Clearing the Air
Chapter 1
Blowing into Logan's apartment Max looked mad. "Okay! I'm here. What do you want? I've got to get back to work Logan." She said, as she flopped down on his big soft sofa in her usual carefree manner. "You know you have other people, say Asha maybe, that could do some of this or Bling even; why me all the time? I know I said I'd assist, but Jesus Christ, I'm not your personal soldier! I have a life, a job, and some type of social life!" Max said winding down her exasperation. Looking as if she suddenly let the cat out of the bag when she saw Logan's face, she curled up for a tongue lashing.
"Good morning to you too. I wouldn't have bothered to call you, but this is right up your alley is why," Logan retaliated.
"Okay. Spill. What is it now?" Max said in a somber mood. "And when?"
"Well, tonight. As soon as you can get the information, I can bust this money laundering deal up. Do a hack in the morning and have it over with." Logan said, trying not to sound hurt from Max's previous words. "Then I'll leave you to your ... your glamorous life."
"Good. Sounds like a deal. Gotta blaze. Be back tonight to get the exact location, kay?" Max said bouncing up from the comfy sofa. Swaying past Logan in his wheelchair, she didn't notice the deep breath he took every time she gave that sexy walk in front of him.
As soon as he heard the door slam his heart started beating again, it seems. Why do I always do that to myself, he thought. Then it occurred to him, she didn't say when she would be here. "Oh shit," Logan said out loud. He headed for the phone and dialed her pager. Then sat waiting for Max to call back. In his excitement to hear Max's voice again, he hadn't heard the door opening or the dismantling of his alarm.
The slender figure quietly walked up to Logan and carefully placed her hand on his shoulder. Logan jumped turning around and grabbing his heart and said, "Shit, Asha!! How did you get in ... never mind?" He said, trying to calm down from the heart attack, she had just given him. He had forgotten he had given her a key when Max had died. Everything had gone in circles when Max came back from the dead. Trying to find a cure so that he and Max could be together.
"I'm sorry. I assumed you heard me." She said, as she bent down to console him with a hug. She just knew he would see her if she kept hanging around and popping up.
Unbeknownst to them Max had come in, since Logan had just paged her again. "Is that what you paged me for?" Max yelled shooting fire from her eyes.
"Max! No!" Logan yelled as he pushed Asha aside wheeling toward Max.
"You can fucking forget it! Get another puppet on your string; I'm outta here!" Max yelled and slammed the door as she left.
Bling was coming to the elevator from the parking garage when he ran into Max. "Whoa whoa. What's wrong Max," he asked as he saw her face and eyes. There were tears streaming down the beautiful face of his friend.
"Nothing! I'm late for work." Max whaled. She got on her bicycle before Bling had a chance to talk anymore to her.
Running now to the elevator, Bling was wondering what the hell Logan had done now. He hadn't seen Max so upset or even crying for that matter. 'It must be a doosey if she is that upset,' he thought. He reached the penthouse and came in to witness Logan and Asha arguing at the top of their lungs.
"Shit! What's going on in here?!? Bling shouted. Asha and Logan turned around started on Bling explaining what was going on. "Hold it! Hold it! One at a time!! He said exasperated at the people around him. His calm demur was quickly coming undone. "Shut up, both of you!!" He said madly putting up his hand to both of them. "Logan, you want to go first?" He said regaining his cool.
"Asha scared ... Max came in and ..." Logan exasperatedly tried to say and gave a death glare to Asha.
Asha jumped at the chance to tell her side of the story. "Well, she came in unannounced and she saw me hugging Logan ... after ... I scared him."
"You did that deliberately, Asha. I want my damn key back now for the fourth time!!" Logan said as he raised his voice.
"And I asked you why?" Asha said fuming at the mention of the key again.
"Asha give him his key, now!" Bling exclaimed. "Logan, you need to exercise in your exo now. Get some anger out on your therapy." He was trying to referee but his thoughts were still on Max.
"Here!" Asha said madly and gave a big pout to Bling as she shoved the key at him.
As Logan started wheeling to his bedroom, Asha started following him. "Where do you think you're going, missy?" Bling said as he stopped the blond.
"I'm gonna take a shower, if you don't mind," she said as she yanked her arm loose from Bling's hold.
Logan hearing what Asha had said turned around and said, " Asha, you can forget about using my shower; go use your own!" Then he wheeled in his bedroom and closed the door with a slam.
Asha looked furious at Bling and then to Logan's back. She stormed to the sofa, grabbed her backpack and coat, and then stomped out the door, slamming it as she went.
"Oh boy!" Bling said as he was rubbing his face in exhaustion. He fell to the sofa to calm his nerves.
While back on the streets of Seattle, a lonely and miserable Max made her way to her apartment. 'I'm not going back to work; I can't.' She told herself. She just wanted to loose herself on her baby. She stripped out of Jam Pony gear and put her other street clothes on and with her bike, she headed no where in particular. She was cruising down the street letting the wind blow all of her thoughts away not paying attention to anything in particular and suddenly she saw Cindy on her bicycle heading her way. She tried to swerve to miss her and wound up hitting an abandoned car. This in turn flipped Max and her bike into on coming traffic.
Cindy getting off of the ground looked at the mad house and called out, "I got it. I'm callin an ambulance. Stay cool everyone." She had no intension of calling anyone except Logan. She as quickly as possible limped and cursing went to a near by pay phone and called Logan.
At Logan's apartment, Logan came a little bit calmer out of his bedroom as the phone began to ring. Bling being near by answered it and was listening.
"Bling, who is it?" Logan asked curiously.
Bling listened to the caller and the blood ran right out of his face. "Where are you Cindy? You didn't call anyone; did ya? Good. We'll be right there!" Bling said nervously.
Who ... What's happening, Bling?" Logan said as he ran down the hall to his friend.
Bling said one word that sent chills up and down Logan's spine. "Max." Both the men rushed to the elevator to the car.
"Get back everybody!! I know this woman and her ... hubby's a doc. So get out of the way." OC said franticly. She kept waving her hand trying to give Max space until Bling and Logan could get there.
Feeling of Max's pulse OC slightly smiled knowing that her boo was still among the living. She watched for any sign of the Aztec and finally she saw it coming. "Move it now. Her hubby's coming. Make way for the car. Come on move!!!" She shouted to the crowd.
Bling was honking as he tried to move the crowd to get to Max. Finally getting to the scene both of the men jumped out of the car and ran to Max's side.
Logan looked mortified at the site of the woman he loves. Bling on the other hand was looking over Max when a siren was heard in a distance. "Logan, get my table from the back that I put in the car." He said quickly.
Logan ran to the car and got the table then ran back to Bling. Both men lifted Max gently on the table and rushed to the back of the Aztec. Placed Max in it as Cindy got in back with her. Backing out of the crowd Bling yelled at Logan to call Beverly Shankar.
"Bling, you do it. I'm trying to weave through this crowd of idiots and trying to avoid the ambulance too." Logan said shouting back at Bling.
"Beverly, this is Bling. Ya hi. Listen we got Max and she's been in an accident. No, I don't know what happened. Yeah, we're taking her to ..."
"My apartment," Logan said hastily wanting to get Max looked at as quickly as possible.
"Logan's apartment. She has shallow breathing. Cindy, can you feel her pulse." Bling said as he was turning to Cindy.
"It's weak boo." Cindy said shaking at her words.
"Did you hear that Bev? Okay, see you there. Bye" Bling said.
Getting to Fogle Towers the men took Max followed by OC up to Logan's apartment. The three proceeded to get Max situated on Logan's bed as gently as possible. Logan was washing off the blood that was on Max's face and hands when Beverly came in the door.
"My God; what happened?" Beverly immediately asked.
"She was heading in my direction ... and I'm assuming she didn't see me till the last minute and ... she hit a parked car. Then she and her baby flew over it and landed in the middle of oncoming traffic. I don't know where my boo's mind was. She usually sees it all." Cindy said starting to cry over her boo.
Having put a sheet on Max with her clothes still on Beverly and Logan gently removed Max's leather jacket. Bling removed Max's boots and noticed her leg was broken. Telling the doctor that, Beverly quickly cut the leg of her jeans. She and Bling placed it in a splint temporarily.
Logan began unzipping Max's jeans slowly as not to hurt her. Bling gently lifted her and Logan pushed her jeans down over her slender and curvy hips. Rush of excitement went all over Logan at the site of Max.
"Um, I I'll go get some clean water and washcloths." Logan said suddenly. Beverly, Bling, and Cindy just stared at the retreating form and then looked at one another.
Cindy spoke to break the silence. "He has a thing for my boo."
"Oh. Okay. You mentioned 'baby' a while ago. Where is the little thing?" Beverly inquired. Bling and OC began to laugh.
Bling laughingly said, "That's Max's motorcycle."
"Oh." Beverly said.
Logan on returning with towels, washcloths, and clean water stared at what was becoming very visible Max's breast. He just gasped at the site of the perfectly rounded breast before him. He stood with the exo's help looking at the beauty in his bed. Helplessly he just stood there star struck.
"Logan, are you all right?" Bling asked in amusement. Giggles erupted from the two women trying to get Max undressed. Bling reached Logan shoved him gently out the door saying the doctor, Cindy, and himself could handle it.
Logan was moping about the living room and computer room. Final he went to his stereo system. Feeling lower than his normal CDs, he went to a western CD that his older cousin gave him saying listen to it when you find a woman you have feelings for. He found the song: Most Beautiful Girl in the World. He read the lyrics:
Hey, did you happen to see the most beautiful girl in the world?
And if you did, was she crying, crying?
Hey, if you happen to see the most beautiful girl that walked out on me
Tell her, "I'm sorry."
Tell her, "I need my baby."
Oh... Won't you tell her that I love her.
I woke up this morning and realized what I had done
I stood alone in the cold gray dawn
I knew I'd lost my morning sun
I lost my head and I said some things
Now come the heartaches that morning bring
I know I'm wrong and I couldn't see
I let my world slip away from me
So ...
Hey, did you happen to see the most beautiful girl in the world?
And if you did, was she crying, crying?
Hey, if you happen to see the most beautiful girl that walked out on me
Tell her, "I'm sorry."
Tell her, "I need my baby."
Oh... Won't you tell her that I love her.
After reading the lyrics, he played the CD. He stood at the window staring at the evening sun through the big picture window and thought of the tears in Max's eyes when Asha had her arms around him. The hurt on her face and in her eyes was forever burned into his brain. 'Stupid, stupid. Why didn't I see what Asha was doing! Why, why!' He thought chastising himself.
He was still chewing himself out when the CD began to play again when Bling walked up and tapped Logan on the shoulder. "I didn't know you listen to country and western." Bling said with a somber face.
"I I normally don't but ... My cousin sent it to me. Tony. A few years ago for some reason.
About that time the lyrics: Was she crying, crying? Bling squeezed Logan shoulder and said, "Yes, she was. Crying I mean."
"Oh god, Bling! What am I going to do? She thinks Asha and I are ..."
"I know, I know. She'll get over it ... Like the song says, "Tell her you're sorry and you love her. Bring some flowers to her or something." When Bling said that the song played:
Hey, did you happen to see the most beautiful girl in the world?
And if you did, was she crying, crying?
Hey, if you happen to see the most beautiful girl that walked out on me
Tell her, "I'm sorry."
Tell her, "I need my baby."
Oh... Won't you tell her that I love her.
Played again and Logan nodded his head and said only, "Yes." Then the song ended while the two stared at each other both remembering different scenes of Max crying and tears in her eyes. At that moment Logan knew what it was, he had to do.