PART 2—WESTCHESTER
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
Logan woke up in the med-lab opposite Dawson who was still out from the riffle jab to his head.
On the Blackbird, Jean had helped him pull the scythe out. It ripped his lungs coming out as it did going in.
It had caused enough pain for Logan to black out again until now. At least Jean had cleaned the blood up.
Logan really hated the taste of his own blood.
He was in for one hell of a lecture from Scooter. Logan grinned. "Good, there's something to look forward to." He started to get up.
"You should have seen Mikael's face when we pulled that scythe out of you." Logan almost fell out of the bed.
"Shit, Jean! Ya' could warn a fella when you're gonna to hide in corners like that," groaned Logan.
Jean Grey was one of the few persons who knew that when Logan woke up from a serious wound, nine out of ten, his senses were terribly groggy.
"Sorry," Jean didn't look very sorry. "You know, that blade was less than a inch from your heart."
"Yeah, whatever," Logan cracked his neck. It was still a bit stiff from lying on the anything, but soft med-lab beds. "Who's Mikael?"
Getting up from her chair, Jean put down the clipboard she had been working on. "The man you rescued from certain death. He's a doctor, too. From Syria or something. Couldn't believe that you weren't dead."
"Oh," Logan watched Jean pick up some medical paraphernalia and walk over to him. He started to get up again.
"Oh, no, you don't. You stay right where you are, Wolverine." Jean used her powers and Logan couldn't move.
"DAMMIT, Jean!" She had gotten very blasé about her abilities of late. "I'm not some fucking invalid for Christ's sake!"
Jean walked over and started doing whatever it is that doctors think is necessary when you've been impaled by a farming implement and shot with a shotgun.
"Open wide," she said pushing a bad tasting thing into his mouth.
"Waaraaanph," Logan grumbled.
Jean took it out and made funny thoughtful noises over it. As she started prodding him and removing gauze bandages, Jean continued the conversation.
"Scott is not happy with what happened last night."
"Do tell," Logan grinned. "Owww!" Jean had pulled out some hair along with the tape.
"He thinks you endangered the team."
"What do you think?" Logan asked sincerely.
Jean stopped her ripping and prodding to look Logan in the eyes.
"I think you did, what at the time, you thought was the best course of action. At the time it was reckless, against orders, and totally unnecessary, but it got the desired results. The mission succeeded and everyone is happy."
"Except for Cyke," he added for her.
"Hmmm, yes. Except for Scott."
She finished what she was doing and stepped back.
"You know, Logan, one of these days someone's going to hurt you or something is going to get stuck in you, and your body is not going to be able to cope. Please be careful. I'm not always going to be here to patch you up."
Her sudden turn in the conversation startled him. He was about to say something sarcastic when she spoke again. "You should have seen Marie when you blacked out in the Blackbird coughing up blood. If you're not going to look after yourself for yourself, Logan, then please just do it for her."
The room was silent as Jean picked up the equipment and left the med-lab.
That afternoon…
"She said it was unnecessary," Logan said recalling the med-lab conversation.
"They had already contacted the authorities, you know. They arrived just as we left," Marie feinted to the left and tried to get behind him as she bounced the basketball faster.
"Oh…, the authorities. By that time the guy would've had a nice long neck. You know that. I know that. Why can't the rest of the X-Geeks figure it out?"
Logan cut her off and grabbing the ball, he turned to shoot it through the hoop… again.
"FUCK, Logan! Give me a brake, will ya'."
"No swearing on court. Penalty five points."
Marie watched despondently as the ball bounced back to her. "Once more."
Logan looked at her from behind his water bottle and grinned. "You said that 23 'once mores' ago."
"Aahhh, Wolvie. Just once more…"
"Aahhhhh… no."
"Last time, please?"
Logan walked over to the ball and extended one claw. He ended the ball's life with a sighing poofing noise as his claw picked it up. "Oops!"
Marie stalked over and pulled the ball off his claw.
"No use of mutant powers or any advantageous materials on court. Penalty of 125 points. That makes me the winner." Marie laughed.
Keeping the smile frozen on her face, she rolled her eyes to the right. "You've got an audience, O' Great slaughterer of basketballs."
Logan didn't look up to the mansion's balcony that overlooked the basketball court as he retracted his claw and squirted the remains of his water onto Marie's hair.
"I know. He's been there for the last twenty minutes."
They walked back to the edge of the court and gathered up their stuff.
"Kinda creepy, don't ya think?" Marie asked, her voice muffled by her towel.
"I try not to…"
"He was watching you at breakfast and at lunch," Marie added.
"Oh, no. Do you think he saw my table manners?"
"And…" she continued, "I saw him follow you into the changing rooms this afternoon." Marie saw Logan falter at that one and she cracked up laughing. He turned around to look at her with his patented eyebrow lift.
She hooted with laughter. "Ah'm just kidding!"
Logan coughed and mumbled something probably very non-G rated under his breath.
"But seriously, he really is watching you," Marie concluded.
"I know," Logan turned towards the mansion and started to walk away.
Mikael watched them leave the court. He then made his way down the corridor.
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