Chapter 4: The Blame
Kitty Pryde had stood outside the girls bathroom for twenty minutes, knocking, "Rogue, c'mon, are you DONE in there already!?!" she demanded.
Kitty knew Rogue was the only one who could have been in the girls bathroom. She'd seen all the other females in the mansion pass by at some point, and Amara had even admitted to having seen Rogue rush into the bathroom in tears earlier.
"Rogue! C'mon, you've been in there forever," Kitty leaned against the wall, folding her arms.
There was no answer, Kitty glanced at her watch, "Rogue, c'mon, I want to brush my teeth, I just ate a garlic pizza and my breath stinks!"
Kitty frowned, she wondered if perhaps Rogue was angry with her about earlier. Maybe she'd seemed too patronising to the girl who was obviously going through a lot. "Rogue, if this is about earlier, I'm sorry," she called through the door, "I know I wasn't helping things."
No reply from the other side.
"Rogue, c'mon, I feel stupid standing outside here talking to a door," Kitty sighed, "don't make me phase through the door…it might be embarrassing if you're sitting on the toilet or something," Kitty glanced at her watch, another few minutes had gone by. "Rogue, come ON," she called, "this isn't funny anymore!"
Remy came from the direction of the staircase, his expression full of frustration, he looked tired – more tired than Kitty had ever seen him. "Seen Rogue?" he asked.
"Why should you care?" Kitty asked, looking at Remy, he stood far taller than her, broad shouldered and muscular, he loomed over her.
"Don't start with me, Shadowcat, this has nothing to do with you," Remy folded his arms.
"The hell it hasn't, when she comes to me bawling her eyes out 'cause you've fucked her over again and lied to her—"
"Kitty, I'm warning you…" Remy looked like he was about to lose his temper with her.
"You're warning me nothing, Remy, leave her alone, go back to your little wife."
"Kitty, will you just stay out of this!" Remy hissed at her.
"Like hell!" Kitty went to smack him, losing her temper with him, "you've hurt her one too many times!"
Remy caught her arm, but as he did, she struggled and it knocked her off her balance, "let go!!" she growled.
"So you can try and hit me again?" Remy asked, "don't try and fight Rogue's battles for her, kitty cat," he kept a hard grip of her wrists.
"Let GO!" Kitty screamed, she winced, his hold on her wrists was just a little too tight.
"Make me!" he yelled back at her.
Kitty frowned, "fine," she closed her eyes and held her breath, her concentration focusing completely on her powers. Her wrists phased through his hands as if she were intangible. As she pulled herself away from him, continuing to phase knocked her stepping backwards into the closed door – phasing through as well, she tripped on the rug on the bathroom and toppled onto the floor on her backside.
At first she was slightly disorientated as to what had happened, she looked around. What she found was not a pleasant sight. There was vomit on the floor, and halfway down the outside of the large bathtub. And then there was Rogue, curled up in the bathtub. Kitty stood up, her voice trembled, "Rogue?" she asked.
Kitty leaned over the bath and tried to move Rogue, gingerly trying to move her without touching her bare flesh, "Rogue…oh my god, Rogue, what's going on…" Kitty grabbed a handful of Rogue's hair and raised her head up a little from its craned position. She was unconscious, her skin even paler than usual, and it looked clammy. The smell of vomit made Kitty heave, she tried to focus on not making herself sick right now.
Kitty looked around quickly for any signs as to what Rogue might have taken to get in this state, the empty bottle that once contained painkillers made Kitty's stomach flip, she realised this wasn't a silly accident, or even an unexpected illness.
"Kitty!? What's going on?!" Remy's voice boomed from the other side.
Kitty rushed to the door and unlocked it, yanking it open, "go down, get Hank, tell him to come as fast as he can!"
Remy glanced over to the bath, "What has she done?!" he tried to pass Kitty.
Kitty blocked the door, "GET HANK!"
Remy rushed off, looking confused and panicked. Kitty rushed back to the bathtub and tried to pull Rogue out of it.
"Rogue, c'mon, wake up!"
Rogue did not respond at all, Kitty wasn't sure if she was even breathing. Kitty drew her breath, "Rogue…c'mon…" Kitty felt tears pierce her eyes, "he's an asshole, he's not worth throwing your life away!" she shook Rogue violently, "come on!" she screamed.
Rogue didn't move, it was as if she was lifeless, dead already.
Kitty drew her breath, she wasn't sure if Rogue was breathing or not, with a trembling hand – knowing the results of Rogue's power and the horrible feeling that was always to follow – she reached to Rogue's neck, detecting a very slight pulse, she yanked her hand back, even in Rogue's weakened state her powers still took effect, Kitty felt her body slightly seizing. Realising the effect Rogue's powers had given was not as strong as it had always been before. Kitty tried to ignore her confusion with this, and to focus on the situation at hand. "Rogue…you are seriously NOT gonna die because of Remy LeBeau, now snap out of it!" Kitty sobbed.
Rogue did not snap out of it, no matter how much Kitty pleaded, the girl was unconscious and Kitty had no idea how to treat an overdose patient. The reality of what was happening sinking in more and more each minute, Kitty felt helpless and tried to waken Rogue from her stupor. Nothing was doing it, and when Hank McCoy – along with Logan – finally arrived, Kitty had already assumed it was too late.
"This is all your fault you know…" Kitty Pryde and Remy LeBeau were sitting in the mansion's kitchen, two large cups off black coffee in front of them. They both knew it was going to be a long night. Neither had really said anything to each other since the discovery of Rogue, and Hank's arrival to help. Both were tired, and shaken, both having seen how bad Rogue had looked, both having known how serious an overdose could be if not caught quick enough.
And now, Hank McCoy and Professor Charles Xavier were in the hospital wing with Rogue, and Kitty and Remy had both been instructed by Logan and Ororo that they should keep away. They obliged, but their minds did not rest easy.
Remy sighed, "you sound just like her when you say that," he looked away from Kitty, his dark eyes brimming, they glittered, and as he moved the tears trembled but did not break from the confines of those eyes, they did not spill.
"Why can't you just be honest with her, why all the shit, Gambit? You know she has a hard time trusting anyone…you had her trust and you betrayed it again," Kitty had her hands around her cup of coffee, the kitchen was cold, and neither of them had the strength nor will to get up and turn the heating up.
Remy rested his elbow upon the table, and his hand over his eyes, as if to hide the tears that threatened to spill, "I don't know, alright?!" his voice trembled, "just stop interrogating me – you do the same thing she does, you jump to conclusions."
"Do you blame her? Wouldn't you?! If you loved her so much that you'd die for her and she come to you one day and said 'oh I'm married by the way', don't you think you'd immediately jump to some sort of conclusion…"
"I don't know!! Will you just stop!?" he demanded, he took his hand from his face, his eyes were flashing with anger, and emotion. "The girl I love is lying in a fucking hospital bed probably dying, and its because of me, do you think I don't feel guilty enough without your fucking blame on me?!" he demanded.
Kitty looked down into her coffee, "why didn't you tell her you were married?" she asked, her voice soft, but anger still searing just under its surface.
"Because it wasn't a serious secret…" Remy trailed off.
"Wasn't serious? You're legally married to some fucking French girl, and meanwhile you have a girlfriend who you know has some serious issues – who falls into depression REALLY easy – and you're fucking around with lies and secrets again…knowing that eventually she's going to find out – and that when she would it would fuck her up royally…y'know what, Remy, you're selfish. You never gave any consideration to her whatsoever!" Kitty folded her arms. "My best FRIEND is lying in a hospital bed probably dying because of you – because you can't keep it in your pants and can't control your sordid affairs…"
"I am NOT selfish!" Remy growled.
"Yes you are…" Kitty wiped her angry tears, "you never put her first, you put yourself first."
"That's not true," Remy's tears finally broke free of the confines of his dark eyes, they made trails across his face, which he quickly wiped.
"Yes it is, face it," Kitty sneered, her tears flowed freely. "Lying makes things easy for you, it makes it easier to charm her with your promises you can't keep, and your fleeting romantic gestures, which we all know – and I think Rogue does too – are just some ploy to have your way with her. The only reason you have any interest in her is because you can't have her. The minute you do have her you'll ditch her any way, isn't that what you did with your fiancée," Kitty rolled her eyes.
Remy stood up, "Enough!" he slammed his hand on to the table, the coffee cups quivered and coffee splashed and spilled over the pine tabletop.
Kitty jumped at the loudness of his voice – and the slam of his hand against the wood, her large blue eyes wide in surprise.
"You know nothing! You know nothing about my love life, and what you think you know is only trivial details Rogue cares to tell you – did she tell you I could have had her in bed?! No, did she tell you that I told her I loved her?! No! Did she tell you that I told her I wouldn't want to live without her?! NO!" Remy scowled at Kitty, he leered over, his hands pressed against the table, and he leaned in so close his spittle hit her face as he yelled. "I could have slept with her, but I didn't! I don't want to – because she's the one that makes the difference!! I didn't lie to her to make things easier on me! I kept the truth from her to keep from hurting her – because she's been hurt enough! And every time I hurt her I hate myself more than I ever have in my life!!" Remy moved away from the table, "and if you don't believe that, then fuck you," he uttered.
"Fuck you," Kitty muttered back at him.
"Y'know, this is one of the times when we're supposed to hold together, like in the movies," he sat back down, "Where we're supposed to be leaning on each other for support, not arguing…"
Kitty looked away, drying her tears on the sleeve of her pink cardigan. "Why couldn't you have just left her alone?!" she demanded.
Remy looked away, "I couldn't…I can't help myself…I can't stay away from her…"
Kitty remained quiet, she wanted to yell at him more, but suddenly she felt so drained she was sure she didn't have enough strength to.
"Kids…" Hank had stepped into the kitchen, he looked as tired as they all felt.
Remy stood up instantly, "how is she?" he asked.
"It's…not good," Hank sighed, he looked defeated, his expression sullen, his eyes watery. "We pumped her stomach, but she was left untreated far too long…"
Kitty and Remy looked at each other, then back to Hank.
"She took so much…there is…an immeasurable amount of liver damage…" Hank explained.
Kitty as if she were about to pass out, everything becoming unreal and hazy, Remy looked as if he were too stunned for words.
"Will…she die…" Remy's voice was quivering.
"It…is hard to say how long she will survive…given the amount of poisoning in her system from the painkillers…" Hank's voice was stammering, on the brink of tears himself, "…it could be a week…it could be hours…" he swallowed, a lump in his throat, ""she…she is in immense pain, and we have sedated her…"
"Can we see her…?" Kitty's voice was slight, and sounded detached from her.
"I'm afraid not. Right now, no one can see her…" Hank said softly.
Remy dropped to his knees, his body felt as if it had collapsed with shock, and anguish, the news that the only girl he was certain he had really loved would certainly die. His tears flowed, and he let out a heart wrenching wail of emotional torment.
Kitty sobbed into her hands, her shoulders shaking, no one in the mansion could believe the horrific news. Rogue was going to die.