It had been three days since they had rescued Logan and he had yet to wake up. On Marie’s instructions, Logan had been moved into his room rather than being forced to stay in the med lab. Her logic was quite simple. Logan had just been to hell and back in a medical lab, there was no need to freak him out even more when he woke up in one. He would probably be much calmer if he woke up safe in his bedroom.
In those three days, Marie refused to leave Logan’s side. She sat by his bedside, day and night, just watching him sleep. Often times, she’d stretch out beside him on the bed, lightly running her fingers through his hair. It worried her, sometimes, his complete lack of movement. The only evidence there was that he was still alive was the steady rise and fall of his chest and the flickering of his eyes beneath the lids as he dreamed whatever dreams the painkillers produced in his mind. Marie was relieved that Logan was free from the nightmares that she knew had plagued him for the past twenty years. He had enough to deal with as it was.
“Ya know, Logan, sooner or later, yer gonna hafta wake up,” Marie whispered as she sat staring at his sleeping form. “Ah know it’s prob’ly a lot nicer where ya are in yer head, but there’s a whole lotta people who miss ya here.”
There was no response from the man in the bed, not that Marie had actually expected one.
“You in there, Rogue?” Kitty called, poking her head in the door.
Marie rolled her eyes and turned her head towards the door, a smirk tilting up one corner of her lips. “Where else would Ah be, Kitty? Ah wanna be here when Logan wakes up.”
“Well I just thought you should know that Bobby’s taking credit for that little spin move you used on Sabertooth. Says he taught you it himself,” Kitty teased, attempting to get a smile out of Marie.
It worked like a charm. Marie could perfectly envision Bobby walking around, chest puffed out telling everyone that he had taught Marie how to send such a large creature flying with so little effort.
“Ah guess Ah’ll hafta have a word with Bobby about this. Find out if there’s any other things he wants ta teach me,” Marie said with an evil glint in her eyes.
“I’m sure he’ll just love that,” Kitty giggled. In the time that it took her to cross the room to where Marie sat, her entire demeanor changed. The smile left her face and she looked entirely earnest about what she was about to say. “You can’t stay up here forever, Rogue. No one knows what was done to him. For all we know, Logan may never wake up. Are you really prepared to spend the rest of your life in here? In this room?”
Tears began to form in Marie’s eyes. In the three days since they had rescued Logan, no one had actually confronted her with the reality that Logan might not wake up. Still, Marie knew the answer to the other woman’s question right away. “Ah’m not leavin’ Logan. No matter what. If Ah’m not here when he wakes up, Ah’d never forgive mahself.”
“I hope that you know what you’re doing, Rogue,” Kitty whispered, giving the other woman’s hand a friendly squeeze.
“Ah do,” Marie assured her, turning her full attention back to Logan.
Two days later, Logan still showed no signs of waking up..
It wasn’t the fact that Logan hadn’t woken up that worried Marie, it was that Jean and the Professor were worried that Logan hadn’t woken up. Even if she refused to admit it, Marie knew that his healing factor should have kicked in several days ago. She tried to remain hopeful, though. Talking to Logan well into the night. Marie would tell him about things that had happened to her over the five years he had been gone. Stupid, insignificant things that Marie was surprised she could actually remember.
The time Jubilee and Kitty had taken her shopping and forced her to try on a skirt that was so short she could see her underwear.
Doing the Coyote Ugly dance on the main table in the dining hall with Jean, Ororo, Kitty and Jubilee during dinner because Scott, Bobby, John and Remy had dared them to. The Professor had been less than pleased with their antics that night.
Making snow angels in the dead of the night after the last major snow storm.
Growling at Scott occasionally.
“Ah blame that one on you,” Marie said softly, lightly rubbing Logan’s oft abused knuckles. “Ah never used ta growl at people till Ah got you floatin’ round up in mah head. It’s kinda funny, actually. Scott’s eyebrows shoot up real high and his mouth starts flubberin’ like a fish outta water. Puts Scooter in his place when he’s bein’ all anal retentive.”
As always, there was no response from Logan save the steady rise and fall of his chest.
“Ya know, Logan, Ah’ve never known someone ta be as stubborn as you,” Marie whispered, feeling tears prick the back of her eyes. “Ah’d be happy if ye’d simply wiggle a finger. Ah don’t want nothin’ much, Logan. Just some little sign that ya can hear me. That Ah’m not waitin’ round here for nothin’.”
Marie let out a tiny squeal of joy then. Logan’s right index finger twitched slightly. The movement was barely visible, but it filled Marie with immeasurable amounts of joy to see it. The soft moan that followed a few seconds later had her on cloud nine.
“Logan...? Come on, sugah, open yer eyes. Let me see those beautiful brown eyes of yers,” Marie whispered, leaning over to smooth her fingers through his hair. Though she appeared calm on the outside, in her mind, Marie was screaming. Professor! Jean! Get in here now! Logan’s wakin’ up! Jean!
For the next few minutes, Logan continued to moan softly as he twisted about on the bed. Marie had long ago abandoned her chair and was now kneeling at his side, smoothing her fingers through his hair as she gently coaxed him back into the waking world.
“Rogue, what’s going on?” Jean demanded as she burst into the room followed immediately by Scott.
A watery smile on her face, Marie looked over at the other two people in the room. “Logan’s wakin’ up. First his hand twitched then he started movin’ round and moanin’. Now he’s eyes are startin’ ta flicker. He’s wakin’ up, Jean, Ah know it.”
Hurrying over to the other side of the bed, Jean took Logan’s pulse and waved her tiny flashlight over his eyes. Logan growled at that and Marie knew that Logan was indeed waking up. It was just a matter of him getting his body to respond to his mind’s demands.
“Jean, how is he?” the Professor asked as he wheeled into the bedroom.
“His pulse is rapid and his eyes are reacting properly to light. It’s all just a matter of waiting till Logan wakes up which should be very shortly,” Jean informed her mentor, a relieved smile on her face.
The words had barely left her mouth when there was a loud growl from the occupant on the bed followed by a quick flurry of motion. Jean and Scott were sent flying before they were even fully aware of what was going on. Scott toppled into Ororo who was just entering the room, sending them both crashing into the hallway.
When everything was still, Marie’s eyes went immediately to the far corner of the room. Logan was crouched there, claws extended, his eyes flashing about and growling softly in the back of his throat. His nostril’s flared suddenly and his growl only increased in volume.
This was certainly not how Marie had expected Logan’s recovery to go.
“Logan, it’s all right, sugah. Yer safe here,” Marie whispered, slowly making her way around the bed to where Logan was. “Yer home now, darlin’. Everythin’ is gonna be all right now. Ah promise.”
Logan only growled at her, his eyes flashing dangerously.
Marie wasn’t deterred in the least. Keeping both hands outstretched before her, Marie continued her advance, albeit very slowly. “It’s okay, Logan. Ah’m not gonna hurt ya. Ah just wanna make sure yer all right.”
Logan’s growl took on almost pitiful sounds, fear shining in his eyes as Marie continued her advance. In response, Marie shushed him softly, her eyes pleading for him to remain calm.
“Wh--who are y...you...?” Logan whined, his eyes darting around the room.
Ignoring the hurt that Logan’s words caused, Marie continued inching her way towards him. “It’s me, Logan. Marie. Ah’ve been so worried ‘bout ya. Ah wasn’t sure Ah’d ever get ta see ya again. But yer home now and that’s all that matters.”
“H-home?”
Marie nodded her head, smiling reassuringly at him. “That’s right, sugah. Yer home safe where ya belong. We’ll take care of ya here.”
By that time, Marie was standing right in front of Logan. Not wanting him to feel uncomfortable, Marie crouched down in front of him so that she and Logan were at eye level. Careful to avoid his claws, Marie gently took hold of his right hand in both of hers. She lightly massaged the back of hand, smiling softly at him.
“Logan, Ah need ya t’ put yer claws away now,” Marie whispered, talking softly as though she would to a skittish horse. “Ya need ta calm down, Logan. Calm down an’ put yer claws away. No one’s gonna hurt ya. We’re all yer friends here.”
With a slight whimper, Logan allowed the claws to slide back into his knuckles. At first, Marie thought the whimper was due to fear, but when she saw the blood leaking from his knuckles, she began to get worried. Smiling confidently at him, Marie reached out and smoothed his tumbled hair back from his face.
Not taking her eyes off Logan’s panicked face, Marie called out to Jean. “Jeanie, go inta mah bathroom an’ get the first aid kit. Ah need some bandages.”
“Rogue, did he hurt you?” Scott demanded, his protective nature rearing its ugly head.
Marie shook her head instantly. “Ah need ‘em fer Logan. He hurt his hands.”
“Hurts....” Logan groaned, pain shining in his eyes.
“Ah know, sugah,” Marie murmured, sliding her hand to the back of his neck as massaging the taut muscles there. “Ah’ll make it all better. But you’ve gotta trust me, Logan. Do ya trust me, Logan?”
“Am I Logan?” he mumbled, glancing around nervously.
Tears shining in her eyes, Marie nodded her head. “That’s right, sugah. Yer Logan. An’ Ah’m Marie. Ah’ll take care of ya, Logan. That’s a promise. If ya trust me. Do ya?”
Chewing on his bottom lip, Logan slowly nodded his head. “I do.”