A/N: Sorry it's been so long. School and work are hectic and I got a movie project I'm trying to complete. But here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~*************
CHAPTER 40 – Deep Thinking
Jean hurried down the hall, trying not to move too fast to show her growing worry to Logan, but trying not to move too slow, not wanting him to think she suddenly didn't care. Just fast enough to get there because something was wrong, she could feel it. Ha felt it the moment he left only now it was growing stronger since she was growing closer to the source, to Tristan.
She paused in front of the door and took a deep breath, trying to calm her ever rapid heartbeat. She was sure Logan's trained ears could hear it, if not see it. She lifted a shaking hand and tapped on the door twice. There was no response from within, not so much as a sound. She looked at Logan who shook his head, confirming her thought.
With another deep breath, Jean knocked on the heavy door again, calling out this time. "Tristan…Tristan are you in there? It's Jean. I want to talk to you. Open the door."
Again there was nothing but silence that answered her back. Now her worry was escalating. He wouldn't ignore her like this. Not her of all people. Something had to be wrong.
"Maybe he's asleep," Logan suggested glancing at the door, but not believing his own words even as he heard them spoken. He was hoping saying it aloud would make it sound more true but it had done nothing but edge the worry on tighter to both of them. Tristan wasn't one to ignore Jean, not with the way he'd been looking at her for the last few weeks, not with how close they'd grown. But he held on to that hope…
"Oh God," Jean whispered beside him and that was all the warning he needed. The adamantium claws popped out of his knuckles with a sharp pain that he ignored and he sliced at the lock on the door, causing it to creep right open. He pushed it open, letting it bang against the wall and jolt back, but he had jostled his way in by then, right behind Jean.
Her breath caught in her throat as she saw exactly what she expected. Tristan lay on the ground in front of her, turned on his side, unmoving. She knelt down next to him and turned him onto his back. He was paler then usual, which she would never have thought possible until now. She touched his face and wasn't at all surprised to find his insipid skin burning up and covered with perspiration as his body tried to recuperate from the trouncing it had gone through.
"We need to get him on the bed, help me," she asked Logan, but instead he scooped the limp Trimutant into his arms and laid him on the bed for her.
Jean sat besides him and moved his shirt out of the way, lifting it up to reveal the wound identical to John's. Instead of a hole it was a cut, not too deep but bleeding furiously. Trying to keep her worry from her features and stay calm, she ripped at his shirt, exposing his entire chest.
Logan hissed behind her at the sight he saw. "How did that happen?"
She gently touched the bruises on his chest. "It was from healing. It always has a draw back and this carried a big one. Not only did it give him an identical wound to John's but it bruised his ribs as well."
"I guess it's true that every gift comes with a curse," Logan said behind her.
She nodded her head. "Can you go into the bathroom and get the med kit?"
"Right on it," he told her.
Jean swept a piece of Tristan's dark hair from his face and wished that there was something more that she could do for him. Memories of the first time she met him in the white room flooded through her mind. His sky blue eyes focused on the table before reflecting up to her. She had felt safe for the first time then. It just felt right being near him, all of her troubled thoughts seemed to dissolve. And the night in his room…and the pool…the kiss…
"Here you go," Logan's voice startled her and she couldn't help jumping.
She looked up at him and took the med kit, taking out the items she needed before closing it and setting it on the dresser closest to her. Logan helped her by lifting up Tristan carefully so she could bandage his bruises.
Once done she glanced back at the wound and removed the gauze. Blood had seeped completely through it and she tossed it away, picking a new one.
"Logan, I have one more thing I need you to get me."
"Name it red," he told her.
"I need a bowl of water and a wash cloth so I can clean this…better make it two wash cloths. I need one to help bring down the fever."
"On it serge," he gave her a mock salute and Jean couldn't help but to smile a little. Logan was good at doing that. Making the best out of a bad situation.
She turned her attention back to Tristan. His breathing wasn't as labored now and the wound seemed to have healed more over the last fifteen minutes. With a sigh of relief she realized he was going to be okay. Sore and tired…but he'd live.
Jean gently touched his cheek and felt another urge to enter his mind. She could see it just by touching him. The storm cloud inside both beckoning her to come and stay away. She'd been warned never to enter, never knowing what she would find in his mind. And with Tristan being a TriMutant it would be more dangerous then Logan's mind. But the temptation was great, pulling her closer and closer. She fought the desire…for now and blinked, his sleeping face coming back into view and the cloud in his mind fading from her own.
Logan set the water on the table and handed her the cloths then took a seat in a chair across the way.
"Thank you," she mumbled and dipped one of the cloths into the water, ringing it out. She dabbed at the wound, doing her best to get rid of the excess blood and clean it. Once it was clean enough she rubbed on some ointment before applying the bandage, hoping it would help it heal faster.
She took a deep breath and dipped the other cloth in the water. She wiped at Tristan's clammy face, glad to feel his fever had dropped more since he'd been treated. She tossed the cloth onto the dresser and fidgeted on the bed, getting comfortable.
"Can I do anything else?" Logan asked.
Jean had forgotten he was even in the room. She was so preoccupied with helping Tristan that she didn't even remember him sitting there.
She shook her head, brushing the hair from her face. "No, you can go, Logan."
"You sure, Jean?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I'll be okay. I'm just going to sit in her with him for awhile."
Logan nodded his head and waited a minute before standing up. "I'll go tell this to the Professor then." He paused before leaving the room. "If you need anything just…call for me, whatever you want to call it."
Jean chuckled softly and nodded. "I will."
He closed the door behind him and she looked back at Tristan thinking once more of the choice that lay in front of her. "This can't get any more difficult for me, Tristan…it just can't." With a sigh she leaned back against his pillow, six inches away from him, finding it more comfortable to sit like that and think about it.
Who did she love more? That was the hard question. Who could she not live without? Scott or Logan. But the more she thought about it, the more she felt Tristan was making a his way into her already troubled heart, causing a triangle of confusions. She glanced at Tristan, watching his sleeping form and finding it hard to turn away.
"I'm afraid it just got more difficult," she told herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~******************************
More to come soon!!!!
~~~~~~~~*************
CHAPTER 40 – Deep Thinking
Jean hurried down the hall, trying not to move too fast to show her growing worry to Logan, but trying not to move too slow, not wanting him to think she suddenly didn't care. Just fast enough to get there because something was wrong, she could feel it. Ha felt it the moment he left only now it was growing stronger since she was growing closer to the source, to Tristan.
She paused in front of the door and took a deep breath, trying to calm her ever rapid heartbeat. She was sure Logan's trained ears could hear it, if not see it. She lifted a shaking hand and tapped on the door twice. There was no response from within, not so much as a sound. She looked at Logan who shook his head, confirming her thought.
With another deep breath, Jean knocked on the heavy door again, calling out this time. "Tristan…Tristan are you in there? It's Jean. I want to talk to you. Open the door."
Again there was nothing but silence that answered her back. Now her worry was escalating. He wouldn't ignore her like this. Not her of all people. Something had to be wrong.
"Maybe he's asleep," Logan suggested glancing at the door, but not believing his own words even as he heard them spoken. He was hoping saying it aloud would make it sound more true but it had done nothing but edge the worry on tighter to both of them. Tristan wasn't one to ignore Jean, not with the way he'd been looking at her for the last few weeks, not with how close they'd grown. But he held on to that hope…
"Oh God," Jean whispered beside him and that was all the warning he needed. The adamantium claws popped out of his knuckles with a sharp pain that he ignored and he sliced at the lock on the door, causing it to creep right open. He pushed it open, letting it bang against the wall and jolt back, but he had jostled his way in by then, right behind Jean.
Her breath caught in her throat as she saw exactly what she expected. Tristan lay on the ground in front of her, turned on his side, unmoving. She knelt down next to him and turned him onto his back. He was paler then usual, which she would never have thought possible until now. She touched his face and wasn't at all surprised to find his insipid skin burning up and covered with perspiration as his body tried to recuperate from the trouncing it had gone through.
"We need to get him on the bed, help me," she asked Logan, but instead he scooped the limp Trimutant into his arms and laid him on the bed for her.
Jean sat besides him and moved his shirt out of the way, lifting it up to reveal the wound identical to John's. Instead of a hole it was a cut, not too deep but bleeding furiously. Trying to keep her worry from her features and stay calm, she ripped at his shirt, exposing his entire chest.
Logan hissed behind her at the sight he saw. "How did that happen?"
She gently touched the bruises on his chest. "It was from healing. It always has a draw back and this carried a big one. Not only did it give him an identical wound to John's but it bruised his ribs as well."
"I guess it's true that every gift comes with a curse," Logan said behind her.
She nodded her head. "Can you go into the bathroom and get the med kit?"
"Right on it," he told her.
Jean swept a piece of Tristan's dark hair from his face and wished that there was something more that she could do for him. Memories of the first time she met him in the white room flooded through her mind. His sky blue eyes focused on the table before reflecting up to her. She had felt safe for the first time then. It just felt right being near him, all of her troubled thoughts seemed to dissolve. And the night in his room…and the pool…the kiss…
"Here you go," Logan's voice startled her and she couldn't help jumping.
She looked up at him and took the med kit, taking out the items she needed before closing it and setting it on the dresser closest to her. Logan helped her by lifting up Tristan carefully so she could bandage his bruises.
Once done she glanced back at the wound and removed the gauze. Blood had seeped completely through it and she tossed it away, picking a new one.
"Logan, I have one more thing I need you to get me."
"Name it red," he told her.
"I need a bowl of water and a wash cloth so I can clean this…better make it two wash cloths. I need one to help bring down the fever."
"On it serge," he gave her a mock salute and Jean couldn't help but to smile a little. Logan was good at doing that. Making the best out of a bad situation.
She turned her attention back to Tristan. His breathing wasn't as labored now and the wound seemed to have healed more over the last fifteen minutes. With a sigh of relief she realized he was going to be okay. Sore and tired…but he'd live.
Jean gently touched his cheek and felt another urge to enter his mind. She could see it just by touching him. The storm cloud inside both beckoning her to come and stay away. She'd been warned never to enter, never knowing what she would find in his mind. And with Tristan being a TriMutant it would be more dangerous then Logan's mind. But the temptation was great, pulling her closer and closer. She fought the desire…for now and blinked, his sleeping face coming back into view and the cloud in his mind fading from her own.
Logan set the water on the table and handed her the cloths then took a seat in a chair across the way.
"Thank you," she mumbled and dipped one of the cloths into the water, ringing it out. She dabbed at the wound, doing her best to get rid of the excess blood and clean it. Once it was clean enough she rubbed on some ointment before applying the bandage, hoping it would help it heal faster.
She took a deep breath and dipped the other cloth in the water. She wiped at Tristan's clammy face, glad to feel his fever had dropped more since he'd been treated. She tossed the cloth onto the dresser and fidgeted on the bed, getting comfortable.
"Can I do anything else?" Logan asked.
Jean had forgotten he was even in the room. She was so preoccupied with helping Tristan that she didn't even remember him sitting there.
She shook her head, brushing the hair from her face. "No, you can go, Logan."
"You sure, Jean?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I'll be okay. I'm just going to sit in her with him for awhile."
Logan nodded his head and waited a minute before standing up. "I'll go tell this to the Professor then." He paused before leaving the room. "If you need anything just…call for me, whatever you want to call it."
Jean chuckled softly and nodded. "I will."
He closed the door behind him and she looked back at Tristan thinking once more of the choice that lay in front of her. "This can't get any more difficult for me, Tristan…it just can't." With a sigh she leaned back against his pillow, six inches away from him, finding it more comfortable to sit like that and think about it.
Who did she love more? That was the hard question. Who could she not live without? Scott or Logan. But the more she thought about it, the more she felt Tristan was making a his way into her already troubled heart, causing a triangle of confusions. She glanced at Tristan, watching his sleeping form and finding it hard to turn away.
"I'm afraid it just got more difficult," she told herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~******************************
More to come soon!!!!