Chapter XLVII: Patience
Bastion walks out onto the stage, looking a bit unnerved. Hello again, everyone and welcome back to Darkness Falls. Peach and Ani asked me to do the introduction on my own as it seems my part for this chapter is relatively… Bastion looks at the script and his eyes widen. You have got to be kidding me… Why me? Seriously? He looks at the co-authors, upset.
Peach sighs. Sorry, Bastion. Don't worry, you'll survive this. We promise!
Ani is bawling into her pillow off-stage. I'd never let Peach write you dying, Bastion!! NEVER!!!!
Peach grins sheepishly. I wouldn't kill you off, Bastion. I only like killing off bad guys. That's why Joey's dad, Adrian's... not exactly dad, and Gozaburo Kaiba are killed off onscreen when I control the author's pen. Bastion relaxes, but tenses again. But you...!
Ani runs over at the same time as Violet, meaning to reassure Bastion further. Instead, they crash into each other and sprawl across the stage, unconscious. Bastion groans softly, moving to help them both up. Oh goodness... It's just... I'm in a...
Peach looks at him. Bastion... Do NOT give away the plot!
Alexis pokes her head out from backstage. Bastion, look what they've put the rest of us through! If they didn't kill US, they won't kill YOU!! Okay?!
Bastion groans. But the writers of the canon universe... Look what they did to me! And they reduced you to Daphne Blake! You became a bloody Scooby Doo character!
Bastion, is this canon? Alexis asks bluntly.
Bastion shakes his head. No, fortunately, or I'd be a certain Duel Monster woman's boy toy...
NOT ON MY WATCH!!! Both Ani and Violet shout at once.
Bastion sighs again. You might see why I'm apprehensive... Anyway, Peach and Ani wish to thank you, dear readers for your continual support. So now... the summary of the previous chapter... Last time, while Violet and I enjoyed getting out of the infirmary and the fans saw my bum again, the rest of our friends went and enjoyed watching the clouds. Is that about right?
Ani and Violet blush at the thought of Bastion's bum.Ani however, manages to answer, Yup.
Bastion nods. Thank you, Ani. And now the disclaimer... Jaden, could you do this? Your dad's the lawyer!
Jaden groans, coming onstage. Okay, okay! As usual we have to do the boring legal stuff. Peach and Ani don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. They just own their version of the Yugiverse, their OCs, maybe a couple of DVDs, a collection of cards and... I think that's it. But don't sue 'em...
Ani: You won't get much. I have about... six dollars to my name.
Peach sighs. I don't have much either... Anyway... uh... Enjoy the show folks!
Bastion asks, Are you sure I'm not going to..?
Everyone: YES! YOU'LL BE FINE!!!
Back at the Obelisk dorm, Bastion tiredly got his pajamas on. He felt sleepy all of a sudden and just wanted to rest. "Thank you for keeping an eye on me, love," he said, fumbling with the buttons on his grey silk pajamas.
Violet giggled softly, helping him with the buttons. "No thanks needed, Bastion-baby. I'm glad I can help you."
He coughed again, slightly. "I think... I've done more today than I've done in the past three weeks... I'm a bit tired..." He didn't want to worry her, but he didn't want to lie either.
She nodded. "Well, go ahead and take a nap." And then she stifled a yawn. "I think... I might join you, too."
"You've been pushing, too... And you're just improving... Perhaps a nap would be a good idea for us both," he sighed, lying down on the fresh white sheets.
"Well, when you put it that way... a nap sounds very nice," she replied, climbing in after him. Violet snuggled against his side, eyes already closed. Unfortunately for Bastion, his tiredness and the cough were indicators of a bigger problem. As he fell asleep, fluid began to gather in his lungs. Violet slept by his side, just as unknowing as he was, simply tired because of how hard her body was working to heal itself.
GXGXGXGXGXGX
A short time later, Annie and Syrus arrived back at their dorm room, content and feeling a lot better. "What an afternoon! I feel so relaxed," Annie stated, wincing when her smile stretched the still healing cheek. "I feel better than I've felt in a while..."
Syrus nodded in agreement, grinning. "That was really relaxing. It was the perfect thing to let us unwind after all that's happened."
"Yeah... so the wedding has to wait... graduation has waited, and we'll do fine," she stated. And then she caught sight of Bastion and Violet's bedroom door. "Hmmm... their door's open... They must've been tired..."
"Should we check on them? They're both still recovering," he asked, following her gaze.
"Yeah, probably a good idea," she murmured back, heading to a cabinet in their bathroom and grabbing a medical kit which contained a thermometer. They headed to Bastion and Violet's room to find the couple sound asleep, but something told Annie to check their temperatures. "Violet...Violet!" the dark-haired girl gasped when she activated the ear thermometer and saw the readout. "Wake up! You have a fever..."
Violet groaned, turning away from Annie. "J-Just... five more minutes, Mom," she mumbled, sweat beading her brow.
Syrus frowned, standing beside Annie. "Annie... Bastion doesn't look good either..."
Annie checked. "Oh no... Bastion... c'mon, man, wake up!" But the Ra genius wasn't waking. "Violet, c'mon... you need to wake up; it's an emergency!" she stated urgently. Bastion was pale and sweaty, and Annie's instincts told her that something was wrong.
"Annie, should I call Miss Fontaine?!" Syrus asked, pulling out his PDA as Violet shivered.
She opened her eyes, which were clouded by the fever, and let out another groan. She had a killer headache, and was aching all over from the fever. "Annie... w-what..?"
"Call her, Sy... I have a bad feeling about this... Violet... what else hurts?" the would-be doctor asked, propping her friend up on the pillows and going into diagnosis mode.
As Syrus called Miss Fontaine and explained what had happened, Violet took a minute to fully register her best friend's question. "Everything... a-and, Annie..." She took a moment to give a wheezy cough, hugging herself from chills. "Since... since when did you have... four eyes?"
Annie checked her over, eyes widening in even more concern with her friend's last query. "Since never... Violet, I'm going to have Sy get you some water, okay?"
"O-Okay," Violet muttered, wincing at the pain that seemed to affect her body everywhere at once.
Syrus had just finished talking with Miss Fontaine. "She's on her way, Annie. I'll go get that water," he stated, quickly leaving the bedroom.
And then Annie moved to check Bastion a little more thoroughly. She couldn't move him easily, so she listened in the quiet of the room to his breathing. "His breathing sounds a little rough... Bastion, come on... wake up..."
"What... what's wrong with Bastion?" Violet asked, looking over at him and sniffling from her runny, stuffy nose.
"I don't know... And that worries me," Annie answered, brows knitting together in concentration.
Finally, Bastion's eyes opened, blearily. "Where... huh?"
"Bastion, are you okay?" Violet asked as Syrus returned. She gladly took a sip of the water, only to grimace and grab her neck. "A-Agh... owww," she groaned.
"Just lie back and let the pillows do the work," Annie stated calmly.
Bastion blinked, confused. "Violet... the room is..." And then he started coughing, harder this time. "...Spinning," he finished.
Violet sighed as she lay back down, though the action was followed by more coughing. "R-Really..? It… it just looks... green to me," she wheezed, closing her eyes as her head throbbed.
Syrus exchanged a worried glance with his fiancée. "Annie..."
Miss Fontaine arrived quickly and Annie told the symptoms. "Oh, dear... Violet, I have to look up your nose, honey..."
Violet sniffed, looking wearily up at the nurse. "My… my nose??"
"Yeah, I think you might have a nasty nasal infection."
Violet shivered from her chills and nodded. "O-Okay, then," she muttered, eyes closed tightly from the pain in her head.
Miss Fontaine made the examination and sighed. "Violet, good news... You just need a course of antibiotics to set you right, okay?"
Violet nodded, grimacing when her neck complained in pain. "What... what about Bastion?" she asked, wiping some sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
"I'm going to take a look... Annie, help me sit him up, will you?"
"Of course," the girl answered, helping Bastion into a sitting position.
He shivered when the nurse checked him with a stethoscope, and let her look down his throat. "Bastion... we have to watch you for a bit, okay?" the nurse explained patiently.
"Okay," he said sleepily, lying back down.
"I'll have Don and Belowski bring up some soup for both of you," the nurse soothed.
"Soup? Will that hurt?" Violet asked, referring to her sore throat. Her throat felt like it was on fire and to eat anything with solid food in it would be excruciating.
"Not chicken broth," the nurse answered, already experienced in knowing what would soothe a sore throat and nourish a sick body. She pulled some medication from her medical bag and gave it to Violet. "Just let yourself relax... This should bring down your fever too..."
"All right..." Violet sighed, easing into the pillows again and closing her eyes.
"Miss Fontaine, are they going to be okay?" Syrus asked worriedly. His silvery eyes drifted over his two sick friends. Their skin was very pale and perspiration beaded their foreheads due to the heat that came from their bodies.
Fonda sighed softly in concern. "I think Violet's going to be okay, but we have to watch Bastion carefully. His chest sounded really congested..."
"So then... what should we do?"
"I'll stay here tonight, and if you kids are willing to stay up, that'd be nice too."
"I can stay up, Miss Fontaine," Annie offered. "But I can't speak for my fiancé."
"I can stay up and help too," Syrus asserted.
"Okay, then..." The nurse had the future Mr. and Mrs. Truesdale head out of the room and sat next to the sick couple. This is going to be a long night, she thought.
Annie sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time in an hour as she and Syrus sat down together on the couch. She massaged her forehead with her hands and then set her hands in her lap. "We may need to call Jay, Alexis, Tyson and Rosa... the wedding's going to be pushed back further," she stated sadly.
Syrus took her hand, squeezing it a little. "Don't worry, Annie... Even if it has to be pushed back, we'll still have it."
"Yeah... Again... fortunately, we have in-house stuff here... we don't have to keep cancelling with caterers."
"Yeah. And once they're feeling well again, we'll have the wedding and finally get married," the young man smiled, thinking of that coming day.
"Yeah," Annie smiled happily. But she sobered again as she dialed her PDA. "Hello, Alexis?"
"Hey, Annie. What's up?" Alexis greeted, sitting with Jaden in their dorm.
"You guys need to come up to Obelisk... We've got another problem," the brunette Obelisk girl explained quickly.
"What? Not again," Alexis groaned. She was getting tired of problems.
Jaden's head flew up from his video game system. "Babe? Do I have to save the world again?" He didn't look thrilled at the prospect.
Alexis shook her head. "I don't think so, Jay. Annie says we need to go up to Obelisk..."
"Oh, okay... what's up?" he asked.
Alexis asked the same question and Annie filled her in. "...So we need to figure our next move," she explained quickly, glancing back toward Bastion and Violet's room.
"Great..." Alexis repeated what Annie had told her to Jaden. "We'll be up there in a few minutes, Annie..."
"Thanks, Alexis! Bye!" Annie hung up and called Tyson and Rosa's room.
Tyson picked up. "Hey, Private Annie!"
"Hey, Tyson..." She told him what she'd told Alexis, and he sighed wearily.
"We'll be right up!" He hung up and looked at Rosa. "Darlin', up for a walk to Annie and Sy's?"
Rosa blinked in surprise. "Sure. But why? Did something happen?" she asked, frowning.
Tyson sighed partly in worry and partly in frustration. "It sounds like Bastion and Violet are sick again... So we kinda need to be ready for another delay..."
Rosa sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Dios mio... I don't mind the delay; I just wish we could finally have peace."
Tyson sighed. "Me too, darlin'... me too..." And so they headed up to the room. When Jaden and Alexis arrived, the three healthy couples sat down in the living room area.
"Back here again," Jaden sighed, smiling a little, and then sobering. "How are they?"
"Sleeping," Annie explained. "Miss Fontaine's going to head out for a bit and be back with her pajamas. She's staying the night with us..."
"Do you guys want some help? I wouldn't mind staying up with them so that you could get some sleep," Alexis offered.
Annie thought a minute. She knew it was probably a good idea, but part of her hesitated. She couldn't figure out why, so she questioned her fiancé. "Sy, what do you think?"
Syrus shrugged. "Extra help would mean that all of us could get more sleep," he answered wisely.
"Okay, then... Just bring up some pajamas and we'll fix additional beds out here," Annie offered. "Is that all right?" Everyone nodded.
"And if whoever's on watch dozes off, I'll be sure to wake them up. I don't need to sleep, after all," Mary stated warningly as she appeared, sitting on the arm of the couch.
Jaden, leaning on the other arm of the couch, fell over, startled at the spirit girl's sudden appearance. "Dang it, Mary! You snuck up on us!"
Mary snickered, grinning deviously. "Of course! I gotta have fun when I can get it, and surprising you people is a lot of fun."
Alexis sighed and sweat-dropped. "Just don't do that at our wedding..." She could clearly picture Jaden falling back onto the red carpet because the spirit had surprised him.
"Yeah, it'll be crazy enough as it is," Tyson stated. "Between all our families it's gonna be one crazy party..."
"Don't worry, I won't! But I will enjoy scaring Bobby senseless," Mary soothed, her grin turning mischievous. She was definitely a part of Violet.
"Goodness, I hope all of the chicos don't try to pull any pranks," Rosa muttered, realizing how many guys would be there.
"Wait until they meet my cousin Rei," Jaden groaned softly. "She knows how to prank as well as I do. Uncle Jun and Aunt Himeko don't know how she does what she does, but she does it..."
"Do we even want to know?" Tyson wondered aloud with a little dread in his tone.
"Well, Zane and Annie's brother probably won't cause any problems," Syrus said, sweat-dropping.
"But Atticus probably will. He might even drag Chazz into it," Alexis said through a sigh.
"Mis hermanos can be very mischievous, especially at parties like this," Rosa added, grinning sheepishly.
"Bobby might get one prank in... but after Violet and I beat on him for it, he shouldn't be any more trouble. Just... don't give Haylee sugar," Mary asserted, grimacing.
Annie pulled a notepad from her skirt pocket and a pen. "Hmmm... limit sugar until after the reception... Okay... OH! I just realized something! Bastion's supposed to give the valedictorian's speech and I'm the salutatorian... Jaden, you're the best duelist and you're already scheduled to give a speech... we need to talk to Chancellor Shepherd if Bastion's not up to it in a couple of days..."
"Huh?"
"Sarge... you gotta give your speech, like it or not," Tyson grinned.
Alexis smirked. "It shouldn't be too hard, Jay. You've given speeches before... just not in front of so many people."
"Yeah... but this is... not what I'm used to," he groaned, looking terrified. "I have to... write it out!"
Everyone in the room sweat-dropped. "Why not just have someone else write it out for you?" Mary asked.
"I have to do it myself... I can have help, but I can't have a total speechwriter and teleprompter," he sighed.
"Well, we'll help you, Jay. Right, guys?" Syrus asked, smiling.
"Right," the others said at once. They launched into different suggestions to help Jaden, and he wrote a few down. This is going to be a long evening, he told himself.
HOWCANYOULEAVE
And so the evening wore on. The two couples ran back to their dorms and got their supplies while Annie and Sy fixed their guests' beds. Professor Sartyr and Belowski brought dinner up to the dorm and joined the small group for dinner. They left later and soon the group settled in for the night. "We'll take the first shift," Jaden offered.
"Okay," Annie said gratefully. She was feeling worn out, the stress of the past few weeks wearing on her more than she chose to acknowledge. So she and Syrus went to lie down in their room at 8 o' clock, while Jaden and Alexis headed into Violet and Bastion's room. The sick couple was sleeping deeply now, thanks to their medicine.
"We're on 'til midnight, right?" Jaden asked his fiancée for confirmation.
Alexis nodded. "Yeah, and then we wake up Annie and Syrus," she added, sitting down with a sigh.
Jaden sighed, watching Bastion and Violet. "I thought after we stopped Darkness, things would be easier... I guess... we're still not immortal..."
"No matter how hard you try, you can always get sick, Jay... All we can do is help them get better soon," Alexis replied.
"Yeah..." And then he picked up a legal pad of paper and a pen. "I'll work on my speech while I'm in here. Want to help?"
She smiled. "Sure."
"Okay, how does this sound? 'My fellow students, faculty, honored guests...' And that's it..." He flushed, embarrassed that he hadn't gotten further with it.
Alexis barely stopped herself from face-palming, but did sweat-drop. "Uh, Jay... That's a bit formal for a start... It doesn't sound like you at all."
He laughed a little, sweat-dropping at this. "Yeah... I was reading up on speeches for formal occasions and I wanted to do it right... But it doesn't seem right..."
She smiled and placed a hand on his arm. "Jaden, just relax and write it how you would usually say it... It doesn't need to be formal; leave that to Bastion and Annie. Since it's you... it's not the same."
"Okay..." And then he started to crack up, as quietly as possible, however. "Lex... 'My fellow Americans,'" he whispered, chuckling. "I'm never running for President..."
She smirked and laughed a bit herself. "Even though I think you'd make a great president, Jay... I think you should stick to dueling."
"Yeah, good idea."
Miss Fontaine returned to the room, and Jaden and Alexis worked on his speech. At midnight, they called Annie and Sy into the room and went to bed. "Okay, Annie, what's the first thing you need to do?" Miss Fontaine asked as Annie sat down at Bastion's side of the bed.
"Examine the patients' immediate health and determine if further measures are necessary," the teen girl stated clinically like a medical student would.
"Good girl. What else?"
"Check the patients' charts and determine what their status has been..." With Miss Fontaine's help, Annie examined the information the nurse had catalogued on her friends and then examined them both. "Violet's fever is down but Bastion's has remained steady. The acetaminophen has had limited effect on his fever and his breathing still seems rough."
"And he hasn't coughed up anything... If he starts coughing up anything, especially if it's rust-colored or blood-tinged, what could that mean, Annie?"
"Possible lung infection, and that could indicate pneumonia..."
"Good girl," the nurse praised again.
Syrus's eyes were wide. "Wow, Annie... You're going to be a great doctor even before you take classes..."
Annie blushed. "I do a lot of reading, honey. So I've learned a lot..."
"You do have good abilities already, Annie... And we're going to hone them," Fonda smiled. "You're going to be in for a lot of training..."
"How long is it going to take for Annie to be able to become a real doctor, Miss Fontaine?" Syrus asked.
"Depends on what field she wants to be in. Annie, what do you want to be?"
"I think I want to be a family doctor or a pediatrician..."
"Hmmm... If she's quick about it, Annie could be practicing on her own in about 10 years..."
Syrus's jaw dropped. "10 years?!"
"Yes. She has to get her BA, then go through four years of medical school and then her internship," the nurse explained.
He sweat-dropped, amazed that it took that long. "That's a long time, Annie."
Annie nodded. "But it'll be worth it... And I can always switch and be an RN like Miss Fontaine. There's always a good demand for nurses..."
Syrus smiled. "Well, whatever you want to do, Annie... I'll support you."
"And I'll support you in whatever you want, honey," she smiled back.
Miss Fontaine was smiling too. "You kids will have it great... and I know I will..." She hadn't announced this to everyone, but she was too excited to keep it quiet.
The couple looked at the teacher questioningly. "Miss Fontaine? What is it?"
"Well... Professor Sartyr and I... are engaged..." One might've heard the proverbial pin drop in the room now. Syrus's jaw was dropped, eyes wide at her words. Half of him was too shocked to do anything, and half of him wanted to shout with joy and congratulate his teacher.
"When... when did this happen?" Annie asked.
"The next day after Darkness was stopped..."
THEWORLDNEEDSLOVE
Fonda had been cleaning up her office alcove that sunny afternoon when Don and Belowski had come to see her. "Hi, Miss Fontaine!" the boy said cheerfully, carrying a big bouquet of thornless pink roses.
"Well, hello, Belowski! Hi, Don!"
Don appeared to be nervous, though at the moment the reason was unknown. "Hello, Fonda. We're not... disturbing you, are we?"
"Oh, no... not at all. Everyone's napping," she answered, gesturing at the closed cubicles. "The other kids are out... I had to make Tyson leave for a couple of hours just to get a shower and take a nap..."
Belowski tiptoed around. "Everybody's asleep?" he asked for confirmation.
She nodded, smiling. "Atticus and Chazz are doped up on their medication and the others are doped up on full tummies and cold medication."
Don smiled. "Then we'll have to be quiet. Belowski, if you would be so kind," he said, gesturing to Fonda.
Belowski handed her the flowers with a smile. "These are for you, from both of us..."
She smelled them, smiling more. "What's the occasion?"
Don fidgeted momentarily, getting over his nerves. He then stepped forward and took Fonda's free hand, getting down on one knee. "Fonda... I found myself falling for you since that first injury you sewed up. Not simply because of your beauty, but also because of your cheerful, independent, and caring personality. You are the best nurse a school could ask for, as well as the best friend and girlfriend any man could ever want. But, I'd like to take our love a step further, if you'll let me. Fonda..." Don paused at this, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small black box. It opened to reveal a diamond flanked by sapphires and set in a sparkling gold band. "Will you marry me?"
Fonda Elizabeth Fontaine was speechless for a long moment, shocked into silence. But her eyes shone with absolute happiness. She managed to nod, happy tears in her eyes. During that long moment, Don felt like his heart might stop from beating so fast. So when she finally answered him, his heart swelled with joy and he stood. With a giddy grin, Don wrapped his arms around her and swung her in a circle before setting her back down. But he kept his arms around her, happier than he had ever been in his life. "Oh, Fonda, I love you so much..."
"I love you," she murmured back when she could speak. And another pair of arms joined the hug.
"This means I'll have a real family!" Belowski said happily.
Don smiled using his free hand to ruffle Belowski's hair. "We'd be happy to be your family, Belowski. What do you think, Fonda?"
Fonda nodded. "I think we can do that... And make it legal..."
"Well, before we do anything..." Don gently lifted up Fonda's hand, slipping the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit. "There. Now it's official..."
"Yes it is... and we'll have a little boy of our own," Fonda smiled, ruffling Belowski's mop of hair.
He grinned in his typical sheepish manner. "A real mom and dad," he murmured.
"And perhaps even a few brothers and sisters, if that's all right with Fonda," Don added, grinning at her. Fonda couldn't help but blush at that.
LOVESWEETLOVE
"And so, that's what happened. We're going to get a justice of the peace to marry us as soon as possible," she explained in the present. "And then we can start the adoption proceedings for Belowski. No one ever found his parents or any relatives and Kaiba Corp made every effort along with the Domino PD and the FBI, but it's like his family disappeared off the face of the earth."
"Well, I'm so happy for you!" Annie whispered, hugging her mentor. "And you'll be a great mom!"
Syrus grinned and joined the hug. "This is great, Miss Fontaine! Congratulations!" he whispered.
"Thank you, both of you," the nurse smiled. "One of the advantages of Belowski being a student here is that we have a home here... and we'll have a nice apartment in Domino in the summer... but not this year, not yet... Well, we can keep talking. All-nighters are tough..."
GXGXGXGXGXGX
The young couple was about to find out how tough all-nighters can be. At 2 AM, Bastion began coughing very hard. "Bastion?" Annie asked, helping him to sit up so he could breathe. And then he coughed up something... It was thick, viscous and… Annie's face went white at the sight of its color. "Miss Fontaine..."
"Get some gloves on, Annie! Hurry!" the nurse commanded, snapping on her own. Annie did as the nurse said, knowing that such protocols might just save her life some day. For Bastion was coughing up what looked like blood.
"Sy, get Violet awake!" Annie stated as calmly as she could, still white to the lips.
Syrus was as pale as Annie, having seen the bloody gunk. He quickly started shaking Violet, as gently as he could. "Violet! Wake up! It's an emergency!"
Violet groaned and coughed herself, though hers was far different from Bastion's. It was a normal cough to get rid of the congestion in her chest. She opened her eyes halfway, pulling in a ragged breath. "W-What...?"
"Bastion! Bastion, it's going to be okay," Annie was saying, pulling the now-soiled blanket off of him and Violet. "We're going to take you to the infirmary... It looks like you're coughing up bloody sputum and we have to see what's going on..."
"Syrus," Miss Fontaine added, "Go out to the living room and get the others awake. We need a strong pair of arms to carry Bastion's stretcher."
Syrus nodded and quickly ran out of the room, into the sitting room where the others were sleeping. "GUYS!! Wake up! It's an emergency!!" he shouted.
Meanwhile, Violet stared in pure confusion at the nurse and future medical student. "Annie? What's wrong?" she mumbled, placing a hand to her head. She still had the same painful throbbing in her skull as before.
Miss Fontaine took over with Bastion while Annie snapped off her gloves, moving to her other patient. "Violet, Bastion is coughing up what looks like blood and we need to get him to the infirmary," she said quickly. "The fact that he's coughing it up like that means he could have a very bad lung infection."
The only words Violet heard were "Bastion coughing blood", "infirmary", and "very bad lung infection". Her eyes snapped wide and she sat up, only to give a loud groan and drop back down. That hadn't helped her head or her aching muscles. "He's w-what?!"
Annie held her friend close. "Bastion is coughing up what looks like blood and we think he has a lung infection," she repeated slowly. "We have to get him to the infirmary to see what's going on."
"I'm-" Violet was forced to pause for another lung-shaking cough. "-I'm coming t-too!" she asserted weakly.
"We'll put you in the wheelchair," Annie stated as the other four teens along with Sy came running into the bedroom.
"Oh, man!" Jaden yelped, seeing Bastion with blood on his pajamas.
"Sam Hill, what's..?!" Tyson also yelped.
"Boys, run to the emergency closet in the hall and get the stretcher," Fonda commanded. "This is an emergency and we need to act quickly." Everyone snapped to attention.
"How can we help?" Alexis asked, referring to herself and Rosa.
"Get the clothes hamper, Alexis... Rosa? Think you're up to lifting the stretcher?"
Alexis went to get the requested object, and Rosa nodded. "I can do that." She had gained most of her strength back.
"Okay. Good." The nurse stripped Bastion's bloody-sputum coated top off of him and got Annie to grab a clean, dry top. As soon as the boys returned, Annie helped Violet into the wheelchair covering her up with a warm blanket while Miss Fontaine, Jaden and Tyson lifted a barely aware Bastion onto the stretcher. Tyson and Rosa together lifted the teen on the stretcher, and the small group quickly jogged to the infirmary.
"How's…Bastion...doing?" Violet asked Annie wearily, eyes closed.
Annie looked up at Miss Fontaine as they moved. "He's stable at the moment," she answered. "Violet, I'm getting you into a bed and then I have to help Miss Fontaine a minute, all right?"
Violet nodded slightly, too tired and pained to bother arguing, even if she'd wanted to. A bed sounded very nice. "Okay..."
Annie gently got Violet into a bed and raced down to the X-ray room. "Annie, ordinarily I wouldn't have you help me, but I need to do this quickly and efficiently," Miss Fontaine explained, knowing time was of the essence.
"Okay, just tell me what to do..." Together they got Bastion up onto an X-ray table, readied him and started taking pictures of his chest.
When they were done, the nurse helped the young student get the patient to the intensive care room in the infirmary. "I'll know what to do in a minute," Miss Fontaine stated, heading back to get the X-rays developed.
Annie sighed, sitting down next to her surrogate brother. He had drifted back into a deep sleep, though his brow was furrowed in pain. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Annie..?" It was Violet, leaning on one side of the doorway. She had seen them take Bastion into the intensive care room and worriedly gotten out of bed. Violet frowned worriedly, both at her sleeping fiancé and her awake best friend. "What... are you sorry for?"
Annie looked up, startled. "Oh, Violet, you should be in bed! I was saying sorry that he's in pain..." She got up and was thankful that there was a cot in the room and led Violet to it. "Here, lie down..."
But Violet stayed standing, placing her hands on Annie's shoulders. "Annie, you don't need to apologize. You're helping him to get better... And I'm worried about you," she said truthfully before another coughing fit hit her, its force making her head explode with enough pain that she had to lean heavily against her best friend.
"Violet... c'mon... let's get you into bed. You can stay in here for now," Annie tried, guiding her to the cot next to Bastion's hospital bed. "I just feel bad he's in pain... I know there's not much I can do at the moment but feel bad that he's hurting..."
"I want... to help him," Violet asserted, eyes closed to help minimize the pain in her skull.
"You are," Annie answered, listening to Bastion's breathing pattern. "He's relaxing a little..."
Violet frowned, opening an eye so that she could look over at the love of her life. "Bastion..."
"Mmmmm..." Bastion moaned softly, still very out of it.
"See? He knows you're here," Annie said softly.
Violet managed to smile a little at that. "Good... Is he... going to be okay?"
Annie frowned in concern. "I think so... but it's going to be rough. His immune system seems to have been compromised..."
"What?" Violet asked, way too out of it herself to bother understanding half of that.
Annie sighed, realizing she'd made it too hard for her friend to understand in the middle of the night. "Basically it's like if you had a deck attacked by a Crush Card Virus..."
"Oh... he has a virus?"
"He might," Annie answered, "or it might be bacteria. But my point is that the defense system in his body that should fight stuff off is weaker..."
Violet nodded slightly in understanding. "Can he... get better?"
"Yeah," the would-be doctor answered. "But depending on how severe it is, he may be sick for a while..." She took a deep breath. "It can be three weeks or up to two months..."
"Two months?!" Violet yelped, eyes snapping open.
"Stay calm," Annie said gently, looking over at the prone, pale figure in the bed. "It's possible... but he's young..."
Violet sighed, closing her eyes tightly. "I just want all of this to be over..."
"So do I, Violet... so do I," the other girl sighed sadly. "We should just be getting ready for the wedding and... our honeymoon..." She thought it over. "I mean... this should be the time we're graduating, planning our lives... Enjoying each other's company..."
"We are enjoying each other's company," Violet spoke up.
"Yeah... but I'd be glad if it wasn't in the infirmary," Annie countered gently. "What I meant is we should be healthy..."
"Well... you guys are," Violet reminded, smiling a bit.
"You should be," Annie answered, getting up and getting a cool washcloth for Violet's head. "Here, this should help with the infection."
Violet sighed contentedly at the cool feeling, closing her eyes again. "That's nice... and we will get better..."
"Yeah..."
About 15 minutes later, Miss Fontaine came in with the X-rays, placing them on display. "Okay, Annie... we have to get a sputum culture from him... What do you see on the X-ray?" she asked.
Annie looked intently at the screen. The ghostly image of Bastion's bones and internal organs shone at her in the darkened room. Normally, she would see his ribs, heart, stomach and the upper part of his intestines. However, what she saw made her heart race with fear. "I see what appears to be fluid in the lower lobar regions of both lungs, extending into the middle lobar region of the right lung." She pointed at the lungs and showed what looked like little white branches, forcing herself into clinical mode. "It appears to be spreading..."
Violet was forcing her body to stay awake, wanting to know what was wrong with her fiancé. "Is that... bad?" she asked.
"Violet... his lungs are filling up with fluid and that affects how he breathes," Annie explained. "And that puts him in danger." She knew this would scare Violet, but she didn't dare sugarcoat it. "Pneumonia's a common disease, but it can kill you..."
"WHAT?!" That one word made Violet shoot up, body tense and for the moment all aches and pains shoved to the back of her mind.
Miss Fontaine motioned for Annie to move close to the purple-headed girl. "Violet, honey... we can beat it... Bastion has a few factors in his favor... He's young and fairly strong."
One hand dug its fingers into the sheets, while the other held tightly to Violet's head. "No... I can't lose him... Not after all this... I can't," she moaned, feeling like she could cry.
Annie held her friend tightly in a hug. "Violet, let me tell you what I know... We have to determine what kind of pneumonia he has using a sputum test... That's the stuff he coughs up. We can determine if it's a virus or a bacterial strain and then we'll figure how to fight it."
Violet closed her eyes tightly, clinging to her friend for much-needed support. "Annie... you can't let him die... please..."
"We'll fight it as hard as we can... Miss Fontaine..."
"I'm calling out to Domino and they'll send specialists and Bastion's parents have to come. They're his closest relatives and have say on treatment," the nurse stated.
Annie kept Violet close. "They won't shut you out... you're going to be his wife..."
"I just want him to be okay," Violet murmured in reply, the pain and exhaustion beginning to creep back into her consciousness.
Annie sensed it... "Violet... just rest now. We'll get a test started and it'll take a few hours..."
Violet frowned, but knew that she didn't have the energy to hold sleep off anymore. "Okay..."
The brunette girl helped lay her friend down on the cot and covered her with a blanket. "It's going to be okay somehow, Violet... I'll fight alongside him as hard as I can," Annie promised.
"Okay, Annie... just relax yourself... You haven't even started pre-med," Fonda reminded her. "Go out to the rest of them... your friends and fiancé will want to know what's going on..."
Annie nodded, and reluctantly headed out to the waiting area. All of them looked up, anxiously awaiting the news. "Annie? So what's wrong with him?" Syrus asked for them all.
"It's... pneumonia... and it's in both his lungs," she moaned, the unshed tears coming.
Syrus stood and went to her, pulling her into a strong hug even though he felt like crying too. "Is it... is it bad?"
"It... depends on the type... It's hitting him so fast," she murmured, holding on.
Jaden held Alexis a little closer, and Tyson did the same with Rosa. "This ain't good," the Texas boy groaned. "Private Annie... Do you know what kind it is?"
"Miss Fontaine's testing for the strain right now... Something must've happened in the World of Darkness..."
"Well, Violet might know... But we can ask her tomorrow after she's gotten rest," Alexis offered, frowning.
"Yeah... but his immune system... if it was weakened there and he was exposed to some bacteria... He could be fighting for his life... This isn't walking pneumonia," Annie managed to say. Her emotional strength was giving out and her physical strength wasn't far behind.
"How long before we will know which type it is?" Rosa asked.
"A couple of hours..." Annie turned pale again.
"Annie?" Syrus asked worriedly.
"I need to sit down," she groaned softly as the adrenaline rushed out of her system.
He quickly helped her to a chair, sitting in the one next to hers. "Are you okay, Annie?"
The others moved around her. "Annie, are you tired?" Jaden wondered. She managed a nod.
"How about we get you to a spare bed so you can rest?" Syrus asked.
Too tired to argue, Annie nodded. Miss Fontaine came out from her lab area and smiled. "She's tired, isn't she?"
Alexis nodded. "Yeah, and I'm not surprised..."
"She's doing pretty good, though... Annie's not even a resident yet!" Jaden grinned, his amazement temporarily overcoming his growing worry.
"A what?" Syrus asked, confused.
"It's a trainee doctor, Sy. It's after they finish their time in medical school," Jaden explained. "And they put in long hours..." He grinned sheepishly. "Mom was working on her residency when I was born..."
"That must have made things a lot harder, then," Alexis stated.
"Mom said it wasn't bad, actually... She had a special baby carrier for me some days," the young man answered. "The hospital accommodated her."
As Jaden explained a little bit about his very early childhood, Sy led Annie to an empty bed. "I... wish I didn't have to sleep," she murmured. "I need to help..."
Syrus sighed, holding her hand. "Annie... you won't be able to help if you're exhausted... You can't push yourself."
Annie sank to the bed, worn out. "I know... I just wish... I could..."
"But you can't... and you can't wear yourself down so much that you get sick too. You've helped a lot already, Annie," Syrus soothed.
"Mmmm..." She was already falling to the world of dreams as she tumbled to the pillow. He simply kept hold of her hand, letting her fall asleep as he brushed a few bangs out of her face.
Miss Fontaine stepped into the cubicle. "She's asleep?"
Syrus nodded. "Yeah... it didn't take long..."
The nurse moved to the bedside, brushing the girl's hair as well. "She's got the makings of a good doctor... but she must remember to take care of herself too..."
He sighed. "She pushes herself too much... and it worries me..."
"That's one thing that can hurt her, Syrus... and I think it's a flaw... She trusts people around her, but she doesn't always let them help, does she?"
"No... she's too worried about everyone else and not worried enough about herself..."
Fonda looked very thoughtful. "Maybe... she needs to take some time... It's okay if she waits... She wants to be a doctor, she can be... but maybe she needs to wait a little bit... Try her wings on other areas... She's so smart... she could do just about anything now that she's healthy. What's another thing she wants to do?"
Syrus frowned. "Not a job... Just that she wants to be a mom..."
Fonda looked thoughtful at that. "Hmmm... Sy, maybe that is a job. Think about how much it takes to be a wife and mother..." She smiled softly in the darkened cubicle. "Find out, though, if there are other things she likes."
He nodded. "Okay, I'll ask her later..."
"Okay... Whatever she wants, help her with the pushing too hard, Syrus. And you remember the same thing, okay?"
"Do I do that too?" he asked, surprised.
Fonda kept that same calm smile on her face. "You're an excellent caregiver, honey, and when it comes to Annie, you push yourself to your limits... And you did it with Jaden when he was missing..."
Syrus frowned, remembering. Back in the second year, when Jaden had temporarily lost his ability to see his Duel Monsters cards, the Slifer had left Duel Academy, been washed back to shore, and then had remained missing for a few days. During that time, Syrus had searched the island every night to the point he'd exhausted himself. "Oh yeah... I guess I do push myself sometimes..."
"Well, just remember to take care of yourself, and help Annie to do the same. Now, why don't you lie down too? I'll wake you both when I know something," the nurse promised.
He nodded. "Okay..." Syrus climbed into the bed beside Annie, wrapping his arms around her to pull her close. Annie, worn out, didn't wake.
Fonda tiptoed out of the cubicle and back down to the lab to check the culture's progress. 'A couple of hours more,' she thought, watching the culture dish in the testing area, 'and we'll know what we're up against...In the meantime, I have to start making phone calls...'
Bastion comes back onstage. And so now I am the one in mortal danger, it appears. I'll admit I'm not thrilled with this. But anyhow, what do the co-authors have in mind next? Well, they haven't given me an advance copy of the script yet, so unfortunately I don't know what will happen. So next time, please join us for Causation and Correlation. Peach and Ani thank you in advance for reading and for reviewing.