Middle School Heroes

Chapter 19 - Casts and a Cast of Characters

The next morning, Skye woke up to find Mr. and Mrs. Parker in her room. Mrs. Parker fussed over her for a good hour, combing her hair, washing her face and making sure she was comfortable. She even fed her breakfast, which was more than a little embarrassing. Of course, with casts covering both of Skye's arms, she couldn't do much on her own. Mr. Parker was very pleased that Skye was able to use her power, help her team win and not take out a single tree in the process, but less pleased that she was injured. Before they left, Mrs. Parker promised to be back to fuss over her some more later in the day.

Dr. Storm came in soon after they left, with Professor Richards.

"Skye? A few of us have been working through the night on your little problem here, and we think we might have found a solution. I would like to take the casts off of your arms, and have you try these softer casts." She held up a pair of what looked like long fingerless gloves that looked like they would come up to Skye's shoulders. She shuddered at them.

"These are a special kind of soft cast. Sorry they don't really come in fashion colors, kiddo, but black is pretty universal. Plus, you really only have to wear them while your fractures heal." Professor Richards added, cheerfully.

"The good news is that you will be able to actually use your arms some, so that means less time here. The bad news is that your arms are going to hurt for a while, and there isn't too much we can do about that, besides medication.

They removed her casts, and for the first time, Skye got a good look at the dark bruises that were all up and down her arms. They tested her range of motion which was terrible because everything hurt.

The process of putting the soft casts on was somewhat painful. They were made to fit tightly and although she could awkwardly bend her elbows now, it wasn't easy and it hurt. At least she could do things like feed herself and brush her teeth now, although she suspected that it was going to take a while to do either. She could move her fingers though, so she asked if she could have her laptop.

"No. While you're here, I think you need to rest. Hopefully you can return to your dorm in a day or two. Besides, based on the sign up list I placed up at the front desk, you are going to have a steady stream of visitors to keep you occupied today."

"That many people want to come see me?"

"Oh yes, being in the medical wing always attracts a lot of attention. Only two people allowed in at a time though, and only 45 minutes. 15 minute breaks for you between visitors to rest," Dr. Storm explained. "First though, you have a visitor that wants to chat with you before the kids start coming in.

Dr. Storm and Professor Richards left, and Skye could hear them talking to someone outside of her door. A moment later, Professor Magneto walked into the room and took a seat next to Skye's bed.

He sat quietly for a moment, looking at Skye thoughtfully. "Skye," he finally spoke. "I have been instructed to pass on a message from Professor Xavier. He would like to let you know that he is glad that you were able to use your gift in a safe way yesterday, but he reminds you of the detriment that it could cause to everyone around you, including, apparently, yourself."

"I'm sorry," she frowned.

"I don't want to hear that, Skye. Charles is right that your gift could be quite dangerous, but you used it safely. Yes, you will need to keep working on control and we need to figure out how to avoid you hurting yourself, but all of that will come with practice. You can't practice if you don't use it. You have nothing to be sorry for. We'll continue to work with you on control."