Finally, here is the final chapter. I'm sorry I let this story remain unfinished for so long, but now it's finished. Next, I'm going to try and finish my Mystique story as well as maybe write a new one. Thanks for all the reviews and I hope you enjoy this last chapter.
It was a quiet night. The moon was full and seemed to be gazing melancholically at the Earth as it bathed the world in its pale, cold light. It seemed as if the world itself had fallen asleep, as were most of the inhabitants of the institute, yet their sleep was anything but restful. They were restless, wondering the horrible 'what ifs' of Kurt's condition. Scott kept reliving the accident as well. Every time he closed his eyes, he heard the horrible sound of screeching tires, metal crunching against metal. He could even smell the smoke and oil. Then, he would see Kurt again: slumped unconscious against the restraint of the seatbelt and his face bathed in his own blood. The only difference was that, in his dreams, Kurt was dead.
Rogue was one of the few that were not asleep. Hank said it was relatively safe now and would probably be beneficial if Kurt was allowed a full night's rest. He was originally going to sit with him, but Rogue had spoken up and said that she wanted to. He had been reluctant, but it seemed he had realized that she wouldn't have taken "no" easily, so he had consented. He had told that it would be okay if she slept some as well because Kurt was no longer in any immediate danger. The truth was, it was probably okay to leave Kurt alone for brief periods of time now, but everyone was reluctant to do so.
So, Rogue was sitting there watching Kurt as he slept, but it did not appear his sleep was very restful. He was cry out softly from time to time and would occasionally moan. He had been given some pain medication just before going to sleep, so she could not give him any more, but it hurt to listen to his cries. Quietly, Rogue stood up from the chair and walked over to Kurt's bedside. She wanted to comfort him - to hug him and hold him as a good sister should, but she knew that she could not. Even if she was careful, there was also a chance that her skin would actually come in contact with him and the results could be devastating. If she ever did anything to Kurt, she just didn't know if she would be able to forgive herself.
Kurt moaned softly again, and this time Rogue reached out and, very carefully took his hand. It wasn't the same as a hug, but it was better than nothing. "I'm here, Kurt," she whispered.
In a few minutes, he seemed to calm down and drift slightly deeper into sleep. Rogue was glad and, cautiously so not to wake Kurt, used her left hand to reach behind her to pull the chair closer to her while her right held onto his hand. He didn't stir while she did this and once again sat down. Sitting, she studied Kurt's face as he slept. If you didn't notice the bandages or the slight swelling (it had gone down somewhat), it looked as if Kurt was merely asleep and nothing had happened. Yet, while she tried to focus on his face, his gentle features, her eyes kept drifting back to the bandages. She finally turned her head away and looked about the room as she tried to focus on something else.
Her gaze fell upon the table by the bed and she noticed a small crucifix lying there. She wasn't sure who had put it there, but she had to admit that it was fitting. Kurt believed and he had faith. They had talked about it frequently. Although he wasn't condescending, he did seem upset when she had admitted that she wasn't sure if she believed in God. She couldn't help it. She had also added that if God did exist, then she had some serious questions as to her life. Was she being punished? What could she had done that could warrant such punishment? Yeah, she had some fairly serious questions to ask, or maybe not. After all, if God had been there through all the things that she had gone through, she was ticked off at Him. If He was there, why did she have feel so alone?
Kurt had looked so sad when she had told him. He didn't have any answers for his questions and didn't rely on the "...God works in mysterious ways," response either. He just simply restated that he believed. In that moment, Rogue had actually envied Kurt. It wasn't because he believed, but the faith and peace he had because he believed. Deep down, she still thought that Kurt might be fooling himself, but still she envied him.
Looking up, she whispered, "I don't know if you're there. If you are though, please help Kurt. He believes in You. I'm not sure, but don't do it for me. Do it for Kurt. Please." She felt a little silly afterwards. It was a foolish prayer. Who started with, "I don't know if you there?" If He's not there, then no one is listening. Besides, weren't you supposed to end prayers with Amen? Still, she knew that Kurt would appreciate the gesture and she couldn't help but feel a little relieved. Maybe it was just because she had spoken her thoughts aloud or maybe there was something else. She didn't know.
Looking back towards Kurt, she was happy to see that he still seemed to be resting peacefully. Maybe he had heard her little 'prayer.' If so, perhaps they would laugh about it together someday. She leaned forward and rested her head on the edge of the bed. Perhaps things would look brighter in the morning.
She hadn't intended on falling asleep and wasn't aware she had done so until Kurt's voice woke her. "Rogue?" he had stated, his voice turning her name into a questions.
She raised her head to look at him. "Good morning," she said, smiling slightly. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but Kurt looked more alert this morning. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay, I guess," he responded and she realized it wasn't just wishful thinking, "My head is killing me though. Vhat's going on?"
Rogue didn't answer him at first. Jumping up, she ran across the room and hit the call button. Within minutes Hank's worried voice filtered into the room, but Rogue ignored it. "Kurt's okay!" she cried, "He's actually okay!" Tears were streaming down her face, she didn't care as she looked into Kurt's alert, if somewhat bewildered expression.
Kurt didn't recover all at once. Even after his physical injuries had healed, he still had lapses in his short-term memory from time to time. He find himself teleporting to a room and totally forgetting what he had came to do or losing track of a conversation in the middle of a sentence. He tried to hide this problem or make light of it when it was impossible to hide, but Rogue knew how much it bothered him even before he admitted it to her. He confided that he had been having problems in school. He said that math was an absolute nightmare in that he would find himself looking at a problem that he knew he already knew how to solve but just couldn't remember how to start. Math wasn't his only problem. He admitted that once he had been trying to write a paper and for the life of him he couldn't remember the word femininity. He could remember feminine but for some reason his mind couldn't make the jump from feminine to femininity. When he finally did remember (after several agonizing minutes), he had no idea how to spell it or even get close enough that a spell-check could help him. He said that he knew that he wasn't a genius before (although Rogue thought he was fairly intelligent) but now he felt like a complete idiot at times.
Rogue had told him not to worry, but they did eventually go to Professor Xavier with the problem who also said there was no need for concern. It was a common side effect of someone who had just recovered from head trauma, but still the Professor said he would try and help Kurt with his memory problems.
As time went on, Kurt finally did regain his short-term memory, but he said that he still, very rarely, had lapses. He never could recall the accident however. It was assumed that it had happened so very quickly - Kurt was unconscious before he had any time to realize what was happening. He had seen the pictures of Scott's totaled car, however and was shocked that he had been such a horrible accident.
Remembering was also a problem for Scott, but in the opposite fashion. He had gotten a new car, but even after his leg healed, he had been reluctant to drive. His nightmares continued, but sometimes he would see Alex or his parents in the passenger seat instead of Kurt. Finally, with Jean's and the Professor's help, he started working with those issues but he still couldn't bring himself to look at the pictures.
They all moved on. They remembered what they needed to and tried to forget the rest. Scott was able to drive again and became closer to Kurt. After Jean had told him that Kurt sort of looked up to him like a big brother, he decided to make the most of the that relationship especially when he hadn't been able to speak to Alex for awhile. Kitty also seem to be growing closer to Kurt and they could often be seen laughing and talking together - except for times when Kurt wanted to be alone with Amanda. Kitty seemed to be sad to share Kurt, but at the same time didn't seem to harbor any ill will towards Amanda. Hank was relieved that Kurt's recovery had been so complete, he appeared to almost proud of what he had been able to do although he still stated they needed to find an actual doctor to help in situations like that. And Rogue...
Rogue did feel different, but there were no words to describe exactly how she felt. She had been forced to recognize just how much Kurt meant to her, but that wasn't it exactly. She didn't tell anyone about her small prayer at first. Everyone was just so relieved that Kurt had recovered and besides Mr. McCoy was quick to say that he just needed a chance to rest. She would openly agree with that idea and tried to convince herself that was all it was. That was all it was.
Wasn't it?
However, she knew that she should tell Kurt the truth. After all, both of them had a shortage in their lives of people being honest. So, one evening, she met Kurt out on his balcony and told him about that night and about her prayer. She was unsure of how he would respond. She knew that he wouldn't laugh, but still she was hesitant.
Kurt listened quietly and, in the end, he didn't say anything. He simply smiled a beautiful and brilliant smile that said loudly, "Thank you." Rogue returned the smile and hope that Kurt could read, "You're welcome," on her face. It was all that they needed to say -without saying anything.
And so ends the story. I hoped that everyone liked it. This story idea came from a real accident involving some friends of mine. In fact, many of the details are accurate. It was a mother and daughter in the accident, with the mother being the passenger and sustaining injuries similar to Kurt's. The first night, she was not allowed to sleep and the family was scared, but none of the relatives were willing to spend the night with them, so they called my mother and me. It was hard to see our friend like she was that night. She knew who we were, but couldn't seem to comprehend anything else. She just kept asking why her head was hurting and when someone mentioned the accident she would always ask about all her other friends and family to see if they had been involved. When I went home, this story just kept coming back to me. I didn't write it at first, even though my friend did awake after she had been allowed to sleep and was far more focused, but still I hesitated. Finally, I wrote the first part and liked it so much I knew I had to go on. Wow, that was a long explanation wasn't it?