Overwhelmed part 2
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Wolverine was the first to leave, having finished helping to install the equipment required by Hank. He told Scott that he didn't knew anything more before the young man could even ask the question.
That followed by an endless waiting. Storm had ordered the youngest recruits to return to their rooms, while the other X-Men leaned against the wall or sat on the ground, waiting for news.
Unlike his friends, Scott couldn't stay still and was pacing the floor, stopping only when he thought he heard a noise from Jean's bedroom. For the X-men, seeing their leader, the professor's first student and a paragon of stability, in such a state of worrying was rather unnerving. If they were telepaths, they would have been able to see the thousand of hypothesis and scenarios going through Cyclops' mind, each one more disastrous than the other; he was submerged in an ocean of fear that threatened to drown him.
Finally, more that 20 minutes after Scott had been banished from the room, the door opened again to reveal Professor Xavier and Dr. McCoy.
- "So, what's wrong with her? What happened to her in the med lab? Is she going to be all right?" Scott asked quickly, his voice forceful.
Hank was the first to answer. He sighed and, speaking to Cyclops as well as the other students, said:
- "Jean…Jean's in a coma."
The news stunned the group into momentary silence. Then the questions and reactions which sprang up from the five X-Men's and the two instructors came in such a disorganized wave that they were hardly understandable.
Charles cleared his throat in order to silence the group again, and explained in a voice which he tried to keep steady but which fooled nobody.
- "I still haven't been able to get a response from her. I will have to help reorganize her mind, right now it's only chaos and confusion. I even believed, during a few moments, that…that perhaps she hadn't been able to withstand explosion of her powers…that her mind simply couldn't cope, and gave up."
He had purposefully avoided the term 'brain dead', not wanting to frighten his students any more than was necessary, since they were already in shock from what had happened.
- "But her electroencephalogram proves the contrary," Dr. McCoy hastened to add. "There is still some brain activity, but it's dormant and I simply don't know…"
That was more that Scott could bear.
- "Let me through!"
He cleared a way between his two instructors, who offered no resistance, and went to his friend's bed. He didn't hear the rest of the explanation given by Charles and Hank; no, all his attention was on the young woman whose hand he clasped. He took a deep breath and prepared himself to talk to her.
- "Jean, it's me, Scott. Wake up Jean, please! It's over, everything's calm again. Jean, you can do it, please come back."
Professor Xavier re-entered the room and placed a comforting hand on Scott's shoulder. For a long moment, only the sounds of the brain and heart monitors could be heard in the room.
- "Why is she like this?" Scott asked, never tearing his eyes away from Jean's face.
Charles spoke in a soft tone, obviously trying to protect his student.
- "Her powers evolved too rapidly and with too much force for her mind and body to support. Being a mutant, her body is prepared for physical changes during the development of her powers, but not to this extent, not in so little time."
- "But she'll be ok?"
- "I don't know Scott," answered the professor honestly.
// She can't die // thought the young leader.
To be continued…Review please !