There is an optional tie-in story that begins after the end of this chapter and before next chapter. Please read the footnote for more information.

Volume: 4 Arc: "beekeeper" 3 Issue: 1/2 )

Chapter 143 : drifting


"Dear lord," Hank had murmured.

Laura was hooked up to what seemed like millions of wires, millions of tubes, all fulfilling a different function. Kidney dialysis, respiratory machine, pacemaker machine. Her organs
seemed to be shutting down as her healing factor had been snuffed out; she was rejecting it.

It. The adamantium implants.

Her skin had a deathly green tinge, in addition to the blotches of purple. Her lips were blue, as were her hands and feet. Plus the fact that she was swollen and bloated like a blow
fish. She was so horrific that it was a silent agreement to keep the Shrimps from her.

"She's handlin' it worse than I did," Logan had said grimly. "She's got poisonin', that's fer sure. They musta done a number on her healin' factor first—or maybe it ain't as strong as mine, I dunno…"

Julian was silent, sitting beside her bed, his face in his hands. He didn't need to analyze the problem, at the moment. She was dying, and there was nothing that could be done to help
her. Elixir had failed, unable to remove the foreign substance from her blood.

It was just a matter of when she would die, now.

The adamantium couldn't be removed; it had bonded to her bone cells so deeply that such an action would kill her—in an excruciatingly painful way.

Hank had tried to be optimistic, saying her healing factor should kick in at any moment; then her kidneys had shut down, too full of filtered metal to clean her blood any longer.

Then they'd left him alone, with her, probably because looking at her made them hurt. She looked like she'd been hit by a bus.

"Julian…" Sofia, at the door.

He didn't answer.

"How is she?"

Julian remained silent. Anyone who asked that was…

"I am sorry," Sofia said softly. "I wish…Laura doesn't deserve this."

"But this is what she gets," Julian said. "This is what she always gets. I left her…I should have stayed. I should have fed Kimura a steel wall support the second I saw her."

"Oh, Julian, do…not blame yourself," Sofia said, aghast. "This…none of this is your fault. Do not talk like that. You have a good heart. I know you would never kill anyone. That is why I…"
she trailed off. "I am sorry," she said again instead.

Julian gazed at his hands, and thought about how little people really knew him, who he was now. The only person that had any inkling about him was dying, because of him, because
he'd been playing X-man and not doing what needed to be done, not listening to his instincts like he used to do.

"I will listen if you need to talk," Sofia said, lingering, holding the door frame.

"I'm good," Julian said.

She paused, then left the room.

…

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMM-mmmmmhh," Laura groaned into the ventilator, her eyes rolling wildly under the puffed lids.

"She's got a fever," Dr. McCoy said, his paw holding her head still. "We may need to restrain her…and we must bring this down. She's in no state to have her
enzymes denatured!"

Julian took her hand. It was hot, very hot, and heavier than he remembered it. He stared at her fingers and realized they were even chubbier than before. He wondered,
in a disconnected way, if her ring would still fit.

"JULIAN! Hold her!" Dr. MCoy was tilting her head back as she thrashed, his paws prying her jaws apart, keeping her from biting her tongue.

He took mental hold of her, sending soothing tingles up her spine. Laura relaxed slightly. This seemed to be what she needed—circulation through movement—something
he could provide on a much more thorough level.

About the only thing he could do for her.

"Keep doing that," Dr. McCoy said after a moment.

A few moments later, Dr. McCoy managed to take a reading.

"105!" he exclaimed, staring at the thermometer. "Oh my. She's approaching a very dangerous level. If it rises any further, she may not make it."

"You mean, aside from the fact that she's dying of metal poisoning," Julian said angrily.

Dr. McCoy paused.

"Yes," he said, looking down. "I'm sorry, Julian. I don't think there is anything that can help her now. The procedure…the barbarian who put this adamantium in her did not
do it correctly." He paused. "She wasn't in good shape to begin with. Then…this. Her healing factor's shut down. I've located several bones that did not accept the implants.
There are free-floating metal particles in her body…in her tissue…I cannot see her surviving for much longer. I did…I did not want to tell you in front of Logan."

Julian was silent.

"Come on." Dr. McCoy put a paw on his shoulder. "We need to get this down, now. In that cabinet over there, bring me—"

…

"J-julian," came a small, frightened voice from the stretcher, against the woosh of air from the oxygen mask. He looked up immediately. Laura was tilting her head to look
at him, her face flushed and shining with perspiration, her eyes glassy and distant, but fixed on him.

"A-are you…" she said, her eyes shifting. They looked strange.

His eyes focused past her to the machine at her side. 110 degrees.

"I'm here," he said, reaching up and taking her swollen hand.

Laura paused. "I can't s-see."

Julian studied her eyes, then stood up and peered into them. "Christ," he said, seeing a film, a silvery sheen. "No wonder. You've got metal in your eyes."

Laura breathed shakily.

"It'll be okay," he said, touching her forehead. "Laura…I'm sorry. For leaving you."

Silence. He thought she'd gone incoherent again, and was about to sit down, when she spoke.

"D-don't be." She paused. "You did…you did what I asked you to d-do. I would be angry…if you had stayed."

Julian considered this. "Yeah, but—"

"N-no. My shrimps…I l-live for my shrimps…and if…" her eyebrows drew together, and she made a gurgly noise. "…if something h-happened…to them…I'd be so pissed."

He stroked her forehead. "I love you, so much…don't leave."

Laura nodded slightly. "I l-love you too."

Strained silence. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, trying not to cry.

"I want m-more," Laura said, her lips against his throat from the motion.

"Huh?"

"M-more shrimps," she said. "I want…promise m-me…if I make it…I can have m-more…I want…"

"Anything," he promised her soothingly, patting her hand.

Laura paused, and suddenly her fingers tightened slightly around his. Her dry lips parted, and she made a few gasps for breath. Her eyes fixed on his, then, louder, she said:

"Middle…middle…inside me…"

"What's that?"

But she closed her eyes and slipped into a coma-like sleep.

A/N: Want to know what Laura dreams about in her coma? Look on my author page for 'Helix: Coma Black'. It's my version of House of M, and features (yes) my AU characters in--an AU! Think of that! This story is completely optional to read and none of the events will show up in the Helix story. :-)