Ch. 6: Where Is She?
When they finally did reach the hospital, everybody climbed out shakily and tired. Yami stepped out holding Phoenix followed by Joey and then the others followed carrying Ryou. Kaiba followed shortly after, walking swiftly ahead of them in quick strides of his coat. They all then ran up to the counter where a young woman was typing something. Without looking up, she said in a flat tone "Please sit in the lobby and sign in." "I want to see the doctor now. It's an emergency" Kaiba demanded, his tone also a no- nonsense type. The nurse looked up startled then her eyes widened. "Wait a minute, you're Seto Kaiba aren't you?" Then she noticed the others standing behind him. Her eyes fell on Ryou and Phoenix. She gasped. "I-I'm s-sorry. I d-didn't realize this was an emergency." Kaiba still had a stone cold stare. The receptionist then called down the hall and a doctor came out. The doctor then noticed Ryou and Phoenix immediately. "I need help in here NOW!" he shouted loud enough for the whole hospital to hear. In a flash, some nurses appeared with two rolling stretchers. Yami laid down Phoenix on one, and the others laid down Ryou. The doctor then started asking quick questions. And one of the first ones was "What happened to these two? The boy looks like he fell down a cliff" Then he noticed how flushed Phoenix was and he went white. "I need some over-heating treatment NOW!" he shouted, and again, two more doctors appeared. This time they started to rush Phoenix to the emergency room. Yami and the others had to run to keep up. They then watched as one of doctors began to take her temperature and swore loudly. First, one rushed out and came back with several bags of ice. Then, they covered Phoenix's body in ice and injected her arm with an IV bag. Next, they scanned her body with a heart monitor, showing a very weak pulse. One of the doctors came out looking grim-faced. "I don't know if she'll make it. She needs a special treatment for her case. She's got a very rare virus called dermohypen burn-up. (A/N: There is no such thing as this disease, I made it up, so don't say it doesn't exist cuz I know it doesn't!!) No one spoke. Finally Yugi asked what it was. "Its a disease that quickly heats up your skin causing it to feel like fire, and giving you all symptoms of a fever plus," he said in a shaky voice, "it kills all your blood cells in your body. Her immune system will basically die. It's a deadly disease, similar to AIDS. Then she can't fight anything off. It's a very rare disease and I have never seen a case this bad. Only about 3 people in every thousand inherit it. I'm amazed this hasn't happened before." Tea covered her mouth with her hands. Joey just stared dumb- founded, and the others were silent. Then Yugi spoke up. "There's gotta be something you can do! She's our friend! We can't just let her die!" Then Joey spoke. "YEAH! That's right! I haven't even had a date with this chic yet! She can't die!" The doctor nodded solemnly. "There is a medicine that can cure her...." He said slowly. Everyone snapped to attention. "Unfortunately, the antidote is very expensive. Probably out of your kid's range" he said shaking his head sadly. Then Kaiba did an amazing thing. "How much?" he asked in a flat tone. Everyone swiveled to stare at him. Kaiba glanced down at Yugi for a second, and then turned back to the doctor who was rubbing his glasses. "Are you sure kid? It's a lot of money..." "Just name the price!" Kaiba snarled. The doctor looked up surprised. "It costs fifteen-thousand." Tea had to keep from sobbing. Yugi looked at Joey. Joey then replied, "I'm sorry Yugi. I spent all the money to fix Serenity's eyes. I'm really sorry." Yugi looked down, about to cry. Yami placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders. Then Yugi noticed something. Kaiba had snatched something out of his pocket and was writing quickly. He moved to the right a little to see. He saw Kaiba writing in a checkbook! Kaiba then shoved the check into the doctor's hand. The doctor arranged his glasses and his eyes grew huge. "I believe we have a deal." Kaiba said in a cold voice. Yami felt his breath stop for a moment. The doctor then nodded curtly and rushed back into the emergency room where they were working on Phoenix who was now in a hospital shirt. Her breathing looked labored and whole body was shaking. Yugi walked up to the window and put his hand against it. //Please, Phoenix. Don't die. You're our friend...We haven't even known you for a whole day and already your life seems to be slipping away, like an hourglass...// He lowered his head and touched his face. He felt tears there. How could he cry without knowing? He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Tea smiling through her tears. She leaned down towards his face and whispered, "Don't give up Yugi. Remember? You told me that on the way here and I believed you. I'm not going to give up hope for her. Are you?" Yugi looked at her through blurred eyes and forced a smile. "No, I won't give up on her..." he whispered back. Yami felt himself smile. Yugi always seemed to come through in a crisis. He was strong in spirit, as well as in heart. He loved him like a son, and felt proud whenever Yugi conquered his troubles. Just then, another doctor came around the corner and asked if the "white-haired kid" was with them. They all nodded and followed the doctor. He led them right to a hospital room where Ryou lay. His forehead was covered in bandages and he had a splint on his arm. He had a slow but steady heartbeat, and the doctors bustled in and out of the room every few minutes checking on him. The others stood in the window, watching Ryou's chest rise and fall slowly. Yugi wanted to see him, to talk to him so badly. Surprisingly, the doctor that had led them there came up to him and said, "You can go in if you like. He seems to be okay now that we've treated him. What was his name?" "Ryou..." Yugi replied. The doctor nodded then opened the door. He gestured to Yugi. "Only one person should be in here. So I guess you should start. I'll have to write down his name. Are his parents anywhere nearby?" Yugi shook his head. "No, his mother died, and his dad is an archaeologist. He's in Great Britain right now." The doctor nodded, then rushed off as his beeper signaled.
Yugi slowly walked into Ryou's room and saw how weak he looked. Ryou's skin was very pale and his hands were bandaged. His eyes fluttered open slowly as Yugi approached the bed. He smiled stiffly. "Hey, Yugi. How are you?" "Hey, I'm supposed to ask you that since you're the one in bandages." Ryou let out a small laugh. He turned his gaze to the others outside. "So, everyone's here I guess..." "Yeah" said Yugi. They both were beating around the bush and knew it. Finally Yugi spoke up. "So, uh, how are you feeling?" "Well, I feel better now that they gave me some pain killers. But I do believe my body had seen better days." Yugi tried to smile. His friend looked so weak, clinging onto his life. He wanted to tell Ryou not to die on him, that he needed him. Ryou, sensing trouble with Yugi tried to comfort him. "Hey now, don't be so uptight. I'll live, I can guarantee that. I fight on, no matter what. Besides, this has happened plenty of times before. Its just a little harsher." Yugi nodded blankly. He felt a little better since Ryou wasn't giving up. //But, if it happens again, how much worse will it be? Ryou barely survived. What if it kills him next time?// He shuddered at the thought. Then Ryou remembered about Phoenix. "Yugi, how's Phoenix?" he asked weakly. From Yugi's grim expression, it looked like she wasn't doing well. "She's.... in intensive care right now, Ryou. We don't know if she'll make it. She's got a fever that's at its peak." he had to restrain himself from becoming emotional. Ryou was then very concerned. "What happened to her?! I mean, I thought that she would be okay but..." his voice trailed off as he thought of how pretty she had been. And how kind and her voice....He sighed with happiness of the memory. He had heard her song coming up the stairs. Ryou knew he hadn't ever heard a more beautiful voice sing like that ever. Yugi looked at him. //So, Ryou is in love with her too. I'm not sure how Yami feels, but I know Joey has the same feelings also.// He lowered his head so Ryou wouldn't see the sad look on his face. Not just for Phoenix, but for his friend and everything else. Then Ryou did the most unexpected thing. He struggled out of the bed. Yugi jumped up in surprise. "Ryou what are you doing?!" "I'm going to see how Phoenix is. She saved my life. I want to at least help." The teen had a determined look on his face that said 'I'm going to visit her, and nobody can stop me'. Yugi stared in dismay. "Ryou are you nuts?! You can hardly even sit up, much less walk around in this maze of a hospital! I won't let you! Besides, how can you help her?!" He made a move to stop him, but Ryou stared at him with his brown eyes. Yugi found himself frozen. He just couldn't stop Bakura, or anybody else for that matter. Exasperated, he handed Ryou some crutches since he had twisted his ankle. Ryou nodded in thanks then pulled the IV from his arm with a quick jerk. He winced in pain but kept on. The others stared in amazement and wonder. They rushed to the door and asked what was going on. Yugi answered for them. "Ryou wants to visit Phoenix to see how she's doing. I can't really stop him, so I guess we should all go together...." He said weakly, his voice trailing off. The others looked sympathetic for Yugi and looked at Ryou like he was crazy. But relentless of the stares, Ryou started out. Yugi walked slowly in front of him, so he could guide him to the Emergency room. He didn't even know where he was going, but he just walked. Soon, they came upon the sunlit room that Phoenix was in earlier. As Yugi approached it, he gasped. He ran up to the viewing window. Phoenix was gone! Then he noticed a window open on the opposite side of the room. Ryou limped up behind him and peered in. The others jogged in shortly. They all turned to Yugi with questioning looks on their faces. "Where's Phoenix?" Ryou asked. "Are we at the right room?" "Yes..." Yugi said bewildered. "Well WHERE IS SHE?!" Joey exploded. Followed by Joey's outburst, a doctor rushed up with a worried look on his face. "Where's the girl? Do you know where she went? We found something odd about her blood. Not only is it rare, but also the brain's concentration waves are at an incredible percentage. We'd like to ask her a few questions about herself. Do you know where she is?" Without waiting for an answer, he flung open the door and rushed in followed by everyone else. All looked for any signs that she had been taken elsewhere. Then Yugi remembered the open window. He pulled Yami away from the others. "Do you think she climbed out of the open window?" he whispered to Yami. He also noted that he looked a bit aggravated. "No....she didn't just climb out." He finally spoke, his voice low and angry. Yugi looked at him, puzzled. "Blade was here. She came in and took her." Yami said, quite simply. "What?! Why?!" by now the others had come over and were listening to the conversation. The doctor quickly left to inform the other surgeons. "She left a trail of breadcrumbs. I can tell." The others looked at him curiously as he walked over to the window. Then he pointed at the sill. Yugi peered in closer, but saw nothing. "You can't see it can you, Yugi?" Yami asked grimly. Yugi shook his head. He didn't know what he was supposed to see. Yami then mouthed a charter spell at touched two fingers to Yugi's forehead. He looked at the window again and saw...black dust! He was shocked. His vision was black and white, and he could see black magic remains on the sill, floor, and on the bed where Phoenix had lain. He closed his eyes to return his vision to normal. He had also taken note of clumps of black blood combined with fur on the floor. But when he opened his eyes, the dust & blood were gone. Yugi looked at Yami who looked lost in thought. Then he shook his head and zoned in again. "I'm sorry Yugi. I tried to sense them, but something is either blocking my aura, or they are too far away to sense." Yugi felt like he was going to cry. Phoenix was taken from the one area that guaranteed her survival and had been rushed off to some unknown place where she could die. Yugi felt his head beginning to heavy. The more he thought about it the more his head began to hurt. He suddenly fell to the floor clutching his head in agony. Yami noticed this and shook his shoulders. "Yugi, what's wrong?! Answer me!" "Ohhhhhhh.... my head. It hurts!" Then his vision became blurry. He could hear Yami hollering at him faintly in the background.
When they finally did reach the hospital, everybody climbed out shakily and tired. Yami stepped out holding Phoenix followed by Joey and then the others followed carrying Ryou. Kaiba followed shortly after, walking swiftly ahead of them in quick strides of his coat. They all then ran up to the counter where a young woman was typing something. Without looking up, she said in a flat tone "Please sit in the lobby and sign in." "I want to see the doctor now. It's an emergency" Kaiba demanded, his tone also a no- nonsense type. The nurse looked up startled then her eyes widened. "Wait a minute, you're Seto Kaiba aren't you?" Then she noticed the others standing behind him. Her eyes fell on Ryou and Phoenix. She gasped. "I-I'm s-sorry. I d-didn't realize this was an emergency." Kaiba still had a stone cold stare. The receptionist then called down the hall and a doctor came out. The doctor then noticed Ryou and Phoenix immediately. "I need help in here NOW!" he shouted loud enough for the whole hospital to hear. In a flash, some nurses appeared with two rolling stretchers. Yami laid down Phoenix on one, and the others laid down Ryou. The doctor then started asking quick questions. And one of the first ones was "What happened to these two? The boy looks like he fell down a cliff" Then he noticed how flushed Phoenix was and he went white. "I need some over-heating treatment NOW!" he shouted, and again, two more doctors appeared. This time they started to rush Phoenix to the emergency room. Yami and the others had to run to keep up. They then watched as one of doctors began to take her temperature and swore loudly. First, one rushed out and came back with several bags of ice. Then, they covered Phoenix's body in ice and injected her arm with an IV bag. Next, they scanned her body with a heart monitor, showing a very weak pulse. One of the doctors came out looking grim-faced. "I don't know if she'll make it. She needs a special treatment for her case. She's got a very rare virus called dermohypen burn-up. (A/N: There is no such thing as this disease, I made it up, so don't say it doesn't exist cuz I know it doesn't!!) No one spoke. Finally Yugi asked what it was. "Its a disease that quickly heats up your skin causing it to feel like fire, and giving you all symptoms of a fever plus," he said in a shaky voice, "it kills all your blood cells in your body. Her immune system will basically die. It's a deadly disease, similar to AIDS. Then she can't fight anything off. It's a very rare disease and I have never seen a case this bad. Only about 3 people in every thousand inherit it. I'm amazed this hasn't happened before." Tea covered her mouth with her hands. Joey just stared dumb- founded, and the others were silent. Then Yugi spoke up. "There's gotta be something you can do! She's our friend! We can't just let her die!" Then Joey spoke. "YEAH! That's right! I haven't even had a date with this chic yet! She can't die!" The doctor nodded solemnly. "There is a medicine that can cure her...." He said slowly. Everyone snapped to attention. "Unfortunately, the antidote is very expensive. Probably out of your kid's range" he said shaking his head sadly. Then Kaiba did an amazing thing. "How much?" he asked in a flat tone. Everyone swiveled to stare at him. Kaiba glanced down at Yugi for a second, and then turned back to the doctor who was rubbing his glasses. "Are you sure kid? It's a lot of money..." "Just name the price!" Kaiba snarled. The doctor looked up surprised. "It costs fifteen-thousand." Tea had to keep from sobbing. Yugi looked at Joey. Joey then replied, "I'm sorry Yugi. I spent all the money to fix Serenity's eyes. I'm really sorry." Yugi looked down, about to cry. Yami placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders. Then Yugi noticed something. Kaiba had snatched something out of his pocket and was writing quickly. He moved to the right a little to see. He saw Kaiba writing in a checkbook! Kaiba then shoved the check into the doctor's hand. The doctor arranged his glasses and his eyes grew huge. "I believe we have a deal." Kaiba said in a cold voice. Yami felt his breath stop for a moment. The doctor then nodded curtly and rushed back into the emergency room where they were working on Phoenix who was now in a hospital shirt. Her breathing looked labored and whole body was shaking. Yugi walked up to the window and put his hand against it. //Please, Phoenix. Don't die. You're our friend...We haven't even known you for a whole day and already your life seems to be slipping away, like an hourglass...// He lowered his head and touched his face. He felt tears there. How could he cry without knowing? He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Tea smiling through her tears. She leaned down towards his face and whispered, "Don't give up Yugi. Remember? You told me that on the way here and I believed you. I'm not going to give up hope for her. Are you?" Yugi looked at her through blurred eyes and forced a smile. "No, I won't give up on her..." he whispered back. Yami felt himself smile. Yugi always seemed to come through in a crisis. He was strong in spirit, as well as in heart. He loved him like a son, and felt proud whenever Yugi conquered his troubles. Just then, another doctor came around the corner and asked if the "white-haired kid" was with them. They all nodded and followed the doctor. He led them right to a hospital room where Ryou lay. His forehead was covered in bandages and he had a splint on his arm. He had a slow but steady heartbeat, and the doctors bustled in and out of the room every few minutes checking on him. The others stood in the window, watching Ryou's chest rise and fall slowly. Yugi wanted to see him, to talk to him so badly. Surprisingly, the doctor that had led them there came up to him and said, "You can go in if you like. He seems to be okay now that we've treated him. What was his name?" "Ryou..." Yugi replied. The doctor nodded then opened the door. He gestured to Yugi. "Only one person should be in here. So I guess you should start. I'll have to write down his name. Are his parents anywhere nearby?" Yugi shook his head. "No, his mother died, and his dad is an archaeologist. He's in Great Britain right now." The doctor nodded, then rushed off as his beeper signaled.
Yugi slowly walked into Ryou's room and saw how weak he looked. Ryou's skin was very pale and his hands were bandaged. His eyes fluttered open slowly as Yugi approached the bed. He smiled stiffly. "Hey, Yugi. How are you?" "Hey, I'm supposed to ask you that since you're the one in bandages." Ryou let out a small laugh. He turned his gaze to the others outside. "So, everyone's here I guess..." "Yeah" said Yugi. They both were beating around the bush and knew it. Finally Yugi spoke up. "So, uh, how are you feeling?" "Well, I feel better now that they gave me some pain killers. But I do believe my body had seen better days." Yugi tried to smile. His friend looked so weak, clinging onto his life. He wanted to tell Ryou not to die on him, that he needed him. Ryou, sensing trouble with Yugi tried to comfort him. "Hey now, don't be so uptight. I'll live, I can guarantee that. I fight on, no matter what. Besides, this has happened plenty of times before. Its just a little harsher." Yugi nodded blankly. He felt a little better since Ryou wasn't giving up. //But, if it happens again, how much worse will it be? Ryou barely survived. What if it kills him next time?// He shuddered at the thought. Then Ryou remembered about Phoenix. "Yugi, how's Phoenix?" he asked weakly. From Yugi's grim expression, it looked like she wasn't doing well. "She's.... in intensive care right now, Ryou. We don't know if she'll make it. She's got a fever that's at its peak." he had to restrain himself from becoming emotional. Ryou was then very concerned. "What happened to her?! I mean, I thought that she would be okay but..." his voice trailed off as he thought of how pretty she had been. And how kind and her voice....He sighed with happiness of the memory. He had heard her song coming up the stairs. Ryou knew he hadn't ever heard a more beautiful voice sing like that ever. Yugi looked at him. //So, Ryou is in love with her too. I'm not sure how Yami feels, but I know Joey has the same feelings also.// He lowered his head so Ryou wouldn't see the sad look on his face. Not just for Phoenix, but for his friend and everything else. Then Ryou did the most unexpected thing. He struggled out of the bed. Yugi jumped up in surprise. "Ryou what are you doing?!" "I'm going to see how Phoenix is. She saved my life. I want to at least help." The teen had a determined look on his face that said 'I'm going to visit her, and nobody can stop me'. Yugi stared in dismay. "Ryou are you nuts?! You can hardly even sit up, much less walk around in this maze of a hospital! I won't let you! Besides, how can you help her?!" He made a move to stop him, but Ryou stared at him with his brown eyes. Yugi found himself frozen. He just couldn't stop Bakura, or anybody else for that matter. Exasperated, he handed Ryou some crutches since he had twisted his ankle. Ryou nodded in thanks then pulled the IV from his arm with a quick jerk. He winced in pain but kept on. The others stared in amazement and wonder. They rushed to the door and asked what was going on. Yugi answered for them. "Ryou wants to visit Phoenix to see how she's doing. I can't really stop him, so I guess we should all go together...." He said weakly, his voice trailing off. The others looked sympathetic for Yugi and looked at Ryou like he was crazy. But relentless of the stares, Ryou started out. Yugi walked slowly in front of him, so he could guide him to the Emergency room. He didn't even know where he was going, but he just walked. Soon, they came upon the sunlit room that Phoenix was in earlier. As Yugi approached it, he gasped. He ran up to the viewing window. Phoenix was gone! Then he noticed a window open on the opposite side of the room. Ryou limped up behind him and peered in. The others jogged in shortly. They all turned to Yugi with questioning looks on their faces. "Where's Phoenix?" Ryou asked. "Are we at the right room?" "Yes..." Yugi said bewildered. "Well WHERE IS SHE?!" Joey exploded. Followed by Joey's outburst, a doctor rushed up with a worried look on his face. "Where's the girl? Do you know where she went? We found something odd about her blood. Not only is it rare, but also the brain's concentration waves are at an incredible percentage. We'd like to ask her a few questions about herself. Do you know where she is?" Without waiting for an answer, he flung open the door and rushed in followed by everyone else. All looked for any signs that she had been taken elsewhere. Then Yugi remembered the open window. He pulled Yami away from the others. "Do you think she climbed out of the open window?" he whispered to Yami. He also noted that he looked a bit aggravated. "No....she didn't just climb out." He finally spoke, his voice low and angry. Yugi looked at him, puzzled. "Blade was here. She came in and took her." Yami said, quite simply. "What?! Why?!" by now the others had come over and were listening to the conversation. The doctor quickly left to inform the other surgeons. "She left a trail of breadcrumbs. I can tell." The others looked at him curiously as he walked over to the window. Then he pointed at the sill. Yugi peered in closer, but saw nothing. "You can't see it can you, Yugi?" Yami asked grimly. Yugi shook his head. He didn't know what he was supposed to see. Yami then mouthed a charter spell at touched two fingers to Yugi's forehead. He looked at the window again and saw...black dust! He was shocked. His vision was black and white, and he could see black magic remains on the sill, floor, and on the bed where Phoenix had lain. He closed his eyes to return his vision to normal. He had also taken note of clumps of black blood combined with fur on the floor. But when he opened his eyes, the dust & blood were gone. Yugi looked at Yami who looked lost in thought. Then he shook his head and zoned in again. "I'm sorry Yugi. I tried to sense them, but something is either blocking my aura, or they are too far away to sense." Yugi felt like he was going to cry. Phoenix was taken from the one area that guaranteed her survival and had been rushed off to some unknown place where she could die. Yugi felt his head beginning to heavy. The more he thought about it the more his head began to hurt. He suddenly fell to the floor clutching his head in agony. Yami noticed this and shook his shoulders. "Yugi, what's wrong?! Answer me!" "Ohhhhhhh.... my head. It hurts!" Then his vision became blurry. He could hear Yami hollering at him faintly in the background.