Medical Check Up
Posted on Mon Jan 8th, 2024 @ 9:29pm by Jade Farwynd & Aurora Summers
Edited on on Mon Jan 8th, 2024 @ 9:30pm
1,897 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Episode 3: X-Tra Ecclesiam
Location: Xavier’s School Infirmary
Timeline: August 20th, 1990 - After return from Boston
Aurora sat on one of the infirmary beds waiting for Jade to return from settling in Xavier. The bullet wound on her side was sore from where she’d cauterised it with her flames, her arm was the main thing that needed treatment, the claw scratches were deep enough to still be bleeding and cauterising those would just leave scars. Like everyone else she was tired too, having used her abilities a lot more than she was used to.
Jade stepped in from the other entrance, her suit still on, though her hood and face covering were down. She was in the process of taking off her gloves when she noticed Aurora. The younger redhead was on the bed, clearly looking injured. Sanguis blinked, her eyes taking the red hue again as she walked over, hand extended.
"You need to be more careful, Ms Windsor." Jade said as she stepped closer, "in your condition wounds like these can be fatal." She looked down at Aurora as she ran her hand over her wounds as if with a scanner. "You are lucky you stopped the progress with your cauterization, but these cuts need antibiotics."
Aurora gave Jade a nod of the head. “It wasn’t like any of us planned for there to be shooters present, let alone a flying mutant with talons. We were all taken by surprise.” She sighed. “I’d appreciate it if you’d keep my...condition, between us. Most people here don’t know about it yet.”
Jade didn't blink, her eyes still red, hand glowing as it travelled down to Aurora's abdomen. "We knew there would be trouble, there always is. So no excuses on not being careful." She said as her hand hovered over the injured side. "Hold still, your blood vessels are struggling. I will need to repair the wound after I deal with your arm." As she moved away, the glow slowly diminished.
"As for your other problem...the Prof will notice soon enough, as soon as brainwaves are detected. That's no guarantee the other telepaths and other olphactory gifted people around here won't pick it up quicker." Jade said as she wheeled a tray over. "Not to mention picking up on your concern for it that would be pretty easy to pick up. So I wouldn't wait, not with the rate of development, which I'm guessing has to do with your genetics rather than Scott's." Jade said as she took an alcohol laced cloth and began cleaning Aurora's claw wounds.
Aurora kept her voice down. “What’s wrong with the rate of development?” Aurora looked at Jade curiously ignoring the pain in her arm as Jade cleaned her wounds. “Is there something going on that shouldn’t be?”
"It's abnormally fast!" Jade said with a sigh, "the difference since I detected it and now is staggering. At the rate it's going it will be born in six months. That's three less than normal. Who the fuck knows how that will affect the kid's lifespan?"
Aurora gave Jade a worried look. “You’re thinking that it’ll mean a shorter lifespan over all?” She frowned. “If this...shorter gestation is normal for me, then maybe it won’t affect my baby at all. He, or she will be a mutant so maybe it’s just a part of my child’s normal genetic makeup.” She was hoping beyond hope that was true.
"We're applying a human normal to a mutant normal." Jade countered and started applying dermal patches to the cuts after she finished cleaning them. "They may end up being fine, they may end up rapidly aging - that's the thing, we don't have a normal as mutants because there is no normal. So don't get your hopes up, just take it one day at a time and see how you get through it. They could have a completely different power set than either of you."
Aurora nodded. “I understand Jade. We won’t know much of anything until my baby is born, and again when he or she reaches an age when mutant abilities start.” There was silence for a few moments. “I haven’t said thank you, I appreciate all your help, including that yet to come.” She offered a warm smile.
Jade shrugged, "'s my job." She then looked down at Aurora and sighed, "I may think what you've done is dumb as dogshit, but I'm not going to leave you or Scott or the kid hanging, alright? We're on the same team, whether we agree or not."
Aurora smiled and nodded. “Maybe what we’ve done seems naive, but I honestly do love Scott. I’ve been drawn to him since the day I met him, and channeling Jean...” she shrugged her shoulders. “It gave me the push I needed to help Scott. If I can bring him happiness, and get rid of his pain, then that is what I’ll do.”
The aussie bit her tongue to keep herself from sharing her thoughts any further. At the same time she berated herself for it. Then she remembered that she was staff and Aurora was still a student and she wouldn't be a Scott. "So...do we want to know the gender or would you like to wait longer?"
“Can you already tell what I’m having?” She looked at Jade in surprise. “Yes, I’d love to know please!”
"It's a junior." Jade chuckled as she finished patching up Aurora's arm.
“Is that it?” Aurora gave Jade a disbelieving look. “I’d really like to know whether I’m having a son or a daughter.”
"Daughters aren't normally called Junior in the US, are they?" Jade fought hard against herself to not comment further.
“I don’t...” Aurora paused. “I’ve never heard that before.” She smiled. “So I’m having a son...that’s...wonderful!! Thank you Jade.”
Jade shrugged, "congrats." She went on placing an ointment on Aurora's gunshot wound, the sides which she'd cauterized. "Did the bullet go through?"
“Thank you” Aurora smiled, then gave Jade a worried look. “I assumed it did. It hit me side on...I think.” She paused. “At the time I thought the need to seal the wound was more urgent.”
Jade nodded, "alright, I'll need to get you under the scanner to check." The aussie stood up and unlocked the wheels on the bed, rolling the bed over to another part of the room where she turned the MRI device on and adjusted it over Aurora's wounded side.
"Looks like it fell apart on impact. You've got some debris stuck in there." She said as she looked at the readout. "I'll be back, I'll need some painkillers and tools."
“Great” Aurora laid back on the bed and waited for Jade to return, she hadn’t given consideration to the bullet when cauterising her wound.
Jade came back with more patches, gauze, an instrument tray and a few needles. Inside the instrument tray there was a scalpel and a pair of tongs and an alcohol dip.
"Alright," Jade pulled out the bigger syringe with the painkiller and rolled up Aurora's sleeve. "I'll use my powers to stop the gush, the painkiller will take care of the rest. Try not to panic, it'll look worse than it is." Without waiting she jabbed the needle into Aurora's shoulder.
Aurora winced slightly as the needle went in, but she didn’t complain. Living life on the streets she’d learned not to complain, or show weakness. Instead she averted her eyes and let Jade get to work, concentrating on controlling her emotions.
Jade focused on the injury point, her eyes glazing over red again as she took the incision. Her left hand glowed red as she kept it around the incision.
In normal circumstances, the blood would be exiting the wound, spilling over, pooling in the inside. For Jade, however, it made room just enough for her to see the fragments clearly. With her free hand, Jade picked up the tongs and reached into the cut taking out the first fragment with ease.
"If it helps you to talk," Jade said, "talk. This won't take long." She said as the metal clinked against metal, her gloves only barely tainted with red.
Aurora nodded. “How long have you...known Professor Xavier, Jade?” She paused to concentrate on keeping herself calm and still while Jade worked.
Behind her eyes Jade could see each miniscule vein, each passage way for the blood to dance around the body and bring the life giving force to each organ. Jade waved her left hand a little, fingers contorting into a eliptical shape as she directed the blood around the wound. She dove in again with the tongs and retrieved another fragment.
"A few months. He recruited me out of the Austin Cancer Facility. I was about to get fired for using my powers on a bloke who was about to get killed by an aneurysm." She replied her visage flashing/blurring a little bit as she spoke through the usage of her abilities.
For a blurry fraction of a moment Aurora could have sworn that she saw Jade grow fangs, before the vision cleared again. She shook her head shaking it off as nothing more than a mirage. “Your...Powers, when did they develop?”
"I just turned eleven...early developed child and all." Jade replied as the third fragment hit the tray. "Alright, I got all of them, I'll close you up now." She said, her visage blurring and shifting for the fraction of a second. "When did you start showing?"
“I was fourteen, and stuck in a foster home. I knew what mutants were thought of so I ran away.” Aurora shrugged her shoulders. “The rest is history.”
Jade nodded and began suturing Aurora up. "Ever want to find your real folks?"
Aurora nodded. "I'd like to one day, but I have no idea where to start. The orphanage never had any contact with her, so no one knows who she is."
"There's genetics labs that could maybe find a genetic match?" Jade suggested as she worked.
"You think that might be possible?" Aurora looked at Jade curiously. "What if she's not on file though? People aren't required to be registered with genetics labs.
Jade chuckled as she finished up, "no, they're not. That doesn't mean there aren't samples there from people who don't even know they had their samples taken." She grimaced a little bit as her arm unclenched and released the bloodflow to re-adjust itself to it's natural path.
Aurora would feel a slight discomfort which would pass with time.
Aurora offered Jade a warm smile. "Thank you Jade, I appreciate all your help. If there's ever anything you need just ask."
Jade stood up and rolled the tray to the side then motioned for Aurora to stand up. "Slowly."
Aurora got to her feet, taking it slow as Jade had instructed. She was a little sore and uncomfortable but she would soon heal, she always did.
Jade nodded, "alright, I'm sensing no irregularities. You and the bubbah should pull fine through this."
Aurora nodded. "Of that I've no doubt, at the rate I heal it'll be good in no time. Thanks again Jade."
Jade nodded quietly, "all good mate. I'll see you back here in a few weeks."
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