11. Lost & Lonely – Logan
Light. Bright light. Overhead, the light is from overhead. Means I'm on my back.
Marie, where’s Marie? “Marie?” Whoa is that my voice? Croaky!
A face fills my field of vision; it swims, and then focuses. “Unfortunately not, my friend.” Hank moves away and allows me to sit up. “Here drink this.”
My old friend hands me a glass of water. “Got any whiskey to go in it?”
“Again, no and I don’t think that will make any difference. How do you feel?”
After draining the glass I pass it back to him. “Like she nearly killed me. What the fuck happened?”
A hiss of high-powered doors and an almost silent whirr announces the Professor’s arrival in the medical lab. “If you’d have held on any longer she would have.”
“It’s very interesting actually, her mutation is like a high powered defence mechanism, it draws every last drop of energy and life force out of a person. In the case of that person being a mutant she can also absorb their mutation and…”
“Hank, enough already.” I ignore his excitement over anything to do with genetics and turn back to Xavier. “Where is she, she okay?”
“She’s fine, a little shaken. What happened?”
I slide off the side of the hospital bed on wheels and stretch my shoulders, then crack my neck. “Ur we…we’re kissing…” Hank looks at me over the top of his glasses and smiles. “…next thing I know I'm on the floor.”
“Have a little more rest, and then maybe you can…”
I start to look for my boots. “No, I need to see her make sure she’s okay. This must have scared the crap outta her.”
Xavier wheels towards the door, it opens and before it shuts after him, he reminds me of something. “She’s upstairs in my office with Jean. She’s fine Logan. There is someone else you need to see first.” I stare at him for a split second then sigh, how could I forget. Idiot. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.” With that he’s gone.
I turn to Hank who realises before I even open my mouth. “Jubilee is next door, she was awake the last time I checked, coherent, but unfortunately the limited movement is starting to grate on her nerves somewhat and that in turn, as we know, makes her grate on mine. I will leave you with her.”
He chuckles and leaves. Pulling my boots on as I go I cross the room to the connecting door into a more private smaller medical room. I wanna leave the minute I'm through the door. She’s lying on her side dozing slightly. I can see the healing bruises on the side of her face, yellow and purple. She has stitches in her neck leading right down into her top at the front and the back. Her left hand and wrist is in plaster. She smells like iodine, medicine, dried blood and pain.
I turn to leave her to sleep and to try and escape all the guilt, but she stirs and sees me.
“Well if it isn’t big and ugly.”
“Nice to see you too kid. How’s it hanging?”
She flinches as she tries to sit up, I stand there watching her not knowing whether to help or not. She’s up and looks at me with a broad smile. “It’s hanging off Logan, well and truly off!”
I glance down at my boots. This is all my fault; she’s like this because of me, because she’s my friend, because I was stupid enough to care. “Jubilee, I…”
“Shut up dude!”
I stare at her. “You don’t even know what I was gonna say.”
“Trust me I have an idea. I can read you like a book remember? It would go something like…‘Sorry, guilt, never meant to get you hurt, guilt, guilt, I’m so sorry, guilt, Sabertooth should be dead, guilt and did I mention the guilt’… that kinda thing. Go for it, tell me I'm wrong.”
I chuckle a little. “Truth hurts.”
“Like a bitch, man.” She shifts and flinches again. “Look, it wasn’t your fault. We all thought the son of a bitch was dead, how could anyone have predicted that he would be alive and still apparently holding a grudge. This isn’t your fault and it will just piss me off if you go on about it, so, shut up. Okay?”
“Okay.” There an awkward silence as I try and pick my words. “I, ur, haven't had a chance to talk to Hank properly…did he, ur…you know, did he…”
Her eyes meet mine and I know instantly we are on the same page, without having to actually say it. Her eyes hold the smile before her bruised lips do. “No. He didn’t.” I let out the breath I was holding. I don’t think I could have coped with that, she may be nearly nineteen, but to me she’s still a kid and if that bastard had of raped her, it would be the end of my sanity and the end of him. Not that it won’t be the end of him anyway, ‘cos it is.
I relax a little and sit on the end of her bed. “I am sorry.”
“I know. So, now we have all the shit outta the way. Tell me about ‘Marie’.”
Shaking my head I smile at her. “Fuck, I’ve been in the house all of half an hour and everyone knows my business.”
“Actually you’ve been here for around four and a half hours, but you’ve been unconscious for four. She packs a punch dude, a scary, dangerous-I didn’t know you could go down like that-punch! Hank was telling me.”
“Four hours?” I whistle. “Really? Shit.”
“Yeah. I saw her, through the door. She’s really pretty, you know, even with all the crying.”
“She was crying, over me?” Small smirk reaches my lips, it really shouldn’t make me feel good, but…means she cares.
“Yeah, kept apologising, said it was an accident.”
“It was an accident. We we’re kissin; and …well…”
“She dumped you on your ass.” She laughs and then grips her sides. “Oh god, it hurts, hahaha, you got done over by a girl no bigger than me! Score one for the ladies!”
“Shut up before you hurt yourself.” I sigh and rub my hands over my face.
“So, kissing huh?” She wiggles her eyebrows at me and smiles broadly.
I choose to ignore that. “Last thing I remember was the look on her face. She was shit scared. Was she really upset?”
“Yeah, I thought Jean was gonna have to slap her.”
I raise my eyebrows and Jubilee rolls her eyes at the mention of that name. I’m also grateful for a change of subject. “So, Jean is back from London huh?” Her blankets suddenly look very interesting. “You okay with that?”
She shrugs and won’t meet my eyes. “What choice do I have.”
“You could tell the asshole that it’s over. That would be a start. Try mentioning that he shouldn’t be using you, that he’s married to a nice lady and that you want him to fuck off and that maybe he should stop leading on young girls and…”
“Hey, you promised to stay out of it! And, he’s not an asshole.”
“Yes he is Ju. You’re 18, he’s married…” I drop my voice to a whisper, after all, I did promise. “You’re fucking around with a married man, not to mention the team leader. He is playing with you and I don’t like it.”
She whispers angrily back. “I told you before it’s my choice!”
I continue to whisper. “I know and that’s why I’ve stayed out of it, but I won’t see you get hurt. Sooner or later it’s all gonna come to a head and it may not go the way ya want it to.”
She shrugs again, bringing her voice back to normal. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Can we talk about something else now please?”
“Fine. But I mean it. Scott hurts you, he’s gonna have it coming Ju.”
“Shut up you big neanderthal and go find your girl. She’s probably out of her mind by now.” I lean in and kiss her forehead; she wrinkles her nose at me and bats me away.
Walking up through the school to Xavier’s office I can’t stop thinking about Jubilee, she really needs to kick him to the curb and move on. I should have stepped in a couple of months ago when this started, but she asked me to keep my nose out and I have, and I will keep out if that’s what she wants, but not for too much longer. Not while she’s getting hurt.
Not bothering to knock I walk into Xavier’s office and cross the room straight to Marie. She’s on her feet and in my arms before anyone can even breathe, and in that moment I notice she’s wearing gloves again. I don’t like it. I brought her here to feel safe.
Her breath is fast against my neck. “I’m so sorry, it just slipped for a split second, I never meant to…”
“Shh, its okay.” I raise her chin and kiss her lightly. “Are you okay?”
She laughs a little. “You’re worried about me? You dropped like a stone and you’re worried about me, Logan the last time this happened…Logan he, he never woke up…” she pauses and looks at me with so much fear in her eyes. “He’s still never woken up!” She gives a sharp laugh and shakes her head at me. “You are unbelievable!”
The smirk speaks for itself as I gently touch her face. “I try.”
She huffs and rolls her eyes. “Logan you can’t charm you way outta this.”
“Oh I think he’ll try anything.” Jean stood up and gently put her hand on my arm, she kisses my check lightly. “It’s nice to have you home Logan. Enjoy your nap?”
“Funny. How was London?”
“Over priced, boring and cold. But it was good to see my father, I'm glad Scott suggested it.”
“Yeah, he’s a real peach isn’t he?” Bastard.
She smiles, safe in her thought that me and Scott differ because we’re ‘men’, not ‘cos he’s screwing her and my best friend behind their backs. “You two still at it?”
“It’s his calling in life to piss me off.”
Charles smiles at us all. “I think maybe Marie needs some time to relax and settle in. Logan why don’t you two take some time, have an early diner, get some rest.”
“Sounds good to me Chuck. Jean.”
“Night Logan.” She rises and her and Marie embrace, glad to see she’s made a friend already. “Just relax, you’re safe here.” She nods towards me with a smile. “Even from him.”
Marie laughs and follows me out the door. Along the corridor I stop at the foot of the stairs. “I know we said rest, but, there’s someone I want you to meet. That okay?”
She nods. “Sure.”
A long minute later we are entering Jubilee’s room. “Hey yella, you still awake?” As I walk through the door, Scott moves away from kissing Jubilee in a millisecond, probably hoping nobody notices he was that close in the first place. Well, I did.
“Logan.” A curt nod. He steps towards Marie and holds out his hand. “I would like to apologise for my conduct earlier. It was out of line and I’m truly sorry if I gave you the impression that anyone, no matter who they are, is not welcome here.”
Nice speech for an asshole. Unfortunately Marie smiles and shakes his hand. “It’s nice to meet you Mr Summers.”
“Please, call me Scott.” His smile makes me want to vomit, I may have to set the record straight with her later, make sure she realises he’s a complete dick. Marie smiles and Scott turns to me. “Logan, can I speak with you in the other room please?”
“Sure, whatever.” I wink at Jubilee who is mock praying behind Scott’s back, making sure I keep my mouth shut. “You two girls get to know one another, have a feeling you’ll get on just fine.”
I hear them exchange “hi”s and names and I walk into the main lab and stand square-arms across my chest in front of Scott. “What’d ya want?” More of a growl than words, but who the fuck cares.
“Listen, I know you won’t hear it, but I’m going to say it anyway. Look at this from a team perspective, my point of view. A military point of view if you like.” He points to Jubilee’s room. “You’ve only just met her, she turns up out of the blue, in a place that you are known and suddenly she’s your ‘friend’, she just happens to be a mutant? None of this seems a little odd to you…”
“Now you listen to me you up-tight fucking prick, she…”
“Logan listen to me, she’s in the house 30 minutes and you’re nearly dead! You are the best asset that this team has, everyone knows that including our enemies, especially Magneto, I have never known anything take you down, even slow you down. There is nothing out there that we know of that can kill you and then this, this ‘girl’ nearly does it with a god-dammed kiss! Please see this for what it is…”
All of a sudden I want to hit the smug bitch again. “And what is it Scott?”
“I’ll tell you, Logan, she is dangerous. She was obviously put in front of you, hoping that she would take your fancy, and then Creed goes for Jubilee almost forcing your hand into bringing this girl here. Why can’t you just let us deal…”
I give him a little shove, maybe not a little one, and he staggers back while I growl. “I may have only just met her, but I know her better than anyone on the planet. She’s not a danger, she’s nothing more than a confused, lonely woman who’s been cast out by everyone who was supposed to care for her, she’s been left to fend for herself and you know what? She’s done it. Just.” I almost wanted to add, ‘she doesn’t have to anymore, ‘cos she’s got me now and that’s the way it’s going to stay’, but didn’t. “You keep your nose out of my business and stay away from my girl.”
He shakes his head, huffs and leaves. I take a minute to calm down. To think. He’s right. There is a little bit of nagging doubt in the back of my mind, that maybe this is all too good to be true. This is me after all, what in my life ever turns out any good?
Pacing a little I try and work this out in my head. Every moment I have been near her the only time I smelled a lie is when she lied about her name. And like she said, who doesn’t? She’s told me everything about her. Her home, her life, parents, friends and all the time she spent running. I want to trust her. My instincts tell me to trust her. But I hate the fact the Scott is right, I have to be careful. She nearly killed me. Easily.
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