Hi again, regular update schedule triumphs at last! I hope you all enjoyed the last, chapter, now onto this one. Strap in for some angst!
Max ran through the hospital, shaking, crying, unable to cope with how badly things had gone wrong. Everyone on the ward knew, everyone knew what he had tried to do... He couldn't bear to think about how Nikki and Neil would respond. How David...
Oh fuck.
He wasn't sure where he was going, but somehow, his feet took him to the rooftop. When he had been up here with Space Kid, it was quiet and peaceful. Now the street below was alive with sounds, people talking, car horns blaring, it was chaos. Max stood near the edge, shaking. It was all too much, and the height was beginning to make him feel dizzy.
"Max!" Came a voice he knew all too well. "Don't-"
"I'm not going to jump David!" Max cried. He clenched his fists. "I'm not a lunatic!"
David was silent for a few moment before replying.
"I know you're not. But I'd appreciate it if you came away from the edge, it's very old and it might crumble."
Max sighed, but took a few steps away from the edge. He heard David let out a relived sigh behind him. He took a deep breath before turning around.
"What do you want David?" He asked in a quiet voice.
"You're my patient." David answered approaching Max gently. "I, I wanted to know that you were OK." Max looked at the floor. "Especially after... Max I had no idea."
"I know." Max muttered. "I didn't want anyone to find out."
"Max, we can help you." David said softly. "I know your parents are... difficult, but we-"
"Oh for fuck's sake, just say it how it is!" Max interrupted, feeling his temper rising rapidly. "My parents suck!" He yelled. "They never cared about me! Definitely not after-" He cut himself off abruptly.
"After what?" David asked encouragingly. Max jammed his lips together and shook his head.
"I don't want to talk about it." He muttered.
David was close enough to Max now to put a hand on his shoulder, making the young boy look up. "Max, I know you don't want to. But maybe you should."
Max took in a shaky breath. "My parents hate me." He whispered. "They wouldn't stop, I couldn't, it was all so unbearable. And, and I know they blame me for what happened to my brother!"
David gasped sharply. "Max, you have a brother?"
Max sniffed furiously and wiped his eyes. "Not anymore." He said bitterly. "They always loved him more, he was the oldest, he was the one they wanted, I was just some split condom accident! And when he-" His voice cracked and he covered his face with his hands, not even trying to keep his tears on the inside anymore. David moved slowly closer. He tried putting a hand on Max's shoulder again to comfort him, but Max shook his head and brushed it aside.
"How did it happen?" David asked softly. Max grimaced.
"He got ill. Meningitis. He was in a hospital like this one, and my parents stepped out to go to the vending machine. When they got back... he was gone. I couldn't do anything, I just had to watch it happen." His voice shook and David's heart ached, ached for everything Max had gone through, ached because it felt so familiar.
"And they hated you because you couldn't do anything to save him?" David asked. Max nodded, still shaking all over.
"It really sucks because... because I kind of hate me too." He said. David didn't hesitate, he put a steady hand on Max's shoulder, and this time Max didn't brush it off, just turned and looked up at him.
"It wasn't your fault." He said sternly. "Whatever your parents have put you through, whatever they say, they are wrong! You are not to blame for what happened to your brother!"
Max looked up at him with wide eyes, shining with tears. David smiled softly.
"If it helps, I know exactly how you feel." He sighed. "I... I lost my brother too."
"You?" Max stammered. "Your brother, the guy in the photo-"
David nodded, smiling sadly. "Jasper. He was two years older than me and I thought the world of him. People said that I used to follow him around when I was little, back when I lived in a care home of course."
Max nodded, remembering that Doctor Campbell had adopted David. "He was there too?"
David sat down and, after a small coaxing hand gesture from David, Max sat down beside him.
"Maybe we're more alike than you think." David chuckled softly, his own eyes shining with tears now. "My parents, they weren't very good people either. I don't remember much, I was removed from the situation when I was only four, but I remember that my dad left before I really got the chance to remember him properly, and my mother... she never got over it."
"Was she mean to you?" Max asked quietly, sounding every bit the child he was. David bit his lip and nodded.
"I can't remember the specifics, but she used to shout a lot, and throw things. Back then I was too young to understand why she was so angry, and whenever she told me to shut up, I took it to heart. When I arrived in that care home, I would just sit in the corner and not speak to anyone. I didn't understand why everyone was being so nice to me." David grimaced suddenly. "Whenever I see a child arrive in my ward with the same attitude now, it hurts so much to know that I can't do anything other than be nice."
"You're ridiculously nice." Max mumbled with a small grin. David smiled softly back.
"Well, I have my reasons, as you can probably tell. Where was I, oh yes, my early childhood."
"I didn't ask for your whole sad backstory, David!"
David laughed. "Yes, but I've found that it's easier to open up to someone once you know their story." He said.
Max paused, then shook his head slightly. "When did you meet Jasper?"
"A few months after I arrived in the home." David told him. "I'd been put through some therapy by that point, and gotten slightly better at speaking up when I needed something. Then Jasper arrived. He was only six, but he was pretty much a full blown moody teenager at that point." David chuckled slightly at the memory. "I was drawn to him immediately, followed him around a lot, went to him every time I had a problem. He didn't mind, I think he liked having a little brother and... goodness knows I needed an older sibling. We both opened up a lot more, and I think we helped each other. When the time came for me to be fostered, I refused to go without him."
"So you got adopted together?" Max asked, then silently cursed himself for becoming invested.
David nodded. "Yes, Cameron Campbell adopted us both. And, I know all you patients probably think of him as some sleazy businessman who cant afford to run a decent hospital, and you're right, but he used to be different." David stared out across the rooftop, eyes shining with his happier memories. "We all loved camping and the outdoors, we'd go every weekend. He taught us what berries were safe to eat, how to avoid bears, even some rudimentary healing techniques that I recommend to Bonquisha every now and then."
"What changed?" Max asked, but then stiffened as he remembered he already knew how this story ended.
David stiffened. "Jasper got ill." He said. "Ironically, it was meningitis. And back then, they weren't as well equipped to treat it. It was only a few weeks before... he was gone."
Max thought back to one of the photos he had seen in David's office, David and Dr Campbell in suits, David smiling but looking like he was falling apart on the inside.
"Did Campbell blame you too?" He asked. David shook his head.
"No, he didn't. He just wrapped himself up in business and money and left me to it. It didn't help that I blamed myself a little. I know there was nothing I could have done at the time, but it still didn't stop me from speculating. I still miss Jasper."
"That's why you became a doctor, isn't it?" Max asked quickly. "To help people because you couldn't help Jasper?"
David nodded. "Yes, that's why I want to become a doctor, sadly I haven't quite reached that rank. When my dad bought this hospital, I took them job immediately, and I'm glad I did. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have met Gwen, or all you kids." He smiled softly. "I love working in the ward with you all. You're all so bright and filled with life. Nikki especially."
Max laughed a little, but then his smile faded. "Too bad I can't just stay there forever." He muttered.
David sighed. "I know. Max, if I could let you remain here indefinitely, I would, you know I would, but even if I can't, that doesn't mean that you have to go back to your parents."
"But-"
"Max, your parents are bad people!" David said, putting his hands on Max's shoulders. "I couldn't save Jasper, I couldn't save your brother, but I can save you. Your parents made you feel so unhappy and lost that you felt the need to try and get rid of yourself! As I said to Preston, I have connections in the foster systems still, I could do something to help you!"
"David-"
"Max, I don't want you going back there! Not if you'll get hurt. I mean, all I did was lightly suggest to your parents that there may be an issue of neglect, and your father beat me up! You have to know that it's dangerous!"
"Of course I know that!" Max yelled, cutting David off. "But it's not that simple!" He clutched his forearms. "I know they're mean to me, I know they hate me but, they're my folks and... fuck, I-"
David nodded, understanding. "Max, it's OK. They're your parents. Despite everything, they're all you know. Sometimes, I forget how lucky I was to be taken away from my mother at such a young age, I never had the opportunity to get attached."
"It's stupid." Max muttered. David shook his head.
"You've been through hell, you've put up with so much shit, yes I can swear, and you're not going to adjust to friendlier circumstances in just three weeks. But, whatever it takes, I want to help you."
Max rubbed his bandaged wrists. Less than a month ago, everything had been so hopeless, he had hated everything, including himself. But now...
Nikki made him laugh. Neil made him think. Space Kid's flamboyancy was somehow both exhausting and exciting. Preston fun to chat with. Nurf made him feel grown up and mature. Ered made him feel cool. Dolph's skill never ceased to impress him. Harrison was absurdly relatable. Nerris and her creativity was inspiring. Gwen had her problems, but she was kind deep down and cared a lot.
And David...
"I want to help me too." Max mumbled. He looked up at David, a small, hopeful smile on his face. David's face cracked with relief and, before Max could stop him, he wrapped him up in a hug.
"Argh, no, put me down idiot!" Max tried to shove him away, but there was nothing he could do, so he just let David do his thing. Later, he would deny hugging David back upon pain of death.
"There you are!" Max frantically shoved David away as Gwen arrived on the rooftop, leaning against the doorframe leading to the stairs, breathing heavily. "I've been looking all over the building for you two!"
"Sorry Gwen." David said sheepishly as Max shifted away from him, trying to make it look like they hadn't been hugging. "I just had to make sure Max was OK."
"Is he?" Gwen asked, a hint of anxiety in her voice. "Are you?"
Max gave a half shrug, half nod. "Yeah, I am." He muttered.
Gwen sighed heavily with relief. "Thank fuck for that! Because Max, sorry if this offends you, but your parents are total and utter bitches!"
Max laughed. "Yep, they are."
"Are they still..." David pointed downwards towards the ward. Gwen shook her head.
"Nah, I managed to get rid of them." She said with a smile. "We should probably get back though, because I don't exactly trust those kids to be alone. Not after the castle incident and the beer and all that."
David stood up, rubbing his back a little. He helped Max to his feet. "Max, are you alright to go back to the ward? I can let you sit in the nurse's office if you need a bit longer."
"No, I'm fine." Max said. "I mean, I want to go back."
David smiled and Max rolled his eyes.
"What?"
"Oh, you know." David's eyes sparkled. "I just love seeing you kids happy, that's all."
Max chuckled slightly. "Yeah." He said.
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