Book One: A Wolf Among Beasts

Chapter Twenty Six

Eli lays back on a medical bed, Jean Grey stands at her computer with Charles as Logan strokes Eli's hair, though stops when he ends up pulling out her hair. They share a look and she closes her eyes turning her head away from him. Logan leans closer to her.

"It's okay" he assures her. "You're fine" he takes her hand hearing Ricky whine from the other side of the door, he's not allowed in the medical room, a matter of health and safety. Sucks. But understandable. Charles moves towards the pair, looking between them before settling on Eli, she smiles tensely looking at him.

"What's the diagnosis, doc?" she asks.

"You have radiation sickness" Charles tells her, Eli leans up onto her elbows.

"I'm sorry, what? How is that possible?" she asks him. "I survived an atomic bomb" Logan nods in agreement having been at her side then. "How can I have radiation sickness? I don't get sick. That's not possible..."

"If there is a constant stream of infected or altered blood in your system...." Charles corrects.

"But I don't..."

"You're pregnant" Charles adds, interrupting her. "And your fetus is the one with the radiated blood" Eli stares at him a moment, just stares at him, eyes distant and blank. Pregnant. She can't be pregnant. That...it's not something she's ever had to worry about. But it makes sense. It actually makes so much sense. But she never considered it a possibility. Bruce isn't a mutant but he's not entirely human either, his blood, his DNA is different, altered. The only one of his kind. How was he to know it would happen either? And she left him. She left him and now she's pregnant with his child. She left him. She doesn't even know how he would take this. They never spoke about children.

"Eli?" Logan asks touching her shoulder, she looks to him, her eyes returning to focus.

"That...it has to be a mistake...I can't be pregnant...." Eli argues.

"I can redo the test" Jean offers. "But.....it's 99% accurate" Eli covers her face with her hands before sighing and looking to them, pushing her hands up towards her hair.

"Look, I've been having sex for over 100 years and never have I ever even had a scare...." She points out as she runs her fingers through her hair and comes away with clumps of it in her palms. "Oh my God!" she exclaims looking at it.

"Shouldn't her healing be kicking in" Logan points out.

"It is" Charles offers. "But the radiation is in her blood, pumping through her body all the time, they're working against one another"

"Banner" Logan points out. "This is his blood...." Eli rests her head back, her mind reeling. She and Bruce had never spoken about kids, she thought it impossible for her. She's been having sex for years and never. She never had a scare let alone an actual pregnancy. She touches her stomach and closes her eyes. "Eli?" Logan asks but she's asleep now.

"Let her rest" Charles scolds slightly. "It's been a tough few days for her" Logan looks down at his sister worried.

"She's going to be fine, right?" Logan asks not looking away from Eli. "Right?" he asks again when no one answers him.

"Logan" Jean starts. "We don't know" Logan looks to her. "With her mutation, with this radiation, and with...."

"Banner?" Logan asks. "I'm going to kill him" Logan comments and starts to leave.

"Logan" Charles stops him. "Eli needs you here with her...." Logan stops and hangs his head. "She needs you to stay" Logan nods and turns back to rejoin Eli, touching her cheek softly when he reaches her.

..............

Eli sits on the couch in the common room, legs folded under herself. She doesn't seem pregnant yet but her hands are on her stomach, trying to feel for some kind of proof. Closes her eyes she focuses her hearing. All other sounds fall away until the sound of a small quiet heartbeat echoes in her ears. Her baby's heartbeat. Her baby. Living inside of her, growing inside of her. A part of her. A part of Bruce. All she has left. She runs her fingers over her stomach. Hers. Her inner wolf is stirring now. That protective instinct flaring in her heart. A hand rests on her shoulder and she jumps, her eyes moving to find the owner of said hand. Logan stands behind her with a blanket.

"Sorry" he offers.

"I was listening" she counters as Logan sits next to her, resting the blanket on his lap. "Listen" she tells him and nods, he raises an eyebrow and closes his eyes focusing his own hearing. She can tell, the moment he hears it, his features soften, his eyes open and he looks to where his hand is now resting over hers.

"Is it something you want?" he asks pulling his hand back. "You've never talked about being a mother before"

"I've never thought about it" she admits touching her abdomen. "Never had reason to" she adds. "I...I want it" she offers. "It's mine and I want it" he nods and takes her hand in his.

"You want to tell me what happened with you and Bruce?" Logan asks her quietly.

"They came for him....we ran, Hulk wanted me to go with them. I couldn't. So I stayed" she shrugs. "That's it"

"Why didn't you go with him?"

"He's going to cure himself.....be human. Live a normal life. That's not for me" she looks to her brother. "In the end it would fall apart" he brushes his knuckles across her cheek removing her tears. "I left before I hated him" she adds. "Or before he hated me. Before it crumbled. But I didn't know" she assures him. "About this" she looks down. Logan wraps his arm around her and pulls her closer to kiss her head. Her inner wolf is happy, contact from her blood pack always makes her happy. Logan wraps the blanket around her, letting her get comfy with him.

"I got you" he promises. "Both of you"

................

Logan walks into the medical wing to grab Eli's bag, he'd left it there to help her to the couch and now he's going to put it away. Jean and Charles are stood together at the computer, telepathically communicating knowing that both Logan and Eli could hear them talk. Logan pauses to watch them a moment before speaking up.

"What are you sharing looks about?" Logan asks Charles and Jean who both look at him.

"Eli's pregnancy" Charles starts. "Her blood work shows it to be.....accelerated"

"Meaning?" Logan asks.

"She won't get 9 months to prepare for this" Jean explains. "The calculations show she'll get about 2 months"

"Like a wolf" Charles adds. "70ish days...." Logan crosses his arms over his chest.

"How long she got left?" Logan asks.

"She's only about 2 weeks in....but in human terms that's about...5 or 6 weeks...."

"And the radiation?" Logan asks. "Is it going to get worse?"

"Yes" Charles answers. "The longer she is exposed, the bigger the fetus gets....but her healing will keep her alive" Logan sighs and looks away.

"I need to take a ride" He comments and then walks away, Charles and Jean share a look.