Chapter 3

Dr. McCoy kept close watch on his patient's vitals.  The flight from Rhode Island to upstate New York was entirely too long.  Even though the Blackbird was considerably faster than any other form of transportation available, it just seemed too long when speed was so important.  He pressed large blue fingers to the soft white skin below the jaw line of the boy and felt the fluttering of his heartbeat.  He glanced around at the other X-men.  All wore grim faces.  Bobby looked particularly spacey.  Hank didn't envy the battle going on in that young man right now.  Who was a friend?  Who was an Enemy? 

"Would you like to come help me monitor Mr. Allerdyce?"

"Uh, yeah … yeah" Bobby unbuckled fast and left Rogue.  He joined Dr. McCoy next to Pyro.  "Is...Is he going to die?"  Bobby asked softly. 

Hank sighed, he hated that question. He suspected all doctors did.  But, before Hank could answer Bobby started talking again, more like mumbling to himself than Beast.  "I've only seen one dead person in my whole life.  My grandmother" he clarified.  "She was old, and had been sick..., John, John's so young…"

"He's in a dangerous line of work, we all are."

"Yeah.  So he is gonna…"

"Oh I don't intend to let him go without a fight."

"Even though he's with the Brotherhood?"

"Of course, he's my patient.  I will do everything I can to save his life."

It was a sad silence that followed.  Rogue came and her arm around her boyfriend comfortingly. 

After John had left Rogue had been furious with him, but it didn't really last.   Marie had wanted to be mad at John.  She deserved to be mad after all.  He had betrayed them, he left his best friend alone and sad.  But deep down she couldn't hold the anger.  She had gripped John's ankle a long time as they stood on Bobby's porch.  It seemed like an eternity to Marie before his mutant power leaked over and she had what she wanted.  As she held his skin she could see his memories, understood what made John the way he was.  A part of her knew why he flicked that lighter all the time, why he loved controlling fire and that he just didn't think like them.  She was surprised when he left them, but not completely.  Bobby had taken it hard and seeing what the betrayal was doing to Bobby was all she could really hold against John.  Seeing him today she had still been a little mad at him.  He was so at ease and confident as he fought against them with their enemies.

 Of course it was very hard to be mad at John right now.  To Marie he didn't even look like John.  He was so still, it was so unnatural, John was always filled with nervous energy.  He was always twitching or playing with that lighter.  It was just felt wrong to see him and not hear the floosh-click…floosh-click. 

Miraculously the plane touched down.    Bobby and Hank picked up the ends of the makeshift stretcher and moved their patient to the infirmary.  John needed to get to surgery, fast.  That weak fluttering of his heart was getting weaker and fluttering more every moment. 

The surgery lasted hours.  Only Rogue was able to drag Bobby away from the infirmary to the kitchen for something to eat and then back to his room for sleep.  He'd never really been able to refuse her.  "It'll be fine Bobby. Dr. McCoy will do everything he can; Johnny'll make it." She'd drawled, leading him away from where he'd set up camp in the infirmary doorway. 

Bobby ate in silence.  Quietly munching Corn Flakes he tried to stop thinking about Johnny.  There was nothing they could do, they'd chosen their sides.  His mind wandered.  What was it like in the Brotherhood?  Was it like being here?  John had to like it there; he'd stayed, fought with them.  He reached across the table for the sugar bowl.  "You think they eat Corn Flakes at the Brotherhood?"  He asked Rogue.

"What?"

"You think John gets Corn Flakes at home?"

"You really need to let this go Bobby.  I've never seen John eat Corn Flakes anyway."

"What?  What do you mean?"

"He's fine Bobby, you don't have to worry about him."  Bobby went back to quietly chewing the lumpy brown mush his cereal had become.  "He's taken care of himself a long time.  You don't have to worry."

"What about when he wakes up? ...If he wakes up…"

"He'll be fine; Dr. McCoy is like a genius."

"So what, John will wake up and then, what?  Is he like our prisoner?"

Rogue giggled, "The mansion as a POW camp?"

"He's the enemy, shouldn't we like, Oh I don't know!" Bobby dropped his spoon with a loud clink and stared into his breakfast mush.

"Bobby, you're driving yourself nuts.  Just let things be, it'll work out sugah."  She smiled at him with that dazzling smile he loved.  He knew she was right, she always was.  So sure of herself and optimistic, Bobby was always impressed by her.  He picked up his now empty bowl and carried it to the sink.

"You're right Marie, thanks." 

"Now, off to bed young man!"  She pointed towards the stairs and began steering him there.

 "I don't know what I'd do without you."

 "Spazz out and drown in your own Corn Flakes."

It was a little after midnight when Dr. McCoy stepped out of surgery, pushing the gurney next to a bed and gently transfer the still body from one to the other.  The mansion was quiet, most of its residents deep in sleep.  Hank sighed as he adjusted a blanket over his patient.  The boy was going to pull through just fine.  He probably wouldn't be running any marathons for a few weeks, but his lung was working again, he was breathing under his own control, the wounds had been neatly stitched up and plenty of donated blood had been pushed into him.   Hank hadn't expected anyone to be waiting in the main part of his infirmary, but couldn't really say he was surprised to see the professor patiently reading as he waited.

"Charles, it's quite late, I could have informed you of Mr. Allerdyce's condition in the morning."

"I know Hank.  I am attempting to decide what to do with Mr. Pyro.  I thought seeing him might help me."

"Of course, he's asleep now, but you are welcome to see him."    The professor rolled next to the bed to get the first look at Pyro since the professor had gone to see Magneto and fallen into that madman Stryker's hands.  When he'd gotten back to his people John had already left for the other side.  The young man was keeping his hair a little shorter, no doubt under the strict orders of Erik who never liked things sloppy.    But other than that, he really looked the same as he had as a student at Xavier's. 

This might have been easier if they'd taken Mystique or Toad instead of a former pupil.  Even this situation would be easier if Pyro looked less like the John who'd walked the halls of the mansion.  If he had a big scar or bleached his hair blond or if in his time away he developed an accent of some kind it would be easier.  It would be easier to separate John from Pyro, their enemy.

"May I ask what you were considering doing with him?" asked Hank from behind him.

"I'm really not sure.  Return him to Erik?  We still don't know what Magneto is up to, Pyro does.  I'm not sure we can afford to just send him back and wait until it's too late to act against Erik."

"No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be.  Isaac Asimov"

 Xavier sighed.  "You are as eloquent as always Hank.  This is not a decision I relish making.  I fear even if I do decide what I must do, I won't be able to do it."  He sighed again and rolled out of the room.  Hank looked after him for a moment, straightened Pyro's blanket, patted the boy's head, turned the lights out and headed for bed himself.  He had an early day tomorrow, he wanted to be back down here before John woke up, and he was sure he'd have to regulate the traffic of visitors.