Author's Note: Chapter 5! This is by far my favorite chapter! Be prepared for a huge cliffhanger! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 5: An Unwanted Visitor

Friday, May 14, 1985

Harrington Household

"Y-you have a dog?!" Max asked again, speaking as loud as she could. "Yeah! Pretty neat, huh?" Steve said excitedly. "How?! When?! How?!" Max just didn't understand. Steve has never had a pet before, what changed?! Since when did he have time for a dog?!

"When I was coming home from your house last night, I saw him running in the middle of the road. I almost ran the poor guy over. Luckily, the vet doesn't close until midnight, so a check-up, vaccinations, and an adoption process later, ta-da!" Steve did jazz hands at the last part. This puppy truly made him happy. Life could be lonely when his parents are never around. Plus, he always wanted a dog. Ever since he was small, he wanted a furry friend to call his own.

As the three entered the house, Max smelled the corgi, and while the action was almost impossible, she couldn't ignore that this dog smelled exactly like pancakes drenched in maple syrup. "You said he didn't have a name, right?" Max asked. Steve just shook his head while picking up the puppy and placing him on a dog bed he found in the attic.

"How about Pancake?" she suggested. Steve thought about the name. "Pancake…because he smells like-" "Maple syrup!" the two said in unison. They laughed, and the corgi started barking, as if he was laughing too. "Pancake, I like it. Great thinking Max." Steve said happily. The puppy, now dubbed Pancake, yipped happily. He liked his name. Max (and maybe even Steve) almost completely forgot about her illness until she started coughing like mad. "Woah, it's ok Max. Breathe. Just breathe," Steve said softly while guiding her to the couch in the living room. Pancake followed close behind.

Just as her coughing fit subsided, bile rose in Max's throat. "Steve?" she asked, panic in her voice. "Yeah?" Steve replied. "I need to-" Max couldn't even finish her sentence before she sprinted toward the bathroom. She hadn't eaten anything all day, so all that came up was acid. The cold porcelain toilet felt good on her burning skin, though.

When she finished, Steve came in with some 7 Up soda. "I normally drink this when I'm nauseous," he said. Max gratefully accepted. "You're really good at this," she said, slightly surprised.

Steve just shrugged. "I've learned a few things. My parents decided I was old enough to 'not burn the house down' when I was in 6th grade, and since I have a pretty lousy immune system, I'd get sick, without fail, at least around or during the holidays. I just adapted, I guess. I'd bike over to the diner, that's how I met Jackie. Her mom was a waitress there, and since her parents were divorced and she went to private school, she'd hang at the restaurant. We would talk and I would get some soup. Once she even came over, and I'm glad she did. My fever spiked to 105.7 and she had to drive me to the hospital. She practically saved my life,"

At first, Max just felt sorry for Steve, but then, she realized that Steve had told her in the car that Jackie was almost 19 years old. In Indiana, you needed to be a little over 16 to be eligible for a driver's license. Max had no idea when this was, but she had a feeling it was pretty recent.

"Steve, when was this?" Max asked. She could swear up and down for weeks that Steve froze. "Um, just a couple months ago," Steve said nervously.

"When?" Max said a bit more stern this time.

"…March 15," Steve replied. Max's jaw dropped. That was almost exactly 2 months ago! How could Steve not tell her?! He told the kids he was sick, but he never said anything about being hospitalized! These thoughts swirled in Max's head before she hugged Steve. At first she was clinging on him as if her life depended on it, and then she quickly backed away, realization hitting her like a wrecking ball.

"Wait, why did you take me back here then?! You're gonna get sick!"

"Max, I was probably gonna get sick anyway. I went to your house last night, I drove you to and from school, I'm a lost cause either way. But like you said, I'm good at this. I know what I'm doing. I'll be fine," Steve replied in a tone that always managed to calm Max down. She didn't know why, it was just the way it was a whisper spoken with pure confidence. She just nodded her head and shakily tried to stand up.

Steve helped her to the couch, where they spent the rest of the day. They watched movies, ate nothing but crackers, 7 Up, and chicken noodle soup, the only time either of them got up was to get ready for bed. Max drifted off to sleep around 9:30. She still had a slight fever of 100.4, but it was definitely better than earlier in the day.

Her breathing pattern through her stuffy nose lulled Steve and Pancake asleep as well, but they were all woken up at 1:15 in the morning due to a loud slam! Steve kicked himself for not having his bat until he heard a calm, soft voice in the kitchen next to way louder and angrier one.

"Stay here, do not let them see you," Steve whispered.

"What?! No way! You've never won a fight before!" Max whisper-yelled.

"There won't be a fight if you stay here. Once I distract them, take Pancake and run to the nearest room you can find. Lock the door and do not open it until I say so. Alright?"

"Steve, I'm scared. What's going on?! Who are these people?!"

"Steven!" A loud voice roared

"You have to trust me. Remember, once they're distracted, grab Pancake, go upstairs, find the nearest room, lock the door, and don't open it until I say it's safe. Do you understand?"

"But Steve I-"

"Do you understand?" Steve said more assertively. Max nodded and held Pancake to her chest, ready to sprint if she had to.

Steve got up and walked into the kitchen to reveal two adults, a man with dark brown, almost black hair, wearing a nice suit and expensive black dress shoes. The woman had light brown hair with emerald eyes and a sapphire blue dress, covered top to bottom in glitter.

"Hi Mom. Hi Dad."