Do I look like a happy flamin' camper?

The next day Logan and Hank headed back to Merced to examine Lisa.  They arrived a little after 7am – much to Beast's chagrin.  Beast requested they leave at a reasonable time, something like 9 o'clock or at least after a decent breakfast could have been eaten (along with second and third servings); but Logan had it stuck in his mind that an early start was prudent.  He really wanted to see Lisa again and make sure she was doing okay. 

**YAWN**

"Tell me again why we had to get such an early start Wolverine?" Beast said as he finished off his Venti Double Mocha.  "Couldn't we have at least stopped at that IHOP a couple miles back for a proper morning start?  Breakfast IS the most important meal of the day you know."

"Quit yappin' or I'll give ya a proper mornin' SET-TO!  This is important – we gotta make sure Lisa's okay.  That takes priority over yer stomach; which I heard growlin' all the way down here…"

"Fine Logan – but YOU'RE treating for lunch!"

The hospital was just starting to come alive with activity when they reached the front desk. 

"We're here to visit Lisa Johnston.  Can you tell us which room she's been moved to?" Logan asked.

"She's in east-212.  Go down this hall, turn left then half way down you'll see an elevator.  You can take it to the second floor.  Room 212 is just to the left of the elevator when you come out." the nurse at the desk kindly responded. 

"Thankya ma'am."

They followed her instructions and headed for Lisa.  As soon as they entered the elevator, Logan picked up the scent of something he wished he hadn't.

**Sniff Sniff**

"Shit!"

"What is it Logan?"

"Lisa's got a visitor.  Damn!  Can't this flamin' thing go any faster?"

As soon as the doors opened, Logan bolted out and ran to room 212.  He turned the corner only to face an orderly making the bed of an empty room.

"Who are you and where the hell is Lisa?" he yelled as he pointed at the orderly.

"Um…I'm just an orderly sir.  The woman that was here was just transferred to another hospital.  They left just a couple minutes ago."

"What hospital?"

"I…I don't know sir – they didn't tell me.  But they're probably still here – they rolled her out just before you walked in.  Try Outpatient – take the staircase at the end of the hall…it dumps out right there."

"C'mon Hank – we gotta kidnappin' ta stop!" Logan yelled as he rounded the corner and headed for the stairs.

They came out just in time to see Lisa on a gurney and a man opening the rear doors of an ambulance in an attempt to put her in.  Another man was in the process of getting out of the driver side of the van when he spotted Wolverine.

"Hey!" Logan yelled.

"Oh Shit!" the driver responded.  "Get in."

"What about the girl?" the other one yelled.

"Fuck the girl!" he said as he jumped back into the driver side seat and cranked it up.  The other guy barely made it in before the van took off – which was about a tenth of a second before Logan reached them.  He popped his claws out and managed to slice off a good chunk of the bumper, but that would be his only trophy that day.  He chased after the van but as soon as they put their siren on and hit the straightaway, they were gone.

"Wolverine come back!" Hank said.  "We must check on Lisa." who by now was sitting up on the gurney wondering what had just happened.

"Mr. Jacobs – what happened?"

"Those guys weren't from any hospital.  They were here ta kidnap you again."

"He told me he was transferring me to another hospital – a nicer one.  He told me my parents arranged it.  How could you tell?"

"Picked the scent of the one that ra…um, that dumped you on the side o' the road."

"But I would have recognized him.  He wasn't the man that came and got me."

"Musta been the driver…they were close enough.  Ya hang around someone long enough, ya pick up their scent."

"But why would they kidnap me again?  They just let me go."

"They probably been watchin' you – makin' sure nobody put 2 and 2 together about where you were.  Yesterday when I told the cops you weren't no junkie, they started an investigation…that musta made yer buddies in the ambulance nervous.  The probably came back to silence you."

"Thank you Mr. Jacobs." she said as she hugged him.  "Thank you so much!"

"Um…yer welcome Lisa.  Hey – this is my friend; the doctor I told you about"

"Greetings young lady – Henry.  Mr. Jacobs and I have been friends for quite awhile.  He tells me you're a very special young lady. " Beast said.

"Uh…yes…."

"It's good ta see you gettin' yer strength back Darlin'"

"Yes – I'm feeling so much better than yesterday."

By then a small crowd had formed around them and security guards had come to investigate the commotion.

"Let's get you back inside." Logan said while motioning the guards to help her.

Once they were back in her room, she gave him another hug.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"My mom told me about you.  She told me how you were the only one that took her serious and how she knew by the way you spoke to her that you would find me.  She said there was something different about you – something good.  I think she was right."

"Well thankya Darlin'." he responded with a smile – something that completely surprised Beast.

"Okay – let's take a look at you" Hank said as he opened his medical bag.  While he prepared himself for her examination, Logan asked her if she remembered anything else that might clue them in as to where she was held.  Unfortunately, the only thing she could tell him about was her dreams…about being underwater but not being able to move.

Hank did a myriad of tests – blood, urine, tissue - the whole nine yards.  It took nearly 2 hours for him to complete his sampling.  The time was grueling for Lisa, but she knew it was for her own good.  She also seemed to really trust Logan and that trust was transferred to Hank because of his association with Logan.  After it was all over, Hank sighed a breath of relief.

"I'm sorry that took so long Lisa" he said.  "But we are done now.  I won't have the results until I get back to my lab, but from the looks of things, I'd say you are a pretty healthy young lady.  Your plasma count is low, but that'll change as you build more strength and eat and drink more sustenance.  From what I can tell, there has been no permanent damage."

"Good – then I can go home?"

"I think you should stay in the hospital until I get the full results back and until all the drugs are out of your system.  Then you'll be able to go home.  Logan – can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure Hank."

They walked outside the room and started talking.

"What's the problem – something wrong with her?"

"No – she'll be fine; but I'm pretty sure she's been pregnant before.  Was that in her profile?"

"No – no sexual activity at all…right up until she disappeared.  Of course that's what her mother said, but I think she woulda known."

"Well, I'll know more once I get the results back but I'm almost certain she's been pregnant before and that the fetus wasn't carried to term."

"What makes you think that?"

"Intuition.  She's obviously had surgical procedures – there are scars on several parts of her body.  Some of them coincide with a second trimester cesarean."

"You're not talking abortion then…"

"No – removal of a live fetus."

"What are you two talking about out there?" Lisa asked with a bit of concern.

"Should we tell her?" Beast asked Logan.

"We have to – she needs to know."

"Yes, I suppose you're right – it's just so much for her to handle in such a short time."

"Yeah – but we gotta tell her…it's best this way.

They walked back into Lisa's room and prepared her for the news.

"It would appear…um…" Hank started saying with a great deal of difficulty.  "that you've had some surgical experiments done to you.  There doesn't seem to be any permanent damage and I'm sure my lab results will confirm that…"

"But…?" she said in anticipation of some bad news.

"But…um…it looks like you were pregnant at some point within the last year and a half and that your child was surgically removed."

"Pregnant?"

"Yes ma'am, pregnant."

"The heartbeats – they were inside me?"

"I beg your pardon?" Beast curiously asked.

"In my dreams – I kept hearing heartbeats…they must have come from inside me – from my baby?"

"Were you pregnant before you were kidnapped?"

"No…" she said sadly before she started crying.  As the overwhelming fact that someone had kidnapped her and manipulated her body to do whatever they wanted overtook her, the feeling of helplessness became too much for her to bear.  Logan sat on the edge of her bed and held her hand.  When the tears turned into overwhelming weeping, he hugged her. 

"Who did this to me?" she said between sobs.  "Who would do such a think?"

"I don't know Darlin'.  But we're gonna find out – that's a promise you can bank on!"

She grabbed him and hugged him again – a long enduring hug.  She had total control taken away from her for a year and a half and to her; Logan represented getting that control back.  In a grim way, he also represented the frustration she was going through – the year and a half of her life she lost while someone else did whatever they wanted to her.  She hugged him tighter – looking for ways to vent her frustration.  All in all, she hugged him for a good 3 minutes.  In the end, he returned her hug – to let her know that everything would be okay.  He also promised her that the people responsible would be brought to justice.

"Wolverine, we really should get going…I want to get these tests started as soon as possible."

"Yeah, okay."

"But what about those guys" Lisa interrupted.  "What if they come back."

"They ain't comin' back…trust me on that.  They know we know they're after you and they know you already spoke to us.   They won't try anything else, it's too risky.  But ta be on the safe side, we'll get some police out here."

Arranging a police guard was easier done than said.  With the attempted kidnapping, nearly half the Merced police department volunteered to guard Lisa.  Kidnappings (and crime in general) were almost unheard of in such small towns and the response to such activity was usually pretty big.  They put Lisa in a private room on another floor and gave her round-the-clock protection – leaving no doubt in Logan's mind that she would be safe.

Assured that Lisa was now safe, Logan and Beast headed back to Davis.  They both called and asked Bishop to check in on her and make sure she was okay the next time he passed through on his way to southern California.  This really eased Logan's mind because he knew Bishop's vigilance would ensure her safety.  Beast drove back because Wolverine's mind seemed very distant after their visit. 

"Something bothering you Logan?" Beast asked.

"People kidnappin' children…impregnatin' them then cutting out their babies...what the hell is goin' on Hank?"

"I know Logan, but you've seen far worse than this – I think this goes a little deeper than what you've mentioned."

"I don't know Hank…hold on a second." he said as he flipped out his cell phone and started punching the dialpad.  "I gotta make a phone call."

"Hello?"

"Jubes?"

"Wolvie is that you?  Where are you?"

"On the road with Hank – headed back ta Davis.  Everything all right?"

"Yeah – why do you ask?"

"Just curious…okay – I'll talk to ya later.  What say we go get some grub when I get back."

"Sure – when's that?"

"Around 3 or 4."

"Okay Wolvie – I'll be here.  Bye."

"Perhaps that's it Logan.  Perhaps this mission hits a little too close to home?"

"Huh?  Whaddya yappin' about Hank?"

"You see Jubilee in Lisa Johnston.  You think she may disappear as well."

"No – that ain't it…Nothin's gonna happen to Jubilee…"

"You don't know that for sure Logan – we still don't know what we're up against here.  And you do have to admit, you're the closest thing to a father Jubilee has.  Could it be Lisa Johnston reminds you a little too much of Jubilee and your paternal instincts are kicking in?  They look an awful lot alike."

"Just shut up and drive the flamin' car Hank…"  Logan knew Beast was partially right…Lisa had reminded him of Jubilee, and he was feeling a bit protective of her.  In all the missions they'd been on, he couldn't remember too many times when she was the target.  He didn't want to admit it but his fatherly instincts had kicked into overtime and were really starting to bother him.

The rest of the drive back to Davis was quiet and uneventful.  As soon as they got back, Logan immediately changed onto some jeans and grabbed his leather jacket.  Shortly after, he jumped on his scoot and noisily took off.  A few minutes later he pulled up on Oxford Circle in front of Emerson Hall.  With Oxford Circle being the focal point of 3 dorms, all eyes were on him as he noisily parked his Harley.  He knew curiosity had been peaked, but didn't really give a damn.

**knock knock**

"Oh – hello Wolvy!" Tara said

"Don't call me that!" he growled.

"Sorry Mr. Logan.  How are you doing?"

"Lee around?"

"Yeah – she's in her room."

"Hi Wolvie" Jubilee said as she walked out of her room.

"Hey.  Let's go!"

"We takin' off on your scoot huh?  Where we headed."

"Dunno."

"Okay…something bothering you?"

"Nuttin' Darlin'…just hungry.  What say we go to the Outback Steakhouse."

"Sure." she said as they headed out the door.

Logan grunted a slight laugh when he heard two guys walking by say "There goes that babe with that mean-assed short dude."  He turned to them and growled; and almost fell into a belly laugh when they quickly ducked out of sight.

They arrived at the Outback 25 minutes later and quickly settled into dinner.  Logan ordered his usual steak – rare, and Jubilee took the opportunity to chow down on some baby-back ribs – something the dining commons on campus never served.  Half way through dinner, Jubilee questioned Logan again.

"Wolvie, what's bothering you?"

"Huh?  Oh – you seen any strange characters lookin' at you lately?"

"You mean outside the hormone-abundant, intelligence-deficient boys that live in my dorm?  No…nothing unusual."

"You remember what I taught you about keepin' track of yer surroundin's and makin' sure nobody sneaks up on you?"

"Yeah Wolvie…I'm on it.  Why are you so concerned?  Something happen I don't know about?"

"No.  Just being cautious, that's all.  You keep that cell phone with you at all times, got it?  It's got a bug in it."

"That, and the other two make 3.  Geez, with you guys going all crazy, you'd think Apocalypse was after me.  What's got you all weirded out?"

"This case just bugs me – that's all.  Fifty-three missin' kids and only one break in the case."

"There's more to it than that…"

"No there isn't."

"If you say so Wolvie…but I'm telling you I think something else is bothering you."

"Eat yer ribs Jubes!"

"So how do ya like college?"

"Except for that animal husbandry class, I really like it.  The courses are pretty tough but they're interesting.  I really like chemistry."

"What about Ro's class."

"You'd think that since we were friends, she's spare me the torture and give me a good grade right?"

"What flamin' planet you been on?"

"Yeah…what was I thinking?  She's always on me about studying and making sure I do all my assignments.  And whenever I go to her office hours, she starts grilling me with questions from the books and her lectures."

"Heh - that's Ro for ya.  Even in the middle of a mission, she'll make sure ya learn somethin'!"

"I hear you're going to guest lecture next week."

"Yeah – she's talkin' about the military so I thought I'd poke my head in…seein' as how I'm a 'military advisor.'"

"That oughta be cool, I've never seen you clean shaven and in your dress-greens.  By the time you get to the dorm, your beard has already kicked in and your spikes are already showing.  By the way – thanks to you all the guys in my dorm are afraid of asking me out on a date!  Ya think you could stop growling at them when you visit?"

"Heh – serves 'em right!"  he said as he boasted the smile of a proud father protecting his little girl.

 "Wolvieeee!  C'mon – let me have some fun."

"I guess yer right…you gotta have some fun.  You've earned it too."

"Thank you!  It's funny - they all think I'm some kind of biker chick."

"Biker chick?  Hah!  You ain't got the tattoos ta be a biker chick…you ain't even got a leather jacket."

"Tattoos?  Hmmm?"

"Get THAT thought outta yer head RIGHT now!" he said as he took another bite out of his steak.

"Hey – I'm 18, if I wanna get a tattoo, there's nothing you can do about it!"

"Now you listen here little girl…" he growled while shaking his fork at her.

"I'm not a little girl anymore Wolvie!  You can't stop me from growing up and you can't stop me from getting a tattoo!"

The words hit him like a ton of bricks…as soon she said them they seeped into his head.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." he said with a slightly sad face.  "But you'll always by my little girl…" he grumbled in a barely audible voice while staring at his steak.

"What'd you say Wolvie?"

"Nuttin'…"

She smiled.  She heard what he said and was glad he still thought of her as his little girl.  Out of respect for him, she knew she wouldn't get a tattoo…yet.  Though she never called him dad, he had earned his fatherly privileges with all rights reserved, and she almost always took his words to heart.  To her, she had the best of both worlds – a father to take care of and protect her and a friend to talk to when she needed one.  Now if he would stop scaring off potential boyfriends, she might have even more fun. 

She never did get Logan to talk about what was bothering him, but that was pretty common for him.  She knew Storm would eventually get it out of him – or at least make him feel better.  Storm was one of the only people that could ever get him to open up – she also always knew what was on his mind. 

After dinner they rode to Old Sacramento and walked along the banks of the Sacramento River.  He seemed to feel better after that.  He took Jubilee on a long bike ride down past Stockton, around Rio Vista, and eventually back into Davis.  The retrospective ride reminded both of them of the times when she was younger and they went everywhere together.  They pulled back into the dorms a little after 9 – again drawing tons of attention; but at that point they were pretty accustomed to it.  She jumped off the back of his bike and kissed him on the cheek.  She was hoping that once the large number of boys watching saw her kiss him on the cheek, they would pick up on the fact that he was more of a father than a boyfriend and possibly ask her out.  She could feel the eyes on her as she started walking back into Emerson Hall.

"Hey!" Logan yelled.

"Yah Wolvie?"

"You cold?"

"A little I suppose."

"Well here…" he said as he took off his leather jacket and threw it at her.  "That'll keep you warm."

"You're giving me your leather jacket?"

"It's a loan…so don't let anythin' happen to it ya hear?"

She laughed as she put it on.  "Thanks!  It's a lot better than a tattoo!!" she said as she turned around and bounced into the dorm.

*****

"Where's the girl?" the man in the lab coat asked as he walked up to the ambulance that had just parked in the warehouse. 

"We couldn't get her – that short guy came back before we could nab her.  He wasn't very big but MAN did he look pissed."

"You couldn't take him?"

"Well…maybe, I didn't stick around to find out.  Besides – he was with a big dude – and I mean BIG!  He had to be 6 feet., and musta weighed 350lbs!"

"Well if you hadn't screwed up the other night, none of this would have happened.  Why the hell didn't you take her to another city?"

"Well, um…there wasn't time?"

"What are you talking about – there are at least 3 cities within 20 minutes travel time – and more within an hour.  You coulda taken her anywhere."

"Well…Mike had this idea see? And it took about 10 or 15 minutes, and when he was done, she was starting to wake up.  So we left her by the freeway in Atwater."

"Yeah – but they took her to MCMC – that's only 5 or 6 miles away.  Didn't you THINK?"  the man in the lab coat shouted.  "Alright – this is what you're gonna do.  You're gonna scope that hospital out; and if you get another chance – either you nab her or you silence her!  You got it?"

"Yes sir!" the two men said.