The Purpose of Hope
Chapter Six
By: Lily Handle
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Author's Note: So, I don't know if I'm back yet to full steam. I know I've been languishing with this story, but my muse has been strangely absent the past few…months. Here goes nothing folks!
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Charles Xavier watched as Dr. Hope Chandler study the chart at the end of Rogue's hospital bed. Only a few minutes ago they had arrived at Charity Hospital after an urgent call from one of the nurses who was still friend's with Hope. Exactly like the other students, Rogue had fallen victim to the same sickness that was creating a near panic within the Institute. Whether it was lucky or unlucky that Rogue had suffered her attack in the middle of a crowded classroom was yet to be seen, since he had forced Principal Kelly to wait until he was done at the hospital for a meeting.
Watching Hope's face, he guessed Rogue had suffered a very bad attack. The doctor had a habit of twirling one stand of hair around her finger when something worried her.
"How bad is it?" He asked, holding a hand out for the chart. Hope looked up, sighed and handed him the chart.
"Hers' was worse than Pietro's. Her heart stopped in the ambulance. They got her back though, thank God," Hope said with considerable frustration.
"150 ccs of adrenaline straight to her heart," Charles read from the chart. His own frustration welled up with the more he read.
"And then two shocks at 200," Hope walked over to the side of Rogue's bed, pulling a rubber glove from her pocket, "That's more than I've ever had to use to Berserker."
"Her X-gene and the numerous X-genes she's taken over the years must have intensified the reaction."
"Well, what happened after the attack is like the others. She's unconscious, with low levels of brain wave activity and a slower than average heart rate. They've run all the same test that Hank and I have, and are getting the same type of results. Which means absolutely nothing," Hope gently lifted Rogue's eyelids and checked her eyes with a pen light.
"She'll be moved back to the Institute as soon as possible," Charles said, returning the chart to the foot of the bed, "And just how close are you and Hank to figuring this out?"
"Closer, I would say. I'm digging out all the medical files we have on the students, maybe I'll find the common connector there. It's the only place I haven't looked."
"And Hank?"
"There's an anomaly in the blood work," Hope shrugged, "I haven't a clue what he was talking about when he explained it to me. Chemistry was never my strong suit but I'm sure you'd understand."
"Have you tried using your powers to heal them?"
"No, and I'm disinclined to. We've seen the effects my powers can have on a normal nervous system and if this is beyond my ability to heal with only slight…jolt, well, I'm not putting the students at risk."
"Understandable," Charles nodded and then rested his chin in his hands, "And I'm sure Principle Kelly will be thrilled to see us."
"Once again mutants have disrupted his school's peaceful existence?" Hope rolled her eyes and removed the glove, "Well, if you want to head over to the school I'll stay here and get her transferred to the Institute."
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"Mr. Xavier," Principle Kelly said with carefully controlled anger, "I would like an explanation as to what happened in Mr. Dumbac's class today, if you have one."
"Certainly," Charles replied with a deceptively accommodating smile, "I believe what happened to Marie was caused by her powers. I have seen them overwhelm her before and that is what happened today as far as I can surmise."
"Other students of yours have been missing school recently as well, are they being overwhelmed by their powers as well?"
"It's simply the stomach flu, Principle, nothing more. You have spoken to our resident doctor, I assume to confirm this?"
"Yes," Principle Kelly frowned, "Dr. Chandler said the same thing. I'm just concerned about the amount of work they are missing."
"I believe my students can catch up on any missed work as soon as they're well," Charles made his tone dismissive, "If there's nothing else, Principle, I would like to get back to the Institute."
Principle Kelly rose from his seat behind his desk, "Always a pleasure, Mr. Xavier."
"Thank you for your understanding Principle Kelly." Charles left with a nod. In the main office Logan stood leaning against one wall, waiting for him. He sensed the principle watching him and Logan as they exited and couldn't quite hold back a tired sigh.
"I take it the meeting when well," Logan drawled as they headed for the front door.
"As well as could be expected. He's suspicious there's more going on that we're not telling him. He's also wondering if he has a second chance to kick the children out of the school," Charles explained.
Logan snorted, "Yeah, and that worked so well the first time he tried it."
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Hope scanned the shelves of her personal library, looking for her notebook summarizing the Institute medical records for the years before she was acting doctor when the medical alarm sounded. Not another one! She thought, running for the stairs to the lower level of the Institute.
"Another student?" Hank asked when he caught up with her on the stairs.
"I hope not." Together they ran for the Infirmary. When she threw the door open Hope felt her heart jump into her throat. Logan was face down on the floor, skin pale and occasionally twitching. Her first instinct was the rush to his side, but Hank grabbed her arm when she took a step forward.
"Rogue first," He ordered, pointing to the girl. Rogue was violently jerking, her body arching off the bed and sweating profusely. It didn't take long for Hope to realize what Logan had done.
"The idiot!" She whispered harshly as she stepped around his body to attend to Rogue. "God, look at her heart rate climb. Hank I need," But he was already injecting a stabilizing medicine into Rogue's IV. Hope smiled tightly at him for thinking the same thing she was a waited. The most she could do was provide supportive care while Rogue went through whatever was happening to her. Logan was going to be a big trouble when he woke up. And then Rogue's eyes flew open and she took a deep, gasping breath.
"Rogue, Rogue, honey, are you alright?" Hope asked, checking over the exhausted girl.
"Fine," Rogue muttered, looking around in confusion, "Wha' happened ta meh?"
"You had a reaction like the other students," Hank explained while Hope went about checking all of Rogue's vital signs, "We brought you back here from the hospital, and apparently Logan took it upon himself to cure you."
"Logan? Where is he? Is he okay?"
"He'll be fine," Hank soothed, "You get some rest, okay?"
"I'm better?" Rogue asked, as her eyes drifted closed.
"Yes, you're fine," Hope answered, smoothing Rogue's hair back and watching the girl fall asleep. She sighed and looked at Hank across the hospital bed, "Well, we know it's curable, at least with help from a mutation."
"Ironic considering we think the reaction is caused by mutations," Hank said, walking over to Logan and hauling him over his shoulder, "It would explain why Logan's powers had the violent reaction they did."
"The man's an idiot," Hope growled, "What the hell was he thinking?"
"That I could help, Doc," Logan muttered, cracking one eye, "How's the kid?"
"Conscious and responsive," Hope snapped, "We'll have to run a few tests to see if she's completely recovered."
"Good," Logan's eye slid shut again, "You gonna lecture me now?"
Hope bristled, "Of course I am! While your intentions were no doubt noble, they were also stupid, very stupid. If a mutation is causing this to happen, adding another to Rogue's already large collection could have worsened her condition."
Logan snorted, "Healing can't hurt a person Doc."
Hope opened her mouth to argue but Hank cut her off, "Normally, no, but this was an unknown situation. You should have consulted us before trying this stunt."
"Would you have let me try if I had?" Logan asked rhetorically and for an answer he got silence, "That's what I thought."
"And if you had made things worse, Logan?" Hope proffered, wrestling his arm still so she could check his blood pressure, "Where would be then?"
"Powers have never failed me," Logan muttered, but the look in his eyes told Hope he had thought about that possibility.
"You started thinking about this the minute you heard Rogue was sick as well, didn't you?" Hank glared and this time it was Logan who stayed silent. Hank took a deep breath and pressed his fingers to his eyes, "I'm going to compare Rogue's blood to everyone else's, see if there's an antibody or something we can use on the other students. I'll leave you to deal with this knuckle head." Hope nodded and waited until Hank had a new sample of Rogue's blood and left the Infirmary before slamming her fist against the wall near Logan's head.
"Maybe Hank and I would have tried to stop you if you had come to us first, but if you had come to us, we could have been ready to give Rogue whatever medical care she might have needed if things had gone wrong. I know you don't trust doctors, and if you can't trust that side of me, fine. You should at least respect the part of me that cares for these children as much as you do to see that the doctor side of me would do whatever it can to help them. That should be through your thick skull by now. Stay in bed for the rest of the evening, doctor's orders." And with that she turned and stormed out of the Infirmary.
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Author's Note: Okay, so it was blatantly obvious that Logan was going to do something to help Rogue, lol. I'm not at my peak writing talent, just be happy with a new chapter and pray my writer's block goes away.