The Heart of the Matter
Jono Starsmore heard soft voices. "Is he awake?"
"Not in the strictest sense of the word, but you could try talking to him. He has been showing some response. You might get through."
"Hallo, Jono," said Nightcrawler.
Chamber blinked. He'd try to figure out eventually how, if he could say hello back. If he could hang on that long. His head felt strangely empty, devoid of the thoughts and signatures that accompanied the voices he heard. Everything else was pain since he woke up, hooked up to all this machinery on which his very survival depended. Cardio-pulmonary bypass, respirator, you name it, he was on it, until he could be lined up with a heart, lung, face transplant, et cetera. Few people visited. Most were repelled by the massive cavity that used to be filled with a mass of biokinetic energy, and was now completely hollow but for all the tubes that ran in and out. Where most people had a lower jaw, throat, and chest. If Kurt shared that revulsion, however, he was too kind to show it. Kurt and he didn't always get along even on the best of days, but they did look out for each other. And having him there provided something at least resembling a pleasant diversion. He hoped that he wouldn't need his telepathy to convey his appreciation. And what would his telepathy reveal to him, anyway? Probably stuff he did not want to know. No, even if he could, he would just have to take Kurt's visit at face value. Ha! Face value! The corners of his unfocused eyes crinkled sardonically.
"I just got back from Confession."
How did he manage to do that?
"It proved to be a little easier than I expected. I didn't have to wait, and the priest was far more concerned about the sentinel after me than my appearance." said Kurt. Visiting the sick was, in this case, much more than just a corporal act of mercy. Nobody Kurt Wagner could think of at the moment qualified for such a gesture as the man he spoke with now. And in this case, this was not just a kindness, but part of a long overdue penance.
"By the way, I think you'll like what happened. The priest stepped out of the church to yell at the sentinel operator about how surveillance violates the seal of the confessional."
"That man's got stones," Jono thought. He might have even laughed if it were even remotely possible, let alone painless.
"Seriously, though," said Kurt, seeing the expression in Jono's eyes, "I came because you are well overdue for an apology."
Jono raised an inquiring eyebrow.
"I'm sorry I called you a walking advertisement for how mutant gifts can ruin a good jaw line. I mean, I'm hardly in any position to make fun of how you look!"
Jono shut his eyes as tightly as possible in what would have been a gale of laughter from anyone else. He then opened his eyes, and relaxed one clenched hand.
Kurt, unsure of what to do, what Jono wanted to do, grasped it in his own tridactyl hand in a cautious handshake.
Jono relaxed further, closing his eyes, now exhausted. Apology accepted, mate.