Thank you all for your kind reviews and especially the words I mess up on. I used to be horrible at lied and laid. So again thank you. A side note. I wasn't planning on bring Doctor Shima back in. I wanted her to be just simply one of the gold digging people that is only after fame and fortune, but if I didn't come through clear let me know and I'll add another part with her, explaining what happened to her. This is another slightly shorter chapter.

Warnings: None

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Chapter Ten

Kaiba paced in the waiting area, making it looked like he was impatiently waiting for news, but to a trained eye, Kaiba was nervous. The surgery was only supposed to last a few hours, but it was well past nine at night and they started in the afternoon. The longer the doctors stayed in the operating room, the more Kaiba worried about something going seriously wrong. He wondered if Jounouchi was scared, and they couldn't get the anesthesia to work properly. Yugi tried several times to get the brunet to eat or calm down enough to sit, but he wasn't having any of that.

Finally after ten at night, Doctor Hiroshi walked into the waiting room. He took one look at Kaiba and forced him to sit down. "If I would have known you'd be having a panic attack out here, I would have given you something to keep you calm." He knelt down in front of Kaiba. "Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Calm down. Everything is fine." The doctor waited a few minutes until the CEO's breathing matched his, and he was calm enough to listen. "Jounouchi is fine. The operation was successful. He'll need several weeks to recover and has casts on both of his legs. The hospital is giving you a wheelchair to take home to help him move around the house so he doesn't have to sit in one room all day."

"I want to see him."

"I know. Give us a moment to get him comfortable in his room. I convinced the staff to allow all of you to wait for him to wake in his room. Did you eat, Kaiba-sama?" When all he got was a glare, Doctor Hiroshi spoke more quietly. "I thought we had your anxiety under control. What did I tell you about eating? It forces you to focus on something else. I'll let it slide for right now, but don't let me hear you missed a meal while you are nursing Jounouchi back to health."

Kaiba sighed and looked up at his doctor. "No promises there."

Doctor Hiroshi sighed and stood up. "At least I got that much." He glanced over at the nurse standing right outside the room. "It looks like they have him in a room now." Doctor Hiroshi moved to the center of the room to address everyone. "Okay, everyone. Jounouchi has been moved to his room. Remember when he wakes up he may be confused and could even be scared. Don't overwhelm him and try to let him think before you say something to him. As soon as he wakes, I need one of you to inform a nurse so they can check his vitals. He's doing well and once his legs are healed he'll have to go through rehabilitation to gain strength back in them again. However, that is a long way down the road of recovery. Now, if you follow me, I'll lead you to Jounouchi's room."

Doctor Hiroshi moved towards the door and thanked to nurse before moving down the hallways to the elevators. The group was quiet and didn't question the doctor. Kaiba remained close to Doctor Hiroshi, understanding by what he said Jounouchi may do when he wakes. They got off the elevator and moved towards the room that held the blond that Kaiba was starting to admit that he cared deeply for. His dedication to helping Jounouchi recover has gone far from the guilt he had for not finding him sooner to wanting to see Jounouchi healthy again so he can love him, but he feared Jounouchi's reaction. Would the blond still want a relationship with him? Did his kidnappers ruin any chance they had at being together? All the unknown questions lingered uncomfortable in Kaiba's mind.

Kaiba moved into the room right behind Doctor Hiroshi. The blond appeared to be sleeping peacefully. His legs were in straps hanging for the top of the bed. The brunet stood in the background while Jounouchi's friends grabbed several chairs that were scattered about the room and moved them around the bed. Yugi grabbed his hand while Atemu stood behind him with his hand on Yugi's shoulder. Anzu sat on the other side of Jounouchi and held his other hand. Mokuba and Honda sat at the foot of the bed, patiently waiting for the blond to open his eyes.

Kaiba moved behind Mokuba and stood there. He felt awkwardly out of place even though for over a week he had been the one to care for Jounouchi. The CEO glanced about the group of worried friends. Each one of them had their own personal hand in helping Jounouchi with his recovery. When Kaiba returned to work, they were taking over his recovery more and more. They made sure he ate a certain times, talked to him, and at least one person was in the room all the time. Kaiba thought of the wheelchair. He wondered if going outside would overwhelm the blond much like he was when they transported him to the hospital. Would he gradually get used to being outside, or would he have a panic attack and scream to be let back in the house? However, Kaiba couldn't think of the what ifs and maybes. He needed to focus on Jounouchi's healing and recovery.

Nearly an hour past before Jounouchi started to stir. At first he just opened his eyes and looked around not sure if he should panic about the new room or stay calm. He heard someone say his name but didn't respond to it. He was attempting to remember why he wasn't still in his master's room. He glanced down at his hand, feeling someone squeezing it. He looked up and saw his friends standing around his bed, smiling at him. "Jounouchi, are you okay? Do you remember where you are?"

The blond stared for a few moments and tilted his head. He glanced down at his feet, finally seeing that they had casts on them. He nodded his head, remembering that his master wanted to fix his feet so he could walk again. He leaned his head back against the pillow just as a nurse walked in. The short red-haired woman smiled at him before checking all the monitors. "Are you in pain, Jounouchi-san?" The blond shook his head and closed his eyes. He knew that he should check with his master on what he should do, but he felt tired. He couldn't explain why he just wanted to go back to sleep. He struggled to keep himself awake, but eventually sleep called him and he obeyed.

Kaiba watched as the blond relaxed and fell back to sleep. The brunet sat on the other bed in the room. He felt some of the pressure release from his body when the blond didn't react badly to waking in a hospital room. Atemu walked over and sat next to Kaiba. "If there is somewhere you need to go or someone you need to talk to, you don't have to worry about Jounouchi's safety. We will watch over and protect him."

Kaiba sighed and leaned back against the bed, leaving his legs hanging over the edge. "Do I look that bad?"

"No, but you are excellent at hiding things. I want to be certain that you know all of this."

"I do," Kaiba whispered. He pulled his legs fully up on the bed and turned so he could watch the sleeping blond. "I just miss him," the brunet mumbled, feeling fatigue for the first time that day. Atemu smiled soft and moved the covers up on him. Kaiba didn't object. He was too tired to growl at someone taking care of him and hated that his body was screaming that it had enough. The stress was too much at that moment, and all he wanted to do was sleep even though his mind refused to let him have that small moment of peace.

Atemu watched Kaiba as he slowly drifted off to sleep and sighed with relief. He hated lying to the brunet, but he didn't want Kaiba to know that he looked like he was walking for days through a frigid place. The dark circles and red eyes proved that Kaiba wasn't sleeping at night even though he said he was. His body thinned from not eating. Even his anger was slow to surface. It seemed like Kaiba wasn't himself anymore. Atemu was determined to find a way to bring both of them back to normal. He hated those men that kidnapped and torture Jounouchi more and more because not only did they ruin Jounouchi's life, but all of their lives.

Doctor Hiroshi walked back in and was about to say something, but Atemu stopped him. The doctor took one look at Kaiba and nodded. Whatever he needed to say could wait. He was glad to finally see the CEO sleeping. He quietly left the room, knowing that the small group of friends would take care of Kaiba and Jounouchi. When he passed the nurse's station, he informed them not to make any noise when entering Jounouchi's room. He didn't know if Kaiba finally collapsed or if he was just resting, but he didn't want to risk someone waking him earlier then need be. "Quietly bring extra blankets for the others in the room. I'm not going to release Jounouchi until late in the afternoon. They all need rest." The young redhead who checked on Jounouchi earlier nodded and moved down the hallway to where they had the spare blankets. Doctor Hiroshi took one last look at the room where they sat before choosing to sleep in one of the lounges for the night. He informed the remaining nurses where he would be incase there was some emergency.

Kaiba awoke the next morning a little confused on where he was at first. Sun was shinning through the window. He shifted in the stiff bed and glanced over at Jounouchi, finally remembering that he was in the hospital. The blond was awake and staring at the ceiling. Kaiba slid off the bed and walked over to him. He saw that his friends had moved their chairs over towards the wall and were sleeping peacefully in them. He slipped his hand into Jounouchi's hand that lied palm up on the bed. The blond blinked and stared up at Kaiba's blue eyes. He smiled softly.

"The doctor says you'll be able to walk again once you've healed. It'll take a long time though." The blond nodded. "I'm going to ask a nurse when you can be released. Will you be okay while I do that?" When the blond nodded again, Kaiba leaned down and ran his finger along the blond's cheek. He moved out of the room and to the nurse's station, missing the soft smile on Jounouchi's face along with him gently touching the place that Kaiba's fingers were. "When can Jounouchi-san be released?"

The brunet nurse glanced up at Kaiba before skimming through the files. "Doctor Hiroshi will be up in a few hours to check on his vitals and assess when he can be released. I'm sorry that I can't tell you much more than that." The CEO nodded and walked away from the circular desk. Usually he would demand a more defiant time, but he knew it was pointless to waste his energy.

He walked back into the room and saw that not only was Jounouchi's eyes shut, but Atemu was awake and sitting on the bed. Kaiba sat down next to Atemu without looking at the former pharaoh. "Are you going to ask me when I'll take you to those men that did this to Jounouchi?"

Atemu chuckled. "I would, but I know you are not ready to take me yet. I also know that you will not go without me. You want to know what type of magic I can use to torture them, correct?"

Kaiba closed his eyes. "You could say that. Personally, I want to focus on getting Jounouchi away from seeing me as his master and on the right track to recovery before I think about what I'm going to do to those men," Kaiba whispered.

"You act differently than when I first met you. Is it because you trust me enough to let me see the real you?"

The brunet thought for a few minutes. He was showing more of his emotions and telling people that he cared more than he usually let on. "It's not just you," Kaiba answered. "Lately I don't see the point in wasting my energy hiding or fighting things. All of you know I care deeply for Jounouchi so I don't see the point in hiding it."

"When will Jounouchi be released?" Atemu asked, changing the subject, knowing that he wasn't going to get the brunet to open any further than he already did.

"The doctor will come to check on Jounouchi in a few hours, and then he'll let us know when Jounouchi will be released. I'm going to make a call to Roland and ask him to bring my laptop. I need to finish my proposals. I'll only be a few minutes." Atemu watched the CEO leave the room with a smile. He was pleased to see that Kaiba was finally showing more of himself. He knew that there was something more hidden behind the glares and cold attitude. He was happy to know that once Jounouchi was better, he'll be taken care of and protected. He just hoped that the blond still cared for the CEO, and that the brunet will reveal his feelings for Jounouchi. He smiled over at Yugi. He had the same hope with Yugi. He loved Yugi and silently hoped that the smaller man would hold similar feelings. Only time would tell and reveal what the gods had planned for them now that evil wasn't controlling their lives.

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Again the next chapter will be up on Monday. I hope everyone is still with me. The next chapter will be a time skip. I'm going to move the story along by a few months and go to the next highlight in Jounouchi's recovery. Thank you all for reading please review.

Angel Dov