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xmutanthigh2007-01-28 11:36 am
pyro-by-nature.livejournal.com) wrote in xmutanthigh2007-01-28 11:36 am
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From Thursday night - A scene bentween Hank McCoy and John
He needed a few days to let it sink in....
John knocked on the door of Hank McCoy’s office, and admitted himself. Hank was at his desk, looking over some papers, his small reading glasses perched on the end of his nose. He looked up when John entered, and immediately set the papers aside.
“John, yes, please take a seat.” Hank McCoy said, gesturing to the chair across from his desk.
John moved to it and sat down. “Did I screw something up in the lab?” he asked straight out.
Hank blinked several times. “No. No, nothing quite like that.” He said quietly.
He looked calmly at John for a moment, while John shifted nervously in his seat.
Hank sighed and took off his glasses, leaned heavily on the armrests of his chair and looked at the floor.
“John… there’s no easy way for me to tell you this… so I’m just going to say it.” he began, looking back up at John, a frown creasing his forehead.
“You have the Legacy virus.”
The words hung in the air for a moment as John stared blankly at Hank.
“What?” was all that John said.
Hank gently let out the breath that he’d been holding.
“The Legacy virus. Have you heard of it?” Hank said gently.
“Yes” John began, annoyed. “It’s a disease that was man-made. It specifically targets people who carry the mutant X gene…”
Hank sighed. "Yes, that's right. The other week, when we were examining your blood in class… I noticed an abnormally large rate of apoptosis. Do you remember what that is?"
John nodded grimly. "Programmed cell death."
Hank continued, "I took the rest of your blood sample and did some independent testing, and I'm afraid I found evidence of the presence of the virus."
John shook his head. “But… I’m not sick.”
"No. I don't believe you will be symptomatic for a while yet. I'll need to do further tests, but at this stage it looks as though you have the L2 strain of the virus."
John swallowed nervously and stared at McCoy.
“So… how long have I got?” he asked quietly. All the colour seemed to have drained from his face.
Hank tried to give him a reassuring smile. “Well, L2 is not as aggressive as the L1 strain of the virus- that’s probably the one you’ve heard about. It’s possible that if you look after yourself you could live for years, and continue on in good health for quite some time….”
John stared at him, still deeply in shock.
“There has to be some sort of mistake…” John said.
“John, I’m sorry. I did two separate tests, and both times the results came back positive. I sent my results off to a colleague to be verified- that’s why didn’t say anything until now. I wanted to be absolutely sure before I-”
“Handed me a death sentence…” John cut in dully.
The fell into an awful silence for several minutes, and John stared out the window. Hank studied the young man’s face, wondering what to say next. Suddenly, John looked at Hank, a panicked expression on his face.
“What about Kitty? Am I infectious? Have I given it to her?” he demanded, going even paler.
Hank made a placating gesture with his hands. “There’s no reason to think that at the moment, John. L2 is not as infectious as the L1 strain. There are only certain ways it would be transmitted.”
“Like?” John asked.
“Blood to blood contact would be the most obvious.” Hank explained. “Or… have you and Miss Pryde been… intimate?” Hank fidgeted with his glasses.
John shook his head no, still looking pale. “Kissing?” he asked.
“Very unlikely.” Hank answered.
“Are you sure? I mean, how can you be certain?” He said, heatedly “What if I gave it to her and I didn’t know? I don’t even know how I got it.” He broke off suddenly, looking stunned. “Do you know… do you know how long I’ve had it?”
“There’s no real way to know. But considering that you’re hardly symptomatic, I’d say you’ve only had it for a year or so. You may never know how or when you became infected.”
John closed his eyes, looking ashamed. “Oh shit..." he breathed. “It’s sexually transmissible, right?” he said hesitantly.
“That would be one of the most likely ways, yes.” Hank said gently.
“Great.” John said, shaking his head.
“John, it won’t do to dwell on how you became infected. What you need to think about is how you want to manage the disease.” Hank said.
“What about Kitty?”
“I think, under the circumstances, Miss Pryde will need to be tested. Because of the nature of doctor-patient privilege I can’t, and won’t tell her you have the virus.”
“Do you think I should tell her?” John asked.
“That’s up to you, John. I think because of the serious nature of this illness, and the level of… romantic closeness you and Miss Pryde share, it would be only fair to inform her. But beyond that, whom you choose to share the information is up to you. I will have to inform the faculty that a student has the disease; again, your name will not be mentioned - that is, until you give me your consent."
John nodded, wide-eyed and afraid.
“And to be on the safe side, we’ll have to screen the rest of the student population for the virus, and institute and education program on the disease.”
“Oh Jesus” John muttered, covering his face with his hands. “What have I done?”
“John, it’s highly unlikely that you’ve transmitted the disease to anyone. This is all just a precaution. I don’t want you to feel like you’re being singled out or punished. This will all be treated with the strictest of confidence.”
“What should I do? Is there a treatment?” John asked. The initial shock was starting to wear off, and the horrible reality of the situation was starting to sink in. Hank’s heart went out to the boy.
“I have an associate, Doctor Moira MacTaggart. She runs a research facility that specialises in the study of the Legacy virus. She’s the person I went to for advice when I became concerned about you. If you were willing, I would recommend you spend some time at her research facility. Most of the patients she sees don’t come to her until they’re in a very bad way, and generally by then there’s little hope for them. But being that you’re young and otherwise healthy, she may be able to devise a treatment program for you.”
“But not cure me?”
“No, that’s unlikely I’m afraid. But she may be able to tailor a treatment that will keep the disease at bay for a long time, minimise the ongoing symptoms. And your assistance my benefit other victims of the disease.”
John nodded. “Okay…I… I can do that.”
Hank nodded sagely.
They lapsed into silence again, and John stared out the window again, his young face creased with anxiety.
“How am I going to tell her? This is going to end our relationship.” John said in little more than a whisper.
“Not necessarily” Hank assured him.
John stared at him “How can it not?” he demanded. “I won’t be able to kiss her without worrying that I’m somehow infecting her. And what if I cut myself, or get a nosebleed? I can’t put her in danger like that!”
“John,” Hank said firmly, “You can learn to manage the condition. You can live with this.”
”But she and I… we’ll never be able to….”
“And you think a relationship isn’t worth having without sex?” Hank asked matter-of-factly.
“Well, I didn’t… that’s not…” John trailed off.
“Or, you think she’ll love you less because of a lack of intimacy?” Hank pressed.
“Stop putting words in my mouth” John said, distressed.
“She’s a lot strong stronger that you think” Hank told him. “You’ll both find a way.”
John shook his head sadly, and looked away. “Am I going to have to leave the school?” John asked quietly.
“Not if you don’t want to, no. I’ll arrange for you to see Doctor MacTaggart, but I’d like you to finish your education.”
John nodded. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.” He looked at Hank. “I’m going to have to tell people. It’s too dangerous for them otherwise. Like, in the Danger Room…”
“We’ll work something out, John.” Hank reassured him.
“I don’t know how. Everyone is going to be scared of me. Again.” John said matter-of-factly.
“You need to give them more credit than that. They stood by you once before, they’ll stand by you again.”
“People don’t always react the way you think they will. I remember when my Mum first started having problems, my aunt-” John stopped suddenly, and looked away. “Never mind” he mumbled.
“John,” Hank sighed. “I’m so terribly sorry….”
John shrugged, standing up. “It’s not your fault.”
Hank looked penetratingly at him. “Nor is it yours.”
“One more downside to being a dirty mutie, huh?” John said darkly.
He made his way to the door.
“If there’s anything you need, or if you’d like to talk, my door is always open.” Hank told him. “In the interim, I’ll speak with Dr MacTaggart and make arrangements for you to go to her facility.”
“Great” John said quietly. “Well. If we’re done here, I’m just going to go tell my girlfriend that I’m Typhoid Mary….”
Hank closed his eyes briefly and drew in a deep, steadying breath.
"John, just remember - Helen Keller once said, 'Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.'"
"Um, yeah" John said.
"That is..." Hank began again. John paused at the door and waited for him to continue. "I'm sorry. I just meant that I know you'll get through this."
John just gave him a nod and a shrug, and left.
Hank dropped back into his seat, wrenched his glasses off and threw them aside with a frustrated sigh.
“John, yes, please take a seat.” Hank McCoy said, gesturing to the chair across from his desk.
John moved to it and sat down. “Did I screw something up in the lab?” he asked straight out.
Hank blinked several times. “No. No, nothing quite like that.” He said quietly.
He looked calmly at John for a moment, while John shifted nervously in his seat.
Hank sighed and took off his glasses, leaned heavily on the armrests of his chair and looked at the floor.
“John… there’s no easy way for me to tell you this… so I’m just going to say it.” he began, looking back up at John, a frown creasing his forehead.
“You have the Legacy virus.”
The words hung in the air for a moment as John stared blankly at Hank.
“What?” was all that John said.
Hank gently let out the breath that he’d been holding.
“The Legacy virus. Have you heard of it?” Hank said gently.
“Yes” John began, annoyed. “It’s a disease that was man-made. It specifically targets people who carry the mutant X gene…”
Hank sighed. "Yes, that's right. The other week, when we were examining your blood in class… I noticed an abnormally large rate of apoptosis. Do you remember what that is?"
John nodded grimly. "Programmed cell death."
Hank continued, "I took the rest of your blood sample and did some independent testing, and I'm afraid I found evidence of the presence of the virus."
John shook his head. “But… I’m not sick.”
"No. I don't believe you will be symptomatic for a while yet. I'll need to do further tests, but at this stage it looks as though you have the L2 strain of the virus."
John swallowed nervously and stared at McCoy.
“So… how long have I got?” he asked quietly. All the colour seemed to have drained from his face.
Hank tried to give him a reassuring smile. “Well, L2 is not as aggressive as the L1 strain of the virus- that’s probably the one you’ve heard about. It’s possible that if you look after yourself you could live for years, and continue on in good health for quite some time….”
John stared at him, still deeply in shock.
“There has to be some sort of mistake…” John said.
“John, I’m sorry. I did two separate tests, and both times the results came back positive. I sent my results off to a colleague to be verified- that’s why didn’t say anything until now. I wanted to be absolutely sure before I-”
“Handed me a death sentence…” John cut in dully.
The fell into an awful silence for several minutes, and John stared out the window. Hank studied the young man’s face, wondering what to say next. Suddenly, John looked at Hank, a panicked expression on his face.
“What about Kitty? Am I infectious? Have I given it to her?” he demanded, going even paler.
Hank made a placating gesture with his hands. “There’s no reason to think that at the moment, John. L2 is not as infectious as the L1 strain. There are only certain ways it would be transmitted.”
“Like?” John asked.
“Blood to blood contact would be the most obvious.” Hank explained. “Or… have you and Miss Pryde been… intimate?” Hank fidgeted with his glasses.
John shook his head no, still looking pale. “Kissing?” he asked.
“Very unlikely.” Hank answered.
“Are you sure? I mean, how can you be certain?” He said, heatedly “What if I gave it to her and I didn’t know? I don’t even know how I got it.” He broke off suddenly, looking stunned. “Do you know… do you know how long I’ve had it?”
“There’s no real way to know. But considering that you’re hardly symptomatic, I’d say you’ve only had it for a year or so. You may never know how or when you became infected.”
John closed his eyes, looking ashamed. “Oh shit..." he breathed. “It’s sexually transmissible, right?” he said hesitantly.
“That would be one of the most likely ways, yes.” Hank said gently.
“Great.” John said, shaking his head.
“John, it won’t do to dwell on how you became infected. What you need to think about is how you want to manage the disease.” Hank said.
“What about Kitty?”
“I think, under the circumstances, Miss Pryde will need to be tested. Because of the nature of doctor-patient privilege I can’t, and won’t tell her you have the virus.”
“Do you think I should tell her?” John asked.
“That’s up to you, John. I think because of the serious nature of this illness, and the level of… romantic closeness you and Miss Pryde share, it would be only fair to inform her. But beyond that, whom you choose to share the information is up to you. I will have to inform the faculty that a student has the disease; again, your name will not be mentioned - that is, until you give me your consent."
John nodded, wide-eyed and afraid.
“And to be on the safe side, we’ll have to screen the rest of the student population for the virus, and institute and education program on the disease.”
“Oh Jesus” John muttered, covering his face with his hands. “What have I done?”
“John, it’s highly unlikely that you’ve transmitted the disease to anyone. This is all just a precaution. I don’t want you to feel like you’re being singled out or punished. This will all be treated with the strictest of confidence.”
“What should I do? Is there a treatment?” John asked. The initial shock was starting to wear off, and the horrible reality of the situation was starting to sink in. Hank’s heart went out to the boy.
“I have an associate, Doctor Moira MacTaggart. She runs a research facility that specialises in the study of the Legacy virus. She’s the person I went to for advice when I became concerned about you. If you were willing, I would recommend you spend some time at her research facility. Most of the patients she sees don’t come to her until they’re in a very bad way, and generally by then there’s little hope for them. But being that you’re young and otherwise healthy, she may be able to devise a treatment program for you.”
“But not cure me?”
“No, that’s unlikely I’m afraid. But she may be able to tailor a treatment that will keep the disease at bay for a long time, minimise the ongoing symptoms. And your assistance my benefit other victims of the disease.”
John nodded. “Okay…I… I can do that.”
Hank nodded sagely.
They lapsed into silence again, and John stared out the window again, his young face creased with anxiety.
“How am I going to tell her? This is going to end our relationship.” John said in little more than a whisper.
“Not necessarily” Hank assured him.
John stared at him “How can it not?” he demanded. “I won’t be able to kiss her without worrying that I’m somehow infecting her. And what if I cut myself, or get a nosebleed? I can’t put her in danger like that!”
“John,” Hank said firmly, “You can learn to manage the condition. You can live with this.”
”But she and I… we’ll never be able to….”
“And you think a relationship isn’t worth having without sex?” Hank asked matter-of-factly.
“Well, I didn’t… that’s not…” John trailed off.
“Or, you think she’ll love you less because of a lack of intimacy?” Hank pressed.
“Stop putting words in my mouth” John said, distressed.
“She’s a lot strong stronger that you think” Hank told him. “You’ll both find a way.”
John shook his head sadly, and looked away. “Am I going to have to leave the school?” John asked quietly.
“Not if you don’t want to, no. I’ll arrange for you to see Doctor MacTaggart, but I’d like you to finish your education.”
John nodded. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.” He looked at Hank. “I’m going to have to tell people. It’s too dangerous for them otherwise. Like, in the Danger Room…”
“We’ll work something out, John.” Hank reassured him.
“I don’t know how. Everyone is going to be scared of me. Again.” John said matter-of-factly.
“You need to give them more credit than that. They stood by you once before, they’ll stand by you again.”
“People don’t always react the way you think they will. I remember when my Mum first started having problems, my aunt-” John stopped suddenly, and looked away. “Never mind” he mumbled.
“John,” Hank sighed. “I’m so terribly sorry….”
John shrugged, standing up. “It’s not your fault.”
Hank looked penetratingly at him. “Nor is it yours.”
“One more downside to being a dirty mutie, huh?” John said darkly.
He made his way to the door.
“If there’s anything you need, or if you’d like to talk, my door is always open.” Hank told him. “In the interim, I’ll speak with Dr MacTaggart and make arrangements for you to go to her facility.”
“Great” John said quietly. “Well. If we’re done here, I’m just going to go tell my girlfriend that I’m Typhoid Mary….”
Hank closed his eyes briefly and drew in a deep, steadying breath.
"John, just remember - Helen Keller once said, 'Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.'"
"Um, yeah" John said.
"That is..." Hank began again. John paused at the door and waited for him to continue. "I'm sorry. I just meant that I know you'll get through this."
John just gave him a nod and a shrug, and left.
Hank dropped back into his seat, wrenched his glasses off and threw them aside with a frustrated sigh.
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*twitch* Oh man. I. Blah, can't think of anything to say.
John! *sob*
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guys, how can you do this?! no! :(
*cries*
i seriously can't believe this. seriously! :|
poor john!! poor kitty!
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Like Johnnie said, how could you do this to our dear John!!!?!?! I'm... I don't know. I don't know what to say, other than "NOOOOOOO!!"
I feel really sad now!
POOR JOHN!!!! *huggles him* :'(
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Sigh.
I'm really interested where you're going to take this.
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As am I :/
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Aw, you're really mean! Poor John. Oh dear.
Crap. :(
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Oh. OH. I see what you're doing here. Jen, if you're doing what I think you're doing, you're even more [that word] then you already are.