Really, I AM Dying! (pt. 9)

The doctor didn't waste time quarantining Scott and Lance's rooms. "Hopefully it won't spread," he said, his tone indicating that he hoped it did, and that everyone involved would drop dead of it.

Xavier noticed that tone. "Perhaps we should take them to another hospital."

"Something wrong with this one?" the doctor questioned him defensively.

Wolverine nearly decked the insensitive jerk, but Xavier preferred to look for a less violent solution.

"C'mon, Professor . . ." Wolverine grumbled.

"Excuse me," Xavier called out to a young man in a lab coat, "Do you know where I can find the Administration wing?"
The doctor turned around. "Let me guess. Dr. Armstrong giving you a hard time?"
"You ain't kidding," said Logan.
The young doctor (his name tag said DR. MARTIN) smiled. "We've been getting a lot of complaints about him," he said, as he led them onto the elevator. "He's an absolute genius in his field--written countless papers on isolating disease-causing genes--but nine times out of ten, genius equals tactless jerk."

"I may be judging prematurely," said Xavier, "but at times I've gotten the impression that Dr. Armstrong harbors some latent anti-mutant prejudices . . ."
Dr. Martin whistled. "Don't get him started on the mutant thing."

"Can we trade him in for some other doctor who isn't a total jerk?"

"Let me call Dr. Stringfield in Personnel."

Back in the kids' rooms, they were passing the time by watching TV. The only thing on that looked remotely interesting was Mystery Science Theater 3000. They were showing something about giant alien mutants terrorizing a city. And not very lifelike monsters at that.

"This is an insult to all mutantkind!"

"You said it, Boss Lady."

"What would you rather watch? Ghostbusters badly dubbed into Spanish? The all-bowling channel? Or the soccer match on the other side of the world, also in Spanish?"

The room assignments had been shifted again, which meant that Kurt was now sandwiched between an enraged Toad and a terrified Pietro.

"OK, OK," Wolverine said, "mind telling me why you three are tryin' to kill each other?"

"Ask him." Toad, Pietro, and Kurt all pointed fingers at each other.

"Okay, don't tell me."

"I didn't do anything!"

"Yeah you did!"

"All of you knock it off right NOW!"

That got their attention in a hurry.

"Okay, ve'll be good," Kurt said. "IF he keeps his . . . things away from me."

"That's no way to talk about my--"

"Your what?" Toad snapped.

"My creations."

"You mean those stupid things?"

"They are not stupid!"

"They're dolls."
"They are not dolls!" Pietro insisted. "They're twelve-inch collectible action figures!"
"Look like dolls to me, yo."

"You're asking for it, Tolensky . . ."

"Give me those!" Logan grabbed them away.
"Hey!"
"I'm just gonna hold onto them until you can behave like civilized people."
"Yeah, look who's talking," Pietro muttered under his breath.

Logan shot him a glare. "What was that?"

"Uh . . . nothing."

"Vere's Kitty?" asked Kurt.

"She's in the Red room."
"Red room?"
"The serious cases."

Kurt looked horrified. "Kitty's serious?"
"She's borderline, way I hear it . . ."

Just then, Toad started going into convulsions.

"Toad!"

"Somebody get a doctor!"

Several people in white coats came running in, and immediately went to work on Toad.

"What's going on?" asked Mrs. Ellis.  

"We're not sure yet. Please stand back."

Brenda turned to her grandmother. "He's not dying, is he?"

Mrs. Ellis didn't know what to say. "Maybe we'd better let them work right now."

So they stood off to one side . . .

Eventually things were under control.

"Brenda?" Toad said.

"Todd!" She was so overjoyed that he was still alive that she nearly crushed his sternum.

"You're squishing me, yo!" he croaked.

"Sorry." She backed off.
One of the doctors explained what had happened. It seemed he'd had an allergic reaction to the medication they'd given him.

"Man, I never want to go through that again." Toad sighed.

"Let's hope you won't have to," Mrs. Ellis said. "How are the other boys?"

"Scott and Lance are still in rough shape." Evan said.

"This just never ends, does it?"

Wolverine went to the Administration office to see if anything had been done about the doctor with the attitude problem . . . but he couldn't get near the place. The hospital was like a maze. Finally he stopped someone to ask them.

They were, understandably, unnerved by his adamantium claws, which had popped out due to all the stress. Several people tried to call hospital security, but the switchboard was jammed.

Finally, however, someone answered him. "Down the hall."

"Thanks." Logan kept rubbing his forearms to try and retract the claws . . .

Brenda continued to watch over Toad. "They've got you on something different now," she said, "so that won't happen again. Most of us are starting to get better now . . ."

"Check under Pietro's bed for more dolls," Toad suggested.

Logan came back with the new doctor.

"What can I do for you, Professor Xavier?" the new doctor asked. He was about the same age as Dr. Martin but darker of complexion. His nametag read DR. LEWIS.

Xavier explained the current situation . . . and to his obvious relief, the doctor showed no signs of hostility or prejudice.

"Where's Brenda Ellis?" Dr. Lewis asked.

"That would be me." Brenda looked almost normal now; the angry red spots she'd had on her arrival home a few days ago were now almost completely gone.

"Would you like to sit down on the exam table, please?"

"Sure." So she sat.

The doctor looked her over, then did a series of blood tests.

Meanwhile everyone was waiting on pins and needles to see if they were finally getting better, or if this thing had mutated again.

When the test results came back . . . they could breathe again. Whatever it was, it was going away.
Almost.

"Thank goodness." Mrs. Ellis said.

There was still the matter of Scott and Lance, who were still taking a turn for the worse.

"Can you give them something?" asked Wanda nervously.

"We can try."

Everyone waited anxiously as the doctor injected Lance and Scott with something.

Hours seemed to crawl by like centuries . . . but finally, their coughing ceased.

"Keep your fingers crossed, kids." Logan said to his comrades.

Suddenly they heard a voice from the TV in the next room say, "A fugitive warrant has been issued for Marco Sandoval*...."

"Oh, no!"
"Relax," Logan said. "Even if he gets very far, he'll never find us here--"

But at that moment, a security guard rushed in and told them, "We need to move you people to a secure wing."

"Son of a--" Toad started to grumble. "Let me at that guy! I'll show him a thing or--"

"Kid," Logan said, "you're in no position to show anybody anything."

With that Xavier, Magneto, and the rest of the group evacuated . . .

*remember him? If not, see "I'm Still Dying!"