Chapter 11: Reunion
August 2011
Minutes turned into what seemed like hours as Atem, Joey, and Seto waited. Something appeared on the side of the cloud finally and Atem realized what it was in time to catch a limp Yugi as he was thrown out. "Yuge!" he cried, touching the teen's cheek.
"Be careful...he's really tough" Yugi coughed before passing out.
"Wheeler, you next." came Bakura's voice from within.
"What? No way, I think its your turn Kaiba" Joey said trying to hide.
"Dont be such a chicken Wheeler. Get in there and fight for your wife and children." Seto scowled.
"Fine." Joey said beginning to walk off.
Atem's anxiety increased as he knelt beside Yugi's unconscious form. "Come on, Joey." he muttered.
Standing on the pier waiting for Joey's match to finish, Seto suddenly noticed Joey stumbling out of the dark bubble. "I've got you." Seto grunted catching Joey before he hit the ground.
"Joey!" Atem watched helplessly as Joey passed out in Seto's arms. "Bakura, take me on, you coward!"
"You are going to regret saying that Pharaoh. I've already taken out two of your friends."
Atem walked in and disappeared through the cloud. Meanwhile, Seth, Josiah, and Loretta arrived at a warehouse and found Yami Marik standing guard. "This must be it."
"Please don't hurt him too much Seth, only hit him if necessary, but not the face." Loretta glared.
"Don't worry, he'll still be a...er...pretty boy when I'm done." Seth made a face as he snuck over. Marik noticed him a split second before Seto's hand slashed through the air, hitting a pressure point on his neck sharply. Yami Marik crumpled.
"Oh Marik" Loretta gasped, covering her face with her hands in shock.
"Hurry over here, he won't be down for long." Seth nudged Marik on his back, planting a foot on his chest to hold him.
"Ok we are coming." Loretta sighed as she walked past him still looking back.
"Come on Loretta, he will be fine." Josiah assured her walking into the room.
Hali jumped to her feet at the sight of them. "Josiah, Loretta!" she cried, relieved.
"We are here to rescue all of you but we have to hurry. Marik wont be out for long. Hey Lena, I'm so happy to see you." Josiah said walking over to his wife and hugging her.
"Are you girls ok? How are you holding up Hailey?" Loretta asked kneeling down next to Hailey.
"I think I'm okay. Been cramping a bit." Hailey admitted. "But I refuse to have this baby here."
"Josiah, he's waking up. Can I have you two out here?" Seth called from outside.
"Hali can you give me a hand to get her up? We need to get her home." Loretta said. She glanced at the door. "Coming Seth, just a bit busy right now."
Hali helped Loretta get Hailey to her feet. "We should leave the kids in here so they don't see him like that." Hali suggested, nodding toward the door.
"Marika, Kura are you two ok? Mummy has to go out and have a word to daddy." Loretta smiled at her twins, kissing their foreheads before walking out.
Yami Marik was indeed coming to, struggling under Seth's boot. "I'll make you pay!" he hissed, glaring up at Seth.
"You want to say anything to him, Loretta?" Seth asked Loretta calmly.
"Let him up please Seth. I need to talk to my husband." Loretta glared at Yami Marik.
Seth moved his foot and yanked Yami Marik up by his shirt. "Try to hurt any and I will knock you on your ass just as quickly as I did before whether she tries to stop me or not."
"Marik, listen to me. This is not you." she started looking up into his eyes taking his hand. "I love you Marik. You're my husband. Please come back to me" Loretta pleaded.
Marik's eyes darted to her and there was a flicker of his old self before his mouth twisted in a sneer. "I'm not your husband."
"Listen to me Marik, see this?" she said holding up her hand with her wedding and engagement rings on it. "You gave me this beautiful ring when you proposed to me. You are my husband, not matter how evil you become I always have and will love you."
Marik twisted his neck around and shook his head as if to dispel thoughts. "Shut up..." he growled, eyes squeezed shut.
"Keep going, Loretta. The good Marik must be fighting."
"Please Marik, fight it. I know the good you is in there. Look into my eyes. I am your wife and you love me, you protected me from my own brother. Please Marik." Loretta pleaded now with tears in her eyes.
"Ive got an idea, Marik put your hand on my stomach, ive got a surprise for you" Loretta smiled kissing his cheek, seeing that he was reluctant she placed his hand on the lower part of her stomach
"You're pregnant?" Seth asked, surprised.
Marik's eyes widened and his available arm reached up to her hair. Seth made a move like he was going to stop it. "No!" Marik suddenly yelled, an invisible force brushing past them. He went limp in Seth's grip.
Seth eased Marik onto the ground where he sat on the ground, chin on his chest. "You think he's faking it?" he asked, unsure.
"No, I believe the bad Marik is gone. I felt it leave him" Loretta nodded caressing Mariks cheek. "Time to wake up Marik, I love you and need you" Loretta said kissing his forehead.
Hali appeared at the door. "We need to go. Hailey's gone into labor and she fears something's wrong with Yugi."
"Argh Bakura. If he's hurt my brother, he's going to pay. Seth, you and Josiah go. I want to stay here with Marik till he comes to." Loretta said looking up at Hali.
"Stay safe. We'll get them." Seth promised and jogged with Josiah to the pier. From a distance, they saw the dark cloud disappear and someone fall into the water. "Oh no..." Seth moaned, recognizing his cousin's hair. He sped up.
"I owe you nothing now, Motou." Seto said dropping his jacket to the ground before diving in after Atem.
"I don't believe it, Kaiba just jumped in after Atem." Josiah said looking wide eyed as the pair rose to the surface.
"Help me get him onto the dock, he's heavier than he looks." Seto ordered, an arm around Atem's chest. "I don't think he's breathing."
"Let me take him Seto, he is my cousin afterall. Come on Atem, wake up. Hali, I need your help." Seth called.
"He's going to need chest compressions to get the water out of his lungs." Seto pulled himself out of the water after Seth had dragged Atem out and began doing chest compressions to force the water out.
"Come on Atem wake up, please we cant lose you too." Seth said kneeling down next to Atem.
Atem began coughing up water and Seto said urgently, "Turn him over."
Turning Atem over onto his side and gently patting his back, Seth smiled. "It looks like he's coming to."
When all the water was out, Atem coughed one last time, his breath rattling in his chest. "Why am I wet...?" he asked, his voice raspy.
"You fell into the sea and I think you beat Bakura but Seto saved you." Seth said patting his cousins back again helping him get his normal voice back.
"He should go to the hospital to get checked out. Inhaling sea water can cause infection." Seto advised. "We should take the others there to.
"Others?" Atem questioned, looking at the other men.
"Seto's right Atem, come on take my hand I'll help you up." Josiah said standing up and putting his hand out.
"Have you forgotten about your wife, children and sister already?" Seto scoffed.
"I'll be fine, I'll have Marik with me soon." Loretta said watching them walk away.
Now that no one was around Loretta had the perfect chance to wake Marik up her special way. "You better wake up after this Marik Ishtar. if not, I'm never kissing you again." Loretta smirked as she leaned down and kissing him passionately.
"Too tired to do anything, Loretta...maybe later..." she heard Marik mumble against her lips.
"Marik, I'm so happy you are ok. You had me so worried." Loretta said pulling him into a tight embrace.
Lavender eyes met sapphire as she pulled away a little. "You saved me..." he murmured.
"You are my husband, Marik and I didn't want to lose you to that evil creep. What happened to you?" Loretta said looking into Mariks eyes with hers showing fright.
"I fought and won because of you...now let me sleep." Marik's eyes closed again.
"Marik Ishtar! Don't you dare go to sleep on me again we need to go and see the others" Loretta glared pinching his arm.
"Ouch! I'm too tired..." Marik complained, sounding like his son.
"I'm warning you Marik Amun Ishtar, get up!" Loretta growled nudging his ribs with her toe.
"Fine…" Marik sighed, allowing her to help him to his feet.
Hali and the other women hurried into the Emergency Room after finding Seth, Seto and Josiah. The men had called an ambulance for Atem, unsure they could get him to the hospital on his own. "My husband was brought here. Atem Mutou?"
The nurse checked the computer. "Curtain One. But the doctor-" The nurse sighed as Hali ignored the end of her sentence and rushed to find the right curtain, finally finding it. Atem was sitting up in bed, on oxygen with an IV. "Atem!" she cried, relieved.
"Hey Hali, I'm ok. my chest is just a bit sore."
Hali hugged him gently. "You scared us so much. Seto told us what happened." Hali started crying.
"Don't cry Hali, its ok. I may only be in here for one day." Atem said gently patting her back.
"I...will be fine Hali, I only swallowed a little bit...of water." Atem said between coughs.
Hali noticed he looked flushed except for a bluish tint around his mouth. "Atem?" She checked the heart monitor beside the bed. "Hang in there, honey." She hurried to the door. "Doctor, I need help in here!"
"What's wrong?" a nurse hurried over, entering.
The nurse had him sit forward and listened to his lungs. "I'll get the doctor. He's got fluid build up."
"Maybe I swallowed more...water than I...thought." Atem coughed again as it got harsher sounding.
The nurse hurried away and soon returned with the doctor. He increased the oxygen as the nurse raised the bed rails. "We need to get him to CT immediately." he explained to Hali.
"Is he going to be ok, doc?" Hali frowned looking at her husband.
"We'll see once we do the CT scan. You can wait for him in here if you wish." The nurse wheeled him away.
"Ok, thank you." Hali said as she watched him being wheeled away. "Please be ok, Atem." Hali whispered with a sniff.
Hali was sitting in the chair beside the bed in Atem's hospital room hours later, reading a magazine as he slept. Luna slipped in, giving her a hug. "How is he?" she whispered.
"He's doing a lot better but you better keep quiet he needs his rest." Hali whispered.
"I was just coming in to say Hailey had her baby and is upset because Yugi missed it." Luna explained. "Do you want to go keep her company while I watch him?"
"Thank you Luna, I need a walk. My butt is killing me." Hali giggled.
Luna took Hali's seat. "He will get better, I promise." She looked up at her sister.
"I know, but I'm just so worried."
"I'll stay here in case he wakes up." Luna promised. "Go be with Hailey."
"Thanks sis, I've got my phone on me if he does." Hali smiled as she walked out of the room.
Meanwhile in Hailey's room, Hali was sitting with her sister when a knock came at the door. "Am I allowed to see my Son?" said a male voice.
Hailey looked up at the sound of his voice, tears in her eyes. "Yugi! I'm so glad you're okay."
"Hey Hailey, I'm not completely 100% yet but at least I'm still alive." he smiled wheeling the pole in the door.
Hali popped up from the chair to give him the seat. "You look like you need it more than I do. Your son is here and he was a big boy, right, Hailey?"
Hailey smiled weakly as he sat down in the chair. "Yeah, they said he topped 8 lbs."
"Do you want to hold your son?" Hali picked the baby and showed him to Yugi. "I'll be right here if you need me to take him."
"I need to be careful of my hand but I will try." Yugi smiled, taking the newborn baby from his Hali's arms.
The baby's eyes opened, revealing large, dark blue eyes. "He looks just like you, Yugi." Hali smiled.
"He still needs a name, Yugi. You want to name him?" Hailey asked, looking up at her husband.
"Your right, he does." Yugi chuckled. "Hmm, what about Matthew Ezra Motou?" Yugi smiled looking at his Son and then to his wife.
"You're giving him Atem's middle name as his?" Hali smiled. "He will be honored."
"Well why not? Atem has done so much for me including reuniting me with my son and wife again." Yugi smiled.