9293/Healer To The Rescue

Healer To The Rescue
Date of Scene:	23 September 2019
Location:	Medical Lab - X-Men Base
Synopsis:	Shannon and Triage heal Kitty out of her coma, to the relief of Peter Parker and Lockheed
Cast of Characters:	Shadowcat, Nightingale, Spider-Man, Triage

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Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty has been in a comatose state since being injured in the attack by Friends of Humanity Sentinels on Horizon Bio-Labs while the school was visiting on a field trip. The reports from the healers that their powers seemed to fail healing her brought in Forge and some of the other scientific minds.

Their scans revealed energy with waveforms similar to the Sentinel's mutant power nullifier beams within Kitty. Forge speculated it could have been some interaction with the prototype device Kitty had to defeat such power nullifiers. Designed more for the area effect variety, when it was subjected to first a focused beam, and then two at once, he speculates... well without a Ph.D in theoretical physics most people wouldn't understand his talk of collapsing eigenstates in the waveform. In any event, the prognosis was, she had nullifier energy suffusing her still.

The good news? Scans were showing it was dropping off steadily as her body shed it over time. This morning, Forge sent out a notice those energy levels were completely gone, so if the healers wanted to try again, now would be a good time.

Kitty's status has been unchanged during that time. Comatose, not responsive except minor amounts of brain activity during Rachel Grey's telepathic scan. Lockheed hasn't left her, lying on the bed close at her side.

Nightingale has posed:
Despite the good word from the scientists, Shannon still had not received word from the doctors that she was all clear to use her gifts again. The egg on her head, and the swelling of her jaw, however, are nearly gone. The fracture in her jaw has mended, nature taking its course after her aborted attempt at helping Kitty the day before. She looks between Kitty, and staff here in the medbay, crossing her arms. "Come on... am I cleared to go back on the job yet?" There was, of course, her promise to Sam as well, and as much as she wanted to try and help, she was determined to keep her word.

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter hasn't left Kitty's side, for the most part anyways, since she was brought to the med bay two days prior. He's sporting at least that much beard growth, shaggy brown curls that have been slicked back rather than combed, and cannot possibly be comfortable in the position he's kept for that time. Leaning over her bed, fingers curled around her unbroken wrist, with Lockheed nestled up against his arm with his chin propped up on the comatose patients forearm.

He is, at least, awake.

Mostly awake anyways. Staring up at the monitors with his chin sitting against the purple dragon's back, looking haggard, as one might, and more than a little concerned. He really hoped she'd bounce back quicker after what Rachel had told them yesterday. Which isn't to say he's lost hope, or is even losing hope, only that he wants her to open her eyes... or say something... or generally just to hear her speak at all.

Triage has posed:
Triage returns to the lab from outside where he went to rest briefly. He waves to Shannon when he sees that she is not only awake but ready to spar with the staff over her condition. "No worse patient than a healer, eh?" he asks one. He looks to the bed where Sam is sleeping, and then to Ktty's bed. He frowns. "She took a wallop, but she's a fighter," he observes.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty's monitor beeps quietly in time with her heart. The indicators showing her pulse and blood pressure as well as vitamin levels and other helpful medical indicators. The scans show her brain is still swollen from the hard hits it took.

One of the senior medical staff follows Triage in. He is not himself a healer, just knowledgeable in both medicine and the level of technology available to the X-men. He looks over to Triage and says, "I'm always a little hesitant about how much you folks with healing powers can push it. Especially Shannon since she takes the wounds on. Given how bad Kitty is, I'm not sure if you should even try, Shannon. Let alone try while you're not 100% yourself," he says cautiously.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon was not going to take this lying down, sitting up and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. She's definitely moving about a lot easier today. "Fine. Either you or Triage can have a look at me, and see if there's any way I can help him out with Kitty. As bad as she is right now... even at 100 percent, it'd be pretty foolish to try and heal her alone." Oh yes, she was digging her heels in--this bulldog was -not- going to let go of the proverbial bone this time!

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter isn't as familiar with the medical staff as he'd like to be, even having been her for most of two days. There's a look in his blue eyes that just seems... exhausted. So he trusts Lockheed, and the people who have been taking care of Kitty, to do what they do. Finally letting go of her arm to lean back in his seat with a groan and pop all the way up his spine. Both hands rubbing down either side of his stubbly jaw.

Triage has posed:
"We appreciate your concerns," Triage assures the staffer. "We're all on the same team with the goal of keeping this train on track." He eyes Shannon closely, having only glimpsed the woman in the past. "We could work together," Triage offers. "Take shifts or handle different parts of this."

Shadowcat has posed:
The staffer gives a nod of his head. He seems fine with trusting Triage's opinion on the matter. "I'll be here monitoring her vitals," he says as he goes over to a terminal, sitting down and pulling up a copy of Kitty's output on it.

Lockheed lifts his head, looking over at Triage and Shannon, and then back to Peter. He rises up and pads a step or two away from Kitty as if understanding he should give them room to work. Lockheed hops up onto Peter's shoulder, curling up around his neck. Peter might notice the little dragon clutching to him a little more tightly than normal, as if nervous.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods. "Thank you." She slides out of bed, steady on her feet this time. The night of good, solid rest and extra protein from yesterday's treat seem to have kicked her own accelerated healing gift into overdrive, despite the temporary slow-down from the ill-fated attempt on helping Kitty the day before. Good, now her word to Sam had been kept. She makes her way over to the bed where Kitty's lying, and smiles a little at Peter. First things first. "Hey. When's the last time you had something to eat and drink? I don't think Kitty would want to see you falling over from hunger."

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter understands Lockheed's apprehension and reaches up to stroke a hand along the purple dragons scaled back reassuringly, "We'll get her back." He says quietly, tilting in Shannon's direction, "Earlier. One of the medical staff made me eat a sandwich and drink a glass of water or I'd have to get in one of the beds... Over there." Jutting his chin further down the line. "Which I wasn't doing. So I did." His eyes scoot right back to Kitty, alternating his gaze between the sleeping Shadowcat and Triage standing beside her.

Triage has posed:
"Good call about avoiding the bed," Triage agrees with a grin. He looks to the small dragon and inclines his head. "She's not allowed to lose now." He beckons to Shannon. "What do you think? Do you want to go first? If you feel weak, just give the signal."

Shadowcat has posed:
The staffer looks over in a considering way. "She takes on a person's injuries? Maybe it would be best if you can bring Miss Pryde out of the coma and heal her cranial fractures first? I don't know that transferring a coma from one person to another would be a good thing. I don't know if Shannon might suffer lasting results from something like that," he says worriedly.

Kitty continues to lie there, breathing slowly. The wounds show on the monitor above her. Compound fracture of her upper arm, very very nasty break. A broken clavicle, moderately serious, and two minor fractures on her legs. Collapsed lung. Bruising over more than a third of her body. The swollen brain and cranial fractures of her skull are the most serious.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon frowns a little bit, tilting her head as she considers this. "I'm not sure what your gift is like, or what your training is. As you heard them say, mine depends on me absorbing the injuries via physical contact. If I try to take this on, I'll be the one in that bed. However," she muses, half to herself, and half to Triage and Peter. "...Josh -was- working with me when I first got here, so I could restrain my gift a little bit and use it to help with diagnosis and monitoring an injury. There's still a chance I could accidentally absorb Kitty's injuries, but it would be greatly lessened, and you could use that aspect of my gifts to help you keep an eye on things. But, I really can't say for sure without understanding more about yours."

Shaking her head a little, she just laughs softly. "Sam was right. Sometimes you have to skip the pleasantries and focus on the talents, to know better what your teammates are capable of, and work with them better."

She looks over at the staffer and nods. "That's my concern as well. But maybe there's a chance I could help keep an eye on things, like I was just telling him."

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter has his personal opinions on who should go first, but... he's bias. So he keeps quiet on the matter. Except to glance from Triage to Shannon... then back to Kitty and the list of injuries reading out on the monitor above her head. His jaw clinches beneath the stubble, hard enough that the muscles in his neck flex and his eyes narrow dangerously. His anger isn't meant for anyone here... This is a man who always has a joke. The comedian vigilante who can quip his way through a fight with a guy in a Rhino costume.

It is a very dark day for someone when he gets pissed off.

He just hasn't had much time to be angry in the last few days. Not as anything more than an after thought... most of which he directed at himself. Why wasn't he there? Why hadn't he /done something/. It's absurd... even he knows it's absurd... but that's Parker Guilt. Everything is his fault because he should have been there, should have been able... and he wasn't.

As soon as Kitty is awake though... The second he sees her eyes and hears her voice?

Someone, will, bleed.

There's no more friendly left in the Neighborhood of the Spider.

Triage has posed:
Triage frowns, thinking while Shannon describes her "gift." Then he nods. "As I thought, it's like a transfer from one account to another," he summarizes. "You take their injuries, and then, if I'm right, your body heals itself over time. If so, I'll go first. Mine is more like ..." he shrugs. "Healing energy, I can rebuild and heal, but eventually I'll need to recharge." He looks to Peter and assures, "She survived Sentinels. We can't allow them to win." He checks the screen briefly. "A severe concussion for starters, hemorrhaging and possibly some neural damage. It's tough but fixable." He reaches out to lay his hand on Kitty's forehead.

Shadowcat has posed:
The medical staffer gives a little nod as if approving of this plan of Triage going first. "I am interested to be able to monitor what you are doing with the scanners," he comments to Triage. He focuses back on the monitor, enters a few commands and then nods over to him. "Ok, ready when you are," he says after making a few final adjustments.

Triage will sense what the medical scanners are telling him. Her brain was concussed severely, and the resulting swelling is hampering her higher brain functions. Though it's a very serious injury, the kind of thing that could keep someone in a coma for weeks or longer, the head injuries seem within Triage's capabilities at least.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and adds, "My healing factor is comparable to Mr. McCoy's. The physical injuries might keep me in here a few days but that'd be about the end of it. It all depends on how much I'm able to absorb. You take the head injuries, I'll work on the arm and her legs... would you be able to handle her lungs?" She pulls a chair over towards the bed, and looks at the staffer. "I'll get to her legs last, and may need help getting either to that chair or into bed."

With that, if Triage agrees to the plan, she closes her eyes and very gently rests her hand on Kitty's arm, concentrating on sensing the extent of the injuries first, rather than absorbing them straight away.

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter is a smart guy.. a lot smarter than most would give him credit for... but he's got no medical experience aside from field triage and emergency bandages. So, like a smart guy, he finally stands up from the chair and brings Lockheed with him out of the professionals way, if only a few steps away, with his arms crossing over his Rescue Rangers t-shirt. One hand up to wiggle a finger against the underside of the Dragons snout with his blue eyes fixed on the staff working on Kitty... if only because they're in his way of seeing Kitty.

Triage has posed:
"Agreed." Triage nods to Shanon. "If I'm right, she won't want to sit still, much less lie in a bed to recover, once she has her wits about her. I'll take the head and lungs. You get that arm into shape and then go for the legs." He looks to a staffer and warns, "Prepare a mild anesthetic for her in case the breaks give her too much trouble after she absorbs them." Then he closes his eyes, concentrating on reapiring bone and delicate tissue, including neurons that might need reconstruction.

Shadowcat has posed:
The staffer nods to Triage, and he brings a chair over for Shannon to sit in. He summons a nurse to stay by Shannon and make sure she doesn't fall over should she pass out, as well. He then gets back out of the way, watching on the monitors so if something goes wrong he'll know it as soon as possible.

Those watching the monitor above the bed can see the healing being done in real time as well. Triage's healing energy cannot be seen, but the effects as it spreads through Kitty's head can be. The display of her brain starts to gradually show it reducing in size, and some colors that indicate bruising on the display gradually fade away as the high-tech scanners monitor it in real time. Soon her brain is reading back to normal size, and the color indicates the bruising is taken care of. The small fractures in her skull are shown to knit next.

Shannon can feel that compound fracture of her arm. It is a nasty one, and that might be a lot for her to take. Kitty's arm was bent at another angle like it had a second elbow, before it was set in the cast. The bone segments heal together though as Shannon begins absorbing the injury.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon bites back a rather nasty hiss, a rather nasty crunching, snapping sound coming from her direction audible to those closest to her. The fingers on her hand go straight, tensing in reaction to the pain, but she refuses to break contact. Rather, she breathes more deeply, determined to deal with the pain long enough to mend the breaks. As the bones were set properly prior to her attempt, she is thankfully in a similar position, and her arm does not take on that sickening bend she'd witnessed when the injury was initially incurred during battle, with Kitty landing on the ground sprawled out like a rag doll.

When the arm is completely healed, Shannon -does- sit down in the chair, knowing what is coming and not caring to fall and add a fresh head injury to the list. She rests her hands on Kitty's legs, very gently touching the area right over the breaks. There is more crunching, and a distinct yelp of pain this time as her gift kicks in and she takes on both at once. Her color is starting to go decidedly pale, but she refuses to let go and leave the job half-finished. "Come on, Kitty, fight it... you've got a lot to come back for...."

Triage has posed:
Triage fills his lungs with air and then releases it in slow, measured breaths while he moves his hands over Kitty's head, targeting the areas that need particular attention. Beads of perspiration dot his forehead but he continues, clamping his eyes in concentration. "Soon," he whispers.

Shadowcat has posed:
The monitor shows everything looks ok, even her collapsed lung has the red markings shown on the monitor fade away as Triage heals the damage to it. There's no visible from reaction Kitty other than perhaps her bruises fading.

But finally after about ten seconds she draws a deeper breath than she has. More of a gasp. And her eyes flit open and look around. They blink a few times, Kitty's eyes showing confusion as she has those moments of waking and not knowing where she is or what happened. Her eyes find the familiar faces of Triage and Shannon, leaning over her, and then soon enough Peter and Lockheed.

"Hey... is this... a really odd breakfast in bed?" she asks slowly. "In... the medical bay?" she continues as she realizes where she is. "Peter, your work on romantic gestures needs some touch up work," she says slowly.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon finally slumps in the chair after she's done her part, tears trickling down a face gone pale with pain. But she hears Kitty, and smiles, raising her good arm and giving her and Peter a thumbs up. "Welcome back, stranger."

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter is a ball of nervous energy while Triage and Shannon work on Kitty. If it weren't for Lockheed on his shoulders, wrapped around his neck, he'd likely have already shoved his way in closer to be beside the fallen X-Man again. Proximity made him feel better, even if he couldn't do a damned thing to help her, but he lets them work and watches silently as they do so.. Like a Gargoyle.

When she stirs and he hears her voice, Pete rushes forward, the medical staff circling the bed (wisely) gtfo of his way as he reaches her and kneels down to reach for her hand, "I told them we should have balloons and a cake, but there was a lot of talk about sterility." Blue eyes are glossy as tears well up in them, his jaw clinching as he tries to smile at her, lightly plucking up her hand so as not to jostle her overly much. "I would have got you flowers, but that would mean leaving, and they tried to make me leave once.... once."

He swallows a lump in his throat and looks up at Triage, then Shannon, nodding his appreciation. Then he settles his forehead against her forearm.

Triage has posed:
When Kitty begins to breath normally, Triage nods and sighs. "Good!" he encourages. "Take it easy. You've been through the ringer." Then he moves to make way for Peter. He grins. "I told you. We wouldn't lose her that easily." His eyes pass to Shannon and he frowns. "Do you need an anesthetic to ease that pain until I can recover enough to help you?"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde's eyes focus on Peter with great softness and warmth. She reaches out to squeezes his hand as he takes hers. "I guess I must have been pretty bad then. I admit I don't really remember much of anything. I have a dream of... I don't know. Rachel? I can't remember much more than she was in it. Is everyone else ok?" she asks.

Kitty looks over to Shannon and Triage. "Thank you," she tells them both. "I feel good. I'm not even sure what was wrong with me. Except for this cast on my arm. Shannon, are you ok?" she asks, seeing the girl's state.

Kitty sits up slowly. The staffer hesitates, but then lets her, her scans seeming fine. "What got me?" she asks, looking a little worried.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, gritting her teeth for a moment. "Never better, Kitty." Liar. She nods quickly to Triage when she thinks Kitty isn't looking, swiping her good hand under her eyes. "Yeah, good idea." She doesn't even try to push her chair away from Kitty's bed, not caring to jostle her legs and her arm about too much at the moment. "Rachel -was- in here yesterday. She did some sort of thing with her gifts that let her talk to you while you were cooped up inside that head of yours."

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter is sitting on his heels at Kitty's bedside, clutching her hand between his with the knuckles up against his lips. Blue eyes watch her as if he's worried to his very core that he's dreaming. It is entirely possible that it wouldn't be the first time in two days he'd had this dream... and watched it become a nightmare when he woke up to see that nothing had changed. He's doing a fairly good job keeping his eyes from breaking into tears, but damn if he's not close. He's an emotional guy, okay?

Loss is kind of what Spiders do worst.

This one, he wouldn't have come back from it.

He can't even think up an appropriate quip for the situation, which is rare enough as it is, "Thanks guys." He finally manages with a dry mouth and cracking voice as he pushes up. Standing beside Kitty as she sits up, to lean in and kiss the top of her head. It's light, he has no idea how much damage she's actually still harboring right now, and he doesn't want to exacerbate the situation any. "I wanted to bring Jester, but I wasn't sure they'd let him in medical... and I didn't want to leave anyways. Aunt May has been watching him though. When you're released, we can go pick him up. She's worried sick... she told me to tell you she loves you."

Triage has posed:
Triage sighs heavily and turns from kitty to the medical team. His forehead glistens with perspiration. He signals toward Shannon, and one of the nurses goes to her chair, ready with a syringe to dull the pain in her arm. Triage nods to Peter and smiles. "We're a team. We take care of each other," he answers. Then he looks to Kitty and answers her question. "I was helping to get the kids onto the bus. I didn't see much of the battle but I heard that you faced two Sentinels and took on their combined beams. You were literally in their crosshairs." With his arms, he makes a large X. Then he adds, "Everyone else is safe, except for those tin cans."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty winces. "Two of them? I guess either I goofed or they managed to negate my power?" she guesses. "Well, I'm back now. And feel fine. Thanks to you two," she says, reaching over to squeeze Shannon's hand, and then Triage's. "Shannon, thank you, but you... well, I know why you did. You didn't have to, but I'll just say thank you," she says.

Kitty looks back to Peter, leaning her head over against his chest. "Sorry I scared you," she tells him. She doesn't even need to see Peter's state to have known he'd have been scared. "And you," she tells Lockheed, reaching up to scritch his head.

"Ok, it feels like I'm wearing a paper gown. So... with the doc's ok I'm going to get up and get some clothes on?" The medical staffer nods and waves Kitty on. "You check out fine. Shannon though should spend some time in bed again." Kitty looks to Shannon. "Can I get you anything? Ice cream?" She rises from the bed, but only to press against Peter's side and hug him. He'd get a full straight on hug but she doesn't want to flash ass at Shannon and Triage. Hospital gowns, sheesh.

Nightingale has posed:
Where one is going from a hospital gown to civvies, the other is going from civvies to a hospital gown, with assistance from staff. Soon, Shannon is the one with a draft where drafts do not belong, helped back into bed with some rather strong pain medicine in her system. She breathes a sigh of relief as the medicine kicks in, a sheet is drawn over her for modesty, and she's decent once more. "Hey... it was worth it, Kitty. Wouldn't mind a root beer float... and anything with extra protein and calcium in it to help nature take its course." She tilts her head slightly, listening to the conversation about the Sentinel attack, and nods. "Yeah, two of them had their null beams right on you, and then you got thrown pretty hard. The null beam energy stayed in your system for a while, that's why we couldn't really do anything till today." She smiles some. "Just tell Sam I kept my promise? He'll wonder when he sees me back in bed again."

Spider-Man has posed:
Pete is almost completely drained now. It's been the longest two days of his life and it's starting to all collapse upon him now that Kitty is awake and asking to get up and get dressed... what a difference a few minutes and two modern medical marvels can make, huh? He smiles at her and shakes his head, "Never scared me. I was just thinking about Aunt May finding a way to blame me for this." He's retreating back behind humor now that he's worn so much of his emotions on his sleeve for so long.

Clearly he has no intentions of leaving.

Triage has posed:
Triage leans against a table briefly, taking a moment to gather strength while the staffers help Shannon into her new temporary home. He exhales another breath of exhaustion, then he grins when he hears her request. "What about a deluxe pizza with extra cheese to go with that float? Both of us need to top our tanks now. As for Sam, I'll talk to him." He looks at Kitty. "You should be okay but be careful for a day or three. If you have any odd symptoms, don't hesitate to tell someone. It looks as if you'll be in good hands, but you never know about those beams."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde grins over to Shannon. "Root beer float and... the doctor will tell me what else... coming up," she promises. And good to her word, the biggest most awesome root beer float will be brought down later.

Kitty grins to Triage. "Pizza coming up. Now that my fast route to the city is restored, I'll pick you up some from my favorite place there and have it back, still hot. If Peter lets me go," she says, turning to smile to Peter. She leans her head against his shoulder and whispers, "Love you," to him softly. She looks like she has some idea what he's been through. Kitty leans up to kiss Peter and then disappears into the bathroom to change back into some clothes.

Nightingale has posed:
"Just no anchovies, please! Fish does not belong on pizza!" Shannon shudders at the thought, looking as if she bit down into a particularly sour slice of lemon. She smiles to Triage, chuckling lightly. "Oh yeah. Though ummmm... I hope they have something for the ahh... well... aftereffects of me plus dairy." Oh, dear.

She looks over at Kitty and Peter and smiles somewhat, but then turns her face away to let them have a moment. A single tear trickles down her face, perhaps unseen for the most part. "You two are real lucky. Be good to each other."

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter doesn't add anything about the talk of pizza, which probably speaks to just how drained he actually is for the bottomless pit that is his stomach. He has hollow legs, they say. He just requires a lot of energy and, thus, a lot of fuel. It's all biology. When Kitty leans against him, he kisses her cheek, "I love you." He repeats quietly and drops down onto the bed she'd vacated while she pads off to the bathroom.

It's the furthest away from her he's been in two days except to do what biology demands... and that was infrequent. It also leaves him alone with his thoughts... His expression is relieved, certainly, but now that she's awake? Walking around? Smiling and speaking? His eyes grow hard.

He takes a long breath as he slumps into the cushiony bed, still warm from Kitty laying in it, and looks up at Shannon with a forced smile, but she can see the growing anamocity buidling behind his stare. Like a furnace that's getting so hot that its ready to belch fire. It's undirected anger... undirected at her, anyways.

This fury has a target.

That target just doesn't know the shit storm that's coming.

Triage has posed:
Triage grins when Kitty assures them that fuel will be coming soon. "We'll be here waiting!" he calls. He smiles and nods when Shannon encourages Peter and Kitty. He looks to her and adds, "That makes work like this even better, seeing people healthy and happy."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde comes back out after slipping into some shorts and a t-shirt. It has Q-bert on it, but is old and faded to the point one can barely make out who he is. Not that most students (and probably only a few staff) would be familiar with the classic video game if they aren't a nerd like Kitty.

She comes out and Lockheed flies over to land on her shoulder and give, and receive, some loving from the X-man. She hugs the dragon and apologizes to him for worrying him. "I'm going to go and get the food," she tells Peter. She slips her hand into his and squeezes, her eyes looking into his to say things that she'd never find the words for. That he was there at her side means a lot to her.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles a little bit to Triage. "It does. It also makes you wish you were just as lucky." She wrinkles her nose. "So far... I haven't been." She lies back on the bed, closing her eyes for a few minutes, breathing deeply. "Maybe someday..."

Spider-Man has posed:
The anger fades behind a wall when Kitty reappears from the bathroom and there's only a soft, tired, smile for her. When she reaches out for his hand, he takes her's and squeezes in return. He nods knowingly to her and winks, "Always." So much said with a look, "I'm going to go pick up Jester from Aunt Mays and... Maybe take a nap." Rubbing at the back of his neck, fingers digging into the small patch of hair at the base of his skull. "I'm about to pass out.. so I'll come with you to New York, then head to Queens..."