Bedside Manner[Forge, Conduit, Wolverine]

[conduit]

By the time the sun had set and risen, Rayen had yet to indulge in more than short, restless catnaps. It had taken hours to get Bandero through the emergency room and even longer to get him through surgery.

They had closed veins and trimmed torn cartilage, installed temporary staples; all manner of awful measures to keep him alive. The doctors gave her technicalities about trauma, mentioned the psychological impact. It all blurred. She just wanted him to open his eyes.

Sitting beside his bed, Rayen had taken the opportunity after Logan said he was going for food to meditate and slow her mind.

Pulling back the hospital blanket, she closed her eyes and started with his head. Letting her fingertips trail over his forehead, his eyes, his cheekbones, his jaw, she felt for the pulse of current she'd found the day before outside NovaTeX. She felt electricity running along the circuits of his veins just as it did in hers. Excited to begin, she had to slow herself and just observe for the time being.

Rayen wasn't aware of the veil of sweat on her forehead, or the way the lights were flickering as she mapped the biological ley lines of her brother's body.

[logan]

Logan stood across the bed from Rayen, the food he’d managed to rummage from the cafeteria sat unopened on the waiting table, and his leather uniform top and gloves were laid out across one of the visitor chairs. His white T-Shirt was still stained mostly red from blood – a lot of it his own, a good portion Forge’s, and still much more from the dozens of walking dead. He’d done the best he could over the past hours to wash himself off in the restroom, but he still looked haggard and unkempt. Not that he ever could’ve been in a fashion show to begin with.

“Easy, Rayen...” He said, softly (compared to himself) since she didn’t notice him coming in. She seemed highly focused on something about her brother. “You’re gonna short out stuff in here.”

He pulled his chair around backwards, and sat, facing her. She looked like she’d been dragged through the nine levels of hell – and to a degree, she had. Her first day on the job, if she even was ‘on the job’, and already she’d nearly died, been forced to kill, and barely managed to save her brother’s life after his leg had been torn off by a giant. That she was still relatively sane was a feat in and of itself.

“You need to eat, too.” He said, handing over a wrapped up club sandwich.

[conduit]

Rayen lowered her hand, taking a few heavy breaths as the lights returned to full power. She took the sandwich, looking at him, a little exposed.

"Sorry. I just... I know there's something I could be doing. I can feel it when I touch him." She unwrapped the sandwich, turning her chair to face Logan. "Our powers seem to be different when we're near one another. I mean... not powers... you know." She picked at her sandwich. "Thanks for this, by the way."

[logan]

Logan nodded at her thanks for the sandwich, dismissing it. He bit into his own sandwich, and looked at her measuringly.

“You think these changes in your powers could help him recover?” he asked, clearly opting for the word 'powers' easily. Logan hardly wasted time trying to find the right words at the right times. Powers was a word used – mainly by homo-sapiens – to describe mutant abilities, so that worked easily.

“Something to do with your electricity? Forge mentioned being a minor electrokenetic when talking about his technology.”

It was probably best to keep her talking on the positive, and not let her dwell too much on the negative. This conversation could do her good – besides, who was he to say mutant powers wouldn't change when dealing with a sibling who's also a mutant. It's all genetic, right?

[conduit]

Rayen took a bite, not wanting to eat but knowing she should. She chewed for a moment, looking out the window in thought.

"I've never known myself to have that ability. I can feel electrical current, kind of like you could feel heat under the surface of something. I can sense that it's there. And I can feel the... well... wiring, if you will, is similar to mine, in his body. I think I can help him, yeah."

Brushing a slightly greasy strand of black hair out of her face, she looked at him. "You don't have to be here you know." Then she blushed, smiling a bit. "I mean... I really appreciate it. But don't feel obligated."

[logan]

Tossing the empty cellophane wrap into a chair, and opening a second sandwich, he looked at her as she told him he didn't have to be there.

“Don't much feel I'm acting out of responsibility, Rayen, just here to help. Besides, I may not agree with half of what he says, but the guy proved his mettle out in the field – even took down the Juggernaut, which was supposedly impossible. Way I see it, if he's going to risk his life out there for us, we should at least be waitin' around to see if we can help when he's injured – he's had the shittiest third day on the job I've ever heard of.”

He took a bite, chewing slowly, thinking hard about something and looking at Bandero's face.

“'Sides, wasn't about to let you just sit in her all by yourself.”

[conduit]

Rayen smiled a bit, finishing half her sandwich and wrapping it up again.

"I'm starting to get tired. I don't think I should work on him until I've slept a bit..." she ran her fingers over her somewhat tangled hair. "But I don't want to leave." She sighed.

With her eyes closed, she felt the fatigue and trauma of the last few days come down on her. Tears wavered on her lashes, and she bit her bottom lip. She refused to let her tears fall, and took a slow breath.

"I just... you know, our father made him leave when I was five years old. I only got him back two days ago."

[logan]

“Sack out on the bed over there – it's empty, I'll keep watch in case anything changes. Don't need much sleep – part of the regeneration.” he said, pointing at the nearby, unused hospital bed. Sure they'd probably be annoyed that she was using it, but he'd talk them into letting it slide.

It touched him how she reacted toward her brother, for he could really understand that. The X-Men were the closest thing to family for him, particularly Rogue (even if she wasn't an X-Man anymore,) who was very much a younger sister to him. He definitely understood the bond that could be formed, and how powerful it was.

“Regain your strength, and see what you can do.” He said simply.

[conduit]

Rayen got up, nodding. Her head was aching from trying to stay awake.

As she passed, she laid a hand on Logan's shoulder, patted him a bit as if to say thanks again, and sat on the bed. Taking off her hiking boots, she curled up on the bed and fell asleep within moments.

[logan]

Logan passed the long stretch of boring hours by checking in on the other X-Men through the communicator, and by reading a heap of magazines he'd pillaged from various waiting rooms. Having been out of touch for six months, he decided to educate himself on the news of late, using Time and People and magazines of the sort...

He glanced over, halfway through this time, and considered Rayen for a moment. She was... interesting. Very strong, very willing to sacrifice herself for what she believed in – also very level headed and self meditative. An interesting woman, to be sure.

[forge]

The haze of drug-induced euphoria was excessively powerful, though the sheer agony of whatever had happened to him seemed to combat this potency with it's own ungodly puissance.

Christ Almighty it hurt, and it was so hard to focus... he couldn't use his powers on the machinery hooked up to him. Took way too much effort. He felt like a prisoner.

His eyes fluttered open, but he could barely see anything... finally he focused on something hairy and ugly.

“Wolverine...” He croaked, his voice barely audible. “What the hell happened?”

Logan sat up, considering briefly to immediately awaken Rayen – but she'd only been asleep for a few hours. Instead, he looked at Forge. “Juggernaut hospitalized you, bub.” He specifically didn't mention the leg, for Forge may be unaware. He was unsure how to address the issue.

Forge shook his head. “No, Logan, I mean with Rayen... why was she on the field?”

It took Wolverine a minute to understand, then his eyebrows furrowed. “Why was she on the field? To kick the hell outta brotherhood, that's why. Because it needed to be done, and because, maybe you've not noticed, but she's a grown woman.”

“Oh I know you've noticed.”

“What does that mean?” Logan asked, now just plain getting pissed.

“It means she shouldn't have been there. Could've been killed, or worse, and almost got smooshed by the Juggernaut – eaten by zombies or plants, or even sniped.. oh but it's okay, because the Wolverine was nearby.” Forge said angrily, though very shallowly and hoarsly.

Wolverine had to pause and catch his breath, before he gave Bandero a matching set of legs. He breathed deep, and did what he could to maintain composure. “Okay, look here – you're the one laid up with one leg. Not her, maybe you should ask why YOU were on the field.”

It was a bullshit statement, but Logan was too angry to argue fairly or even reasonably. Forge, fortunately, was also as low: “Maybe I'd have my leg if I didn't have to tangle with Juggernaut to save my sister – who shouldn't have been on the field.”

“You know what, you're a real piece of work. Wait till you get back on your foot, and I'm gonna knock your ass in the dirt again.”

“Now we're down to simple threats, eh Wolverine?” Forge asked, leaving the tension hanging thick in the air...

Neither said anything for a few minutes, the awkwardness palpable. Finally Forge asked: “How is she?”

“Miserable.” Logan responded, looking over at her. “Torn up inside 'bout you. She saved your life.”

“yeah?”

“Yeah. Used her hands like shock paddles – damndest thing I've ever seen.”

“no shit.” Forge asked, voice growing fainter, drifting further into unconsciousness once more.

“No shit.” Wolverine repeated, letting him fall back to sleep. That was certainly aggravating. He settled back into his issue of 'Us' magazine, but couldn't concentrate on it. He could foresee troubling times ahead.

[conduit]

Rayen woke up a few hours later, turning to lay on her back and look at the ceiling as she drifted out of an exhausted sleep.

Within moments her eyes shifted to Bandero. Then to Logan.

She wasn't amused by the way her chest would flutter every time she saw him. It was ridiculous to even consider having a crush on him when her brother was lying in traction and had yet to come out of his coma.

"Hey," she said sleepily, sitting up.

[logan]

Logan looked up. He was leaning back in his chair, feet propped up on another chair. His eyes seemed tired, though still managed to somehow look attentive.

“Hey you.” He said. “Still no real change in his condition. He woke up for a sec, asked how you were doing.”

Logan stood, stretching out his limbs. He really wanted a cigar.

[conduit]

Rayen sat up quickly. "Are you serious??" She looked at Bandero, moving over to him.

"Why didn't you wake me UP?" She sighed, frustrated.

"Did he seem okay?"

[bishop]

"I can't let you through if you're not a blood relative, sir."

The nurse was 5'2" tall. The enquirer was 6'6". Yet still he sensed that if he put a foot wrong, she would crush him between thumb and forefinger.

He'd learned that about clinicians.

"Please, miss," he said, in a patient sort of tone. "All I'm asking is for you to let me see my best friend and make sure that the stupid bastard is going to be alright...I mean, that's a term of endearment. He'd appreciate it."

"I can't," said the nurse, who'd taken any amount of shit over the past few hours and wasn't going to take any more now, particularly not from a man who looked like a stand in from an action film.

"Bandero Tandaka is the closest I have to a brother," said the huge black man, clearly going for a new tactic. "When I saw the news of Baltimore and saw his face plastered all over the TV screen, I took the first flight down here. I was delayed on departure, delayed on arrival - and the inflight movie was dismal. I am tired. I need a shower..." To emphasise the point, he sniffed his own armpit and winced. "I need to see that my friend is alright and I need you to unclench your butt cheeks and give me permission to pass through to see him."

A pause.

"Please."

Somehow, it hadn't insulted her, even though it should have done. Give the guy his dues: he was certainly persistent. To be fair, he did actually look genuinely worried and he had passed through the hospital security checks and was unarmed - although given his size, she suspected that he could snap someone's neck with a piercing stare - and something inside her gave in.

"Alright," she said, wearily. "It's the room down the hall..." She gave him directions and was rewarded with an exceptionally rare thing. A smile.

"I need your name for the visitor manifest, though," she said. "Please sign yourself in here."

"Of course."

The man signed his name and headed off down the corridor, looking almost ridiculously out of place in the clinical white of the hallways. Even though he was dressed in all black, you could almost sense the material desperate to turn itself into DPM.

The nurse glanced down at the visitor book.

"Enjoy your visit, Mr Bishop," she said and went back to deal with the next pain in the ass.

[logan]

“Wasn't awake long enough to bother, nor coherent,” Logan lied “Just enough to ask about ya, then passed back out.”

No reason to mention the argument. He had to assume that was already annoying enough for her before this whole injury deal, now it would've been doubly so.

“So, you were thinking you could- ” He paused, head cocked to the side just before the door handle turned, and a gigantic black man dressed like a cutting edge merc stepped through.

In the split second it took the man to half step in, Logan was ready to strike. He didn't really move much, just poised himself slightly more cat-like, and had his knees barely bent. He was visibly tensed, however.

The big man looked like he could handle himself. Logan had seen enough hardcases to know when one was real, and one was a wannabe. This bastard looked the type to drink a gallon of gasoline just to piss in your campfire.

[bishop]

The huge man didn't even seem to notice either the girl or the hairy man in the room. His eyes were locked totally on the figure in the bed and a look of intense worry flashed across his face. "Ah, Forge," he murmured, out loud. "See what happens when I'm not there to hold your hand? You stupid goddamn sonofabitch."

He sized up his closest, most valued friend and shook his head. "You can relax, pal," he said, without even turning his head in Wolverine's direction. "Me and Bandy here go back years." He looked up. "Lucas Bishop. Former Sergeant, US Marines. Note the 'Former'." He folded his arms across his massive chest.

"What happened to Forge?"

[conduit]

Rayen put herself between the huge man and her brother, content to drain the hospital dry if she had to. Logan's tension became hers quite easily- she wasn't so experienced that she'd know a threat when she saw one.

"His leg was torn off..." she said warily, looking at Wolverine, then back to Bishop. She couldn't quite find a way to articulate what had happened. It was almost surreal. "By a very... large man." Brilliantly said, Rayen.

She sighed. "He's going to be fine," she said a little testily. "I'm going to get him out of here tonight." It wasn't something she'd told Logan and not likely something she could do -legally-... but she wasn't about to leave him here with people that didn't understand how his mutation worked.

[logan]

Logan stared hard at the big man – Bishop. Not because he thought he had much to fear from him, for he really did believe the man about his close friendship with Forge, but rather because he couldn't believe Forge would have such militant friends. This geek? Thinking on it for a moment, he realized that Forge had performed in a very military way back there. Big gun, even side-arm, tactics, leadership... he supposed that the joking, geeky Forge had a side that could've even had military experience.

Then Rayen said she wanted to get Forge out.

“What now?” Logan asked, doing a double take. Then again the thought caught up. The X-Mansion had technology that blew this out of the water, and with so many mutants, more than likely one who could help him heal. That's assuming she wasn't correct in being able to help him herself, using her own mutant abilities. It only made sense... immediately he began to consider the options for such a... well, kidnapping.

[bishop]

"Surely taking him out of the hospital would be a damn fool thing to do?" Bishop attempted to use a kind tone with the girl, succeeding mainly in making himself sound like he was barking out orders to a subordinate. "He's lost a leg. He's not going to recover with a few sticking plasters and a dose of penicillin. But I see your point. Being able to do what he can do...all these machines around here, he takes a turn for the worst, next thing you know, the whole hospital turns into one great big danger zone."

He turned to look at the girl, then at Logan as though seeing them properly for the first time.

"You two from that Institute place Forge was heading to, right? Some crazy name, escapes me now. Began with a Z or something."