Note: The song in this chapter is 'For Nancy ('cos it already is)' by Pete Yorn.

Institutionalized: Chapter 3-'Cos It Already Is

*****

And when you said I could not stay with you
That's not the way you would have wanted to be
Convince yourself that everything is alright
'Cos it already is.
xxx
Don't sell your heart and break just anyone
I want to run with you through moorland fields
Convince yourself that everything is alright
'Cos it already is
'Cos it already is


*****

The sound of a weapon being cocked reached Logan's ears in his dream, and he woke up screaming, causing some of the orderlies to rush toward his cell, or 'room' as they liked to call it.

"What's this damn lunatic screaming for?!" a tall, lean orderly with buzzed black hair and a Hitler-ish mustache yelled, approaching the cell.

"Oh, my pal Logan down there?" the orderly, Lenny, called out as he came up beside the Hitler-look-a-like. He waved a hand of dismissal, an amused smirk on his face. "Aw, forget it, he's always screamin' 'bout somethin'. Ain'tcha Logan?" he winked, peering in through the bullet-proof glass that served as a front wall, with a door to the side.

Logan titled his head on the table he was strapped to, struggling against his restraints. His upper lip curled into a snarl. "RRAAARGHH!!!" he screamed, baring pointed canine teeth, though you couldn't really see because of the Hannibal-ish mask over his mouth. He knew he was sane, he felt sane at the moment anyways, since they hadn't given him any of the drugs yet and the previous ones were almost completely worn off. Even so, he'd still rather snarl at the guards and orderlies instead of letting them know that he could think for himself. Logan didn't figure he had a reason to talk to them. No matter what he said they'd still probably find him insane.

Lenny winked at Logan again and turned to the other orderly with a goofy smile, waving him off. "Hey man, I'll take care of this." turning back to Logan, Lenny grinned, pulling out his keys and unlocking the door to Logan's room.

Logan turned his head away, a low growl emitting from his throat. He knew what was going to happen, Lenny was going to unlock his restraints, then put him in a straightjacket to get him his meds and food. Not this time. This time Logan was going to escape. He'd been waiting for this.

"You gonna behave now?" Lenny asked, dangling the key to the restraints right in front of Logan's face.

He didn't say anything, turning his head to look at the orderly. It was a silent answer, and since he didn't scream or growl, that was considered a 'yes' from Logan.

Lenny glanced back at the camera surveying the room from the hall, then began unlocking his patient's restraints. "Jus' sit up slowly when I unhook ya an' you won't needta be tranq'd."

Logan grunted, carefully doing as told and rubbing at his wrists. His bare feet tingled from the cold hard floor and he shivered. Craning his neck to the side until it cracked, Logan smirked devilishly, then roared, charging at Lenny and knocking the surprised man to the ground. Glancing up at the camera he knew was always watching him, Logan got to his feet quickly and bolted from the room, then began running down the halls as fast as his legs could carry him.



*****

The outside air felt fresh and cold at the same time, but it was welcoming. The yard to the Psychiatric Hospital was small, and he barely managed to remember how he'd been able to get out there, but he ran for the barbed wire electric fences, knowing that they were only turned on when the patients were out in the yard for recreation. Logan rushed for the fence, grabbing hold of the links with curled fingers and bare toes as he began to climb. He reached for the top, the barbed wire cutting into his hands, and blood dripping down his arms, but he didn't care, he knew the cuts would heal. He could hear the sirens blaring from his escape, lights going off all around the property, a particularly big spotlight pinpointing him easily. All Logan knew was that he had to get out, but unfortunately, the next thing he realized was that there were guards standing on the dead grass behind him, pointing weapons in his direction.

"Let go of the fence now!!" one of the guards shouted, his weapon shaking in his hand in fear of the apparently crazy man before him.

When the guards realized that Logan wasn't about to back down, they shot at him with taser guns and tranquilizers, knocking him to the ground unconscious.

"Drag 'im inside boys!"



*****

So take your lessons hard and stay with him
And when your car crash comes don't be mislead
Convince yourself that everything is alright
'Cos it already is
'Cos it already is


*****

Trying to look more serious than nervous and edgy, Rogue followed alongside Jean as they were escorted down the halls of the Psychiatric Hospital where their teammate and friend, Logan, was supposedly being held. It pained her to think that he had been committed, and she couldn't understand why it would be so. 'What could Logan have done to make these people think he was crazy?' Of course she could find a somewhat commical answer to her own question, but this wasn't the time. She was worried, and that scared her.

Jean remained calm and collective as they were brought in an office, supposedly so they could talk to the head of the Hospital. She was trying to mentally scan the area to detect if Logan was really there, but without drifting too far. With so many mentally ill mutants around, it could cause her some damage, or atleast a headache, if she were to get into any of their minds. She worried immensely about Logan being held in this horrid place, but Jean had to keep her exterior calm and make sure she didn't cause a scene.



*****

After sitting and talking with the man that was responcible for the entire hospital, a man named Mr. Cross, Jean was growing tired trying to decipher whether he was telling the complete truth, or just parts of it. The man just had an eerie look to him, and Jean didn't trust him. He had a pointed nose; bent slightly at the bridge, thinning grey hair, very tired looking features, and thin rimmed glasses set near the end of his nose.

Rogue sat patiently with her hands folded in her lap as Jean spoke.

"So, how exactly did Logan end up here?" Jean asked, getting impatient.

"Well," Mr. Cross cleared his throat, leaning forward. "If this man who calls himself Logan is the same one you're looking for..."

"You know he is." Jean told him, leaning forward in her chair and giving the man a deadly glare. "I've already described him to a 'T'."

"Yes." Mr. Cross nodded slowly, not meeting Jean's eyes as he spoke again. "As I was about to say; he was brought in, tranquilized. Two hunters found him running around in the woods completely naked, acting like some sort of wounded animal and howling like a madman. They said that he was defensive, growling and snarling when they tried to help, and he attacked them with those knives that come out of his hands. They were forced to shoot him with the tranquilizer guns to take him down. After that, they brought him here, figuring he was an escaped patient."

Jean's face blanched, because she knew there was atleast some sort of truth behind what the eerie little man was saying, but what scared her the most was that Mr. Cross was definetly hiding something, and she wanted to know why.

Rogue just stared at the creepy man, not knowing what to think. All she knew was that she had to go to Logan. He wasn't crazy, he didn't belong in a place like this.

"That still doesn't fully explain the reason why Logan is still here. He knows us, he knows where he lives. I don't understand this." Jean told the man, her anger and confusion rising.

"We had trouble with him once he woke up here. He was irrational, lashing out. Your Logan severely injured two of our guards, and caused a few orderlies to need several stitches. We were forced to restrain him and give the proper medication until he was calm. After that he wouldn't speak to us, he only told us his name and that's all we know." Mr. Cross finished telling Jean and Rogue how Logan had got to the hospital, then he stood, gesturing toward the doors. "Would you like to see him?"

"Yes." Rogue piped up eagerly, speaking for the first time she'd been there.

Jean nodded, standing up.

"Mr. Lenny here will take you to him. He's in the common room with a few of the other patients." Mr. Cross told them, nodding his head to the orderly standing outside the door.

Rogue stared at 'Mr. Lenny', noticing that he had a big bruise on the side of his face and he looked rather angry. For some reason, she feared that Logan was the cause of that man's anger, and the bruise on his face.



*****

So take your lessons hard and stay with him
And when your car crash comes don't be mislead
Convince yourself that everything is alright
'Cos it already is
Yeah it already is
...so take him home.


*****