Ok, Sorry I took some time on this one, watching very closely the typos and trying so hard to lay off the 'sap'! I'm feeling the pressure since you all have been so kind, I don't want to let you down! BTW, I don't know names and I'm terrible at making them up so... (If I say too much more, I'd be giving things away O_o So, in advance; Gomen Nasai!!!) Another fair warning: This is another LONG one!


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They made it just in time to catch the paramedics wheeling in the stretcher. The one paramedic shooting daggers at the two, so they decided it best to hang back for now.

"Man, what a jerk!" Tristan scowled.

"He's just doing his job. He doesn't need a couple of kids in his way." Sam kept his eye on where they were taking Joey, not noticing or choosing to ignore, the confused look from Tristan.

"Uh, whatever..." He shrugged it off, then noticed a severly distraught woman running in their direction. "Mrs. Wheeler!"

Mrs. Wheeler? She never changed her name?

Should she have? Yami was fairly familiar with this, but it was just what Sam didn't need; another thing to have to explain. Later.

"Tristan! Yugi! What... why...?!" she grabbed Tristan and hugged him tightly. She had been crying so hard they couldn't understand anything beyond their names, the what, and the why.

"Mrs. Wheeler, you have to calm down. You can't let Joey see you like this." Sam didn't know how, but he was sure Joey would use her already broken spirit and break it farther.

"You're right. Besides, I've had six years to prepare myself. I just didn't... I didn't..." it seemed no sooner did she gain control she was ready to loose it again, then to Sam's relief, she kicked herself back, "Would you two go in with me?"

"Uh, well, Mrs. Wheeler, ya see..." Tristan got a nervous twitch, which didn't seem to be helping her nerves.

"I'll go in with you." Sam quickly offered, though knowing full well he had to anyway.

"It's not that I don't want to, or can't, I just think..." the taller friend was becoming defensive. She assured him it was all right, she understood. She took them both by the arms and led them in.

They made their way past a few doors when one with a man sleeping off a few stitches caught her eye. She loosened her grip on the boys and stormed into the room.

"What the..." Sam slowly followed and peeked in. She was standing over the man when Sam watched as her fist came up and like a bullet slammed into his face.

"Bastard!!" shot through the E.R. and the man awoke to find himself being pummled by the small woman.

"Whoa! Mrs. Wheeler!" Tristan ran in, grabbed her and tried with all his might to hold her back. She was strong for a woman her size, or just overly motivated to do serious harm.

"The hell is the matter with you woman?!" he sat up and rubbed his face, "Damn, I just had this fixed!"

So, my guess Sam is this is...

Very good guess, Yami. Suddenly Sam felt a strange chill through his body. It was like nothing he had ever felt, so decided it was best to get out of there quickly. He tried to back out, when one of the doctors stopped him.

"What's going on here?" he demanded, grabbing up more equipment to close the reopened wounds to his patient's face.

"This... this man just put his own son three floors up..." she had finally calmed down enough to notice his bandaged face. She had been so enraged at the sight of him before, she hadn't noticed. "Joey did that to you, didn't he? He fought back!"

"You're nuts!" he was becoming nervous and tried to reassure the doctor of the story he had alreay told, "It's like I said, I was in a bar fight. And what are you going on about? The boy is..." he looked over to notice the doctor shaking his head in disbelief. "What? You wanna tell me something?"

"Yes. The guys who picked up your son put two and two together. Give it up, there's cops on the..."

"What?!"

"Ha! Gas him!" Tristan was still having to hold her back. The look on his face told Sam this was not like her at all. She finally broke free and calmly walked to her ex-husband's side. Standing firm, arms crossed, "You begged me to leave him with you. 'Don't take my son!', you even cried, you..." Sam stopped her. She was going to need this strength to face Joey, it was a waste to use it all on this guy. "You're right. Guess I'm ready to face Joseph now, huh?"

"You did fine here." Sam said, keeping her spirits up. He took her by the arm again to accompany her out of the room. As they left the room, so did the strange chill. Tristan couldn't help one last poke at the jerk who had hurt his friend. The doctor kept a close eye on him as he shook his fist in the man's face, flipped the middle finger at his nose, and began backing out of the room. A sinister smile crossed his face as he kept his finger up all the way out the door.

Damn, that felt great! he thought as he attempted to keep up with Mrs. Wheeler and 'Yugi' who were already more than half way down the hall.


~~~~~*~~~~~

They stood outside the door to the room, Mrs. Wheeler's hand inches from the knob.

"I-I can't do it..."

"I'll be with you. It's all right..." Sam was ready to open the door himself when Mrs. Wheeler was startled by a trapping on her shoulder.

"Are you Joseph Wheeler's mother? I got a call saying you'd be up..."

"Yes, yes, how...?"

"He's waking up. A little confused, but doing well. You can go in."

"Thank you, but I'd like Yugi here to go in with me..."

"That's fine. I'm sure he'd be happy to see you both." he walked away, unaware of the impact of what he had just said.

"Happy to see..." she whispered.

"It's ok, I have an idea." Sam snuck in first. There was a curtain, Perfect.

What are you going to do?

She's affraid of how he may react to seeing her first and frankly so am I. I'm going to hide her behind the curtain, get him to stay calm and come clean...

Are you sure hiding her is a good idea?

No, but then I haven't been too sure of a lot of things lately. He snuck her in, then quietly snuck around himself. The sight was unbearable; Joey was lying flat on his back, arms in the air, all bandaged and bruised. His face was no better either. He was just staring at his arms, almost as if trying to make sense of what had just happened to himself. Sam's shoe made a slight sqeek causing Joey to quickly turn his attention in the direction of the noise, though still keeping his arms up. He then started to smile.

"Hey, Yug! Check me out! I could be one of Yami's guys, huh?!" he began to laugh. If there were ever anyone who could make anything so difficult, this kid won the prize. Sam's stomach started turning again.

Ugh...! Yami, on the other hand, was just disgusted by the joke.

Wait! What? One of Yami's guys? What does he mean? it was Sam's turn to be confused.

I am, or was, a Pharaoh...

You what?! So, you were one of the two 'jokers'...?!

One of the two what?!

I mean you were one of the two trying to... why didn't you tell me?!

Again, it didn't seem important.

Well, it quite possibly could be!

"Yug? I take it Yami didn't find it too funny..."

"No, I guess not." he snapped.

"Sorry, there, Yami. I'm still a little out of it..."

"Hey, Sam! You'll never guess..." Al had popped in at just the wrong moment. Again.

"I know..."

"You know what, Yug? Yami still angry with the..."

"No, I just...I undertand you are still out of it, you took quite a...", Ah, don't say beating!, "Yea..." he rubbed his face in fustration, Yami, I have a feeling had I been here to help you save the world I could have had this leap done in an hour.

Joey can make things difficult...

So can Al., "So, Joey, what do you think... I mean..."

"I dunno. One minute I'm blacking out, the next I wake up in the hospital."

"That all you remember? Or is that all you want to remember?"

"Hey, Sam, chill out..." Al warned. Sam raised his hand to shut him up. Joey flinched.

"You thought I was going to hit you, didn't..."

"Shut up! I told you to..." his voice trailed off. There was no hiding it now, "You said you'd drop it..."

"I said I'd drop the money..."

"Ha! Yea, way to drop it in my pocket. Gotta admit, that was a nice move."

"Thanks, but I also said I wouldn't drop you talking to your mother..."

"And I told you I got nothin' ta say ta her." The words stung Mrs. Wheeler all over and she quietly winced, trying to keep 'Yugi's' advice to strong. "He wasn't always like this. At least not ta me and Serenity..."

"You knew he was hurting your mom?" Again, Mrs. Wheeler winced. She didn't know how much more she could take.

"We knew they fought..." his voice began to crack, the familiar sound of the boy starting to cry. His mother, wanting to hold him and tell him it was all right, though it was killing her, stayed well hid. Her promise to stay strong wearing thin. "When she left, it was me and him, all the way!" he was having a hard time speaking threw the tears. His mother was doubled over trying not to become ill. Sam snuck a peek in on her as Joey rubbed his eyes. He was begining to believe Yami may have been right about it not being a good idea to hide her, but then had she been the first thing he laid eyes on he'd have shut down right away. He was so busy feeling badly about Mrs. Wheeler, he didn't notice Joey staring at him.

"What ya starin' at back there, Yug?"

"Uh, nothing..."

"What happened to your knees?" Sam looked down and flinched. They were stained with blood. How to explain this one? Tell the truth.

"I found you... or actually, Tristan found you, but..."

"How?!"

"The puzzle..." Sam had remembered what the spirit had told him about helping before.

"Right..." he was still crying, having a terrible time trying to calm down.

You may have been right about helping me save the world. I don't know how much more...

You're doing fine! Don't leave me now!, "So what do you think happened? I mean..."

"Not too long after she left, I got home from school early and he was there. I was excited to see him, so I ran up to hug him, but he pushed me away. He smelled funny, course it wasn't till later I found out it was booze, and he had smelled of it before, so I didn't think anything of it and tried again only that time instead of just pushing me, he slapped me! And he's been slapping me ever since!" he turned away and covered himself with the blankets. Sam was ready to toss his cookies. He snuck another look in on mom. She had her face cupped in her hands, still doubled over and quietly sobbing. Her strength was gone.

Damn! What do I do now?!

"Sam, you all right?" he had forgotten Al was still there. He nodded and slid behind the curtain, hugging Mrs. Wheeler, quietly reassuring her.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Wheeler." he whispered.

"It's all right, Yugi. I would have heard about this sooner or later. Better sooner, don't you think?" She looked into 'Yugi's' eyes and smiled. She was going to be fine. Her little boy's life is safe now.

"Yugi?! Where'd you go?!" Joey called out. His tone of voice was that of a child who did not want to be left alone.

"I'm here. I thought you maybe wanted a minute to calm down."

"Yugi, what am I ganna do now? I don't want to be bounced around by some 'case worker social' dork and I ain't livin' on the streets again..."

"Again?!" enough was enough. It was time. She rushed to his bedside.

"What the hell is she doin' here?! Yugi?!"

"Joseph, honey, please! I am so sorry! I never thought he would hurt you, believe me..."

"Shut up!" he snapped.

"Joey! Come on! This is your mother! And she didn't know, how could she?! You wouldn't speak..."

"Stay outta this, Yug!" suddenly Joey's eyes narrowed, and a cold, frightening smirk lined his face, "Ya know, Yug, you may have been right..."

"Really? About wha..."

"Maybe I do have somethin' ta say ta her." In his next breath he began a verbal assault that could have shattered glass. Sam and Al watched Mrs. Wheeler in disbelief, she was taking it. She stood tall just as she had when she let Mr. Wheeler have it. She used the six years wisely, but then, so did Joey. Even Al couldn't believe what he was hearing. In all his years in the NAVY he thought he had heard everything. He was wrong. Poor Yami was left completely in the dark, Sam couldn't move or speak.

Joey finally let up and took a breath. He had either run out, or that was all he had to say. He turned away again and covered himself back up.

"Are you quite finished?" she asked sternly.

"Yea, you can go now..."

"Oh, no, young man! I'm not going anywhere..."

"Mrs. Wheeler, maybe I should..." Sam tried to back out the door.

"No, Yugi, you can stay..." she still wasn't ready to be left alone with Joey. No matter how strong she may have looked, she was shaken. This wasn't her little boy anymore.

"No!" Joey yelled, "You can both go! I said all I needed to..."

"I haven't!" she leaned on the bed, inches from his ear, "You will not be bounced around and you will never, EVER, live on the streets! You are coming home with me..."

"The hell I am." he said weakly.

"I've already sent for your things." it was a blatant lie, but she figured if his things were gone, maybe he'd feel he had no choice.

"Well aren't they ganna be disappointed when they get there and find there ain't things to be sent for?"

"What are you..." she followed his line of sight. He was eyeing his jacket, "I see..."

"Hey! Mind your own business! Get outta there!" he warned, as if there were anything he could have done. The jerk didn't stop at his upper body, he had to go and disable him from the knees down as well.

"So, this is all you have?" she ruffled through his pocket; his wallet and dueling deck. "These are the cards you used to..."

"Ya don't have ta pretend ta care..."

"I'm not..." she started to lay the jacket down when she noticed it still had a little weight to it. "Now what's this?"

"I'm tellin' ya!! Get outta there!!" he screamed.

"What are you doing with this?!" she slowly pulled out the item; a small half full flask, "Joseph?!" she looked to 'Yugi' for any possible honest answer.

I don't know Sam, and I can guarantee Yugi doesn't either.

"I don't know, Mrs. Wheeler, I'm sor..." He noticed Al punching a few things into Ziggy.

"As I would have guessed, Sam... for the pain..."

"It doesn't matter. He won't be needing it anymore." she threw it into the hazardous waste basket. Joey burst and pitched a fit. "Go ahead! Be upset all you want." it was just like when he was little, well almost; the verbal abuse was a bit intense, and as for his next trick, though weak, stung as well.

"Bitch..." Sam just stood by and watched. It was all he could do at this point; she was breaking him.

"Call me what you will, you're still coming to live with me..."

"No! He'll come back! We'll be fine!" the statement shocked the room cold. He truly believed his father would just get better. He wanted the man back. "He'll come back! He will..." he was tiring, wearing himself out with all the anger. It must have been refreshing to let it all out. Knowing from experience six, well in Sam's case five, years was a long time to hold things in. Especially for a kid.

"No, Joseph, he won't. He's too far gone... he's been too far gone, I should have seen this coming, but he loved you kids so much..."

"Why didn't you take me in the first place? You want me so bad, why did you just leave me? He did this to you, what made you think it wouldn't have happened to me?"

"I tried. He begged me not to take you... I was blind. I thought all I was was his punching bag, I didn't realize I was also a shield." She was ready to loose her cool again. She looked to Sam, who tried his best to keep a smile to at least let her know she was fine. "I honestly thought the worst he had ever done to you kids was send you to your rooms..."

"It was. Till you left..."

"Oh, no. I heard every word..." she stopped and gulped. Even the thought of what he had confessed to 'Yugi' hurt, "...something else triggered this and it wasn't just me..."

"He lost his job, ok?!" he buried himself deeper into the blankets. "He'll find another, and he'll, WE'LL be fine!"

"I'm sorry you feel this way, but he's going to jail... he tried to kill you!"

"I won't press charges..."

"You have no choice. I will. You are only fifteen." she gently placed her hand on his shoulder. For a split second he flinched, then seemed to melt into the bed. He welcomed the soft touch. "No one is going to hurt you anymore." she said softly.

"Wow, Sam! You won't beleive this! As soon as she touched him, everything went to one-hundred percent! He does great!" Sam pulled the old 'scratching the chin with his shoulder' routine in Al's direction. "Get this; he brings up his grades, goes to college and, this is good, becomes a 'psyco-doc'!" Sam rolled his eyes. "A child psychologist if that sounds better..." he corrected himself, "Helps a lot of kids in situations similar to his!"

Thank you, Sam! You saved a dear friend's life!

Believe it or not, Yami, it's news like that that makes all this worth while.

You still want to go home though, don't you?

Very much.

"HA! Sam! Listen to this one..." Al didn't seem to believe what he was reading, he kept slapping Ziggy, "He and Mai get hitched!"

Hitched? Yet another phrase Sam was going to have to explain.

Geez, Thanks Al!

...?

Sorry Yami, but I think I know why I haven't leaped yet...

You should have?

As soon as everything reads one-hundred percent, I should be gone...

Me?

Only one way to find out. he scratched and tapped at his chest. Al wasn't sure what to make of it.

"What? Itch? Heartburn?" Sam tapped harder, Al tried again, "Cough? Sam this is the worst game of..." Sam pointed to the floor, then back to his chest. "Oh! Why are you still here!" Sam quickly scratched the tip of his nose, "AH! Yami! That fifty-one percent! Wait..." Al tapped more into Ziggy, "Oh, boy..."

"Oh, boy?" Sam didn't realize he had said it out loud till Mrs. Wheeler looked up.

"Are you ok, Yugi?" she had turned her gaze back to her son, brushing her fingers through his thick hair.

"I'll be fine. You?"

"Fine. He's fallinig asleep. Thank you, Yugi. Tristan too, though I wonder... I always thought Tristan kept me so well informed, why would he..."

"He didn't know. None of us did or we would have told you. I promise."

"That girl, Mai, you don't think she knew, do you?" Sam hadn't thought about that. He had never had the opportunity to ask, but then even if he did, would she have been truthful was the question.

"Honestly, Mrs. Wheeler, I don't know. It's not like it's something any of us would have thought to ask her." he tried to be as gentle with his words as possible. He didn't want to come across 'smart-aleckly'. She looked up again and smiled.

"He's asleep. It's just like when he was little." she pulled the covers up more to cover his shoulders. "He was such a handfull, yet I still always felt horrible about punishing him. I always ended up sitting by his bedside till he cried himself to sleep. His father used to raise hell, 'You're going to turn that boy into a...', I didn't care, he and Serenity were, are, my babies."

"Mrs. Wheeler..." he wanted to sympathize, but he wasn't even sure if he had kids of his own. His memory was so full of holes, he couldn't fathom his own childhood. Then again, how could a fourteen year old sympathize with this? He decided to give up, and tried again to leave the reunited family alone.

"I'm sorry, Yugi. You really... I guess I just needed to unload, I'm sorry it was on you..."

"It's all right."

"Would you do me one last favor, please?"

"Of course..."

"I'm going to stay with him. Would you have Tristan call Serenity, just make sure he doesn't tell her too much. She really doesn't need to know."

"Sure thing.", Now maybe we'll find out what Al's 'Oh boy.' meant! he backed out of the room and quietly shut the door. He rested his forehead against the door frame and sighed a huge relief when all of the sudden he was caught around the neck by a pair of sweet smelling, slender arms.

"Yugi will believe me! Won't you, Yugi?!"

NOW WHAT?!


tbc...
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Like I said... GOMEN NASAI! I hope I didn't let you all down! Especially Cyberkat and Angel-Belle! *bows*