Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Points of Authority ❯ The Hospital Visit ( Chapter 2 )

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Points of Authority

 

The Hospital Visit

 

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As Kenzie gradually awoke from darkness, she was assaulted by white, fluorescent lighting, making the backs of her eyes pang violently...

 

Her head lulled back and forth a few times; trying to make sure she had her bearings back before trying to sit up.

 

Slowly, Kenzie raised herself up, her arms ready to cushion her if she felt the need to fall back over. The action made her notice how sluggish she felt at the moment...

 

Her eyes took their own time to clear, with her headache feeling jealous that she had forgotten about it in her observations. Luckily, it wasn't as bad as before when she were on the street, but it still had this painful, warm throb....

 

Wait.

 

This didn't look like the street!

 

Kenzie realized she must have passed out…

 

A wave of shame washed through Kenzie's entire body, but she shook it off a little, looking around this new place.

 

She was actually in a sterile-white room--

 

"Hey! You're awake!" a screeching voice violated her ears, breaking Kenzie out of her observations and making her headache spike.

 

Kenzie answered with a hiss, quickly bringing a hand back to her head to cushion the pain, almost curling the front of her body in defense.

 

"I'll go find one of the nurses!" the voice said in determination.

 

She suddenly heard a door open, almost too caught up in her headache to question very lowly aloud, "Nurses...? Then where--"

 

But it seemed that Kenzie still wasn't alone in the room, and this "stranger's" voice had made her twirl around in a startled yelp.

 

"You're in the Domino Emergency Care Unit," it said coolly, yet Kenzie couldn't miss the degree of irritation that he was trying to keep down.

 

Sitting on a chair along the side of the sterile-white wall was Seto Kaiba, arms and legs crossed indignantly, and fixing his quite perturbed look at Kenzie. However, she was too confused to let his heated, icy eyes take effect on her.

 

Kenzie began looking around the room again, not really liking his blunt answer to where she was. It wasn't a very big room, and it gave her the feeling of a machine: quite un-home-y and mechanical. Maybe it was because everything in the room was that sterile-white. Even the cabinet and counter piece in front of her was white, including the bed she was sitting on. The only things that stood out was the horrible contrasting metallic silver of the faucet by the sink, and from what Kenzie could see of the bed frame, the empty gray chair next to Kaiba...

 

...And Kaiba himself.

 

Speaking of Kaiba, he was still drilling Kenzie with a glare, but he looked like he was trying to figure out what the hell she was looking around for.

 

Her head was still throbbing away, but now it was to a point where she could at least go and carry a conversation without being bothered...too much.

 

"So, uh...how did I--"

 

"I brought you here," Kaiba said in a curt tone. That time, he seemed a lot angrier, and Kenzie really couldn't see why. After all, she had only passed out...

 

Of course, she could care less about why Kaiba was mad, because he was really starting to peeve her off with cutting off her questions like she was some worthless client of his.

 

"You could have left me on the sidewalk," Kenzie said quickly, crossing her arms and furrowing her brows downward at nothing, knowing she'd get too angry looking at him. "I would have been fine."

 

"Sure you would have," he said quickly and sarcastically, almost to the point where his condescension was seeping thickly into her body, making her want to spit in disgust; it was enough to make Kenzie scream back in retaliation. She was definitely not in the mood for his mouth right now...

 

An ominous warm heat went through her head as she bit down her anger, and she knew she had to get out of the room for a little while so her migraine wouldn't comeback in full force. Letting out a stress-relieving sigh, Kenzie swallowed, just noticing how parched and dry her throat felt.

 

Cautiously, she slid off of the examination bed while keeping her hands steady on it, testing her equilibrium before going anywhere. She had a brief dizzy spell, but it was brief enough to let go, so she slowly made her way to the door to exit the room...

 

...Which just so happened to be right next to Kaiba.

 

But Kenzie didn't pay him any heed, even if she could feel his intense glare on her the whole way to the door. She was dieing to walk faster so she could get out the door and know for sure that his eyes were off of her, but she had a feeling that if she were to walk any faster that the dizzy spell might return...

 

Kenzie cursed her situation, but she continued at her ansy pace.

 

...And just as she reached the door, hand on the knob to open it up more, he decided to speak up.

 

"Where do you think you're going?" his tone was almost parental, and it confused Kenzie that much more. But then she realized, her confusion melting under the realization that Kaiba was just trying to cause her grief over getting a drink. A drink!

 

Kenzie's head shot around, giving him a half glare because she was quite tired as it was. "Why is it any concern of yours?!" she shot back in exasperated anger.

 

Kaiba never shifted his position; in fact the only thing that had turned was his head when he asked where she was going. He was still in that arrogant, closed-off position, but his head and intense eyes had turned to face her.

 

"I don't know if you know this," Kaiba's face scrunched up disgust, his crossed limbs tightening in mild irritation. "But it's not the brightest thing to go prancing around after loosing consciousness."

 

Kenzie shut her eyes, trying to block out the rising frustration that Kaiba was causing her. She knew he was only trying to take whatever was bothering him out on her...and that just made her even angrier at him for it.

 

"I'm telling you, I'm fine!" she kept her eyes closed and made to go out the door, feeling slightly disgusted at Kaiba's child-like behavior. "Now, if you'll excuse me I'll be back in less than two minutes, constable!"

 

Without caring if he had something more to say, Kenzie flung the door to close quite loudly behind her, feeling slightly better that some of her irritation was out of her system. Kenzie gave a big sigh, releasing more of the pent of frustration in her system and looked up...

 

...Seeing about twelve different pairs of eyes on her.

 

She froze, feeling put on spot. She hesitated a bit before realizing why they were staring at her.

 

"Oh, um, sorry 'bout that...," Kenzie rubbed the back of her head a little bit, feeling too embarrassed to move in front of all those eyes as her cheeks slightly heated from it.

 

But as soon as Kenzie had apologized about the door all the nurses, patients, and doctors went back to what they were doing.

 

'Damn that Kaiba! He doesn't even have to be here to make my life Hell!' she thought spitefully as her embarrassment delicately dissipated from the knot in her stomach.

 

Figuratively shaking off her Moment of Anger for Kaiba, Kenzie remembered why she had left the room in the first place; her parched throat. Her mouth had that annoying cotton-feel, like she'd never be able to drink enough to make the feeling go away. But carefully looking around the reception-area, she couldn't find a water fountain in sight anywhere.

 

Mentally cursing, Kenzie knew she'd have to try and go find one on her own. After her recent display of frustration, she'd feel too embarrassed to go ask someone, so she decided to just head off to her left as there weren't as many people down that corridor.

 

Through a stroke of very ironic-like luck, Kenzie actually managed to find a water fountain quite easily going through her choice of hallways. To the right of a vending machine on the left side of the wall was a pristinely placed water fountain. Not caring what the vending machine held at all, she homed in on the fountain. It was one of those twisty-knob ones that she were familiar with from her school in America.

 

Twisting the knob, she bent down a bit to the fountain (it came up to her waist) and took a couple of long gulps, feeling the cool water do magic over her throat. Taking a few more gulps, she felt that she had quenched whatever seemingly never-ending thirst...

 

Suddenly, Kenzie took notice of the cover for the fountain, an oddly placed white and blue swirled marble-y pattern...

 

A dizzy surge passed through Kenzie's system, making her vision swirl into a nice blend of colors, and she felt her hand brace the water fountain. The dizziness went a way quickly enough, but a white-warm sickle throb had settled in her head again, and it kept growing...

 

Scrunching her face in pain, a nervous heat had settled into every part of her body, making her perspire ever so slightly, but it added to how sick she was starting to feel...

 

Nausea had started to build up in the pit of Kenzie's stomach, and her head began to hurt her really, really bad; it felt like her brain was being pinched by someone's nails as hard as they could, like they were angry at her for something...

 

Tears had built up at the back of Kenzie's eyes, more out of fear and confusion because it had never hurt this badly before. Another wave of nausea had hit her, and she had to go to her knees to try and reflexively stop the nausea.

 

She was holding her head in desperation, wanting to make that horrible pain go away...it felt like her brain was being eaten away by acid.

 

Why?

 

Why was it hurting this bad...?

 

"Kenzie!"

 

Kenzie suddenly felt like she had been broken out of some sort of trance and she noticed that her pain was gone...

 

"Kenzie!"

 

It had left her so stunned and speechless...thoughtless...

 

Kenzie began to stare at nothing, questions of why and how flitting through her mind at incomprehensible speeds.

 

"Kenzie!" The voice had finally gone to shaking Kenzie back to reality, earning him a very befuddled look from her.

 

It was Mokuba! He was clasping Kenzie's shoulders tightly, looking heatedly into her eyes with concern.

 

"Are you okay now?" he asked in desperation. "I saw you kneeling on the floor, and you looked like you were hurt..."

 

She was really kind of spooked from how abruptly her migraine had come and gone, and so she answered quite hesitantly, almost feeling foreign to herself.

 

"Yes...I'm okay...I think..."

 

"Well then let's get you back to the room," Mokuba had grabbed Kenzie's arm and helped her to stand the best he could. "I found the doctor and he said he'd be coming right away to check on you."

 

Kenzie didn't say anything as Mokuba helped her into a standing position, suddenly feeling weak at the knees with weight on them. Mokuba went to put her arm around his shoulders put she retracted it, saying with a bit of sincerity, "I'm fine, really. I can walk on my own."

 

As they both began to walk Kenzie noticed Mokuba silently pout out of her peripheral. She couldn't help but smile. He was such a sweetheart...so unlike his brother.

 

A thought suddenly ran through Kenzie's mind, 'I wonder...why Kaiba is such a jerk anyway?'

 

It wasn't long before they had come to the door, but Kenzie stood in front of the door before Mokuba could get to the handle. He gave her an odd look, adding, "To get back in the room, ya know, I need to open the door..."

 

Kenzie sighed, nodding in affirmation of her actions. "Mokuba, can I ask you something?"

 

Mokuba's face scrunched up even more in bewilderment, his eyebrow shooting up as well. "Uh...sure?" he managed hesitantly in a "will I regret this" tone.

 

Kenzie sighed again, hoping the question wouldn't be too personal--

 

--But she was unable to ask it since she seemed to be passing through a hardwood door by some force that had attached itself to her shirt!

 

In a final swing around, she had come face to...well, chest until she looked up to see Kaiba fixating her with a dry glare.

 

"Three minutes. Fourty-two seconds."

 

It took a minute before Kenzie could register what he had told her in his deadpan tone.

 

"Wait, you actually counted?!" she exclaimed incredulously, feeling her eyes go a little wide.

 

He grunted, making a shift in weight as he put a fist on his hip. "Well, with you fainting all the time it was hard for me not to conclude that you hadn't after almost four minutes by yourself."

 

Kenzie felt insulted! She hadn't "fainted"! Fainting was for weak damsels in distress! And she wasn't some pushover girl here!

 

"I didn't faint!" Kenzie pronounced with little dignity, feeling her eyes furrow in anger as her fists clenched in frustration.

 

"Really?" Kaiba raised an incriminatingly amused eyebrow at her reaction. "Then what do you call 'randomly loosing consciousness for a period of time' then? 'Resting your eyes'?"

 

Kenzie really didn't want to talk about this...really, loosing consciousness made her feel extremely vulnerable, and it was best to just leave it alone or she'd just get stressed out again.

 

"Just mind your own business," she said half-heartedly, closing her eyes and crossing her arms to get him to stop probing her.

 

"'Mind my own business'?!" he snapped. Kenzie could feel tangible frustration reach her skin, her eyes shooting open in the attention he was demanding. "'Mind my own business'?! I could have minded my own business if you hadn't shown up and fainted in front of me and made yourself my business!"

 

Kaiba had paused a minute, looking over how meek Kenzie had began to look over his spiteful comeback.

 

…But she instantly shot back into her “normal” demeanor.

 

"I told you, you could have just left me on the sidewalk you idiot!" Kenzie shot back, trying to sound forceful, but it was hard since she got the same feeling that he didn't like people fainting... "You didn't have to help me!"

 

He gave Kenzie a chilling glare, his tone the same deadly serious cold of winter that he seemed to carry, making her freeze a bit where she stood. "Get back on the examination table and stop wasting my time!!"

 

She hesitated, actually feeling chilled by his glare. Kenzie looked away quickly, but still furrowed her brows in anger. "I...I don't have to take this!" she announced resolutely. "I'm leaving!"

 

But just as Kenzie was about to go out the door, a man in his mid-forties appeared to be coming in to the room, making her stay put. His hair was slightly tinged with silver here and there, giving it a nice highlighted look.

 

"Well, you must be Miss Kenzie Ray, I presume?" he stated rather distractedly, more interested on the "Kenzie Ray" in his files that he currently had in his hand as he shut the door with his free one.

 

Kenzie just stood there, glowering in accusation at the closed door, feeling her brow warm in anger...

 

She heard the file folder hit the counter, and the rustle the doctor was making through her papers as he stood there.

 

But Kenzie continued her glowering, wishing she was any place but here.

 

…With Kaiba.

 

Presently the most despised person on her hate list.

"Miss Ray, I'm going to need you to please sit on the examination table if I'm to properly see to you," Kenzie could almost feel the way his tone sneered in a seemingly omnipotent attitude towards her.

 

However, Kenzie begrudgingly turned toward the bed, first stopping to give Kaiba a death glare where he was sitting back with Mokuba in his chair, which he only smirked in delight at, and then made her way to the table.

 

In a poutful way, she made it on the bed, letting her feet dangle off of the edge. Kenzie could feel Kaiba's eyes on her...probably glinting in amusement that she had to stay now.

 

"So...," the doctor began as he turned around, gliding from the counter, but still keeping his deadpan tone. "You seem to have fainted on Mr. Kaiba here. Do we know what that was from?"

 

Kenzie cringed at his choice of "faint," but opened her mouth to reply anyway, "...--"

 

"She complained of a headache before she," Kenzie had turned in confusion to Kaiba, and he eyed her with what he said next, "fainted on me."

 

Kenzie felt a tick growing on her brow, feeling anger well in her chest in wall-breaking waves, glaring straight at Kaiba. "I told you! I didn't 'faint'!"

 

"Now, now," the doctor came in, stopping the on-coming argument with a lacking vivacious tone. "There's nothing to be ashamed of for an insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain. It happens, especially when you're a migraine sufferer."

 

This...

 

This was ridiculous!

 

Glancing over at Kaiba, Kenzie saw him giving her a suspicious look, like he was trying to figure something out... His look was definitely confusing Kenzie; why was he looking at her like that?

 

She heard the doctor clear his throat, trying to get her attention toward him like he was expecting her to say something to his conclusion.

 

When he did it again, she hesitantly turned to face him, still highly bewildered by what Kaiba's look was meant to mean. "I...

 

"I already took my migraine medicine for today," Kenzie stated, turning to look at the doctor in front of her. "So they shouldn't even be coming up."

 

The doctor answered quickly, like he knew she was going to say something like that. "Well, the prescription you have is a low dosage; it's only prescribed for if you go through the same level of stress you usually go through on your day to day routine."

 

Kenzie brought a thoughtful hand to the side of her face, knowing Kaiba was intently listening to the conversation unfolding between her and the doctor. She could feel his eyes boring into her, wanting to know what it was all about. It was almost like he could sense that Kenzie was trying to keep something confidential...

 

"I don't understand," Kenzie said, sounding more factual than confused. "I'm actually away from all of my stresses, so shouldn't my headaches be easing?"

 

The doctor turned his side to her, then going back and picking up Kenzie's file, glanced over it while speaking up with, "Well I can see why you would think that, but you just drastically changed your surrounding environment," he said rather thoughtfully. "That in itself is a rather stressful change than what you're used to."

 

Kenzie would have pressed on, trying to tell the doctor that she didn't think that it was because of that, but she was already seeing some questioning stares from Kaiba out of the corner of her eye, and saying much else wouldn't keep it broad enough to her liking. Kaiba definitely didn't need to know about her personal life if he was just berating her of her reputation now...

 

"Fine," Kenzie sighed in reluctance, folding her arms in mild contempt. "What do you want me to do? Rest for the rest of the day? I have no problem with that but I'm sure it's not as stressful as you're implying with me being here. In fact, I'm enjoying myself already."

 

Kenzie had said the latter in deadpan sarcasm; it was hard to miss her "amused" tone.

 

The doctor had expertly looked over Kenzie's mood, but still coming off as perturbed by it. "Yes, in fact, I will prescribe bed rest for the remainder of the day," he picked up his pen, bringing out some pad from one of his large doctor coat pockets and scratching on it furiously. "And I'll also prescribe a stronger prescription for you for your time here."

 

Kenzie would have argued the need for stronger medicine, but she could tell he was quite annoyed with her attitude so far, and she was smart enough to not test this doctor anymore. However, she still gave a very reluctant sigh at his sentencing, hanging her head in defeat.

 

When the doctor was done he went over to Kenzie and handed the prescription paper over, then headed over to Kaiba with a "click" of his pen on a clipboard.

 

"I'll need you to sign here, Mr. Kaiba and she'll be free to leave," he said stoically while being followed by the hollow scratching from Kaiba's signature on the clipboard. Kenzie just stared down at her prescription the whole time...feeling like she had been treated like a child.

 

And with that the doctor left without so much as a "goodbye" or "have a nice day,” keeping the door open and letting the busy sounds of the reception flood in...

 

Kenzie heard Kaiba's jacket rustle, letting her know that he was going out the door, and she followed Mokuba out slowly, not really knowing what to feel after that tirade. Kenzie hardly noticed that she had entered the elevator with Kaiba and Mokuba. She just stood there, watching the light at the door of the double doors, and concentrating on the "ding!" sound it was making as they reached the bottom floor.

 

Breaking the silence was the timid but strong voice of Mokuba...his curiosity getting the best of him again.

 

"So...how'd you start getting migraines, Kenzie?"

 

She gave a wistful sigh, smiling slightly at Mokuba's question, but then it faded into a stoic mask; the usual one she used when people asked that question. "Don't worry about it, Mokuba," she said, never taking her eyes off of the elevator light. "It just kind of...happened, really."

 

Kenzie noticed how oddly quiet Kaiba was being throughout the whole thing; in fact it was kind of creepy that he was being this quiet since the doctor mentioned her "stresses" and "migraines".

 

But she weren't going to break the silence no matter how awkward it felt...she was actually reveling in the fact that she could actually stand in Kaiba's presence without some sort of battle of egos.

 

The elevator made a final "ding" and Kenzie made the move to follow Kaiba and Mokuba out of the elevator as the doors opened with a mechanical "whoosh" into the lobby. She didn't pay attention to any of the busy sounds as she finally made her way outside, where Kaiba's limo was waiting for them in the visitor pick up area.

 

"Well...I guess I'll get my things and be out of your way...," Kenzie mentioned in a defeated tone as she reached the limo with the two brothers.

 

Kaiba had swung around to face her, catching Kenzie a little off guard by the sudden movement.

 

"What are you talking about?" he grounded out in contempt. He was looking at her like she was stupid. His voice was too.

 

However, Kenzie stood her ground, speaking with more purpose this time. "You've been upset with me this whole visit, right?" she began in a very matter-of-fact tone. "So, I'll just get my things and--"

 

"Look," Kaiba began rather tersely, glaring at Kenzie like she was stupid. "I'm not going to be held accountable for if you 'faint' again, so why don't you just shut up and get in?"

 

She closed her eyes momentarily, trying to ward off the frustration that came with his conclusive remarks. "I told you... I didn't--"

 

"--Faint," he finished for Kenzie in berating amusement, now holding open the door for her to get in. "I know what you said, now could you stop playing your tough act and get in the limo like a 'good girl'?"

 

Kenzie's anger went into a shy boil-over after that comment, dark shades being pulled onto her face. "Stop treating me like a child!" Kenzie stomped her foot for good measure, glaring at Kaiba with as much intensity as her stomp.

 

"Then stop acting like one," he said simply, but with enough acid to poke at her insides.

 

"Ha! You're one to talk! You wouldn't even apologize for accidentally hitting me," she exclaimed incredulously, but with certain calmness. "If you even did it on accident..."

 

Kaiba sighed in irate frustration, feeling more than put-off by her "incompetence.”

 

"Just get in the limo," he spat heatedly, glaring at Kenzie even more intently because she was starting to make a scene.

 

Knowing that she had the advantage now, Kenzie shifted her center of mass to one side, folding her arms neatly in "victory.”

 

"Why should I? You've been nothing but a jerk to me. I mean, you're hardly gentlemanly-type material."

 

"Look, you--"

 

"Hey, Kenzie!" Mokuba expertly butted-in, knowing that it was the prefect time to switch the subject. "Can I see your dueling deck? You can show me on the way to the hotel! I bet it's awesome!"

 

"Mokuba--"

 

"Well, sure you can!" Kenzie said in delight, making her way past Kaiba's towering form as she went to sit next to his kid brother.

 

Kenzie was faintly aware of Kaiba's heated glare as he followed in after her and closed the door, the limo taking off promptly after the "bam" of the limo door.

 

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