Ch. 3

            Jean and Scott looked down at the bed.  Bianca, the catatonic mutant, was staring at nothing in particular.  Her reflective silver eyes were slightly unfocused.  Her bruises had healed from varying shades of purplish-red to a sallow yellow-green color.  That, at least, was something.

            "This is the third time today that you've tried this, Jean."

            "I know it seems useless, but I can help.  I know I can.  It's just harder than I thought it would be.  I thought it would be kinda like working with the mentally incapacitated… I thought this would be easier."

            "So leave it to the Professor.  You've been running yourself ragged with these new kids."

            "Oh, and you haven't been?"  She softened a bit.  "I know how you feel about those others.  You tried your best to help them.  They just proved to be beyond help.  This one, however…" Jean trailed off and looked back at the catatonic mutant.  "I think that she can be helped.  I can get her back to reality.  I know I can.  I think she's stronger than she looks.  She didn't kill herself when she had the chance, back in the labs.  She waited it out."

            "I know I'm about to sound like the world's biggest pessimist here, but… Josie said that she thought that the majority of Bianca's injuries were self-inflicted.  What if the only reason that she didn't kill herself was because by the time she was able to, she was too far gone already?  What if she's just waiting to die right now?"

            Jean looked down, thinking.  "I still have to try, Scott."

            Scott nodded slowly.  "I understand.  I just don't want you to feel so bad if it turns out to be a hopeless cause."

            Normally, Jean might have been offended, but she was already trying to concentrate on getting Bianca to acknowledge her presence.  Bianca.

            Jean shivered inwardly as she tried to comprehend Bianca's tortured mind.  The woman was in a tremendous amount of mental pain.  Jean ponderously worked her way through the haze of pain, finding the impenetrable corner that Bianca had locked herself in.  Bianca, you're safe now.  Still no response.  Jean flooded Bianca's mind with warmth, caring, and compassion, as she had been doing since Xavier had assigned her to work with the catatonic mutant.  This time, though… Jean thought that she felt the barrier between Bianca and the world shiver just the tiniest bit.

            Jean's eyes flew open, though she was still in Bianca's mind.  Professor!

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            Bobby watched the door curiously.  From the cursing and crashes coming from the bathroom, Josie was up to something.  The door flew open.

            "Ta-da!" she yelled.

            "Uh… Your hair."  It was still short and slightly ragged looking, but now the brown was liberally streaked with a lighter honey color and bright red.

            "And?"

            "Are your ears pierced?"

            "They are now."  She brandished a needle, somewhat menacingly.  "Want me to do yours?"

            "No thanks," he said, eyeing her newly quad-pierced (and probably infected) ears.

            She shrugged.  "Your loss.  An eyebrow ring would look great on you."

            Bobby shuddered.

            "Seriously, look."  Josie held her hand out and an image of Bobby's head with a pierced eyebrow swirled into formation in midair.  "See?"

            "So that's what you do?"

            "Among other things."  Josie smiled charmingly.  "Now can we head over to the infirmary?  I think I may need some disinfectant."

            "Why do I have to go?  You're the one who stabbed yourself with a needle and stuck metal objects in the hole.  I didn't have anything to do with it," he complained, following her down the hall.

            "You're going because you're my friend… and I have an idea that will probably involve novicain."

            "Novicain… I like it."

They reached the infirmary, where Scott was leaving.  "Sorry, you can't go in right now."
            "But Scott… I need something to disinfect my ears!"

He looked curiously at Josie, one eyebrow arching over the lens of his glasses.  "Did you pierce your ears?"

"Maybe."

"You'll have to wait.  Jean and the Prof are finally getting a reaction out of your catatonic friend."

"Really?"  Josie tried to look over his shoulder into the window, a useless effort since Josie was all of five feet tall.  "I hope they're prepared if she wakes up.  She was always raging around her cell… God help 'em," she said, half-jokingly.