xp_logs | Jean and Kylun: blood test

The morning after Kylun's revelatory conversation with Charles, he goes down to the medlab so Jean can take a sample to send in for the blood test, and is uncharacteristically wibbly.

Kylun slipped into the medlab quietly, his face set, but his mind roiling. He had barely slept since the revelation of the night before; had tossed and turned in his bed, trying to come to terms with the news, wondering whether it was as true as it seemed. Wondering if he wanted it to be.

The only conclusion he had reached was that he needed certainty, and for that he needed the blood test.

There was a hint of concern on Jean's face as she welcomed Kylun and gestured towards the exam table, although all she said was, "Good morning." All ready the syringe was set out, waiting - that was not what had her concerned. But although she wouldn't pry into his mind, Jean could tell Kylun was unsettled. His mind was more... chaotic than she'd ever felt it.

"It is not--there is nothing wrong with me, as far as I know," Kylun tried to explain, in answer to what he thought he saw in her expression. "You need not worry for my health."

"Well, that is reassuring," Jean said, nodding, although she'd have been far more worried and upset with herself for having missed something in Kylun's regular check ups if that were it. But rather than say this, Jean asked, "Do you mind if I ask what it is? If you want to talk about it, that is."

"It is . . . a difficult thing to speak of." Kylun smiled, a bare twist of his lips. "But if things continue as they have begun I will have to tell everyone at some point; I might as well start with a friend. Recently I asked the Professor to attempt to locate my parents' graves. Instead, he--" Kylun took a deep breath. "Instead, there is every possibility that he has found out where they live."

Jean's eyes widened. "Oh... my," she finally managed. "I can see how that would be difficult indeed."

Kylun's voice was low and stark as he rolled up his sleeve. "It is .. . difficult hardly begins to describe. I never thought--it never entered my mind that this might happen, that it was a possibility to be contemplated. It is as though the world is shifting under me, and nothing holds firm. I am a stranger to myself."

Turning to her work, Jean considered carefully before she said, "I hesitate to suggest this, because I hope more than anything that if this is true it will not turn out as with Nathan, but you might speak with him anyway. At least the initial shock, the sudden finding that things aren't as you thought... He has had to deal with it in this matter."

"He has, that's true--I hadn't considered things quite in that light." Kylun smiled wanly. "We may hope that things will turn out differently. It is likely, at least; m--Mr. McKay is a postman, and his wife has some sort of small home business, according to the files Professor Xavier gave me." He shook his head as if to clear it. ". .. You also, if I may be so bold, had such a sudden shock, on your return here. May I ask how you dealt with the impact?"

Jean considered the question but, in truth, really wasn't sure herself how she'd dealt with it all. Some small part of her asked if she had done, but she pushed that aside. "It was different for me, I think. I... My memory came back all of a sudden, and so I didn't have to deal with adjusting to thinking of myself differently than I had. The time before really just didn't matter, but it's an entirely different case."

"I suppose it would be." Kylun's expression turned wistful. "I still cannot remember . . . anything about them. I have the files the Professor prepared, I have facts . . . but they do not speak to me. I wish I knew if that meant anything."

"How old were you?" Jean asked softly. "How old were you when you... lost them?"

"Very young. I don't remember exactly, and of course there was no way to know for certain." He hesitated. "The McKays' son was four, when he disappeared, and that fits well enough."

Jean nodded, then stepped back, carefully securing and labeling the filled vial. "There we go," she said. "You're all done. Now it's just the test."

"Just," Kylun repeated wryly. "The test, and the waiting, and--and I do not know which answer I want to hear."

"I understand. The blood tests themselves won't take that long, and we can send the results for comparison probably by the end of the day. But there's still going to be a wait. You have some time to think about it."

"I will need that time. Though the waiting itself is difficult enough." Kylun sighed. "Thank you again for your help . . . and your patience. I cannot think I have been a restful visitor . . . serenity has eluded me since first I heard this news."

"Nothing to apologize for," Jean said. "You're unsettled, yes, but I'd say it's more than warranted. Don't worry."

"I will . . . try not to." Kylun rubbed his arm, smoothing the bandage. "As much as I can."