Chapter 2: Brain Dead

        Kurt teleported himself – and the professor – down to the hospital wing before anything else could be decided, the news that Rogue had come to was the best thing he'd heard in his life, he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, guilt still remained, but not as strongly as it had before.

        As he teleported into the hospital wing, Rogue was the first thing he saw, sitting up in bed, her hair mussed, her eyes dark underneath, but she was awake.  Propped up against the pillows with a confused look on her face, not a spot of makeup to conceal her pretty features. 

        "Rogue!" Kurt rushed over, he tried to hug her, but she jerked quickly out of the way, he looked at her confused.

        "Don't…" she pushed him away a little, her gloves were already on, he noted.

        "I was only trying to hug you…" he said, feeling slightly dejected.

        "I know what you were trying to do – but I don't do hugs," she stated, as if this was something he perhaps should have always known.

        He recovered quickly from this slight rejection.  "I'm so glad to see you're finally awake," he admitted, he sat on the edge of the bed, he was grinning from ear to ear, just to see her sitting there looking at him in that confused and disgusted way she always did.

        "Finally?" Rogue asked softly, her voice full of bewilderment.

        "How do you feel, Rogue?" Professor Xavier wheeled over.  He looked at her with much concern, something about the look on his face indicated he was searching in her thoughts.

        "I have a headache…just feels like I've slept for too long…" Rogue rubbed her forehead a little, blinking tiredly.

        "I'll say," Kurt commented, keeping his eyes on her, he could see her reaction – filled with even more perplexity than before.  It seemed she didn't even have any idea of why she was there or how much time had passed since she'd fallen unconscious.

        "What do you mean?" Rogue sat forward a little, looking at Kurt.

        "I mean you've been unconscious for almost a month," Kurt stated.

        "I have?" Rogue looked at them all, in shock.

        "Don't worry, temporary amnesia is common after having been unconscious," Hank assured, then he looked at Professor Xavier, "Professor, can I have a word with you?" he asked quietly, he headed towards the door.

        "Of course," Professor Xavier nodded, and followed Hank out of the room, leaving Kurt and Rogue to catch up. 

        Rogue kept her eyes on Kurt's face, "I've been out cold for almost a month?" she asked, again, as if she couldn't come to grips with this at all.

        "Don't you remember what happened?" Kurt asked, he raised an eyebrow.

        "Not really…" Rogue tucked her hair behind her ears and looked at him, "I can't remember the last thing I did…"

        "Well…uhm…" Kurt looked at her, "me and you were alone in the mansion, and two mutants broke in, Gambit and Miss Marvel…" Kurt answered.

        "Who…?" Rogue asked curiously.

        Kurt motioned to the other bed a few feet away from Rogue's, where Miss Marvel, an attractive blonde, lay unconscious.

        Rogue looked at her, and climbed out of bed slowly, she wanted to be nearer, but she wasn't prepared for the weak feeling in her legs, she felt so drained, she almost fell straight away, Kurt caught her.

        "Rogue, you should rest…" Kurt said worriedly, he pulled her arm around his shoulders carefully, trying to avoid any skin contact.

        "Why am I so weak?" she asked.

        "You've been unconscious, you haven't used your legs in a while…" Kurt said, "it's normal, you'll be alright," he assured, "Come on, get back into bed," he pleaded, he felt such worry, and his mind was still guilt ridden.

        Rogue looked at Miss Marvel, laying on the bed nearby, so peaceful as if she were only napping, not unconscious.  "She…she's so familiar…" Rogue's lip trembled, she felt as if she'd known the girl all her life, and yet, she could not remember one instance where she'd ever seen her.

        "You absorbed her powers," Kurt led Rogue back to the bed, "and when you did, you both fell into a coma," he added.

        Rogue kept her eyes on Miss Marvel even while Kurt was helping her back into the bed, "I don't understand…" her voice quivered, the things he'd just spoke of she could not remember – and this was terrifying.
        "Don't worry, it'll all be explained earlier…" Kurt assured, "would you like me to get you something?" He asked.

        "I wouldn't mind something to eat, I'm starving," Rogue stated.

        "I guess you would be, having been fed through a tube for the last three and a half weeks," Kurt smiled, "What would you like?  I can order you a pizza…" he offered.

        "Uhm…that'd be fine," Rogue smiled nervously.

        "Great," Kurt grinned, and instead of teleporting out of there, like he usually did, he decided he'd be civil and leave the room as normal people did – he left the hospital wing and went down the hall, just as he turned the corner, he could hear Professor Xavier and Hank talking.

        "She seems to have no recollection whatsoever of the fight," Hank was explaining in a grim tone, he was holding a clipboard, and a pencil, "Meanwhile, tests on Miss Marvel indicate she is quite brain dead."

        Kurt turned back down the corner, to listen.

        "I've been afraid of that for some time, I've been trying to telepathically reach her, only to come up with nothing, blankness, as if her entire psyche has gone completely…as if there is nothing left of her," Professor Xavier sighed.

        "Do you think Rogue has really absorbed the whole of Miss Marvel's mind into her own?" Hank queried.

        "I had been thinking of this, but every time I try to reach Rogue, I sense nothing but her own presence…so this poses the question of what happened to Miss Marvel?" Professor Xavier had his hands in his lap, he remained composed. 

        Hank handed him the clipboard – with a medical report on it.  "Professor, another thing concerns me…something is happening…to Rogue," he admitted.

        "What exactly?" Professor Xavier looked over the medical reports quickly.

        "Over the last week, its become increasingly difficult to pierce her skin for any blood tests, or to hook her up to the IV…" Hank admitted, "I blunted 4 brand new needles."

        "Any clue as to what could be the cause?"

        "I'm unsure at this stage if this may be part of her mutation or not, her skin holds the key to her powers – perhaps its linked, but I would need to run more tests."

        "Avoid running any tests over the next few days.  Let her rest, and get adjusted again…it's been a while."

        "Of course," Hank nodded.  "In the meantime, might I suggest it may be time to move Miss Marvel to Bayville hospital…" he stated, "her condition is not improving, and with no brain activity it seems doubtful she will improve…"

        "I understand," Professor Xavier sighed, "I feel helpless regarding Miss Marvel…who she was is such a mystery, I cannot dig any information out from her mind – there is nothing there," Professor Xavier despaired.

        Kurt pressed his back tight against the wall, listening, so it seemed in fact Miss Marvel was brain dead?   He wondered the same thing that Professor Xavier had – what had happened to the persona of Miss Marvel?  Had she just vanished? 

        He blinked himself out of the hallway before he could be caught eavesdropping, and appeared in the kitchen, behind the open refrigerator door, Kitty Pryde was raking inside the fridge for anything diet, she pulled out a diet soda, and closed the refrigerator door – seeing Kurt there, who had not been there prior to her opening the fridge, she gasped in fright.

        "Kurt!" she dropped the soda, it landed on the floor with a clank, luckily did not explode.

        "Sorry," he laughed a little.

        "It's not funny," Kitty pouted prettily, but then raised an eyebrow, "Hey, I haven't heard you laugh in a while – what's up?"

        "Rogue just came out of the coma," he said, "I'm going to order her pizza."

        Kitty's stomach gave a loud audible growl at the sound of Pizza being mentioned, she blushed.

Kurt looked at her, "when are you going to give up that diet?" he asked, he flicked through a pile of menus from the local pizza, Chinese and Indian take away restaurants in the area.

        "When I'm not flabby," Kitty remarked, "I heard some guys make comments about my fat ass at School."

        "You don't have a fat behind," Kurt avoided saying 'ass'.  He'd never really liked the word, and he didn't really believe Kitty had much of an ass at all – she was too thin to have that kind of backside padding.

        "Oh come ON, I heard them calling me J-Lo!" Kitty rolled her eyes, "Of course I do."

        Kurt rolled his eyes as well, "Your constitution will fall."

        "No it won't," Kitty shook her head in disbelief, "how is Rogue?"

        "She can't remember anything," Kurt sighed, "which is kind of worrying I guess…but that's not even the worst part…"

"There's a worst part?" Kitty leaned against the kitchen counter casually.

"Miss Marvel is brain dead…"

"Wow…what does that mean?" Kitty asked.

"It means she's not showing any signs of brain activity…" Kurt remarked.

"No, not that!  I'm not a dumbass," Kitty rolled her eyes, "I mean what does it MEAN," she tried to get across.

"Oh…uhm…I'm not too sure, I overheard the Professor and Beast talking – they don't know if Rogue really did absorb the whole mind of Miss Marvel or not – the professor can't sense Miss Marvel in Rogue's head…" Kurt grabbed the menu from the nearest Pizza delivery service – they had the best pizza's.

"That's kinda worrying isn't it?"

"I'm not sure what to make of it, really," Kurt stated, he scanned through the menu "What's Rogue's favourite Pizza?" he asked curiously, he could never remember such things as favourite things, and birthdays, and other various things.

        "Uhm…I think Spicy chicken and sweetcorn," Kitty remarked, "with garlic," she could feel her own mouth watering at the thought of Pizza.  She'd been eating salads and boiled chicken for so long it felt like she'd throw up if she seen anymore of the diet foods.

        "Do you want anything?" Kurt picked up the phone from the wall.

        "No, I'm on a diet…"

        "Come on…I'll split a sixteen inch Pepperoni Pizza with you," he offered.

        "I…uhm…no thanks…"

        "Fine, I'll have it all to myself," Kurt grinned, and dialled the number.

        Kitty pouted, and left the kitchen, and headed towards the hospital wing intent on visiting Rogue.  Rogue was alone in the hospital wing when Kitty arrived, she was surprised that Professor Xavier or Hank McCoy were not there watching over her.

        Rogue was propped up by the pillows, her eyes closed, head hanging slightly to the side. 

        "Hi," Kitty said, she walked over slowly, her arms folded a little insecurely.  She never was good at making conversation with Rogue, she wasn't sure what she'd say, but it was only polite that she visit the girl now that she was awake.

        Rogue opened her eyes, and turned towards Kitty, "Hi…" she looked at Kitty, Kitty looked different, she almost couldn't place it, her face looked a little more drawn and paler than usual, but otherwise she looked fine.  Rogue felt it had been forever since she'd seen the girl, yet, to her, it might as well have been yesterday. 

        "How are you feeling?" Kitty asked.

        "Lousy," Rogue sat up a little more, she looked at Kitty, "they told me I've been out cold for almost a month…it feels so strange…I've missed like a huge chunk of life."

        "It's not that huge…"

        "I've more than likely fallen way behind in school," Rogue sighed.

        "Don't worry," Kitty assured, "your teachers have passed all your school work onto me and Kurt for you…"

        "Wonderful, a back log of homework," Rogue made a face.

        "I'll help…if you like…"

        "It doesn't matter," Rogue decided, she felt she'd some how worm her way out of it all completely.

        "Do you have to stay in bed over the next few days?" Kitty asked.

        "Unfortunately…" Rogue made a face, "but tonight I'll be able to be moved back into our room," she stated, "Hank told me that before he and Professor Xavier left…"

        "Where's Miss Marvel?" Rogue suddenly realised.

        "They were taking her to a hospital…I guess they're gonna put her somewhere she can be taken care of full time…" Rogue stated.

        "Oh…" Kitty remarked.  "I guess she's not going to recover then?"

        "Doesn't seem like it," Rogue looked away, becoming dewy eyed, "and it's my fault."