Log: Jean & Cammie: Sweet Freedom!

[x-scorpion.livejournal.com]

Cammie gets her all clear from Jean and they discuss future tests as well as living arraignments as Cammie prepares to move into the mansion proper.

The knock was standard, more notice of entry than request for permission, although with her telepathy Jean could always tell when she needed to wait for the permission. This time, though, the door was actually standing open as she came up and stepped inside with the quick rap on the door. "Heya, Cammie," she said, smiling. "How are you doing?"

"I'm very bored," Cammie said honestly, sitting back a bit and looking over at the doctor, "It doesn't really hurt anymore," she said, looking down at her side. "I mean, it' snot like we have to worry about it getting infected or anything."

"Heh, yes, there is that. No, we're not worried about you getting infected, but I do appreciate your indulging us and staying down here until the wound sealed enough to be safe for everybody else."

She had snuck out a couple of times, but that was after dark and she was thirsty. She hadn't recently because she had finally grown the balls to ask for what she liked as far as drinks went. "Yeah, don't want me bleeding on everything. So, I actually can stay here, right?"

"You absolutely can," Jean said, nodding. "And, if you'll give me one last look at the cut, we can probably get you out of the medlab today, find a suite to set you up in."

"Cool. I don't know if it's normal or not, but there's a blue chick here who really needs to learn how to give the 'welcome' speech," Cammie said, shifting so Jean could get to the cut and the bandages easier.

Jean unwrapped the bandages quickly and surely, although once she got down to the skin she switched to telekinesis to continue her examination. "Stitches are holding nicely, scab's well sealed and there's already scar tissue forming. I think, as long as you keep the bandage on, you're good to go. And yes, Morgan's not exactly the most tactful."

"No, she isn't really," Cammie had the urge to punch the woman when next they met, but that wouldn't go over well. She'd find a way to deal with it. "And cool. I'm glad to have made it out of Texas with just a scar," Cammie said with a grin.

Jean grinned back. "Sounds like an upside to me. There are a couple of guest rooms available, but that's more a short term thing. You're likely going to end up in one of the suites with a roommate soon as we find a spot that will work."

"I won't end up making them sick, I hope," Cammie said, half to herself. She could handle sharing a room. That part wouldn't be any different than a homeless shelter where they shoved a bunch of people in rooms. When she thought about it, she was still really nervous about all of this. "It... kinda happens sometimes."

"The adult suites are two person - separate bedrooms with a shared kitchen and living area, so if it's a proximity thing it might be ok," Jean mused aloud, considering. "If it's absolutely necessary you might be able to get a space without a roommate, but we prefer the shared living spaces for a couple of reasons, including the fact that, no matter how big the mansion seems, it is still a finite space. Tell me about how you make people sick? Is it only when there's an accident?" She waved towards the cut.

"I only just found out about that," Cammie said, "Well, I knew my blood could make people sick. But I've never bled like that before," she shrugged, "Sometimes, if I got cut up in a fight I'd put some on my right fist too... but sometimes it happens. I don't know if some people are just more sensitive than others or what. ...I also have to let some off sometimes, or too much builds up," she admitted. She had been trying to figure out a way around that that didn't involve sending someone here to the med lab.

"If too much builds up... well... something bad happens," she said, thinking back.

Jean's face was serious as she nodded. "A biological imperative or compulsion to use mutant powers is not common," she told Cammie, "but it's not unheard of, either. We have a few other residents who are in similar situations. And we ought to be able to set something up for safe release of your toxins. If nothing else, we've had to turn part of the medlab into a clean room before, it can be done again. Your blood is toxic, but not acidic or radioactive, so proper hazmat containment and disposal shouldn't be a problem. Unless..." She paused, then frowned thoughtfully. "Chances are good you're not going to know the answer to this, but how consistent is the chemical content of your blood and your toxins? I guess it's possible that the reason it's not radioactive is simply a lack of exposure, and that if you had... I'm not sure 'opportunity' is the right word, but it will do - opportunity to injest radioactive material that would change."

"Yeah... I don't know. It's not like I go around eating uranium," Cammie said. Though if some had been laying around, she wouldn't have put it past her to just pop it in her mouth. She did that from time to time. "And I don't know if it's a compulsion really... it's... like I get too full. If I don't let it out, it lets itself out... that's really the best way to describe it. If I don't do it, it does it for me, and then I can't control how much." After she had left home too, after everything had happened, it had also gotten painful to try to hold everything in.

"We can do some toxicity and chemical test - it's likely to involve controlled diet for a while, to see how variations in what you take in effects what you put out. If that's ok." Paige would be best for running those tests, Jean thought. "And how did you manage your releases while you were traveling?"

At the first Cammie nodded, as long as she could eat something with flavor, she could put up with the controlled diet. At the last she grinned a ferally, "That? I punched people," she said honestly. "A lot of times, I don't even have to start a fight," she said with a grin and then shook her head, "If that wasn't an option though, as weird as it sounds, I'd fill an abandoned oil drum or something like it with water and stick my arm in there. Keeps it from getting in the air - I don't know if it really does or not, but why take chances? - and keeps people from drinking it."

Jean couldn't help a small chuckle at Cammie's glee. "Right. Well, we might try to avoid the hitting people bit, but I think we can definitely come up with something a few steps up from abandoned oil drums. And do some tests to find out about the possibility of airborn transmission." Jean didn't even turn as the notebook she'd telekinetically picked up from her desk and floated down the hall entered the room, just reached out to pluck it out of the air, taking a pen out of her pocket and making a few notes as she continued, "The real key to controlling your mutant power is understanding it. You need to know what it can and can't do in order to harness it safely."

Cammie had to look away from where Jean plucked the note book out of the air, "I... really don't know much about what I do. I know I don't get sick. I know I can eat anything and take anything without getting affected by it, and I know toxin comes out of the skin on my left hand and arm somehow. And I know that can kill people. I at least have that under control now."

"Which is good," Jean said, looking back up at her, eyes serious. "And don't worry about not knowing all of this now. You've certainly come to the right place to find out."

"Yeah, I guess so. I know the bandages make it easier to control too.. and they also hide the color. You know, so no one stares," Cammie said, looking at her left arm. Knowing a little bit was better than knowing nothing. Of course, everything she had figured out, she figured out the hard way.

Jean nodded. "Yes, that helps. And is interesting - I wonder if it's related to that enlarged lymph gland. More tests," and it wasn't quiet unholy glee which was lighting her eyes, but she realized she was possibly a little bit too enthusiastic about tests. After all, if you weren't the scientist running the test, it was usually less fun. "But," she said, changing topics, "in the meantime, we can get you set up in a room where the walls aren't hospital white, the fixtures not all stainless steel, and the hallways don't smell of antiseptic."

"Yeah... no more tests today please," she wasn't overly fond of being poked at or prodded, even in the name of 'science' or understanding exactly what was wrong with her. Even among other freaks, she was still one of the worst ones.

"I would like a room with color. White is over done, I mean, it's nice and all... but yeah. Wouldn't want to live back here."

"You might not believe it from some of the horror stories, but we actually encourage that kind of thinking," Jean said, smiling slightly. "Our preference is definitely for fewer people in need of the services of a doctor, particularly long term. For one thing, we get more sleep that way."

"Yeah, no one likes being sick. I wouldn't know what it's like, I've really never been. But it must be boring. I mean, there's not really all that much to do back here," Cammie said. Glad she had the free and clear now to wander around in the daylight hours. And have a real room...

...something she hadn't had since she was... well, over three years now. The odd thought popped up about trying to contact her parents somehow and she pushed that aside. She wasn't going to get so comfortable as to call people to tell them what type of little monster they raised.

"So I'll be glad to be out of here."

"And I know you said school wasn't really something you were interested, but if you did want to pursue a GED there's more than enough teachers around to give you any tutoring you want to get caught up. Term's started, so people's schedules are pretty set, but time can be made."

"Yeah, we'll see," she said. Cammie had been thinking about it. But it would be three years of work to catch up on. She was smart, she knew that, but that was a bit overwhelming. "I think I'll opt for taking things a step at a time," she said after a moment. "First step: getting me out of here and into that other room."

Jean nodded, standing up. "All right, I'll go see what we can do. If nothing else, I'll get you a guest room by tonight."

"Awesome. Thanks... for all of it," Cammie said. That she did mean.

Jean smiled. "You're very welcome."