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xp_logsArriving in Tel Aviv, Amanda, Pete and Juanita go straight to the hospital. And find out just how bad it is.
Chaos ensued when they arrived at the hospital, barely in time for visiting hours. Pete immediately disappearing with Nathan, the various members of the Pack rising to meet them and Juanita being ushered immediately into a room she supposed was Angelo's. Amanda felt suddenly shy, awkward, and she took a step back, making room for everyone else to have their turn. Her back hit something warm and solid, and a large furry hand dropped onto her shoulder.
"You know," a familiar basso voice rumbled softly, sounding more tired and unhappy than Amanda had ever heard it, "if you stay out here too long you won't get to see him until the morning. Visiting hours are almost over and stuff."
"Theo." She turned around to face him, the slight smile slipping from her face as she saw him, looking just as tired and worn as everyone else. A sudden impulse made her step in, giving him a careful hug in case there were injuries she couldn't see, the time since she'd seen him last melting away. "How're you holding up?"
Massive shoulders shrugged, or started to but didn't quite manage it, as if the effort was too much. "David made me go home for a bit. Wash the... gunk out of my fur and change. I just had some cuts and stuff, they'll be healed up by morning." His eyes moved towards the room where Juanita had vanished. "He's okay. Just rattled his brains some."
"Thank fuck." She sagged a little with relief, moving a little away from Theo but keeping one hand on his arm. "And Dom?"
Theo didn't answer for a long moment, his gaze moving towards the direction where Nathan and Pete had disappeared. "Still in surgery." He skittered away from more details on that like he'd just stepped on hot coals, and went on heavily. "She's not the only one. Chris and Isabel and Vasily and... well, you wouldn't know the other two, they're new. They're just kind of leaving Ian to heal by himself and keeping him on life support until he does." He looked back down at her, seemingly focused a little more. "We lost almost all the new staff," he said hollowly, tears trickling down his furred cheeks. "And our secretary. I really liked our secretary."
"Oh, Theo. I'm so sorry." There wasn't much else to be said, her heart twisting nastily as she realised the scope of things. She'd been so focussed on Angelo and Domino... She reached up, having to go on tiptoe to lay her hand against his cheek.
He smiled a sad little hurt smile that was so far from his usually toothy grin that there was no real comparison, and laid an enormous hand over hers for a moment. "Me too, kiddo. They were all so
good... Nate and Joel interviewed them all in New York last month, and they were all so eager to get out into the world and get to work..." He gave a ragged sigh. "I think we all would've died, except Dom freaked out all of a sudden and started screaming at us to get out of the building. I've seen her have hunches before, but this was something else."
Amanda briefly stroked his cheek, before letting her hand fall, dropping back out of the stretch. "Do they know who it was yet?" she asked quietly, not wanting to disturb everyone with the question.
Theo's smile turned oddly twisted. "You've been on a plane, came right from the airport. You wouldn't have seen, yet... but we weren't the only ones who got hit." His eyes flickered to the TV high on the wall of the waiting room, showing footage from Paris now. "Whoever it was leveled the UN's Mutant Affairs Committee building in Paris. The Ministry of Mutant Affairs in Budapest got hit too... and the Mueller Institute in Switzerland isn't there anymore." He made a noise that was half-growl, half-sob. "A hospital. I guess we're lucky they didn't hit Muir Island."
"Oh, fuck, no," she whispered, blood draining from her face, leaving her feeling cold and sick. Moira and the baby were on Muir, plus Dr. Curt, Forge, and any number of people she'd gotten to know and like when she'd stayed there last year. "What the fucking hell is going on?" she asked helplessly.
"We'll find out." There was absolutely nothing of the happy go-lucky bear about Theo at the moment. The cold light in his eyes was reminiscent more of Nathan than anyone else. "Four coordinated bombings in a six-hour window, all against mutant-friendly targets? Someone's trying to make a point. They're not going to leave us guessing." His expression softened suddenly, some of the fatigue creeping back in as he laid an immense hand on her shoulder. "But you go see Angelo now, okay?" His eyes looked suspiciously bright. "He had to... Dom was... he'll be glad to see you. Go on." He nudged her gently in that direction. "We'll all be out here."
She let herself be nudged. After Theo's news, all the momentary awkwardness was forgotten - she just wanted to see him for herself, reassure herself she hadn't lost him, like so many others had been lost. "Ta, Theo. I'll just be a minute, yeah?" she said, patting his hand before it left her shoulder, moving in the direction of Angelo's room. She cracked open the door, peering inside. "Hey," she began.
Mother and son both turned to look at her as she came in, breaking off the quiet conversation - it looked as though Angelo had tried to get out of bed, but if so, Juanita hadn't let him. She smiled at Amanda, now, but said nothing, leaving Angelo to greet her. For his part, he tried a smile, which was about as much a failure as Theo's had been.
"Hey..."
It seemed like she'd developed teleportation - one second she was at the door, the next she was at his bedside. It was awkward, hugging him with the bed in the way, and even more difficult to hold back a choked sort of sob of relief at seeing him, alive and apparently well enough to try and get back to work, but she managed both, holding him as carefully as she had hugged Theo, in case she hurt him.
Well, at least to try and get out of bed when he saw his mother. He wasn't quite up to much more than that yet, but he could and did hug her back, one hand coming up to stroke her hair. He didn't speak... there didn't really seem to be much to say.
Chaos ensued when they arrived at the hospital, barely in time for visiting hours. Pete immediately disappearing with Nathan, the various members of the Pack rising to meet them and Juanita being ushered immediately into a room she supposed was Angelo's. Amanda felt suddenly shy, awkward, and she took a step back, making room for everyone else to have their turn. Her back hit something warm and solid, and a large furry hand dropped onto her shoulder.
"You know," a familiar basso voice rumbled softly, sounding more tired and unhappy than Amanda had ever heard it, "if you stay out here too long you won't get to see him until the morning. Visiting hours are almost over and stuff."
"Theo." She turned around to face him, the slight smile slipping from her face as she saw him, looking just as tired and worn as everyone else. A sudden impulse made her step in, giving him a careful hug in case there were injuries she couldn't see, the time since she'd seen him last melting away. "How're you holding up?"
Massive shoulders shrugged, or started to but didn't quite manage it, as if the effort was too much. "David made me go home for a bit. Wash the... gunk out of my fur and change. I just had some cuts and stuff, they'll be healed up by morning." His eyes moved towards the room where Juanita had vanished. "He's okay. Just rattled his brains some."
"Thank fuck." She sagged a little with relief, moving a little away from Theo but keeping one hand on his arm. "And Dom?"
Theo didn't answer for a long moment, his gaze moving towards the direction where Nathan and Pete had disappeared. "Still in surgery." He skittered away from more details on that like he'd just stepped on hot coals, and went on heavily. "She's not the only one. Chris and Isabel and Vasily and... well, you wouldn't know the other two, they're new. They're just kind of leaving Ian to heal by himself and keeping him on life support until he does." He looked back down at her, seemingly focused a little more. "We lost almost all the new staff," he said hollowly, tears trickling down his furred cheeks. "And our secretary. I really liked our secretary."
"Oh, Theo. I'm so sorry." There wasn't much else to be said, her heart twisting nastily as she realised the scope of things. She'd been so focussed on Angelo and Domino... She reached up, having to go on tiptoe to lay her hand against his cheek.
He smiled a sad little hurt smile that was so far from his usually toothy grin that there was no real comparison, and laid an enormous hand over hers for a moment. "Me too, kiddo. They were all so
good... Nate and Joel interviewed them all in New York last month, and they were all so eager to get out into the world and get to work..." He gave a ragged sigh. "I think we all would've died, except Dom freaked out all of a sudden and started screaming at us to get out of the building. I've seen her have hunches before, but this was something else."
Amanda briefly stroked his cheek, before letting her hand fall, dropping back out of the stretch. "Do they know who it was yet?" she asked quietly, not wanting to disturb everyone with the question.
Theo's smile turned oddly twisted. "You've been on a plane, came right from the airport. You wouldn't have seen, yet... but we weren't the only ones who got hit." His eyes flickered to the TV high on the wall of the waiting room, showing footage from Paris now. "Whoever it was leveled the UN's Mutant Affairs Committee building in Paris. The Ministry of Mutant Affairs in Budapest got hit too... and the Mueller Institute in Switzerland isn't there anymore." He made a noise that was half-growl, half-sob. "A hospital. I guess we're lucky they didn't hit Muir Island."
"Oh, fuck, no," she whispered, blood draining from her face, leaving her feeling cold and sick. Moira and the baby were on Muir, plus Dr. Curt, Forge, and any number of people she'd gotten to know and like when she'd stayed there last year. "What the fucking hell is going on?" she asked helplessly.
"We'll find out." There was absolutely nothing of the happy go-lucky bear about Theo at the moment. The cold light in his eyes was reminiscent more of Nathan than anyone else. "Four coordinated bombings in a six-hour window, all against mutant-friendly targets? Someone's trying to make a point. They're not going to leave us guessing." His expression softened suddenly, some of the fatigue creeping back in as he laid an immense hand on her shoulder. "But you go see Angelo now, okay?" His eyes looked suspiciously bright. "He had to... Dom was... he'll be glad to see you. Go on." He nudged her gently in that direction. "We'll all be out here."
She let herself be nudged. After Theo's news, all the momentary awkwardness was forgotten - she just wanted to see him for herself, reassure herself she hadn't lost him, like so many others had been lost. "Ta, Theo. I'll just be a minute, yeah?" she said, patting his hand before it left her shoulder, moving in the direction of Angelo's room. She cracked open the door, peering inside. "Hey," she began.
Mother and son both turned to look at her as she came in, breaking off the quiet conversation - it looked as though Angelo had tried to get out of bed, but if so, Juanita hadn't let him. She smiled at Amanda, now, but said nothing, leaving Angelo to greet her. For his part, he tried a smile, which was about as much a failure as Theo's had been.
"Hey..."
It seemed like she'd developed teleportation - one second she was at the door, the next she was at his bedside. It was awkward, hugging him with the bed in the way, and even more difficult to hold back a choked sort of sob of relief at seeing him, alive and apparently well enough to try and get back to work, but she managed both, holding him as carefully as she had hugged Theo, in case she hurt him.
Well, at least to try and get out of bed when he saw his mother. He wasn't quite up to much more than that yet, but he could and did hug her back, one hand coming up to stroke her hair. He didn't speak... there didn't really seem to be much to say.
