xp_logs | Monday morning--Silence

Bobby has a little trouble waking up Terry on Monday. It soon becomes evident why.

Bobby rolled over and smiled at the sight of Terry still asleep, her hair a shining red cascade on the pillow. He leaned up on one elbow and kissed her warm cheek, murmuring in her ear, "Good morning, love. How are you feeling?" He didn't really expect an audible response, but hope did spring eternal, after all. He missed her voice already.

She'd slept fitfully most of the night, troubled by the noises only she could hear and kept him up while she did. At some point though, she'd quieted, finally really sleeping. Even now, with his voice right in her ear she barely stirred, moving into his touch but no more.

Bobby chuckled and shook her shoulder gently. "Terry. Come on. Time to get up," he cooed, still soft and low, brushing her hair back from the sides of her face.

That stirred her and she opened her eyes, blinking at him sleepily before letting them slide shut again. She wriggled closer, simultaneously burrowing into the covers and snuggling against him. "Morning, a fear cheile" she tried to say but wasn't surprised when she couldn't hear it. Oh well. Maybe more sleep would help. With her eyes still closed she yawned and draped herself around Bobby. Yay, sleep.

Bobby saw her mouth move, but nothing more than a gasp of breath escaped her. Still, the words were familiar enough for him to discern, and he grinned, pulling away to sit up and smacking her lightly on the butt. "Come on, lazybones. At least get up and eat some breakfast, then you can go back to bed if you're not feeling up to facing the world."

Terry cracked at eye at the swatting and started an irritable silent reply...and realized his mouth was moving. She sat bolt upright, going from half-asleep to adrenaline charged alertness in a heart beat. "That's not funny! Don't..." she didn't even finish before she realised what she'd taken for early morning quiet, enough that even she couldn't hear, was actually just...silence. One hand went to her ear, slapping it to get the percussion. And she heard nothing. Terry grabbed at Bobby, fingers clawing and tense. "I can't hear." Friday with the loss of her voice, she'd been worried but not devastated. Laryngitis happened. Now she was on the verge of screaming though it would do no good.

Bobby frowned, blinking a few times. "...What?" He was pretty sure she'd just mouthed 'I can't hear', but hey, maybe he was just sucky at lip reading. He touched her shoulder and watched her anxiously, closely.

She knew he'd spoken. She hadn't heard it. "I can't. You...I can't hear you."" It was a little jumbled and she made no effort to keep her enunciation crisp. Her hands still gripped his arm, nails digging in though she didn't notice. "Bobby! Do something!"

Most of her panicked lip movements were difficult to make out, but the last three words were pretty obvious, as were the welts she was going to leave in his arm. He nodded and slipped his arms beneath her, lifting her blanket and all off of the bed and heading for the door. Halfway there, he stopped and groaned, setting her down on the bed again and grabbing a pair of jeans. The last thing either of them needed was the mansion talking about him streaking to the medlab with Terry in his arms.

Terry whimpered and clutched at her head, dizzy. She was so out of sorts that she didn't even notice that she was still in her pajamas as well. She buried her head in his shoulder and prayed for the sound to come back. Her hearing couldn't be gone. It had to be a mistake. There was just...something. She couldn't not hear. It wasn't right. She needed sound. She couldn't stand it. Her heart pounded and for the first time she realized it was a palpable feeling, not just echoes of sound.

Cradling her close, he strode quickly and calmly to the medlab, pointlessly talking to her in a low, comforting voice. Okay, it wasn't completely pointless; she may not be able to hear it but it helped keep Bobby from panicking, at least.

******

Down in the infirmary, Amelia tries to figure out what's gone wrong this time while the Professor plays translator. He also has a suggestion for Terry that calms her considerably.

Terry shivered, curled up on the table. Her pajamas were flannel but not nearly warm enough to combat the icebox nature of the infirmary. Amelia had kicked Bobby out--Terry'd watched the whole scene like seeing a movie play with the sound off and could hardly protest more than by waving her hands a bit which of course hadn't done any good. Terry kind of hoped that since he wasn't allowed back in Bobby would go get her a sweat shirt or something. Maybe some socks too. But she knew that he'd probably just pace in the waiting area until she was done.

These were the types of thoughts that kept her from giving in to the panic over the fact that she couldn't HEAR.

"This is more than slightly perplexing," Amelia said slowly, frowning at Terry. Not in her customary forbidding 'how dare you be ill, you tiresome child, now sit down and shut up while I fix you' way, but in irritated bewilderment. "I don't even know where to start." She reached down and picked up another tongue depressor.

"Perhaps we might start by giving Terry . . . well, someone's hearing back, at any rate." Charles smiled soothingly as he established the link. "I'm afraid the reception won't be quite what you're used to, my dear, but I haven't attended any rock concerts lately, at least."

The return of sound was...a revelation and she had to close her eyes to prevent relieved tears. And even it wasn't, as the Professor said, what she was used to, right now anything was better than what she had. Her voice was still out of commission though so she formed her thoughts carefully, as she'd been taught since she was young and replied directly to his mind. ~Thank you, Professor. I was...I don't like this at all. Does Dr. Voght know what's wrong with me?~

"Well, it's clearly not simple laryngitis," Amelia muttered, taking another look at Terry's throat. "Your sonic scream and your enhanced hearing are of course interconnected physiologically... I wish your father was here so that I had a healthy basis of comparison, although clearly the mutations aren't exactly the same..."

"She's doing everything she can and it will be all right," Charles translated wryly. "How are you feeling, Terry? Is there anything else you'd like me to do for you?"

Terry was pretty sure that the Professor had better things to do than play the part of her ears all day but the only thing she wanted right now was her hearing back. She could live without her voice, had done so for two days. But not her hearing. She would go mad. Still her reply was demure though all her fear seethed beneath the surface. ~No thank you, Professor. I can wait for Dr Voght to figure out what's wrong.~

Amelia set the tongue depressor aside and picked up a syringe. "Blood tests," she said almost cheerfully, as if she'd just reminded herself that bedside manner was a good thing. Cheerful did not, however, look at all natural on Amelia Voght. "Just to cover all our bases. Then I'll need to take another couple of throat swabs."

Charles' eyes twinkled as he gave Terry a conspiratorial look. "She disappears into mist and cheers up at the prospect of a blood test. That rumor that you keep a coffin full of your native soil under your bed is still going around the younger students, Amelia." His expression turned thoughtful. "The tests are likely to take some time, Terry--have you thought about what you'll do while you wait?"

~Some time?~ That thought, mostly panicked and not actually meant to have been shared was practically an answer in itself. How long was some time? Days? Weeks? She was going to lose her mind in short order. Terry shook her head, looking even paler than she had been. ~But I have classes and training and...I need to be able to hear.~ She shivered and gripped the edge of the exam bed, looking from the Professor to Amelia and back.

Amelia ignored her reaction and reached for her arm. She found a vein quickly enough. "Not too long," she said. "The infirmary is thankfully empty at the moment, so I can devote my attention to this."

"But it still might take a little while." Charles sat back, tapping one finger against his lips. "Hm. Terry, would you like to do something for me? A short trip, nothing too strenuous; it might help you keep your focus while we work on a solution to your problem here." He smiled slightly. "I might even be able to ask someone to go with you to help with translation, if he's willing."

Terry nodded. ~Sure, Professor. Whatever you think. I don't know how much help I can be like this though. I'm rubbish.~ Her thoughts were a little more unedited than her actual words would have been, frayed around the edges with stress and fear. She steadfastly ignored the vials that Amelia was cheerfully filling up with bright red blood. Terry wasn't exactly squeamish but she was already a little dizzy and didn't need to see that right now.

"Hardly that, Terry," Charles said reprovingly. "You're ill, yes, but you will never be rubbish. A disability in one area--especially a temporary one, as this is--does not eliminate your many other sterling qualities." He paused for a moment. "You remember Miriam Cross, don't you?"

The name sounded familiar but it took Terry a second to figure out why. The girl who'd tried to kill herself all those months ago. With the little brother who was afraid of being a mutant. Terry nodded slowly, wondering where he was going with this.

"I've kept in contact with the family since . . . the first recruitment trip went so badly. Miriam understands the school a little better now, or I hope she does, as well as her parents' motives. I wish I'd made sure she understood before . . ." Charles shook his head. "But there it is. I was rather hoping, since you've met the family already, that you wouldn't mind going to talk to them again, and find out whether Miriam's decided to accept our offer." He smiled slightly. "With Mr. Haller along, the communications barrier should be easily surmountable, and I think I can persuade him to accompany you."

Terry nodded again, ~Sure, I could do that. But...Mr Summers went last time. Why not send him again?~ Was it just because her powers were rebelling right now? Amelia finishing drawing blood and swabbed the pinprick with an antibacterial pad then bandaged it. Terry flexed her hand slowly. ~I don't mind going. I just don't know if I'm the right one for this.~

"Scott has his own duties, and I'd rather not interrupt them just now," Charles replied. "Besides, Miriam's brother--Daniel? Daniel remembers you fondly, and that's made an impression on their parents." He smiled. "I think you're exactly the right person for the job; in fact, I was going to ask you even before all this."

She hesitated a moment longer then shrugged, ~If you want me to, I can. I don't have anything else to do until Dr. Voght figures this out. Mr. Haller gets back late tonight, doesn't he?~ Which meant that they wouldn't be able to go until tomorrow at the earliest. What was she supposed to do until then? She didn't ask that though. No reason to sound even more like a petulant child.

"Provided he doesn't encounter any difficulties with the airlines, yes. I'll leave him a note to come speak with me." Charles sighed softly. "Thank you for doing this, Terry. We'll have answers for you just as soon as we can."

Terry bit her lip and nodded. She felt like she was going to cry though why now instead of earlier she wasn't sure. She just wanted to go away now. ~Thank you, Professor and Dr Voght. I...can I have Bobby back now? I mean, can I go?~

"You can go," Amelia said, already on her way into the lab with the vials of blood. "But check in twice a day until we have this sorted out, Theresa. I don't want to miss anything else," she said disgruntedly.

~Thank you.~ Terry slipped off the exam table and gave the Professor a weak smile. ~I...guess I don't need to borrow your hearing anymore.~

"Well, if nothing else, it might be a bit awkward to have me following you for the rest of the day." Charles gave her a thoughtful look. "If Bobby's willing, though, I could establish a similar link between the two of you, at least while you're on the grounds."

~Could you really? That would be...wow.~ Terry perked up for the first time, then slumped. ~He has to go to work though. I can't ask him to skip out on that just so that I can hear.~

Charles raised an amused eyebrow at her. "Oh, I don't know, I suspect his employers could be convinced to give him the day off. In fact . . ." He waved a ceremonious hand. "Consider Bobby relieved from math class for the day."

She wavered a moment longer but her fear of silence won out over her worry about making him miss work. ~Let me go get him.~ She dashed out of the exam room.