Second Chances
This is not related to any other piece I've written, so don't make connections. Post X3 and things are not going well at the mansion. Logan is lost, Rogue is hated, Storm is confused and frustrated and a bloody body is dropped on their doorstep. Can they save him - or lose him forever to the animal within.
Storm walked out the door, the weather around the mansion a mix, mostly because of her mood, it was warm, but a soft rain was falling, although outside the mansion gates a full force blizzard was blowing. She stood, letting the warm rain fall over her, leaning her head back as each drop fell on her skin, she felt a little clearer, a little cleaner. The paperwork of running the school was overwhelming, and the missions they'd had, lately had been by and far more bloody and deadly than any prior, even Alcatraz. Logan couldn't seem to focus, Bobby had left, seeking something he couldn't find here. Kitty was buried in the computer systems and rarely came up for meals. No one was speaking to Rogue, and Storm wondered why she was even still here.
She wasn't paying attention as she walked down the porch to the gravel drive and nearly tripped over the prone form on the ground. For a moment she thought it was dead, but then it took a painful breath.
"Help...me." the bloody opening it its face, she couldn't even call it a mouth it was so mangled, the voice strangled, barely human at all.
She turned and ran to the front door, screaming for help. Logan and Pete came running and she pointed down the stairs. Logan started down but stopped half way. He popped his claws and looked around, glaring, and then fixed his eyes on the mess at the bottom of the steps.
"Ro, are you sure about this?"
"It needs help." She couldn't even tell if it was a man or a woman.
"SABRETOOTH?" He roared, looking at her. Pete had already lifted the body over his shoulder and was carrying it up the steps.
"Yes, even him, if that's who it is." She said softly watching the mangled body pass her on Pete's shoulders. "If he lives through this, we will need to know who did it to him." She said as she rushed to open the elevator down to the sub levels.
"Ro..." Logan grabbed her arm. "It's not safe, he's not safe, remember the statue..."
"I remember. But if this is a place of safety for mutants, then all mutants have to be able to claim sanctuary here, even him. We cannot refuse to help them." Storm looked at him. "Everyone deserves a second chance."
She followed Pete down to the medical facility and watched as he gently laid the mangled body on a gurney. She could not believe that he was still alive. She felt more than heard Logan behind her.
"Ro, he tried to kill you, kill us...and you are going to treat him, let him come in here, a threat to all of us."
"Logan, he's always been a mercenary, sold out to the highest bidder yes, but he and Charles were friends once, and for that, yes he can come here for help if he needs it." She turned and glared at him. "You of all people should understand giving someone a chance to heal, a chance to find themselves."
Logan growled and stormed away. Hank was in side the room, and she watched as he tried to attach monitors to the shattered being on the gurney. She flinched as he couldn't find a single piece of skin to adhere the leads to. Hank looked at her and shrugged. She opened the door.
"His healing factor is not active at this time, the damage is extensive, I cannot comprehend his facility for pain that he is still conscious.. I cannot find anyplace to attach the monitors and he will have to have someone sitting with him to monitor him until either his factor becomes active or until he expires." She started at the last word, Hank thought he would die?
"I have never seen anyone in this condition survive." Hank pulled a chair up to the side of the gurney.
"Hank, I'll sit with him first." She said softly.
Hank just nodded and walked back into his office. He came out a few minutes later with a syringe. "With his factor inoperable, sedatives and analgesics should work on his system." He said as an explanation as he gently inserted the needled into the IV tube. She hadn't even noticed it, or the spot on his arm where they'd managed to find a vein that would hold the needle.
A small sound escaped him and his eyes dilated, and she knew he was asleep. She looked over the broken body before her. He had several broken ribs, she could see the bones sticking out of the bloody flesh of his chest, his face had been, removed was the only thing she could think of, but not by anything as elegant as a knife. His eyelids were gone, as were his nose and lips. The muscle lay bare no skin protecting it and had deep gouges in it. His entire body was without skin, and she knew he had to be in pure agony.
She sat in the chair, counting his heart beats, his breath, tears running down her face. No one, not even Sabretooth deserved this.
She didn't know how long she sat there, not sure what she was waiting for, when he drew a deep breath, and then it stopped. She screamed for Hank and he came in, he saw immediately what was wrong and began CPR but it was too late. His heart had stopped, his lungs were full of fluid, his body lay lifeless on the gurney.
"I was afraid of this, even his healing factor couldn't handle this."
Hank reached out to remove the IV when the heart started beating again. She watched in amazement as his bones began to knit, skin grew over the muscles, eyelids grew and closed over eyes that were still pinpointed in sleep. She watched his body relax on the gurney, pain fading as he became limp. His breathing was steady and as soon as there was skin available Hank hooked him up to the monitors. His temperature was nearly one hundred and six degrees Fahrenheit, his pulse was racing at nearly two hundred beats per minute as his body regenerated.
She quickly left the room as soon as she could force herself to move. She hoped when he woke up he wasn't going to be violent. She couldn't allow that, but the instructions that had come with the Professor's will were specific, if Sabretooth asked for help he was to be welcomed and given every chance. She walked down the hallway deep in thought.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Storm didn't even see her as she passed by, no one did these days except Logan and he wasn't paying any attention either. They all hated her for what she'd done. She wasn't so sure she didn't hate herself either. It was worse since they'd found out it was temporary, in some ways. Before people would brush her in the halls, taunt her, push her, now she was more alone than she'd been before the cure. No one spoke to her, Bobby had left the school because he didn't want to be around her anymore. Kitty had demanded to be moved out of the room with her and Jubilee didn't speak, just glared when they were in the room together.
The only person who still seemed to accept her was Hank. She stood at the window and watched him work on someone laying on the gurney. A sheet was draped over the form from the waist down and Hank was removing an IV from the arm. His body was blocking her view of who was hurt, but from the size it had to be Logan or Pete. Hank shifted as he began removing leads from the body and she saw the face. She gasped, gloved hand covering her mouth. Sabretooth. Here; and Hank was helping him. They both looked toward the window and Hank motioned her to come in.
"Ahh my erstwhile assistant has finally arrived." He said with a smile. Sabretooth just glared at her as she walked in slowly. She knew he could smell her fear and knew he was enjoying it.
"What can Ah do to help?" She asked quietly, not looking at the patient's face. Hank handed her the disposable leads as he peeled them off. She gathered all the packages and anything that wasn't a bio hazard and dropped them in the regular disposal bin.
"We will run tests on this blood sample, and you have my gratitude for your cooperation." She heard Hank tell him. She glanced up to see him nod, but his eyes were on her, not on the doctor.
"Rogue would you go upstairs and bring our guest something to eat?" Hank asked and she nodded. She hurried out the door and to the elevator. The hallways were deserted so she rushed to the kitchen, eyes darting around to avoid anyone who might be around. She opened the door, and nearly ran back out, but she had a job to do so she squared her shoulders and walked in. Kitty just ignored her, as usual, which was easier to deal with than the ugly comments from some of the younger kids. No one understood, no one had anything close to what her mutation was, and all of them blamed her for giving it up.
She opened the fridge to look for any leftovers from dinner last night. There was part of a pot roast and a bowl of stewed vegetables. She grabbed one of the guest plates and a cover and started to fill the plate. She cut off a large chunk of the meat and spooned a small portion of the vegetables on to it. She doubted he'd eat them if he was anything like Logan, but they looked nice on the plate. She grabbed a couple slices of bread and put them in a bag while the plate warmed in the microwave, all the while feeling eyes on her back. She grabbed a soda from the fridge, silverware out of the drawer and put it all on a tray. The microwave beeped and she took out the plate and set it in the middle, placing the cover on it and picked up the tray, carrying it carefully toward the swinging door.
Kitty stood there, holding the door open for her and she muttered "thanks" as she passed the other girl. Kitty just nodded and she hurried as quickly as her burden would allow down the hallway to the elevator again. Down in the metal hallway she scurried along, and at the door to the medical facility she balanced the tray on her arm to open the door.
Hank was not in the triage area and Sabretooth was sitting in a chair wearing a pair of the school sweats and a hooded jacket. She set the food down on the table next to him, and he just watched her. She took the cover off and set it on a shelf nearby.
"Thanks." He growled.
"Welcome." she said softly and turned looking for Hank. A hand grabbed her arm and she bit her lip to keep from screaming.
"What happened to you?" He asked softly, She'd only heard his voice a few times when she'd been Magneto's prisoner, and never like this.
"Ah took the Cure." She bit out, angry and knowing he was going to treat her like the others did.
He just nodded, and let her go, which surprised her more. "The blue guy is in the office." He said as he picked up his fork. She was surprised he didn't tear into the food with his hands, but just nodded and moved slowly toward the office. Someone had once told her you don't make sudden moves around a predator, and he wasn't anything else.
"Ah, Rogue," Hank said as she came into the office. "I was wondering if you would mind completing Mr. Creed's chart while I process his blood sample."
"Mr. Creed?" She asked, looking back toward the triage room.
"Yes, Victor Creed." Hank picked up the vials of blood and stood up. She stepped aside as he walked past her to the lab door.
"Sure, Hank." She whispered and sat down behind the desk. She typed in the vitals from his last check into the appropriate spots on the screen, and then looked at the information in front of her.
His date of birth was listed as 1830, his mutation was listed as feral with class five healing factor. His next of kin was listed as a brother, James Howlett. His temperature and blood pressure was high, as was his pulse rate and blood oxygen levels. He was listed as six foot seven inches high, two hundred and eighty pounds, not that he looked it, with close cropped sandy blonde hair, blue eyes and three inch claws in place of fingernails on his hands and feet.
That last bit surprised her, she'd never even thought about his feet.
She was reading Hank's notes on how he'd come in to the facility when she heard a noise at the door. He was standing there, with a strange, almost tentative, look on his face.
"Do you know where the bathroom is?" He asked quietly, his voice gravely with lack of use but not menacing in any way.
"Tha door next to tha bio hazard disposal box, tha red one." She said from behind the computer. He gave her a strange look again and turned walking back into the triage area. She heard the door open, and the distinctive sound of water hitting water accompanied by a deep sigh. Her cheeks grew warm and she concentrated on the list of injuries in front of her.
She was shocked that he'd survived, ten broken ribs, both fibula fractured in six places, concussion with accompanying skull fracture, no skin to speak of, bloody but not bleeding, ruptured lung, punctured liver, ruptured kidney and spleen. She read about his death and recovery and was amazed. She wasn't sure if Logan could survive injuries like that even though she'd seen the Blackbird's video of what he'd done to Jean and what she'd done to him.
"Thanks, Kid." She jumped, he was back at the door.
"Welcome." She said. He just nodded again and walked back to the chair. She could see him from where she was sitting, if she leaned over a little but she didn't want him to know she'd become curios. What the hell had happened to him, and who had dropped him on their doorstep?
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Logan finished his cigar, and turned to go back into the mansion. Storm was standing behind him.
"He survived." She said simply. She walked up to the edge of the terrace next to him and he slipped an arm around her.
"You act surprised." He growled.
"No, I am just hoping he is as docile as he looks." She said simply.
"Not likely, Darlin'." He turned his head and kissed the top of hers.
"Logan, I don't like Rogue being down there with him." He started at that. He hadn't thought of the kid all day, but she had been helping Hank lately. He was trying to deal with her withdrawal. At first, the kids had given her a hard time for taking the Cure, but since they found out it was temporary, most of them just gave her a wide birth. He knew she was hurting, and it was spiraling into a depression that he didn't know how to help. She blamed herself for how everyone looked at her, although most of them any more just felt sorry for her. He didn't, he knew why she'd done it, but she was going to have to learn the hard way there were no easy fixes for your problems.
"Should I go down there?" He asked Storm.
"No, right now he's quiet, cooperating. I'd rather keep the two of you separated for a while longer."
"Darlin' it'll be okay. I don't like that he's here, but if anyone can help him its you." She looked up at him and he kissed her gently.
"And you'll be on watch to make sure he doesn't cause any problems." She laughed.
"I'll rip his face off again if he does." Logan snarled.
"No you won't. I want you to promise me..."She took his other hand and placed it over her belly "on the life of our child, please no violence in the school."
"I'll try." He whispered.
"I need more than that, Logan." They both looked over to the graves, and then back to each other. They all knew, even after nearly a year, that any more deaths would rip the school apart. Everyone needed time to heal.
He'd been so lost after Jean, roaming the halls at night with no real purpose, until she'd found him, offered him solace, that had turned into passion, and into something he couldn't remember ever having, a bond, a deep friendship and more. He still wasn't sure if he was in love with her, but he loved her deeply and if she asked him to keep from killing Sabretooth, he'd do everything in his power to do what she asked.
"I promise."