Max had spent all afternoon at the park trying to delay her return to Foggle Towers. Long after the sun had set, she decided that the time had come to face what she had done. While slowly trudging down the sidewalk, images from the night before filled her mind.
*** Flashback***
"Max I love you." Logan said as he snuggled close to her on the couch. A fire roared in front of them, blanketing the couple with warmth. "I have a surprise for you."
"Really? What is it?"
"Now if I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise." Logan climbed into his chair and offered her his hand, beckoning her to follow. Max obediently stood and followed her husband into the computer room where a beautiful crib waited. "What do you think?" He asked, praying for a happy answer. Meanwhile, realization finally hit Max.
"Oh my God, I am going to be a mother. I can't have a child! I don't know the first thing about kids. I don't think I can even carry full term! I don't want to end up like Jace! Ok, take it easy, don't let Logan see you upset." Max's thoughts raged rampant as she put on a fake smile and managed a weak, "It's beautiful." Fear swelled in her as the possible outcomes played out in her head. All of them were bad. "Logan?"
"Yes?"
"I'm a little sleepy, could we go to bed." Not waiting for a reply, she walked to the bedroom. Max didn't remember brushing her teeth or putting on her over-shirt, or even crawling into bed. The only thing in her world was unimaginable fear. When Logan laid down next to her, light vibrations set off alarms in his head.
"Max, are you having a seizure?" He asked while groping for the bottle of Tryptophan on his nightstand.
"No." She replied, trembling with fear.
"Are you sure? You are shaking…" He was cut off abruptly as Max pulled off the covers and walked to her dresser.
"Positive." She changed into her cat suit as quickly as possible and shouted over her shoulder "I need to get some fresh air, don't wait up for me."
"But I thought that you were tired." He called out to an empty apartment.
Max didn't know how she had ended up at the clinic, but she knew they could make the fear go away. Wheeling her Ninja into the building, Max filled out some forms and handed them to the pleasant receptionist. "Mam', please take a seat, the doctor will be out soon to help you."
"Ah, you must be Max Cale." A friendly looking doctor said as he appeared around a corner. She managed to nod her head and hold out a wad of money. "Come right this way."
The surgery was simple enough. They gave her a blue gown, applied a mild anaesthetic and wheeled her into a small operating room. Covering her abdomen with a curtain, the only nurse held her hand during the procedure. Out of the blue, the doctor announced that he was finished and that she should try to rest. To Max's horror, the fear was still there, only it was different now. She was afraid of hurting Logan.
"Miss. Who is taking you home?" The nurse asked while Max lied on the table.
" There is a piece of paper in my Jeans with a number on it. I haven't told him so you will have to explain what is going on, and tell him not to contact my husband. Ask for Bling."
When Bling did arrive, he didn't speak to her until he had driven them both to the docks. Sighing, he began to talk in a cool, almost cold tone. "Jesus Christ Max, what were you thinking." When no response came, he began to get angry. "Max, I just got a call at midnight asking me to come pick up my best friend's wife at an abortion clinic because she just had a 'procedure.' I was also instructed not to call Logan, so I am going to assume that he doesn't know about this. I followed those directions and didn't tell Logan because I care about you. Now I want you to stop staring out the fucking window and give me some answers because I think that I deserve them." Max talked frantically as she tried to explain herself.
"Did I ever tell you about my sister Jace?" She glanced at Bling, the movement sending an ache through her abdomen. His hands were gripping the wheel so tight that his knuckles were white.
"No."
"Besides Jondie, she is the only other X-5 to try and have a kid. The baby was putting such a strain on her Seratonin levels that not even Tryptophan could help." Max sighed deeply. "She died mid-term from a massive seizure. I won't let that happen to me."
"What are you going to tell Logan?" He asked through tightly clenched teeth.
"I don't know." She almost cried.
"I can't take you back like this. We are going to my place so you can get cleaned up. It should also give you some time to think about what you are going to say to your husband."
***End Flashback***
Max had been so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed entering the building. Now, as she looked at the door to her home, once again fear claimed her. Resting her forehead against the mahogany frame, she could clearly hear the heart wrenching sobs continuing inside. Oddly, however, they sounded like they were coming from the guestroom. Steeling her resolve, Max inserted her key and opened the door.