine getting ready to have the test done? Yugi felt underneath him and found himself lying on clean, crisp sheets, not the plastic that had covered the other cot. He was covered by a sheet as well and was back in his hospital gown.
"Where am I?" He couldn't have been out of it for that long, could he?
"You're back in your room, Yugi," his grandfather replied. "You fell asleep during the MRI and the doctor thought it best to let you sleep. Now he's here to give us the results of the test."
"Okay. What's wrong with me, doctor?"
There was quiet for a moment, before Yugi felt the doctor sit on the bed. Yugi could hear several sheets of paper being flipped and jostled, so he figured that the doctor was going through the results.
"Well, young man, your major problem right now is some swelling on the right side of your head, where the head injury is located. The swelling seems to have gotten worse since your surgery, bad enough that it's now putting pressure on your optical nerves."
"What does that mean, doc?" Joey asked before Yugi could voice the same question.
"It means that Yugi's trip out of the hospital was very premature and harmful. Your body wasn't done healing, and you pushed it too far," the doctor answered, addressing Yugi again. "The good news is that with proper rest, the swelling will go down in due time."
"What does that mean?" Yugi asked, afraid to know what the doctor meant.
"It means that in time, you'll regain your sight."
**~~**
There, is that better?? See, I'm not entirely mean... just a little bit. Besides, the doctor didn't say just how long it would take, now did he? :o)
This chapter is once again short, and the Kaiba/Yugi conversation isn't here. I swear that just does not want to get written. However, the fic is almost finished, so that's a good thing. Now on to replies. I'm going to reply to everyone this time, since you all were so kind to leave reviews for me.
Jadesaber: Thanks for the kind thoughts! I am feeling much better now. Sorry that there's no Kaiba/Yugi conversation in this chapter, but hopefully it'll be worth the wait.
Towairaito Zoon: Yugi bashing??? Nah... I see it more like Yugi loving! After all, we do torture the ones we love (or so the saying goes).
Linchi: I'm sorry to hear about your car accident. I'm glad that you came out of it okay, except for that minute of lost memory. That must have been freaky. Thanks for the compliment and the cyber chicken noodle soup! I think it helped. Oh, yes, I am the queen of typos. This story isn't edited, so it's up to me to fix it and I stink at finding my own mistakes.
stupid kid 04: Thanks for stopping in! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.
Crossover Authoress: I'm so sorry to hear about your accident too. I hope you're okay. How bad was the whiplash? Getting hit from behind always leaves you feeling VERY achy, but I'm glad that nothing serious happened. A Brail deck for Yugi, huh? That brings up many interesting possibilities.. *goes to fetch muse to see what he can come up with*
Sci fi fan: Thanks for the good thoughts! Glad to hear you're enjoying the story.
Luna339: Thanks for the review! Yugi definitely needs all the hugs he can get.
DustyStars: Very funny!! Blinding Yugi is pretty mean, isn't it? I do adore him though.
Cyberkat: Thanks! Glad you liked it.
Ariyah-Chan: That wasn't really supposed to be a cliffhanger, I promise!!
Mutou Yasu: Have not had any luck finding the English lyrics to Shuffle. I did, however, find a Japanese-English dictionary. But it's not very good, so doing my own translation of the song isn't going well. I am learning a few words though. I'm glad that you like the story! Thanks!
Starheart: Yup, everyone on the site obsesses over one character or another. Personally, I think Yugi is the best object of obsession, though Kaiba is a close second! 1 ½ pages of author's notes, huh? I think I'm getting there. It's fun, though! I love writing the replies to reviews.
Queen of Hearts: WOW!! You replied to every chapter. very cool! I'm so glad that you like the story, and I'm also glad that I could give you a distraction from the headache. I hate those with a passion! Oh, about the OOCness of Joey and Tristan in chapter 4: They were supposed to be OOC, kind of a throw back to when they bullied Yugi. The thing was to have Kaiba, Joey, and Tristan convince Yugi that he should die, while Tea and Yami convinced him to live. Thank you for the reviews and the good thoughts. I'm feeling much better now.
I luv Yugi and Kurt so :p: Would that be Kurt from X-Men Evolution?? Thanks for the review... you'll see what I've done about Yugi's blindness at the end of this chapter.
Whew! That was long, but thank you all so much for taking the time to review. Now I hope that you enjoy this chapter as well.
**~~**
Part 10: Comfort
"I can't see anymore."
Yugi's throat felt raw from the sheer effort it took him to admit the inevitable truth. Kaiba had guessed it, so all he'd had to do was nod in agreement when the elder teen had brought it up. Now, he had to be the one to tell his friends and his grandfather what his stupidity had caused.
**~~** Are they there? **~~** Yugi asked Yami after long minutes of deafening silence.
*~* I'm sure they are, aibou. They're probably just trying to get over the shock of hearing what you said. They wouldn't be so shocked to hear it if you'd told them what was going on before you left the hospital *~*
**~~** They wouldn't have left me alone if I'd told them **~~**
*~* That's exactly the point, Yugi. They shouldn't have left you alone at all, not in your condition *~*
Yugi sighed mentally. He and Yami had already had this discussion while they'd been in Kaiba's limo. It wasn't like Yami to nag and say 'I told you so', but in this case, Yugi thought that Yami felt justified, because he had said that leaving the hospital was a mistake in the first place. Yugi hated to admit it, but he knew that Yami had been right. If he hadn't left, he wouldn't be blind now.
Yugi felt someone shift besides him and he suddenly realized that he was tightly gripping someone's arm. Embarrassed, he made as if to let go of the arm and step away, but a hand was suddenly and comfortingly placed on his shoulder to keep him where he was.
"Kaiba?" he asked softly.
"Yes, Yugi."
Yugi nodded, satisfied with knowing the identity of the person standing beside him.
"What do you mean, you can't see?"
"What?"
"Yugi, what happened?"
"Are you okay?"
After the deafening silence, the concerned questions from his grandfather, Joey, Tea, and Tristan seemed unnaturally loud to Yugi's ears. The discomfort must have shown in his face, because everyone became quiet again. He felt someone standing on the other side of him, before feeling two rough and time worn hands come to rest on his cheeks. His grandfather gently turned his head towards where he must have been standing, while slowly caressing his cheek. Yugi wanted to see his grandfather, and his inability to do so brought tears to his eyes. He closed his eyes and the tears fell freely down his cheeks, where they came to rest on his grandfather's hands.
"Yugi," Solomon said. "I'm so sorry. I should have been there; I should have done something. "
Yugi had a feeling that his grandfather wasn't talking about being there to stop him from leaving the hospital, but being there to prevent him from being attacked in the first place.
Strong arms wrapped themselves around him, causing Yugi to lose his grip on Kaiba. He closed his eyes and let himself be embraced, while bringing his own arms tightly around his grandfather. A rush of emotion went through him, and Yugi tried to stop the tears from falling again. The events of the last few days suddenly came crashing down on him and it was all he could do to remain standing. A strangled sob escaped him, followed by a louder one. His grandfather tightened his grip around him, while rubbing his back comfortingly.
"It's okay, Yugi, let it out," Solomon encouraged and Yugi did just that.
He let himself cry in his grandfather's arms as he hadn't done in years. The release of emotion felt good, but it didn't change his predicament. Once his tears had been spent, Yugi pulled away. He clumsily wiped the tears from his eyes and took a step back. He didn't know what to do, so he kept his face down towards the floor.
*~* Aibou, do you want me to take over? I can feel your fear and helplessness, and I want to help if I can. You can go into your soul room and rest for a little while if you want *~*
Yugi was tempted to let Yami deal with this. He knew that the spirit would be better able to deal with the situation at hand.
**~~** I need to do this, Yami. It's my fault that I'm like this, anyway **~~**
*~* Your blindness is not your fault. It is the fault of the bastards that attacked you that night *~*
Yugi felt tears threatening again, but fought them off.
**~~** It is my fault. If I hadn't left the hospital, I wouldn't be like this now. You were right, Yami, I did this to myself. I made this happen **~~**
*~* That's not true, Yugi, not true at all *~*
"Yugi?"
The soft question brought him out of his conversation with his Yami. Yugi turned in the direction of the voice, letting Kaiba know that he was paying attention.
"You should go back to your room to see the doctor. Your grandfather has gone to get him now."
Yugi nodded. He stood where he was, because he didn't know where he needed to go. All he could see was black. He could hear the bustle of activity around him, but all that surrounded him was darkness. He hated himself for being weak, but he needed help. He reached out to where he thought Kaiba was, and felt a hand take his own.
"I've got you, Yug," Joey said, taking a hold of Yugi's arm.
"I'm right here too, Yugi," Tea added, taking Yugi's other arm.
They began to lead him towards his room, when Yugi suddenly remembered something. He stopped and turned his head backwards.
"Kaiba?"
There was silence for a moment, before he heard Kaiba's voice.
"I will stay here, Yugi. I'll wait for the doctors to check you out first."
"What the hell are you talking about, Kaiba?" Joey asked. "Yugi doesn't need to deal with you right now. He needs to rest and be surrounded by his friends, and you're not one of them."
Yugi winced at the venomous tone in Joey's voice. He was about to say something, when Kaiba beat him to it.
"Not that it's any of your concern, but Yugi and I made a deal. As a business man, I honor my deals."
Yugi couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at that. He had thought that he'd managed to get through to Kaiba a little through the events of the afternoon. Kaiba had seemed concerned, which had been a welcome change from Kaiba's normally cold demeanor.
*~* You didn't really expect him to change, did you aibou? *~*
**~~** It's possible, Yami **~~**
*~* For someone with a heart, maybe. Kaiba is destined to spend the remainder of his life alone. I don't think the man knows how to care. Besides, you're better off without him in your life *~*
"In case you haven't noticed, Kaiba, there's something wrong with Yugi. He doesn't need you hanging around," Joey persisted.
Yugi heard the rustle of cloth to his left, where Joey was standing, and could imagine Kaiba taking a few steps closer to Joey.
"I know there's something wrong, Wheeler. I found him wondering on the street in the middle of traffic. If I hadn't picked him up, he'd be lying dead in the street."
The cold and emotionless tone of Kaiba's voice made Yugi's heart clench. He had been a fool to think that he could get through to him. He didn't know why it was important, but Yugi didn't want Kaiba to spend his life distancing himself from everyone around him. He thought he could show the elder teen that having friends could be rewarding, but he'd been wasting his time.
"Yes, thank you, Kaiba, for finding me and bringing me back," Yugi said, his voice as cold and emotional as he could make it with his emotions in a jumble. "I would appreciate it if you could stick around, as we agreed, so I can speak to you."
Yugi could imagine both teens turning to look at him, but he turned his face away. "Tea, could you please help me get to my room?"
"Of course," she said, and began to guide him forward, leaving the other two behind.
Yugi walked slowly to where Tea was leading him. Her hand on his arm was comforting, but it didn't stop him from feeling lost and alone. Now, he even felt embarrassed for believing that Kaiba had changed. If he was going to remain blind for the rest of his life, how could he ever trust his judgment again? How could he hope to lead a life in darkness if he couldn't read the people by his side?
"It's going to be okay, Yugi. The doctors are going to find a way to fix this."
Tea's certainty was almost enough to convince Yugi that things were really going to be okay, but he knew better. It wasn't going to go away and he knew it. He was going to stay like this for the rest of his life.
They stepped into what felt like an elevator, and a short wile later exited again. Once they reached his room, a soft voice greeted him.
"Mr. Moto, you had us worried," Dr. Suzuki said. "Your grandfather has told me about your condition, and I'd like to run a few tests."
Yugi nodded, and the doctor put his arm around Yugi and effortlessly picked him up. Yugi was deposited on what felt like a stretcher, and he leaned his head back against the pillow. He felt tired and achy, as if he'd run a marathon. He wanted to sleep and escape the horror that had become his life, but the doctor wasn't going to let him.
"Yugi, tell me how you're feeling? What are the symptoms?"
Yugi took a deep breath and told the doctor everything that had happened to him since he left the hospital. He didn't keep anything back this time.
"Okay, I'm going to run an MRI on you to see what kind of damage there is to your head. It won't hurt, and your grandfather will be with you the whole time, okay?"
Yugi nodded again, too tired to speak.
The stretcher began to move, and Yugi could feel his grandfather's hand on his leg, giving him reassurance. Yugi was grateful for that one tie to reality. If not for it, he'd be tempted to just drift into the darkness. He wondered what had happened to his friends. They were probably in his room wondering what was wrong with him.
They stopped and entered another room.
"I'm going to put you on the machine now, Yugi," the doctor said, before picking him up and laying him on another soft surface.
"Grandpa?"
"I'm right here, Yugi," his grandfather said, resting his hand once again on Yugi's leg. "You're on a flat cot that's going to be pulled into the MRI machine. The doctor will tell you when it's going to happen."
Yugi nodded. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down. He really wanted to go to sleep. He wanted to forget about everything for a while. He closed his eyes and let himself drift off. It was peaceful in dreamland; there was nothing to think about, nothing to worry about. ..
"Yugi?"
Yugi winced at the suddenly loud voice and opened his eyes. The darkness that confronted him caught him off guard for a little while, before the events of earlier in the day came rushing back. He took a deep breath and turned in the direction of the voice.
"Yes, Joey?"
"Sorry, Yugi. I didn't mean to wake you up, but the doctor is back."
Yugi frowned in confusion. Wasn't he still at the MRI machine getting ready to have the test done? Yugi felt underneath him and found himself lying on clean, crisp sheets, not the plastic that had covered the other cot. He was covered by a sheet as well and was back in his hospital gown.
"Where am I?" He couldn't have been out of it for that long, could he?
"You're back in your room, Yugi," his grandfather replied. "You fell asleep during the MRI and the doctor thought it best to let you sleep. Now he's here to give us the results of the test."
"Okay. What's wrong with me, doctor?"
There was quiet for a moment, before Yugi felt the doctor sit on the bed. Yugi could hear several sheets of paper being flipped and jostled, so he figured that the doctor was going through the results.
"Well, young man, your major problem right now is some swelling on the right side of your head, where the head injury is located. The swelling seems to have gotten worse since your surgery, bad enough that it's now putting pressure on your optical nerves."
"What does that mean, doc?" Joey asked before Yugi could voice the same question.
"It means that Yugi's trip out of the hospital was very premature and harmful. Your body wasn't done healing, and you pushed it too far," the doctor answered, addressing Yugi again. "The good news is that with proper rest, the swelling will go down in due time."
"What does that mean?" Yugi asked, afraid to know what the doctor meant.
"It means that in time, you'll regain your sight."
**~~**
There, is that better?? See, I'm not entirely mean... just a little bit. Besides, the doctor didn't say just how long it would take, now did he? :o)