A/N: HERE'S ANOTHER CHAPTER. I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT. NO ACTION HERE.
JUST MORE SADNESS. SORRY. I WANT MORE REVIEWS PLEASE!
Three hours later, Doctor Carr and another man stepped out of the emergency room. Their gowns were drenched with blood.
It scared them a little. Reminded them of Manticore.
Logan looked like he was about to pass out and drop Lex. Brin looked as if like she was going to cry harder if that was possible. Cindy turned away, unable to stand the blood. Zane just stood there, beside Max and Alec, all three of them holding their breaths, waiting for the shoe to drop and destroy their lives all over again. They could almost hear a pin drop from the tense and stony silence.
But the news wasn't bad. The news was good. Jondy and Zack made it. They made it and they were going to be just fine. Logan cried with relief. Brin stood there, immovable. Max let a tear fall. She thought she had lost them. She actually thought she had lost Jondy and Zack despite her reassurance to Logan and Brin. She felt like a traitor, like she didn't believe in them anymore.
Alec put an arm around Max. She was stiff when he touched her. She looked guilty. It confused him. "They're fine, Maxie." He said rubbing her back.
Max didn't say a word. She just stood there and looked around. She wanted to see them but she had to wait. Logan and Lex were first to see Jondy. They deserved that at least. Max went to see Zack when Brin came out. The sight of her brother scared her. His chest was wrapped with bandages. There was an I.V. attached to his arm. Max stepped closer and took his hand. She wanted to say a million things to him, to tell him how she felt, how important he was to her, to all of them but she didn't. Zack already knew that. He knew that they loved him, that he was important and that they would always need him and want him there.
Instead Max said, "Thank you." She had said it loud enough that anyone passing by would have heard her. "Thank you for always putting all of us ahead of yourself, for tolerating us when we don't listen to you, for believing in us. Thank you for loving us." With all that said, Max bent down and kissed Zack on the forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow, big brother. I love you." She added before letting his hand go and turning away.
She went to see Jondy. Logan was there, holding Jondy's hand talking to her softly, begging her to be okay. Max smiled apologetically for interrupting. Logan nodded, understanding.
"I just wanted to see if she was okay." She explained.
"I know." Logan whispered.
Max walked over to Jondy. "I love you. Don't die." Max thought. "See, Jondy, Logan needs you. And your baby too. And me. I need you. So don't die on us now." She stroked her sister's soft blonde hair. She was beautiful, like the rest of them. Max bent down and kissed her sister on the check. "Please be okay. I love you." She whispered but not loud enough for Logan to hear.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow. I have to go home." She said to Logan who nodded without another word and turned his attention back to his wife.
Max walked over to Cindy and took Ben in her arms. Her son seemed startled. She hadn't held him in a while. The baby had gotten used to being passed around and held by different people. "Let's go home, Ben." She whispered kissing her baby on the forehead. She glanced over at Alec who just stood up without another word. She'd have to fix things with him. Nothing was over yet.
Max sighed heavily as she sat on the couch the minute they got home. They had dropped Cindy home along the way. It felt good to be back there. Everything was familiar.
"I'm going to take a shower." Alec said and disappeared in the bathroom. Max nodded and looked down at Ben. Her baby was sleeping. They were all tired. She got up despite her aching limbs and walked over to Ben's nursery. How she managed to change him, make his bottle and put him down on his bed was beyond her. She felt like she was sleepwalking. Her eyes were so tired. She just wanted to drop on the floor and sleep there. Even for someone with shark DNA, she still needed two or three hours if sleep a night.
Alec stepped out of the shower, looking fresh and clean but still exhausted. Max had waited up for him. She wanted to take a shower, feel clean again. She was grateful that there was still some hot water left. She hurried. She didn't want to take too long for she might have fallen asleep and drowned.
That would have been some way to die. She survived bullets, water tanks, and torture. She wasn't about to die drowning in her own bathtub.
"Much better." Max thought as she stepped out into the living room, all dry and dressed comfortably. Alec was eagerly eating chicken in the kitchen. She had to smile. She almost forgot the times when she'd bitch to Alec about him not having anything nutritious in his refrigerator. God, that was so long ago.
She sat across from him. She was tired but she was hungry also and what Alec was eating made her want to stay up a little longer just so she could have a little piece of that rather delicious chicken.
Alec saw that she was staring into space and got a little worried. "Max, are you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah. Better than okay actually considering that I'm standing here in one piece without a single bullet hole in my body after what we just went through." She replied. She looked at him sadly.
"Yeah." He said. "Max can we talk?" He asked. They were both up and they weren't going to sleep anytime soon. So, he had to try.
Max shook her head. "I don't want to talk. I'm too tired." She replied and his heart sunk. Great. She was doing it again.
Max saw the disappointed look. "Alec, we'll talk tomorrow. I'm exhausted and so are you. Can't it wait?" She said forgetting about the chicken and the she was hungry in the first place.
Alec sighed. He didn't want to wait but okay. Anything for Max. "Sure, tomorrow." He said. Max smiled gratefully.
"Good night." She said and disappeared into their bedroom.
Alec woke up a little startled. He felt disoriented at first. Where the hell was he? What was going on?
Max was in their bedroom hurriedly getting changed. "Alec, get up." She said putting her pants on hastily. "We're going to be late for work. We have to drop Ben off at the center." She said.
"What?" He asked, groaning. He was tired still.
"I said get up." Max said snapping at him.
"Okay, okay, jeez." He said getting off the bed and walking into the bathroom. What the hell was all that about? Work? Dropping off Ben at the center? This was weird. Too weird. She was acting like everything was back to normal again.
"Max, what's going on?" He asked when he came out. She already finished feeding Ben and she was dressing him already.
"Nothing." She shrugged. "We have to get to work. We have to make money. Ben needs some clothes." She replied. That wasn't it. Alec was sure of it.
"Why are you doing this?" He demanded.
Max exhaled sharply. She didn't have time for this. Believe it or not she actually wanted to keep her job at Jam Pony. "I'm--we're going to be late, Alec." She said.
"No," He insisted. "I want you to answer it."
"Alec, get dressed. I don't want to talk right now. I have no time." Max said. He was bugging her.
"You never want to talk. Why the hell are you avoiding me?" Alec snapped. He had enough of her attitude. He was sick and tired of being ignored and pushed away.
Max glared at him. "I'm not avoiding you. Haven't you noticed that we've been busy lately? That our son and friends got kidnapped and we had to rescue them and that my sister just revealed herself to me after so many years, that two people I loved almost died?" Why the hell was he picking a fight with her?
"I noticed, Max. I noticed it just fine. But that's not the point. You've been avoiding talking to me, even before all this started." Alec insisted.
"Alec, what do you want me to say? You want me to say I'm sorry? Fine, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." She said. Alec scowled. He didn't want her to say things just because she thought that's what he wanted hear.
"Great, you're not happy." Max said sarcastically as she threw her hands in the air, giving up. "You know what, fine. We'll talk all day until we figure this out." She said.
Alec sighed and shook his head. "Why do you want to pretend that everything is just okay, that nothing bad had happened to us the last two years?" He asked softly.
Max was taken aback by his question. She didn't want to answer it. "Answer me." He said.
"I'm going to drop Ben off. I'll see you at work." She said completely ignoring him. Max walked out of the apartment, leaving Alec completely dejected and pissed as hell.
Three hours later, Doctor Carr and another man stepped out of the emergency room. Their gowns were drenched with blood.
It scared them a little. Reminded them of Manticore.
Logan looked like he was about to pass out and drop Lex. Brin looked as if like she was going to cry harder if that was possible. Cindy turned away, unable to stand the blood. Zane just stood there, beside Max and Alec, all three of them holding their breaths, waiting for the shoe to drop and destroy their lives all over again. They could almost hear a pin drop from the tense and stony silence.
But the news wasn't bad. The news was good. Jondy and Zack made it. They made it and they were going to be just fine. Logan cried with relief. Brin stood there, immovable. Max let a tear fall. She thought she had lost them. She actually thought she had lost Jondy and Zack despite her reassurance to Logan and Brin. She felt like a traitor, like she didn't believe in them anymore.
Alec put an arm around Max. She was stiff when he touched her. She looked guilty. It confused him. "They're fine, Maxie." He said rubbing her back.
Max didn't say a word. She just stood there and looked around. She wanted to see them but she had to wait. Logan and Lex were first to see Jondy. They deserved that at least. Max went to see Zack when Brin came out. The sight of her brother scared her. His chest was wrapped with bandages. There was an I.V. attached to his arm. Max stepped closer and took his hand. She wanted to say a million things to him, to tell him how she felt, how important he was to her, to all of them but she didn't. Zack already knew that. He knew that they loved him, that he was important and that they would always need him and want him there.
Instead Max said, "Thank you." She had said it loud enough that anyone passing by would have heard her. "Thank you for always putting all of us ahead of yourself, for tolerating us when we don't listen to you, for believing in us. Thank you for loving us." With all that said, Max bent down and kissed Zack on the forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow, big brother. I love you." She added before letting his hand go and turning away.
She went to see Jondy. Logan was there, holding Jondy's hand talking to her softly, begging her to be okay. Max smiled apologetically for interrupting. Logan nodded, understanding.
"I just wanted to see if she was okay." She explained.
"I know." Logan whispered.
Max walked over to Jondy. "I love you. Don't die." Max thought. "See, Jondy, Logan needs you. And your baby too. And me. I need you. So don't die on us now." She stroked her sister's soft blonde hair. She was beautiful, like the rest of them. Max bent down and kissed her sister on the check. "Please be okay. I love you." She whispered but not loud enough for Logan to hear.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow. I have to go home." She said to Logan who nodded without another word and turned his attention back to his wife.
Max walked over to Cindy and took Ben in her arms. Her son seemed startled. She hadn't held him in a while. The baby had gotten used to being passed around and held by different people. "Let's go home, Ben." She whispered kissing her baby on the forehead. She glanced over at Alec who just stood up without another word. She'd have to fix things with him. Nothing was over yet.
Max sighed heavily as she sat on the couch the minute they got home. They had dropped Cindy home along the way. It felt good to be back there. Everything was familiar.
"I'm going to take a shower." Alec said and disappeared in the bathroom. Max nodded and looked down at Ben. Her baby was sleeping. They were all tired. She got up despite her aching limbs and walked over to Ben's nursery. How she managed to change him, make his bottle and put him down on his bed was beyond her. She felt like she was sleepwalking. Her eyes were so tired. She just wanted to drop on the floor and sleep there. Even for someone with shark DNA, she still needed two or three hours if sleep a night.
Alec stepped out of the shower, looking fresh and clean but still exhausted. Max had waited up for him. She wanted to take a shower, feel clean again. She was grateful that there was still some hot water left. She hurried. She didn't want to take too long for she might have fallen asleep and drowned.
That would have been some way to die. She survived bullets, water tanks, and torture. She wasn't about to die drowning in her own bathtub.
"Much better." Max thought as she stepped out into the living room, all dry and dressed comfortably. Alec was eagerly eating chicken in the kitchen. She had to smile. She almost forgot the times when she'd bitch to Alec about him not having anything nutritious in his refrigerator. God, that was so long ago.
She sat across from him. She was tired but she was hungry also and what Alec was eating made her want to stay up a little longer just so she could have a little piece of that rather delicious chicken.
Alec saw that she was staring into space and got a little worried. "Max, are you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah. Better than okay actually considering that I'm standing here in one piece without a single bullet hole in my body after what we just went through." She replied. She looked at him sadly.
"Yeah." He said. "Max can we talk?" He asked. They were both up and they weren't going to sleep anytime soon. So, he had to try.
Max shook her head. "I don't want to talk. I'm too tired." She replied and his heart sunk. Great. She was doing it again.
Max saw the disappointed look. "Alec, we'll talk tomorrow. I'm exhausted and so are you. Can't it wait?" She said forgetting about the chicken and the she was hungry in the first place.
Alec sighed. He didn't want to wait but okay. Anything for Max. "Sure, tomorrow." He said. Max smiled gratefully.
"Good night." She said and disappeared into their bedroom.
Alec woke up a little startled. He felt disoriented at first. Where the hell was he? What was going on?
Max was in their bedroom hurriedly getting changed. "Alec, get up." She said putting her pants on hastily. "We're going to be late for work. We have to drop Ben off at the center." She said.
"What?" He asked, groaning. He was tired still.
"I said get up." Max said snapping at him.
"Okay, okay, jeez." He said getting off the bed and walking into the bathroom. What the hell was all that about? Work? Dropping off Ben at the center? This was weird. Too weird. She was acting like everything was back to normal again.
"Max, what's going on?" He asked when he came out. She already finished feeding Ben and she was dressing him already.
"Nothing." She shrugged. "We have to get to work. We have to make money. Ben needs some clothes." She replied. That wasn't it. Alec was sure of it.
"Why are you doing this?" He demanded.
Max exhaled sharply. She didn't have time for this. Believe it or not she actually wanted to keep her job at Jam Pony. "I'm--we're going to be late, Alec." She said.
"No," He insisted. "I want you to answer it."
"Alec, get dressed. I don't want to talk right now. I have no time." Max said. He was bugging her.
"You never want to talk. Why the hell are you avoiding me?" Alec snapped. He had enough of her attitude. He was sick and tired of being ignored and pushed away.
Max glared at him. "I'm not avoiding you. Haven't you noticed that we've been busy lately? That our son and friends got kidnapped and we had to rescue them and that my sister just revealed herself to me after so many years, that two people I loved almost died?" Why the hell was he picking a fight with her?
"I noticed, Max. I noticed it just fine. But that's not the point. You've been avoiding talking to me, even before all this started." Alec insisted.
"Alec, what do you want me to say? You want me to say I'm sorry? Fine, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." She said. Alec scowled. He didn't want her to say things just because she thought that's what he wanted hear.
"Great, you're not happy." Max said sarcastically as she threw her hands in the air, giving up. "You know what, fine. We'll talk all day until we figure this out." She said.
Alec sighed and shook his head. "Why do you want to pretend that everything is just okay, that nothing bad had happened to us the last two years?" He asked softly.
Max was taken aback by his question. She didn't want to answer it. "Answer me." He said.
"I'm going to drop Ben off. I'll see you at work." She said completely ignoring him. Max walked out of the apartment, leaving Alec completely dejected and pissed as hell.