Visit to the Doctor: Yvette, Jean and Laurie - Sunday morning

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After everyone gets back, Yvette and Laurie go down to medlab to have the cut on Yvette's arm seen to. Yvette's power makes for complications, and afterwards, she asks Jean an important question.



It was strange, but after the jungle and its dangers lurking in every corner, the metal of the medlab was comforting. Safe. Familiar. Careful not to brush any part of herself against the taller girl walking with her to the exam room, Yvette tried to will herself calm - the last thing she wanted to do was hurt the nice Dr. Grey. The cut she'd made on her arm was a darker line against the razor-sharp skin.

Laurie watched Yvette with concern, following her into an exam room that Dr Grey had directed them to when they'd entered the medlab. She was worried that Yvette's skin hadn't yet softened to what it was before they'd gone on the field trip. She hoped everything would be alright.

"You doing okay?" she asked her roommate, thinking talking might help.

"I... am not sure." Yvette's voice was quiet, a mere whisper. "It is good to be being home, but..." She eyed the exam table, not sure how she was going to climb onto it without damaging it. And it wasn't like she could let Laurie help her up, there was too much risk. "Laurie, I can't be making myself stop to be hard." The anguish was clear in her voice, even if it couldn't show in her face.

"Then let me help." Laurie replied, her gaze sad as she looked down at her friend. Being eaten by a dinosaur was more then enough trauma to have thrown her friend back a few stages in her recovery. It was something they could fix though, with a little help.

Having said that, Laurie dragged a chair across to the exam table, making sure she wouldn't be in the way and then sat down. Reaching up, she pulled the air scrubber from around her neck, placing it in the
pocket of her jeans.

"Just like we used to do when you first arrived, remember?"

Yvette nodded, eyes brightening a little. "Thank you, Laurie. You are being the good friend," she said, wishing she could reach out and pat the other girl's knee. But she'd lost her gloves during the second attack, and her talons were wickedly long and sharp. Still, she could feel her breathing evening out, a sure sign Laurie's pheromones were working. Then there was a noise at the door, and she glanced up sharply, almost like a wild animal.

"Just me, sweetie," Jean said, stepping inside. "Morning, girls. How are you doing?"

Yvette untensed, just a little. "Hello, Dr. Grey," she said, the glow of her eyes brightening again.

"Dr. Grey." Laurie replied, smiling up at Jean from where she sat. "I'm fairly fine, apart from some bruising but Yvette needs some help."

"So I heard. You cut yourself, Yvette? Have you been keeping it clean?"

"Yes. To be helping Marius," Yvette affirmed, holding up her arm. The very slightest gleam of blood was beginning to show along the cut, thanks to Laurie's powers. "And it is being difficult, to be clean." Especially in the belly of a dinosaur.

"She got eaten." Laurie volunteered, shuddering as she remembered Yvette telling her about it afterwards. "I hate to think what would've happened if Tommy and Mondo hadn't been there."

Jean blinked, then blinked again. "Eaten. Um, ok. That must have been interesting. Thank God for Tommy and Mondo, yes." Holding up her hand she told Yvette, "Telekinetic force - I won't get hurt, I promise." Then carefully reached to turn the girl's arm so she could see better.

Yvette still flinched a little as Jean reached for her arm, but made herself hold still. "My skin is being protecting me, but it was being very scary," she confessed. "And there was much to be bouncing around
- Tommy is saying Mondo is being the wrestler to the dinosaur." Blood oozed slowly along the cut as Jean examined it - it wasn't long, but it was deeper than she'd meant it to be.

"A whole bunch of dinosaurs attacked us just as we'd finished eating and Forge gave me a bow he made from parts of his leg." Laurie replied, concentrating on keeping calming images in her mind to make sure her power stayed constant.

"That was good of him," Jean said, keeping her voice level. "Yvette, I think we need to put a couple of stitches in this."

Yvette nodded - she would have bitten her lip, if she could. Needles were something she hadn't thought she'd need ever again, after her full manifestation. "Laurie... can you be helping more? I can't be to controlling this," she asked, her voice a little plaintive.

Laurie frowned slightly for a second, trying to think of how to make the pheromones she was generating stronger. She'd never controlled how much, or how little she put out before, hadn't ever even thought about doing that. Yvette needed her help though, so she'd try. She just wasn't sure how to go about it.

Closing her eyes, she thought about the images she usually brought to mind when she wanted to control her powers, maybe if she just...pushed somehow, it might work.

It did seem to - certainly there was an increased blood flow and some visible softening. Jean let Laurie's powers take effect for a few moments while she gathered some things. "Local anesthetic," she said in explanation, holding up a small syringe. "Are you ready for this, Yvette?"

She nodded, frowning a little - the fact there was any kind of facial movement showed more than anything that Laurie's powers were working. She held out her arm, watching the blood flowing easily now. "I will be staying very still, Dr. Grey," she said, as bravely as she could. She'd survived being eaten, she could survive this.

"Good girl, Yvette." The shot was administered quickly, and Jean counted out the seconds until it should have taken effect as she got the needle and sutures ready. "This bit will be easier if you look at Laurie. You won't feel anything, because of the anesthetic, and that can be alarming for some people."

Laurie reached forward and placed her hand against Yvette's shoulder, as she did she could see a fine violet coloured film standing out on her skin now. She'd never pushed her power before, so maybe it was because of that? "How about we talk about something to help you get your mind off it as well. Like, what have you and Tommy being reading lately? I know you were saying you started a new book last week."

The needle prick had taken her by surprise, because it had been so long since she'd felt anything even remotely resembling pain, but Dr. Grey had been telling the truth and it had only stung a moment. Turning her head away from the suture needle - that one was one she didn't want to watch, she managed a tiny, grateful smile for Laurie. "You are being looking like the fairy dust," she said, nodding at the purple glow. "Tommy is being choosing the book this time, and we are being reading 'The Three Musketeers'. Tommy is saying he has been reading this before, when he is first here, and it is being a favourite book to him." Her voice grew stronger as Laurie's pheromones calmed down her breathing and heart-rate. "There is being much the adventure. And no dinosaurs."

Jean couldn't help smiling, remembering her discussions with Tommy about literature when he'd been stuck down in the medlab. But her attention didn't waver as she cleaned out the wound and set and tied the sutures. Not being a long cut, it wasn't going to take many stitches. She worked quietly as the two girls talked.

"I think we've all had enough of dinosaurs to last a lifetime. And the three Musketeers is so much fun. When you've finished the book, let me know and there'll have to be a movie night with the Kiefer Sutherland version of it. Best movie adaption ever." Laurie replied, grinning as she talked. "You could come too, Dr. Grey, if you like."

"Certainly," Jean said, glancing briefly up to smile at Laurie. "I'm always up for movie nights." It took only a few more seconds to tie off the last stitch. "There we go, sweetie, you're all good to go."

Yvette nodded, glancing back to see a neat row of stitches along her forearm. "Thank you. Dr. Grey," she said, before glancing back at Laurie, who was starting to look tired. "Thank you, too, Laurie. You can be letting go of the powers now?"

Laurie nodded, slumping slightly as she let go, feeling exhausted after pushing so hard. The purple film over her skin disappeared, leaving no trace behind that it had ever been there. Something to talk about later, perhaps. "It's never exhausted me like this before, guess I know what the energy types are talking about now when they say they feel like they need to sleep for a week."

"Maybe not a week, but you should definitely go sleep. Get some food into you, too, Laurie." Jean was already cleaning up, quickly swiping a swab over the wound before Yvette's skin stiffened.

"I think there's some left-overs from last night's chili con carne. That should give me more then enough carbohydrates. Thanks for looking after Yvette, Dr. Grey." Laurie replied, giving Yvette a quick smile as she stood. "I'll see you later, Yvette. I think Angel was talking about having a game of Che Geek before we all went to bed."

"Good night, Laurie. That is sounding like a good idea." Yvette gave Laurie another small smile, the skin on her face already hardening. For a few moments, she watched Jean swabbing the area with antiseptic, then said, in a voice far less hesitant than usual: "Dr. Grey? There is being the doctor to be speaking to about the thoughts and the feelings, yes?"

Jean blinked at the seeming non-sequitur, but simply nodded. "Yes, there is. The English word is 'psychiatrist' or 'psychologist'. The Professor has a friend and colleague, Dr. Leonard Samson, who many of the students talk to from time to time. He specializes in working with children." Setting aside the cotton swab which was starting to shred on Yvette's skin, she looked up. "Why do you ask, sweetie?"

"I am being remembering," Yvette replied softly. "Much of what happened to me when I am being not-awake. The bad man being taking me, Marius being buying me, hurting my mother..." She looked down at her hands, which were almost visibly lengthening into the wickedly long and sharp talons they'd been when she'd come in. "I am thinking it is a good thing, to be talking about it. When I am not... I am having the bad dreams."

"Oh, Yvette..." Jean would have hugged the girl, but settled for projecting the image and feeling of a hug, knowing that, even with her telekinesis, actually doing so would probably worry Yvette more than soothe her. "I think that would be a good idea, too," she said. "I'm glad you asked. That was very responsible of you."

"I am being talking to Mr. Haller, but he is being sick..." Yvette's eyes brightened, and she projected gratitude at Jean. The red headed doctor was such a nice lady. "Are you being to make the time for me,
Dr. Grey?"

Jean smiled. "Of course, Yvette. But shall we go somewhere more comfortable? Perhaps to my office? There can be cocoa..."

The glow intensified, and Yvette nodded eagerly. There was nothing that couldn't be made better by chocolate.