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xp_logsIt seems Amanda's more tired than she thought. Or there's something else at work here. Kurt intervenes and she lets him.
He'd been coming and going from the various aid centres all day, stopping to rest only when he needed to. The latest patient had wanted to be brought home, to the Logan centre, so that was where they went.
"Right you are, doc..." Amanda nodded to the doctor who had asked her to go fetch some more cotton wadding and trotted outside the hospital tent. As she hit the fresh air the buzzing sensation in her head redoubled and she stopped, pinching the bridge of her nose and swaying slightly. "All right, I'm gettin' it, there's somethin' up. Now will you just lay off already?" she muttered to herself.
Kurt chose that moment to 'port in, almost right next to her, supporting his rescuee carefully. He shot Amanda a worried glance on noticing the swaying, but ushered the patient into the hospital tent before he approached her.
"There's a hole in the world..." she was murmuring to herself as he approached, apparently not aware of her surroundings or what she was saying. Then she looked up and gave him a wan smile. "Hey, Kurt. How're things?"
He returned the smile, looking at her carefully. "Busily, as I think they are for all of us. And with you?"
"I'm fi--," she began, only to stumble slightly against him. "Um, actually, I feel like shite, Kurt. Tired as fuck and my head's all... weird."
He caught her, suddenly frowning, and steadied her. "How long is it since you last slept?"
"I've been sleeping, same as everyone else. Eight hours and all the meal breaks - this is too important to be fucking around with driving myself into the ground." Amanda was grateful for the steadying arm. "The head's been playing up since I got here, but it's gotten worse the longer I--" She stopped again.
"The longer you...?" he prompted gently, not letting go since it was obvious she needed the support.
"The longer I stay here." Amanda frowned. There was something important here, something she was missing. Her knees buckled a little and she grabbed at Kurt for support.
He'd started to ask another question, but cut himself off sharply to hold her up. "That is enough. Come inside and sit down."
"I'm all right, I just need to..." Amanda's protest was half-hearted as Kurt brought her into the tent and sat her down. "No doctors. There's people that need them more," she protested as he looked as if he might call someone over. "I just need to rest up a bit."
"You told me yourself you have not been overworking", he pointed out. "And if you have been eating properly, this should not be simple fatigue."
"But, there's people that need me to do stuff..." she said, looking around the tent and everyone busily saving lives. "There's still so much to do. They need everyone they can get."
"And if you are ill, for any reason, how much can you do?" The words were gentle, but his tone was firm.
She opened her mouth to argue and then closed it again, shoulders slumping. What would be the grown up thing to do? she asked herself and knew the answer. "I'm done," she admitted. "There's nothing more I can do here, not with the state I'm in. And I think it's only going to get worse if I stay."
"Then you owe it to yourself not to stay", he said quietly. "If the place is somehow making you ill... then whatever you have done so far is as much as anyone can ask of you."
"I know, it's just..." Amanda looked up at him. "Sometimes you need to help, y'know?" It wasn't just atonement, although there might have been elements of that in there. It was the need to help, to do something constructive amidst the destruction. "I just wish I'd been able to do more."
"There will be other times", he said bleakly, looking around. "Other ways to help. Much as we might wish there will not be."
She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it tightly, looking for the words but not finding them. "Help me get back?" she asked instead.
"Of course", he said instantly, squeezing her hand back. "Do you feel up to teleporting, or would you prefer the jet?"
"Kurt, 's cross-country. You'd kill yourself doing it," she told him with a tired smile. "Jet's fine - about time I got a ride in the famous Blackbird, I suppose."
"I could not do it all at once", he acknowledged. "But staggered, I could do. But the jet it is." He leaned down to help her to her feet.
She let him pull her up, head swimming with the change in position. "Save the 'porting for the important stuff," she said with a tired smile.
Kurt wasn't tall, but he was wiry and strong, and Amanda was shorter still. Therefore, it was only with a small effort - or so he told himself - that he lifted her off her feet. "I will take you to the jet, at least. It is not far."
Amanda made a noise of protest at being lifted, but leaned her head on his shoulder regardless. "Show off," she teased.
"Perhaps a little", he replied with a tired grin - and the next moment they were gone, to where the Blackbird waited.
It took all of Amanda's efforts not to throw up as they reappeared - teleportation tended to make her queasy and Kurt's brand was rougher than most. Plus the smell really didn't help. "Thanks, big brother," she said as he lowered her to her feet.
"You are welcome", he said, not letting go of her arm just yet. "Will you be all right from here?"
"I'll find a quiet corner and sleep until they're ready to go," she promised him. Stretching up, she kissed him briefly on the cheek. "Don't wear yourself out, yeah?"
"I will do my best not to", he promised. "And I will see you back in New York."
"Of course you will," she teased again. "Get Angie to bring my stuff back with her, could you? There's not much but she knows where it all is."
Kurt's tired smile grew - he hadn't failed to notice the teasing, and the affection behind it, and he was more than pleased. He nodded. "I will tell her. Be well, little sister."
"You too," she admonished him, and made her slightly unsteady way up the steps of the plane.
Kurt watched her until she disappeared inside, just to be on the safe side, then teleported back into the fray.
He'd been coming and going from the various aid centres all day, stopping to rest only when he needed to. The latest patient had wanted to be brought home, to the Logan centre, so that was where they went.
"Right you are, doc..." Amanda nodded to the doctor who had asked her to go fetch some more cotton wadding and trotted outside the hospital tent. As she hit the fresh air the buzzing sensation in her head redoubled and she stopped, pinching the bridge of her nose and swaying slightly. "All right, I'm gettin' it, there's somethin' up. Now will you just lay off already?" she muttered to herself.
Kurt chose that moment to 'port in, almost right next to her, supporting his rescuee carefully. He shot Amanda a worried glance on noticing the swaying, but ushered the patient into the hospital tent before he approached her.
"There's a hole in the world..." she was murmuring to herself as he approached, apparently not aware of her surroundings or what she was saying. Then she looked up and gave him a wan smile. "Hey, Kurt. How're things?"
He returned the smile, looking at her carefully. "Busily, as I think they are for all of us. And with you?"
"I'm fi--," she began, only to stumble slightly against him. "Um, actually, I feel like shite, Kurt. Tired as fuck and my head's all... weird."
He caught her, suddenly frowning, and steadied her. "How long is it since you last slept?"
"I've been sleeping, same as everyone else. Eight hours and all the meal breaks - this is too important to be fucking around with driving myself into the ground." Amanda was grateful for the steadying arm. "The head's been playing up since I got here, but it's gotten worse the longer I--" She stopped again.
"The longer you...?" he prompted gently, not letting go since it was obvious she needed the support.
"The longer I stay here." Amanda frowned. There was something important here, something she was missing. Her knees buckled a little and she grabbed at Kurt for support.
He'd started to ask another question, but cut himself off sharply to hold her up. "That is enough. Come inside and sit down."
"I'm all right, I just need to..." Amanda's protest was half-hearted as Kurt brought her into the tent and sat her down. "No doctors. There's people that need them more," she protested as he looked as if he might call someone over. "I just need to rest up a bit."
"You told me yourself you have not been overworking", he pointed out. "And if you have been eating properly, this should not be simple fatigue."
"But, there's people that need me to do stuff..." she said, looking around the tent and everyone busily saving lives. "There's still so much to do. They need everyone they can get."
"And if you are ill, for any reason, how much can you do?" The words were gentle, but his tone was firm.
She opened her mouth to argue and then closed it again, shoulders slumping. What would be the grown up thing to do? she asked herself and knew the answer. "I'm done," she admitted. "There's nothing more I can do here, not with the state I'm in. And I think it's only going to get worse if I stay."
"Then you owe it to yourself not to stay", he said quietly. "If the place is somehow making you ill... then whatever you have done so far is as much as anyone can ask of you."
"I know, it's just..." Amanda looked up at him. "Sometimes you need to help, y'know?" It wasn't just atonement, although there might have been elements of that in there. It was the need to help, to do something constructive amidst the destruction. "I just wish I'd been able to do more."
"There will be other times", he said bleakly, looking around. "Other ways to help. Much as we might wish there will not be."
She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it tightly, looking for the words but not finding them. "Help me get back?" she asked instead.
"Of course", he said instantly, squeezing her hand back. "Do you feel up to teleporting, or would you prefer the jet?"
"Kurt, 's cross-country. You'd kill yourself doing it," she told him with a tired smile. "Jet's fine - about time I got a ride in the famous Blackbird, I suppose."
"I could not do it all at once", he acknowledged. "But staggered, I could do. But the jet it is." He leaned down to help her to her feet.
She let him pull her up, head swimming with the change in position. "Save the 'porting for the important stuff," she said with a tired smile.
Kurt wasn't tall, but he was wiry and strong, and Amanda was shorter still. Therefore, it was only with a small effort - or so he told himself - that he lifted her off her feet. "I will take you to the jet, at least. It is not far."
Amanda made a noise of protest at being lifted, but leaned her head on his shoulder regardless. "Show off," she teased.
"Perhaps a little", he replied with a tired grin - and the next moment they were gone, to where the Blackbird waited.
It took all of Amanda's efforts not to throw up as they reappeared - teleportation tended to make her queasy and Kurt's brand was rougher than most. Plus the smell really didn't help. "Thanks, big brother," she said as he lowered her to her feet.
"You are welcome", he said, not letting go of her arm just yet. "Will you be all right from here?"
"I'll find a quiet corner and sleep until they're ready to go," she promised him. Stretching up, she kissed him briefly on the cheek. "Don't wear yourself out, yeah?"
"I will do my best not to", he promised. "And I will see you back in New York."
"Of course you will," she teased again. "Get Angie to bring my stuff back with her, could you? There's not much but she knows where it all is."
Kurt's tired smile grew - he hadn't failed to notice the teasing, and the affection behind it, and he was more than pleased. He nodded. "I will tell her. Be well, little sister."
"You too," she admonished him, and made her slightly unsteady way up the steps of the plane.
Kurt watched her until she disappeared inside, just to be on the safe side, then teleported back into the fray.
