But he wasn't getting better. By the time he'd finished, he was leaning against the wall with one hand. Everything was just moving. He felt like he was on a boat in a storm. What the hell was happening to him?
He could be sure of one thing. He was not going to do anything with Carol while he was in this state. He could barely stand up straight to pee, and he wasn't sure he'd even be able to get on the motorcycle, never mind ride it. So what was he going to do? There was no point going home with Carol, he couldn't get himself back to Xavier's and he did not want to just hide in the parking lot until he recovered. He had to call for help. But he really didn't want to. He had Storm's number, he might be able to talk her in to coming to get him without waking anyone else, then talk her in to keeping her mouth shut. But even so, he didn't want anyone to know that this (whatever it was) had happened to him. But he might have no choice.
He staggered back out of the bathroom, hand on the wall, he kept nearly tripping over his own feet, and made for the parking lot. As soon as he was outside, he sat down. That was better. If he was sat down, he couldn't fall. He pulled his phone out. He couldn't even read the numbers on the keypad. He couldn't see properly. Storm was four on speed dial. You just had to press that number once, then the green button, didn't you? He could sort of see where the green button was, and four was the second one down on the left.
She picked up after a couple of rings.
"Hello?"
"Storm."
"Logan, what's..?"
"I need you to come and get me."
"Where are you? What's going on?"
"At a bar in town, Alex's. I'm not gonna make it home. I need you to get me."
"Are you drunk?"
"No." He shouldn't be. Not on three beers. Not this drunk.
"How much have you had?"
"Couple of beers. Takes more than that. I think I'm sick."
"Do you get sick?"
"Sometimes." He just needed her to stop talking and come and get him.
"Hang on." He heard movement down the phone. "Don't hang up. Stay with me." He shut his eyes and waited. He heard a thump and Storm shouting something. What was she doing? Then vague voices, too far from the phone to hear clearly.
"Logan?"
"Storm?"
There was a brief silence. "Come on, you know my voice."
"Jean." She'd sounded really like Storm for a second. And damn it! Storm had woken her up, and if she'd woken Jean, she'd woken Scott. This didn't need to get any more humiliating.
"Logan, how much have you had to drink."
"Three beers. I can take that much."
"What's happened?"
He sighed heavily. There was no point in lying to her now. "I'm dizzy. Everything's spinning, can't walk properly."
"Can you stand?"
"Don't wanna try."
"Okay, can you see?"
He flicked his eyes open again. "Not well."
"How long ago did this start?"
"Ten minutes?"
She moved the phone away from her mouth. He could still hear voices dimly through the phone, then "We're coming to get you. I want you to hole up. Get under a car or something and stay there until we come for you. Don't leave, whatever you do. Do you understand?"
"Yeah."
,
Four miles to the East, Storm held her hand out to Jean for her phone. Jean handed it over, Storm pocketed it.
"What's the matter with him?" Scott asked. By the look of it, he and Jean hadn't been asleep either, Scott still had a book in his hand.
"I don't know." Jean said. "It's hard to diagnose someone over the phone, but he's got acute neurological dysfunction. He definitely shouldn't drive and he needs attention."
"Okay, are we treating this as a medical pickup or potentially as a fight?"
Jean took a breath slowly. "He could have been drugged. In which case, we might have a fight on our hands."
Brilliant, Storm thought.
Scott nodded once. "Okay. You two go get changed, I'll see if I can get Kurt up and follow you down."
,
Logan put his phone back in his pocket. He had to get up and - what had Jean told him to do? He didn't want to move. He just wanted to sit here with his eyes shut until someone came to get him, preferably Storm. He didn't think he'd be able to stand up on his own.
"There you are." A voice, a woman's voice, said somewhere to his right. "Was wondering if you'd lost your nerve and run away." He looked up. Woman, blue jeans, pink shirt, blonde, was that Carol?
He put his head back between his knees. "Hey, look, I'm sorry, I've come over sick or something. I'm not…"
"Do you want water? There's water in my car." She walked away, he heard a car door slam, then felt her crouch down beside him. "Here." She put a bottle of water in his hand. "Hope you don't mind peach flavour." It took him a couple of attempts to get the lid off and drink. What the hell was wrong with him? "Let me take you home."
He shook his head. "Called my friend. Coming."
"Okay. I don't wanna leave you like this, I'm going to stay with you until they get here."
"Don't have to."
"I want to help you. Come with me. We'll sit over here."
,
Four miles to the East, Storm held her hand out to Jean for her phone. Jean handed it over, Storm pocketed it.
"What's the matter with him?" Scott asked. By the look of it, he and Jean hadn't been asleep either, Scott still had a book in his hand.
"I don't know." Jean said. "It's hard to diagnose someone over the phone, but he's got acute neurological dysfunction. He definitely shouldn't drive and he needs attention."
"Okay, are we treating this as a medical pickup or potentially as a fight?"
Jean took a breath slowly. "He could have been drugged. In which case, we might have a fight on our hands."
Brilliant, Storm thought.
Scott nodded once. "Okay. You two go get changed, I'll see if I can get Kurt up and follow you down."
,
Logan put his phone back in his pocket. He had to get up and - what had Jean told him to do? He didn't want to move. He just wanted to sit here with his eyes shut until someone came to get him, preferably Storm. He didn't think he'd be able to stand up on his own.
"There you are." A voice, a woman's voice, said somewhere to his right. "Was wondering if you'd lost your nerve and run away." He looked up. Woman, blue jeans, pink shirt, blonde, was that Carol?
He put his head back between his knees. "Hey, look, I'm sorry, I've come over sick or something. I'm not…"
"Do you want water? There's water in my car." She walked away, he heard a car door slam, then felt her crouch down beside him. "Here." She put a bottle of water in his hand. "Hope you don't mind peach flavour." It took him a couple of attempts to get the lid off and drink. What the hell was wrong with him? "Let me take you home."
He shook his head. "Called my friend. Coming."
"Okay. I don't wanna leave you like this, I'm going to stay with you until they get here."
"Don't have to."
"I want to help you. Come with me. We'll sit over here."
,
Scott pulled in to the car park of the bar Logan had said he was at. Why the hell he'd gone out without telling anyone where he was going was another question, but now four people had to come out at eleven at night to get him out of whatever mess he'd got himself in to.
"Right, let's find him." He got out of the van, Jean, Storm and Kurt following. Jean leaned against the van and closed her eyes, presumably she thought telepathy might find Logan faster than looking would. Scott started looking under cars, on the assumption that Logan had been with it enough to do as Jean said. But he couldn't see him. Storm had moved off round the back of the bar.
"He's not here." Jean called. Scott stood up and looked at her. "He's… he's nearly passed out."
"Jean, where is he?"
"Two miles south, he's in a car."
Great. This was about to get a whole lot more difficult. "Kurt, Storm, come on! Jean, you're going to tell me where to go."