Chapter 21

The next morning in the Muto household there was a sense of panic. Well, one person in the house was panicking. Yugi was rushing around the house, trying to do several things at once. He was up against the clock. He promised Joey that he would meet him with the other two before the duel, but he'd woken up late. After the others had left the previous night, he had gone back to the former Pharaoh and the two of them had had a long conversation about the events of that day. Atem had confessed to Yugi what he was finding it difficult to process everything and together they had talked it through, by the time that conversation had ended it had been quite late. To make matters worse his alarm clock had decided that today would be an excellent day to go on strike, so he'd not actually woken until Grandpa had knocked on the door to wake him. This left him flying around the house trying to get everything together and get out the house on time. A target which was looking less and less likely to be achieved. He was currently sat at the breakfast table, wolfing down a bowl of cereal as fast as humanly possible.

"Yugi, you'll give yourself indigestion." Grandpa scolded, frowning at his grandson.

"Sorry Gramps, I'm just in a rush."

Grandpa snorted, "Well, that much is obvious. But Speedy Gonzales do bear in mind that in your haste to get out on time there's someone in this house who's not very stable on his feet just now. Don't go and knock him over."

"Don't worry Gramps I won't." Yugi called, as he flew out the kitchen and back upstairs.

Grandpa just rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he collected his grandson's abandoned breakfast bowl and placed it in the dishwasher. It was true that Atem wasn't very stable on his feet due to his broken ankle which had indeed been made worse by the previous day's outing. His ankle was giving him more trouble today which was concerning but the Pharaoh being the Pharaoh he was insisting he was ok. Moving into the living room, he began to potter about doing some general tidying up. He vaguely heard the voices of the other two upstairs and a lot of hurrying footsteps as his grandson continued to fly around the house. Smiling to himself he continued in his task before there were a couple of loud thumps from behind. Wheeling round he saw the former Pharaoh on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. He let out something which was somewhere between a shout and a yelp before hurrying to his side. Atem looked to be in complete shock, his breathing was rapid. His left hand was gripping the stairs which suggested he'd attempted to save himself; the other was holding his ankle. Ice seemed to form in Solomon's veins as he knelt next to him.

"Are you alright? What happened?" He asked, rather quickly.

Atem's face tightened with pain for a moment, and he looked back at the stairs before he answered.

"I'm not sure." He took a steading breath, "I believe my ankle gave way."

Solomon looked down at the other's ankle, which he was still holding. He knew it was weak after yesterday, but if it was giving way that wasn't good. He placed a hand on the Pharaoh's shoulder, who was still breathing rather fast. From upstairs he heard his grandson calling to him, he'd obviously heard the thump as well. In front of him Atem attempted to move, probably to stand, but he let out an involuntary gasp of pain. His hand tightened on his ankle.

"Don't hurt yourself further." Solomon instructed

The former Pharaoh closed his eyes for a moment, his breathing was still slightly rapid. A glimpse of red caught Solomon's eye, looking at the once King's left arm he could see red blood beginning to soak through the bandage. He bit his lip, this wasn't good. From upstairs Yugi called down to him again. Squeezing Atem's shoulder reassuringly, he called up to his grandson.

"Yugi, come down here."

There was a crash as Yugi obviously dropped whatever he had been holding. Atem closed his eyes again hating himself for causing them stress. He heard Yugi's voice from the top of the stairs and heard his hurried footsteps as he descended the stairs to join them.

"Atem? What happened?"

"He fell. Let's get him up and on the sofa."

Yugi wrapped Atem's right arm over his shoulder and with his grandfather's help lifted him up off the floor. He watched as his friend's face twisted in pain, but he stubbornly allowed no sound to escape. It was like that night he'd been attacked all over again but at least this time Atem was completely aware of what was going on. From the look in his eye Yugi could tell he was cursing himself over and over for what had happened. It took both of them to get Atem to the sofa, who was not putting any weight on his injured ankle. Once he was safely there, Yugi went off in hunt of the frozen peas he'd returned to the freezer last night whilst Grandpa attended to Atem's bleeding arm. Atem was running his other hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. When Yugi returned with the frozen peas he offered them to the Pharaoh, who accepted them and looked to his grandpa. Grandpa was carefully unwrapping the bloodied bandage, with a fresh one ready on his lap.

"I'm sorry." Atem murmured, he wouldn't look at either of them.

"Atem don't apologise." Yugi replied, sitting next to him on the sofa, "Just… are you ok?"

He saw Atem's expression become rather guilty as he finally looked at him.

"Yes, I'm fine."

Beside them Grandpa made a noise, "I would disagree there, we may need to get you to hospital. I worry if your ankle gave out then you might have damaged it again."

Atem leant back against the sofa. This was so stupid, how had he allowed this to happen? He'd made them worry about him too much over the last few weeks. He'd been determined to stop them worrying about him but here they were again worrying about him. He let out a sigh and pressed the frozen peas to his ankle, it felt as though the limb was on fire. He was aware of Yugi's eyes on him, but he didn't want to meet them. He was too annoyed with himself. When Grandpa finished changing the bandage Yugi looked to the former Pharaoh, who was still refusing to meet either of their eyes.

"How's your ankle?"

Atem let out a sigh, there was no point lying.

"It's not good."

Grandpa made another noise of concern, "We're going to have to go and get it checked, if it's still bad."

Atem shook his head, he was really unwilling to create anymore panic. But despite his protest the other two weren't going to take no for an answer. He was instructed to remain on the sofa and keep icing his ankle whilst the other two moved around gathering a few things together. They agreed not to call an ambulance this time, but they would take a taxi to the hospital. Yugi knew that the former Pharaoh wasn't happy about what was going on, he hadn't said a word since the decision had been made.

After ensuring that they all were appropriately dressed against the cold, Grandpa moved into the game shop to call the taxi. Leaving Yugi to help Atem get down the stairs, he was still not placing any weight on his ankle. It took them some time to get down into the game shop, but they somehow managed to get down without causing the former Pharaoh any further pain. They found Grandpa standing by the door, watching the road intently. But soon enough Grandpa spotted what he was waiting for and waved the two boys over. The former Pharaoh's face was a mixture of emotion, which was rare to see. He was clearly annoyed with himself but at the same time his expression showed guilt. It was almost comical had it not been a serious situation. Despite how Atem felt, he didn't bother protesting, he knew that this was a fight he was just not going to win.

Time seemed to move quite slowly for Yugi as they drove to the hospital. It seemed to take them a long time to even get there. When they finally arrived it was a relief that Atem was taken off quite quickly by the doctors, leaving Yugi and Grandpa to wait in the waiting room for him. The waiting room that day was not as busy as perhaps it could be which was a relief in some ways. If there were less people in the waiting room then hopefully the quicker Atem would be treated and they'd be out of here. Yugi had never liked hospitals, too many memories from his youth. He took to pacing around the room, he found sitting still too difficult. The other people in the waiting room clearly recognised Yugi, but they said nothing. He paced and paced before his grandfather halted him as he past.

"Yugi, you're making me dizzy just watching you."

"Sorry…" He sat down, although his leg began shaking, "He's been gone a while."

"Means they're being thorough."

"Or that he's worse than we thought."

Grandpa shook his head, "I don't believe so. At worst I think he may have rebroken his ankle again. It was a pretty nasty fall he took."

"He's not going to be happy if he has. He already thinks he's burdening us."

"Has he said that?"

Yugi shook his head, "He doesn't have too."

Grandpa nodded, knowing what Yugi meant. It was sometimes strange how the former Pharaoh and his grandson knew each other as well as they did but after years inside each other's minds it was only to be expected. The wait continued, Yugi took to biting his nails slightly as his leg continued to shake. People came and went from the waiting room but there was still no sign of the Pharaoh. The only thing that changed was there was a new sound. It was a buzzing sound. As the buzzing sound continued to sound Grandpa began looking around, trying to locate it. It was only when he looked under the chair that he realised the sound was coming from Yugi's pocket.

"Yugi? Is your phone ringing?"

Yugi seemed to come out of a trance, he stared blankly at his grandfather for a moment before looking down into his pocket. As he pulled out his phone the sound of the nearby radio caught his attention;

"…The excitement is building for the upcoming duel. Everyone wants to find out who will be facing Yugi Muto in the final, but it would seem the King of Games himself doesn't want to know as there's no sign of him despite one of his best friends being one of today's duellists…"

Taking his phone out of his pocket he saw Tea's name on the screen. He'd completely forgotten about today. His friends had been expecting him some time ago. Standing he moved across the waiting room to the window. He accepted the call, putting the phone to his ear.

"Hello? Tea?"

"Yugi, where are you? I thought you were going to meet us before Joey had to go." Tea's voice came through the phone.

"Sorry Tea. Something… something's happened but I'll come join you as soon as I can."

He wasn't sure whether to let her know the whole truth just yet. He didn't want to panic his friends but at the same time he had promised Joey that he'd be there before the duel kicked off.

"What's happened? Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine… it's not…" He paused.

It was probably better to just let them know, it was only fair. He sighed before continuing.

"Atem fell down the stairs this morning, we're in hospital now waiting for him. I promise I'll be there just as soon as I can."

"Oh my… Yugi! Is he ok? What happened?"

"Yeah he's alright, but I can explain properly when I get there."

Tea paused for a moment, "Alright… just let us know when you know more."

He nodded, "I will."

He lowered the phone from his ear as the line disconnected and ran a hand through his hair. Turning to face his grandfather he sighed. Just the previous day they'd been in the park with Atem and Yugi had thought that maybe everything was getting back to normal. Perhaps not.

The minutes continued to drag past. Try as he might Yugi couldn't stop himself from resuming his pacing around the room. He found sitting still quite difficult, he was too concerned about his closest friend. But finally, after what seemed like an age they saw someone they recognised. It wasn't the former Pharaoh as they hoped but the doctor who'd treated him after he'd been rescued. He spotted them easily and headed straight to them, extending his hand to shake Grandpa's when he got close. Grandpa stood and accepted the offered handshake as Yugi moved to join them.

"Nice to see you both again," The doctor said, sitting in the seat next to the one Grandpa had just vacated.

Grandpa sank slowly back into his chair, he couldn't help but think if Doctor Jones was here then perhaps things were more serious then he thought. Doctor Jones was a senior doctor and been with Atem from the moment he'd entered the hospital when he'd been in quite bad shape. It seemed as though the doctor picked up on this as he smiled reassuringly at them.

"Don't worry, me being here isn't a bad thing. I didn't even know Atem was here until I saw his name on our list of patients so knowing him as I do, I thought it best that I take a look at him."

Yugi, who was the only one still standing, nodded. Doctor Jones had been the only doctor Atem had really trusted during his stay, he could see through him which had helped massively.

"Is he alright?" Yugi asked.

To his relief the doctor nodded.

"He will be. Unfortunately, that fall did do some damage to his ankle. The bones weren't fully healed yet and that fall has broken them again but it's not as bad as it could have been."

"What does that mean?" Grandpa asked, "Are you going to keep him here?"

Doctor Jones shook his head, "No, he can come home. We're just patching him up and he'll be along shortly. I just wanted to let you know what happened, I suspect he'll play it down to you as he's not particularly happy about what's happened."

Yugi couldn't help but smile, "That sounds like him."

The doctor smiled too, "As annoyed as he was, he did seem relieved to see me. I've checked over all his other injuries, apart from having reopened that wound to his arm everything is doing really well, no signs of that infection so view this as a slight bump in the road."

"At least he's alright." Grandpa sighed.

The doctor nodded, "He's been lucky."

Yugi let out a sigh of relief as the doctor continued to talk, the most important thing was that Atem was going to be alright. When the doctor was finished he shook both of their hands before walking away. They exchanged a look before their wait began again.

As the minutes past Yugi was watching the world outside the window. From the window he could see the hospital car park, which before didn't hold many cars but now it seemed that more and more cars were arriving. He may not have considered this a bad thing had he not heard what the news from the radio which was still playing in the background;

'…Well, the question of where the King of Games is has been answered. Apparently, he's been spotted at Domino Hospital although the reason he's there is still a mystery...'

He bit his lip, the last thing he'd wanted was the press to find out where he was. He watched as people with cameras began to emerge from the cars. It was only natural in some ways, with the next match due to begin it was no wonder the press were following him. Turning back to his grandfather, who also had heard and seen what was happening. Before they could speak however a movement caught his eye, looking up he saw the former Pharaoh making his way towards them. He was limping heavily again and using various chairs for support, but he looked alright. Annoyed, but alright. He did manage a smile to the two of them as he reached them although the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Yugi asked.

Atem nodded, "I'll be alright."

Satisfied, Yugi turned back to the window watching the people outside.

"How should we do this?" He asked, "They'll come running as soon as they see me."

Atem, not sure what Yugi was talking about, followed his gaze before spotting what he must mean. The small group of press were hanging around just outside the doors, clearly waiting. He couldn't be sure it was Yugi they were waiting for but upon hearing the radio that made it clear.

'…The sightings of the King of Games at Domino Hospital have been confirmed and it would appear logical that the reason he would be there would have to do with his cousin, who is still recovering from his recent ordeal. Yugi has continually declined to comment about his cousin but perhaps this hospital visit isn't a routine check-up…'

"How do these people find out these things?" Yugi shook his head, "It's like they have a tracking device on me."

"With the tournament so close to the end I'm not surprised they're so focused on you." Grandpa said, "Let's just get Atem home then we can figure out the rest."

Yugi nodded, glancing at his closest friend who still looked rather annoyed with himself. When he reached out and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder the former Pharaoh did manage another smile. They decided to make their getaway as quick as they could, there was no way of trying to hide they'd just have to make a break for it. Their hired another taxi to take them home and on Grandpa's instructions the driver parked as close to the doors as he could. Yugi followed behind the other two as they headed out the doors and into the waiting vehicle. Of course, the crafty journalists saw him immediately and they all began calling out to him. Yugi just waved at them for a moment, giving the other two enough time to climb in, before getting in himself. The driver immediately set off before anyone else had the chance to get close. Inside they all seemed to let out a sigh of relief as they got further away from the hospital. As they drove, however, Grandpa had a sudden thought.

"Why don't we drop you off at the Kaiba Dome Yugi?"

"We could but why?"

"I would imagine those journalists might follow us back but if you go directly to the tournament then they'll follow you there rather than all of us home."

Yugi nodded, it certainly made sense to do that but he was reluctant to leave Atem after everything that had happened.

"You should do that Yugi," Atem agreed, he wasn't looking at them instead gazing out the window but he seemed to know what Yugi was thinking, "You promised Joey that you would be there and enough time has been wasted on me."

"But –"

"No buts Yugi."

Yugi sighed, the former Pharaoh was clearly hating all the attention being on him. As much as he wanted to make sure his friend was alright he knew that he would be so he smiled and nodded. Grandpa informed the driver of this change. It wasn't a long drive before the Kaiba Dome loomed before them. When the vehicle stopped Yugi jumped out and looked back at his grandfather and the once King. Grandpa smiled encouragingly at him whereas the former Pharaoh still wouldn't look at him. This wasn't surprising, Atem was clearly irritated with himself so for the sake of his pride was trying to give off the look that he was alright. Yugi smiled at them both before he turned and hurried towards the Dome. Now it was time, time to find out who would be victorious. Joey or Kaiba.