The car sped on until they reached a small medical clinic on the side of the road, seeming to be away from everything and everyone else. Jou shut off the car and took Atem out of Yugi's arms. Yugi ran up to the glass door and opened it so Jou could enter.
"Hi, Katsuya! Oh my!" yelped resident doctor Kawai'i Shizuka at the sight of the broken man bundled in Jou's arms.
"Dis ain't no social call, Shizu-chan! Git us t' Mai on da double!" Jou demanded.
Shizuka led Yugi and Jou back without hesitation.
"Mai-sensei, emergency!" she called.
Mai's blonde head popped up, sharp violet eyes locking on the sight of her boyfriend carrying the bundle in his arms.
"Bring him in here!" she commanded.
Yugi and Jou brought Atem into the exam room, where Jou set him gently on the table.
"Thank you. Now get out!" Mai said to Jou and Yugi.
"Please can I stay? I'm sure he'll be scared if he wakes up to strangers standing over him," pleaded Yugi.
"He won't because he won't be waking up yet," announced Mai, holding up a syringe. "Shizuka!"
"Wait outside, guys. It'll be a while. Don't worry about your friend; Mai-sensei knows what to do," soothed Shizuka as she herded Yugi and Jou from the room.
The two friends found themselves sitting in the waiting room.
"Guess nothin' to do but wait," said Jou, slumping back in a seat.
"I just hope she can help him," said Yugi, looking at the floor.
"Dun worry 'bout dat. Mai's a crackahjack doctah," said Jou, laying a hand on Yugi's shoulder.
Yugi only nodded without looking up.
Working slowly and carefully, Mai and Shizuka poured hot water over the areas where the blood had stuck the cotton of the sheet to Atem's skin, gently peeling the sheet away to reveal the horrible bruises and welts.
Using her digital camera, Mai photographed every wound that marred Atem's sleek body.
'Who could do something like this?'
Mai had Shizuka part the Egyptian's nether cheeks to view his perianal area.
'Oh, gods. This is some of the worst I've seen.'
This as she stared at the torn flesh, streaked with fresh blood and semen. While Shizuka held the nether cheeks apart, Mai took several photos of the damaged area for evidence.
After logging all the damage, Mai and Shizuka set to work, cleaning and bandaging all the bloody wounds. Finished with that, Mai started Atem on an IV and threaded a catheter into him. They wheeled him out of the surgery and settled him into a bed in a private room in the back.
In the waiting room...
Yugi sat staring unwaveringly at the door, as though hoping to be able to peer through it and the walls and see what was happening to Atem. Only the sound of Jou's voice was able to break him out of this reverie.
"Man, aftah seein' wut dat ol' bastahd was doin' t' Yami, I'm glad we got 'm outta dere. Nobody d'serves to go through dat," remarked Jou with unusual vim.
"Yeah. That's for sure," agreed Yugi as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the disturbing tableau even now playing out before his eyes.
They lapsed into silence for several moments before Yugi spoke up again.
YOU ARE READING
Darkness Before Dawn
RomanceSummary: AU. Mutou Yugi begins his freshman year at Domino University. Between the bullshit classes, bullies, mountains of homework and the mysterious twin who can match wits with him in games, Yugi must learn to walk the fine line between work and...
