Disclaimer: Don't sue, don't own the x-men, just like to write about
them.
Authors note: hi I know i might not have gave Gambit the best part in
my first story Foul Moods so I decided to write him as the main character
in this one. And yes everybody, he's a real good guy in this one. Well i hope
you enjoy it.
Rating: PG13
Genres: Romance and Tragedy
Main
Characters: Gambit and Rouge
Summary:
Carousel
July always kept the hospital full
of people in need -- none more than the maternity ward which was located in the
west wing. There, Remy paced the lobby outside the emergency-care center.
Perspiration beaded above his brow and upper lip. He waited in anticipation for
the doctor to return with news of his wife's condition. Minutes turned to hours
and still he waited in agony.
Why's it taking so long? The baby should
have been born by now. Is she having trouble with the inception? What? I can't
believe the doctor kicked me out. He told me there wasn't enough room and he
needed full concentration on the task ahead. Still I'm the husband and father
and it's my duty to be there.
The nurse watched the distraught
husband sit down and stand up every few moments. Poor thing, she thought.
I hope his wife makes through it, for his sake. She walked toward the
gentlemen and placed a hand on his arm. Remy turned and met the sweet face of a
short old lady.
"You wouldn' have news on my chere would you?" Remy asked
as he grabbed her shoulders.
She almost looked angelic as she spoke.
"Your wife is in the utmost care, Mr. LeBeau. I promise the doctors are doing
everything they can." Tears formed in Remy's eyes while he kneeled in front of
the nurse.
"Please... I can't live without her... she's everything I
have." He held onto the small women as he broke down crying.
She smiled
and uttered, "It's okay hun, let it out. It's good to cry." Remy couldn't
control his emotions as he let out heart filled sobs onto the lady's
uniform.
* * * *
Snow fell lightly as Remy lifted his collar and
breathed in the cold, December air. "I should be happy I can even touch Rogue.
Wid' out 'de bracelet Forge made, she'd still be absorbing me." Remy touched the
silver mechanical looking bracelet on his wrist.
"But I still have 'dis
pain in my heart 'dat won' go away."
Remy paused as he tried to compose
himself. "My heart pains for a child." He placed his hands over his face,
feeling hot tears escape. "I wanna be a daddy." Remy said, crying through his
hands.
* * * *
Something felt cold and wet as Remy opened his
eyes.
"Wwwwaa' happened?" he asked, touching his face.
"It's okay,
hun. You passed out, so I moved you over on the couch." Remy tried to stand,
bracing himself against the wall.
"I need to see my wife...
please."
"Lay down before you hurt yourself," pleaded the nurse.
"I need to know how she is..." Remy went silent as a man in green scrubs
strolled into the room.
"I'm Dr. Kaufman. Are you Remy LeBeau?" The
doctor asked, wiping sweat out of his eyes. Remy nodded, afraid to say anything.
"Your wife is stable for the moment, but she's still in critical
condition."
"Critical condition?" asked Remy,
dumbfounded.
"Rogue's been experiencing signs of vaginal bleeding,
abdominal pains, nausea and vomiting. So we've kept her on critical
condition."
"Do you 'dink she'll pull through it?" he asked, almost
pleading.
"Yes, I believe so, but we're not out of the woods,
yet."
"So, she's still in labor, 'den?"
"Yes, she'll be in labor
for quite awhile, I expect. Mrs. Karats, I need to get back to my patient, so
would you please take care of him," replied the doctor, gesturing to Remy as he
made his way out the door.
"Sure, Doctor." Mrs. Karats waited until she
was sure the doctor was gone before she continued. "Hun, remember, nothing is
certain, and Dr. Kaufman is well... very straight forward." Mrs. Karats stated,
putting her arm around Remy's back.
"Maybe I should get a little sleep.
I'm no good to my wife in 'dis state."
"Well, we have this big couch to
sleep on, and if you need me, I'll be in the other room."
"Thank you,"
Remy replied, closing his eyes.
* * * *
"Oh, sugah, thanks for
taking me to the carnival. It's so romantic," stated Rogue, holding Remy's
hand.
"It the least I can do for my chere."
"Do you want to go on
the carousel?" Rogue said with a glint in her eye.
"Sure hun." Rogue
clapped her hands in joy while she made her way over to the carousel. Remy
watched Rogue straddle a giant bunny as he gave the operator two
tickets.
"Sugah, over here," she suggested, patting a blue horse beside
her.
"You wan' me on the blue horse, don' ya." Remy replied,
grinning.
"Please," Rogue pleaded with a smile.
"Why not, but you
know how much I dislike riding blue horses. I jus' hope you can live wid' your
guilt," he said, trying to sound serious.
"I'm sure I can." Rogue
remarked, laughing. The ride lasted only a few minutes, to Rogue's
disappointment.
"Where to next?" Remy asked strolling off the
carousel.
"The Water Battle."
"Water Battle?"
"Remy, the
stand by the roller coaster." Rogue pointed out.
"No, not 'dat one.
You're not making me do 'dat one," he responded, crossing his arms.
"Oh
sugah, you only throw water balloons at each other," she replied, pulling at his
trench coat.
"I don' understand your fascination about getting wet. I
jus' find it well... wet," commented Remy. Rogue rolled her eyes. "That was so
profound."
"How about we go on the roller coaster?" Remy suggested as he
took Rogue's hand.
"How about we just go home," she said, pulling him
toward the carnival's exit.
"Is someding wrong chere?" Remy asked, a
little worried.
"No, I just think the heat is getting to me, that's all."
Rogue said, wiping the sweat from her face.
"Okay 'den." He glanced over
at Rogue as he drove back to the institute. 'Dat girl don' know how much I
love her, Remy thought. "Wake up, sleepy head." Remy said, nudging Rogue.
Slowly her eyes flickered open as she turned to look at him.
"Are we here
already?"
"Yes chere, we're here."
"Oh," she replied, yawning.
Remy held the door open as Rouge hobbled inside.
"Hi, did you guys have
fun at the carnival?" Kitty asked with a smile on her face.
"Yes, we had
a lovely time, did'n we Rogue?" Remy turned toward the stairs.
"Yes, yes,
yes, it was lovely and everything. Now if you don't mind I'll be going to the
bathroom," she replied, trudging up the stairs. Kitty watched Rogue go up the
stairs then disappear out of sight as a door shut.
"What's wrong with
Rogue?" she asked.
"Don' know, she be acting 'dis way for awhile
now."
"Well, you better go find out what it is. She doesn't look very
happy," said Kitty.
"Dat's what I'm going to do," stated Remy as he made
his way up the stairs. "Chere you in here?" Remy said, opening the door to her
bedroom.
"Yeah, I'm in the bathroom."
He opened the bathroom door
and saw Rogue hunched over the toilet. "Chere, you didn't tell me you were
sick."
"It's been happening quite often now. I'd feel fine one minute
then I'm throwing up the next." Rogue replied, wiping her mouth.
"Rogue
you pregnant?!" Remy replied, with joy on his face.
"I that thought too,
so I'm going to use a pregnancy test. We'll know in a minute," she said, wiping
the hair out of her face. Remy put his arms around his wife and said, "I love
you, chere. 'Dis is the most happiest day of my life. I prayed for 'dis, you
know."
"I love you, too, Sugah." Rogue pulled herself up from the floor
and walked over to the sink. A few minutes later she emerged from the bathroom,
her hands shaking as she held the pregnancy test up to the light.
"Chere,
what does it say?" asked Remy, breathing deeply as he walked into the bedroom.
She looked at Remy with tears in her eyes. "You're gonna be a daddy."
"Oh
Rogue, thank you. I know I'll make a good dad, you'll see," he joyfully said,
pulling his wife into a kiss.
* * * *
Something tugged at Remy's
shirt, persistently.
"Mr. LeBeau... the doctor needs to speak with you,
it concerns your wife." He sat up and watched the nurse leave the room and
return with a doctor.
"Hi, my name is Dr. Lancaster, your wifes's primary
physician. I'd recommend you to stay seated -- what I'm about to say is very
important," said the doctor, very slowly. Remy looked at Dr. Lancaster, with
worry in his eyes.
"Rogue has had a placental abruption. It's a condition
in which the placenta unexpectedly detaches from the inside of the uterus." The
doctor paused for a moment, making sure the other man understood, then
continued. "It caused your wife to start hemorrhaging... and your daughter's
oxygen supply was cut off. The absence of oxygen caused her heart to stop... she
then died shortly. I'm very sorry, I wish there was something I could
do."
Remy panicked. He felt his world narrowing to a sharp point as his
head began to spin. This can't be happening. I must be dreaming... yes that's
it, I must be sleeping. This is just one horrible nightmare. I'll soon wake
up...
"Look at me, Mr. LeBeau, it's important; you listen to me. Your
wife is hemorrhaging profusely. We tried very hard to stop the bleeding but...
you need to see her now. I'm not sure how long she has."
"No, no,
no, no, 'dis isn' happening. You're just a figment of my imagination. I'm
dreaming you see, I'll wake up and everyding will be back to normal."
Dr.
Lancaster turned toward the nurse as he said something, that Remy could not
understand. Everything was covered in a sheet of gray -- a sheet of death, one
could say. His whole life was tumbling down before his eyes and their was
nothing he could do to stop it.
"Hun, you better go
see your wife before it's to late," said Mrs. Karats, helping Remy up. Remy
walked hesitantly toward his wife's maternity room.
"We'll leave
you alone," commented Dr. Lancaster, who took the nurse's arm. Slowly, Remy
stepped closer to his wife's bed, unsure if all this was real.
"Chere?
Can you hear me?"
"Yes, I can hear you..." breathed Rogue, writhing in
pain. Remy could feel the tears welling in of his eyes.
"I love you,
Rogue, you don' forget 'dat."
She smiled, weakly. "I'm sorry I couldn't
give you a child, Remy. I guess my body isn't as resilient as I'd
hoped."
"Shh, don' say 'dat, you need to keep your strength," he
suggested, cupping her face.
"Don't lie to me, Remy... I know... I'm not
going to make it," Rogue stammered, coughing intermittently as she tried to
sound brave, though inside she was distraught.
"Don' say 'dat, please! I
don' want to loose you..." Remy placed his head on Rogue's chest. She felt his
tears soak through her blanket.
"I'll find you, when it's time." Rogue
said, her mouth filling with the coppery taste of blood.
"Don' close your
eyes Rogue, jus' stay with me," he begged, clutching at her hand and running
frantic fingers over her cheeks.
"Remy... I wanted to tell you... when
you put your arms around me... I felt like there was nothing... I couldn't do. I
love you." Rogue closed her eyes as her heart slowed to a stop. Remy clenched
his fists over his eyes as he dropped to the floor. "Don'! Don'... I need
you..." His hands twisted in the thin material of the hospital bed sheets. "'Dis
isn't fair! What have I done to deserve 'dis?! To lose every'ding in my life
'dat's important to me," he sobbed.
* * * *
"Chere, will you
please get out of 'dere. You've been in 'dere for a half an hour," said Remy,
standing in front of the bathroom.
"You'll only laugh at me," Rogue
replied, irritated.
"I won' do 'dat, I promise."
"Since you
promised, I guess, I could come out." Rogue said, trying to reassure herself.
The door inched open and she walked out. Rogue knew she was showing every sign
of being eight months pregnant. Her red maternity dress covered her stomach,
just barely. It looked like it was stretched to the point of bursting in pieces.
Remy masked his mouth with a hand.
"You promised, you wouldn't laugh,"
she retorted, turning her back to him.
"Sorry, chere, I jus' gotta say...
kkooolllaaid." Remy said, laughing hysterically. Rogue gasped as her face
reddened, running back into the bathroom. She closed the door and locked
it.
"Of all the things you are, I never thought you were a liar," she
remarked, crying.
"Rogue, I was joking. Please come out," he
begged.
"No, leave me alone Remy LeBeau! I don't want
to hear your voice!" Rogue yelled. Remy sighed, thinking of what to
say.
"Chere, I love you. When I asked for someone to save me, you
were there. You've always been there, no matter what. I'm so lucky to have you
Rogue." Remy barely finished before the bathroom door opened.
"Oh sugah,
I love you, too," she squealed, wrapping her arms around him.
"I 'dink
you look gorgeous in 'dat dress," he smiled, kissing the top of Rogue's
head.
"You're lying, but thanks anyway."
* * * *
Month's of
dry rose petals crunched under the weight of Remy's knees. He reached out and
touched the engraved names of the tombstones before him.
Marie "Rogue"
LeBeau,
Though she has departed,
she will never be
forgotten.
"Rogue... wherever you are... I jus' wan' you to know, I
still love you. I'll always love you, no one will take 'dat away from you." The
marble was smooth and warm to the touch.
Remy turned and watched the sun
set behind the old oak trees. "I can't stand to lie awake in bed, thinking about
all the things you've said. Wishing you were with me, wishing you were in my
arms. I realized today," He turned back towards Rogue's gravestone. "... that I'm
going to start living again, living for you."
Orange-red leaves blew
toward Remy, piling up around his legs as he leaned down and placed a silver
bracelet in the bed of dead rose petals.
Amelie Joan LeBeau,
She is
the angel that watches
over me. God bless her soul
and keep
safe.
"Amelie... I'm sorry I wasn't 'dere to protect you. It's my
duty to take care of you, and I failed. I hope you can forgive me..." Remy laid
a small pink bunny on top of her grave.
"You are the light of my life,
and 'dere will always be a place in my heart for you, my petit."
The
night was upon him, calling him home with its gentle glow. "I hope you find
everyding you've been looking for in heaven, because down here, it's full of
lonely hearts and tearful faces. Good night, Chere and Amelie."
* * *
*
Rogue looked down at her husband, from heaven above. Waiting for the
day when he'd come to her. To come and take his place as husband by her side and
father to this child. This is what she'd have to live with.
Amelie
whimpered feeling tears cascade down her head. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry." Rogue
said, wiping them away. "Mommy jus' happy, daddy's going to do something with
his life. It was awful watching him grieve over us. He was in so much pain," she
said, holding Amelie close.
"I can finally live with myself, knowing he's
going to be okay." Rogue confessed, walking into the light.
The
End...
