Sick as a Wolverine - Part Two

by Khaki, Loki, and Lovecraft


Logan just had time enough to resume his position in bed, so Jubilee would not witness him being sick, as she came back from the bathroom. The great Wolverine could NOT be sick that way.

The young Asian girl got back to bed, holding her stomach, then settled in.

"You better?" asked Wolverine, out of concern but feeling just better himself.

'What does he care?' wondered Jubilee. "Yeah," she simply answered, hoping she could sleep now.

For a long moment, which seemed like mere seconds to Jubilee, the room stayed quiet. Maybe she could finally sleep. She started to think about her next shopping spree, the things she would buy, the nice T-shirt she saw... Sleep was claiming her, at last.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"

Jubilee woke up of her semi-sleep with a start. 'What's wrong, now?' screamed her mind. She sat on her bed, glaring at the man in the bed next to her.

Wolverine was covered with sweat, his fists clutching at the sheets, adamantium claws ripping the mattress. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked around the room like a caged animal.

Before Jubilee could voice a smart remark (she would have to unfreeze from the panic that scream had put her into), Logan had jumped on his shaky legs. Jubilee watched him as he tried to reach the door, but collapsed mid-way.

Jubilee didn't think twice and jumped out of her bed. She ran to him but stopped short, by memories of what he did to Rogue that night when she tried to wake him up. She looked down at him, on the floor. As soon as he seemed to stop fighting whatever ghosts he saw, Jubilee grabbed his arm.

"Hey now, you're not, like passing out on me, old man? Get back to bed. I'll call Miss Grey..."

He resisted her. She thought to use her powers to startle him back to reality, but then thought better. She gently touched his forehead... hot as hell. He would be delirious; she wouldn't be surprised.

" BED! " she ordered. Simple words, she thought, might have some results.

He didn't move. Jubilee sighed. 'Get him back to bed, then call Dr. Grey.' Her plan was that simple.

" BED! NOW! " she shouted to his sweat covered face. She pulled on him, and he finally got a hold on her to shakily stand on his feet.

After she'd gotten him back to bed, she went to the wall and called Dr. Grey on the intercom. Phew! Boy did his breath smell. It's almost as if he'd been the one puking, not her.

"Yes?" a sleepy voice answered.

"Dr. Grey, um, Logan's kinda delirious here. I was wondering if you'd..."

"I'll be right down."

**********

"Ok, the drugs I gave him are already bringing the fever down, and the ice packs should help. Why don't you try to get some sleep, Jubilee. I'll watch him for a while, just to make sure he's ok."

"I can't sleep. I'm hot, and I'm sick, and he keeps doing stuff to wake me up."

"What about the sleep medication I gave you earlier? That should have..."

"Puked it up."

"Ah, so that's what I smell in here. Used the trash can?"

"No, used the toilet."

"Well, I guess someone else in here was sick too. I'll just replace the bag and give you some more medicine."

**********

The rest of the day was a coughing, sneezing, aching nightmare. Logan had woken up a bit more coherent a few hours after Jean had returned and was now miserably coughing his way through the late afternoon hours.

Jean returned to the room with warm chicken broth for her two patients.

"Let's see if we can't get some fluids into you two. How do you feel?"

Logan, through coughs and gags replied, "I know if I could just stop breathing for a few minutes, my throat would feel so much better."

"Mphm... my life too..." grumbled Jubilee from her bed.

Logan stared at the teenager, instinctively growling at her, which only started a new series of loud coughs. Jubilee stared back at him, not impressed at all. Of course, having Dr. Grey in the room would eventually stop the man from trying to slice and dice her if she pushed a tad too far.

"Wow, is that your gift, to, like, stare and growl at people? No, wait, I know! It's, like, to wake everyone who tries to sleep! "

~Jubilee...~ mentally warned Jean Grey.

" .. cuz if it is, well, lemme tell you, mister. You're veryyyyyyyyyyyy powerfull! " she added, ignoring the warning.

Logan threw his blanket away and prepared to jump in the teenager's face, just to scare her and make her shut up. But as soon as he sat in his bed, the room started to spin around. He laid back down, sweating and shivering, mentally cursing at the young, annoying girl.

Jean Grey telekinetically covered Logan with the discarded blanket, then gave each of her patients a bowl of chicken broth. She sat nearby Jubilee's bed until they had gotten some broth. Then she prepared to leave to allow them to rest. Before she left, she placed a plastic pan on Logan's night stand.

He looked at it as if it was alive. "What's that for?" he asked.

"Just a precaution, Logan, and in many ways more convenient than the trash can. Feel free to... you know."

"Hey! What do you *COUGH*... mean... *gag*...!" he protested.

She ignored his attempt at protest. "I'll send someone to check on you later. Now, rest."

Jean smiled then left the room, mentally hoping these two would rest and not fight each other. She knew Jubilee was sometimes a living-test for patience. On the other hand, even if Jean didn't know him for long, she was sure Logan wasn't gifted with patience. She would separate them as soon as possible, but for now, they were too sick to leave the Med Lab.

"And the nightmare continues..." grumbled Jubilee as the door closed behind Jean.

"Shut the hell up, or I'll *COUGH*..."

They both sighed. It was going to be a very long night.

**********

Logan stared up at the ceiling, mentally counting the cracks. Unfortunately, he would be interrupted by a coughing fit somewhere between fifteen and twenty so he had to keep starting over.

Somewhere over on the other bed, Jubilee rustled her sheet as she turned.

Then the bed creaked as she rolled over.

And yet another rustle/creak sounded from the next bed over, followed by a methodical pounding of a head into a pillow.

"Kid, what the hell you doin' over there, gymnastics!?"

Acid dripped from the stuffed-up voice that replied, "Oh, am I keeping you awake, Mr. Personality? So sorry to interrupt your coughing jag."

'I will kill her just as soon as my lungs start functioning again.' "Kid..."

"I ain't no kid! And at least I'm toilet trained. *@)!, did ya have to hurl in the trash can? I don't think the smell'll ever get outta here."

'Why I oughta...' "Watch yer *@)!#&$ language! And I didn't 'hurl' anywhere. I don't 'hurl'!"

"Yeah, tell that to the poor trash can. They'll prob'ly hafta burn the smell out."

"Grr! *hackcoughcough-GAG!*"

"So-ooooo impressive."

**********

Of course, 20 minutes later, when both Jubilee and Logan were rather rudely reintroduced to the chicken broth they'd eaten earlier, the argument was finally settled.

After heated, though sometimes incomprehensible, cough-filled comments about the other person's ability to handle the flu, they had finally gotten settled in again when the door opened and their bloodshot, tired eyes took in the smiling countenance of Rogue.

"Hey, Logan, Jubes. Heard you guys were sick. Jean asked if I'd help out a bit tonight so she could get some shut eye."

Getting through a few deep coughs, Jubes asked, "Rogue, aren't you worried you'll get sick too? You weren't here when everyone got the flu shots."

"Well," Rogue said, smiling at a weak and annoyed Logan, "someone was kind enough to loan me his healing factor for a while. I feel terrific."

Rogue sat by Logan's bed, a look of sorrow in her eyes as she watched him bravely fight — although in vain — another loud coughing fit.

"Are you all right, Logan?" she gently asked, as if apologizing for the events that made him sick and left her feeling plain wonderful.

"Hey, of course he is! *HE* slept all day, which I cannot say I did, thanks to mister I-met-the-trash-can-and-almost-suffocated-Jubilee-to-death-in-the-process!" cut in Jubes.

Logan had enough. He wasn't going to stay one more minute in the same room as Jubilee. He raised from the bed, noticed that Rogue had her long-gloves on. He looked at her.

"Find my jeans, kid." he said, only waiting for his clothes before he could find a quiet place to rest, far away from Jubilee.

"Logan... You shouldn't..." started Rogue.

"You know what, kid? *cough* I... I shouldn't stay here one more minute *cough*..." he retorted. "Now you find these *?%$ jeans, or I'll go *cough* naked..."

The cough which echoed from Jubes' bed wasn't entirely due to the flu. Nor was the blush covering Rogue's face.

"Logan..." started Rogue as she stood in front of him.

"Look, kid. I had *cough* enough already..."

"Hey Rogue, don't ye mess with mister here, or else he might *cough* just puke on you!"

Logan turned to face the teenager in the bed next to his, growling some coughs. "I do NOT puke!" *COUGH*

"Uh huh. Whatever. Suits you."

"Why you, little *cough* *gag*..."

Rogue turned Logan to face her then pushed him back to bed. She had enough herself and couldn't stand more childish behaviour. How Dr. Grey managed to deal with them both was a total mystery to her. Jean Grey went rocket high in Rogue's esteem. *Now I know patience is a gift!* she thought.

"Logan, go to bed." She used all the tactics she could to convince him. "Please, Logan? I'm so sorry you got sick... because of me..."

"Ain't yer fault, kid..." he tried to soothingly say.

"I worry about you... If you... I mean... please, stay in bed?" she looked at him with big wet eyes.

He grumbled (since growling only started coughing) and reluctantly laid back in bed. How could he resist Marie, especially when she felt so bad about it all? The gal had already gone through so much. There was no point adding to it.

"But I swear... *cough*..." he started.

"You always do," cut in Jubes.

"I'm not responsible if *something* happens to her," he finished, blindly pointing at Jubes.

"I'm sure Jubilee will behave." Rogue stared at Jubes, which the teenager thought was quite Loganish.

"Yeah, whatever. If only I had my CD player, could listen to something more entertaining than mister-coughs-growls-pukes-snores..."

"I'll have someone bring it to you, ok?! I have to go." She turned to Logan. "I'll see you later. Take care, okay?"

She almost ran out of the room. Actually, not only because of the patients' childish behaviour, but her newly heightened sense of smell couldn't take more of the putrid odor in the Med Lab room. She would talk to Dr. Grey so she could find someone else to look in on these two patients.

Silence. Three seconds after the door closed.

"I'll say I'm training for Survivor..." whispered Jubes.


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