Alpha Male Chapter Fourteen - Difficult Choices by LoganLuvr
Ari and the Professor met Rogue on their way out of the office. She a little upset that they would leave before she got back. Ari forced herself to take a few bites of the surprisingly good sandwich that she had made for her. " Thank you so much, Rogue, but I really want to get back down to see Logan. It's been almost an hour, hasn't it? I've been gone a lot longer than I should've been. Do you mind wrapping this up for me... I don't know where the kitchen is." Rogue took it from her reluctantly. "That's fine, Ari, I'll leave it in the fridge for ya'. You can get it later, if you decide you want it. Somebody'll show ya' where the kitchen is, ' she said quietly.
Ari and the Professor smiled at each other as she walked away. " I feel really bad about that, but..."
Professor Xavier held his hand up, motioning for her to stop talking. - Professor? - Jean was calling him.
- Yes, Jean, what is it? -
- I think you and Ari had better come down here. There's a problem with Logan. - The Professor looked up at Ari, concerned, and her heart sank. "What? Is it Logan... Oh God.... "
" I'm sure he's fine, Ari, but let's go down and make sure. "
When they arrived at the infirmary Ari ran to Logan's side. "What's wrong?" she asked Jean, her eyes pleading for answers. " I'm not sure. He still has'nt regained consciousness, I finished his blood tests... his blood counts are fairly poor, which would suggest internal bleeding, like you mentioned... but what worries me most is that his vitals are getting worse, " she looked up at Ari, " I don't know what's going on with him." She looked to the Professor, " This should not be happening.... it's not supposed to be possible."
Exasperated, Ari exclaimed, a little more strongly than she intended to, " What are you talking about? He's sick! He has a virus!"
Professor Xavier sighed, and spoke softly to her, " Ari, part of Logan's mutation is an amazing power to heal. His cells regenerate at a phenomenal rate, allowing him to heal almost immediately from injuries that would easily be fatal to one of us. You told me that you saw his claws... do you see a wound, a scar?" She nodded her head slowly, bringing Logan's hand up to look. " His hands heal moments after the claws retract, leaving not so much as a scar to show that they were there. It should be the same with this infection. His body should not be allowing this to happen. Jean, " he said, looking over at her. " Has Logan mentioned ever being ill before?" Jean nodded her head, and Ari spoke. " He told me he's never been sick." The Professor frowned. " Then why now, why THIS illness? "
Ari sighed, frowning. After a few moments, she looked up, hopeful. " This is a canine virus. I told you before that I believe that Logan's mutation actually MAKES him part animal. I'm certainly not a DNA expert, but couldn't you tell that sort of thing by taking a sample and running some tests? If he is... an....animal... in some way, is it possible that the animal part of his make-up is not as impervious to infection as the human part? Maybe he has never come into contact with a canine virus before this. Maybe the animal part of his cell-structure doesn't have the healing ability that the human part does... on a viral level."
" It's worth a look, " Jean said, frowning; she knew they didn't have time to waste. " I don't know what difference it will make, knowing that either way. He's still sick, and he's still going downhill... quickly."
Ari's shoulders dropped and she nodded, bringing his hand to her lips.. The Professor agreed, but then he added. " Jean, Ari mentioned something upstairs... she said that her father had given her several series of vaccinations against different canine viruses, making her immune to them. If that is true, is it possible that her blood could help Logan?"
More than a little surprised, Jean answered, eyebrows raised in uncertainty. " I... I have no idea... I don't know of any research like that... that has been done. I suppose it couldn't hurt anything... if her blood is ... compatible. His blood counts are low anyway... giving him a small transfusion can't hurt at all. "
" How long would it take to run the tests to find out?" Jean pursed her lips and shook her head, " I guess we don't really NEED DNA tests... we just need to see if her blood can be given to him.... not long, a few minutes." The Professor nodded. " Good. Let's get them started right away, this seems to be our best and only option, at the moment."
Jean moved to get the supplies quickly. She took a sample of Ari's blood. She took that sample and one of the vials she had taken from Logan earlier and left the room.
As soon as the door closed, Ari moved over closer to Logan, closed her eyes, and concentrated on reaffirming her presence to him. She frowned and tried again. Something was wrong. Her breathing quickened and her heart rate, too, as she struggled to reach him. The Professor was watching her, fascinated. " Is something wrong, Ari?" he asked softly.
She looked up at him, her eyes full of concern and fear. " Yes, he's ... he's...different now...."
"In what way?" he asked, moving closer.
Jean walked back into the room, and immediately began making preparations for a transfusion. "Her blood is fine, ... we'll give him a little. It won't take long." She put a catheter into Ari's arm, then rolled one of the tables up next to Logan's side. " Ari, we'll have you lie down here, it'll be faster if we just go straight from you to him." She took the IV line out of Logan's catheter and ran a line from Ari' s arm to his. As soon as the blood was flowing through fine, the Professor asked again, quietly. " Ari, what did you mean when you said that Logan is different now?"
Ari glanced over at Jean, nervously, licking her lips, then looked back at the Professor. " I'm not quite sure... earlier today, when I first ... gave him my presence... my help, ...he accepted it, without hesitation. He used my help, he needed it.... Does that make sense?" The Professor nodded his head, so she continued. " I could FEEL him, as I told you before, I could feel his presence inside me ... and he felt mine. He told me he did... he said it ... felt... "nice"." Ari frowned, silently cursing herself, as her face reddened deeply. She swallowed and looked down at Logan. " I can't feel him now... I can't reach him,..." she reached out and touched the side of his forehead, " .... here. I've seen this type of thing before... in a few of the animals that I've treated." she whispered.
" What have you seen?" the Professor asked.
" This... shutting down. Willingly removing oneself from anyone or anything that can help you... not wanting help." she looked at him again, tears in her eyes, " I think Logan's made a choice to give up.... I think he's quitting."
Jean was listening patiently while Ari talked. She wasn't sure what was going on between Ari and Logan, but it was obvious that she was very close to him. She felt badly about the way she had been treating her. All she knew was she had arrived in Canada very worried and had opened the door of a darling, cozy-looking cabin to find Logan lying in the arms of a beautiful, intelligent woman. At this point, she had to admit to herself that she had been more than a little jealous. She had secretly enjoyed Logan's attentions, in the past, and it was difficult to adjust to the idea that he may be interested in someone else. He was a gorgeous, dangerous and very sexy man... but he wasn't " her " Scott ...and she knew that if this was Scott, she wouldn't have left his side for a minute. They had forced Ari to leave against her will. It was obvious that Ari cared more deeply for Logan than she ever had. She turned sadly to Professor Xavier, " It's true what she said about Logan needing her. They were separated for a short time when we were moving him to the jet, and Logan sensed that she was gone. She was only away for a little over ten minutes, but he was extremely agitated. When she returned, he calmed down almost immediately. She was definitely reaching him on some level, even when he was unconscious. She was gone much longer this time... what if she's right about him giving up?"
The Professor's eyebrows raised and he nodded. " Ari, what did you do for your patients before... when they reached this point?"
Ari's swallowed, and her lower lip trembled. " All of the patients I've seen... that got this bad... they... every one of them died. " She closed her eyes, and moved closer to Logan, laying a hand on his arm. Everyone was silent for a moment, deep in thought.
Then, suddenly, she gasped and looked up at them quickly... her face brightening with hope. " Oh my God! There's still something I can try! I've never tried it before... obviously, I've never had the opportunity, " she said, rolling her eyes and talking aloud to herself. " I can't believe I didn't think of it before! ... with Logan, being what he is... and me...being what...."
Professor Xavier looked surprised. " What can you try, Ari?"
Ari looked up at him, turning red with embarrassment. She licked her lips and swallowed again, " I'd rather not..." she stammered, " please... please, you have to trust me... I'd like you to leave me alone with him. I know it's asking a lot... you hardly know me, but I need to be able to concentrate...completely. I'm almost positive I can reach him. "
Jean and the Professor eyed each other, unsure, but the look of excitement in Ari's eyes was enough to convince them. They nodded to each other, consenting. " I suppose it wouldn't hurt... I think we've given him enough blood, if it's going to work, that should do it." She moved to take the catheter out of Ari's arm and start Logan's IV again.
" Professor?" she said, eyebrows raised. " Should we wait in the hall? How long do you need to be alone, Ari?" she asked. " I have no idea, I'll come and get you when I'm done. Okay?" They nodded.
" Thank you, you won't regret this." Ari said confidently.
As soon as they had left the room, Ari took a deep breath and got up from the table. She scooted it right up next to Logan's table, and set the brakes on the legs. She climbed up onto it, and moved over next to Logan on her hands and knees. Very carefully, she moved in close, being careful not to put any weight on his tender stomach. When her face was above his, only inches away she swallowed, looking at his lips... remembering what it felt like to kiss him... to feel him kiss her... to feel his tongue in her mouth. - Mmm -A snarl escaped her lips as a chill ran up and down her whole body. She closed her eyes and whispered to him softly...defiantly.... " I'm coming, Logan... I'm coming in... whether you want me to or not." Then she leaned down and kissed him softly, pressing her trembling lips to his and leaving them there for a minute, not wanting to ever stop. She leaned back a little and buried her face in his neck, breathing his scent in deeply...committing it to memory. She soaked in every inch of him, letting out an involuntary growl of pleasure. She felt drugged... she was intoxicated with his masculine, wild scent and her desire for him. After a few minutes, she laid down next to him, as she had before, putting one arm over his chest, and one leg over his. She laid her head on his chest, and closed her eyes, concentrating harder than she ever had in her life. She was afraid; she had no idea what to expect... but anything, even the loss of her own life, seemed like nothing compared to losing him.
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