Sessions with the Wolverine - Part Four

by Khaki, Loki, and 2280


Jubilee was truly frightened, but she pushed that down, struggling to turn their bodies so that she was on top and Logan was on the bottom. The slick porceline of the full-sized bathtub helped, and soon she was up and gasping for air.

She quickly climbed out of the tub, but when she looked back down at Logan, she was shocked. He must've fallen badly. As she leaned over, she could see that his neck was at a distinctly odd angle.

Even as she watched, it started to pull itself back into position. Then Logan's eyes snapped open, filled with terror, and he began to scream. He didn't move, didn't even attempt to get out of the water, he just screamed, bubbles rising from his mouth. It was almost like he couldn't move.

Jubilee pulled the plug on the drain and ran for Jean.

She pounded on the thick, wooden door with all her strength, screaming for help. When they didn't answer quickly enough, she paffed at the lock, her aggravated powers melting the entire doorknob away.

Jean was at the door by then.

"Something's really wrong with Logan," Jubilee began, and then Logan's screaming reached their ears.

The water line must've fallen far enough that he could get a breath because now he was screaming at the top of his lungs, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

**********

Logan could finally move again. Unsheathing his claws, he crawled out of the surgical tube. They were back. Hines, Dr. Cornelius, even the professor with his weird eyeglasses. They would pay for what they'd done.

"Logan..." Hines started.

"I am Logan."

"Yes, that's right."

"Not an animal."

"Logan, you need help. Let us help you."

"You will pay." Logan said, lunging forward to strike and falling into blackness.

**********

Jubilee backed into Jean and Scott. She'd been inches away from losing her leg to those lethal claws when Logan had just dropped to the ground As it was, she could feel the sting of the scratch along her calf.

Jean closed her eyes, and then nodded. "The professor stopped him. He's unconscious for now."

"Jubilee, what's going on?" Scott asked, taking in the sight of full and empty champagne bottles strewn around.

"He wouldn't want me to tell you."

"Logan needs help, Jubilee," Jean said, looking up from her patient.

"He'll get it. I just have to make a phone call."

**********

~You are safe. You are at the mansion. You are calm.~

~Get outta my head, Chuck.~

"He's waking up now." That was Jean's voice. Who was she talking to?

Logan opened his eyes to see the shrink, Jean, and a very wet Jubilee staring at him.

He directed his gaze to Jubilee. "What happened, kid?"

She looked at Jean, and then at Logan, "We'll, like, talk about it later ok?"

She stood up, grabbing Jean's arm, propelling her towards the door as she limped behind.

He looked at them suspiciously, and saw a line of blood seeping through Jubilee's torn pant leg, but he didn't have the energy to go after them yet.

**********

Jean turned towards Jubilee outside the door. "What was that all about?"

"Logan's business is Logan's business. He'll tell us what he wants us to know. Besides, I need you to stitch this up before he is finished." She pointed to her leg.

Jubilee was acting more mature than usual so Jean wasn't going to do anything to jinx it. Instead she knelt in front of her leg.

"What happened?"

"Logan sorta, like, accidentally cut me when he fell."

Jean frowned. "Well, let's get it stitched up."

**********

Now alone in the room, Dr. Claire Richards and Logan started an unplanned session. His healing factor had easily overcome the excess alcohol in Logan's metabolism. He was now sober.

"All right, Logan. Now will you explain to me what you were trying to accomplish here today?" asked Claire Richards, although she knew exactly what had happened.

"Did just what you told me to do," he grumbled.

"Let's get it straight here and now, Logan. I never told you to get drunk and push yourself to do things you know you can't. I never told you to risk Jubilee's life or risk having a seizure. I only advised you to get SLOWLY used to water."

His only answer was to stare at the ceiling, an almost obvious reaction to guilt. How could he tell her that he was so sick of these nightmares and hallucinations that he was almost desperate to do anything to get rid of them as soon as possible, no matter what?

"Now, tell me why you decided to act like that?"

Silence.

Claire sighed and stood, barely looking at him. "All right, Logan. I cannot help you if you don't want to help yourself. It's okay with me, you know. It's your right if you prefer to go on suffering for the rest of your life." She looked at him straight in the eyes. "Because that's what you are doing, Logan. Like it or not, you ARE suffering. Don't admit it if you want. Deny it. I wish you luck. But let me tell you something, Logan. Suffer all you want, but at least, try and make sure you don't hurt others, like Jubilee, when they try to help you. There are people here that care for you, even if YOU don't care for them."

"Get the hell out of here," he snarled. She was hiting a bit to close to home here.

"As you wish. But think about it, Logan. No one, not even YOU, can fix a 15 years of suffering in a week. Like it or not, it takes time and help to make it"

She turned and walked to the door. "You know where to find me if you need my help. I hope you will. You just need to stop being afraid to be scared."

On that, she left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving Logan to his thoughts.

**********

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Claire."

"No problem, Charles. You know I'm always there for my patients, even after midnight."

"I was not aware that Logan was seeing you."

"I'm not surprised. He's a very private person."

"I have noticed some 'difficulties' he's been having. That incident last winter, the pool mishap, and now tonight."

"What incident last winter?"

"He was having a post-traumatic flashback. Ran off with one of the students as a hostage. I consulted with you on this, remember?"

"I remember. I just wasn't aware that was Logan. Which student did he... no, wait, it was Jubilee wasn't it?"

"Yes, she was a great help to us in bringing him back to reality... What can you tell me about Logan's problems?"

"Not much, doctor/patient privilege, you know."

"Should I be worried to have him at the school?"

Claire paused to consider that. "I wouldn't be nearly as worried if he wasn't so aggressively trying to fix himself. He's pushing himself way beyond where he's ready to go right now, and that worries me."

"I have no wish to force Logan to leave us. I can feel he's a good man, but I have children to worry about."

"Hmm, a little of your psychic students' abilities finally rubbing off on you, Charles?" Clarie teased, then becoming more serious. "I agree that deep down, Logan is a good person, but he's very disturbed."

"How often are you seeing him."

"Twice a week."

"Perhaps if you met with him more often?"

"Sorry, Charles, I'm completely booked. In order to see him more, I'd have to live here."

The professor's face lit up, and Claire felt apprehension flow through her. What was she getting herself into?

**********

Logan lay awake after the doctor had left. He dreaded sleep, feeling like he'd already faced enough nightmares already.

He could remember some of what had happened when Jubilee came to him in the bathroom, but not much through that champagne-induced haze.

'What was I thinking?' he berated himself. The champagne had just made the water worse, adding onto his fears. His neck was still sore where he'd twisted it in his fall. Jubilee had been soaking when he'd seen her last. She must've fallen with him. He could've killed her easily, either in the fall or later when he thought she was someone else.

He wanted to leave, sneak out that night, but he knew Marie and Jubilee wouldn't forgive him. He'd promised Jubes he'd stay and work this out, but every day was getting harder, not better.

He thought back on what the doctor had told him. He had to stop being afraid of being afraid. Is that what he was doing? If so, how was he supposed to stop?

A thought struck him then, and he groaned in self-pity. Dr. Richards had been here, at his bedside, when he woke. They would all know soon that he had been seeing a shrink, that the Wolverine was nuttier than a Snicker's bar. He could just see Cyke's face when he found out, the jibes and ribbing that he would have to face in the morning.

Then, a new thought came to him. What if they didn't tease him about it? What if instead of teasing, he was met with pity? 'Poor Wolvie,' Cyke would say. 'He used to be a good fighter, but now he's scared of his own shadow.'


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