i don't own maximum ride. james patterson does.
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I woke up once again to the sound of beeping monitors, but this time it wasn't my heart they were monitoring. It was Nick's. I sat up looking around. Nick was propped up eating scrambled eggs off a tray.

"Morning." I mumbled sitting up.

"Morning Max, hungry?"

"Food would be good." I said yawning. He pushed a button signaling a nurse. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap." He put a fork full off eggs in his mouth. "Better," he said after swallowing. "But still pretty bad. You?"

"Major headache, but other than that I'm good." I yawned again, wanting to sleep more, but with food on the way...

"They said you could leave, right?"

"Um, yeah."

"Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Are you leaving?"

"I haven't thought about it. I don't have classes today-" There was a knock on the door and a nurse stepped in.

"What do you need?" She asked sweetly. "Oh, goody your friend is up." she said waving at me.

"Can we get another breakfast tray?"

"Sure, I'll be back in a flash." She said smiling. Someone had lots of coffee this morning.

"What time is it?" I asked as Nick put another fork of eggs in his mouth. He just shrugged scooping more eggs in his mouth. There was a second knock on the door and the nurse stepped in carrying a tray like Nick's.

"Do either of you know a Dylan?" Dylan was here? Again?

"Yes," I said reaching for the tray she was holding out. "I know Dylan."

"He wants to see you." She said winking, and I swear I heard Nick chuckle.

"Sure." I placed the untouched tray down and walked to the door. I made sure the nurse was looking the other way and I slapped Nick upside the head, just as he was putting a fork full of eggs into his mouth. He coughed and scrabbled eggs flew everywhere. "Don't choke." I said walking out the door.

"Hey Max." Dylan stood up from the bench, the one he was sitting on last night.

"You look like hell." I said and my hand flew to my mouth. "Sorry, that wasn't out loud was it?"

"Well, I couldn't sleep. I needed to make sure you were okay. Nick too."

"We're fine. They might let Nick come home today."

"Oh, that's good." There was and awkward silence. "Can you leave?"

"I guess so." Where was this going?

"Wanna go get breakfast or something?"

"Actually a nurse brought me breakfast." I thought about my tray of scrambled eggs sitting in the room getting cold. My stomach rumbled.

"Oh, I have to go anyway, school."

"I'll call you tomorrow." I said as he turned to leave.

"You don't have to, if you're still here or something-"

"I'll call you tomorrow." I said. "If I'm still here maybe you can come back and we can have lunch in the cafeteria."

"Sure, it's a date." He smiled and left, leaving me standing in the hallway. Stunned.

Me, on a date? Maybe he was talking about a date just as friends. I slowly opened the door to Nick's room.

"Hey," he said looking up from a book, his empty tray abandoned on the table next to him. Where did he get a book? I shook my head trying to clear it. "You okay?" He didn't miss a thing.

"Yeah," I said a little to quickly.

"Max," he put the book down and gave me that don't-give-me-that-crap look only best friends can use.

"The whole Dylan thing is a little weird."

"Which part?"

"We might have a lunch date tomorrow. That's weird. I met him, when, yesterday? It's just too fast."

"Why did you agree?'' Stupid smart kid logic.

"I didn't agree. I said I would call him tomorrow and maybe we could have lunch-"

"So this is self conflicted weirdness."

"Well, yes, I mean no. I said we could go eat lunch in the cafe and he said, 'sure, it's a date.' and left!"

"So," he said, folding his hands in his lap and staring at nothing in particular, looking very smart, before beginning again. "So, this can only mean one thing."

"What?"

"Maxie has a boyfriend! Maxie has a boyfriend! Maxie has a boyfriend!" He sang.

"No I do not!" I yelled back, throwing a pillow at him. He easily blocked it, just as a doctor walked in.

"Is everything okay in here?" He asked, concerned at my pillow throwing. "Nicholas is there a problem?"

"No everything is fine." The doctor looked at me over his glasses.

"Every thing's great." I said.

"Yeah tomorrow her boy-" I threw a second pillow at Nick and this time he didn't block it, he watched it miss him by about six inches. But at least he shut up.

"There will be no pillow throwing in here Ms." The doctor's expression was between amusement and annoyance.

"Sorry." I said as the door closed. "What was that all about?"

"They said they would be coming in and out all day. Just to check up."

"Oh," My phone buzzed on the small table that Nick put his book on. I picked it up, and looked at the caller ID. Please don't let it be Dylan. I thought I flipped the phone over I saw a picture of Iggy filling the front screen. I flipped it open, "Yeah?"

"Hey Max," Iggy said. "I was wondering if you wanted a ride home."

"I think I'm going to stay." Nick had picked up his book again, but he didn't look like he was reading it.

"I thought you were going to say that, so I thought I would bring over some entertainment."

"Huh?" Just then the nurse walked it holding a brown leather laptop bag.

"Max? This was dropped off at the front desk for you."

"Um, thanks." I said taking the bag and she left the room.

"You got it?"

"Your laptop?"

"Yes." He sounded like there was more to it. I was quiet. Iggy never ever in a million years let me touch his laptop and here his is having it deliverd to Nick's hospital room. "Max, what is on my laptop?"

"Your illegal movies."

"You're welcome." He said hanging up.

"What's that?"

"Iggy's laptop."