Pitter Patter
by pari106
Disclaimer, etc., found in Chapter 1.
Chapter Five…
"Max!"
It all happened so fast… one moment Alec was oblivious, clearing the stairwell and
turning a corner. The next moment his body was crashing into one that was smaller, and
female…and Max. One moment he was on his way to find her, and the next she was
right there. And when they collided, he reached out, instinctively, to catch
her…recognition catching him first. He didn't even have to see her face…her nearness,
and her scent, were familiar enough to his senses after all the time he'd spent longing for
her.
But he looked at her face anyhow…and saw shock there. He felt it, too.
That was why, when he went to catch her, he didn't. He wasn't fast enough.
His fingers grazed the leather of Max's jacket, but he couldn't get a hold on her.
"Max!" Alec had time for just that exclamation…and then he watched as Max lost her
footing, pulled down the stairs by the weight of her motorcycle, which, in her surprise,
she hadn't thought to let go of when she began to lose her balance.
The motorcycle fell, and Max fell over it with a scream, rolling down a few stairs, before
she managed to reach out and grab a banister, keeping herself from falling further. Max
cried out as her arm twisted in an odd angle, her shoulder slipping free of its socket. But
it wasn't her shoulder she clutched when it was over. It was her stomach.
Alec was at her side immediately.
"Max!"
Wide-eyed he knelt beside her, as Max moaned. "Max, are you okay?"
Max was vaguely aware of Alec's voice as he called her name. She looked up and saw
his face…
"Alec?"
And then she passed out.
**** ****
"We have one patient; female; unconscious. Injured from a fall. Possible head
trauma…"
Alec only half-listened as the paramedic radioed dispatch, impatiently waiting for the rest
of his crew to get their gear together and get them the hell out of there.
The paramedic had gotten Max loaded up on a stretcher, and they were waiting in the
back of the ambulance, Alec holding her limp hand in his own sweaty one. The medic's
buddy had been busy ever since they'd arrived trying to calm Max's friends down and
keep them out of the way. Alec had heard them come running down the stairs when he'd
started shouting for help, cradling Max's head in his lap as she lay there and he cursed his
own, damned existence. He didn't know how he had anything to do with Max's fall, but
he knew the blame must lay entirely on him. The blame was always his since he'd met
Max. Somehow he just seemed destined to hurt her. He should have listened when she
told him to stay away… Damn it, he should have known! He'd only wanted to help her,
and now she was lying there next to him, so pale it scared him.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt fear for another person's life. But Alec felt
it now. He felt it in every deep breath Max took that didn't shallow with her gaining
consciousness. She was X5, for fuck's sake. She was strong. And all she'd done was
fallen down a fucking flight of stairs, and she looked like death. Something was terribly,
terribly wrong.
'Come on…come on…'
Alec was close to a panic when, finally, that other paramedic climbed into the back with
them, and slammed shut the doors. They were on their way. And Alec saw OC and her
friends' faces through the back gla… 'Is that Ralph?' But he couldn't concentrate on
those thoughts. OC had been screaming at him ever since she'd seen him, but he hadn't
heard her. His concentration was fixed totally on Max.
The paramedic rapped on the back of the driver's seat.
"Okay, we're good to go. And hurry!" The ambulance pulled out into the street. And
Alec hadn't paid its crew any attention since they'd arrived, but he suddenly noticed the
man across from him when he muttered under his breath: "Come on, Max. You're
gonna be okay."
Surprise lit Alec's eyes, as he looked at the man sharply. "You know her?"
The guy looked up from Max's limp hand – the one Alec wasn't holding – which he'd
taken in his own. Alec swallowed and blinked, hating himself for the tiny spark of
jealousy that went through him at the intimate gesture.
'Fuck man, now's not the time. And you aren't the person who has any right to be
jealous of anyone.'
"Oh, hey, sorry, man. Yeah. I'm a friend of Max's." The paramedic offered Alec a
hand, and he shook it. The man was young, very tall and slim. Tanned skin, with dark
hair and eyes. "Rafer," he said, introducing himself.
"Alec," the transgenic replied.
"You a friend of Max's, too?" he was asked.
The slightest pang assaulted him at that. But Alec ignored it. He didn't even blink.
"Yeah. A friend."
"Well, don't worry," Rafer looked down at the mysterious young woman with whom he
shared such a peculiar relationship. There was a time when he'd hoped for quite a bit
more than 'friends' out of that relationship. A time when they had had more. Though
what they'd had wasn't like anything he was used to or had ever imagined for himself – a
one-night stand more passionate than any encounter he'd ever experienced. When Max
had walked, nearly crashed, back into life months after that, they'd hung out for a while
and Rafer had entertained the idea of reigniting that passion. But Max's heart had
obviously not been in it. And when she'd explained that she was pregnant, he'd
understood why. He'd wished the best for her, as he did now, and he hated to think that
either she or her unborn child might have been hurt today. "We'll take good care of
them," he told the blonde man who'd been at Max's side when he'd arrived.
The man, Alec, he'd said, blinked. "Them?"
"Max and her baby." He saw surprise in the blue eyes suddenly widening before him.
"You did know she was pregnant… Right?"
by pari106
Disclaimer, etc., found in Chapter 1.
Chapter Five…
"Max!"
It all happened so fast… one moment Alec was oblivious, clearing the stairwell and
turning a corner. The next moment his body was crashing into one that was smaller, and
female…and Max. One moment he was on his way to find her, and the next she was
right there. And when they collided, he reached out, instinctively, to catch
her…recognition catching him first. He didn't even have to see her face…her nearness,
and her scent, were familiar enough to his senses after all the time he'd spent longing for
her.
But he looked at her face anyhow…and saw shock there. He felt it, too.
That was why, when he went to catch her, he didn't. He wasn't fast enough.
His fingers grazed the leather of Max's jacket, but he couldn't get a hold on her.
"Max!" Alec had time for just that exclamation…and then he watched as Max lost her
footing, pulled down the stairs by the weight of her motorcycle, which, in her surprise,
she hadn't thought to let go of when she began to lose her balance.
The motorcycle fell, and Max fell over it with a scream, rolling down a few stairs, before
she managed to reach out and grab a banister, keeping herself from falling further. Max
cried out as her arm twisted in an odd angle, her shoulder slipping free of its socket. But
it wasn't her shoulder she clutched when it was over. It was her stomach.
Alec was at her side immediately.
"Max!"
Wide-eyed he knelt beside her, as Max moaned. "Max, are you okay?"
Max was vaguely aware of Alec's voice as he called her name. She looked up and saw
his face…
"Alec?"
And then she passed out.
**** ****
"We have one patient; female; unconscious. Injured from a fall. Possible head
trauma…"
Alec only half-listened as the paramedic radioed dispatch, impatiently waiting for the rest
of his crew to get their gear together and get them the hell out of there.
The paramedic had gotten Max loaded up on a stretcher, and they were waiting in the
back of the ambulance, Alec holding her limp hand in his own sweaty one. The medic's
buddy had been busy ever since they'd arrived trying to calm Max's friends down and
keep them out of the way. Alec had heard them come running down the stairs when he'd
started shouting for help, cradling Max's head in his lap as she lay there and he cursed his
own, damned existence. He didn't know how he had anything to do with Max's fall, but
he knew the blame must lay entirely on him. The blame was always his since he'd met
Max. Somehow he just seemed destined to hurt her. He should have listened when she
told him to stay away… Damn it, he should have known! He'd only wanted to help her,
and now she was lying there next to him, so pale it scared him.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt fear for another person's life. But Alec felt
it now. He felt it in every deep breath Max took that didn't shallow with her gaining
consciousness. She was X5, for fuck's sake. She was strong. And all she'd done was
fallen down a fucking flight of stairs, and she looked like death. Something was terribly,
terribly wrong.
'Come on…come on…'
Alec was close to a panic when, finally, that other paramedic climbed into the back with
them, and slammed shut the doors. They were on their way. And Alec saw OC and her
friends' faces through the back gla… 'Is that Ralph?' But he couldn't concentrate on
those thoughts. OC had been screaming at him ever since she'd seen him, but he hadn't
heard her. His concentration was fixed totally on Max.
The paramedic rapped on the back of the driver's seat.
"Okay, we're good to go. And hurry!" The ambulance pulled out into the street. And
Alec hadn't paid its crew any attention since they'd arrived, but he suddenly noticed the
man across from him when he muttered under his breath: "Come on, Max. You're
gonna be okay."
Surprise lit Alec's eyes, as he looked at the man sharply. "You know her?"
The guy looked up from Max's limp hand – the one Alec wasn't holding – which he'd
taken in his own. Alec swallowed and blinked, hating himself for the tiny spark of
jealousy that went through him at the intimate gesture.
'Fuck man, now's not the time. And you aren't the person who has any right to be
jealous of anyone.'
"Oh, hey, sorry, man. Yeah. I'm a friend of Max's." The paramedic offered Alec a
hand, and he shook it. The man was young, very tall and slim. Tanned skin, with dark
hair and eyes. "Rafer," he said, introducing himself.
"Alec," the transgenic replied.
"You a friend of Max's, too?" he was asked.
The slightest pang assaulted him at that. But Alec ignored it. He didn't even blink.
"Yeah. A friend."
"Well, don't worry," Rafer looked down at the mysterious young woman with whom he
shared such a peculiar relationship. There was a time when he'd hoped for quite a bit
more than 'friends' out of that relationship. A time when they had had more. Though
what they'd had wasn't like anything he was used to or had ever imagined for himself – a
one-night stand more passionate than any encounter he'd ever experienced. When Max
had walked, nearly crashed, back into life months after that, they'd hung out for a while
and Rafer had entertained the idea of reigniting that passion. But Max's heart had
obviously not been in it. And when she'd explained that she was pregnant, he'd
understood why. He'd wished the best for her, as he did now, and he hated to think that
either she or her unborn child might have been hurt today. "We'll take good care of
them," he told the blonde man who'd been at Max's side when he'd arrived.
The man, Alec, he'd said, blinked. "Them?"
"Max and her baby." He saw surprise in the blue eyes suddenly widening before him.
"You did know she was pregnant… Right?"