Story note: This chapter spells pretty much the end to the roller coaster ride of emotions that seem to continually plague our two favourite characters. But is it a high or a low where we have levelled out? Only reading will tell. (I know I crap on). Enjoy the chapter, I'm pretty happy with it, well the end half anyway.
Special thanks: Again my marvellous beta reader Milla, it's so refreshing to go through and see all the errors before it is displayed to the public. Thanks. Also a big note going out to my boss, who managed to find nothing for me to do for three days so I sat and wrote this chapter and started the next, let's hope it happens again soon.
Chapter 6 – BloodLogan sat on the floor for a while, with his arm still through the table. Stewing in his self-pity. He noticed the room growing colder and starting to move around. He glanced down at his arm, where an unpleasant sight met his eye. The arm was cut up pretty badly from going through the glass tabletop and now he was bleeding profusely. He knew it needed attention, the amount of blood he was losing was to be considered dangerous and a serious threat to his health. Problem was, he didn't care any more. 'Who is going to care that you die? No one, that's who. Max might be upset that she has lost her meal-ticket and only decent source of information on her brothers and sisters, but she won't care, not the way I want her to.' Logan was angry, bitter and self-destructive, and he hated his body. He was frustrated by the fact that he couldn't walk, but then was able to again, only to have it taken away from him at the most crucial moment. Logan sat there in an uncomfortable position and waited for the darkness to take over. Eventually it did, and with it slipped all thought and meaning.
Max was still balled up outside Logan's door, not wanting to move because it hurt too much. Trouble was, not moving hurt too much as well. At the moment everything and nothing hurt too much. Her pager went off. Max quickly sorted herself out, stopped crying, straightened and stood up. The pager going off was as if someone could see her and she was desperately trying to hide her feelings, like always. She looked down and noticed it was Original Cindy, and on reflex she turned to go back into Logan's and use his phone. This action brought forth a fresh set of tears; however, she didn't buckle this time. She just stood in front of the door, her hand extended only a few inches from the handle as tears gently rolled down her cheeks.
Max looked at her reflection in the elevator door, and then wiped her face and eyes to try and cover up what she had just been doing. She pressed the button and stepped into the elevator. On the trip down she was trying to think about why Original Cindy would have paged, that thought lasted about 2 seconds before Logan and what had just happened came flooding back through her mind. 'Why doesn't he want me? I thought he didn't care that I was genetically engineered. Probably because I'm just not a good person, I've killed, I steal, and that's not the type of thing he goes in for. I can change for him, all he had to do was ask.' Max was deepening her depression, thinking about all the times she had done things with Logan, not the Eyes Only and Manticore stuff, but everything else. The time she had a seizure and he stayed with her, the wedding, and when he asked her to go away with him, which she knew wasn't happening now. How could it?
By the time the elevator stopped in the garage, Max had composed herself, and walked out with a stern look on her face. She knew it was terse, it would take only one little thing for her to break down again. Max rounded the corner and saw her bike. 'Good, made it the whole way here without losing it and acting all girlie again. Least now I can go for a good ride and get my mind off this.' Before her thought could finish, she lost it and started to cry again, and she was getting pissed now. She had never been this emotional before, and while she didn't want to believe it was her Manticore upbringing telling her that she was being weak, she still didn't like that fact she was crying so much. The trigger had of course been Logan's car, which was parked right next to Max's bike. Just looking at them sitting side by side – like old friends – had been more than enough to make Max lose control again. She couldn't help from thinking. 'Logan's big and I'm small. It's like us, it's how we should be together.' The metaphorical state of their respective forms of transportation had her bending down again, drawing her knees to her chest and clutching them.
After a small internal debate, discussing whether or not she should stay balled up crying in an attempt to regain some warmth, or to leave. She finally stood and walked over to her bike and jumped on. Gazing longingly at Logan's car she started her bike and put on her sunglasses then left.
Max was out on the street now and didn't feel better at all; she just felt more miserable as she got further away from Logan's apartment. She noticed a phone and remembered Original Cindy's page.
"You page me." Max said flatly.
"Sorry to get you out of bed, boo." Cindy joked with an underlying tone of mischievous implication.
"But we gotta be a work pretty soon, don't want you getting fired because you too busy getting nasty with your squeeze." Original Cindy finished, very happy.
At the mention of Logan, Max had to holdback more emotion and bite her lower lip so it didn't wobble.
"We're not like that, and we never will be," Max said, sullen and quietly. Original Cindy could hear the pain in Max's voice and the tears in her throat. She was about to say something when Max cut her off.
"See you at work." She quickly hung up and rode off, only now realising that the sun was in fact up.
After she had phoned Original Cindy, she rode around on her bike for a while, then eventually stopped and went to the Space Needle, deciding she needed to get all of this out of her system and that was the only place she knew of to be alone. When she got to the top and stood there looking over the city nothing happened. She was empty, she felt hollow and rejected but not like crying any more. So she stood there, looking over the city and the people far below.
Max strolled into Jam Pony an hour or two late. Normal was about to abuse her until he saw the look on her face. He didn't consider himself a weak man but facing up to Max when she obviously wasn't in a good mood – and judging by her face it was an extremely violent and edgy mood – he decided to back off and just observe her as she walked past.
Max's face was set in a grim determined look, but above that was a fury; an unbridled fury. Her eyes were cold and dark and she was glowering. People were actually giving her a wide birth for fear of retribution.
Everyone was peering around to get a look at Max, waiting for her to explode. Sketchy was doing some tricks on his bike and hadn't noticed Max's arrival, until he fell on top of her as she walked past. Everyone gasped in anticipation and horror.
"Uh, sorry Max, I didn't see you there." Sketchy stammered. He had picked up on the mood of the rest of the employees of Jam Pony by now, so he began to cower slightly.
"Huh? Oh, that's alright Sketch," Max said distantly, and continued to walk to her locker.
"What the hell did that male do to you?" Cindy ranted, as she saw Max approach. She wasn't talking about Sketchy and Max knew it.
"Nothing, it was my fault. I just…" Max wasn't really sure what she was saying; it appeared to be a collection of the first words that came to mind. It didn't matter since Original Cindy interrupted her anyway.
"I'm gonna put the smack-down on his ass. He'll be hurtin' so much when Original Cindy is through with him." Original Cindy was up by this stage, pacing and gesticulating madly.
"Don't OC," she heard Max whimper. She didn't realise it had been this serious; Original Cindy had just thought he did something stupid again and ruined another meal. This, however, was a lot more serious than a meal.
"Oh boo," Original Cindy said sympathetically as she walked over and hugged Max.
Without knowing what was happening Max was crying again. It was mostly due to Logan but part of it was because she had never been comforted before when she was upset, it was always 'Shake it off soldier and get moving…' or something to that affect. Some of the warmth was coming back.
"What happened?" Original Cindy gently cooed into Max's ear.
"Nothing, don't worry about it," Max stated flatly. She had regained her composure and stopped crying but was still hanging onto Cindy.
"Okay boo, don't you worry, Original Cindy is here now," Original Cindy replied, noticing the walls of defence going up again around Max, and knowing it best not to try and break through them, especially at a time like this.
After a small while Max backed away and attempted a weak smile.
"Thanks," she whispered coyly, as if embarrassed.
"No big dealio, you know I got your back, boo," Original Cindy stated seriously.
Max walked off and headed over to Normal.
"You got a run for me?" Max asked. Normal was taken aback a little since she wasn't being smart. It sounded as if she were just asking, something none of his messengers had ever done before. He hesitated for a moment.
"Ah… Sure, here you go." He handed her a package then scurried off in case it had been some form of plan to get at him.
Max took the package, looked at the address and headed out.
Bling arrived at Logan's about an hour or two after Max left and headed for the bedroom to wake him up. An overwhelming sense of déjà vu hit as he was about to knock on Logan's door. 'They had a date last night, maybe I shouldn't intrude, say if something were to have happened.' He thought about it for a moment and then decided that knowing these two they probably did just have dinner then leave it at that. He spoke loudly as he knocked on the door.
"Logan I'm here for your morning session, if you don't want me to come in just say so. Oh and good morning Max." He threw that bit in for some fun, knowing Logan's reaction would be great.
There was no reply so he knocked again and called, still no reply. He went in and found Logan's bed as made as it had been when he had left the other night.
"Strange," Bling said aloud, a little puzzled.
He walked into the kitchen and noticed the glasses of red cordial and all the dirty cooking equipment sitting out. 'Unlike you Logan,' Bling thought as he proceeded into the dinning room. Again he was surprised by the plates still being at the table and with some very melted dessert on them. He looked to the side and noticed that all the furniture in the living room had been moved around. 'What the hell did they get up to last night? Maybe they went out afterwards and he's at her place,' Bling thought hopefully.
When he got further into the room he saw Logan, sitting propped up against the table, with his arm through the top of it covered in blood.
"My god," Bling said, shocked, as he ran over to Logan's body.
He picked him up and laid him on the floor, and then fingered for his pulse. He couldn't feel one; he was getting angry and upset now. 'What happened here? Where's Max?'
Bling noticed that he could now feel a throbbing sensation, so he relaxed a little, but not much, since it was incredibly weak and Logan was very white and cold. He ran off and got some towels, to try and stop his still bleeding arm.
When he wrapped them around the injured arm Logan stirred a little.
"You're going to be okay buddy," Bling said, not sounding very reassuring.
"Don't tell Max," Logan gasped out, and then lost consciousness again.
Bling had absolutely no idea what that was supposed to mean but Logan did seem fairly adamant so he decided to respect his wishes for the moment. His first response was to ring Max but after Logan's request he decided that he was quite capable of getting Logan to the hospital himself.
Bling picked Logan up, put him in his wheelchair, and then rushed out to the lift and Logan's waiting car.
Max was riding along, trying to keep her mind on the task at hand, but there was only so many times you could internally repeat an address before you went insane. Just when she let her mind wander and do whatever it wanted, she felt a strange prickling sensation on the back of her neck, and her skin felt as if it were crawling. She also had the sudden urge to call Logan. 'No, he won't want to speak with you,' she thought bluntly, then went back to internally reciting the address she had to go to.
Bling rushed into the hospital carrying Logan – he noticed his condition had deteriorated on the ride over and so wasn't willing to take the time to set up Logan's wheelchair again.
"Help!" Bling yelled. A nurse looked over and saw the tall dark man standing there. It looked very dramatic. There was a tall muscular man, with a torn and pained expression on his face, carrying the limp lifeless body of his friend, whose arm was hanging down with a towel wrapped around it, and out of the towel, droplets of blood were forming a small pool on the ground at his feet.
She quickly barked some commands and a team of nurses and a doctor came over with a gurney, placed Logan on it and took off to the E.R., with Bling closely behind.
Max had stopped to get a drink, when again her skin started to crawl and the hairs on the back of her neck and down her spine seemed to be doing a little dance. This time the urge to call Logan was stronger. Yet, she shrugged it off and continued to her next drop.
Bling was standing outside of the emergency room waiting anxiously. A nurse came out so he accosted her.
"My, friend. What's happening?"
"Ah, yes Mr. Cale is it? He had some pretty nasty cuts on his arm, no real problem patching them up, and no tendon or nerve damage. He has lost a lot of blood, however, and there is still a huge blood shortage in the city. I'm off now to check with the blood bank," the nurse replied. She nodded curtly then quickly walked off, in search of more blood.
Bling looked nervously into the room where Logan was.
Normal was still being careful with Max, but was suitably impressed. She had done more runs today than most riders did in a week, and it was only 2 in the afternoon. 'Should break up with their boyfriends more often,' he thought, then turned around to find Max waiting for another package. She didn't look angry or impatient. She was just standing there quietly waiting for another run.
"Max, here you go," Normal said as he handed her another package.
"Wait a minute. I've noticed you have done a lot of runs today. In fact, if you do any more today I'm going to have to start paying you more. So in that case this can be your last run for today, and you can have tomorrow off too." Normal didn't want to appear to be going soft on his employees. The payment issue wasn't really true, but he could see she was hurting and so decided some time off from work was in order.
"What?" Max asked, in a daze. She hadn't really been paying attention, until the 'rest of the day off and tomorrow off too' part.
"This is your last run for today Max, and tomorrow. You've been working too hard. Can't have my new star employee overdoing it," he said softly, leaning towards Max so no one else could hear.
"But Normal, I'm fine, I don't…" Max began.
"Look, just take the time off, no penalties. Take this afternoon and tomorrow off. With all the runs you've done today we can manage," he said again quietly; so quiet Max had to direct her full attention to the man.
"Okay." She finally conceded, then grabbed the package and left for her last run.
'Look at it this way, at least you got some days off work out of this.' That didn't help at all, and she was still too miserable to try and see a positive out of this morning's event.
Bling was still waiting anxiously outside Logan's room, and the nurse hadn't returned. He suddenly heard the dreaded sound of pieces of medical equipment going into fits of warning, beeping and toning quickly and loudly. He looked in and noticed the doctors looking worriedly at Logan's very still body, which was still very pale and lifeless.
"He just doesn't have enough blood," he heard a doctor saying.
"Give him more plasma," another doctor commanded. The order was over-ridden by the first doctor.
"No, his blood is so diluted with plasma at the moment, more of it won't help. He just needs more blood." The doctors continued to argue for a while, and then they seemed to decide on something and one of them injected Logan with something, which at least returned the monitors to the regular operating sounds.
The head doctor walked out and Bling approached him.
"Doctor, my friend, what's happening?"
"Your friend has lost a lot of blood, I mean a colossal amount, and it's amazing he's alive at the moment. He needs some more of his blood type for a transfusion but all the blood banks are tapped out, which is no real surprise since it's the hardest blood type to get. We just need to find someone with his blood type, or something compatible soon; otherwise, I don't think he'll last much longer. I'm sorry." The doctor finished, placing a reassuring arm on Bling's, and then he walked down the hall to another emergency room. Bling knew what he needed to do. So what if Logan asked him not to. If he was going to save his life, it was worth going against his wishes.
Bling grabbed Logan's phone from his jacket pocket and then realised he didn't know Max's number. On further inspection it turned out that Logan's phone address book was encrypted, and there was no way he would be getting a number out of that. Not knowing who to call or what to do, Bling just returned to his vigil outside Logan's room.
Max had been home for about half an hour, she'd had a shower and made herself something to eat. She didn't really feel like going outside; she just wanted to sit and be alone, since that's all she felt she deserved.
Max was sitting on the couch, with one leg propped up and her hands and face resting on the knee, looking out the window at the rain. 'I suppose that's one of the positive aspects of living here. At least the weather is always right if you want to be in a gloomy mood,' Max thought, and let out a big sigh as she watch the beads of rain run down the glass. She was just sitting there, tracing the course of the water as it trickled down the window, not thinking anything in particular, when she got that strange sensation again. Her skin began to crawl and the hairs on her neck and spine were moving violently, and only now when she was bothered to concentrate on it did she know what was happening. It was Logan, he was in trouble again. This is exactly how she felt the last time he nearly died. A terrible thought struck her. 'Oh god, I've been having these feelings for a few hours now, what if it's too late?' Max panicked, forgot completely about what happened that morning and leapt for her phone.
Max was rushing around the house getting clothes on with the phone stuck to the side of her head; it had been ringing for quite some time now. She was fully dressed and standing in the middle of her apartment waiting for the phone to be answered, her expression darkened when it finally rang out. 'Where the hell is he? Oh no…' Max realised very quickly, and the numbers to Logan's mobile were already punched in.
Bling had been getting more and more anxious as he stood there waiting for something to happen. He didn't want to leave Logan now, and he didn't hold much hope of finding Max anywhere. A nurse who had just been checking Logan over walked over to Bling and spoke to him.
"How is he?" Bling asked when she was still a few strides away.
"I'm going to be honest, it doesn't look good. He has lost a lot of blood, it amazing that he lasted this long, but he also doesn't seem to be trying very hard to stay alive." She stopped here and looked at Bling, who was looking over open eyed at Logan. He knew it had to be Max's stem cells and Manticore blood that were keeping him alive, but he also knew it was only a matter of time before he just ran out. The nurse began talking again.
"Have you noticed your friend suffering from depression?" Bling was taken completely by surprise. Logan had been the happiest he had ever seen him only last night.
"No, why do you ask?" Bling was getting a little edgy that the nurse was implying something.
"Well, he's wounds are conducive with an attempted suicide and the way he seems to be just laying there, not trying too much…" the nurse replied. She didn't want to ask this, but it was her job. Suicides never made sense to her; she always saw how much people cared, how much pain the act caused. She hated it.
"Sorry, I just have to ask that question." The nurse apologised politely then turned to leave.
"Thanks," Bling said to her retreating form. He knew it wasn't an easy thing to do, ask people if the person in bed actually wanted to die. It was one of the many reasons he got out of being a nurse.
A shrill noise and vibration in his pocket caused Bling to jump suddenly.
"What the?" Completely shocked for the moment, Bling slowly realised it was Logan's phone. He quickly pulled it out and opened it. Looking at the little display he saw 'Scrambling', Bling knew what it was doing, it was probably an Eyes Only contact. They were the only people who were scrambled, them…
"and Max!" Bling yelled into the phone, as the thought occurred to him.
"Bling, why have you got Logan's phone? Wait, don't worry I know, just tell me which hospital."
"Harbour Lights. Hurry Ma…" Bling responded, but the phone had already gone dead.
Bling pocketed the phone, stood there for a second, then realised some action was called for. He ran off in search of a Doctor.
"Doctor Carr," Bling said as he was halfway into his office.
"Yes, what is it Bling?" The doctor asked, as he stood up and went over to the man at his door. He knew there must have been something wrong with Logan, so he walked past him toward Logan's room, waiting for Bling to catch up and start speaking.
"What happened, has his condition worsened?" Sam asked hurriedly as he made a sharp turn down another corridor.
"No, we need to get him ready for a transfusion," Bling said quickly.
Sam slowed and turned to face Bling, his face dropping.
"Bling, I'm sorry but there's no blood available, and people have to be screened for that sort of thing," Sam said quietly, trying not to upset the man.
"No, it's alright. It's from the same person he got it from last time, you don't need to screen her," Bling replied, as he started to walk toward Logan's room again. Doctor Carr followed him and ran to catch up.
"You're sure she isn't infected with anything, or have any blood anomalies I should know about?" Sam questioned, knowing she probably didn't since last time Logan got blood from a girl – a girl he assumed was the same one coming to donate again – it was amazing the effect it had on him. Bling turned to face him and his lips curled slightly into a grin.
"No, I'm sure her blood is clean," Bling said defiantly, completely avoiding the question of blood anomalies, and then walked into Logan's room. Sam stood there and looked at the back of the retreating giant. 'Well, he is going to die otherwise, it's the best hope we've got.' With that thought he walked into the room and started to prepare Logan for his transfusion. Not that there was much to do, but set up a line for the person who was about to arrive.
Max had never travelled faster on her bike. It was screaming in protest to the treatment but still flying along. Max had managed to break through every sector checkpoint between her place and the hospital. Most times the checkpoint guards only heard a screaming engine approach, and then before they knew what was happening the flimsy wooden barrier was broken and the screaming engine sound was disappearing. At one checkpoint, however, they had been warned of her approach and set up metal guardrails with large spikes. As Max turned onto the street with the checkpoint at the end, she noticed the guards preparing the area for blockade, and knew by the time she got there it would be fully blocked off.
"Damn," she mumbled angrily. She stopped the bike to consider her options, sitting there getting very impatient. Max looked around and noticed a service elevator just off to her side. She turned her bike and rode into it, taking the lift to the top floor. When the doors opened, she exploded out of the elevator and headed up the stairs. A few stunned residents popped their heads out to see a girl riding past on a motorcycle.
When Max managed to get onto the roof, she looked across and smiled. Most of the roof tops here were joined or spaced only a few feet apart, and all the gutters had little ramps onto the next roof; probably so the people could wheel their shopping trolleys around.
So once again she was speeding towards the checkpoint, but this time she was 5 stories high.
When she got to the end of the joined rooftops, which happened to be where the checkpoint was, she looked out and noticed that there was a large warehouse across the way. The problem was it was a good distance from the building she was on. She decided quickly, jumped off her bike, ripped the door that was an entrance to the roof from its hinges and placed it over by the ledge, making a small ramp. She jumped back on her bike and rode toward it, hitting it at a great speed. As she shot into the air and across toward to warehouse, she could hear some gunfire so she looked down and noticed that the Sector Police were firing at her wildly. When she looked back in front of her, the side of the building was coming up fast, but she had placed herself perfectly so she managed to crash through a large window, down a desk, which was placed next to the window, and onto the floor. She stopped for a moment to admire the view she had just created and the distance of her jump. She then turned and sped off, out the back of the warehouse – after taking a few sets of stairs – and into the streets.
Max arrived at the hospital and parked her bike in the underground parking lot. She ran up to the entrance of the hospital at an incredible speed, and then as more people came into view she slowed down to a regular pace, but still faster than most people. After nearly breaking the automatic doors – which were working far too slowly – she ran straight to the receptionist.
"Where's Logan?" she pleaded, not really making much sense since she was only asking for someone with a first name, but she was desperate and panicking.
The receptionist looked up and was ready to give this person the standard, 'Stand here and wait while I check' line that usually lasted a good 10 minutes, even though she knew there was only one Logan here, because she had witnessed his dramatic arrival. However, when she looked up and saw the anguish and pain of the girls face and eyes she immediately told her.
"Down that corridor and to the left, room 415." The nurse stood up as she was saying this and pointed in the direction of Logan's room. Max nodded and ran down the corridor; it was the hardest thing she had done, trying to run slowly enough not to blur.
Bling had moved out into the hall and started pacing impatiently waiting for Max to arrive. Logan was slipping away very quickly now, and the doctor was in with him but there was nothing he could really do.
Max ran around the corner and down the other corridor, she immediately saw Bling so knew she was headed in the right direction. She didn't even want to think why he was standing out in the corridor and not actually in the room with Logan.
"Bling, how is he? What happened?" Max asked as she approached whilst starting to take off her jacket.
"He's bad and I was hoping you might be able to tell me what happened," Bling replied curiously.
"What, you think I'd just leave him like that?" Max replied sharply. Bling quickly apologised and went to stand by Logan. Max followed and walked over to Logan's bed, she was sad as soon as she saw him. 'Look at him, he's nearly dead and he's been through so much in the past few days.' Max's face was dark and sad, and she felt like she may cry again, but this time because of how Logan looked; he actually looked like he was dead.
Sam had heard the two approaching so he quickly stood up and started talking as he got the needle out, preparing them for the transfusion.
"Okay, all you need to do is sit here and I'll just put the needle in and then… You?" Sam had finally turned around and saw Max standing there looking down at Logan, face full of sorrow and pain.
"Yeah me, don't worry there are no cops after me now," Max said as she grabbed the needle from his hand and jabbed it in her arm. Sam was standing there gawping, not too sure what had just happened. He turned to look at Max who had taken the seat next to Logan's bed. She had fished out his undamaged hand and was holding it in hers and she was looking at his face. He could see she was very upset.
"Um, okay then. It might take a while since Logan has lost a lot of blood, I'll come back in about 20 minutes to check on you. If you start to feel nauseated in anyway, use the buzzer." He indicated to the wall then slowly walked out, suddenly feeling very out of place. Bling also had the feeling he was interrupting something significant, so he walked over to Max quietly.
"I'll be outside if you need anything, just call," Bling said softly into Max's ear, as though he would disturb something important if he spoke too loudly.
"K, thanks Bling," Max replied, never taking her eyes off Logan.
Bling turned and finally let out a breath he had been holding for far too long. He turned to look at them again as he was closing the door. 'Logan will be alright now, Max is here. Damn he is a lucky man. I really need to tell him that some day.' This thought sprang to mind as he saw a single tear roll down Max's cheek, as she leaned in and gently stroked his face and whispered something.
"You know if you die on me I'll kick your ass," Max whispered to Logan, as she stroked his face and the tears started to fall more frequently.
"Well thanks a lot Logan, you've opened an emotional time bomb, all I can do is cry now," Max joked with him. Well, at least she tried to joke but it came out in shallow bursts, interrupted by the irregular breathing her crying had induced.
Max had been sitting there for about 5 minutes before she started getting tired, and discovered that the chair she was sitting on was incredibly uncomfortable. She looked at Logan and noticed there was quite a large gap on the bed next to him. She desperately wanted to climb up and lay next to him, but with everything that had happened that morning she didn't think Logan would appreciate it. She wasn't sure how he would take this, waking up to see her there, giving him more 'genetically engineered freak blood'. He'd probably be disgusted. Her thoughts were interrupted by a gentle movement of Logan's hand. Max noticed he tried to squeeze hers, but was so weak that all he could manage was a slight movement. 'He probably thought I am someone else anyway, he wouldn't want to hold hands with me.' Just then Logan sighed, but with his sigh Max could hear her name being said, and again Logan's features changed and he smiled and a little colour came back to his face. This had an effect on Max too, she felt a little warmer.
Her mind was made up, she slowly and lethargically climbed into the bed with Logan, resting her head on his shoulder and quickly falling asleep.
When she awoke the hot rays of the sun were beating over her and the bright light was blinding her. She slowly sat up and was overcome by the smell of salt water and fresh air. As she looked around she realised this must have been the beach Logan was talking about. She now understood, it was nice. Not being able to help herself she looked down and smiled; she was wearing a bikini. She then looked up for something had captured her attention. Logan was running out of the surf toward her; he was smiling and seemed very pleased to see her.
Max felt happy again.
As Logan approached his grin broadened, and he was jogging towards Max slowly. When he was a few feet away from the foot of the towel she was lying on he 'accidentally' tripped.
"Whoops," he said, making quite a production of it, as he came to land over the top of Max. He didn't land directly on her, but hovered over her, supporting his own weight. He was staring intensely into her eyes and noticed her bottom lip disappearing behind her top lip.
"Hey you," he said, smiling.
"Hey," Max replied quietly, a shocked pleasure with the situation. Logan began to move, so he could lie down on his towel next to Max.
"Don't," she said, gently grabbing his forearm to keep him in place. Logan looked at her, asking a question with his eyes. He was full of joy and playfulness so the gaze appeared cheeky.
"The sun was bothering me, this is much better," Max stated.
"Really?" Logan asked smiling wide, exposing his teeth.
"No, not really, it just makes this easier." In a deft movement Max knocked both of his arms out causing him to fall straight on top of her. Max loved the closeness and the pressure of his shirtless body on hers. She ran her hand along his spine from the small of his back, up into his hair and then pulled his head down to hers, and their lips met.
Logan pulled a way after a few minutes, and Max smiled lazily and murmured appreciatorily.
"I should probably get off, because I think we are causing a scene," Logan said as he reluctantly rolled off.
"Mmm," Max answered as she drifted off to sleep.
Logan had been awake for some time now and noticed Max curled up next to him, her face pained as she held his hand. He could see the stain of tears on her face. 'God I'm an idiot. Good thing she keeps coming back, giving me another chance. I really need to do something nice for her soon,' Logan thought, completely forgetting he couldn't walk, but he knew now that it didn't matter. Max was with him anyway, worried for his safety, lying there with him, holding his hand. Logan noticed that her grip had slipped, so he gently squeezed her hand – which produced a smile from Max – then he gently let go – which received a scowl. He moved his arm around so Max was on the inside of it, next to his body and nicely cocooned. Max's features lit up and she murmured something in her sleep as she wiggled closer to Logan.
Sam came in and saw the two lying on the bed. At first he thought something was wrong but then he saw Logan, with his face full of colour and he was awake, looking down at the girl in his arms lovingly.
"Okay, well you're full by the looks of things. She probably will sleep for a while to regain her strength. Would you like me to get another bed brought in for her?" Sam whispered, trying not to disturb Max. He knew the answer to the question but wanted to see what Logan was going to say.
"No, she looks pretty comfortable where she is," Logan stated happily as he hugged Max a little tighter and protectively.
"Okay then, I'll be back in a while to check on you both," Sam said as he withdrew the needle from Max's arm. She barely flinched.
"Thanks Sam. Could you ask Bling to come in please?" Logan asked as the doctor was leaving the room. Sam merely nodded and headed out of the room.
When Max woke she was still a little groggy and disorientated. When she realised where she was and why she was there, she looked up and saw Logan peering down at her.
"How do you feel?" they asked in unison.
"Good, probably because I've got some more super blood in me. And you?" Logan replied first, and then smiled down at Max, looking apologetically into her eyes.
"Warm again," Max said, as she smiled up at him, Logan could see the relief and calm in her eyes as she looked at him.
"I've got something for you," Logan said promisingly as he leant over and retrieved something of the bedside table. Max looked at him puzzled then smiled when she saw the glass of red cordial he presented her with.
"My favourite. How ever did you know?" Max asked playfully.
"You told me, remember?" Logan spoke back, smiling at Max and laughing slightly. He felt whole again.
Max took a few big sips then handed it back to Logan, who placed it back on the bedside table.
"I'm still kinda tired," Max said. She wasn't really, but she didn't want to leave her position.
"That's okay, go back to sleep, you gave me a lot of blood, you need your rest," Logan replied.
Max smiled at him then bent her head down to rest on his shoulder and slowly closed her eyes, a huge grin on her face.
After a while, when Logan thought she had fallen asleep again, he slowly bent down and kissed the top of her head. He knew she wasn't when he saw her teeth bared as a beautiful smile graced her features.
Logan looked out the window and noticed it was dark again. 'Perfect, another night,' Logan jested with himself.
He then bent down and kissed to top of Max's head again.