Screaming Lessons
By: Kryptonite
*****
*Second Day After*
" Scott? You awake?" Storm's accented voice called quietly, trying not to disturb the girl next to him.
" Hmm?" Cyclops asked, eyes blinking wearily behind his ruby visor as he tried to come back to the land of the living. His night had been punctuated with dreams of Jean being crushed under pounding waves, of Rogue not surviving despite his getting her out. All and all, it had been one hellish night.
" Professor Xavier said that you should go to bed." Storm turned kind eyes on Scott after taking a quick look at Rogue's pale body. Scott simply shook his head.
" I promised."
" At least get up on one of the examination tables and sleep on that. Your classes have been taken over by Hank, for the next couple of days at least."
" Thanks Storm." Scott muttered, pulling one of the wheeled beds over next to Rogue. Wearily draping himself across the thin mattress he went to sleep. Storm gave a little 'huh' of kindness as she went to pull a thin blue blanket across his body. Then she had nothing left to focus her attention on and turned to Rogue.
" Rogue, I know you're sleeping but I also know you can hear me. I just want to know- I just want you to know-" Storm was trying her hardest not to cry. " Why? Why Rogue? You knew that if you ever needed to talk to anyone I was there for you. I have to go. Don't let Scott miss eating just because of something he promised you." Storm dropped her fingers over the girls before turning to leave.
*****
*Third Day After*
" Well Rogue how are you feeling today?" Rogue had slept for almost a day and a half, ever since she had told Scott she was faking. She was sitting up, having just finished eating some soup.
" Better. Why are you whispering?" She asked loudly, almost shouting.
" Rogue, I'm not whispering. You suffered some damage to your ears. It seems to be healing up, albeit slowly, along with the break in your arm. We should be able to take the cast off in a couple of weeks."
" That's great news Hank. So, are some of Logan's powers still working in her?" Scott asked, standing at the side of the bed, next to Rogue's shoulder.
" Apparently. I think that the powers or memories of a person she absorbs stay in her mind until they're either overwritten by something else or erased."
" Please stop talking like I'm not sitting here." It was a battle for Rogue to pitch her voice so she wasn't yelling.
" Sorry. Going on my theory, you're ears should go back to normal soon. Maybe not as soon as you'd like but then again, I doubt you'd want to put more of Logan's memories in there, just to heal your ears."
" Right." Rogue muttered, not concentrating on hearing her own words, unable to hear them at all.
" Professor Xavier wants to talk to you. He's in a class right now but he'll be coming in a few hours. Until then, Scott's going to sit with you because I have to leave and teach my own classes." Rogue nodded gently, trying no to aggravate the little man in her head who seemed to like jumping around and banging a hammer after him.
" Hi Rogue." Scott said sitting down. " Professor Xavier's just gonna ask you…"
" Why." Rogue's eyes landed on her hands, fingers picking at other fingers, nails scraping the skin.
" Yeah. We'd all kinda like to know the answer to that one." Rogue tilted her face up to Scott, tears pooling at the bottom.
" I just couldn't deal anymore. I can't take the screaming."
That which we learn as children stays with us for our entire lives, even that which we teach ourselves. But we are never taught how to fight those lessons. So we all need to learn to scream if we want to be heard from beneath those destructive teachings.
*****
A/N: Chapter nine. Not as long as some of these have been but just enough to give you a glimpse at the problems she faces after her near-release. And yes I mean release, not death because in Rogue's mind it would have been a release, despite the fact that I, the writer, believe in reincarnation, Rogue is Christian so suicide is a release. Talk to you all again later.