「 The Professor & I 」VOLUME II

(204) Accident

Charles' POV

It was that familiar scene of my world spinning, not from the lack of air or from the difficulties in breathing, but from the fact that Lynn was nearly dying.

Her face paled to a sheet, colourless as paper. Her neck strained to the core, wrapping a stiff layer of skin against her throat. Her pulse erratically accelerated, but the rush of deoxygenated blood was not helping our condition.

"Don't touch her!" I yelled hysterically, thankful that the order muffled from my congested larynx sufficed to jolt Rogue away from her.

Allocating the teachers their designated duties to contain the devastated scene, I could not care less that the teenage girl was unusually floating in mid air or that my chest was intoxicated with a constricted sensation from possibly a deprivation of circulation, I just had to get my way to Lynn who was faintly beckoning for me amidst her uncatchable breaths.

With all my strength, I plunged my joystick forward and hastily grab Lynn's hand that was weakly stretched out to me, quickly engulfing her trembling frame in all the warmth I still possessed. Snugly cuddling her body, I planted a consoling kiss to her forehead and continuously stroked her back as I watched the impeccable cooperation of Jean and Scott attending professionally to Logan's ailments.

Lynn soon calmed to my soothing, reclining into me as our vitals stabilized, but her alleviated nerves were quickly nullified by an external disturbance. Reverted to an extremely jumpy state, Lynn recoiled in a heartbeat as Rogue inched forward but even when I comprehended her kind intention of an innocent apology, I was intolerable for Lynn to be circumvented by that fear nonetheless.

Surrounding my arms closely around Lynn who had buried her head timidly into my shoulder, I effectively became her protective shield as I shot a stern glare to the young girl and Rogue backed away despondently, looking sheepishly towards Storm who had gestured for her, as well as the other kids, to exit the unsightly premises.

"It was an accident," Rogue claimed, jittery, before dashing through the massive assembly gathered at the doorway dressed sloppily in her partially torn nightgown.

"C'mon, there's nothing else to see. Back to bed, everyone," Storm instructed in a hushed tone, responsibly ushering away the clutter of children.

As Storm and the crowd of students gradually disappeared down the hallway, the waves of fierce seizures plaguing Logan's body began to subside, eventually ceasing as Jean and Scott performed repeated accounts of resuscitation. Despite the successful revival and his unparalleled recovering capabilities, Logan remained frail and unconscious but with some shallow breathing and foam no longer frothing through his lips, the situation began to look marginally optimistic.

With some assistance from Jean's telekinesis, Scott easily lugged Logan's body back to the bed and tucked him neatly under the covers to expedite his recuperation. As Jean and Scott promptly cleared the mess away from the room, I secretly employed their services to swap out the sheets in ours. The couple generously obliged, flashing me their gracious smiles as they left, when Lynn's head bobbed tiredly off my shoulder, a consequence of her unwittingly dozing off in my embrace, and she jerked up with a panicky gasp, waking to a shock.

"Relax, love. It's me," I whispered, gently caressing her cheeks as I secured her eyes to mine and her alarmed gaze started to falter, albeit only to an exhausted one.

"Can I get Jean to take you upstairs?" I appealed sincerely, desperately heartbroken by the view of her weary face, but much to my dismay, she shook her head lethargically.

"I know you want to stay with him. And I want to stay with you. Don't make me leave, please, my dear," Lynn practically begged, mustering a sleepy yet brave and irresistible smile.