Overwhelmed part 4
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***
A soft grinding noise could be heard as the door to Jean's room opened a crack. A head appeared at the opening before quickly disappearing, followed by another grinding noise.
- "He's here," confirmed Ororo in a low voice, speaking to the others waiting in the corridor.
- "I figured as much," Logan answered.
Professor X, who had been advised of Scott's 'disappearance', nodded slowly.
- "Scott and Jean became very close during their early years as the only students at the Institute. They have shared their fears and their dreams; they are closer to each other and know each other better than anyone else. It was obvious to me that a very strong connection has bonded them since they first met, and over time it has only grown stronger."
- "Seeing Jean like this is hard enough for us, it's even worse for him. Especially considering how he feels about her," Storm said in understanding.
A silence fell on the little group before Hank changed the subject.
- "How was Jean able to cause so much damage?' Hank asked, thinking about the destroyed med lab. "It's been three days, and I still can't get over it. The walls were in reinforced concrete, and not to mention the ceiling! It must have required a colossal amount of psychic strength to accomplish that !"
- "I always knew that Jean was destined to become one of the most powerful telepaths and telekinetics in the word," Professor X interjected. "It was simply a question of time. I was just beginning to believe her powers would continue to develop gradually. I can't help but feel that I failed her somehow; I should have planned for this scenario, and tried to prepare her."
Charles hung his head sadly.
- "No Charles, don't blame yourself," Hank objected. "We have almost 20 students here, and we have even more problems since humans now know of our existence. You can't manage all'
- "And you tried to help her when Scott brought her home, but you weren't able to," added Logan. "Maybe Jean's 'power surge' was unavoidable."
- "They're right," agreed Storm. "Preparing Jean might have changed nothing; you had no way of knowing her evolution would take place so rapidly. Not everything can be predicted, Charles. In the past you had placed blocks in Jean's mind in order to help her to cope her powers, but even the strongest blocks can break."
Professor Xavier nodded silently, knowing that his friends were sincere. A new silence hung over the corridor for some time before Logan spoke.
- "Well, now that we've found the Scott, we can go back to bed. There's no point bringing him up to his room again, 'cause we know that he won't stay there."
- "And at least he's sleeping," added Ororo.
- "He's finally fallen asleep?"
Storm nodded.
- "No wonder," said Hank. "He hadn't gotten a moment of sleep in three days; at that rate he would have collapsed eventually."
Charles approved with a nod and rolled away, indicating it was time for them to return to their rooms.
Even he wasn't sleeping very well these past few days, but his mental training allowed him to keep a good physical state. Jean, his second student, a young woman he cared about very much and who he thought of as a daughter, was in a coma…he needed to cope with his own grief over the situation.
***
She began to gradually emerge from what seemed like an endless abyss. Her arms and legs were numb, she had a headache and to open her eyes seemed to need a colossal strength.
It took Jean a while to realize where she was. The room and the constant beeping of the equipment around her had confused her at first, but the semi-darkness of the dawn which was softly illuminating her bedroom furniture comforted her. As for why she was connected to all the machines, she had no idea… and the stabbing pain which was already making her head hurt didn't encourage her to search her own memories.
As she gradually regained awareness of her body, she realized that there was something resting on her abdomen, a hand was holding hers. She didn't need to see the face marked by exhaustion and anxiety to know it was Scott's, and, after having spent a few minutes observing him, she moved her fingers slightly.
The young man murmured something incomprehensible before he started, the movement of her fingers finally registering, and looked up, meeting Jean's gaze.
- "Jean?" he asked in a hesitant voice, not quite believing his eyes. "Oh my god, you scared me! I was starting to think you wouldn't ever wake up again."
Tears of happiness ran down his cheeks as the first rays of morning sun shone through the window, bathing the room in a soft light.
- "How are you feeling?"
- "I…groggy," she answered in a weak voice.
To be continued…Review please !