Disclaimer: It all begins to James Patterson, obviously

I'm so sorry this is late! I could give excuse, but I doubt you people care. Sorry!

Fang POV

I walk over to the den. I've got no idea why Dylan's calling me, but Max's asleep so I've got nothing better to do.

Wait no, scratch that. Most likely anything else would be better, but I have a feeling Blondie's gonna be mad if I blow him off.

I walk into the room- the empty room- and sit down. You'd think that if he was going to order me to meet him, he wouldn't be late, but that's Dylan for you.

About a minute and a half later, he steps into the room. I glance him up and down. Grey t-shirt, jean, messy hair. I suppose that's a good thing, if he came to fight he'd probably wear something more protective.

Blondie clears his throat. "Fang," he says.

I raise my hand, calling out "Here!"

He gives me a glare. Well, he should've been clearer if he wasn't calling role. "Look, enough with the sarcasm. This is serious. Max…"

I sit up straight. Especially with what just happened between us, Max is my top priority. "What?" I demand.

His blue eyes find my black ones, and he says quitely "She's dying."

I feel as if he's hit me-hard. "She-no!" I croak. "She's getting better! I swear, she just woke up-"

"Look, Fang, you don't have to convince me. But Dr. M talked to me, and she is. They might be able to save her, though, by making it worse. Well, worse enough to make her… barf up the poison inside her."

I take a deep breath. Than another, and another. This can't be happening. Max… I can still smell her on me, the way we held each other just a bit ago. I already thought I lost her once in the last 48 hours. I'm not going to let it happen for real. "Alright," I say slowly. "What can we- what can I do? To help, I mean."

Dylan sighs. "Dr. M said for them to go on with the operation, we both have to agree. That we want her to have it."

I cock an eyebrow. "Why on earth wouldn't we?"

"Apparently if it doesn't work, Max could be in a lot of pain. Well, actually, it'll probably be that way even if it does."

"Okay, well, whatever. This is Max, she can handle pain. Better than dying, anyway. I say yes, do it."

He nods. "Agreed."

We stand up to leave, and I murmur under my breath, "For once."

24 hours later

Max POV

The world is black around, the exact opposite of when Angel came to me. Pain surrounds me, and I call out in a hopeless way. My stomach, it's on fire. I twist in agony. But as I do so, the fire on my abdomen spreads. My world erupts, and I-

Someone's shaking my shoulders. I burst out of dreamworld to see Fang hovering above me with a worried expression. "You alright, Max?" he asks.

Behind him, Nudge is standing there, biting her nails nervously. For Nudge, beauty obsessor (at least for the Flock's standards), to be biting her nails, things must be bad. Iggy's there as well, but the Gasman must be off annoying nurses. I almost worry- that's only five Flock members accountable- before I remember about Angel.

It's so weird to see the Flock at a hospital. Besides the whole shebang with "Nick", aka Fang, being gravely hurt, we've never gone to hospitals. We don't fit in with the clean walls and constructed rules and doctors.

But sometimes we have no choice.

Fang's still waiting for an answer, and I can't make things worse, so I say "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Iggy comes around the bed and sits down. How he manages not to trip on the millions of cords is a mystery to me. I couldn't, coming in, and I'm not even blind.

"Um, because you've been barfing up your guts for the last ten hours?" He asks.

I groan, and roll over. My stomach churns, and I know that was a mistake. "Don't even go there. I really don't want to remember."

Dylan chooses that moment to walk into the hospital room. It's funny the effect he has on us. Fang instantly tightens up, and a crease appears between Iggy's eyes. Nudge, on the other hand, seems to relax. Me, well, I don't really know how to act around him anymore. Not now that Fang and I are- I snort inwardly at that thought line. My Dylan confusion has existed long before Fang and I made up.

Dylan walks up, puts his hands on the railing at the end of the bed, and leans forwards. "Are you feeling good?" he asks, ever concerned.

Funnily enough, considering he asked pretty much the same thing, Fang says, "Obviously not. She's in the fricking hospital, Blondie." Blondie, I think, amused despite myself.

Dylan tenses up, and replies without looking at him. "I was just making sure things hadn't gotten worse, Sunshine."

Nudge giggles, which is exactly what I'm trying not to do. "You two have bromance names now?" She says, though it's hard to understand her through her laughter.

Both guys' heads swivel towards her, and they both shake their heads slowly. They both also stop shaking their heads when they realize the other one is. God, they are alike. I wonder if they'll ever admit it.

It's then my stomach begins to lurch again, and I double over in pain.

I suppose good things can only last so long.