Chapter 11
2 weeks later…
"Original Cindy is still having a hard time getting over the whole Dr. Normal thing," Cindy commented as she and Max got ready for work. As much as she hated to admit to it, Max had not had a single seizure since she'd gone to Normal. Max had a follow-up appointment today, and Cindy was going to go with Max. She just had to see Normal in a white coat. Maybe then it would sink in. He didn't seem any different any work, but he had this whole secret life.
Max finished brushing her teeth and came out looking for the coffee. "He's a whack job but he knows what he's doing," she replied. She looked just a little glum. Cindy was noticing that more and more lately. She also knew the cause of it.
"You and Logan get into it again?" she asked. When Max slept here that meant something not right happened with Logan.
Max shrugged. "He just can't get over that I don't care that he's in the chair," she replied. Every time she'd tried to let him know she'd like a little more than cuddling, he'd gotten angry. It was only one part of him that was broken; there were still plenty of other things to do. Was he being selfish? Did he think she would get offended that he didn't? Was he just not thinking that they could do more? Men were impossible.
Cindy thought about it. Damn, she was glad she preferred the female set. She could understand them when they got upset. Still…she was going to have to do something before Max got real upset and did something she would regret, like ending it with Mr. Wheels.
At work Normal gave no indication that anything was different. He screamed bip-bip-bip like a lunatic, and called them all slackers, including Max, and threatened to fire at least four of the riders. It was a typical day at Jam Pony. That afternoon, Normal called out an address, and Cindy nearly snatched it out of Sketchy's hands.
"Hey," Sketchy complained. "That's a nice area. If I take the next run, it's in the middle of gang-town central."
"Take Max with you then if you so scared," Cindy retorted. "Original Cindy is delivering this package."
"Make sure your newfound enthusiasm for work includes getting the signature," Normal said. He handed Sketchy a package. Sketchy groaned at the address.
"If I come back with one less body part, Natalie is going to be mad at you," he warned Cindy.
"And Original Cindy will make it up to her and her alone," Cindy said. She jumped on her bike and pedaled off. Logan's place was in the building next door to where this package had to be delivered. If someone didn't wake him up soon, he was going to hurt Max, and then she would have to do something she'd rather not, like stomping a cripple.
She made the delivery, and then went to the penthouse. Bling answered the door, and she breezed right on in. Bling had to follow. When Original Cindy showed up, he usually had to go outside and laugh himself sick afterwards. He wished she could make an exception to the all-girl thing. Watching her walk, he could get into that.
Cindy went directly to Logan who was at his computer as usual. She tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, and tried to smile a little. What the hell?
Cindy slapped his face lightly. "That," she declared. "Is to wake your stupid self up! All Original Cindy is going to say is that if you keep hurting her boo, she going to come down here and lay the smack down on your skinny white ass."
"You don't…" Logan tried to say, but was cut off.
"Original Cindy knows that you are now the poster child for the Lesbian Not All Men Are Bad In Bed Society. All you have to do is make sure your woman is happy but you can't see past the end of your ego to see that! For some misbegotten reason Max is totally in love with you, and you keep pushing her away. As Original Cindy has already stated, you hurt her boo, she going to lay the smack down on you."
Logan could only stare in disbelief. Max had told Cindy? That was a humiliation he could have done without. Wait. Max is totally in love? Was that right? Did she say that to Cindy? Sweet Jesus. Maybe he had been a little selfish. Max did have needs of her own. He knew he could take care of those.
"Original Cindy is taking Max to her doctor's appointment today," Cindy said firmly. "Then Max is coming over here, and you going to make everything better." She walked out without another word.
"One word and you're fired," Logan said to seemingly no one. Bling decided to go up on the roof quickly. He was going to die from holding it in if he didn't. Maybe there were a few things he could do to make sure this was a night both of them would remember.
After work, Max and Cindy went to Max's doctor's appointment. Max was feeling better about the whole doctor thing, but Cindy didn't look so sure. She was glad Max was getting help, but it was still Normal wearing the white lab coat. No headset, but it was still Normal. Even if he was acting like a doctor, asking all the doctor questions, he was still Normal.
"Any seizures?" he asked while examining Max. She shook her head no. "Good." He grabbed his stethoscope. "Breathe in, hold it, release, okay again," he ordered while checking her respiration. "Any headaches, fever, further nausea, rash, constipation or diarrhea?"
"No," Max said tersely. She might be over the fact Normal was a doctor, but she still had a problem talking about bodily functions with him. If he asked for another urine specimen, she was going to hit him.
"Any voices in your head?"
"One that keeps telling me to yell bip-bip-bip. Isn't that a mark of insanity?" she replied acidly.
"I believe it means you're being driven crazy due to being around too many slackers in a day," he replied, not even sounding offended by her in the slightest. He checked her temperature. She was grateful to see the oral thermometer.
"Hey," she finally said to him. She looked a little uncomfortable, and that got Normal's attention. Sarcastic and suspicious he was used to from her, not uncomfortable. "I know this isn't you area of expertise and all, but you know the nervous system, so I was just wondering if you knew if there was a medical reason or way to help…oh, never mind, it doesn't matter." She couldn't finish the question. It was too embarrassing. Normal shrugged and went back to whatever he was about to do to her. Luckily Original Cindy needed more than that to be embarrassed.
"Home girl is wanting to know if there's something that can be done to fix a crip's love life in a physical sense," she declared. Max blushed blood red. She muttered about where the break in the spine had occurred, but couldn't make eye contact.
Normal didn't seem fazed at all by the question. So far only Manticore had caught him off balance. "Hmm," he thought. "Quite often it's both physical and psychological. The patient thinks they can't, therefore they can't. Even if they can get it there, they need pharmacological help to keep things on track." He took out a pad of paper, and wrote the names of several drugs on it. "Chances of getting an actual prescription for any of these filled are rather slim, but they're available on the black market if you're willing to pay that much." He handed the paper to Max. "But as far as the mental, you're going to have to figure out how to get him over that yourself."
He was all business again. "I want to see you again in a month," he ordered. "If you have any seizures, let me know so I can do some blood work and check your levels."
"Thanks," Max muttered, still embarrassed by the earlier conversation.
The two girls left. Max slugged Cindy lightly on the shoulder. "Why did you say that to him?" she squeaked. "Now he knows."
Cindy gave her a think-about-it look. "Now you know what you got to do to your boy tonight." She grinned. "Original Cindy won't be expecting you tonight at Crash." She waved and walked off. It started to rain a little. Max sighed and started off towards Foggle Towers on her motorcycle. There was no way she could tell Logan about this. None at all.
