The Offer

Title: The Offer 6/9

Author: Puppys_Seahorse

Rating: NC-17

Pairing (s): Seto/Jounouchi Mokuba/Yugi

Beta: Rroselavy

Spoilers: Minor for Noa Arc

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or make any money or profit from this
work.

Summary: Seto believes Jounouchi left him for someone else. But he
discovers he was wrong and his lover had received an offer he
couldn't turn down.

A/N: First ever Puppys_Seahorse fiction ever posted. Be kind and
send Rroselavy a major huggle for helping me out with it.

Chapter 6

Barry, after waiting patiently for a couple of hours without a word from the staff or his boss, went to the information desk. “Excuse me. I’m Joey Wheeler’s driver. We brought in a sick guest, a Mr. Kaiba. I was wondering if there was any word on his condition, and if you could page Mr. Wheeler for me.”

The clerk looked startled for a moment, then her color began to slowly leech away. “Sir, have you been here all along?” Her slightly trembling hand went to the telephone receiver as her head began to shake in unconscious denial and disbelief. Horror filled her wide eyes.

The driver was confused by the woman’s reactions. “Yes, I brought them in a few hours ago. I’ve been waiting for word. If you could please …”

The clerk just continued to shake her head as she stood and backed away slowly. In a soft, somewhat shaky voice, she directed, “Please go into the triage room to your right, Sir. Someone will be in to help you shortly.”

Confused, but obliging, the driver nodded and went into the indicated room. As soon as the door closed the clerk slumped back into her chair at the desk and dialed the special number that the hospital’s Biomedical Disaster Team had activated just thirty minutes before.

“Hello, this is Marnie at the E.R. intake. Mr. Kaiba’s driver has been here all along and has just asked after him. He says there was another person with them…yes I’m sure. No Sir, I don't know...Mr. Kaiba was alone when he came to the desk. Yes, I'm sure. You are going to have to talk to the driver. Good luck.” With a worried breath the ashen reception clerk hung up the phone and rang for housekeeping. They were going to have to decontaminate the triage room again, and probably the entire E. R. waiting room as well.

A memory played in her mind as she remembered seeing someone who might have been Kaiba entering the hospital in an embrace right about the time of shift turnover. She'd been mildly amused when the two had gone into the bathroom but had been more interested in making sure everything was in order for the start of her shift. Then Kaiba had come hurrying up to the desk and she'd forgotten the couple, not connecting the red faced, heaving brunet with the cute guys from just a few minutes prior. With hands shaking so hard she could barely grasp the phone she dialed the hotline number again.

"Hello, this is Marnie at Intake again. I’ve thought about it and I think I did see Mr. Kaiba enter the building with someone else. They immediately went into the bathroom. I forgot about the other man when Mr. Kaiba came to the desk, and I haven't seen the man who was with him since. I don’t see him in the waiting room and I don't remember seeing him leave the bathroom; though, with Mr. Kaiba getting sick at the desk, I could have missed him leaving." She listened briefly, still scanning the area for any sign of the blond. She simply didn’t see him. “Sir, you might want to check the security recordings to be sure but…all right, thank you again, and good luck.” Leaning back in her chair she hung up and watched as less than a minute later two uniformed officers left their post in the gift shop and rushed to the bathroom. She caught movement from the corner of her eye and turned to see the Chief of Staff, a resident, and two security guards, all suited in protective clothing enter the triage room where Mr. Kaiba’s driver waited.

Barry glanced around the small room for his employer’s grandson. He was surprised when after a moment, four men wearing white plastic jumpsuits and clear plastic facemasks entered the room. Two of the men circled around him to block his exit as the other two approached him with some urgencytly. Alarmed by their grim, purposeful air he backed away.

“Sir, you came in with Mr. Kaiba?” a tall man, obviously the leader asked intensely.

“Yes. But what—” The man didn’t wait for any more confirmation. He interrupted brusquely, “I’m sorry sir, but you must change into these clothes and accompany us.” Shoving a white plastic-looking suit with a clear face mask and small oxygen tank on the back into the startled man's hands, he nodded and gestured authoritatively.

“I…what’s going on?” Barry was alarmed and confused, but still, he maintained his composure. He had no idea what was going on, but he’d been cautioned by Mr. Wheeler’s personal security that he was not to blindly accompany anyone, for any reason. Mr. Wheeler was a national defense contractor, and as such, had many well-guarded secrets. Blindly following anyone could lead to jeopardizing those secrets.

The shielded man huffed impatiently, and then, seeing that the driver was not going to cooperate until he had an answer, explained. “Mr. Kaiba is very ill. At first we considered it a food poisoning, but an examination of his passport showed that he was in Thailand ten days ago. When he was asked, he said that nine days ago he’d traveled through a district that had had an outbreak of Avian Flu. The incubation period for the flu can be up to two weeks, and there have been eighteen deaths reported from that precinct in the last week. Sir, until we are sure Mr. Kaiba has not been infected with Avian Flu you, and anyone he has encountered, will have to be isolated. Can you give us the names of everyone you know who has come in contact with him since his arrival?”

Barry paled and gasped. Avian Flu? Wasn’t that supposed to become a pandemic if it got out? “A…are you sure?”

“Yes, the dates on the passport coincide with the outbreak, and Mr. Kaiba has confirmed them. Please change so that we can escort you to an isolation room.”

Barry unbuttoned his shirt, and then glanced around hesitantly. No matter how dire the situation was he didn’t like stripping in front of four other men. Besides, today he was wearing the underwear his wife had given him as an ‘I Love You’ gift. He loved his wife dearly, and was touched by the fact that she had thought of him while out shopping, but letting these guys see him in white boxers with red lips printed all over was more than his pride could stand.

“Wait…no…my employer, Joseph Wheeler. Mr. Kaiba stayed at his home over night. And…” the driver’s stomach turned over. “Mr. Wheeler’s grandson, Joey, had dinner last night with Mr. Kaiba and was taking care of him all night. He…he…needs special medications. I need to call Mr. Wheeler.”

“After you have changed and are in your room you may call your employer, but just tell him to stay there. The police and a containment unit from the Center for Disease Control should arrive at his home and his business shortly.” The man made a small gesture with his hand. “As ill as he is, Mr. Kaiba has given us as much information about his time here as possible. Please do not go into details. Cell lines are very insecure and anyone could be listening. The paparazzi actually have receivers set up all around our hospital just in case a celebrity comes in, and both Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Kaiba fall into that category, and the Avian Flu…I don’t have to tell you the panic that would cause.”

Without a choice, the driver quickly changed into a jumpsuit, handing his street clothes to one of the assistants. He watched as his clothes were sealed in a plastic bag. Hanging on to his composure by only the thinnest of thread,s he automatically pulled out and flipped opened his cell phone to call his boss.

The leader reached out quickly and grabbed the phone. “Sir, it will only take a few minutes for us to reach the isolation room. You may use the land line on the desk in there to make any calls, and your conversation will less likely be intercepted.”

“I…uh…all right.” Not sure of anything except that he didn’t want himself or his family to die because of the visitor from Japan, Barry followed the containment team from the triage room, down a discreet, obviously rarely-used hallway, and into a small room behind three doors, the outermost marked with a huge red ‘Authorized Personnel Only’ sign.

Barry hesitantly entered through the third door into the barely larger-than-a-closet-sized room. The well-sterilized decor and Spartan furnishings of a single bed, single night table with an old rotary dial phone, and a wall-mounted television did nothing to calm his nerves or quell his fears. With a sigh he glanced out of the window to the four people in the small chamber behind the second door. They were obviously discussing him. Frustrated, he yelled “Hey! What about my family? My wife’s pregnant. And my mom has diabetes bad. If they get sick…” he trailed off and swallowed hard. He didn’t want to contemplate what could happen to his family.

The man who Barry had decided must be the leader nodded and turned back toward the room jotting down a few notes on his clipboard as he approached. “You may discard the contamination control garments if you wish, Sir.” Place them in the cabinet beside the door,” the doctor said through an intercom as he began to remove his own protective gear. “Before I answer your question, though, I need to know, did Mr. Kaiba come in contact with either of them in his visit?” The leader asked matter-of-factly as he finished stripping off his sterile clothes and placed a stethoscope around his neck.

“Ah no…” the driver fidgeted slightly. “But I took them out in the limo last night after Mr. Wheeler the Second told me they…Mr. Kaiba and him, were going to use a taxi to see the city lights after dinner.” The driver paled. “God! They ate dinner at the Rising Sun— that Japanese place over on 37th at Fifth.”

The doctor made a note. “Give me their names and addresses. I will send a team to your speak to your family and contact the Department of Environmental Protection about the restaurant. But there is very minor risk to your family, the Avian Flu is not transmitted via casual contact with items that may have been used by or in possession of someone infected. Call your employer.” the doctor’s voice was firm and soothing.

“I…all right.” Barry sighed, picked up the phone, and dialed. It was answered on the first ring.

“Joseph, what the hell is going on? There are people here from the CDC talking about bird flu and quarantine!” Joseph the First’s voice snarled down the line.

"Uh...uh...Sir, it's not Joey. Uhm...I mean Mr. Wheeler. Uh...yeah, well look. We're still at the hospital and now they have me in isolation, and Mr. Kaiba and your grandson too. I...uh...am not sure how long until we can go," the driver stuttered.

“What?” Barry was sure his eardrum had shattered from the volume of the yell. Then the elder man seemed to regain his control. “Barrett Marcus Thompson, put my grandson on the telephone, please.”

“Sir, I am in an isolation room. He’s not with me,” the driver explained apologetically.

A hard curse, hastily stifled, came over the line. “Fine, thank you. I will have to make a few calls. Goodbye.” A click ended the call. Barry hung up the receiver slowly and wondered if he would have a job after all this was over with.

With absolute control, the red-faced Joseph Wheeler the First placed his cell phone in his pocket and turned to smile congenially at the men standing in his parlor. “Gentlemen, I’m sorry, it seems that I owe you an apology. That was my chauffer, he just corroborated what you just told me. If you will follow me, I will show you to the areas Mr. Kaiba used in my home.”

“Thank you Mr. Wheeler. We must put on our containment clothes and seal off that area. Also, you and anyone in your household must stay here or at an area of isolation,” the tall black-suited man explained.

“I understand. Mr…uh…Anders, my grandson is very fragile medically. He takes many different types of medication and it is imperative that he continues his course. Would it be possible for his nurse and medications to be brought to the hospital to care for him?”

“Mr. Wheeler, if he is with Mr. Kaiba then he is in good hands. Allowing his nurse to travel could make other people at risk for the contagion. We can’t do that. Please give me a list of any of your staff who have left the premises since Mr. Kaiba has arrived, and also a list of the medicines, and I will see to it that your grandson continues his treatment.”

“That won’t be good enough! He’s receiving specialized treatment. It is outside the mainstream of medicine, they will attempt to change the regimen,” Joseph hesitated, then admitted as if telling a great secret. “Some of the drugs are not accepted as treatment in this country as of yet, but they saved his life. I couldn’t let another grandson die.”

The CDC representative’s face was compassionate but unyielding. “I am sorry. Perhaps one of our specialists could treat him while at the hospital, that is the best I can offer. The nurse must stay here, in fact, nobody can leave.”

The elder Wheeler pinched the bridge of his nose for a second, and then nodded. “I will call …” a soft footfall caught his attention. “Oh, Becca. Come in, we need to talk.” When the pretty blond entered, he gestured, “Becca, this is Mr. Anders from the Center for Disease Control. It seems Mr. Kaiba may have been infected with a contagious disease, and we’ve been quarantined here while Joey, Seto, and Barry are in the hospital.” As she opened her mouth to question he shook his head, “I don’t know for how long.”

“The Flu-chip only takes twelve hours to show a result,” Anders interrupted.

Joseph let out a relieved sigh. “Just twelve hours? That’s no problem, then. We’ll just spend the day at home, tonight Joey will come back, and everything will be fine. His nurse can handle this.”

Becca shook her head slightly. She was having another of those strange blank periods that she didn’t want to tell Joseph about. She could see and hear everything around her, but at the same time it was as if it were happening to someone else, someone dear and familiar, and that presence was controlling what she did. She couldn’t stop the comment that fell from her lips, “If he chooses to come back, that is.”

Joseph looked at her sharply, “What do you mean by that?”

Again that stranger answered, “He said he would leave, that he would escape if you didn’t do as he asked.”

“Escape? Becca what are you saying?” As crystalline tears began to fall from the beautiful eyes, Joseph stepped forward and asked tentatively. “Rebecca?” With a sob the blond woman dashed from the room.

He gave an embarrassed look at the others. “She is my grandson’s fiancée, they had an argument last night, and he threatened to break the engagement. I know she was looking forward to speaking to him today, and now…” he shrugged. “Let me show you the suite Mr. Kaiba occupied. He wasn’t feeling well last night and my grandson took care of him in his suite.” Pulling out his cell phone again, he punched in another set of numbers. “Williams, meet me in Joseph’s room in five minutes, and bring his charts.” Turning to the others in the room he directed, “Please follow me.”

Williams looked up from his patient’s charts as his employer, followed by several men, some in uniform and some in suits, entered Joey’s suite. As a precaution he’d flipped the cameras back on as soon as Joey had left that morning. Rebellion was one thing, unemployment another. “Mr. Wheeler, what—”

“Mr. Kaiba may have contracted Avian Flu, We’ve all been quarantined for the next twelve hours, possibly longer, pending results. They are going to take samples in the suite. Joey, Kaiba, and Barry are being quarantined at the hospital.”

The nurse frowned. “Mr. Joseph…Joey’s medicine…”

“He should be fine. He took his medicine last night and this morning didn’t he?”

“I…yes, Sir. But…” Williams was doubtful. It was not a good idea to miss dosages. Especially the types of mind altering drugs Joey was taking.

“I…Sir…maybe I should go to the hospital?” he offered, hoping to keep his patient from having another violent episode. They’d finally gotten them under control and he didn’t want a relapse to occur.

“I suggested that, but they say you have to stay here. I will contact one of Joey’s doctors and see if they can administer the dosages if you feel it’s a true concern,” Joseph nodded and waved the other men into Joey’s suite.

“I do, Sir. In light of the resistance he’s developing, I’m concerned he could have serious, possibly violent, side effects.” turning, they both watched as the team moved through the room collecting samples, raiding the hamper for clothes and stripping the beds, first in the Rose room, then in Joey’s.

“Mr. Anders, we will step out of your way so that you and your men can work unimpeded.” the elder Wheeler said, ushering Williams out of the room and into a near-by surveillance room lined with several shelves of surveillance tapes. “I will call one of the specialists working with my grandson and see if they can tend to him at the hospital. I’ll also call the hospital and give them the information they need there.”

While Joseph explained the situation to one of the several doctors on his speed dial, the nurse watched with half an eye. A sudden commotion on the screen snapped his full attention to the monitor. The team had removed the linens from Joey’s bed and dislodged the mattress. When they moved it back, a small hole opened in the seam just under where the pillow would be. One of the cops, curious about a flash of bright color he spied from inside the hole, now visible even to the nurse, delved into the opening and pulled out a capsule. Another probe had netted two more, with a few more capsules visible, but out of reach without something to fish them from the padding they were lodged in.

“Oh my God. Mr. Wheeler!” Williams gasped as he recognized several days’ worth of medicine being removed from the opening.

The elder man, still on the phone, turned to see what had caused such a reaction. As he watched the growing pile of medications, his heart began to thrum with fear and rage. “How long?” he growled, his voice and the glare in his eyes flashing Williams a warning.

“Looks like a week’s worth, maybe more. Assuming it’s been all of his medications. If it’s random, I couldn’t say.” Williams’ own heart was beating rapidly. The last nurse had been fired for just such an incident.

“A week. That explains why he’s been so…” abruptly the older man snapped his mouth shut on the thought. “You handle it. I need to discuss this with his doctor in private.” Joseph stalked out of the room.

The elder Wheeler knew he needed a place where he couldn’t be overheard, but unfortunately there weren’t very many places like that in the house. “Hold on.” He barked into the phone, and, ignoring the fact that the doctor was probably extremely busy and important in his own right, he went to the one room he knew would be empty. As he stepped in to the pink and white expanse of lace, ruffles, and Barbie, he made a mental note to speak with Rebecca. This old room of her granddaughter’s was wasted space, and a reminder of the girl who was gone forever.

After carefully shutting the door, he sighed and apologized. “Sorry, but I needed to speak to you privately. Joey has been skipping his meds for about a week. I’ve noticed he’s been more obdurate and shown some hints of memories.”

Over the phone Joseph the First could hear Dr. Hinds catch his breath. “Memories?”

“Yes. And his personality seems to be surfacing. I thought it was the memories we’d planted but now I’m not so sure. If it were memories of mine he would be unquestionably attracted to Becca, but he’s not. White said he was a pervert and had a male lover. It’s possible that the suppression is fading, and the twisted, homo guttersnipe that he was is waking up.”

“Mr. Wheeler, if he’s been off the drugs for a week he would be in severe withdrawal—he wouldn’t even be conscious. Most likely he’s skipped doses here and there, and it’s lowered the level enough for some of his traits to break through. I will go to the hospital and order blood tests, we’ll know how to proceed from there.”

“All right. But limit contact if you can. If Jounouchi Katsuya wakes up in an uncontrolled environment, we will have containment issues.”

“You don’t need to tell me that!” the doctor snapped. “It’s against my oath as a doctor to do what we’re doing as it is. I plan to keep my standing as a reputable doctor by any means necessary.”

“Against your oath,” the tycoon snorted derisively. “But you like the money and the freedom to experiment. You took it for Becca, and you will take it for Jounouchi. But if it makes you feel any better, don’t think of it as killing them, think of it as using donor parts to let Rebecca and me live.” With a decisive snap he closed the phone, and after checking the hall for anyone nearby, slipped out of the room.

Becca, who'd been hiding in the place that she would retreat to whenever she experienced one of her blank periods, crawled out of the Barbie tent that had been kept erected in the corner of her dead granddaughter’s room, an expression of shock transfixed on her face.

Rebecca was alive; and her consciousness had been planted into what she’d been told was the brain dead shell of her granddaughter, who was supposedly tragically drowned in a boating accident. But if what she had heard was true…it explained so much. The times of blankness, the need for constant medications, and the dreams of her granddaughter crying and calling out to her. It was all made twisted horrible sense. Tears of rage and betrayal poured from her eyes. Deep inside she cried out to the girl whose life she’d unknowingly stolen.

While the drama unfolded at the Wheeler mansion, Seto lay in his hospital bed, relaxed, comfortable, and secure behind three doors. It hadn’t been his plan to be isolated for twelve hours, but it worked out very well. It was true he had been in Thailand, and he had been in the district where the flu had broken out. But he hadn’t left his limousine, except to enter into his new manufacturing plant. He’d spent less than an hour in that area, and not once had he eaten anything or been exposed to any bird products, so his risk had been non-existent.

He laughed inwardly as he remembered how the isolation had all began. He'd been in the triage room, heaving and groaning, thanks to the tincture he'd ingested. The clerk had gotten a translator there as soon as possible. The man was a Thai, fluent in Thai, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. When he'd asked Seto his name, instead of answering, Seto had simply handed him his passport. He had been too busy vomiting to answer coherently.

The translator had seen his name, and more, he’d seen the stamps detailing his travels. The man had gasped and jumped up as if he'd been shot. He’d confirmed the dates on the passport and then had rung for the infectious control nurse, and in less than twenty minutes Seto had been installed in the quarantine room. They'd taken his phone and requested he use a land line. After he finished purging his system, he'd asked for and received the use of a laptop.

Once online he connected to the laptop he’d left with Yugi. Using remote access he opened the secure chat line he’d setup. “Hello.”

An instant reply of “It’s late. I am going to bed. Catch you tomorrow. Have a good night and sweet dreams,” scrolled across his screen. It was exactly what he wanted to see. He disconnected from the other computer and allowed himself a satisfied grin. Jounouchi was winging his way home to Japan on their personal jet, resting easy under the loving care of their friends and the brunet’s personal physician.

He'd hoped to be on that jet, but they'd had orders to take off without him if he didn't arrive within half an hour. Now he'd just relax for the day, play games, check his stock, the news and plan what he was going to do when his lover demanded revenge on his grandfather. There was no doubt in Seto's mind that Jounouchi would be out for blood when he was back to himself.

Aboard the private jet that was currently high above the Pacific Ocean, Yugi looked up from the computer and smiled across at his lover. “Mokuba, I…”

A soft kiss hushed his words. “We’ve gotten past the hard part, Jounouchi is safely aboard, as well as our other ‘guest.’ We know Seto is fine and will be home soon. Let’s go check on Jounouchi.”

The couple, hand-in-hand, walked to the back of the aircraft to see the blond. Jounouchi lay strapped down, immoblilized to keep him from pulling out the I.V. the doctor had setup. Anzu and Mai sat on either side of him, alternately wiping the sweat from his brow and talking gently, trying to soothe him as he tossed his head restlessly. The doctor was reading the medical documentation with a stony expression, but Yugi could see the fierce rage that seemed to make them glow. If that fire was any indication, whatever medical professional was responsible for the abuse of medications and Jounouchi was going to pay dearly.