Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men or anything related to X-Men. I do, however, own Zaire.
This chapter may appear to hint at a Remy/OC relationship, but it will be a Remy/Rogue. I have Zaire in here for other purposes. Namely to be the team medic in the absence of Beast.
And thank you to everyone who reviewed, I was shocked to get such a great reaction from the first chapter. My thanks to everyone.
Again, please excuse my French.
X-Men Evolution: Turning Point
Part II
"Well, we don't really know what it was all about." Jean told the Professor. "By the time we got there Gambit and Sabertooth were fighting." Since Gambit had passed out the team had yet to find out anything about why Gambit and Sabertooth were battling one another.
"Professor, he will be alright, won't he?" Rogue asked tentatively. Charles knew she was worried about the Cajun, it was clear to see.
"Rogue, I…" The Professor was interrupted by the opening of the doors to the infirmary.
"Sorry, but Dr McCoy wishes to speak with you Professor." Zaire, a dark headed, young elementalist stood in the doorway. Zaire had been on the run from her past when the Professor had sensed her. She arrived at the Institute only a month ago, and after showing an interest in medical treatment Hank offered to take her on an assistant and student.
"That's alright Zaire." Charles left the team standing outside and Zaire just shrugged at them before heading back in. "Hank, what's wrong?" Charles had no idea that Zaire had accidentally left the infirmary doors open and that the X-Men could hear what he was saying.
"Well, Charles, it's our young patient. Zaire did an examination and tended to his wounds and, personally, I think his condition wasn't fully caused by Sabertooth." Charles frowned.
"What do you mean?" Zaire stopped Hank.
"Can I?" Hank smiled, nodding. He had figured she would want to show off what she knew. "Well, at first it was nothing serious, the contusions around the jaw-line and small gashes around his face were all relative to the ones a person would get in a fist fight. But he has severe haematoa around the waist line, back and up his arms. There have also been several incisions made into his wrists and chest, all of which were not self-inflicted. He has a broken wrist and two cracked ribs. Intense internal bleeding and one self-inflicted laceration on his left wrist. It was pretty deep." Charles was stunned, he never thought it could've got so bad, surely Gambit wouldn't have let this be done to him.
"How can you be so sure it wasn't Sabertooth?" Logan asked, entering the infirmary with the rest of the team behind him.
"Zaire?" The professor encouraged.
"Well, around some of the contusions there are some faint traces of a metallic like substance. The traces were indistinguishable, but we did find proof of metallic toxins causing burns. Not too serious, but enough to sting for a few days. Sorry but, everything we can find points to long term abuse, by old bucket head." Zaire held resentment for Magneto long before she arrived at the Institute, but no one except the Professor and presumably Hank knew why.
"When will Remy wake up?" Rogue asked. Zaire looked over her shoulder, noticing that Hank had left, going into his office for something. He had left it to her to explain, Zaire felt a wash of pride come over her.
"We gave him a unitdose of a soporfic drug, it acts as a sleep inducer. His body needs time to mend itself internally before we can do much on the external damage. He should be out for at least the next few days." Rogue seemed down hearted. "But we'll have to wake him after about three days; we'll need to make sure the way I've set his wrist isn't painful or causing damage." Charles nodded.
"Thank you Zaire. We'll leave you and Hank to take care of Remy." She nodded her head once before heading towards Hank's office, ready to be told what she was to do next. "As for the rest of you, visiting hours will be later. It's time for you all to go to bed I think." The teens moaned a little before heading up to their rooms. Rogue looking back to the bed where Remy lay, motionless besides the rise and fall of his chest.
"Charles, do you truly believe that Magneto could do such a thing to Gambit?" Ororo asked, shocked herself about the cruel treatment of the young mutant.
"I don't know Ororo, I really don't know."
- - -
For almost three days the X-Men heard no news on the condition of Remy LeBeau. He hadn't woken up; he hadn't shown signs of recovery or a decline in health, nothing had happened at all. Hank had asked Zaire to take over the care of Remy, making him her patient. Zaire had accepted the responsibility readily, she was sure she had learned what she needed in the first week she had spent with Hank to take sufficient care of the Cajun. And by all means it appeared she had.
"Zaire?" The runaway looked up as her name was called. Standing at the doorway to her room was Rogue, along with Kitty and Kurt behind her.
"What's up? Wait, no, let me guess. Ya wanna know how the French guys doing?" Zaire was currently getting bombarded by question about Remy since care had been handed over to her. After the rest of the Institute found out he was there they were all curious as to why and how he was.
"Can you tell us?" Kurt asked. "Zer isn't any doctor/patient confidentiality, is zer?" Zaire laughed a little at the German.
"No, come on in. Since it's you guys I'll fill ya in." Zaire put her notes on the floor and signalled for the three X-Men to enter. "What do ya wanna know?"
"When he's gonna wake up. Y'all said it would only take a few days; it's been a few days. Why ain't he waking up?" Rogue asked, standing in front of Zaire's bed. Kitty sat on the bed and Kurt leaned against the edge of her desk. Zaire sighed.
"Hank and I figured that since the internal damage is so substantial and the contusions around his ribs haven't healed sufficiently then we should give him a little more time." Kitty frowned.
"So, like, he had bruised insides?" Zaire nodded. "Does that happen to a lot of people, cause, like, sometimes I get all sore and…" Zaire held up her hand.
"Yes, it happens to a lot of people. Ya probably feel it a lot after ya been fighting or something that caused a bump against a bone, that's when there's internal damage but not external because the skin ain't broke. But with Remy it's so severe that his body needs to heal as much as he can, so it'll take up more energy, that's why he's been asleep so long." Kitty nodded, understanding what the doctor in training was telling her.
"So, once he's alright, we'll know?" Rogue asked, "Ah mean, y'all will tell us. It's just that ah worry about that Cajun." Zaire smiled a little.
"Don't worry, Rogue. The minute he wakes up I'll get someone to tell ya, Kay?" Zaire told the southerner, figuring that there had to be something between the French thief and the gothic girl. Rogue seemed to relax a little and then smiled slightly.
"Thanx, ah gotta go. Ah have a training session with Logan." Rogue thanked Zaire again and then left the room, heading for the danger room. Zaire watched her leave before turning to Kitty and Kurt.
"Are her and Gambit an item?" Kitty shook her head sadly.
"There is, like, totally the potential, but Rogue doesn't want to get too close. She thinks that he'll, like, just get hurt." Zaire nodded. She looked at her watch before moving to stand.
"Well, if you'd excuse me, I have a patient who needs seeing to." She stopped thinking that over. "Ya have no idea how cool that sounds." Zaire said with a grin. Kitty laughed and Kurt smiled at her.
"Ve'll see you later, ja?" Kurt said, looking over at Zaire who was collecting all her stuff and changing her shirt.
"Yeah, sure, ya betcha." Kitty frowned. "Something I picked up from some show on TV." She shrugged, dismissing her strange little quirk. "See ya!" And Zaire headed down to the infirmary. She passed Jean and Scott, both of which asking about Gambit. Zaire told them the same thing she told Kitty, Kurt and Rogue, only in less detail and without any promises. By the time she arrived at the infirmary Hank had left. He had told Zaire earlier that he had a small meeting to attend, he was going to be away for the duration of the day. Zaire looked at her patient, still lying nicely in his bed.
"You know Cajun, there are a lot of people 'round here who care 'bout ya, wonder why that is." Zaire said to herself, she took a small torch and went to check Remy's pupils, trying to decipher when the male would wake up. Just as she was about to open his eye and hand shot up and grabbed her wrist painfully. "Ow!"
"Where de?" Zaire was stunned to see Remy awake, his red eyes alert but unfocused. She tried to loosen his grip on her arm but found he was just the little bit stronger than her.
"Listen, if ya'd just let go I can tell ya." Remy released her wrist slowly, starting to sit up on the bed but stopping when the pain became too much.
"Qui sont vous?" He asked, his eyes not leaving hers. Zaire figured he was more than a little disorientated.
"My names Zaire. And ya're at the Institute. We've been taking care of ya." Zaire said, rubbing her wrist.
"Sabertooth?"
"Dunno, can I go call for Rogue and she'll tell ya?" Remy rubbed his head but nodded at her. The dark haired girl moved to the intercom system and pressed for the Danger Room. "Rogue, can ya come to the infirmary, I need your powers please." Zaire decided against stating that the Cajun was awake, Logan might not let her leave for that. Zaire sent a mental message to the Professor, hoping that it was true that he was always able to pick them up when they were sent his way, telling him that Remy was awake and wondering what was happening.
"Sorry, about the wrist chéri." Remy said, noticing that she was still rubbing where he had grabbed.
"I think ya might've charged my skin." Zaire stated. "But I suppose I can live with it. How ya feeling?" She went back over to the desk and picked up a stethoscope.
"Remy feel like merde, if you'll pardon expression." Zaire laughed; at least he still had a sense of humour. Just then Rogue walked through the door.
"Why do ya'll need mah powers?" She asked, not seeing that Gambit was awake.
"I don't. But I figured I'd say that so that Logan would let you go." Zaire smiled. "I said I'd let ya know when the Cajun got up." Rogue looked over and noticed that Gambit was indeed awake.
"You took your time." Rogue said walking over to sit next to Remy. "Ah'm glad you're alright, swamp rat."
"Yes, Mr LeBeau, we are all very glad that you are alright." Charles came in through the door, heading to the end of Remy's bed. "However, we are wondering just what caused the fight between yourself and Sabertooth which caused such affects to your person." Zaire cleared her throat and raised and eyebrow but the Professor ignored her. "Do you think you could fill us in?" The Professor asked, indicating to Rogue, Zaire and himself being 'us'.
"It was nothing, a minor altercation." Gambit said. Charles looked at Remy; the Cajun frowned, clearly wondering if the telepath was reading his mind.
"How exactly did it start?"
"Remy left the Acolytes." The French man said with a shrug. "Magneto may not be too 'appy." Rogue's head shot up from looking down at the Cajun's bare hands.
"You've left the Acolytes?" Remy nodded. "Why?" Gambit cringed and frowned.
"Dat be a long story. One that Remy doesn't want to tell." Zaire seemed to be the only one who could see those walls suddenly go up, of course she had her own walls so she knew all to well.
"Okay, okay. Everyone out. He needs rest, Rogue, if you want and Remy's okay with it, ya can come back in about two hours." Rogue looked at Remy, seeing if he would mind.
"Remy would like de company." Rogue smiled a little before heading out.
"See ya later then. Thanks Zaire." The Professor watched Rogue leave, turning to Remy before he too left.
"Remember Remy, we can help you. But only if you ask for the help, and only if you tell us what's going on." Charles left it at that. Leaving Remy to consider what he said and for Zaire to stand in the background awkwardly.
"What did he mean by dat?" Remy asked, Zaire shrugged.
"Dunno. But ya can trust us. We're totally the good guys. But I suppose some bad boys on the ground could liven things up." Zaire said. She checked all of Remy's vitals before giving him the all clear. "It may take a while for the contusions to go away but it is going down. In a while there shouldn't be any sign of bruising, internal or external."
"You been the one treating Remy?" Zaire nodded, noticing his tendency to use third person when referring to himself. "Then you have Remy's thanks." He took her hand and kissed it softly.
"My pleasure. Man I can see why Rogue likes ya." The Cajun seemed to perk a little at hearing that. Zaire managed to pick up on it also. "She's been real worried. Almost took my head off when it took longer for ya to wake up than I first said. Ya know, if there's a way around her powers, y'all make a cute little couple. The Mississippi Marauder and the Raging Cajun. Ha ha, I crack myself up!" Remy laughed a little at her joke, noticing how much she put into her laugh.
"You be one strange fille, but, maybe you got a point. This Cajun starting to like you." Zaire shrugged again, looking down at Remy in his bed.
"I'm a likeable girl." She grinned and he laughed again, the smile actually reaching his eyes.
- - -
AN: Review and I'll post more. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed.
