XXXV - Truth
Chloe hated being there. No matter how much time passed since that day she had to bring Rachel, bleeding to death after the girl had been stabbed trying to protect her 'deer frozen in the headlights' self from that Merrick jackass, Chloe still hated to be in the hospital. Still she would not leave the place, not while the occupant of this room hadn't been discharged.
David had brought them here, driving the family hatch back, the car he used now and then when his muscle car had come with a glitch, while Chloe rode on the back seat holding the still unconscious Max. It had felt strange to hear the man trying to reassure her, but in the end, she had been grateful. The man's presence had kept her from breaking up as she saw how pale, how weak, how broken Max looked.
It really had been like Victoria had said. In just two days, Max had really become only a shadow of herself, a zombie. Of all the things she had imagined, she never had thought Max would simply decay so fast. Just as she hadn't thought her PTSD was so bad as to make the girl hallucinate. She wasn't sure of that last part, but she couldn't find any other explanation for seeing Max calling her while reaching away from her, as if talking to a ghost.
It can't be just the shooting... Something else must have happened during those five years. Something that keeps haunting her.
Chloe softly kissed the hand she was holding tightly in hers. She sat by the hospital bed, leaning forward with her elbows resting on the mattress. In front of her laid Maxine Caulfield, brought to the emergencies to be patched up again. Chloe felt tears building in her eyes again as she watched over her friend.
She looks so fragile, so exhausted... God I hate seeing her like this.
It had been hours since they had arrived. Night had gone by and the early light of the morning sun was starting to peak out the window. Chloe had not left the side of the bed all night. She knew she had to be there when Max woke up, or the girl would never really come back from whatever nightmare she had been lost into. She had argued herself blue with the nurses when they had tried to kick her out after the visiting hours were over. The medical staff even asking a cop to come and remove her. Lucky for her Officer Berry had just looked at Chloe's face and told the nurse to let her be.
Price 1, Mean Nurse 0!
She had caught a short sleep during the night though, head on the mattress as she sat in the chair; although now her neck and back were sore. She reached out to brush on Max' pink bangs softly, glad to see that her friend had finally caught a nightmare less night.
The door opened, and she turned her head slightly, seeing the doctor entering. "Hi, doc."
The man froze a moment, frowning as he hadn't expected to see anyone in the room. "Oh, Ms. Price... didn't know you would be there," he looked at the clock on the wall, "three good hours before visitor's hours." He said quirking an eyebrow.
Chloe shrugged as she resumed her watch over Max. "Never been good with time... Ask Blackwell..."
The man shook his head and walked to the opposite side of the bed as she checked Max' charts.
"How's she?" Chloe asked softly eyes back to staring at Max' body, watching her chest rise and fall slowly with her breathing.
"Better, I'd say... Fever's down too. I guess all she needs now is rest." He pondered a moment before he asked. "No trouble during the night?"
Chloe shook her head. "Not this time. I guess she's just too tired to even dream."
The physician just nodded softly. He started to head for the door when Chloe's voice came out. "Doc? What she ... did... Will it... cause her troubles?"
The doctor paused and looked at Chloe. "Physically, the cut was not that deep, so no, just a small scar that's all. For the rest..." he sighed softly, "I'll have to see once she wakes up, maybe have one of the psy talk to her too. But even if all seems good, I think she should consult anyway, at least to talk and sort things out."
Chloe nodded as she whispers a bit to herself. "I'll try to convince her..."
As the doctor left, Chloe heard her phone ping. She moved one hand away from Max and pulled out her mobile from her pocket, checking the messages.
Victoria: How is Max?
Victoria: Not that I care, I'm asking for Kate.
Chloe: oh?
Chloe: you surrendered your crown to her?
Victoria: fuck you!
Victoria: also, Kate is worried.
Victoria: news about Max?
Chloe: Beauty been sleeping for over 15h
Chloe: Not even waking up for kisses.
Victoria: let her rest.
Chloe: yeah
Chloe: And... Thanks for talking sense into me yesterday
Victoria: Well my hand's already broken, not like I'd get it worse by knocking your empty head till your brain cell wakes up!
Chloe: Fuck you Dicktoria.
She sighed as she ended the discussion. She still didn't really like the blonde, but she had to admit the girl had actually cared.
Don't mean I got to like her!
She pursed her lips and decided to send a group message to Kate, Dana, Steph and Warren.
Chloe: hi guys! Max is all good. Peacefully sleeping and resting.
She pondered a moment and decided to add another message to Steph.
Chloe: Can you see with Thunder and Carrie if I can move their appointment later this week.
Chloe: I'd like to stay with Max.
Steph: Ok, will do.
Steph: Take care of Max. And kiss her for me.
Chloe: KEEP YOUR LIPS OFF MY GIRL.
Chloe: but will do.
A lulling warm softly brought her out of cozy darkness and she blinked, wincing at the bright light burning her eyes as she slowly opened them. Max felt groggy, still a bit fuzzy, but also rested like she hadn't felt in over a month. She felt a soft brush on the skin of her hand, warmth radiating through her skin. She slowly parted her lips, her tongue trying to moisten them as her mouth felt dry.
Her voice was soft and a tad raw as she left out her first sound. "Chloe?" she whispered softly.
"I'm here Max! I'm here." Max felt a squeeze on her hand as the voice responded sweetly with a hint of worry mixed with relief.
Max relaxed as she heard Chloe's voice. Slowly, her mind began to wake, to work, thought slowly taking speed, like the blade of a helicopter rotor slowly taking RPM when the engine starts. Max' eyes wandered slowly, recognizing the all too familiar sight of a hospital room. She was in a different room than before, without all the expensive monitors. Her wheelchair and crutches were resting in a corner by the window. To her right, holding her uninjured hand tightly in her hands, the bluenette sat pressing her cheek to Max's skin.
Max felt something wet drop on the back of her hand and she looked down feeling ashamed. "I am sorry Chloe..."
Chloe pressed the hand closer to her cheek as she leaned slightly her voice soft as she asked. "Why? Why did you..." her voice choked up not being able to even word what Max had done to herself.
Max looked at Chloe, her eyes tearing up as her voice sadly spoke. "You were dead, Chloe..."
Chloe shook her head softly. "It was just a nightmare Max. I never died. You saved me remember?"
Max shook her head. "I saw you die so many times Chloe... so many times... I failed to protect you so many times... I just ... I just couldn't keep on Chloe... I wanted to be with you again..."
Chloe moved a hand cupping Max' cheek, making her thumb wipe her tears. "It was all dreams, Max... You ran a fever, you were tired... hungry..." She softly caressed the freckled face trying to comfort Max. "You just had bad dreams..."
Max turned her head away. "You don't understand." She said flatly. "No one can."
Chloe sighed, trying to catch her anger before it blurted out. "Then make me understand, Max... Explain to me!" She reached to pull on Max' chin so that she could look at the girl's eye. "You always kept everything to yourself, Max... Your nightmares, your feelings... Tell me, Max! Tell me why your nightmares are so bad! Tell me why you sometimes seem to drift in another world! Tell me why you get suddenly angry or upset!" Her voice slowly started to shiver as all the questions, the frustration started to pour out. "I really want to help you, Max... Really want to protect you. But I can't if I don't know what's going on... Please!" She gave a soft squeeze on Max' hand.
Max bit her lip for a moment, trying to balance her fear of losing Chloe's trust and her fear of scaring the girl away. "You... You would not believe me, Chloe... I barely believe it..."
Chloe looked at Max' eyes intently. "Max. You're my best friend! You're my only real friend! Of course, I'll believe you!"
Max looked at her friend hesitantly, trying to gauge how serious she was. She was about to shake her head when Chloe seemed feel her mistrust. "You can have me walk the plank if I make you think I don't believe you!"
Max felt the corner of her lips curled at the reminder of their youth, of happier time. She sighed closing her eyes, swallowed a couple time as she searched for the right words to say.
"Chloe... I ... I can travel through time." Her voice was unsure, and she winced waiting for Chloe to laugh and mock her. The room was silent, Chloe not saying anything. Max shyly opened her eyes, glancing at her friend to find her looking at her as if trying to read her mind.
"You... You're not messing with me, are you? You're not high... You're really telling me the truth?" The surprise and disbelief at the seriousness of Max' voice and face coupled with the enormity of what the girl had revealed, was heavy in the blue-haired girl.
Max sighed and rolled her eyes. "I knew you would not believe me! I..."
Chloe reached and put a hand on Max lips interrupting her as she started to get upset. "Max, I believe you! It's just... " The punk paused and shook her head. "Tell me everything Max, the whole story."
Max pursed her lips, still doubtful about her friend. Do I really want to tell her? She'll freak!
Her hesitation must have been visible because Chloe moved her hand to her cheek cupping her face softly. "Maximilian, please! Tell me! Help me understand!"
Max nodded weakly. "It... I dunno how it really started, or where the power came from... I had a strange dream while in ... Mr. Jefferson's class the day you got shot."
Chloe leaned back as Max started to tell the story. "You mean the day we got shot, right?"
Max shook her head. "Yes and no... Chloe, please listen and it may be clearer." She took a deep breath. "I had this strange dream, I was by the lighthouse and giant tornado was obliterating Arcadia Bay, destroying everything, killing everyone. It felt so real, Chloe, I could feel the rain, the wind, the electricity in the air. I thought it was reality, until I woke up. I was in class, feeling lost... confused... So, after the bell, I went to the bathroom to splash some water on my face... I saw a strange blue butterfly and I took its picture... That's when Nathan entered the room. I was surprised seeing a boy in the girl's room. And he was ranting, sounding like a lunatic. So... I hid behind the stalls... And then, you came in... I didn't know it was you, though... I heard you argue and he pulled a gun... You tried to shove him away..."
Chloe interrupted. "And you jumped between us as the shot went."
Max groaned. "Chloe, stop! Don't interrupt me and listen please!"
Chloe frowned a moment the story so close to her memories. "But-"
"He shot you, Chloe! You and only you!" Max said raising her voice, anguish in her throat. "You fell on the floor, dead! He killed you, Chloe!"
Chloe was about to say something, and Max raised her free hand in a silent demand for her to stop. "He killed you, and I was so horrified to see a girl die that I came from behind the stall and I reached. I think I was trying to reach so I could help, but instead, I found myself back in the classroom, just after my dream... The class went exactly the same, Chloe. Exactly! The same words, the same bullying from Victoria to Kate, the same pen falling on the floor... That's how I understood I had gone back in time..." The corner of her lips twitched. "So... I ..."
Max told Chloe everything. Every details of the lost week. How she saved her in the bathroom. How Chloe saved her when Nathan attacked her in the parking lot after she had reported him. How they had fled the school to go to her room and how she had protected her from David. She told her of the labors she had done to prove the Chloe in the other timeline that she really could rewind time, of the events in the junkyard and how Chloe shot herself when Max had told her to shoot the bumper. She told of their encounter with Frank and how Chloe and he fought over Rachel's bracelet, how Frank had pulled a knife and how she had pulled the trigger of a gun on him for Chloe, even if the gun was empty. She told of their discussion on the railroad tracks, of how Chloe's foot got caught in the needles of the points as a trained arrived; of how she saved her friend but also of how she had failed and heard the bloodcurdling scream as Chloe called her name. She told of how when she got back to school, Kate had tried to commit suicide, and how she had managed to save her even if her power had failed. She told her of when they broke into the school, the swimming pool, the sleepover and the kiss. "It was that night and morning I realized I still loved you, Chloe..."
She told Chloe of their investigation, of how they broke in Frank's RV, how they found out about him and Rachel. She told of how Chloe had reacted, spitting anger dropping her at school breaking her heart, and that she had found out she could travel through pictures by returning to the day William died. She told her of the alternative timeline, where William lived, and Chloe was broken. Of the request Chloe made and Max had finally caved in and done.
"I saved William, Chloe, I wanted you to have him back, but instead, I hurt you! And... And... You were suffering so much! You made me kill you, Chloe! I couldn't go with that! I had to... I had to let him go! I had to set things right!" Max had started to cry, her voice broken by sobs as tears poured from her eyes as she tried to apologize over and over for not having been able to save William.
Chloe leaned and hugged her tight, tears in her punk eyes as she felt the sadness of losing her dad again after hearing of him being alive and the pain in her friend who failed in saving him.
After a moment, Max took a deep breath, stifling the sobs as she continued. She explained how they finally put all the pieces together, taking the files from David, breaking into Nathan's room, getting info from Frank. She told her how they found the dark room, found Rachel and how Chloe went after Nathan. She felt her heart tighten as she recollected of the message from Nathan, their run to the junkyard and how Jefferson tricked them, drugging her and killing Chloe. She stumbled, her voice shivering and her free hand moving to rub her wrist as she quickly went over the event in the dark room, not giving details as she wanted to get it over quickly. She explained how she escaped by photo jumping, how she gave a tip to David that had Jefferson arrested, how she won the Everyday Hero contest only to get called by Chloe when the tornado she thought she had stopped came and destroyed everything, killing Chloe too. She told how she came back, destroying her contest picture, how she ended up in the Dark room again, how David saved her, how he broke down and killed Jefferson when he found out Chloe was dead, how she got back in time again to convince Chloe to stop chasing Nathan and to go to David, how it allowed the arrest of Jefferson, but that the Tornado still came. She told of her nightmare when she collapsed on the beach, how she woke up with Chloe by the lighthouse and how she had the most difficult discussion of her life.
"I didn't want to do it, but you insisted, you told me I had to return back to the bathroom, to let you die! Oh Dog, Chloe! I really thought about ripping that picture, but I saw how sad you were at the thought of losing your mom, of losing David... I ... I thought you would hate me, I thought I'd hate myself for causing the death of so many people. I didn't know what to do and you kept telling me to go back... That you had all you ever wanted with me coming back for you during those 5 days. We... Kissed... And I felt so much love, and so much sadness... I was weak... I was so weak, and I did as you asked... I went back to the bathroom... I... I was about to let you die Chloe! But I couldn't. Just as I felt I couldn't live with killing all these people, I just couldn't live without you! So... When you were about get shot, I ... stopped time and I came in front of you... I decided that if someone had to die, it had to be me, Chloe! Because either way I would have died in the end, either shot or killing myself." The tears that had built up during the story came crashing down with all the anguish. Max pulled her hand away from Chloe's, pressing her face in her palms. "I love you so fucking much, Chloe... And I thought you loved me too... I ... I thought you would still have the feelings of the Chloe I abandoned at the lighthouse...But... But... You didn't... And you cut me off... I know you probably hate me even more now, Chloe... I-"
Max felt the air chocked out of her as two arms suddenly got wrapped around her tightly. She could hear Chloe's sobs as the girl held. "Fuck Max! I ... I can't believe you went through all this and held so long, Max... I would have stopped functioning so long ago! God Max! And you did all this for me... To save me! And you did save me!" The girl leaned back releasing Max as she raised her hand cupping the pinkette's face. She sobbed loudly as she looked into Max' eyes, getting drowned in them. "I don't hate you, Max... I... I love you! I love you so much I'd rather never see you than see you hurt again!"
Max felt her lips trembling as her friend held her head, she saw the pain and the love in the big blue eyes and she felt herself melt, felt all the walls around her pain, her anguish, her fears collapsed. She wailed softly her body relaxing. The next thing she was conscious of were the warmth of Chloe's breath and the softness of her lips as the punk leant forward and kissed her.
A/N:
First sorry for being late. I know I said I'd post this chapter yesterday, but I was so tired I crashed as soon as I got off work.
Anyway, here is Chapter 35 where Max tell the truth about her power and all. I only put the first reactions from Chloe, more will come in the next chapter as the shock slowly wears off. And when they get up for air.
I had quite a hard time with the discussion actually. I knew what I wanted, how I wanted it to go. But somehow I couldn't get it right most of the time. So some parts got removed, some added, some twisted... And voilà!
Guess in the end I'm not really the deep discussion kind of person so ... it's hard to write them. (might have made a mistake when I choose to write that fanfic given that LIS is mostly that!)
More seriously, I have hit the 100 follower with this story, 35 chapters and over 125k words... for something I started just to actually pour my dreams, my wishes for a better end to LiS and other stuff that kept me from feeling at ease, I think it got pretty impressive. Especially if I trust your reviews!
I'll keep going I wanna finish the story and I'm curious how things will go for our protagonists. (no I don't yet know all of it !)
Next weeks will be slow. I'm going on a trip and will be away from wednesday to the following wednesday. I'll try to post at least 1 chapter before leaving though.
Have fun with this new chapter and stay tune for the next episode.