Alpha Male Chapter Ten - Vulnerability by LoganLuvr
Logan handed Ari the bowl sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I..."
"Don't worry about it." she said reassuringly.
" It's just..." he started. Ari didn't give him time to finish. "I do this kind of thing every day, Logan... it's not a big deal! I'm just worried about you." Logan shook his head weakly, closed his eyes, and put an arm up, resting it on his forehead. "I'll be right back." Ari said, patting him softly on the arm.
She cleaned out the bowl, and returned, frowning. " Logan, what did you mean when you said you've never been sick?"
He let out an exasperated sigh. He really didn't want to get into this with her. " Ari, I don't feel a lot like talkin' right now. Let's get some sleep, an' maybe I'll be fine in the morning." Ari looked at him doubtfully, but she nodded. She knew that too much talking when you were nauseated just made things worse. "Alright, please let me know if you need me. I won't be far away."
She gave him the bowl and went to clean up, by the time she got back, Logan appeared to be sleeping. She crawled onto her couch and fell into a fitful sleep. She awoke a few hours later, to a cabin filled with the light blue glow of early-morning light. She could hear Logan moaning softly on the other couch. "Logan?" she called. "Yeah?" he answered weakly, glancing over in her direction. She could see that he was drenched with sweat, and he looked far worse than he had when she had fallen asleep.
She jumped to her feet, gasping in surprise and shock. " Logan, my God, why didn't you wake me up?... You look a lot worse!" He smiled weakly, "Well, good mornin' to you too, Darlin'."
At least he still has a sense of humor, she thought wryly. She felt his head, he was burning up. His face cringed in pain, and he looked nauseous. "Can ...you help me get to the bathroom?" he asked, trying to sit up."Of course," she said, reaching down to grasp his arm. Getting him to the bathroom proved to be a challenge. He was extremely weak and dizzy, and he was heavy, in comparison to her. He hung onto the wall tightly, and tried to close the door. " Logan, I don't think you should..." He cut her off. "Move, Ari, I'm closin' the door." He looked up at her, threateningly, curling his lip...." wether you want me to, or not."
She let him close the door, reluctantly, but she waited outside to be sure he was alright. She could hear him fumbling with his pants and then using the toilet. There was a long pause... "You okay?"
"I'm fine!" he growled, she smiled. - This is going to be a lot of fun! - she thought rolling her eyes. He moaned quietly, then started vomiting again. Damn! She wanted desperately to go in and help him, but she didn't want to upset him further. After a few minutes, he was quiet again. She heard the toilet flush, and relief surged through her body, followed quickly by worry when she heard a loud thump. She opened the door, to find him on his knees on the floor, one arm holding onto the wall. "Logan!" she ran to him, and helped him up. "I'm sorry, I just... I feel like shit, ... and I can't seem to stand ..." She helped him up, and back to the couch.
He laid down hard, relieved to be on something solid again. He put his hand back up over his eyes, shading them from the light. The other arm was still clenched tightly against his stomach, in pain. Ari bent down next to him, and spoke softly. "Logan, I'm really worried about you... I don't know how it could be, but...... I think we might have to admit that there's a possibility that ... somehow... you may have gotten sick ... from the wolf.
Instead of the response she was expecting, he shook his head slowly, agreeing with her. It did nothing to ease her fears. She was beginning to suspect that she was dealing with a lot more than she could have possibly imagined.
"Logan, I'm a veterinarian... I don't know how to treat you... I don't know what to do...."
He lifted his arm slightly, peering out at her with a raised eyebrow, his face racked with pain. "Can't you just do the..... same ...stuff you did for him." He paused, swallowing and closing his eyes.. "I'm older,.... stronger, and we've.......... caught it early, haven't we?"
"I suppose I could try, but I don't want to take the risk of letting you get worse. Maybe I could get you to a hospital. If the weather has cleared, maybe..." she turned and walked quickly to the window. It was still snowing, and the snow was several feet deep. " Damn! " she said softly. She walked back over to Logan. He was barely conscious. "I need to get an IV going if I'm going to be treating you. Okay?" she told him.
He nodded weakly.
She prepared everything she needed, and came back to him, motioning for his arm. He held it out for her and she got a catheter in quickly, then taped it to his arm. She hooked up a bottle, and got it running, at a good quick flow. She gave him all of the same medications she knew to give an animal, but in higher doses. Then she knelt next to him, feeling his forehead again. When her hand touched his face, his eyes flew open and he grabbed her arm, hard, hurting her. His eyes were wild, he didn't know where he was for a second. When he finally focused and recognized her, he saw the look of fear in her eyes, and felt his firm grip on her arm. He let go immediately, dropping her arm like it was something hot. "Dammit! Ari, you can't sneak up on me like that!" he growled, angrily.
" I didn't... " She blinked back the tears that were stinging her eyes, and her bottom lip quivered, as she rubbed her arm, but she jerked her head up, and tried to appear brave.
He looked at her, and sighed. " I'm sorry." he whispered. He tried to sit up a little, but she protested. He threw his head back, angrily. "Ari, there are things you need to know about me." She shook her head, "You don't have to tell..." He cut her off. " When I'm asleep... or unconscious... you can't come near me... if I don't know you're there... that it's you.....I might hurt you." He grabbed his stomach and moaned loudly. After a few moments, he swallowed and clenched his eyes tighter, not sure how much to tell her.
" I'm dangerous." he said bluntly.
She looked at him uncertainly. "I have to treat you." she said quickly. When he attempted to protest, she said "I AM GOING to treat you" matter-of-factly.
Logan sighed. "Ari, when I'm out of it, I might hurt you...bad..... you don't understand..." She cut him off. "I'm not afraid of you," she said, sticking out her chin.
"You sure as Hell should be." he said roughly. " I'm tellin' you, Ari..."
"Logan, ... I know."
"What?"
She hesitated, not sure what to say, " Yesterday, when.... you were in the room with the lion. I was there before I called your name... before I turned on the lights... for just a second." she added quickly. She swallowed. "I saw them."
"Shit!"
"What...were they..metal ... claws?" she asked quietly.
"Yes, Ari !! Razor-sharp, slice and dice ya' into a million fuckin' pieces CLAWS , Dammit!" he said, breathing hard and cursing himself for being so careless. " I told you I was dangerous, and..." She stopped his words, and stated in her most professional tone, " I work with dangerous animals every day, Logan. I told you, I'm not afraid."
" I'm not givin' you a choice, here, Woman!" he shouted, as mean as he could, in his weakened state. He started coughing, and held his stomach, grimacing in pain.
- Logan. -
"Ari, I don't know how much more..." he said, putting his arm down and looking at her.
- Shut up, Logan. Can you hear this? -
Logan's eyes opened wide in confusion and wonder. - Can you hear this? - she asked again. Her voice was loud and strong, clear as a bell, but her mouth hadn't moved. " Yes." he said softly. " How are y..."
- I don't know how... I just can.-
" But, that isn't..."
- Would you shut up, Logan? -
- Can you FEEL this? -
His eyes grew even wider than before as he began to feel a warm, comforting presence... her presence... somewhere deep inside him. He wasn't sure if it was in his mind, or his soul, somewhere, but it was there. Like she was there with him... inside him. It was the same way he felt when she held him when the wolf died. He could here her voice and feel her presence INSIDE him somewhere. She had to be a mutant.
- I don't know what it is, or how it's possible. It's always been this way for me...I can do this with animals... but usually not with people. I knew you were different... special... I thought it might work. -
Logan grabbed his stomach with both hands, and doubled up, groaning in pain. She couldn't help reaching out and holding onto him, willing the pain to go away...her eyes filling with tears. When the pain had diminished a bit, he looked back up at her with tortured eyes. "I'm gettin' worse, Ari... I don't know how much more I can.....I know some people who might be able to help. They're friends of mine.... I want you to call them."
" But Logan, no one will be able to get to us... because of the storm."
He shook his head, his body racked with a new wave of pain and nausea. " They'll be able to help.... in my wallet... in my pocket...." He turned slightly so she could get to it. She worked until she could get under him deep enough to retrieve it. "Ask for Jean Gre... Jean ....(what the Hell was Scott's last name, anyway? Dammit!)... just ask for Professor Xavier." He moaned loudly, "Ari, Where's that bowl?"
She grabbed it for him quickly, and he vomited again. It lasted for what seemed like an eternity. It seemed to come from the very depths of his body, and when she took the bowl from him she saw...
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