Mail Call
Jade - Good ideas.
Dream - I'm glad you're enjoying it. Yes, Jean is going to make trouble. She always does. Victor's definitely going to have something to say about all this eventually.
Jade121 - Thank you.
Mel - As you can see, you are not alone.
Now, on with the show.
***********************************
Chapter 4
It had been two and a half weeks and Jubilee was ready to kill someone, anyone. She could just not take this anymore. Three times Logan had almost woken up and three times he had retreated back into his mind, sinking deeper than ever. Nobody knew why.
Jubilee had honestly thought it would be alot easier after that first day. Hank had been extremely surprised to find her in the med lab that first morning. He had gently shook her away, asking, "Jubilee, what are you doing here?"
If she had been more awake at the time, she never would have answered the way she did. Unfortunately, she had still been mostly asleep, having had maybe two hours of sleep in the last 24 hours. "Mmmm, hi, Hank. Betsy sent me."
The doctor had dropped his coffee cup which shattered on the tiled floor. "Betsy?"
"Yeah." Jubilee stared at the adult defiantly. "I called her and she helped me get here."
"But...Jubilee..."
Her patience ran out completely. "Look, Hank, I need to be here, alright. I was going crazy down there, not knowing anything, always scared that he had died at any moment and I wouldn't know 'til you called me. Please, don't lecture me, just let me stay." The outburst took the last of her energy and she hung her head wearily.
Hank was silent as he swept up the wet shards on the floor then crouched down and gently lifted Jubilee's chin and studied her face. He say eyes red and puffy from crying with dark shadows showing a lack of sleep. Her skin was much paler than it should be and her listlessness was disturbing. Nodding to himself, he stood up. "I am sorry, Jubilee, for making you stay away. I honestly thought it would be better for you emotionally if you were near your friends and distractions. I was wrong."
Jubilee looked up at him with a hopeful smile. "I can stay?"
Hank returned the smile. "For your health, I would have to insist upon it."
She hugged him gratefully. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
Patting her shoulder gently, Hank cleared his throat. "I need to ask you some questions, though."
She sat back down, her elation of a moment before lessening in the face of that ominous sentence. "Yeah?"
"You said that you had spoken to Betsy?" She nodded. "I would like to know what she said, if she had any suggestions to bring him out this."
Looking up in confusion, the girl demanded, "Haven't you asked her?"
The doctor looked away with a grimace. "No, we are of the opinion that she would not tell us. After all, if she can do this to one who is her friend..."
Jubilee rolled her eyes in exasperation. "She didn't mean to! He was only supposed to be out of it for a couple of hours while her and Victor took off. She didn't even know he was in a coma."
"Ahhh."
"Either that or she did not care." Jubilee looked up at Jean as she walked into the infirmary. The redhead put sat down next to the younger girl, putting an arm around her comfortingly. "I know this is hard for you, that's why it's best for you to stay at the Academy."
Jubilee stared at the older woman in anger but it was Hank who spoke first. "Actually, Jean, I think it would be best if Jubilee stayed here."
"Hank," Jean replied, sighing, "We already went through this. There is nothing Jubilee can do here except sit and wait. At the academy, she has things to help her keep her mind off this."
"I am sorry, Jean, I no longer agree. Jubilee is showing signs of incredible emotional stress."
"I'm not going anywhere." The two adults looked at her in surprise. "I'm going to get his mind back."
Jean smiled sympathetically. "How do you plan to do that? Neither I nor the Professor have been able to accomplish it and you are not a telepath."
Jubilee felt patronized and she did not like it. "No, Betsy said.."
"Jubilation, Betsy put him in this state. I'm sorry but you really should not trust her. After all, she attacked us."
"Only after you attacked the man she loved." Looking at the older woman, Jubilee noticed something different about her face.
"Now, if that were true, why is it we have people in the infirmary and not her and Victor."
"Maybe cause they're just better." Jubilee could hear the petulance in her voice but could not bring herself to care at the moment. "Betsy didn't do this on purpose and she says if he hasn't woken up it's cause he's choosing not to. She said he would come back if he knew how much he was hurting everyone and that I could help."
Hank was nodding. "It has worked in other cases and I am out of better ideas. I think we should have his friends sit with him, talk to him perhaps that will draw him out."
"Perhaps." Her voice souned unconvinced and as Jean turned to look up at Hank, Jubilee realized what was different. She had a shallow but definite scar cutting across her face.
"Where'd you get the scar?"
Jean's tone was bitter and caustic. "From Betsy's rabid pet. If I had know how dangerous the animal was, I would have called Animal Control."
"For Sabretooth?"
"No." Jean gave her an annoyed glance. "For her stupid elk."
The day had improved after that. Several people sat with Logan and Hank had allowed Jubilee to spend most of each day with him. She talked to him, holding his hand the whole time and, late at night, she would tearfully confess her heart to him. She needed him to come back. She loved him and it was breaking her heart that she was losing him.
The others tried to help her but she could see the lack of hope in their eyes. Noone thought he was coming back. They had lost hope since the telepaths had failed to contact him and concnetrated on trying to keep Warren out of depression over the growing possibility that he would lose his wings. So, her main source of comfort came from Betsy. She called the woman almost daily, gratefully receiving the reassurance and encouragement the other mutant continually gave her.
Three days after she got there, though, there had been hope, briefly. Logan's brain waves became stronger, a sure indication that he was waking up. Hank had immediately called Jean, since her telepathy and the emotional bond between the two of them was sure to help the man find his way back. She responded instantly and the team waited expectently as she placed her fingers over his temples and closed her eyes. It was a long wait and the readouts on the various machines varied wildly until, in the end, his mind had sunk back into the coma, deeper. Jean's eyes were wet with unshed tears as she looked at the others.
"I tried but..."
About five days after that, the same thing had happened. He seemed to be trying to wake up and Jean was immediately called to help him. Again, he fell deeper into the coma. This morning had been the third time and once again, Jean had come and failed. His brainwaves were now so weak, Hank doubted if he had the strength to try again.
Jade - Good ideas.
Dream - I'm glad you're enjoying it. Yes, Jean is going to make trouble. She always does. Victor's definitely going to have something to say about all this eventually.
Jade121 - Thank you.
Mel - As you can see, you are not alone.
Now, on with the show.
***********************************
Chapter 4
It had been two and a half weeks and Jubilee was ready to kill someone, anyone. She could just not take this anymore. Three times Logan had almost woken up and three times he had retreated back into his mind, sinking deeper than ever. Nobody knew why.
Jubilee had honestly thought it would be alot easier after that first day. Hank had been extremely surprised to find her in the med lab that first morning. He had gently shook her away, asking, "Jubilee, what are you doing here?"
If she had been more awake at the time, she never would have answered the way she did. Unfortunately, she had still been mostly asleep, having had maybe two hours of sleep in the last 24 hours. "Mmmm, hi, Hank. Betsy sent me."
The doctor had dropped his coffee cup which shattered on the tiled floor. "Betsy?"
"Yeah." Jubilee stared at the adult defiantly. "I called her and she helped me get here."
"But...Jubilee..."
Her patience ran out completely. "Look, Hank, I need to be here, alright. I was going crazy down there, not knowing anything, always scared that he had died at any moment and I wouldn't know 'til you called me. Please, don't lecture me, just let me stay." The outburst took the last of her energy and she hung her head wearily.
Hank was silent as he swept up the wet shards on the floor then crouched down and gently lifted Jubilee's chin and studied her face. He say eyes red and puffy from crying with dark shadows showing a lack of sleep. Her skin was much paler than it should be and her listlessness was disturbing. Nodding to himself, he stood up. "I am sorry, Jubilee, for making you stay away. I honestly thought it would be better for you emotionally if you were near your friends and distractions. I was wrong."
Jubilee looked up at him with a hopeful smile. "I can stay?"
Hank returned the smile. "For your health, I would have to insist upon it."
She hugged him gratefully. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
Patting her shoulder gently, Hank cleared his throat. "I need to ask you some questions, though."
She sat back down, her elation of a moment before lessening in the face of that ominous sentence. "Yeah?"
"You said that you had spoken to Betsy?" She nodded. "I would like to know what she said, if she had any suggestions to bring him out this."
Looking up in confusion, the girl demanded, "Haven't you asked her?"
The doctor looked away with a grimace. "No, we are of the opinion that she would not tell us. After all, if she can do this to one who is her friend..."
Jubilee rolled her eyes in exasperation. "She didn't mean to! He was only supposed to be out of it for a couple of hours while her and Victor took off. She didn't even know he was in a coma."
"Ahhh."
"Either that or she did not care." Jubilee looked up at Jean as she walked into the infirmary. The redhead put sat down next to the younger girl, putting an arm around her comfortingly. "I know this is hard for you, that's why it's best for you to stay at the Academy."
Jubilee stared at the older woman in anger but it was Hank who spoke first. "Actually, Jean, I think it would be best if Jubilee stayed here."
"Hank," Jean replied, sighing, "We already went through this. There is nothing Jubilee can do here except sit and wait. At the academy, she has things to help her keep her mind off this."
"I am sorry, Jean, I no longer agree. Jubilee is showing signs of incredible emotional stress."
"I'm not going anywhere." The two adults looked at her in surprise. "I'm going to get his mind back."
Jean smiled sympathetically. "How do you plan to do that? Neither I nor the Professor have been able to accomplish it and you are not a telepath."
Jubilee felt patronized and she did not like it. "No, Betsy said.."
"Jubilation, Betsy put him in this state. I'm sorry but you really should not trust her. After all, she attacked us."
"Only after you attacked the man she loved." Looking at the older woman, Jubilee noticed something different about her face.
"Now, if that were true, why is it we have people in the infirmary and not her and Victor."
"Maybe cause they're just better." Jubilee could hear the petulance in her voice but could not bring herself to care at the moment. "Betsy didn't do this on purpose and she says if he hasn't woken up it's cause he's choosing not to. She said he would come back if he knew how much he was hurting everyone and that I could help."
Hank was nodding. "It has worked in other cases and I am out of better ideas. I think we should have his friends sit with him, talk to him perhaps that will draw him out."
"Perhaps." Her voice souned unconvinced and as Jean turned to look up at Hank, Jubilee realized what was different. She had a shallow but definite scar cutting across her face.
"Where'd you get the scar?"
Jean's tone was bitter and caustic. "From Betsy's rabid pet. If I had know how dangerous the animal was, I would have called Animal Control."
"For Sabretooth?"
"No." Jean gave her an annoyed glance. "For her stupid elk."
The day had improved after that. Several people sat with Logan and Hank had allowed Jubilee to spend most of each day with him. She talked to him, holding his hand the whole time and, late at night, she would tearfully confess her heart to him. She needed him to come back. She loved him and it was breaking her heart that she was losing him.
The others tried to help her but she could see the lack of hope in their eyes. Noone thought he was coming back. They had lost hope since the telepaths had failed to contact him and concnetrated on trying to keep Warren out of depression over the growing possibility that he would lose his wings. So, her main source of comfort came from Betsy. She called the woman almost daily, gratefully receiving the reassurance and encouragement the other mutant continually gave her.
Three days after she got there, though, there had been hope, briefly. Logan's brain waves became stronger, a sure indication that he was waking up. Hank had immediately called Jean, since her telepathy and the emotional bond between the two of them was sure to help the man find his way back. She responded instantly and the team waited expectently as she placed her fingers over his temples and closed her eyes. It was a long wait and the readouts on the various machines varied wildly until, in the end, his mind had sunk back into the coma, deeper. Jean's eyes were wet with unshed tears as she looked at the others.
"I tried but..."
About five days after that, the same thing had happened. He seemed to be trying to wake up and Jean was immediately called to help him. Again, he fell deeper into the coma. This morning had been the third time and once again, Jean had come and failed. His brainwaves were now so weak, Hank doubted if he had the strength to try again.