Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men, but if I did I'd buy everyone a Philly cheese steak sandwich. Yum!
V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V
Etienne rolled over and got cautiously out of the bed. He had definitely slept on his right arm sometime during the night, because it was throbbing in pain. He gritted his teeth before letting out his breath. He stood up and made his way to the shower, hoping the warm water would help work out the kinks.
Getting out of the shower, he mentally groaned. He couldn't even lift his arm up to shoulder height, and that was a bad sign. McCoy had warned him when he had put the stimulator in, saying if the pain got too bad to go to the Infirmary immediately to check for complications. Etienne had thought there would be no problems since the past few days had passed without incident. He made his way carefully down the stairs towards the kitchen, having to stop on the landing when the jarring began shooting pains up his arm. He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall.
"Hi Etienne, better hurry if you want any breakfast." Jubilee's voice caused him to look down at her where she stood at the foot of the steps. "Hey, are you okay?" He shook his head, feeling the pain begin to spread across his chest. He couldn't breathe, and his heart felt like it was going to pound its way out of his chest. He sat suddenly, his legs unwilling to hold him up. "Dr. McCoy, Dr. McCoy! Etienne needs you on the stairs!" Jubilee began yelling, running back towards the kitchen only to be pushed aside when the doctor came flying out, followed closely by Logan and Bobby who had been eating a late breakfast.
McCoy came up the stairs and immediately took his pulse. "The pulse is sky high, and his pupils are dilated." He turned to Logan. "It looks like he's going into shock. Can you carry him while I run ahead?" Logan nodded and scooped the younger man up, turning to walk down the stairs.
Jubilee looked at a worried Bobby. "We need to find Gambit and let him know." Bobby nodded. "I'll check his room and outside if you'll take the garage. If his bike is gone ask Jean to contact him to get back here." Jubilee nodded as they ran their separate ways.
In the Infirmary, McCoy slapped EKG leads on Etienne as soon as Logan put him down on the bed. "What happened?" He looked at the young Cajun who was desperately trying to breathe through the pain enveloping his body. "Pain's in chest, can't breathe." Etienne could barely gasp out the words, he could feel and see blackness starting to crowd his vision. He could feel his control slipping as the pain ate slowly away at it bit by bit. Dr. McCoy looked at the readout from the EKG machine. "It looks like the stimulator in his arm is causing his heart's electrical rhythms to short circuit." He turned to the medicine cabinet behind him and started grabbing medications. "Logan, grab a saline IV bag from the cabinet to your left."
The door slid open and Jubilee rushed in, followed in quick succession by Scott, Remy, Jean, Kurt and Rogue. "What going on?" She yelled over the mad beeping of the machines.
Logan handed the IV bag to McCoy and turned to the kids standing in the doorway. "The boy's having a heart attack, so we need some room." He was interrupted by an exclamation from Beast, who had the misfortune of touching Etienne just as his fragile hold on his empathic abilities slipped. McCoy was caught up in the other's pain, unable to do anything, even to let go.
Etienne felt the pain build until the blackness stole his vision. He felt his shields fall and for an instant, he could feel the emotions of everyone within a 2-mile radius, from his cousin who was panicking with worry to someone approaching whose pain was as great as his. His last conscious thought was sorrow that he couldn't ease the other's pain because his was too great.
As Logan was reaching out, Jean reacted almost instantly. "Don't touch him, with Etienne's empathic ability you'll get sucked in too. Somebody go get the Professor, I can't get through the block the pain is causing." Bobby, who was in the back of the group, turned to head down the hallway when he saw the Professor behind him.
"I'm here Jean. Everyone, let me through please." The assembled X-Men moved aside to allow the Professor to approach the medical bay and it's occupants. Everyone could literally hear McCoy sigh as the Professor used his powers to shield Etienne. McCoy looked at the Professor. "I want to give him the same pain killer he was on earlier along with nitroglycerine." The Professor nodded. "Jean and I will be able to keep him shielded until he can recover once his pain level decreases. He will be disappointed to loose the stimulator though." Beast grabbed the appropriate medicines and a new syringe. "Yes, but better that than go through this again. His heart might be young, but it won't stand too much of this, and neither will mine."
After the injections, Etienne's heart rate began to return to normal. McCoy approached the other X-Men, "He's currently unconscious and will need to stay in the Infirmary at least over night for observation. I removed the bone stimulator in his arm that seemed to be causing the problem. Hopefully he will be awake in a couple of hours if you guys want to come and keep him company." The younger X-men nodded and began making their way back to the elevator. Gambit stayed where he was, Rogue by his side. "We'd like t'stay an' be here when he wakes up." McCoy looked over at the two of them. "Rogue can stay, but you need a shower to get rid of all that grease first before you can sit in there." Gambit looked down at himself and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, forgot 'bout dat." He touched Rogue on the arm. "Watch 'im fo' me." She nodded, understanding his worry. "Go, hurry up so yah can get back."