They landed back at the mansion to a flurry of activity, as Gambit was whisked away to the medical bay, with Beast bounding after him. Rogue made as if to follow, but Storm held her back – a feat that would have been impossible without the Genoshan collar around her neck.
"Lemme go, Storm – ah wanna be with him!" Rogue sobbed.
"I know, my friend," Storm replied, calmly, "but he will be in surgery for some time. Come – you should shower, change and get some rest."
"How can ah rest, Storm?" Rogue beseeched her, "ya heard Hank – Remy might die, an' ah don' want him ta be alone!"
"I will go with him," Storm promised, "and I will summon you immediately if you are needed. For now, you must at least wash and change your clothes – and we will remove that awful collar from your neck."
"No!" Rogue surprised even herself by moving her hands defensively towards the collar, "no... this stays on until Gambit's outta surgery, one way or th'other. S' the only way ah... ah can touch him..."
She lowered her eyes sadly, and Storm nodded in understanding.
"Very well," she acquiesced, "now go... refresh yourself, and rest a while..."
Storm watched Rogue reluctantly head towards her room, before turning and flying down the corridor in the direction of the medical bay. Beast was already scrubbing up when she arrived, and Wolverine had planted himself in a waiting room chair – from the look on his face, Apocalypse himself couldn't have moved Logan from that spot. Storm didn't even try. Silently, she sat next to him, folded her hands into her lap, and waited beside him.
Less than ten minutes after Hank had started the surgery, the Professor arrived, along with Jean Grey and Cyclops.
"How's he doing?" Cyclops asked immediately.
"Too early to tell yet, bub," Wolverine grunted.
"I... sensed his pain," Xavier commented, softly, "it was immense... overwhelming... Can you tell us what happened, Logan?"
"What happened, Chuck, is we spent three days in hell in a stinkin' forest, callin' out to you fer help, an' yer never came," Wolverine snarled, "where were ya when we needed ya, huh?"
"Genosha is shrouded in a telepathic suppression field," Xavier told him, sadly, "I could not hear your cries for help, not until Gambit somehow broke through the interference and reached me... perhaps if you told the whole story it might explain how he managed to do so, especially given that I sensed he was in an extremely weakened state."
Swallowing his temper, Logan slumped back in his chair and, haltingly, began to recount the tale of their mission.
...
...
The surgery lasted for hours. When Beast was finished, he dismissed his assistants, and made a point of changing out of his stained scrubs, washing himself thoroughly, and combing out his fur. He did not want to appear bloodstained and dishevelled in front of the others, not with the news he was about to deliver.
He stepped outside into the waiting area, and was not surprised to find that virtually every senior member of the X-Men was there; Professor Xavier, Cyclops, Storm, Jean, Wolverine and Rogue were all gathered together, and at his entrance, all eyes immediately turned towards him. He drew in a deep breath, and decided to get right to the point.
"Gambit is alive," he told them, then held up a clawed hand, quickly, at their exclamations of relief, "but only just. He stopped breathing on the operating table twice, and we were very lucky to get him back. I've removed the necrotic tissue, cleansed and sutured the wound, but the infection has spread throughout his system. He has developed sepsis, and bacterial pneumonia. He lost a lot of blood, so we have given him a transfusion. He is malnourished and dehydrated, so we have him on intravenous fluids and the strongest antibiotics available, as well as painkillers. I am keeping him sedated for now, to allow his body to rest and, hopefully, recover."
"But he's gonna be okay, right?" Rogue was the first to speak, her voice quivering with emotion.
"I... cannot make any promises," Beast shook his head, regretfully, "he is extremely weak and severely ill. I have done everything I can for him, for now. He must simply be monitored closely, and allowed to rest."
"Can ah go see him?"
Beast hesitated; he would prefer for his patient to be allowed to rest peacefully, but he could see how worried and upset Rogue was, and he knew she would not rest until she had been allowed to see Gambit was alive for herself. However, with the condition he was in, Beast did wonder if it might do her more harm than good.
"Very well," he inclined his head, "I would ask that the rest of you come back later... although he is sedated, I would like to let him rest as quietly as possible."
"Of course," Xavier nodded, in agreement, "thank you, Hank. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Please notify us immediately if there is any change in his condition."
"I will," Beast promised, "come, Rogue..."
He led her through to the intensive care unit, where Gambit was propped up on a bed. Rogue froze in place, and Beast placed a steadying hand on her shoulder; he knew how shocking all of the drips, lines and machinery must appear.
"You weren't kiddin', were ya, Hank," it was more of a statement than a question, and it came out in a small, shocked voice.
"No, I was not," Beast kept his broad hand across her shaking shoulders, "but I am hopeful that, in time, Gambit will make a full recovery."
Rogue nodded, and stepped forwards, slowly, carefully, mindful of all the tubes and wires that snaked around the bed and the patient upon it. She hesitated at the bedside, her eyes wide as she took in what lay before her. Gambit was as white as the sheets he lay upon, except for the flush of fever that still clung to his cheeks. His arms were lax by his sides, his long hair for once loose, and he was shirtless, exposing the clean, white bandages wrapped around his waist. He had been cleaned up, cleansed of all the grime and dirt from that had marred them all during the time in the Genoshan forest. A thin sheet covered his lower half, and an oxygen mask covered his face. His eyes were closed, and Rogue could hear the rasping of each inhale and exhale as he breathed, slowly and evenly, sleeping deeply with the assistance of the medication.
"He's not in any pain, is he?" Rogue asked, studying his face; Gambit's expression was no longer taut or twisted in agony, he looked still and calm, at rest.
"No," Beast shook his head and came to join her, automatically checking a few of the readouts on the machines as he did so, "not at the moment, at any rate. When he wakes up, it will be a different matter. He has a long road to recovery ahead of him, and I have no doubt it will be painful. He is likely to need much assistance."
"Ah'll help him," Rogue promised, "anythin' he needs, ah'll do it..."
Hesitantly, she reached out, and stroked her fingers along Gambit's bare arm, revelling in the rare sensation of her skin touching his, without the fear of hurting him. Beast noted the gesture, and smiled.
"When you are ready, Rogue, I have a key that will remove the suppression collar from your neck," he told her, "but, I do not think you will be going on any missions any time soon, should you wish to keep your, ah, souvenir, a little while longer."
Rogue fingered the collar, and favoured Beast with a small smile.
"Thanks, Hank," she nodded, "ah think ah'll keep it, fer now. Think it kinda suits me..."
She caressed Gambit's arm once more, and then, very carefully, she leaned in, and placed a small kiss on his cheek.
"Rest easy now, Remy," she whispered to him, even though she knew he could not hear her, "ah'm gonna let ya sleep awhile now... ah'll be back soon. Don'tcha go anywhere without me now, ya hear me?"
She stroked his hair with her fingers, and then stepped back.
"You'll call me, if he wakes?"
"Yes, of course," Beast agreed, "but it is likely to take some time."
