Long hours later, when the sun was high in the sky, after  suffering through intense nausea that left Remy shaking and as weak as a new born, Hank finally announced that he was no longer concerned about the concussion. The vomiting had him concerned at first, but after more test he determined that it was just a reaction to the pain medication Remy was taking. The large blue doctor never knew from  one treatment to the next how the Cajun would react. Something he tolerated fine this morning could make him violently ill the next day. Luckily his tolerance for pain was high so many times Remy himself would tell Hank to forgo pain medication. This time  however he didn’t complain when Hank suggested trying something different. He hurt. From his head that was spinning and pounding, to his ribs and bruised and damaged insides, to the broken and cracked bones at the base of his spine, to his hands and knee that throbbed horribly.
Logan watched as his young lover suffered through another bout of dry heaves and could stand no more.
    “ For cryin’ out loud Blue, do something!” he screamed at Hank as he followed him to his office and slammed the door.
     “ I’m trying, but you know how difficult it always is with Remy. If I give him something that causes worse symptoms imagine the pain it would cause. I have to do this slowly, build up the amount I give him.” Hank stated. He didn’t even blink at Wolverine’s earlier outburst. His friend wasn’t used to pain, his healing factor easily took care of all but the most life threatening injuries. Having to watch someone he loved suffer always made him crazy.
   “ He seems to be tolerating  the new medication.”
   “ That’s tolerating!”
   “I will increase the dosage, see if that helps.”
   “It better”
   “ why don’t you go get some lunch for the two of us. I need to do another blood count then I am going to suggest putting on the power repressing cuffs and a sedative. He’s never going to re-hydrate if the vomiting continues and I truly believe he will feel greatly improved if he can get some decent healing sleep. And before you say anything, you know that his kinetic power is unstable under sedation.”
   “ Alright, but I’m comin’ with ya to tell him.”
   “ Fine. Let’s go,”
   The two men entered the small room quietly. Remy’s head was turned away from them but he turned slowly when he heard a noise from where he now knew the door was. Logan was once again hit hard by how bad his young lover looked. He and Hank shared a glance.
   “Logan?…”
   “ Yeah kid, it’s me. Hank’s here too.”
   “ Remy, I need to do another blood count and check your stitches, then I want to sedate you. You really need to rest and re-hydrate. I know you don’t like to be sedated because of your powers, but I will put on the repressing cuffs so you needn’t worry.”
  “anything Henri…just please…feel really bad …”
For Remy to admit feeling bad was a shock to both men standing in the room. Remy never complained, never admitted feeling bad.
   “ Alright, I’ll be right back.” Hank quickly left to gather the things he would need leaving Remy and Logan alone.
“ You don’t look so good darlin’ “ Logan said and carefully kissed Remy’s brow.
“ don’ remember… feelin’ dis… bad.” Remy replied quietly. Logan played with his soft hair,  brushing it back again and again.
“ I’m glad Hank’s gonna help ya sleep.” He continued running his fingers through the soft hair, over and over in a soothing, calming, motion.
“ would you… do somthin’ for me… cher…”
“ anything, what.”
“ go eat …rest… don’ have the energy…to worry…’bout ya”
Logan smiled and kissed him again, “ I promise, soon as I’m sure yer okay.”
Remy heard a noise by the door “ Henri? “ slightly louder, “ make him go ‘way.”
“ I will…You know I’m loath to do this…” Hank said as he slipped the metal bracelets on Remy’s arms , careful not to bump his tender hands. “It will be some time before we hear music coming from that bedroom again. Why didn’t you ever play before? You’re quite talented Remy, I enjoy listening to you play.”
“ wasn’t inspired… ‘til Logan…hear de music…now…”
Hank patted his shoulder. He hit a button on each of the cuffs and a green light came on. Hank then turned and injected a clear fluid into an IV. “Sleep well my young friend” he whispered as the sedative took affect. Remy’s breathing became deeper and his grip on Logan’s hand loosened.
“He’ll sleep now. I’ll keep him sedated until tomorrow. I don’t remember our young Cajun ever looking this bad.”  Hank said as he gently lifted the bandage on Remy’s abdomen to check the stitches. He then moved to the knee to do the same. He took his pulse and checked his breathing.  “My greatest fear now is that he will develop an infection or pneumonia.” Hank said half to himself. “ I heard you promise to eat and rest.” he looked over his glasses at Logan.
 “I’m not leavin’ him like this!”  The Cajun looked incredibly young and fragile. Logan was filled with an irrational fear that the boy would disappear if he left him out of his sight. That thought alone made Logan feel cold inside.
“He will need you more when he wakes. I promise not to let him out of my sight.” Hank seemed to pick up on his fear. A small smile played across the blue doctors lips “ I must say Logan, it is good to see you care this much again. I feared after Lady Mariko’s death that you would never let yourself love again. This is good for you and our young friend, you both seem to have found what was missing from your lives.”
“ Yeah, the kid found a way to steal my heart and soul. Guess he MUST be one of the best thieves in the world.” Logan said as he stared down at  the sleeping Cajun.
“ Go eat and sleep, I will take good care of your thief.”
“You better Blue” Logan was dead serious when he looked up at Henry “ I love this kid “ he surprised himself at how easily those words left his mouth. “I want to be here when he wakes up.”
 “I will call you when he shows signs of waking, I promise he will feel much better.”
“ Okay, you’ll call me if anything…”
“Go.”
 

Logan avoided everyone on his way to the garage. He didn’t want to hear any of their lame comments about it being okay. When he could hold his lover in his arms, when he could lay him on the bed and bury himself inside him, when his lover had him begging as those amazing hands and that wonderful tongue did magical things to him, then it would be okay. He had never known such feelings before Remy. The kid gave heart and soul with no room to doubt his love. Logan shivered with the memory of their last time together. He was sure time stood still when the kid surprised him by throwing his own orgasm into Logan’s mind. He no longer doubted the existence of a higher being, when he came down from the high of making love to Remy and saw his angelic smile, He knew there was a God.
He got on his bike and rode into town. He’d grab something and take it back to his room. He didn’t want to be gone long. When he entered the restaurant to order he noticed a group of men at a booth nearby. Something about them made the hair on the back of his neck stand up so he used his sensitive hearing to listen to their conversation. He had to fight the urge to growl and pop his claws. Taking a deep breath, he made his way to the group. “ Excuse me, couldn’t help overhearing, you beat up one of those mutants? “
“You’re one of us? Sit down, join us.”
“ Don’t mind if I do.” For the next hour Logan forced himself to listen to how those five brave men cornered and beat the monster. “ It looked like the Devil himself, had red and black eyes! I felt like I needed to go to church after I touched it.” one said. “ I got it’s blood on my hands.” said another. “But George, he got it good! Went to his car and got pepper spray, got it right in the eyes! It went down like a rock. We took a pipe to it’s leg to keep it down, even blind it put up a fight! After that, and some kicks to it’s stomach and back it shut up, thing actually felt pain. It was tough but we were tougher, right boys!”   There was a cheer around the table. Logan got up feeling ill, and said “ I gotta go.” “
When the five men left the restaurant they didn’t know what hit them.        “ Okay boys, how ’bout ya try to beat me!” Wolverine screamed. His claws popped and he threw the one called George against a wall and pinned him there.
“ Y..Y..You’re a mutant”
“ Got it in one guess.” Wolverine growled “ He’s just a kid you bastard, and ya nearly killed him. But he’s a close personal friend of mine so I think ya should see how he’s feelin’ tonight.” By the time he was through with them they did indeed have a good idea how Remy felt.
“ Oh my stars…” Hank started as Wolverine slammed into the Med lab. His clothes were torn and covered in blood. “ it ain’t mine “ was all he said as he passed the doctor and made his way to Remy’s room. In sleep, all the lines of pain were erased from Remy’s face. The heart monitor beeping quietly out of rhythm . Logan sat down and carefully lifted a hand to kiss it.     “ I got ‘em for ya darlin’, now they know how ya feel.” he whispered. He got up and kissed his lover gently on the head. He watched him sleep a few moments before quietly leaving the room. “ I’m  goin’ to bed “ was all he said as he walked back past Henry and out the door.
 

The next morning Logan was greeted by Remy’s tired smile.
“ Well hi darlin,” he said as he bent to kiss the Cajun’s soft hair. The change overnight was amazing, he still looked like he’d been hit by a train, he was so pale and as weak as a newborn, but the hint of a smile gave him reason to be hopeful.
   “ morning’ cher” he said quietly.
  “ Good morning Logan, I told you a good night’s sleep would do wonders. I too was surprised this morning by our young Cajun’s ability to bounce back.” he smiled and ruffled Remy’s hair gently. “ He’s still got a long way to go. I’m still unable to regulate his heart. He’s also got a bit of a temperature, I’m concerned about that. I don’t see any indication of infection but I will be watching you closely today young man.”
   “Oui Henri “
Logan sat and took a bandaged hand carefully in his. “ Met some people last night, they were goin’ on about how they beat up the devil himself”
   Remy turned his head a bit as if to look into Logan’s eyes “Cher?…”
Logan gently kissed the hand he held.  “ Don’t worry darlin’, they ain’t gonna be hurtin’ anybody else, I promise.”
Remy sighed and tried to shift into a more comfortable position but he was overcome by shooting pain up his spine and down his legs. He gasped, but that hurt his broken ribs and healing internal organs “ Cher…” he tried to squeeze Logan’s large hand.
   “what can I do darlin…”
Hank re-entered the room with a syringe, “Time for more pain medication I see,” he injected it into an IV. “ you should begin to feel relief  very soon Remy “ He placed a large blue hand on Remy’s forehead. Logan watched the doctor carefully, he didn’t like the look on his face.
  “ Try to sleep Remy, Logan could I speak to you outside please? “
 “ sure Blue, I’ll be right back, okay darlin? “
“oui cher, feelin’ kinda sleepy.”
Logan kissed his lover once more before leaving the room to follow Hank to his office.      “What’s up Hank.”
“I want to let you know that although Remy seems better I am greatly concerned by the fever. I am going to start him on a broad base antibiotic. I don’t see any sign of infection but it could be internal. I will let you know. I am also going to run more tests, they aren’t going to be very comfortable for him.”
“ I’ll stay and help.”
“Thank you, I will also be asking Jean to help.”
“ okay, when do we start.”
“ I want to give the medication time to work, a half hour I would guess.”
   As the day wore on Remy’s fever climbed. “So Blue, what’d all those test say.” Logan asked . He was sitting beside his lover gently wiping his face with a cool cloth.
  “ I can find no cause!” Henry said exasperated. He had run countless test, but there was no apparent reason for the climbing fever. He checked Remy’s pulse, it was erratic , his breathing was becoming shallow. What ever this was it was hitting him hard and fast.
   “ I don’t get it, what’s happenin’ to him?” Logan asked, never taking his eyes off Remy.
   “ There is an infection, there has to be, but I have no idea where it is coming from. I have checked and re checked him and the test results. His injuries, while very serious, should not be causing this!”
   “ Then what the hell is, the kid woke up fine and six hours later he’s barely conscious! “ The only sign that Remy was still awake were the soft moans that left his lips.  Logan put down the cloth and ran his fingers through his own coarse hair. He usually loved those little moans, had caused most of them, as the two men were wrapped so tightly around and inside each other that it was hard to tell where one began and the other ended. It was magic when they made love. They seemed to rest outside of real time.
   This was Real and Here and Now. He was losing Remy to an enemy he couldn’t even see. “ Sorry Blue, didn’t mean to snap at ya.”
  “that is quite alright my friend. I feel exactly the same way.”
Scott knocked softly on the doorframe, “ Hank, Logan, I need to see you out here .Now.”
  “ Fuck you, I’m not leavin’ him.” Logan said looking back at Remy.
  “ Now Wolverine, that’s not a request.”
Hank made sure his patient was as comfortable as he could be then he took Logan by the shoulders and steered him from the room. Once outside the room, Logan lost it. “ This better be good or I’ll gut you where you stand. He’s dyin’ in there!”
  “ We’ve just received a call… the person, a man, said  Is the devil dead yet? and hung up. We traced the call to a phone  booth in town.”
  “Scott, I need more information, Remy is very ill and I have no idea what to do to help him! “Hank said, now as upset as Wolverine.
  “ Sorry Hank, that’s all we’ve got.”
  “I’ll find the bastard, I got their scents, that’s all I need. Tell me what phone.”
“ Wolverine, stand down, we have to act as a team.”
“ I’m outta here. “
Scott reached for him but quickly pulled back as six claws popped. “ I’ll get past ya. I’ll find them. I’ll make ’em tell me what they did, then I’m gonna kill ’em. “
“ Logan, you must calm down…”
“ You keep him alive.” Logan spun to look at the doctor then looked back at the room where his lover lay deathly ill. “ Keep him alive.” There was a silent threat in his voice. With that he stomped off.
   Logan made his way to the room he shared with Remy. His eyes fell on the old upright piano in the corner. Slowly  he walked over and sat on the bench. He picked out the notes of a piece of music Remy was trying to teach him. The last note hung in the air of the quiet room. He closed his eyes remembering the weight of his lover as he leaned into his side. He remembered the long slim fingers covering his own fat hands, moving them over the keys. He remembered the soft sexy chuckle if he messed up. He remembered the warm embrace when he got it right. “ Oh darlin’…hang on for me…”

   Down in the Med lab Rogue quietly watched as Hank adjusted an oxygen mask over Remy’s nose and mouth. “ Hello Rogue, I need to change these IV’s and then I’ll give you a moment alone.”
  “ Is swamp rat gonna die?” she asked as she approached the bed. There was a tone in her voice that made Hank look up from what he was doing. “ Not if I have a say in the matter.” he said as he continued changing IV’s.
  “Really Hank,  Is Remy gonna die? “She  started to reach out with a gloved hand then stopped. She wanted to touch him, brush back his dark hair but she realized that she’d given up that  right in Antarctica. He didn’t deserve what she’d done to him. They’d talked for a long time when he returned and had made their peace. When Remy and Logan realized what they had was really love, he’d found her and told her first. He was a true southern gentleman. He had been hers. She knew Logan would throw her out bodily if he  found her here. She looked back at the door. The cadence of one of the monitors changed and Hank was immediately there. “ It’s his heart. “ If I don’t find out what they did to him soon I’m going to lose him.” Hank was too quiet, he didn’t sound like himself.
  “ Hank, where’s Logan? “ she asked as she watched the doctor work on Remy.
  “ He left a bit ago to find the…MEN… who are responsible for this. “He nearly spit the word .
  “ I gotta go.” She looked down at Remy’s pale face, “ Hang on sugah “she kissed her glove and touched it to his cheek.

Rogue flew to the garage “ his bikes still here…” she whispered to her self then she flew up to the window of Logan’s room. Inside , she saw Logan sitting at the piano, it had been a present to Remy a few months ago. She knew she was intruding on a private moment but she had to.  “ Logan,… take me with you. “
   “go to hell girl, I don’t need YOUR  help.” His voice was a little shaky.
  “Listen to me… I was wrong… Remy and I made our peace long ago… Logan, he’s getting’ worse.”
  Logan’s head snapped up and he stared at her, she was telling the truth.
“ I’m gonna’ kill ’em.” he told her
“ I owe him Logan, I owe him more than I can ever repay him. Let me go with ya. Let me help.”
“ stay outta my way.”
“ I’ll fly ya, I know the phone they used. “
“ Then what the hell are we waitin’ for.” he growled
She smiled and grabbed him under his arms and they flew to town. She put him down near a pay phone. “ I smell ’em , come on.” he took off down the deserted street, Rogue close behind. Wolverine stopped in front of a small one story building. “ In here. “ He roared as he cut the door from it’s hinges. Inside there were three men laughing and planning their next attack.  He grabbed the first one and threw him against the wall pinning him there with two claws. Rogue held the other two; one was unconscious, the other one was cursing and kicking where she held him, two feet above the floor. Logan popped the third claw and let it rest against the skin of the man’s throat.
  “What. Did. You. Do. To. The. Kid. “ ground out one careful word at a time.
  “We killed him.” then he choked  as Logan squeezed a little
  “What. Did. Ya. Give. Him.”
  The guy actually laughed, “ It was an experiment. Doesn’t  have a name. I hear it doesn’t even show up in blood.  Must work, huh?”  He laughed again “There are important people who want you freaks dead!” He started to laugh again until Wolverine let the claw break the skin. A trickle of blood flowed down his neck.  “ You kill us and you never get the antidote.“ he squeaked out. “ I told them it was a mistake to make an antidote but they said it was for in case you used the stuff on us.”  “ Where Is It?”  You tell me now or I’ll take ya to hell personally!” The claw went in deeper and the man started to choke.
   “ Logan, we need the scum to help Remy.” Rogue said from the other side of the room. “ You better tell him, “ she told the man he still held pinned to the wall “ No one will be able to help ya if he decides he’s waited long enough. There won’t be enough pieces of ya left.” She looked at Wolverine, the human side of his soul was losing to the animal  side.
“  Logan, if he dies so does Remy.”
Logan flinched at his lovers name. His nostrils flared as he stared at the blood flowing from the mans wound, he sniffed the air and squeezed a little tighter.
  “In… th..th..the…safe.” the guy said, his lips were turning Blue.
Rogue slugged the guy she held and let him drop to the floor . She made her way to the safe and ripped off the door. Inside were piles of papers and files along with three vials of  clear liquid.  She put everything in a briefcase she found by the desk and closed it up  “ We got it. We gotta go. Now”
Wolverines nostrils flared as she walked over to him. “ Logan, Remy will die if we don’t go now.”she said with much more authority.  Wolverine blinked a few times as he looked at the now unconscious man he held. With a roar , he pulled in his claws and let the man drop to the floor. “ Remy wouldn’t want me to kill ’em.” he growled through clenched teeth.  He looked down at the men on the floor. It took every bit of his considerable will not to gut them but Remy would be sad if he let the animal side of his soul win.  “The DEVIL saved your worthless lives today.” he said as he walked away from them. “ Come on, lets go save the kid.”  Rogue let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. She handed the case to Logan and lifted him under his arms as she flew full speed to the mansion. Now, if it wasn’t too late…

TBC