Hello everyone, how are you all doing? :) So, yes, this is my first General Hospital fanfic so I'm not entirely sure how this is going to be, but I do hope it's good and that you all enjoy! I absolutely adore Nathan and Maxie together and I just want them to be together already! Haha :)
So, this fanfic is slightly AU, taking place of the episode of where Nathan and Maxie were supposed to have their date. However, I twisted it a bit, made it my own, and hopefully it's good! Sorry it's a bit long and I don't know how I entirely feel about the ending, but the idea came to me and I just had to write it. Please, enjoy and thanks for reading! :)
Please comment/review and let me know what you think of it. I would greatly appreciate it and all opinions/thoughts/feedback are welcomed and encouraged!
I OWN NOTHING; I DO NOT OWN GENERAL HOSPITAL.
"Savior"
. . .
Glancing down at his cell phone, like he has been for the last hour and a half, he can't help the disappointed sigh that spills from his lips. He shakes his head and shoves his phone back in his jacket pocket as he stands up. There's no point in sitting there any longer – he had no messages or missed calls and as much as he wished to continue denying it, he realizes now he has to face the heart clenching fact.
She is not coming.
A part of him has been hoping that she would come strolling out of the elevator in designer high heels, wearing a beautiful dress that would hug and enhance each perfect curve of her body. She would have her hair pinned up in a fancy "up-do", removing all the hair from her face so he could clearly see those big crystal blue eyes that would blink innocently at him through her incredulously long eyelashes. She would spot him waiting for her and she would smile brightly at him with her perfect smile matching well along with her stunning appearance.
However, none of that happened or will it happen tonight or any other night. She made herself clear. She isn't ready to move on from Levi, not after everything that has happened, especially to her, and she wasn't sure she could trust herself yet. She needs some time; she needs some time to adjust and get her life back together like the way it used to be before Levi ruined it – before he ruined her.
He just couldn't leave it alone. He had to keep pushing her to go out with him tonight, assuring her how he is different, extremely different, from Levi and how he would never hurt her. He had to keep urging her to come to the Metro Court tonight on this date with him and give him a shot. He should have accepted her feelings when she poured them out to him, telling him that she does care about him, but she simply isn't ready, not yet.
Instead, he told her he would be at the Metro Court, waiting for her to come and if she didn't, then he knew her definite answer. That wasn't fair to her, to put her on the spot like that, but he did it anyways. He wanted to be with her so bad and instead of understanding her declined answer, he goes out making a fool out of himself.
She is absolutely right, when he comes to think about it. He doesn't know himself, not really, anyways, and if he doesn't know himself, how is it fair to ask her to give him a chance? She doesn't deserve to be hurt again and if he was ever the reason she was hurt…
Nathan shakes the thoughts out of his head and pushes his chair in. He pulls out his cell phone one last time, praying that she would just call, saying she is running late, but she is still coming. When he sees, still, that there are no messages of any sort, the reality finally sinks in.
While he had been waiting for her to come, he had been having internal conflicts with himself. A part of him wanted to stay in denial, believing she would eventually come, wanting this date to happen and wanting them to work, but at the same time, another part of him just knew she wasn't coming. She may believe he is a good guy all she wants, she simply isn't ready to move on with him.
"Is everything alright, sir?" The same waiter that has been coming every now and then, filling up his water and flashing him a sympathetic smile, asks Nathan with a sad sparkle in his eye. He has been watching the man for a while now, seeing the disappointed look plastered on his face that his "date" did not showed up. He feels bad for young man and he certainly knows the feeling of being stood-up, considering it happened to him plenty of times.
Snapping out of his trance, he looks at the waiter and forces a small smile to spread across his face, "Yeah… yeah, everything's good. I'm going to just head out. Thanks for everything, man." He pulls out a few bills and hands the money to the waiter, "I appreciate it."
"I-" The waiter goes to apologize to Nathan for being stood-up, but then he decides against it. It isn't any of his business. Instead, he nods his head and offers the detective another sad smile, "Thank you."
"Have a good night." Nathan mutters before heading to the elevator with his cell phone clenched in his hand. He presses the button and in mere seconds, the doors open up, and the detective walks into the elevator. The doors shut behind him and he leans his head against the wall, allowing his eyes to fall shut until he reaches the main floor.
She didn't come. It was either she came and they could possibly be something more than just "friends", or she didn't come and that would be the end. Although he wants more, so, so much more, she doesn't and that's it.
That, then, is the end of him and Maxie.
-X-X-X-
The elevator doors slowly slide open and Maxie almost sprints out, her eyes frantically searching the restaurant. She bites down on her bottom lip as she clenches onto her pink hand purse.
She doesn't see Nathan anywhere and a dreading feeling courses through her body as her stomach twists into a painful knot. She slowly walks further into the restaurant, hoping that she would spot him somewhere in between the crowds of people at either the bar or sitting down, enjoying their delicious meal.
He couldn't have left already. Although yes, she may be a bit late – or extremely late at that – but he said he would wait for her. Except, how long had she kept him waiting and just how long did he wait for her?
Or, perhaps he is simply in the bathroom? That is definitely a possibility. Unless he figured she would never come and decided not to bother coming to the Metro Court at all. Maybe he got caught up in work?
"Um, can I help you, ma'am?" A waiter's voice breaks her away from her thoughts as he stands directly in front of her, his head slightly tilt to the side and with a raised eyebrow.
Maxie simply blinks at him. She opens and closes her mouth multiple times, not entirely sure what to say. After a few moments go by, she shakes her head and clears her throat. "Actually, I am hoping you, um, can. Have you seen a tall and good-looking guy? Well, good-looking is an understatement, really."
She glances down at the floor and laughs, "He is actually beyond good-looking. I mean, he has an amazing body – and I only know that because he is always working out in the apartment and usually always shirtless! Anyways, he is tall, dark, handsome, and he has some stubble on his face, not too much of that facial hair, thankfully. He has like a tough look to him, but he is incredibly sweet and then there are those eyes… Oh, those eyes are such a crystal, cerulean blue, which is so his favorite color, by the way. He is well built and-"
"Um, ma'am-"
"Well, anyways, you see, he asked me out on this date. I just got out of a sort of 'relationship', a bad one, too, and I wasn't sure if I should go out with him or not. So, I said no and I told him I couldn't and that I wasn't ready, but he was really… what's the word?"
"Persuasive?" The waiter offers with a sigh, "Listen-"
"Yes! Persuasive! And he was being so sweet and understanding… I just wasn't sure. So, he gave me this alternative. He would still come here, to the Metro Court, tonight and wait for me. If I showed, we would try this whole dating thing out, but if I didn't… he would leave and take the hint that we would never happen. I really wasn't sure and I having been thinking about this all day, but I finally decided that I should do it. I know I could trust him and I… I do like him. I think I'm too late so I'm really hoping I'm not, so, can you tell me if you've seen Nathan?"
The waiter blinks at her a few times, trying to process everything she said while speaking in a rapid speed. He shakes his head, "I'm sorry, but he actually just left not too long ago."
The hopeful smile that graces her perfect lips falls immediately and she takes a shaky step back, "What? He… left?"
"He waited here for quite some time and I was the one who actually served him, poured him some water, nothing major, but he waited. He watched the elevator doors for a while until a small while ago when he finally decided to leave. I felt bad for him."
"I can't believe it." She breathes out as she sits down on a nearby chair, "I was too late."
"You could try to give him a call. He looked disappointed when you didn't show up. Maybe he didn't get too far and he could still come back?" The waiter smiles sadly at her, feeling truly sorry for the two people.
"Excuse me." He says gently as he hurries off to another table that needed his assistance, leaving Maxie by herself, in a deep trance.
"I was too late… I ruined whatever chance I had with him. I ruined everything, again." She mutters as she covers her face with her hands, "I'm such an idiot."
She left him waiting for her for hours and she didn't even bother to send him a simple text or give him a call? She left him waiting and he waited patiently for her, until he finally decided to give up.
He has been there for her countless of times, has saved her in more ways than one, and this is how she repays him. He didn't deserve that and she, honestly, doesn't deserve him.
Tears sting at her eyes, begging to escape, but she keeps them at bay. "I am so sorry, Nathan."
-X-X-X-
A heavy sigh escapes his mouth as he drives back to the apartment, wanting to forget this night ever occurred. He doesn't regret going to the Metro Court, though. He would always give her that extra chance to change her mind, but he isn't going to lie to himself either – it hurt more than he ever thought it would imagine that she didn't show up.
He turns the steering wheel with one hand as his other hand combs through his hair. So many thoughts are plaguing his mind at once, almost driving him insane. He just doesn't want to think about it anymore, just wanting to get on with this night and forget the awful feeling of rejection.
Nathan knows Maxie likes him and that she has some sort of feelings for him, but she obviously doesn't want to pursue them and at this point, it seems nothing he could do with change that.
It's not fair that all those horrible things happened to Maxie. She has been through enough, but no, Levi Dunkleman or Peter Harrell or whoever the hell he is just had to screw with her mind. He just had to hurt her and ultimately damage her. He preyed on an innocent woman who simply wanted to get her life back together and he hurt her the worst way possible.
He clenches his jaw at the mere thought of that lowlife and he could feel his blood boiling in his veins. That bastard destroyed Maxie and he was going to kill her with a satanic grin plastered on his face with a sinister look glittering in his soulless eyes.
"Damn it!" He punches the steering wheel and huffs, beyond frustrated. "That sick bastard." He mutters under his breath as he presses his foot down on the pedal, picking up the speed with his car flying down the road.
Nathan squints, attempting to see the road better, but it's hard to see through the darkness. He sighs tiredly, now just wanting to make it to his bed and fall into a blissful sleep.
The silence in the car is interrupted when he hears his phone vibrate in his pocket. He takes one hand off the steering wheel to pull it out, but before he could see who it is, he hits a bump and the phone slides right out of his hand, falling somewhere under his car seat.
"Great." He mumbles as he tries to reach it, but can't find it. "Where'd it g-" He stops himself when he is blinded by the bright lights shining directly in his eyes from an oncoming car, which happens to be on the wrong side of the road.
His eyes widen with alarm as he tries to steer out of the way, but from the looks of it, the other car is swerving, meaning either they lost control of their car or they are drunk.
Most likely the latter of the two.
Nathan hits his horn repeatedly to warn the other car, but the car comes directly at his in full speed. Going too fast himself, he isn't able to come to an immediate stop and the road isn't wide enough to swerve out of the way.
He attempts to swerve out of the way as best as he possibly could, but it's to no avail. The car comes straight at him and everything happens next comes by in a quick, painful, blur.
The other car slams right into the driver's side of Nathan's car, sending his car spinning rapidly and wildly. Nathan's screams rip from his throat, but then comes to an abrupt stop when his head smashes into the window hard enough, knocking him unconscious immediately at the impact with a stream of blood pouring down the side of his head.
While the other car quickly speeds off, Nathan's car loses complete control, spinning right into the rusty, iron bar that follows along on the sides of the streets and highways. The railings stop the car from moving, bringing it to a sudden stop, with a cloud of steaming smoke rising from the car into the sky.
Nathan's body was thrown forward during the impact, his head now resting limply against the steering wheel. His breathing has tremendously decreased and his eyes are closed with his mouth slightly agape.
A deep gash spreads across his forehead with the crimson liquid gradually making its way down his face. The cut on the side of his head bleeds as well, with pieces of glass deep within the cut when the windows and windshield shattered from the crash.
With the other car long gone, Nathan unconsciously sits in his car, losing, by far, too much blood, alone, helplessly. There are no other cars on the street, no one knowing that the detective is clinging onto a thin thread of life, his breathing becoming less and less.
-X-X-X-
"This is Detective Nathan West. Sorry I couldn't answer the phone right now, but please leave your name and number and I'll be sure to give you a call. If it's an emergency, please call 911."
"Voicemail… unbelievable." Maxie shakes her head as she shoves her cell phone back in her purse and starts the engine of her car. How could he not answer? Was he busy, hurt, asleep? Maybe he just didn't want to talk to her since she practically stood him up.
"I completely messed this up." She breathes out with a tired sigh, "Why did I have to screw this up? One of the last few good things in my life, I just completely let go."
He pulls out of the Metro Court parking lot and begins to head back to Mac and Felicia's house, just wanting this night to be over and done with. "I can't believe it. He must hate me."
He could never hate her; she pretty much knows that, but still. If only she would have stayed in Port Charles, never met Levi, and just stayed with Nathan. Everything would have done differently, probably perfectly.
"I am such a horrible person." She mumbles under her breath, hating herself for leaving Nathan all by himself, waiting and hoping she would come.
Now, what is she supposed to say to him when she sees him next? She eventually came and he wasn't there? That would just be a slap in the face. But what is she supposed to do?
Again, just wanting this night to be over with, she speeds down the streets. She tries her best to keep a clear mind, but it constantly returns right back to the charming detective.
She squints her eyes to see better through the darkness of the night. She always hated driving in the dark – she could never see a thing. There are barely any streetlights, but people wonder why there are so many car accidents.
"Can't see a thing." She mutters quietly before cursing under her breath how dark it is right now. Seriously, what would it take for them to add more lights on the streets? It's unbelievable.
She keeps the radio off, enjoying the silence that is absorbed in the car. However, the blissful silence doesn't help keep her mind occupied and stop her from thinking about Nathan, it only makes her think about him more.
Maxie goes to turn up the radio, wanting to just forget everything, but that's when she spots a hint of smoke in the air. She squints her eyes even more and slows down – a dreading feeling settling into stomach.
"What the…?" Her car comes to a slow stop a few feet back from where the smoke is coming from and she cautiously opens her car door. She gingerly picks up her purse and holds it tightly to her chest as she climbs out of the car.
Everything is pitch black with thick clouds gradually coming together in the sky, hiding away the glowing moon and shining stars. The cold air presses against Maxie's skin, sending shivers down her spine, and she could simply tell that a storm is approaching.
She takes each step towards the smoke cautiously and slowly, not entirely sure what is she walking into. She sucks in a deep breath and calls out shakily, "Hello?"
With only being greeted with a deafening silence, she bites down on her lip and continues to make her way until her eyes finally land on a car smashed into the metal railing with heavy, thick smoke rising from the vehicle.
"Oh my God." She breathes out, standing perfectly still for a few moments, shocked. She quickly whips her head back and forth, frantically seeing if there are any cars coming, but there is none. She's alone.
Snapping herself out of it, she races to the driver's side of the car and the second her eyes land on the figure sitting there unconsciously, all the color drains from her face and her blood freeze in her veins.
"Oh my God, Nathan!" She screams, dropping her purse as her hands fly to her mouth that hangs open. How did this happen? Where's the other car? They just left Nathan alone like this? Did anyone even call 911?
"D-Don't worry, Nathan, I'm going to get you out of here." She whispers as she tries to open the door, to no avail, however. "I promise." She adds, determination quickly settling in.
She grips the handle with both hands and tries pulling it open, but it's stuck. A frustrated huff leaves her as she tries kicking the door, "Why… won't… you… OPEN!" Her hands slip from the handle, sending her flying backwards and falling right on her bum.
Quickly climbing back on her feet, she glances at Nathan and her eyes linger on each cut on his face. She could already see the bruises beginning to line his face while blood streams down; pieces of glass almost everywhere.
Fear starts to erupt inside of her and she feels as if all the air has been sucked right out of her. She hastily grabs her purse off the floor and her hand immediately dives inside, searching for her cell phone. Her eyes never leaving Nathan's bloody face.
When her hand clenches her phone, she quickly pulls it out and dials 911, all while praying that he isn't too badly hurt and he could still hold on until help arrives.
"911 – What is your emergency?"
"Oh! I- I need someone to send help right away! My friend, he needs help, like, now! He got into some car wreck, the other car drove off I think, and my friend… he's hurt. I need you to send help!"
Her stomach twists and turns with anxiety, still not even sure if Nathan is breathing or not, almost too afraid to check for his pulse. After quickly giving the officer their location, she hangs up, dropping her purse and phone to the floor. Her full attention back on the detective.
With two shaky fingers, she extends her arm through the broken window and presses them against his neck. She squeezes her eyes shut and holds her breath as she checks for a pulse. She doesn't feel one for a while and she continues to search for one, not in a million years giving up on him.
"Come on…" She mutters under her breath, "Where are you?" She peeks an eye open when her fingers finally touch where his pulse is supposed to be and, for a split second, she could have sworn there was none, but, right as she is about to pull away, she feels the faint beat.
She lets out a breathless laugh, relief flowing throughout her body for that mere second, beyond thankful that he is alive. He's alive.
But barely.
"Come on, Nathan, stay with me." She gingerly says, on the verge of breaking into tears. "You saved me, you know that? In so many ways you saved me so now… just let me save you. You just have to stay with me. Help is on the way."
And help is certainly taking its sweet ass time getting here.
Just as she opens her mouth, he stirs, and she freezes. She doesn't move and she holds in her breath, afraid that the slightest bit of movement on her part will make him slip back into unconsciousness. She watches with wary eyes as all of his muscles tense, his head stirs a small fraction, and she could slightly see his eyeballs moving beneath his eyelids, fighting their way open.
"Nathan," She calmly tries, one of her hands gently cupping his bruised cheek while the other clenches at her side, "Nathan, can you hear me? Come on, Nathan, I need you to wake up. Please, wake up."
His mouth opens, then closes. His head is spinning; his brain feels as if it is trying to bang its way out of his skull, almost as if it is a caged animal hungering to leave its cage. He couldn't feel anything from his shoulders down; everything just feeling numb while his head suffered all the severe pain the rest of his body should also be enduring.
"Okay, okay, you don't have to talk, just… just open your eyes!" She could see how hard it is for him to get the words out of his mouth. The words are begging to come out, but his body is protesting against him. "Just look at me with those amazing eyes of yours, okay?"
He is fighting, that much she could tell. His face scrunches and twists in pain and she isn't sure how much longer he will stay somewhat conscious.
Where the hell is the ambulance?
It takes a few minutes, but after a while, Nathan opens his eyes halfway, the blueness and warmth usually in his eyes replaced with grey and pain. He looks at Maxie for a good few moments, his tired eyes connecting with her concerned ones, but it doesn't last long.
The detective opens his mouth, attempting to say her name, but his eyes suddenly roll to the back of his head and his head rolls forward, his words becoming lost along with his conscious state.
"No! Nathan!" Maxie cries just as she hears the loud sounds of sirens pull up near them, the ambulance finally arriving along with the police and fire trucks.
She tries to stay at Nathan's side the entire time, not wanting to leave his injured side, but the firefighters push her aside so they have room to work on opening the jammed door, paramedics right by their side, ready to grab Nathan the second the car door is removed.
Maxie watches the scene play out in front of her though, her eyes never leaving his face for a split second. She bites down on her bottom lip, hard enough for it to draw blood. The anxiety is eating at her, making her dig her nails deep into her skin.
Come on, Nathan. Just hold on a bit longer. Just… hold on. She could feel a small tear escape her left eye as it trails down her cheek, fear consuming her. The firefighters manage to get the door open with a small bit of difficulty and then the paramedics immediately take over.
As they pull Nathan's body onto the waiting stretcher, Maxie could faintly hear one of the paramedics mumble to another, "He's not breathing." Whatever she said after that, she doesn't hear, just those three words now replaying in her head, haunting her thoughts and feeding the growing fear.
-X-X-X-
"How is he doing? Lulu comes to stand by her best friend, handing her a cup of steaming coffee. "Any news?"
Shaking her head, the blonde sighs, her eyes not being able to meet her friend's concerned gaze, "Nothing yet." Her head then snaps up, "Ugh! What is taking so damn long?"
"I'm sure the doctors are doing whatever they can, Maxie." Dante says with a small smile, hoping to try to calm Maxie just the slightest, "Just try to relax."
"Yeah, easy for you to say, Dante. You didn't see what Nathan looked like in that accident! God, he looked… and then I heard the nurse say he wasn't breathing and-"
"And," Lulu cuts her off quickly, placing one of her hands on Maxie's shoulder as she holds onto her coffee cup with the other, "you know nothing yet so don't jump to any conclusions. Okay?"
Slumping back in her chair in the waiting room of General Hospital, she stares down at her coffee, her mind wandering off and the bad feeling lurking inside of her only increasing by each dreading second.
"Maxie?" Lulu tries, but receives no response, "Maxie… Maxie!"
"What?!"
Lulu points to Maxie's now leaking cup, "Stop digging your nails into the Styrofoam! You squeezed the life out of it and now you put a whole in the cup."
Looking down at her cup, she realizes that she ripped open a small hole in her cup, now making it leak onto the floor. "Ugh! Damn it." She quickly gets up and rushes over to the trash can, shoving it in the garbage. She runs her hands through her hair furiously before throwing her arms up, all patience lost. "I can't take it, Lulu! I need to know if he's okay and I need a damn doctor to tell me how he's doing!"
"Here is a doctor for you, sorry for the wait." A young woman stands beside Maxie, her emerald eyes flickering between Maxie, Lulu, and Dante. "I am Nathan West doctor – Doctor Evelina Palmer, and you are all here for him, correct?"
"Yes! How is he? Is he okay?" Maxie anxiously asks, her hands wringing themselves together.
"He's stable, to put it lightly." The Doctor starts slowly, "It wasn't easy though, mind you. My staff and I had trouble stabilizing him. He lost a tremendous amount of blood and that was what we had most of the difficulty. We lost him a few times from blood lost and the severe head trauma led to him having several seizures." She glances down at her chart, scanning over her notes, "Yes and he had a few broken ribs, fractured left shoulder, and his left wrist is sprained."
Taking off her glasses and sliding them into the pocket on the inside of her white coat, she looks back up at the three of them. "He had several injuries, as you could tell from what I already told you. Those were the main injuries; of course, there are cuts and bruises here and there on him. He did, also, have to have twenty-two stitches on his head, five going around his left eye, and eight on his left side. His left side dealt with most of the impact of the accident and, as you could tell, it took most of the brutal injuries."
"I think I'm going to be sick." Maxie mumbles under her breath, falling back into her chair, "I can't believe this. Poor Nathan…"
"But he's okay, right, Doc?" Dante asks, wanting the doctor to give them some positive news beside the long list of dreading and brutal injuries.
Doctor Palmer pauses for a moment, licking her lips, as she thinks about the question. Maxie is pretty sure she is about to pass or freak out if she doesn't near anything good in the next minute. "He is recovering now nicely, but he needs to take it easy. I mean it. There can be no sudden movements or anything like that. He needs to take it easy, needs to relax, and needs lots of rest. His head suffered the worst and quite frankly, I was expecting him to slip into a coma while I was trying to control the bleeding."
"But… he's okay. Please, just say he's okay." Maxie whispers, fear twisting within her words, "He'll be just fine, right?" She just needs a yes or no answer. She doesn't want to hear anything else, just a confirmation that he will be fine or a simple, hard "no".
"Yes," The Doctor says after a moment, "yes, Nathan West will be fine." She watches the relief wash over their faces, but she then quickly adds, "If he does what he is told, though. He will be having major headaches and he could possibly black out if he isn't careful. He just needs loads of rest and in a matter of weeks, he will be as good as new."
"Thank you so much, Doctor." Lulu smiles sweetly, nodding her head, "And we could see him?"
"Yes, but only one at a time for now. He is awake, groggy, but doing well so far. He is right down that hall on the first left." She points in the direction of the room before adding, "If there are any problems, please, feel free to contact me. Now, if you don't mind, another patient is waiting for me." With that said, Doctor Palmer walks away, leaving the three of them alone.
"Hey, you go see him first. Dante and I'll wait out here, okay?" Lulu smiles at her best friend, urging her to go on ahead while they stayed behind in the waiting room.
-X-X-X-
She has absolutely no idea what she expects to see when she opens the door. Her hand clenches onto the cold handle, hesitating whether or not she should open it. Is Nathan going to be lying there, bloody and battered? Or all cleaned up, looking as if nothing ever happened? She wished, but she had a feeling the first of the two options is more likely.
Swallowing hard around the burning lump that has formed and grew stuck in her throat, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. He is okay. She couldn't even imagine what she would have done if he didn't make it.
Would he be mad at her for standing him up? Angry with her and wanting nothing else to do with her? She couldn't think straight and the anxiety erupting inside of her is not helping whatsoever.
"I could do this." She breathes out, attempting to shake out those invading and irritating thoughts. With that said, she turns the handle and pushes the door open. Her eyes immediately land on him, lying there, staring right back at her.
He stares directly at her, his expression emotionless for a few moments, as if he is almost shocked to see her actually standing there. Everything that happened to him prior to him waking up a few moments ago is still blurry and quite honestly, she is the last person he expected to see.
"Maxie," He says her name quietly, his voice rough and hoarse, "you're here."
She smiles at him, staying perfectly still right in the doorway of the hospital room. She nods her head, almost unsure what to say. "I'm here." She tucks a stray hair behind her ear, "Of course I'm here."
"I just… I – I don't know what to say, honestly." He chuckles a bit, but it quickly turns into a fit of violent coughs. With each cough that racks through his body, Maxie winces.
"How are you, um, feeling?" She raises an eyebrow, subconsciously rubbing at her upper left arm with her right hand.
"I'm…" His eyes gaze up at the hospital ceiling; not exactly sure what he is feeling at the moment, "I don't know." He looks back at her, "The painkillers are working, that's for sure, but my head still hurts."
"The doctor said you should need to take it easy and then you'll be good as new. Your head is going to hurt for a while though. Just don't overdo it, okay?" When he nods, she lets out a heavy sigh, "You really had me worried, you know that?"
"I-" He stops himself then, slightly remembering something. He vaguely remembers her being there after the accident, hearing her voice when he was slipping in and out of consciousness. "You were there with me… I remember your voice, I think."
"Wait, you do?" Her eyes light up, glad he is remembering something of the accident.
"Well…" He shrugs his injured shoulder subconsciously, which he immediately regrets afterwards when a sharp pain shoots through his body. He clenches his jaw and closes his eyes for a brief moment, waiting for the pain to bypass. When he recovers, he looks back at her with a cheeky grin, "Well, your voice isn't something you could really forget."
"Hey! Shut it and just be thankful I was there." She smirks, finally taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "You look awful, you know." She was just joking, but after that comment, she really takes in Nathan's condition and she feels like she is going to be sick.
Bruises are scattered along his body with multiple cuts here and there on his skin. Although the nurses cleaned up most of the blood, his dark hair is stained with a tint of red and dried blood is still visible around some of his cuts, mostly on his face. The stitches near his eye and on his head stick out the most to her and she could just feel the vomit climbing up her throat.
Thick, white bandages wrap around his fractured shoulder and sprained wrist and heavy bandages are wrapped firmly around his abdomen and chest area. And, although she tries to ignore it, she could see the dried blood that stained already through most of the bandages.
And, despite it all, he still manages to smile.
He mocks a surprised expression as an eyebrow shoots up. However, instead of commenting on that, his eyes look her up and down and he literally could feel all the air be suck right out of him. "You, Maxie Jones, look absolutely beautiful."
She almost forgot she was still wearing her tight fitted dress and designer high heels, although by now most of her makeup is smudged and her hair is down and messy.
"Wait a minute…" The pieces gradually piece themselves together, realization striking him, hard. "You're dressed up and you were at the accident… were you-?"
She stops him there, "I am so, so sorry, Nathan. God, if I would have just listened to myself and went to the stupid Metro Court in the first place, none of this would have happened."
"Maxie-"
"No, Nathan, it's true! I left you waiting for God only knows how long and I couldn't even bother to send you a text! I could have called or something, but nope, I chose to be my selfish self and leave you there, wondering if I would show up or not." She sighs, her voice softening, "You didn't deserve that. And now look at you! You're in a hospital bed badly injured and-"
"And it's my fault for pushing you. You told me you weren't ready and especially after everything that happened… it's my fault, Maxie, not yours. You can't possibly blame yourself." He extends his arm then, reaching out for her hand, and quickly taking it into his hand. He looks her straight in the eyes and strokes her knuckles with his thumb, "It was just some drunk, I think, and that is, in no way shape or form, your fault. You hear me?"
"I just feel so horrible, Nathan. I mean, look at you!" Her voice cracks at the end and that's when it finally, truly hits her. She could have lost him. For good. Of course, the thought crossed her mind, especially seeing him unconscious in the car and hearing the nurse say she was losing him. Just now, seeing him, that scary thought is really coming down on her.
"Yeah, look at me! I'm fine. Perfectly fine and that's thanks to you, Maxie. You came to my rescue. See, you were my savior tonight." He grins at her, only half teasing.
"I'm not giving up on us." She says with a smile, inching her way closer to him, now sitting right next to him on the bed. She glances down into his eyes, immediately becoming lost in those crystal eyes. Oh, is she glad to see the blueness and warmth back in those irises.
"Good because I never stopped." He winks at her, "Now, ready to bust me out of here?" He begins to sit up, only to grunt from the immense amount of pain that racks throughout his body, making him feel like he is on fire; his muscles burning and protesting with each forced movement. He winces and sinks back into the bed, screwing his eyes shut and praying for the pain to pass, quickly.
Rolling her eyes, she shakes her head at him, laughing, "Yeah, right. You're not moving from this spot for a while now and neither am I, got that?"
He raises one of his arms to run his fingers through her soft hair, smiling up at her, something sparkling in his eyes. "Fine by me as long as you're here."
"Good," Maxie grins, sliding off her heels, and getting comfortable on the bed beside Nathan, "because I'm not going anywhere." She rests her head on his good shoulder and drapes her arm across his chest, snuggling up against him.
"Thank you again, Maxie." He whispers to her, his gaze never being able to disconnect from her face. She looks so, so beautiful and she is going to give him a chance – give them a chance. Everything's perfect. So damn perfect.
She looks up at him, a wide smile gracing her face, his facial expression mirroring hers. Instead of saying anything else, she strains her neck up until her lips meet his own in a gentle, but needed, kiss.
-X-X-X-
"I wonder what they're talking about. You think everything's okay?" Lulu glances over her shoulder at her husband, a concern look crossing her features.
He nods and shrugs a shoulder as the two of them approach Nathan's hospital room, the door closed. "Yeah, I'm sure everything's good. Maxie's probably just talking off his ear."
"Hey!" She slaps Dante's shoulder playfully, grinning up at him, "Not nice."
Putting his arms up defensively, he chuckles, "What? She tends on doing that, a lot, actually."
"Oh, stop. I'm sure they're talking about what they are going to do next considering their relationship or maybe she's just fussing over him." She stops right in front of the door, turning to face her husband with a raised eyebrow, "Maybe she broke him out."
Dante runs a hand through his hair, sighing, "Now that is a high possibility. There is no way Nathan is going to stay here for a few days, not happening. I guarantee you he will be fighting to come back to work probably tomorrow."
"And then Anna will have the lovely Doctor Liesl Obrecht at her office door, demanding that her son needs his 'rest' and she is 'endangering' her son." Lulu rolls her eyes, the hatred for the woman becoming very clear in her tone.
"That's all we would need." Dante mutters under his breath, turning the doorknob and pushing the door open. "Hey, guys-" He stops midsentence when he sees the sight in front of him, the last thing he would have expected. "Uh, Lulu…?"
"What? What is it?" She quickly rushes into the room, alarmed at first, before her eyes settle on the Maxie and Nathan. "Oh."
Curled up into Nathan's "good" side, Maxie is fast asleep, her head resting on his shoulder with her hair falling in front of her face. Nathan is sleeping with his arm around her waist and with his cheek resting on the top of her head, looking uncomfortable for his neck, but the smile on his face doesn't go unnoticed.
The world could fall apart in that instant and all chaos could break out into society, but nothing would be able to pull these two apart. And, despite it all, they would die happily in each other's arms.
"Come on," Dante slides Lulu's hand into his and he begins to tug her out of the room, "we'll come back later."
"They're so cute together." She whispers, staring at her best friend and smiling at the peaceful look gracing her features as she sleeps. "They really are perfect together, aren't they?"
He smiles at her and nods his head, completely agreeing. He always had a feeling that Nathan would find a way to Maxie and he did. He's happy for his partner – for his friend.
Walking out of the hospital room hand-in-hand, Lulu quietly shuts the door behind her, not wanting to wake them up after such a long, tiring night. She couldn't be happier for the two of them. Things are finally looking up after all the chaos they had suffered through and endured.
They deserve some happiness and finally, after a long wait and after climbing through numerous obstacles to get there, they finally have that happiness. Nathan and Maxie finally have each other and, by the looks of it, neither of them are giving up on each other anytime soon.