And here we are with part two!  Ok, I'm sure everyone who's read the other
parts knows just how much I appreciate Duann, Lynx and Junkmail, so we'll skip
that.  =D  So, here's a public apology instead: Lynx, I'm sorry my computer
keeps eating your emails and makes you have to read the same part twice! I
won't do it again!  Promise!  =D 
-Brooke
Standard disclaimers apply.  If you want to archive, ask.  Feedback is
appreciated/begged for!  =D
Running Blind
2/?

	
	Apparently, Jean sensed the turmoil in Cable's head.  She began revising her
earlier statements.
	'Nate, I'm sorry.  I realize that probably seemed abrupt.  It isn't anything
life threatening, but you should still be here when she comes around.  She'll
be confused and-'
	Cable flinched, remembering Domino's fear of doctors.  Once, after an
especially violent scene, he had actually tried to trace her fear back.  He had
sat there for hours, remembering each and every time Domino had seen a doctor. 
And the answer surprised him: Every time he could recall Dom seeing a doctor,
she had been jittery...nervous.  It didn’t matter whether it was a broken arm
or just a routine vaccination.  Her mouth would always be set in a hard line
and her muscles would be tense.  He could point out the things that had made it
worse.  Domino’s experience with Gryaznova and her time as Tolli- *Tyler’s* 
prisoner certainly couldn’t have made it any easier, but he believed this fear
had started in her childhood.  One more thing he didn’t know about her…that
he’d never bothered to ask her about.
	'I understand, Jean.'
	Cable didn't pause as he rushed toward Hank's lab.  He tried to pump Jean 
for information, but she refused, claiming Hank could explain it better.  This
disturbed him.  If Dom was fine, why all the secrecy?  Cable tried to open the
psi-link.   It was still there, Domino lacked the skill to totally sever it. 
However, he couldn’t sense anything.  Even  if she were asleep, he should have
gotten something.  So, either Jean or someone had shielded her, or she was in a
drug induced sleep.  Maybe both.
	A chill ran up Cable’s spine.  ‘Oh, babe,’ he thought, ‘What have they done 
to you?’
	When Cable reached McCoy's lab, he didn't bother with greetings.  He didn't
check to see who was in the room.  He simply walked over to Hank, turned him
around, and growled, "What the hell is going on here?"
	To his credit, Hank didn't flinch.  He placed his clipboard on the table,
pushed up his glasses and sighed.	"Jean, would you mind getting Nathan a
cup of coffee?" Then, he took a deep breath and motioned for Cable to sit down.
Cable obliged, then glanced around the room as Hank was preparing his speech.
	Scott was there, along with Jean.  Cable assumed that Hank had called his
parents there for moral support.  Or maybe Jean had psi-scanned Dom.  Either
way, their presence was comforting.  To his surprise, Cable also saw Wolverine,
reclined in a chair and playing with an unlit cigar.  Hank would occasionally
dart annoyed glances at Logan's cigar, but refrained from comment.  Cable
struggled to understand why he was there, then he remembered.  Domino was
probably the first of Logan's surrogate daughters and, Cable believed, his
favorite.
	Even as Cable thought this, he had doubts.  He remembered the few times he 
had seen Logan around Kitty and even Jubilee.   They had both greeted him warmly,
and he had responded in kind.  Domino, no matter what she felt, was more
reserved.  And, of course,  Jubilee and Kitty had both kept in contact with
him, as opposed to Domino, whose contact with him had been sporadic.  No, she
might be the one who had learned the most from him, and he might feel more
connection and pride with her, but she couldn’t be his favorite.  
	‘Poor little girl,’ he thought, ‘Can’t seem to be first with anyone.’  Then 
he flinched, as the truth of what he was saying hit home.  
	"Ahem."  Cable looked up at Hank, who wore a pleasant, yet clinical,
expression.  "I suppose you want the story from the beginning?"  Cable nodded. 
"Well, about two hours ago, Domino staggered into my lab and promptly
collapsed.  I still don't understand where the injuries came from, however it
is my theory that, due to the assortment of cuts and bruises and the condition
of her armor,  in addition to-"
	Logan cut him off gruffly.  "He thinks someone used Neena for a punching bag."
	Hank looked taken aback, but then nodded.  "Yes, that's my theory.  Many
thanks, Logan, for phrasing it so concisely."
This was something Cable could deal with.  He didn’t like feeling useless.  He
switched into soldier mode.  "Someone beat her?  When?  Was there anything that
seemed unus-"
Jean gave him the equivalent of a telepathic kick on the shin.
‘Hush, Nate.  That isn’t important now.  What’s important is her condtition,’
she chided.
‘You’re right, I guess,’ Cable conceded.  ‘But as soon as she’s conscious…’ He
trailed off.  
Hank, seeing that he once again had his captive audience’s undivided attention,
took a deep breath and continued.
"Anyhow, she wasn't in the best condition, yet nothing is life threatening.  I
cleaned out the cuts, and stitched up a couple... fairly routine.  She'll be
stiff for a few days, but what can one expect?  However, my chief concern is
the head injury."
Cable looked up sharply.  Jean placed his coffee in front of him and laid a
comforting hand on his shoulder.  Hank hurried to finish his statement, hoping
to keep Cable from overreacting to this.
	"Now, there's no brain damage.  The monitors are picking up normal brain
activity, and Jean did a gentle surface scan and found no damage.  However,
someone nailed her but good," Hank said, changing his tone in an attempt to
lighten the situation.  An unsuccessful attempt.  He picked up a lecturing
tone.  "Now, most people don't realize what the brain controls.  In addition to
memory and conscious thought, which are fine, the brain controls many body
functions, including part of the heart, and it also interprets and identifies
stimuli on the senses.  Taste, hearing, etc..."
	"McCoy, spit it out," Cable said.
	"All bodily functions are fine... good heartbeat, steady breathing, etc. 
However, the blow to her head could cause damage to her senses.  I can’t tell
you whether or not there will be any sensory impairment at this point.  Domino
is, as you can see, unconscious.  She isn’t processing or responding to
stimuli.  And in regard to her somewhat vague luck power…" Hank trailed off,
trying to find the right phrasing.  "I’m not certain as to whether or not her
luck power would work as something of a healing factor, or even a defense
mechanism.  But even if it didn’t, any loss of sight, hearing, etc...would be…"
Hank frowned, his desire to be honest fighting his pity for Cable.  He then
shook his head and corrected himself, "should be temporary."
	"How long?"
	"Could be a week, could be a year.  There’s a very, very slim chance it 
might last a lifetime.  However, even if this isn’t something that would go down
naturally, we do have the most advanced medical equipment in the universe at
our disposal."
	Cable didn’t want to admit there might be something wrong, and he certainly
didn’t want to acknowledge that his independent partner could be impaired for
the rest of her life.  ‘But,’ he thought to himself, ‘If anything is wrong, I’m
going to be there for her as long as she needs me.  She deserves that much.’ 
He was shocked at the way that he wanted to protect her, to take care of her. 
He hadn’t felt this way about her after he rescued her from Tolliver, or after
the that Gryaznova bitch had messed with her.  But this?  For once, Cable was
thinking about her as a person, a woman, someone who might need him, instead of
as a self-sufficient soldier.  That frightened him.  He tried to push those
feelings down, until he could analyze them later.  He continued questioning
McCoy.
"When will you know?" Cable asked.
	"When she wakes up.  We've kept her on sedatives pending your arrival.  We
felt that a familiar face might help, if she does experience a loss of senses. 
We'll go in now and I'll stop the IV and she should come around in a few
minutes.  Come along, Nathan."
	Cable followed numbly.  Despite Hank's reassurances that her injuries weren't
serious, the sight of his partner shocked him.  As Hank tinkered with various
machines, Cable walked over and sat down by her bed.  He took a deep breath and
brushed some raven hair off her face.  She looked...fragile.  No cockiness, no
false bravado, no smart remarks.  She looked vulnerable.  And the bruises on
her pale body didn't help her.
	A wave of guilt threatened to overwhelm him.  This was his fault!  Even though
they’d been having problems, she had been willing to swallow her pride and ask
for his help.  All those years should have meant something, he should have told
Ororo to wait, and found out what she had wanted to talk to him about. Instead,
he’d basically chosen Ororo over her, and Dom had taken off on her own.  He
swallowed and tried to take in the sight clinically.
	Her body armor had several tears in it, indicating that she'd put up a hell 
of a fight.  He also noticed that someone had taken the weapons, hidden and
obvious, out of her armor.  A distant part of him noted that whoever did this
either knew Domino or had a lot of experience in this.  Cable was incline to
believe the former.  Dom was one of the best, and she was unpredictable.  She
shouldn’t have been that easily trapped.  He continued his inventory of his
partner’s injuries.  Her pale skin made the dark bruises stand out more, and
she had several cuts on her body.  There was a gauze pad taped just below her
hairline, indicating that she had required stitches there. 	
	He picked up one of her hands, surprised at how fragile it truly was.  He 
sat like that for a long time, until she finally stirred.  She let out a low moan,
and attempted to sit up before opening her eyes.  She started to go back, but
Cable put a supporting arm around her.  
	"Dom, can you hear me?" he asked, hoping she could hear him.  Hoping there 
was nothing seriously wrong.
	"Yeah, Nate... I’m not deaf," she said.  Her voice was rough.  Hoarse.  
Cable vaguely wondered if it was from lack of use or if Hank had put a tube in 
her throat for some reason.  Slowly, she began to open her eyes, preparing to
shield them against the lights. She opened her eyes, blinked several times,
then rubbed them.  Hank was still hovering over her, just out of arm's reach.  
	"I-" she looked around, then in Nate's direction.  Not at him...in his
direction.  Nathan saw that those beautiful violet eyes were hazy and
unfocused.  But he tried to deny it...he told himself that she was getting used
to the bright lights.
	"Yeah, Dom?"  ‘NO!’ his mind screamed.  ‘It can’t be! I won’t let it.’
	But, even though he was the Askani’son, even though he was one of the most
powerful psis on the planet, even though he was the leader of one of the most
powerful mutant strike forces, he wasn’t a god.  He had his limits.  And in the
end, those limits forced him to stand by while he watched his best friend’s
world fall apart.
	Domino still hadn’t answered.  He tried again.
	"Dom, is anything wrong?"
	A long silence.  Jean laid her hand on his shoulder, Hank put his clipboard
down.  Still no answer.  Scott stood against a wall with his arms across his
chest and Logan had crossed the room to stand by Domino’s bed.  Just as Cable
was getting ready to ask again, she broke the silence.
	"I...I can't see."