Sick as a Wolverine - Part Three

by Khaki, Loki, and Lovecraft


Rogue was close to the door to Jean and Scott's room, when a tired Cyclops exited.

"Scott, I need to ask Jean to get someone else. That room..."

"I just got her to sleep. Is it an emergency?"

"Well, no, but those two are impossible and the smell in the room. It's so strong, I just can't stand to be in there."

"No one likes to be sick, and those two can be a handful even when they're well. I'll turn the ventilation on in the room. You get some things to keep them busy."

As she watched Scott go, she thought about what Jubes and Logan might like. Jubes was easy. She just needed her discman, a selection of CDs, some teen magazines, and maybe some ice cream or popsicles, if her stomach had calmed down.

Logan was harder. He liked fighting, cigars, and beer, as well as other things you couldn't discuss in mixed company. He never got sick, so she had no idea what he liked. His throat was sore. Beer popsicles? Eww, no, that'd probably just make him sicker. She decided on some of Scott's old motorcycle magazines, one of those small TV/VCR combos with headphones and a copy of 'Die Hard,' and some nice ice water.

With her peace offerings all collected in a wagon borrowed from one of the smaller kids, she took a deep breath of the clean lab air and entered the quarantine room.

Logan's bed, the nearest to the door, had lost the mattress. It was now on the floor between the bed and the wall. Between the two beds had been placed a screen. Logan was no where to be seen, nor was Jubilee.

"Hello?" Rogue asked, hesitantly.

"If you forgot my discman, get out of here!" came a feminine voice from behind the screen.

Rogue walked over Jubilee's bed. "I got it, and a few other things I thought..."

"Cool! What did you bring?"

Rogue placed on the foot of the bed what she got for Jubes. "Where's Logan?" she asked while Jubilee inventoried her possessions.

"Mphm... potty training?" mumbled Jubes while munching a popsicle.

Rogue then put what she brought for Logan on his bed. She painfully noticed that although the ventilation had been efficient, it didn't quite remove all the stinking odor. She walked to the bathroom door.

"Logan?" she called.

No answer.

"He must be puking again." commented Jubilee.

"Again?!!" Rogue began to worry a bit more.

"It's O.K. Rogue. If he only stops to try so hard NOT to, he might be as well as I am." explained Jubilee.

Rogue's sense of smell got assaulted again, and she had to move out and fast. "Logan, I brought you some things. If you need anything else, just let me know, O.K.?"

A weird sound came as the only answer, followed by a more fetid odor. "I have to run. I'll be back later!".

Rogue made an hasty run for the door. Dr. Grey was better be rested and soon, because Rogue had had quite enough of Med Lab.

Meanwhile, Jubilee had already wolfed down her 3 popsicles. As soon as she had finished the last one, she regretted it. Her stomach didn't want it as much as she did.

"Whoops.... Oh no..." she grumbled. She ran to the bathroom door, pummelling it. "Hey, get outta there!!!!".

The door opened and she ran in. She ran for the toilet.

Logan stared at her, feeling a bit sorry for the teenager, knowing what it was like. She wasn't that annoying right now.

He made his way back to his makeshift camp, as he called it. Having the mattress on the floor made it look like home. Over all, it helped him get away from the teenager. He stopped by his bed and looked at the things Rogue had brought. He decided that the TV was the best thing to use right now and proceeded to plug it in. He would watch the copy of *Die Hard* when Jubilee tried to sleep, just for good measure.

Thinking of that girl, he turned to look at the bathroom. Weird, no sound. What was she doing in there? He reluctancly walked back to the bathroom.

"Kid, you all right?" he asked.

No answer.

"Kid?" He finally entered, to find her curled on the floor, sleeping. *Oh, just great!* he thought.

Leaning over, he picked up the sleeping Jubilee gingerly, heading back to her bed. His legs were wobbly, and it took all his effort not to drop her before he reached their destination. He had to pause a few times and lean against the wall to catch his breath. His strength finally gave out as he plopped her on the bed. Fortunately, she was completely exhausted and slept through the rough treatment.

Moving the CDs and magazines off the bed, he tucked her under the covers, and crawled back to his camp.

He was bone weary, but he was so uncomfortable, he couldn't get to sleep, tossing and turning for thirty minutes. He finally gave up and put in the copy of 'Die Hard.' The gun fire, shouting, and explosions did what he was incapable of, lulling him into a deep and dreamless sleep.

**********

Rogue, now safely equipped with swimmer's nose plugs, entered the room to check on her patients. They looked so cute. Logan, bedecked with headphones, was lightly snoring to the chaos occurring on-screen.

Jubes was curled up on her side, the covers bunched so high, her toes peeked out the bottom. Leaning over, Rogue gently tugged the covers back down so her friend would be comfortable. Then she quietly left the room, allowing her friends their much needed rest.

**********

"Achoo! Achoo! ACHOO! ACHOO!! Ooooh my spleeeeen..." Sniffling miserably, Jubilee lifted her head and blinked blearily at the VCR for the time. 'Three hours. Three whole hours. Almost. More like two hours and fourty minutes. Oh well. Not bad. Tired still. Maybe if I close m' eyes?' Jubilee dutifully closed her eyes and attempted to sleep.

Five minutes later she was slammed into wakefulness by a series of bone-jarring sneezes. A pitiful moan from the floor alerted her to awakened state of her companion. "Two hours, forty-five minutes. Beatcha."

"Shuddup, kid. It's not like I didn't carry yer heavy butt in from the bathroom. What've you been eating, lead bricks?"

'OOOOOH! Why I oughta-!' Jubilee considered getting up and kicking the man in his adamantium laced skull, but the idea of rolling out of the bed seemed too difficult a concept. "Ya know, yer a cranky old man when you wake up from yer naps."

A noncommittal grunt was her only reply.

'Hey, waitaminute...'

"Where the *&#! is my discman!?" Her hands slammed down onto the bed beside her, searching for the hard plastic lump that her discman would make.

The snort on the floor was her first clue as to where it had gone. "Where'd a kid like you learn words like that? Watch yer mouth, girl!"

"I ain't no kid!" She fumed over at him (through the screen) from her position on the bed.

"Damn, kid. This 'Britney Spears' cd is garbage. Why the flamin' heck would you have wasted money on it? The Cranberries one was better."

"AAAAARG! That's it! YER DEAD!" She struggled to untangle herself from her bed, but by the time she was out, she had exhausted her energy so completely that she fell back in a limp pile onto the bed with a muffled gurgle.

Feeling sorry for the kid, Logan got up and slipped the discman onto the bed beside her hand. A whimper was his only thanks as the hand moved the headphones onto her head and hit the play button.

'Garbage, Version 2.0' played through the headphones and Jubilee closed her eyes in contentment. She never saw Logan play 'Slice n' Dice' with her 'Britney' cd.

**********

While Jubilee chose another CD, she heard a strange noise coming from Logan's makeshift camp. Was he sick again? She managed to peek by the side of the screen.

"Hey, mister, what was that sound?" she asked.

"Stomach." came as the answer.

"Great, you're gonna be sick again! Why don't you run for the..."

"I'm not sick. I'm hungry." he explained.

"Oh. Well, given that it's only like 4 in the morning, I doubt Dr. Grey will bring us anything to eat before a couple hours. So, what about you... like put a lid on it? I'm trying to listen to music here, in any case you..."

"I need to eat, and now." On that statement, he stood by his bed. Jubilee stared at him, maybe a few seconds too many.

"What?" he grumbled.

"Well, are you gonna like, hunt for food... in those clothes?"

Logan realized that, in fact, he was only wearing his underwear. Not surprising, since he ended up here for emergency treatments. Jean must have gotten rid of his leather outfit. Damn.

Logan grabbed a sheet and, with the slightest effort, tore a piece of it which he tied around his waist. "Wouldn't want to have girls fainting on my way, hey?" he joked.

"Yeah right... Mister Universe." She slid from her bed, testing her legs. "I'll come with you."

"NO WAY!" he shouted, but then had to survive one more coughing fit.

"O.K. As soon as you pass this door, I'll tell Miss Grey." she blackmailed. "And you wouldn't want to piss her off now, would ye?" she added with mischief.

Logan turned to face the door, cursing between clenched teeth. What could he do, damn, he was starving. And maybe, just maybe he would be lucky enough to get rid of that teenager along the way.

"Move it. We must get back fast and unnoticed," he ordered.

"O.K, Tarzan. You lead." Jubilee followed him and exited the quarantine room, en route to a hunting spree in the kitchen. This could be fun. Her grin grew wider.


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