Chapter 3
"What do you mean you're going to send me?"
"If Jean and the Professor can not reach him and he is still alive then it means he has retreated somewhere deep inside. Go to him, talk to him, hold his hand, anything but show him you care, that you miss him and this is hurting you. He will come back for you, Jubilee. I am sure of it. His affection for you will not let him ignore your pain."
Jubilee sighed and flopped down on the headmaster's office chair. She wanted to see Logan, but the past few days had worn on her and it was nice to hear a supporting voice. "You said affection, not love."
"For now, Jubilee, just for now. He still sees you as a child but that can change. Love can grow out of very little. Look at me and Victor."
She could not suppress a smile. "Yeah, who would have ever figured that one out. But I'm not you."
"You do not have to be, in fact, in my example, you are Victor."
"What?" Jubilee laughed at the absurdity.
"Victor loved me before I felt anything but anger at him. I was blind to how good we could be together but he opened my eyes to it. He loved me and convinced me of it through patience, determination, and conviction. That is what you will have to do for Logan. Now, do you have enough money to get to the airport?"
Jubilee did a quick mental calculation. "Yeah, barely. The Professor doesn't give us Gen X'ers big allowances."
"That is all you need. I want you to give me your SSN and then get to the airport as quickly as possible."
"Why do you need my SSN?"
"I was about to explain. When you get to the airport, I will have a ticket waiting there for you, make sure you have your ID. At the New York Airport, there will be a courier waiting for you. He will have a package with a debit card and a phone. I am going to open an account in both our names and put enough in there for you to easily buy whatever you need, anything from a hotel room if you need to get away to a plane ticket if you need to get farther. Use it in any way you see fit. If it runs low, call me and I will add to it. I do not want you to worry about the money. Focus on one thing and one thing only, bring Logan back. Alright?"
Hope and gratitude made it hard to speak. "Yeah, that's great, Betsy." A sudden curiousity came over her. "Umm, will Victor be mad at you for doing this?"
"Actually, he will not know until it is done. He is in the woods hunting with Meagan and William. However, no, he will not be angry with me. Now, do not worry about anything else and get going while I call my accountant and arrange everything. The phone is being paid by me so do not hesitate calling me whenever you need to."
"Thanks, Betsy, I'm taking off right now."
"Good luck."
The line went dead and Jubilee immediately snuck back out of the office. She did not stop by her room, not wanting to take a chance of being caught. Instead, she headed to a payphone on the edge of campus and called a cab company. Less than an hour later, she was buckled into a first class seat and flying toward Logan.
Arriving at the airport, she found that Betsy had managed to not only arrange the package like she promised but the courier was also being paid to deliver her to the mansion gates. Her anxiety rose with every mile? Hopefully the British woman had been correct and she would be able to wake Logan, but what if she couldn't? What...what if he di...NO! She would not even think it, not even consider it. He would be fine. Betsy said she could bring the man back and then the could do what Victor had done, convince a person who did not see her as a potential lover to give her a chance. They would be good together, she knew they would.
The car stopped in front of the mansion gates and Jubilee quickly climbed out, double checking that she had the phone and the bank card. Running up the drive, she quickly punched in her code and was relieved as the gates opened for her. A short run later and she was at the house, using her key to get in silently. Although she had not lived at the mansion in several monthes, she knew her way around and she quietly made her way to the medical lab.
It was empty and dark except for a small bedside lamp and the screens of various machines hooked up to a blanketed, too still body.
Finally reaching her objective, Jubilee felt a disturbing hesitance. He was lying so still while hooked up to the machines, something that would never have happened if he were awake. He hated labs, hated test, would have ripped out all the wires by now. If he was so far gone as to rest peacefully in the midst of his worse nightmare, how far gone was he?
It did not matter! She would bring him back. She would not lose him, not now, now when...Stepping forward with a surer step, Jubilee pulled up a chair and sat down. His eyes were closed and was breathing so shallow as to appear to have stopped all together. There was an I.V. taped to his left forearm. Tenderly picking up his right hand, she held it tightly between her smaller hands, pressing the back of his fingers against the cheek. Tears slid down her face unheeded.
Betsy had said to let him know she was here, that she needed him to come back. Her voice trembled and broke as she said, "Hey, Wolvie, I'm here now and I'm gonna bring you home, ok?"
"What do you mean you're going to send me?"
"If Jean and the Professor can not reach him and he is still alive then it means he has retreated somewhere deep inside. Go to him, talk to him, hold his hand, anything but show him you care, that you miss him and this is hurting you. He will come back for you, Jubilee. I am sure of it. His affection for you will not let him ignore your pain."
Jubilee sighed and flopped down on the headmaster's office chair. She wanted to see Logan, but the past few days had worn on her and it was nice to hear a supporting voice. "You said affection, not love."
"For now, Jubilee, just for now. He still sees you as a child but that can change. Love can grow out of very little. Look at me and Victor."
She could not suppress a smile. "Yeah, who would have ever figured that one out. But I'm not you."
"You do not have to be, in fact, in my example, you are Victor."
"What?" Jubilee laughed at the absurdity.
"Victor loved me before I felt anything but anger at him. I was blind to how good we could be together but he opened my eyes to it. He loved me and convinced me of it through patience, determination, and conviction. That is what you will have to do for Logan. Now, do you have enough money to get to the airport?"
Jubilee did a quick mental calculation. "Yeah, barely. The Professor doesn't give us Gen X'ers big allowances."
"That is all you need. I want you to give me your SSN and then get to the airport as quickly as possible."
"Why do you need my SSN?"
"I was about to explain. When you get to the airport, I will have a ticket waiting there for you, make sure you have your ID. At the New York Airport, there will be a courier waiting for you. He will have a package with a debit card and a phone. I am going to open an account in both our names and put enough in there for you to easily buy whatever you need, anything from a hotel room if you need to get away to a plane ticket if you need to get farther. Use it in any way you see fit. If it runs low, call me and I will add to it. I do not want you to worry about the money. Focus on one thing and one thing only, bring Logan back. Alright?"
Hope and gratitude made it hard to speak. "Yeah, that's great, Betsy." A sudden curiousity came over her. "Umm, will Victor be mad at you for doing this?"
"Actually, he will not know until it is done. He is in the woods hunting with Meagan and William. However, no, he will not be angry with me. Now, do not worry about anything else and get going while I call my accountant and arrange everything. The phone is being paid by me so do not hesitate calling me whenever you need to."
"Thanks, Betsy, I'm taking off right now."
"Good luck."
The line went dead and Jubilee immediately snuck back out of the office. She did not stop by her room, not wanting to take a chance of being caught. Instead, she headed to a payphone on the edge of campus and called a cab company. Less than an hour later, she was buckled into a first class seat and flying toward Logan.
Arriving at the airport, she found that Betsy had managed to not only arrange the package like she promised but the courier was also being paid to deliver her to the mansion gates. Her anxiety rose with every mile? Hopefully the British woman had been correct and she would be able to wake Logan, but what if she couldn't? What...what if he di...NO! She would not even think it, not even consider it. He would be fine. Betsy said she could bring the man back and then the could do what Victor had done, convince a person who did not see her as a potential lover to give her a chance. They would be good together, she knew they would.
The car stopped in front of the mansion gates and Jubilee quickly climbed out, double checking that she had the phone and the bank card. Running up the drive, she quickly punched in her code and was relieved as the gates opened for her. A short run later and she was at the house, using her key to get in silently. Although she had not lived at the mansion in several monthes, she knew her way around and she quietly made her way to the medical lab.
It was empty and dark except for a small bedside lamp and the screens of various machines hooked up to a blanketed, too still body.
Finally reaching her objective, Jubilee felt a disturbing hesitance. He was lying so still while hooked up to the machines, something that would never have happened if he were awake. He hated labs, hated test, would have ripped out all the wires by now. If he was so far gone as to rest peacefully in the midst of his worse nightmare, how far gone was he?
It did not matter! She would bring him back. She would not lose him, not now, now when...Stepping forward with a surer step, Jubilee pulled up a chair and sat down. His eyes were closed and was breathing so shallow as to appear to have stopped all together. There was an I.V. taped to his left forearm. Tenderly picking up his right hand, she held it tightly between her smaller hands, pressing the back of his fingers against the cheek. Tears slid down her face unheeded.
Betsy had said to let him know she was here, that she needed him to come back. Her voice trembled and broke as she said, "Hey, Wolvie, I'm here now and I'm gonna bring you home, ok?"
