Chapter 17: Competition
"I called Lucy. She and Lara will be here soon." Logan told Max, holding her hand across the kitchen table. She nodded, and they continued to wait in silence.
The first knock on the door was Dr. Avela, whom Logan had called earlier. As soon as Logan opened the door for her, she walked past him, making her way to Max. When she came to her in the kitchen, Avela gathered her up in a warm hug.
"Hello Max. Glad to see you're up." she said, pulling back and smiling at her.
Max smiled back somewhat hesitantly. Dr. Avela's attitude changed abruptly as she became all business. She ordered Max to lay down in the bedroom, which she did without complaint, surprisingly enough. She began to examine Max, asking many questions and taking notes. Caroline was in the midst of taking a blood sample, when there was a knock on the door. Max jumped over Dr. Avela in her haste to answer it, ripping the needle out of her arm as she did so. At the door she paused, her hand on the knob; Logan behind her lending strength.
Slowly she turned the knob, closing her eyes as she opened the door. It swung open, and Max opened her eyes, only to reveal a striking blonde woman on the other side. Holding a baby girl.
"Hi Max." Lucy said tentatively,
Max's attention shifted to the baby in Lucy's arms. "Is that...?"
Logan took a step forward and placed his hand on Max's shoulder. "Yeah, that's Lara. Our daughter."
At those words, Max began to cry, still staring at Lara. She was already a year old! And Max had missed that year...
On the verge of tears herself, but for other reasons, Lucy held Lara out to Max, letting a salty tear fall to the floor.
Max cautiously reached out for Lara, holding her gingerly. Logan held them both. Lucy, Caroline, and Bling stood back and watched the reunion.
A wail broke the quite atmosphere. Max began to comfort Lara, but before she could calm her, Lucy stepped forward and took her from Max's arms, rocking her back and forth until she stilled.
Max was taken aback at this gesture, and her eyes filled with tears, but she fought them back. Already she had a deep disliking for this woman. ((How dare she take my baby away from me!?)) Anger replaced the tears in her eyes, and she took a threatening step closer to Lucy, who seemed not to notice. Raising her eyebrows and glaring at her, Max held out a hand, demanding Lara.
Logan stepped between the two as he saw Lucy begin to bristle, and Max already so.
"Let me take Lara, and we'll get something to eat." he suggested, and looked pointedly at Lucy, as she reluctantly agreed.
"Fine. We're hungry." she said, walking into the kitchen in front of them.
Max almost audibly growled at Lucy's statement. ((We? I don't think so. Lara is My baby, not her's!)) Logan had filled her in, or tried to, on Lucy's role in their life. She had been Lara's closest thing to a mother. That was going to change. And the fact that it was so in the first place really pissed Max off. Royally.
To describe Max's actions towards Lucy...she was cold at best. And downright hostile at the worst. No way she was going to take Max's baby away from her. That had already happened once, and Max wasn't going to let it happen again.
"Can I feed her." Max asked, not really a question, more of a demand.
"She has a certain routine she likes. She won't eat if it's not perfect." Lucy objected, frowning up at Max from the chair she was sitting in. ((Why couldn't she just have died! Or at least stayed in a coma...Logan and I were getting along so well...))
"Sure Max, you can feed her. Better late then never." Logan told her, attempting to make a small joke. Seeing his attempts had failed, as both Lucy and Max were glaring at each other, he took Lara from Lucy and walked her over to Max. Thus began a Very long lunch. Lara was not happy with the change in routine, and Max wasn't happy with the screaming she was doing. Or the fact that every few seconds, Lucy would call out instructions, corrections, and sometimes insults.
"...No! Not like that! Hold it up higher, and rock her!..."
Max couldn't deal with all the noise and pressure so soon after her long silence. Her patience had run out, and she stalked over to Lucy and thrust Lara into her arms. If Max had been mad before, she was over the top now. As soon as Lucy got a hold of Lara, the baby quieted, and began to eat. Lucy smiled down at her, as Max fled the room before she did something drastic, running to her room and locking the door after her.
Logan watched Lucy holding his daughter and he sighed. He had just gotten Max back, and now she was slipping away again.
"Lucy...I hate to do this to you so suddenly, but you're going to have to find a place of your own. What with the kids coming back, and Max awake, there will never be enough room here..."
"I'll start looking today. Can I take Lara with me? This one last time?" she asked, her eyes pleading with him, tugging at his heart strings.
"Sure." He finally agreed, shrugging, and standing up. "One last time."
Lucy stood up and walked over to him, placing a light kiss on his lips. "Thank you." she whispered "For everything."
"Anytime." Logan smiled, "Don't stay out too late." He delivered a kiss to her forehead, then dipped down and kissed Lara also. On his way back up, Lucy caught him once again, in one last kiss. She knew they would have never happened. And that she shouldn't be doing it...but she just had to say goodbye.
"Good Bye Logan." she said softly, backing away.
Logan just nodded and watched her leave.
Max shrunk back into her bedroom, eyes brimming with tears. ((I've lost him...))
end chapter 17
"I called Lucy. She and Lara will be here soon." Logan told Max, holding her hand across the kitchen table. She nodded, and they continued to wait in silence.
The first knock on the door was Dr. Avela, whom Logan had called earlier. As soon as Logan opened the door for her, she walked past him, making her way to Max. When she came to her in the kitchen, Avela gathered her up in a warm hug.
"Hello Max. Glad to see you're up." she said, pulling back and smiling at her.
Max smiled back somewhat hesitantly. Dr. Avela's attitude changed abruptly as she became all business. She ordered Max to lay down in the bedroom, which she did without complaint, surprisingly enough. She began to examine Max, asking many questions and taking notes. Caroline was in the midst of taking a blood sample, when there was a knock on the door. Max jumped over Dr. Avela in her haste to answer it, ripping the needle out of her arm as she did so. At the door she paused, her hand on the knob; Logan behind her lending strength.
Slowly she turned the knob, closing her eyes as she opened the door. It swung open, and Max opened her eyes, only to reveal a striking blonde woman on the other side. Holding a baby girl.
"Hi Max." Lucy said tentatively,
Max's attention shifted to the baby in Lucy's arms. "Is that...?"
Logan took a step forward and placed his hand on Max's shoulder. "Yeah, that's Lara. Our daughter."
At those words, Max began to cry, still staring at Lara. She was already a year old! And Max had missed that year...
On the verge of tears herself, but for other reasons, Lucy held Lara out to Max, letting a salty tear fall to the floor.
Max cautiously reached out for Lara, holding her gingerly. Logan held them both. Lucy, Caroline, and Bling stood back and watched the reunion.
A wail broke the quite atmosphere. Max began to comfort Lara, but before she could calm her, Lucy stepped forward and took her from Max's arms, rocking her back and forth until she stilled.
Max was taken aback at this gesture, and her eyes filled with tears, but she fought them back. Already she had a deep disliking for this woman. ((How dare she take my baby away from me!?)) Anger replaced the tears in her eyes, and she took a threatening step closer to Lucy, who seemed not to notice. Raising her eyebrows and glaring at her, Max held out a hand, demanding Lara.
Logan stepped between the two as he saw Lucy begin to bristle, and Max already so.
"Let me take Lara, and we'll get something to eat." he suggested, and looked pointedly at Lucy, as she reluctantly agreed.
"Fine. We're hungry." she said, walking into the kitchen in front of them.
Max almost audibly growled at Lucy's statement. ((We? I don't think so. Lara is My baby, not her's!)) Logan had filled her in, or tried to, on Lucy's role in their life. She had been Lara's closest thing to a mother. That was going to change. And the fact that it was so in the first place really pissed Max off. Royally.
To describe Max's actions towards Lucy...she was cold at best. And downright hostile at the worst. No way she was going to take Max's baby away from her. That had already happened once, and Max wasn't going to let it happen again.
"Can I feed her." Max asked, not really a question, more of a demand.
"She has a certain routine she likes. She won't eat if it's not perfect." Lucy objected, frowning up at Max from the chair she was sitting in. ((Why couldn't she just have died! Or at least stayed in a coma...Logan and I were getting along so well...))
"Sure Max, you can feed her. Better late then never." Logan told her, attempting to make a small joke. Seeing his attempts had failed, as both Lucy and Max were glaring at each other, he took Lara from Lucy and walked her over to Max. Thus began a Very long lunch. Lara was not happy with the change in routine, and Max wasn't happy with the screaming she was doing. Or the fact that every few seconds, Lucy would call out instructions, corrections, and sometimes insults.
"...No! Not like that! Hold it up higher, and rock her!..."
Max couldn't deal with all the noise and pressure so soon after her long silence. Her patience had run out, and she stalked over to Lucy and thrust Lara into her arms. If Max had been mad before, she was over the top now. As soon as Lucy got a hold of Lara, the baby quieted, and began to eat. Lucy smiled down at her, as Max fled the room before she did something drastic, running to her room and locking the door after her.
Logan watched Lucy holding his daughter and he sighed. He had just gotten Max back, and now she was slipping away again.
"Lucy...I hate to do this to you so suddenly, but you're going to have to find a place of your own. What with the kids coming back, and Max awake, there will never be enough room here..."
"I'll start looking today. Can I take Lara with me? This one last time?" she asked, her eyes pleading with him, tugging at his heart strings.
"Sure." He finally agreed, shrugging, and standing up. "One last time."
Lucy stood up and walked over to him, placing a light kiss on his lips. "Thank you." she whispered "For everything."
"Anytime." Logan smiled, "Don't stay out too late." He delivered a kiss to her forehead, then dipped down and kissed Lara also. On his way back up, Lucy caught him once again, in one last kiss. She knew they would have never happened. And that she shouldn't be doing it...but she just had to say goodbye.
"Good Bye Logan." she said softly, backing away.
Logan just nodded and watched her leave.
Max shrunk back into her bedroom, eyes brimming with tears. ((I've lost him...))
end chapter 17
