HOP, Part Trois
===.X.X.X.X.===
The clock struck midnight, and there was still no word from the infirmary. Most of the others had gone to bed. Only Kitty, Rogue, Evan, Lance and Pietro were still in the kitchen. Wanda was sleeping in the living room, and Fred had gone back to the boarding house for something. Rogue was there because she couldn't sleep, and the tea was good. Evan was there to keep an eye on Pietro --- as if he could stop the guy from doing anything. Kitty had first tried talking to Lance. That didn't work, so now she was just yelling at him.
"I can't believe you said that to him!"
"What, the truth?"
She screeched in annoyance and disgust. "You make me like, so mad! He's not a freak, Lance! He's my friend! And he made sure Toad didn't die! You better apologize!"
No one saw him, but Kurt was lurking just outside the kitchen door, listening in. It warmed his heart to hear Kitty standing up for him.
"Apologize for what?" Lance replied, in his irritatingly smooth manner.
"Apologize, for accusing him, of screwing, up," Kitty said, emphasizing every word she could. "Now."
They stared each other down. Lance seemed to get smaller and smaller under Kitty's angry eyes, and he finally relented.
"Okay, fine. Fine!"
Kurt picked his moment and walked in.
"I didn't sink anyone vould still be here," he said, meandering over to the counter to get another cup of tea. "Any news?"
"Kurt!" Kitty said, walking over to him with a smile. "Lance has something he wants to say to you." She turned Kurt to face Lance, and nodded at her boyfriend.
Lance moaned. "Here goes my reputation, Kitty. I hope you're happy."
===.X.X.X.X.===
Beast stretched, and finished securing the ace wrap. It was 2 in the morning. He and Steven looked down at their handiwork. Toad was lying belly-up on the operating table, wrapped from chest to hip in bandages, the anesthesia tube still sticking out of his mouth. Dressings, coverings, bloody gauze, and empty blood packs littered the floor. Ororo, manning the anesthesia machine, looked positively exhausted. She was draping a bed with clean sheets as she pushed it over to the operating table.
"There. That's it," Steven said, stripping off his gloves. "You know, he looked like hell when he came in, but I think he'll live. It's always good to help a fellow mutant in need."
Beast blinked at him. "I take it you've never met Toad."
Steven didn't know what to say to that. "On three. Ready? One, two, three!"
They picked Toad up and gently set him on the bed. Ororo got his tube hooked up to a ventilator. She pressed "assist." Toad had stopped breathing on his own about three minutes into surgery. It was slowly coming back (he was taking every third on his own), but it wasn't enough. Beast threw a blanket over the kid and checked his IV. Steven wrote a few prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medication should they need more. Then he shook Beast's hand, and Ororo's, and disappeared (literally), with a parting wave.
"You know, I'm sure it's just because I'm so discombobulated," Ororo said, "But that looked like magic."
Beast smiled and put an arm around her. "It was," he said. "I'll stay here and monitor him until morning. You go and get some sleep."
===.X.X.X.X.===
The sun came out early in the morning, and the dew on the garden plants shone like diamonds. The storm was over. At eight a.m., Kurt and Kitty were both walking towards the infirmary. Kitty yawned and stretched.
"So, 'ya think Toad made it?"
"Ja, I'm sure. If he hadn't, everyone vould know by now."
"Good point. … Look, Kurt, I know Lance and the other guys were being jerks, but if it's any consolation, I think you did the right thing by bringing him here."
Kurt smiled at her. "Danke."
She smiled back, sort of shyly. They wandered in. Lance, Pietro, Fred, and Wanda were all gathered around a bed. Kurt and Kitty exchanged a look, and came over to join them. The heart monitor was beeping softly. If not for the breathing mask and all the IV's, Toad could have been asleep. He'd been cleaned up. Lance was looking at him critically. He shot Kurt a brief look, then hailed Beast.
"Hey. Mister."
Beast looked up from the infirmary organizational area, where he was sitting with a bowl of cereal. "Yes?"
"We need a couple of pillows over here."
"Oh? What for?" Beast asked, abandoning his breakfast to get to the linen closet.
Lance looked distinctly uncomfortable. "They're, um, for Toad. If he keeps his legs straight too long, his knees start to ache." Beast tossed him some pillows, and he nudged Pietro. "Get those blankets off of him for a second. Wanda, bend his legs up real good … there 'ya go." Fred, across from him, was holding up a paper bag. "What's that?"
"His jammies," the large boy said. "For when he can get out of that hospital gown."
Kitty and Kurt were standing a few feet away. They watched this in astonishment, and felt almost like voyeurs, like they weren't supposed to see this. Beast tapped Kurt on the shoulder.
"How's the arm?"
"Better. How's Toad?"
"Pretty well, considering. We got the slugs out, patched him up, gave him a few transfusions, and there doesn't seem to be any sign of infection. Of course, he'll need to be monitored here for at least a week before we can release him."
"A-week? But-that's-like,-forever!"
Lance rolled his eyes. "Dammit, Pietro, you've been into the coffee, haven't you!"
Pietro looked down. Lance sighed. Just for a second, he seemed old. He turned to Beast. "He'll be okay, right? I mean, he won't walk away from this and be permanently damaged, or something?"
Beast sensed the concern in the young man's voice. He put a hand on Lance's shoulder. "He will absolutely be okay, and the damage is certainly not permanent. My guess is he'll be up and about in a month, and picking pockets again in two."
"What?"
"He had an enormous amount of cash stuffed in his pants," Beast replied. "I'd venture to say that was the main reason the mob started chasing him."
"You said it was an Anti-Mutant meeting!" Lance protested, pointing at Kurt.
"It vas. But za reason zhey all came afta him in za first place vas because he stole all zeir money."
There was a pause as the Brotherhood took this in. A statement like that would have outraged other people, but they just looked down at Toad proudly.
"That ballsy son-of-a-gun," Lance said, his eyes shining.
"Heh heh, that's ma' boy!" Fred added, ruffling his friend's hair.
"We'll-make-the-bills! Yay!"
Fred and Pietro celebrated and slapped five. Wanda rolled her eyes. Kitty leaned on Kurt and smiled a little.
"Unfortunately, all the money was wet from the rain," Beast said. "It was ripped to shreds when he fell in the mud."
The celebrating stopped. They all groaned together.
"Well, at least he tried," Fred said. "That's worth somethin', right?"
===.X.X.X.X.===
The professor came in at ten to relieve Beast and check on Toad. The scene he found brought a smile to his face. Kitty and Kurt were sitting with the Brotherhood, and talking. They weren't arguing, or fighting, or threatening each other … just talking. Kitty was even laughing. Kurt looked relaxed. They were discussing the Anti-Mutant meetings, and Lance was kicking around the idea of staging a real protest.
"I mean it! We should follow Toad's example, and protest for Mutant Rights or something!" he said.
"I dunno," Fred replied.
"Blob,-'I-dunno'-is-your-answer-for-everything!"
"Leave him alone!" Wanda said, smacking her brother.
But the laughter at Pietro's retort drowned out the tiny call of "Hey!" Even when the raspy word got louder, nobody noticed it. Until finally …
"Hey!"
Everyone jumped.
"Hey! Couldja all shaddap? I'm tryin' ta sleep!"
They ran for the bed. Toad was blinking up at everybody, looking extremely annoyed. Fred smiled, as did Lance.
"Welcome back, buddy," Lance said.
===.X.X.X.X.===
The professor finally had to shoo the Brotherhood out, because Toad needed his rest. Kitty had left with Lance and the others, and the professor was off cleaning a stethoscope. It was just Kurt Wagner and Todd Tolensky, and the silence between them. Toad finally broke it.
"Whaddid 'ya tell 'em?"
"Zat you miscalculated a jump. I couldn't screw up your heinous reputation by saying you saved my life."
There was a brief pause as Toad considered this. He looked at Kurt sincerely and said, "Thanks."
"Actually, I should be sanking you."
Toad squirmed. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get all mushy on me!"
"But I am curious as to vhy."
Toad licked his lips. "I did it 'cuz I owed 'ya," he said, finally. "'Ya helped me out with Wanda. She don't hate me no more, thanks ta you."
"Ja, she took longer to get disgasted viss you, I notice."
"Yeah."
"Vell, I'll see you."
"Whatever, man. Just keep yeh mouth shut."
"Vill do," Kurt said, a smile coming to his lips.
"You betta. Just 'cuz ah saved yeh ass don't mean I like you, yo."
"I could say za same."
They looked at each other.
"Enemies?" Toad asked, holding out his left hand for a shake.
"Enemies," Kurt agreed.
They shook on it. The professor raised his eyebrows at Kurt, and the blue mutant turned to go. He was almost at the door when Toad called out behind him:
"Take care a' yehself, ya blue furry asshole."
Kurt grinned. "Feel betta, schwanz."
And he left.
THE END
Notes: Whew! That's it. Congratulations on surviving this wad o' crap (I didn't think I did too well), and let me know what you think. Like I said, it was really hard to do --- but that doesn't mean if you hate it you should go easy.
Toad's knee thing is not my idea. I got it from reading … dang it, I can't remember the title. It's a recent one, and it's really good. Lance gets these headaches that prevent him from using his powers or he'll die … Help me out, here. He has this scene with Toad, where Toad's trying to walk like a normal guy so Lance doesn't feel bad about using his powers, and Lance says, "Toad, quit it. You know if you stand normally it makes your knees ache." I just thought it was so sweet! Kudos to that author, whoever it is.
The next one will be a funny, I promise. It's called, "Princess." Keep your eyes peeled for it! :D
Peace and love,
Kiki
