Queen of Random: Ha! Thought that last bit would get your attention!
Anyway, now that my exams are over, I can now devote a lot of my time to my
stories. And then I am off to Jamboree (Rock 2004) where I am going to
spend about a week helping young girls do things like rock climbing,
abseiling, and stuff like that. Only downside is - well, there are actually
two - I am afraid of heights, and the place Jamboree is being held at is
famous for thermal activity - and so smells like rotten eggs. Eew. Or, as
Kurt (and Katrin) might say, 'E'. Did you know that German people say 'E'
instead of 'Eew'? True. And when I go to Germany next year, I will hear
that, as well as spend a couple of hours playing with the rubbish bins that
say thank you that are being put in Berlin. Sounds like fun, huh?
Beauty and the Beast
Chapter Sixteen: Separation
"Somebody! Help!" shouted Beast, looking around anxiously. Then he spotted the ambulance that must have pulled up while he was in the house. He ran over to the ambulance, ignoring the looks on the faces of the crowd that had watched in silence as the house burned. "Help her," he said to the paramedics, placing Jennifer's limp form in the arms of one of the paramedics.
The paramedics kept their professionalism, surprisingly, and did not even bat an eyelid at the mutant in front of them. "We will," said one of them to Beast.
The paramedic turned to his partner. "We have no pulse, and no signs of breathing!" he announced, climbing into the ambulance, and placing Jennifer on a stretcher. He grabbed a piece of equipment any fan of medical dramas would recognise in a heartbeat - a defibrillator. Looking at a monitor beside him, he said, "Charging."
His partner nodded, and placed a mask on Jennifer, and began squeezing the bag that was attached.
"Clear!"
The other paramedic stood back as the man placed the paddles on Jennifer's chest. Her body jerked up suddenly, then was still once again.
"No response," came the clipped tone of the paramedic. His partner continued squeezing the bag, forcing air into Jennifer. The paramedic made a few adjustments to the machine, then said to his partner, "Charging." He ignored the worried X-Men who had begun crowding around Beast. "Clear!" he shouted, repeating his motions with the paddles. Jennifer once again jerked, and. . .
"We have a pulse!"
There was audible sound of relief coming from everyone in the vicinity, as they knew that Jennifer had been brought back to them.
"All right!" ordered the man who had brought Jennifer back. He turned to his partner. "Get up front, and get us to the hospital! This patient has burns that need to be seen to, right away! And there's a high chance of smoke inhalation!"
The partner nodded. "Right."
"I don't like the look of this gash, either," said the paramedic, inspecting the back of Jennifer's head. "They can take care of that at the hospital. Our job is to keep her alive until we get her there."
As the man's partner jumped into the front of the ambulance, the paramedic went top close the back doors of the ambulance. He caught the eye of Beast, and said to him, "I'm sorry, but you can't come with us. Only family."
"But we are family!" interrupted Shadowcat.
"I'm sorry, but you cannot come with us." His apology was sincere.
Beast watched in silence as the doors closed, shutting Jennifer out of his sight.
The sound of sirens rang through the air as the ambulance pulled away.
*
It had taken a lot of convincing to get Hank to come back to the Institute.
"I just spoke to the fireman who is in charge of the investigation," announced Xavier, coming into the room where Ororo and Logan were waiting, along with Scott and Jean.
"And?" asked Ororo.
"They don't really know the cause of the fire. But they suspect some form of foul play."
"What?" asked Jean. "What do they mean by-"
Logan's voice cut Jean off. "What makes them say that?"
"Everything is just not adding up," replied Xavier.
"What do they mean by that?" asked Jean.
"Her head injury," said Scott, looking at Xavier. "Right?"
Xavier nodded. "Yes. They think that somebody might have attacked her in her home."
"Does Hank know of this?" asked Ororo.
Xavier shook his head. "No. He has been too worried about Jennifer to do much more than call the hospital every fifteen minutes."
"Do they know - do they know if - if she be all right?" asked Jean.
"They wouldn't tell Hank because he is not family."
"Where is Hank, anyway?" asked Ororo.
"Last time I saw him, he was pacing up and down the corridor," said Scott. "I wonder how he is doing."
*
"Mr McCoy?" Kitty's voice was worried as she tried to speak to her teacher. "Mr McCoy, we're all worried, too. Don't shut us out!"
Hank finally looked at Kitty. "I'm sorry. I'm just - worried." He reached for the phone again, and dialed the number for the hospital. "Hello?" he asked, when somebody answered down at the hospital. "Jennifer Reed was brought in earlier this evening - she was in a house fire. Can you tell me how she is?"
"Are you family?" asked the voice on the other end. "I can't tell you unless you are."
"No, I'm not family, but-"
"I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you. Perhaps you should call her family and ask them. Goodbye." There was a click.
Hank lowered the phone. "But I can't call her family," he said quietly.
Kitty, who had been listening, asked, "Why can't you call her family?"
Hank did not look up. "Jennifer is an only child, and-" Hank stopped there.
"And?" prodded Kitty.
Hank sighed and said, "Her parents - they were killed in a car accident a few years ago. Jennifer told me when I asked her about what her parents thought about us."
"I'm sorry."
Hank straightened his back. He was not going to give up on Jennifer. He knew that in the same situation she would not give up on him.
There was only one thing for him to do.
*
No one gave the tall man who walked through the front doors of the hospital a second glance.
"What can I do for you?" asked the young blonde nurse seated at reception.
"Jennifer Reed," said the man, leaning forward, as if he was telling the nurse a secret. "She was brought in here earlier. I was wondering if I could see her." The man smiled.
The nurse, flustered, replied, "Let me just check." She spun around on her chair to look up something on the computer. She pulled up something on the computer screen, and frowned. "I'm sorry," said the nurse, turning back to the man. "Only family can be admitted. Are you family?"
"Yes."
"Okay then. Can I see some identification?"
Then something odd happened. The nurse's face took on a strange look, and her eyes stared into space. Suddenly she shook her head, clearing it of something.
She smiled. "All right then. Ms Reed is in room 304. That's on the third floor. Just take those lifts over there up to floor three. You should be able to find you way."
"Thank you," said the man.
As he walked away, the man cocked his head, as if he was listening to something.
"Thank you, Charles," he murmured to half to himself, half not.
"You're very welcome, Hank," came the mental reply.
*
Hank peered through the small glass window that separated him from Jennifer. She was lying in a bed, asleep. Her chest rose and fell in a rhythmic motion, indicating life. On her cheek was a small white bandage that must have been covering a burn. Her left arm was also bandaged, and from the looks of things, so was her left leg, though Hank wasn't quite sure, as she was covered with a thin white sheet.
Hank reached out and touched the panel of glass. "I'm so sorry, Jennifer."
Jennifer made no reply, as she was asleep - or unconscious. Hank couldn't really tell, as he could only see her, and he was several meters away from his love.
"Excuse me. Are you family?"
Hank turned to face the speaker, another nurse - this time a brunette. "Yes," he said, but somehow the eyes of the holographic image betrayed the fact.
"Are you this patient's partner?" asked the nurse.
"Yes. Please, I just want to see her."
The nurse looked as if she was about to refuse, but then she smiled. "Sure. Just be quiet when you go in. She needs her rest."
The nurse opened the door, and Hank entered the room.
Beauty and the Beast
Chapter Sixteen: Separation
"Somebody! Help!" shouted Beast, looking around anxiously. Then he spotted the ambulance that must have pulled up while he was in the house. He ran over to the ambulance, ignoring the looks on the faces of the crowd that had watched in silence as the house burned. "Help her," he said to the paramedics, placing Jennifer's limp form in the arms of one of the paramedics.
The paramedics kept their professionalism, surprisingly, and did not even bat an eyelid at the mutant in front of them. "We will," said one of them to Beast.
The paramedic turned to his partner. "We have no pulse, and no signs of breathing!" he announced, climbing into the ambulance, and placing Jennifer on a stretcher. He grabbed a piece of equipment any fan of medical dramas would recognise in a heartbeat - a defibrillator. Looking at a monitor beside him, he said, "Charging."
His partner nodded, and placed a mask on Jennifer, and began squeezing the bag that was attached.
"Clear!"
The other paramedic stood back as the man placed the paddles on Jennifer's chest. Her body jerked up suddenly, then was still once again.
"No response," came the clipped tone of the paramedic. His partner continued squeezing the bag, forcing air into Jennifer. The paramedic made a few adjustments to the machine, then said to his partner, "Charging." He ignored the worried X-Men who had begun crowding around Beast. "Clear!" he shouted, repeating his motions with the paddles. Jennifer once again jerked, and. . .
"We have a pulse!"
There was audible sound of relief coming from everyone in the vicinity, as they knew that Jennifer had been brought back to them.
"All right!" ordered the man who had brought Jennifer back. He turned to his partner. "Get up front, and get us to the hospital! This patient has burns that need to be seen to, right away! And there's a high chance of smoke inhalation!"
The partner nodded. "Right."
"I don't like the look of this gash, either," said the paramedic, inspecting the back of Jennifer's head. "They can take care of that at the hospital. Our job is to keep her alive until we get her there."
As the man's partner jumped into the front of the ambulance, the paramedic went top close the back doors of the ambulance. He caught the eye of Beast, and said to him, "I'm sorry, but you can't come with us. Only family."
"But we are family!" interrupted Shadowcat.
"I'm sorry, but you cannot come with us." His apology was sincere.
Beast watched in silence as the doors closed, shutting Jennifer out of his sight.
The sound of sirens rang through the air as the ambulance pulled away.
*
It had taken a lot of convincing to get Hank to come back to the Institute.
"I just spoke to the fireman who is in charge of the investigation," announced Xavier, coming into the room where Ororo and Logan were waiting, along with Scott and Jean.
"And?" asked Ororo.
"They don't really know the cause of the fire. But they suspect some form of foul play."
"What?" asked Jean. "What do they mean by-"
Logan's voice cut Jean off. "What makes them say that?"
"Everything is just not adding up," replied Xavier.
"What do they mean by that?" asked Jean.
"Her head injury," said Scott, looking at Xavier. "Right?"
Xavier nodded. "Yes. They think that somebody might have attacked her in her home."
"Does Hank know of this?" asked Ororo.
Xavier shook his head. "No. He has been too worried about Jennifer to do much more than call the hospital every fifteen minutes."
"Do they know - do they know if - if she be all right?" asked Jean.
"They wouldn't tell Hank because he is not family."
"Where is Hank, anyway?" asked Ororo.
"Last time I saw him, he was pacing up and down the corridor," said Scott. "I wonder how he is doing."
*
"Mr McCoy?" Kitty's voice was worried as she tried to speak to her teacher. "Mr McCoy, we're all worried, too. Don't shut us out!"
Hank finally looked at Kitty. "I'm sorry. I'm just - worried." He reached for the phone again, and dialed the number for the hospital. "Hello?" he asked, when somebody answered down at the hospital. "Jennifer Reed was brought in earlier this evening - she was in a house fire. Can you tell me how she is?"
"Are you family?" asked the voice on the other end. "I can't tell you unless you are."
"No, I'm not family, but-"
"I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you. Perhaps you should call her family and ask them. Goodbye." There was a click.
Hank lowered the phone. "But I can't call her family," he said quietly.
Kitty, who had been listening, asked, "Why can't you call her family?"
Hank did not look up. "Jennifer is an only child, and-" Hank stopped there.
"And?" prodded Kitty.
Hank sighed and said, "Her parents - they were killed in a car accident a few years ago. Jennifer told me when I asked her about what her parents thought about us."
"I'm sorry."
Hank straightened his back. He was not going to give up on Jennifer. He knew that in the same situation she would not give up on him.
There was only one thing for him to do.
*
No one gave the tall man who walked through the front doors of the hospital a second glance.
"What can I do for you?" asked the young blonde nurse seated at reception.
"Jennifer Reed," said the man, leaning forward, as if he was telling the nurse a secret. "She was brought in here earlier. I was wondering if I could see her." The man smiled.
The nurse, flustered, replied, "Let me just check." She spun around on her chair to look up something on the computer. She pulled up something on the computer screen, and frowned. "I'm sorry," said the nurse, turning back to the man. "Only family can be admitted. Are you family?"
"Yes."
"Okay then. Can I see some identification?"
Then something odd happened. The nurse's face took on a strange look, and her eyes stared into space. Suddenly she shook her head, clearing it of something.
She smiled. "All right then. Ms Reed is in room 304. That's on the third floor. Just take those lifts over there up to floor three. You should be able to find you way."
"Thank you," said the man.
As he walked away, the man cocked his head, as if he was listening to something.
"Thank you, Charles," he murmured to half to himself, half not.
"You're very welcome, Hank," came the mental reply.
*
Hank peered through the small glass window that separated him from Jennifer. She was lying in a bed, asleep. Her chest rose and fell in a rhythmic motion, indicating life. On her cheek was a small white bandage that must have been covering a burn. Her left arm was also bandaged, and from the looks of things, so was her left leg, though Hank wasn't quite sure, as she was covered with a thin white sheet.
Hank reached out and touched the panel of glass. "I'm so sorry, Jennifer."
Jennifer made no reply, as she was asleep - or unconscious. Hank couldn't really tell, as he could only see her, and he was several meters away from his love.
"Excuse me. Are you family?"
Hank turned to face the speaker, another nurse - this time a brunette. "Yes," he said, but somehow the eyes of the holographic image betrayed the fact.
"Are you this patient's partner?" asked the nurse.
"Yes. Please, I just want to see her."
The nurse looked as if she was about to refuse, but then she smiled. "Sure. Just be quiet when you go in. She needs her rest."
The nurse opened the door, and Hank entered the room.