40Author's Notes: This story takes place in the same universe as my story, "The Girl From Tomorrow". So many of my readers wanted a sequel, and this is my thank-you to all of them. The story takes place 16 years after the film X-Men Apocalypse and it takes place between the two epilogues of "The Girl From Tomorrow". You don't have to read that story to understand this one. Again, this is a Jean/Scott story. For those who are fans, enjoy!
Chapter 1
January 8th, 1999
1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center
Westchester County, New York
"All right, everyone, for tomorrow's class make sure to complete the exercise questions on pages 98 to 102 on finding torque for angled forces. You can be sure there'll be a quiz as well," Scott said, as his students started getting up and stretching the kinks they've acquired from an hour and a half of sitting.
The students slowly made their way out of the classroom with Scott being the last. Scott was so glad his day was done. For whatever reason, teaching his Physics 12 class always left him a little drained.
Several students were standing outside his classroom carrying on various conversations as Scott weaved his way around them. Before he could turn a corner, one of his students approached him. "Mr. Summers?"
Scott paused and turned around to face the young man. It was Sam Guthrie, one of his senior students. He was set to graduate in a few months. He'd always liked the young man. He took his studies seriously and he always carried himself like a southern gentleman. "Hello Sam."
The young man stepped forward and asked, "Sir, I didn't quite get the problem you showed us today on how to find the torque with the example of the 10 Newton force exerted at an angle of 30 degrees. I'm not quite sure where to start with solving the problem."
"I'm glad you asked. The first thing you want to do is identify the axis. It's basically your point of reference," Scott started explaining. "If a force is going to exert a torque it has to be applied at some point besides the axis."
"Oh, I get it… It's like if you try to push open a revolving glass door at the very center, nothing is going to happen because it's not going to rotate," Sam said, smiling now that the problem was starting to make sense.
"Exactly. Very good, Sam!" The young man beamed at his teacher's compliment. "Dr. Grey actually has some torque formulas nicely organized in one of her handouts when she taught this class last year. I'll see if she still has them and I'll bring it to class tomorrow."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Summers. That would be great," Sam answered. "And please extend my thanks to Dr. Grey for the notes."
"Of course, I'll -" but Scott didn't finish what he was going to say as he caught a glimpse of his wife approaching. "Well… speaking of…"
Sam, as well as several of the other students in the hallway paused their conversations to see what their instructor was looking at. Down the hall walked a tall redhead dressed in blue jeans, a white cashmere sweater paired with black knee-high fashion boots. In her arms, she carried a wispy, brown-haired baby with deep, blue eyes wearing a red plaid pullover and grey pants. Beside her walked a red-headed little girl with the same expressive green eyes that she had. The little girl was clad in blue jeans, a pink sweater and pink slip-on sneakers to match.
Scott noticed all the students couldn't help but stare at his beautiful wife approaching them. She had a warm, welcoming smile on her face, but eyes only for their teacher. Scott couldn't help but smile proudly. Suddenly, the little girl broke free from her mother's grasp and ran toward Scott laughing and yelling, "Da-dee!"
Scott quickly put down his briefcase knowing his little girl was going to jump in his arms. He scooped her right up, raining kisses on her chubby, rosy cheeks. He turned to the quickly forming crowd and said, "For those of you who are new, this is my almost-four-year-old daughter, Rachel." Jean soon caught up to her daughter. "And this is her mother, Dr. Jean Grey, and our three-month-old son, Nathan."
Sam quickly shook Jean's hand and said, "Dr. Grey, we miss you around the school. It's great of you to stop by."
"Thanks, Sam!" Jean said, flashing him her trademark smile. "But I'll be back soon enough. I'm only on leave 'til this little one turns one," Jean said, looking at her son.
"What's that, Daddy?" Rachel asked, interrupting the adults' conversations. Scott looked to where his daughter was pointing at his classroom.
"That's where I teach, sweetie. It's where daddy works," Scott answered patiently.
"Oh… I want down," Rachel said, squirming out of Scott's arms. She then proceeded to go inside the classroom and examine everything in it.
Sam turned to look at Jean and asked, "So Dr. Grey, when you return from your mat leave, will you be focusing more on medicine or teaching?"
"Well… with two kids now I think I'll be focusing more on medicine as my hours need to be more flexible. I'll definitely still be the resident physician here. I'll most likely only do substitute work in regards to teaching though," Jean said, shifting the fussy baby in her arms. It didn't escape Scott's notice the disappointed look on his student's face.
"I'm considering medicine myself," Sam said.
Scott was glad he had his ruby quartz glasses on because he couldn't help but roll his eyes. Sam was a very nice young man, but subtlety wasn't his strong suit. You didn't need to be able to read minds to know Sam had a huge crush on his wife.
"That's wonderful, Sam. I actually got into medical school a little later than most. But Scott was very supportive and we made it work," Jean said, smiling at her husband. "I think you'll make a fine doctor. Any field in particular that interests you?"
"Umm… I uhh… haven't really thought of it," Sam stammered. Scott figured the man just thought of being a doctor a few seconds ago. Scott's thoughts must have projected because he noticed Jean give him a subtle frown.
Jean looked up at the tall, blonde student and smiled. "There's no rush, Sam. I didn't decide on a lot of things until I was actually in med school. You'll be fine."
"Thanks, Dr. Grey… I better be going… Mr. Summers here gave us quite a bit of homework," Sam said, attempting some levity.
Jean just laughed. "He's quite the taskmaster isn't he?" Sam just smiled and quickly walked away.
Jean turned to Scott, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Hon, what was that all about?"
"He's got a crush on you," Scott answered, in his trademark deadpan voice.
Jean just smiled. "It's nice to know even as a mother of two, I can still turn a head."
"You turn heads everywhere you go, honey… Don't pretend you don't notice," Scott said, dryly.
"Are you jealous, Scott?" Jean laughed.
"Depends… are you into that southern charm that Guthrie seems to ooze out of his every pore?"
Jean just smiled. "You are jealous."
"I'm not jealous! Guthrie is a green, eighteen-year-old… It's just a little frustrating when all these men are drawn to you like moths to a flame, and they can't see the glare behind my glasses," Scott said, pouting.
Jean laughed. "I think it's sweet that you're jealous."
Scott frowned. "I'm not sweet. It's an alpha-male, driven need to protect what's mine."
"Oh, really? Yours?" Jean asked, raising her eyebrow at him.
Scott, sensing he may have gone a bit too far, tried backtracking. "Umm… you're mine, just like I'm yours and Rach and Nate are ours… you know…"
"You want more rope to hang yourself with, darling?" Jean asked, her voice extra saccharine.
Scott sighed, defeatedly. "No, I'm doing just fine on my own."
Jean lost the battle to keep a straight face and cracked a smile. "C'mon, Mr. Summers. Your wife is hungry, and you promised her lunch at The Olive Garden," Jean said, making her way to grab Rachel from Scott's classroom.
"Yes, ma'am," Scott answered, grinning.
Half an Hour Later
The Olive Garden Restaurant
A tall, young man with brown hair greeted the family as they entered the restaurant. "Scott, Jean! Welcome back, I see you've got little Rachel in tow." Being regulars at the restaurant, they got to know a lot of the staff. "And who's this handsome little feller?"
"This is the newest member of our family," Jean said proudly, holding Nathan just a little higher. "His name is Nate."
"That's my brudder," Rachel chimed in, causing the greeter to laugh.
He led the family to a quiet booth near the back, away from the noisier part of the restaurant. Scott placed Nate's car-seat first in the booth. He then helped Rachel into her booster seat beside Jean. He finally took his place at the end of the table just as the waiter arrived to take their drink order. Scott ordered two ginger ales for him and Jean, and a cherry kool-aid for Rachel.
Jean turned to Rachel and asked, "Sweetheart, what would you like to eat?"
"I want chicken and f'ies," Rachel said, in that childish lilt of hers. Soon after, the waiter returned with their drinks. Jean ended up ordering a plate of spaghetti with marinara. Scott went for the seafood fettucine alfredo. And Jean ordered the chicken fingers for Rachel.
"So, Jean, did you get a chance to ask 'Ro if she can babysit the kids tomorrow night?" Scott asked. It was Jean's birthday the following night and Scott was going to surprise her with a romantic dinner at one of her favorite restaurants, Aureole.
"As a matter of fact, I did," Jean said, smiling. "And you know her, she can't pass up a chance to spend time with the children. She'll come over at our place around 5pm tomorrow night."
"Fantastic! Remind me to get an extra special birthday gift for her this year for all the babysitting she's done for us," Scott said.
"So, what movie are we watching tomorrow night?" Jean asked.
"It's your birthday… whatever you want," Scott answered, smiling.
Jean had no idea that Scott got them reservations for one of the hottest restaurants around. She still thought they were going out to see a movie. Scott was glad her birthday was coming up soon, he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep a secret from his telepath wife.
He figured she probably suspected he had something planned, they were psychically connected through their rapport after all. But like a good sport, Jean didn't pry. That, and he'd put up walls in his mind. Jean knew the only time he did that was during Christmas, her birthday and Mother's Day.
Just then, the waiter returned with their orders. Rachel quickly reached out to grab her chicken, but Jean quickly pulled her hands away from the hot little chicken strips.
The waiter smiled at Rachel and said, "Better mind your pretty mother, those are quite hot." The man then flashed a charming smile at Jean and went to another table. Jean blushed while Scott frowned.
Jean proceeded to cut up Rachel's chicken strips for her, then started on her spaghetti. Scott dug into his fettucine. He realized he was gnashing his teeth, still a bit annoyed with their waiter's flirting with his wife. They ate in silence for a few minutes.
"What do you have planned tonight, hon?" Jean asked Scott, breaking up the quiet.
"Just the usual, grade some papers… get some play time in with Rachel," Scott answered. "What about you?"
"I plan on spending the evening with my handsome husband, of course," Jean said, smiling. Scott had a feeling she was trying to better his mood. Could he help it if he was constantly putting up with various degrees of subtlety when it came to men flirting with his wife?
"Oh? What did you have in mind?" Scott asked.
Jean just smiled and sent a telepathic image to Scott of what she planned to do to him once the children were asleep. She knew he got the message when his cheeks turned redder than his ruby quartz glasses.
Just then, the waiter arrived with the dessert menu. "Would anyone like dessert?"
"Sure, my daughter and I will share a banana split," Scott answered.
The waiter then turned to Jean. "And for you, ma'am?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Nothing for me, thank you," Jean said, smiling.
"Really? A slender lady like yourself worried about a little bit of ice-cream?" The waiter said.
"No, really… I'm full, but thank you," Jean said. The waiter just smiled flirtatiously and walked away.
Scott glared at the man's retreating form. "That man's playing fast and loose with his tip."
"He was just being nice, Scott," Jean said.
"You tend to run into a lot of "nice" men, you know," Scott answered.
"Would you rather they not be nice to me?" Jean asked.
"Of course not… but I would rather they be less flirtatious."
"It's harmless enough," Jean said. "Besides, it's good for a girl's ego." Scott just scoffed.
"Mommy, the baby gots a booger in his nose!" Rachel said, interrupting her parents.
Jean had to quickly pull Rachel back as she was trying to pick her brother's nose. "Sweetie, remember what I said, when there's a problem with the baby, you let mommy or daddy know and we'll take care of it, okay?"
"That's what I did," Rachel said, an innocent look on her cherubic face. And Scott and Jean could only laugh.
Half an hour later
The Grocery Store
Scott shut off the engine of their little Honda Civic. He got out of the car and began unbuckling Rachel from her car seat. He then took Nate out of his infant car-seat and placed him gently in the stroller that Jean just pulled out of the trunk.
"You know hon, we're outgrowing this car. We should look into getting a minivan or SUV soon."
"And how many more children do you think we're going to have?" Jean asked, teasingly.
"I dunno… but they sure are fun to make," Scott said, smiling suggestively at his wife. Jean just rolled her eyes, but Scott noticed a slight blush tinge her cheeks.
The moment they entered the grocery store, Scott grabbed a cart and placed Rachel in it. Jean took a little basket and placed it at the bottom of Nate's stroller.
"Rachel and I will just be at the snacks aisle," Scott said. "Just meet us there."
Jean took Nate and started at the produce section. She was going to force Scott and Rachel to eat their vegetables whether they liked it or not. Much to her dismay, her daughter inherited her father's taste buds. In other words, she didn't enjoy anything green. Sometimes, Jean felt that Rachel inherited everything from Scott except her actual looks.
After grabbing some milk and eggs, she then went to get some toilet paper and detergent. Having ticked off most of the things on her list, she made her way to aisle 17 where all the junk food was, knowing she'd find her husband and daughter there. Before she even reached the aisle, she heard a young woman's voice say, "Aren't you just the most adorable little girl I've ever seen! I'd put you in my pocket if your handsome daddy would let me."
Jean figured the woman was referring to Rachel, after all, her voice was coming from the junk food aisle. She peeked around the corner and noticed that although the woman was talking about Rachel, her eyes were entirely on her husband. Jean frowned. Scott had a blush on his cheeks and was looking down at his shoes.
"She definitely takes after her father in looks," the young woman said, leaning into Scott, a little too close for Jean's comfort. Being a telepath, she knew exactly what the brunette had in mind. The woman wore so little, Jean suspected she shopped for clothes in the same section Jean shopped for Rachel.
"Umm… actually she's ahhh… a little replica of my wife," Scott stammered.
Jean decided she'd had enough. She wheeled Nate's stroller next to Scott's cart. "Honey, have you found your Ho Ho's and Doritos?" Jean asked, completely ignoring the woman beside Scott. Before he could answer, she turned around and headed straight for the checkout counter, a brisk pace to her steps.
"Jean, wait!" Scott said, quickly turning his cart around to follow his wife. When Scott caught up, he asked, "What was that all about?" When Jean didn't answer, Scott said, "You're jealous."
"Absolutely not! And in case you didn't notice, that woman's clothing was barely larger than your daughter's."
Scott grinned. "You are jealous. Awww, honey, that's so sweet!"
Jean scoffed. "Ha, sweet! You think-" But Jean didn't finish what she was going to say. She realized she gave Scott the exact same spiel earlier in the day. Knowing her husband just one-upped her, she walked away in a huff. It annoyed her to no end, knowing Scott was snickering behind her.
The Boathouse
An hour later
Scott and Jean were cuddled together on their living room couch, watching Rachel play with her Duplo set on the floor. Nate finally fell asleep and was in his crib upstairs. They made sure to listen if he woke up using the baby monitor.
"Scott, I can't believe I'm turning thirty-three tomorrow. Where did the time go?" Jean groaned.
"Thirty-three is not old. Besides, it's not how old you are, it's how old you look… and you look barely older than twenty-five. Trust me to know," Scott said, kissing Jean passionately on the lips.
"I can't believe that woman at the grocery store today… so brazen. I guess much younger women hitting on my husband is something I'll have to get used to," Jean said, changing the subject.
"Is that still bothering you, hon?" Scott asked. "Because really, for every woman that flirts with me, there are ten men that flirt with you… so… you can't complain."
"Of course, I can… It's my prerogative," Jean said, simply. Scott just chuckled. "The curse of having such a handsome, younger husband," Jean mumbled.
Scott laughed out loud, "You make it sound like you're such a cougar when really, you're just a year and a couple of months older than me."
"Don't mind me… I get like this every year," Jean said, cuddling closer to Scott.
"Look Mommy, Daddy! I made a house!" Rachel said, interrupting her parents' conversation. She proudly pointed to the Duplo house she made.
"Wow, sweetheart, that looks great!" Jean said, getting up to hug her daughter. "And whose house is that?"
"Mine," Rachel answered. Before Scott could chime in, their phone rang.
"I'll get it, hon," Scott said, getting up off the couch. Scott answered the phone in their kitchen.
"Hello?" Scott answered.
"Is this Mr. Summers?" the lady on the other line said.
"This is," Scott said.
"Yes, my name is Karen, I'm calling from The Solstice Sunglass Boutique. We have the sunglasses you ordered, sir. They arrived today. We close at 9pm tonight so feel free to pick it up anytime between now and then. If you can't make it today, we're open tomorrow at 10am," the lady said, pleasantly.
"Oh, that's wonderful! I'll pick them up right now, thanks, bye," Scott said excitedly.
The luxury Chanel sunglasses he had special ordered for Jean was what awaited him at the store. Two months ago, Rachel had accidentally broken Jean's favourite Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses while pretending to have glasses like daddy. He and Jean didn't have the heart to scold her, but through their psychic rapport, Scott knew how sad Jean was over losing her favorite accessory.
The sunglasses Scott ordered for her birthday was even better than the ones Rachel broke. They were wire-rimmed sunglasses featuring a gold frame and 18k gold mirrored lenses. They were quite pricey costing over $500, but Scott wanted only the best for Jean. Besides, he was always partial to her and gold. He thought it complimented her red hair.
Scott ran back to the living room and grabbed his jacket. "Honey, I'm just running out to pick something up. I'll be back in about a half hour."
"Scott, who was that on the phone, and where are you going?" Jean asked, a confused look on her face.
Scott didn't answer her question. "I won't be long, hon. Did you need me to pick anything up on my way back home?"
Jean shook her head. "You didn't answer my question, where are you going?"
"I can't tell you, honey… It's a surprise!" Scott said, excitedly. He bent down to kiss Jean then Rachel, who absently wiped her cheek, as she was engrossed in her Duplo building.
"Can't this wait until tomorrow, Scott?" Jean asked, not wanting Scott driving at night.
"Nope!" Scott said over his shoulder as he practically ran out of the house.
Jean sighed as she watched the door slam closed behind her husband. She hated that his ruby quartz lenses made the evening even darker than it already was. And although it hadn't snowed in a few weeks, it had rained, and with the freezing cold temperatures, there were certainly patches of ice out there.
Jean wished she had asked her husband to trade in his motorcycle. He hadn't used it in a while and it slipped her mind. But one of her biggest fear was Scott getting into an accident. She couldn't stomach the thought of anything happening to him.
Thirty minutes later
Scott was riding his motorcycle back home. It wasn't often he got to use his favorite ride anymore. It was not conducive for a man with a young family. And so, he enjoyed taking it out whenever he was alone. His helmet had a special lighting built in to compensate for the evenings when his ruby quartz made it a little harder to see.
Scott was so happy to finally have Jean's gift in his possession. He couldn't wait to present it to her the following day. He could only imagine the look on her face. Ever since they had children, Jean was like a whole other person when it came to spending money.
Prior to Rachel being born, Jean had no qualms about buying designer purses, shoes, jackets or whatever other knick-knacks she fancied. As long as she could afford them, sometimes even when she couldn't, she'd indulge herself. But becoming a mother had changed her priorities.
Rachel and Nathan's needs always came first. Whenever Scott would encourage her to buy something expensive, Jean would always counter with, "We're better off using the funds for the children's education," or something along those lines. It's one of the things he loved about her, how unselfish she was. But it also drove him a bit nuts that she never put herself first.
Scott was so deep in thought that as he made a sharp left, he hadn't noticed a patch of black ice just ahead until it was too late. Scott slammed on his breaks instinctively, but he couldn't control the bike. The last thing he saw were bright lights from an oncoming vehicle. He felt crushing pain. He felt his head bounce off the pavement, then everything went black.
At the same time
Jean dropped the cup of tea she had in her hand, the ceramic mug shattering on the kitchen floor. She clutched her head and fell to her knees. "Scott!" Jean cried in anguish. She felt Scott's pain, but what scared her to death was that she now felt nothing. "Oh, my God!"
"Mommy! Mommy! What's happened?" Rachel asked, running into the kitchen.
Jean could only stare at her daughter through tear-filled eyes. Dear God, her children. She quickly grabbed Rachel and went straight upstairs to get Nathan as well. She quickly bundled up her children and ran straight to the mansion.
Jean didn't bother knocking, she just let herself in. "Ororo! Kurt! Peter! Is anyone here?" Jean yelled, her two children in tow. It was Hank who heard her first.
"Jean, what is it? What's wrong?" Hank asked.
Ororo, having heard the commotion, ran into the foyer.
"I'm not sure, but Scott's hurt… somewhere… he's… I don't know. He took off on his motorcycle over a half an hour ago. He said he was just going to pick something up. And all of a sudden, I felt this terrible pain through our psychic rapport. His pain was immense but short… Hank, I don't feel him anymore!" Jean said, near hysteria.
"Is my daddy gonna be okay?" Rachel asked, her eyes brimming with tears.
Jean felt terrible she couldn't hold her fear in. She knew she was scaring her daughter. But she knew fear that strong couldn't be hidden from Rachel. She would grow up to be a very strong telepath, and there was no way around hiding it.
Ororo ran towards Rachel and took her in her arms. "Shhh now, Rachel. Your daddy will be fine. Come with Aunt Ororo, let's go get some cookies."
Kurt must have heard everything as he quickly took Nathan from Jean's arms and followed Ororo. Jean could only mouth 'thank you' to her two friends as they took the children away. Peter came into the foyer as well.
"Jean, I could hear you from upstairs. Do you have any idea where Scott might be?" Peter asked.
"No, he wouldn't tell me where he was going. He said it was a surprise. He only said he'd be a half hour at most. He got a call from someone tonight and then he rushed out right after-"
"Wait, that call, it might still be on your caller ID," Hank said.
"Good idea, Hank!" Peter said. The three of them rushed back to Scott and Jean's place to check out the number. It was from the Solstice Sunglass Boutique.
"Jean, didn't you say he was getting a surprise for you?" Peter asked.
"Yes, now I think he was trying to get me new sunglasses because Rachel broke mine a few months ago. Peter, do you know the nearest location here?" Jean asked.
"Yeah, the one on Fifth Avenue," Peter answered. She, Hank and Peter rushed out and took Hank's Jeep. They had three main routes they could choose from. They started with the shortest route and would work their way out to the longer ones.
They drove for several miles not seeing anything. The trio turned onto West Twenty-Third Street and that's when they saw the blindingly bright flashing lights of various emergency vehicles. The entire intersection of Fifth and West Nineteenth were cordoned off. Jean's heart pounded, her blood ran cold. She knew in her heart that's where Scott was.
"My God!" Hank gasped, seeing the badly damaged truck and the even more damaged motorcycle. The parts of the two vehicles were scattered everywhere on the road.
Hank hadn't even fully stopped the vehicle yet when Jean jumped right out and ran towards the accident scene. She could see one of the paramedics wheeling Scott on a stretcher, a cervical spinal collar around his neck. A policeman quickly stopped her. "Whoa, ma'am. You can't be here, this is an accident scene."
"That's my husband! Please let me through!" Jean pleaded.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, my instructions are to not let anyone through," the young policeman answered.
"I'm a medical doctor, I can help your paramedics! I won't be a hindrance," Jean said.
The officer turned to his partner. "Jim, lady here says she's a doctor and the wife of the injured man… Should we let her through?"
The officer looked like he was having an internal debate. Under usual circumstances, Jean would never use her powers for personal gain. But she was distraught and just wanted to get to her husband. She used her telepathy to nudge the officer.
"Yeah, Mike. Go ahead." The other officer said.
Jean didn't wait for the man named Mike to move out of her way, she went straight to the ambulance where they were loading Scott. It seemed she got there just in the nick of time as one of the paramedics had taken off Scott's glasses. She was about to open one of his eyes to check for neurological function.
"Wait! Don't open his eye!" Jean yelled at the paramedic. "He has an eye condition."
"Ma'am we need to check his pupils."
Jean knew it was standard procedure. So, she closed her eyes and with all her strength, used her telekinesis to stop Scott's optic blasts. She could only hope they'd make it fast, and that his eyes wouldn't appear abnormal. Thankfully, the paramedic was none the wiser after checking. The paramedic even had enough sense to put Scott's glasses back on.
"Are his pupils normal?" Jean asked. "Please tell me, I'm not just his wife, I'm a medical doctor as well."
The paramedic looked at Jean sympathetically. "His left pupil is larger than his right. I suspect he has some bleeding in the brain… how badly, I can't tell."
Jean's heart dropped. She took Scott's hand in hers and it was so cold. She prayed over and over in her mind, "Please God, don't take him from me. Not yet, please. I need him… our children need him."
The ambulance ride to the hospital was one of the longest trips Jean had ever taken.
The following morning
Mount Sinai Hospital
Jean walked back into Scott's hospital room. She just sent the rest of her friends back home. Peter, Hank, Kurt and the professor had stayed overnight in the waiting room. She could tell they were all tired and there was no news anyway.
She had also taken a few minutes to talk to Ororo over the phone to check on how the children were doing. She was told that Nathan was fine, but that Rachel was confused and scared and that she couldn't sleep the night before.
Jean felt like she was being torn in two. She didn't want to leave Scott's side, but she wanted to be with Rachel to comfort her as well. She felt lightheaded suddenly and realized it was probably because she hadn't had anything to eat since before Scott's accident. She sat next to Scott's bed.
She took his hand and tried speaking to him telepathically. **Oh, Scott… I saw the gift you picked up for me. The paramedic handed me your bag and there it was… It's a beautiful pair of sunglasses… But I swear, if you don't make it through this, I'm never wearing them! So, if you ever want to see those on my face then you'd better wake up.**
Jean continued. **Our poor baby hasn't slept all night. Rachel keeps asking about her daddy and if he's going to be okay… Oh Scott, please don't make a liar out of me and Ororo. Please, wake up.**
Jean's telepathic conversation was interrupted by the doctor walking into the room. His name was Doctor Graham. He was a kindly, older gentleman, perhaps in his late fifties. He was of average height. He looked at Jean through his spectacles. "Mrs. Summers? We have your husband's CT scans back."
"How bad is it, Doctor Graham?" Jean asked, fear lacing her voice.
"Not as bad as we first suspected, so that's good news. His accident did cause cerebral contusion around the area of his prefrontal cortex-"
Jean gasped. "Will he need surgery?"
"I don't recommend it. The bleeding in his brain isn't severe enough to warrant it. His contusions are likely to heal on their own without medical intervention," Doctor Graham answered.
"So, you're saying we just wait?" Jean asked.
"Yes, exactly. The swelling in his brain is already starting to go down, so I'm optimistic," the doctor said, smiling comfortingly at Jean. "Anyway, I'll be back to check on him in a few hours."
"Thank you, Doctor," Jean answered as the older man left the room.
Jean sat herself back down on the chair next to Scott's bed. She started dozing off. It wasn't until she woke up that she realized how tired she was. She looked at the clock hanging above the door and realized she slept for almost four hours!
Her poor daughter was expecting a call every hour from her. Jean felt terrible. She started heading for the door to find a payphone when she heard Scott stir behind her. Jean quickly turned around and noticed she was sensing Scott telepathically; the first time since his accident.
"Scott? Scott, can you hear me?" Scott just moaned at first, then he mumbled something incoherently. Jean quickly pressed the patient call bell to alert a nurse. "Scott, honey? It's Jean. Can you hear me?"
"Jean?" Scott asked. To hear his voice again was music to Jean's ears.
"Yes, it's me. My God, Scott! You took ten years off my life!" Jean said, unable to hold back tears of relief.
"Umm… what?" Scott asked, looking confused.
Jean took Scott's hand and held it against her face, giving him comfort as much as she was seeking her own. "Do you know where you are, Scott?" Jean asked.
Jean noticed Scott looking at her weirdly and looking very uncomfortable with her show of affection. She found it strange, but attributed it to his injuries. "Am I in a hospital?" Scott asked, looking around.
"Yes, Mount Sinai. Do you remember what happened?" Jean asked.
Scott was about to answer when Doctor Graham and a nurse walked into the room. "Ahh, Mr. Summers. I'm so glad to see you awake. Tell me, son, how do you feel?"
"Umm… I umm… have a bit of a headache. My side hurts, I guess-"
"Yes, you do have some bruised ribs," Doctor Graham said. "Tell me, Mr. Summers. What's the last thing you remember?"
"I uhh… went out for a walk last night. I got back home, played some Nintendo before going to bed… and that's about it," Scott answered.
Jean was getting very worried. Scott hadn't taken out his Nintendo in years. "Sweetheart, you don't remember getting on your motorcycle last night and heading out to pick up my birthday present?"
Scott just raised his eyebrow at Jean. Before Jean could say more, the doctor asked, "Mr. Summers, what's the date today?"
"Well… let me see… I just had my students take their geometry test the other day…"
Jean was beyond worried. Scott hadn't taught a math class in at least two years. Scott continued. "That was January 8th. So, today's what, the 10th?"
Jean and the doctor looked at each other. Then the doctor asked, "What year is it, Scott?"
"1989," Scott said, matter-of-factly.
To be continued
