Chapter 30

Solomon stared at the doctor before glancing through the glass. He couldn't see the former Pharaoh, his bed was still surrounded by various medical staff. Beside him Tristan covered his mouth with his hand, he eyes never leaving the scene within the room. Solomon looked back at the doctor, his eyes wide.

"W-What do you mean complications?"

The doctor kept his expression carefully neutral, "He arrested a couple of times on the table."

The floor had given out from under him, or at least that was what it felt like. He stared at the doctor for the longest time as if he'd not quite heard him but he had heard him all too clearly. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly quite dry.

"You… you mean his heart stopped?"

The doctor nodded gravely, "It did, we got him back but he's not responding well."

Solomon shook his head, "But… but what does this mean? Did you stop the bleeding?"

The doctor nodded again, "We did but the trauma to his body was too much. He's been through a lot and now… now I think we need to prepare ourselves."

This was a dream, it had to be. There was absolutely no way this was happening. But it was. This was reality. The doctor put a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll keep him comfortable but apart from that I don't think there's much more we can do."

Solomon stared at him for the longest time before looking into the room. The medical staff were beginning to slowly file out. As they did Solomon moved inside, approaching the figure lying in the bed. Despite the various tubes and wires Atem looked no different to earlier but the beeping sound was different. There was no denying it, the beeping was slower. A tear escaped his eyes. He reached out a trembling hand and placed it on the former Pharoah's arm.

"Come on Atem." He whispered, "Don't let that man win. Come back to us."

The only response was the machine and its slow beeps. He continued to stare at the pale, broken being before him. As much as he implored the former Pharaoh to fight a small voice in his head was saying that perhaps this was a fight he couldn't win. The injuries he'd sustained from the fall and that madman were threatening his life. Despite how much they'd plead with him it was possibly not enough. There was the sound of a sliding door behind him, he didn't move. He did not move when Tristan appeared opposite him. The younger man stared at his fallen friend, regarding him with wide eyes. Tristan was clearly struggling to process what he'd heard. How does one process the upcoming loss of a friend? How does one prepare? Solomon wasn't sure he'd be able to give the teen the answers to that.

"What do we tell Yugi?" Tristan asked, after a fair amount of silence.

Solomon sighed, closing his eyes before finally looking up at him. His eyes twinkled with tears.

"The truth. He has to know exactly what might be about to happen."

"Might?" Tristan repeated.

Solomon nodded, "I still believe there's hope. With Atem there always is but all the same if… if this is the beginning of the end for him then Yugi… all of you need to know exactly what might happen."

Tristan held his gaze for a moment before looking back to the figure lying between them. Solomon looked at him again for a moment before slipping a hand into his pocket. His hand closed around the small circular object lying there. Withdrawing it he gazed at the ring, he'd recovered it from the former Pharaoh on their journey from the desert. The last thing he wanted was for the ring to get lost, especially as it was so precious to the once King. But now, given the circumstance, it seemed appropriate to hand it back. Slowly, carefully Solomon slipped the ring onto one of Atem's limp fingers. He hoped in some way Atem would recognise the ring, perhaps it would give him comfort as he slipped away.

If he slipped away, if.

Solomon shook himself internally, he had to hold on to hope. Straightened he wiped his eyes with the back of one of his before looking a Tristan, who was still staring at his friend. Seemingly realising he was being watched his gaze moved to meet the elder man's and a determined expression settled on his face.

"Whatever happens, we won't leave him alone."

Solomon smiled, a sad smile and nodded. Silence fell between them again, neither knew how long it was before the elder man decided it was time. Yugi needed to know what was going on. He could feel Tristan's eyes on him as he left the room but said no more, after all what could he say? Outside the room the nurses standing behind the nearby desk were watching him with sad expressions on their faces. However, Solomon did not meet their eyes, he couldn't. As he walked further from the room the reality of exactly what he just been told hit him. Once he reached the corridor he stopped, something heavy forming inside him. Reaching out he grabbed hold of the metal rail which ran along the wall to steady himself. He took several deep, long breaths. It was real, all of it, he really was about to go to Yugi and tell him that the closest person to him was dying. Even if he still held hope that Atem would defy the odds the reality was he was dying and Yugi needed to know. The question was how would he say it? Solomon closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh before pushing away from the wall. Maybe it was better not to plan the conversation too much. He steeled himself as he walked, he had to be strong for Yugi's sake.

As Yugi's room came into view he could just see through the glass that his grandson looked distressed which was hardly surprising. Seated on either side of him was Joey and Tea, both of them were saying something but what they were saying Solomon did not know. Gazing at his grandson for a moment he took in his appearance before taking a breath and opening the door. The teenagers in the room immediately fell silent and all turned to look at him. Silence stretched for a moment before Joey rose from his chair and motioned to Tea to follow him. Although reluctant Tea stood and followed Joey out into the corridor. As she pulled the door behind her shut, she caught a last glance at the scene. Solomon was taking Joey's vacated seat, his hand on Yugi's. As the door clicked shut she turned to look at Joey.

"It's not good news, is it?"

Joey shook his head, "No it's not."

Tea looked at him, her eyes wide. She looked back at the door but didn't dare peak through the glass, it felt wrong. Turning back to Joey, she found him watching him, a serious expression on his face.

"We may lose him, Tea. I don't exactly know what's happened but this is one fight he might not win."

Tea clasped her hands together, fresh tears in her eyes.

"We should have started searching for them sooner." She whispered, the tears beginning to stream down her face, "We left it too long. If we searched sooner then we could have prevented this."

Joey shook his head, "There's no point in that. We did everything we could to find them but by the sounds of things this other guy had other ideas."

A look of fury crossed Joey's face. His hands became fists. Whilst waiting for Solomon, Joey had discovered what had happened to the two look-a-likes. Yugi had been rather reluctant to recount the story again but he had. The story had ignited a rage inside Joey. He'd made a promise to ensure nothing ever happened to any of his friends, especially after that tournament months ago but yet again he'd been unable to help his friends.

"If I find this guy he will pay for all this."

Tea looked at him, her eyes full of tears, "Solomon reckoned this guy believes he's won so I'm not sure we'll ever find out who he is."

A growl escaped Joey's throat before he could stop it. He made no reply, he wasn't sure he trusted himself at that moment. The pair fell into silence. They stood opposite one another, leaning against the wall, waiting. Tea was biting her nails, tears still slipping down her face. Joey was staring at the closed door, his eyes unfocused, clearly deep in thought. Neither of them knew how much time past. Eventually Tea managed to stop her nail biting and looked at her friend.

"I think I should go see him."

Joey blinked, showing he was listening but did not look at her. Nor did he need to ask which 'he' she was referring to.

"Do you think they'll let me?" Tea continued.

Joey nodded, but still did not look at her, "Solomon came back alone so I think Tristan is still with him so you should be fine."

It was Tea's turn to nod. She gazed at Joey for a moment before moving away up the corridor. Joey, finally looking away from the closed door watched her go. When she had disappeared from sight Joey leant his head back, banging it against the wall. Closing his eyes he took a steadying breath, he tried to tell himself that everything would be alright even if he didn't believe that. He had to hold it together, not just for himself but his friends. All of them were struggling and if he could hold himself together then he could hold the rest of them together as well. His thoughts turned to the former Pharaoh. He couldn't imagine him being gone, especially in this situation. Had Atem left after that duel a couple of years ago then perhaps it would be different. But the difference was that if Atem had left then, it would have been his choice which would have softened the blow. This was different. Memories played out in his mind's eye. Memories of the time they'd spent with the former Pharoah from the beginning when he'd still been imprisoned in the puzzle until now. How could that all be gone and it just be the four of them again? He was brought back to reality as the door opened and Solomon appeared. His face was blotchy and red, tears were streaming from his eyes. He smiled a sad smile, motioning for Joey to re-enter the room.

Yugi had taken the news badly, which surprised no one. He was closest to Atem, the only one who knew him best. In fact his friends all believed that if and when Atem passed on it would be as if a part of Yugi would go too. How they would help him through that they did not know. But then that could be down to the fact that they weren't sure how they would going to cope with it themselves. None of them wanting to imagine the world with the former Pharaoh not being part of it. For the moment they still had hope, for the moment the former Pharaoh held onto life. Days had past and whilst he'd not got any worse, he didn't get any better. But his friends would take that and use it to fuel their hope. In their minds Atem was fighting just like they knew he would. All of them wanted to help him with that fight but there was nothing they could do, but the one thing they could do was ensure he was never alone. They continued to make sure there was always someone with him, he was never left alone. Whilst they made sure the once King was never alone, they continued to do the same for Yugi. But Yugi was growing restless. As the days had passed Yugi had grown much stronger, but this recovered strength brought with it impatience. He was desperate to see his closest friend was his own eyes but he was being prevented from doing just that. Given the head injury he'd sustained in the fall the doctors were refusing to allow him to get out of his bed, let alone make the journey to see the former Pharaoh. His impatience was clear to all of them despite his best attempts to hide it. Deep down he understood why he was being prevented but that was not to say he liked it. He spent most of his time staring out the window, trying to make time move as fast as possible but if anything it moved even slower.

Outside his window the sky was clear, a warm orange tint filled it as the sun set. Yugi was sat upright on the bed staring out of the window. His broken arm was secured against his chest in a sling. His other injuries, the ones that required it, were still bandaged up. His visible cuts and bruises still looked rather unpleasant, but they were slowly healing. The colour had also returned to his face which went along with his desire to be sitting rather than lying down, he simply felt better. But he was still under orders not to move off from the bed but he was rebelling against that slightly by sitting. After all he was still on the bed they'd not said he couldn't sit upright after all. Sitting on the chairs to either side of the bed were Tristan and his grandfather. They were talking, but exactly what they were saying he did not know. He had stopped listening a while ago. His mind was too busy with his thoughts of the former Pharaoh. All he knew was that Atem's condition hadn't changed but it wasn't enough somehow. He clenched his fist as it shook. He had to be alright, Atem had to survive. After everything that had happened, he did not deserve this. Tears stung his eyes. The image of how he'd last seen his friend came into his mind. The last words he'd spoken to him. It was wrong, all of this was wrong. How had a trip which had started off as nothing more than a summer trip turned into this. Yugi closed his eyes as the tears finally escaped. Behind him there was a sound of the door opening, he turned to look without bothering to wipe his tears. Tea entered the room, quietly closing the door behind her. Her face was pale but she tried to smile.

"Any change?" Grandpa asked, turning in his seat to look at her.

Yugi regarded her with tear filled eyes as she shook her head. He turned away, a heavy feeling swelled inside him. Behind him the others were talking quietly and the sound of the door once again opening and closing once again. He didn't bother turning around, he guessed that it was most likely his grandfather who'd left the room. The others' eyes were on him, he could just feel their lingering gazes.

"He's still fighting Yugi." Tea said quietly, after a few minutes.

Yugi moved to almost look at her but found he could not look at either of them properly. There was something he wanted to say but found he couldn't. His voice had seemingly vanished. His eyes found the setting sun once more. Despite his silence his two friends seemed to know what he was thinking. But at the moment they weren't sure exactly what they could say to him. They looked at each other both wanting to comfort Yugi but neither knowing what to say. Minutes stretched between the three of them with none of them breaking the silence. Only when the door reopened did the silence break. Grandpa reappeared in the doorway, he looked at the two teenagers before looking at his grandson.

"Yugi?" He called.

Yugi made no move, so it wasn't entirely sure he'd heard him. He tried again.

"Yugi?"

This time Yugi did, finally, turn. His eyes shone with tears, but he held his grandfather's gaze.

"Come my boy, it's time."

Yugi frowned slightly, "Time for what?"

"Time to see him."

Yugi stared at his grandfather; he wasn't entirely sure he'd heard him correctly. Every previous day he'd been unable to see him so what had changed. The frowned deepened on his face yet his grandfather just smiled slightly.

"I'm serious my boy. I've cleared it with the doctors, you can see him."

His eyes widened slightly yet he still did not speak. He could still feel the others' gaze on him and when he moved his looked at Tea, she smiled and nodded at him. Moving his gaze back to his grandfather he slowly, carefully slid from the bed and stood for the first time in a while. It felt weird, being on his feet but there wasn't time to think on that. Slowly, he moved to join his grandfather at the door. Grandpa placed a reassuring hand on his grandson's back and together they slowly made their way through the halls of the hospital. As they moved Yugi found that he couldn't look around, his gaze was stuck on the ground in front of him. Grandpa kept a steady hand on his back, guiding him closer to the one person he'd been so desperate to see. His muscles ached after days stuck in bed but it mattered not. He pushed on, following as his grandfather pushed open a door. Following close behind his grandfather his gaze found a large window. As he approached, he caught a glimpse of a bed, with a familiar figure lying in it. He also saw Joey sitting in a nearby chair, when their eyes met Joey rose from his chair and moved to open the door for them. Grandpa paused in the doorway his eyes on his grandson. Everyone's eyes seemed to be on him.

Moving into the room Yugi almost immediately stopped as his gaze found the person who he'd been so desperate to see. His mouth opened slightly, his eyes stung. His closest friend looked… well the only way that he could describe it was broken. He looked broken. Looking past the many tubes and wires Yugi focused on his face, his battered, pale face. But try as he might he couldn't not look at the tube in his mouth, the tube he knew was keeping him alive. The longer he stared at him the more disconnected from his surroundings he felt. Memories flashed through his mind. They were lying in the mouth of the cliff opening, both covered in blood. Atem was lying unconscious, blood pooling around his head. The tent canvas flapped in the wind as a bloodied Pharaoh was dragged from the tent. The canvas ripped away behind him as Atem pulled his broken body towards him. The former Pharaoh's scream rang in his ears.

He stumbled.

A pair of warm hands grasped his shoulders, preventing him from falling over. The warmth of the hands grounded him, Yugi became aware he was breathing rather fast. Taking several deep breaths Yugi turned to see that it was his grandfather standing behind him, watching him with a concerned expression on his face. Try as he might he couldn't get his breathing to slow down, he felt as if he was suffocating. The room was darkening, or was that his imagination?

"It's alright Yugi." His grandfather said quietly.

His chest continued to rise and fall rather erratically. He still couldn't get his breathing under control. Placing a shaking hand on his chest as pain exploded there Yugi knew he couldn't be here. He had to get out.

"I have to go." He wheezed.

He made to move, his grandfather caught his arm but Yugi pulled it free. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't be there. He just couldn't.