"Logan! Come on, Peter said we have to leave for the airport in half an hour."
Max grinned when she saw the uncombed hair of her boyfriend and his sleepy eyes. "Get up."
Logan mumbled something not even Max could understand before he allowed her to help him into his chair. Finally he woke up enough to at least spell a good morning, then he wheeled himself to the bathroom.
Max sat at the table when Logan entered the kitchen, greeting his grandma with a kiss.
"Peter is packing away the suitcases. We're gonna leave when you are finished."
"Sounds like I'm supposed to hurry. You should have woken me earlier."
"Like I didn't try." Max shot him a glance, amused.
"You know some bad words, Logan Cale."
"I'm sorry, not much of a morning person."
The both women nodded, knowingly, then giggled.
"I really envy you. Paris, wow." Anna sighed. "You gotta take lots of pictures."
Max looked at Logan. "I don't think we have a camera, do we?"
"There should be one in my backbag, we might have to get a film though."
Peter entered the room. "All set." He dropped on a chair and filled himself a cup of coffee.
They finished breakfast in silence, then left the house.
At the airport they made their way to the right gate, this time, Logan didn't allow Max to push him. She hadn't even tried.
"Ok, here we are. I hope you are going to have a great week." Anna embraced Max.
"Thanks for everything, and greet Karen, Emily and Mark." She also hugged Peter, then waited until Logan has said his goodbyes.
"Take care."
A few minutes later they sat on the plane.
"I can't believe it, we're going to Paris. Wow."
Logan smiled. "You're gonna love it."
"How do you know?"
"I always did, so I figure you will aswell."
"Have you been there?"
"I studied there."
"You never told me!"
"Long time ago." The other passengers came in and Logan and Max watched them pass by. Suddenly a grumpy, middle-aged, fat man stood over them, wanting to get to his seat at the window, leaving Logan no time to get his legs out of the way.
"What the hell is the matter with you young people?"
Logan didn't answer, just tried to move his uncooperative legs.
Max glared at the man. "Would you step back please. We can't just disappear." She climbed out of the row, casually taking Logan's legs along. "here you go." Her voice was cold.
The man squeezed his huge body past Logan and sank down in his seat, immediately screaming for the stewardess.
Max returned to her seat, helping Logan to get comfortable again.
"Thank you." He squeezed her hand.
"You're welcome."
Aftera short flight they were in Paris, Max repeated the act to let the other man get out.
An hour leter the two of them were sitting in a cab, taking them downtown. Max was amazed about how well Logan spoke French.
"He can show us a nice little hotel in Quartier Latin, that's a great place to stay. And it has the right accommodations for me, at least for European standards.
Max knew by now that adjustments for disabled people were by far worse and rarer in Europe. "Sounds great to me."
"Wow, this is really cool. Where will we go first?"
Logan had to grin at the enthusiasm Max showed.
"Wherever you want to go. We have to catch a cab anyway. I won't be able to use the Metro easily."
Max nodded her agreement. "But we will try, OK?"
"Sure, we can check out the accessibility." He sighed inwardly. It would be a lecture in how normal his life could be, and he wasn't sure the outcome would be positive. But then again, Max was with him. No matter how much he had to endure, the stares, the pity, the avoidance, Max was his and nobody was as lucky as to have her.
Max grabbed her jacket and preceded her boyfriend to the door. She knew he was scared of the day ahaed. People's reactions bothered him a lot more than he let on. And she wanted to prove to him that she didn't care, she would not deny him. She'd always defend the best man she'd ever known. She grinned slightly when she thought about what all those people missed by avoiding Logan.
"Max? What's up? Wanna bounce?" She hadn't realized Logan was already waiting for her.
"Sure." She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Paris, we're coming!"
When they'd reached the street, Logan opened a map. "I just gotta get my bearing. It's been a while."
While he studied the map, Max watched the people passing by, casting odd looks at them. They all were fools, she thought.
"OK, I think I got it. How about we take a cab and start with the Eiffeltower? Then we can walk to some other sights if you want."
"Sounds great to me." Max waved at a cab, then stored Logan's chair in the trunk.
The Eiffeltower was so much more impressive than she'd ever imagined it to be. She'd seen pictures, but never thought about how huge it really was. "This is amazing."
Logan nodded. "It feels good to see that not the entire world has changed."
He indicated an elevator. "Wanna go up there?"
She shrugged. "Would you come?"
"Well, I'm not sure. It's not exactly what I was looking forward to all my life."
"Come on, you won't have to look down."
"OK, why not. But you gotta stay close."
"I swear. I won't leave you." - Ever again. Max didn't dare to say that out loud, not yet.
They made their way over to the elevator, there were only few people waiting. During the ride up, Max had both hands on Logan's tense shoulders, knowing he only did that for her.
"Ok, here we go." Logan rolled out of the elevator, but stayed far behind the barrier, watching Max as she enjoyed the view.
"Logan, you gotta see this, it's fantastic. Come on."
"Thanks, but I wouldn't be able to see much anyway." He pointed at the wall Max was leaning on, and she realized it was in fact pretty high.
"I'll help you." She pleaded. "You stare out your windows all the time. That's not different." She stretched out a hand. "I'll help you stand, then you can see everything."
"Max...I...the people..." Logan blushed.
"There are only few and they don't care about us, besides we will never see them again." She smiled at him. "I can help you, we've done that before. I want to share that with you."
Logan couldn't resist anymore, he slowly rolled closer, with one last glance at Max he lifted his feet on the floor and took the hand she offered. She bent down so he could lay his arms around her shoulders, then she carefully pulled him up. If it wasn't for the wheelchair behind Logan, they would have seemed like any normal couple.
Max could feel the strain, the tension in Logan's body as he struggled to maintain his balance, both physically and mentally. But she knew he wouldn't lose it, not as long as she was there to prevent it. If only he would finally believe in that.
"This is breathtaking, isn't it?" Max held him tighter.
"Yeah.Thank you."
"You're welcome." She felt his hand searching for more support. "Wait, I'll help you back..." She made him sit down in his chair again.
"Let's go back down and remember it this way." Max nodded her agreement.
From the Eiffeltower they walked to some more sights and then back to the hotel. For Max it was a piece of cake, but Logan was exhausted when they entered the room.
They had not eaten anything and she proposed to go to a small restaurant across the street.
"Yeah, but lemme have a shower first." Logan warily grabbed clean clothes and rolled into the bathroom. It wasn't exactly as comfortable as his own shower, but better than his grandparent's. If only his arms were feeling better, he'd pushed too hard all day- literally.
Logan instantly knew he wouldn't make it, but his pride stopped him from asking Max for help, so he tried to lift himself into the shower. Of course, his arms gave out, with a curse on his lips he landed flat on his face.
Max heard him scream and entered the bathroom within seconds. "Logan, are you OK?"
"I'm fine." His voice was icy and hard.
"Right."
"Just leave me alone."
"Sure."
She approached him slowly. It was obvious he needed help, so there was no way she would leave.
"I told ya not to come closer."
"Logan, please..."
"Damn it!" Max knew him well enough, she wouldn't give in. Logan knew he would require her help to get up, and she was willing to give him the time he needed to accept that.
"It's OK, you needn't be ashamed. I know who you are."
She slowly kneeled down next to him and helped him sit up.
"I don't wanna be who I am. Damn, up there, on the tower, I felt complete for a moment. And now I'm back in reality. I can't stand that anymore."
He glanced up at Max, defeated. "I don't want to depend on you or anybody else." His voice grew stronger with desperate conviction. "Damn it, leave me alone!!"
Max stared at him. "Why are you doing this?"
"Cut it out Max. Just go." He shoved her away.
"No, I'll stay. You're stuck with me, Logan Cale. I won't let you bath in self-pity again."
She sat down so she was on eye-level with him. "There's nothing you have to hide from me, I know you. Why do you still try to fight this battle alone?"
He stared at her, his expression changing from furious to despondent.
"Because I'm afraid you'll eventually realize what it's like to be witha cripple like me. You, the perfect super-soldier."
"You are no cripple, and I'm not perfect. What about feline DANN, seizures, heat cycles? I'm just as hopeless as you are, but I allow you to support me." She laid her hands on his legs. "I love you and I don't care about the chair. Give me a chance to prove this."
Logan's face suddenly softened. "I'm so tired of fighting, every day is a battle. I wake up, and in the very first moment I want to stand up, then I realize I can't, and that hurts like hell, every single morning. I struggle so hard to get through each day, and I'm not sure how much longer I can go on." Tears fell down his cheeks. He'd finally admitted it. "I'm scared to death, Max."
Max crawled closer and gathered him in her arms. "I'm gonna be there, every morning. I'm gonna show you that's it's worth to face each day. Let me in. Logan."
He answered the embrace and held her close. "I love you."
They sat like that for another few minutes, then she helped him into the shower and joined him.
An hour later they sat at a table in the small restaurant Max had mentioned earlier, enjoying the atmosphere and the complete understanding they finally shared.
Logan was tired, so they returned to their room right after finishing dinner. Warily, he transferred onto the bed and fell asleep in a matter of seconds.
Max had slept a few hours herself and now lay awake, waiting patiently for Logan to wake up. She remembered their conversation and wanted to distract him from reality the very moment he opened his eyes. Finally he stirred and Max leaned over to place light kisses on his face. "Good morning."
"Good morning yourself." He smiled at her. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. So what are we gonna do today?"
Logan tried to push himself into a sitting position, but his arms gave in. "Gosh. Not much I'm afraid. My arms hurt like hell."
He suddenly felt vulnerable again, his arms were everything he had left to get from here to there. "Max, please help me." He sighed, but it didn't feel as embarrassing as he'd expected.
"Sure." She grinned as she rolled the wheelchair closer to the bed and then pushed his legs on the floor before she helped him sit up. When he placed his left hand on the wheel and put weight on it, he groaned again. With Max's help he managed it fairly quickly though.
"I guess me pushing you around is not an option." He didn't even bother to answer that. "So I'll call room-service for breakfast, maybe you are feeling a little better afterwards."
"Sounds good to me. God, I didn't know I had that many muscles."
Groaning, he pushed himself over to the suitcase, looking for khakis and a shirt. Max called the room-service meanwhile.
"So tell me about Paris. Why have you been here again?"
"I studied here for a couple of months. But that's been a long time ago."
"Didn't make any close friends?"
Logan shrugged. "Sure I had friends, but there were only few I'd consider true friends."
"Are you still in touch?"
"There was this one guy, Nicolas. We exchanged e-mails, a phone call every other week; but you know, somehow we stopped that last year."
"After the shooting, and you just didn't answer. Right?"
"Why do you have to know me so well?"
"It doesn't take much to figure that out, believe me."
Max grabbed another croissant. "Does he live in Paris?"
Logan shrugged. "He did when I heard from him the last time."
"Why don't we just visit him?"
"Max, I..." Logan looked at his legs, avoiding her intense gaze.
"I'm not the guy I used to be."
"Sure, it's been like nine or ten years. He'll have changed aswell."
"We used to do so many things I just can't do anymore."
"Right, let the damn wheelchair rule over your life. Damn it, there is more about you than your legs, Logan! Why can't you see that?"
She chewed slowly, giving him time to consider her words.
"I haven't even told him..."
"Where is his number? You have it in your agenda, don't you?"
He nodded wearily. "You're stubborn Max."
"I know, just like you." She'd found the booklet. "amazing I can beat you sometimes, huh?"
"Nicolas Perrier?" He nodded. "Do you want me to call him?"
"Right now?"
"Sure, no time like the present."
He sighed. "I can do it." The telephone landed in his lap, with another sigh he began to dial. "He is probably at work any...Salut, c'est Nicolas? Hi, it's me, Logan...listen, I'm sorry I didn't answer your mails and calls. I've been - occupied. Anyway, I'm in Paris right now...for a couple of days only...girlfriend...Today? Yeah, why not...Ok, wait. I'll ask Max." He looked up at her and saw her nodding. "OK, where and when?...Your place...No, it's ok. Do you have elevators in your building?...Great. So see you at about 4.Bye."
Logan pit the phone back in his lap. "He asked..."
"...us to come over by four."
They spent the rest of the morning exploring the area around the hotel, that much Logan's tortured arms could handle. Sometimes Logan had trouble entering a small shop or aisle, but he apparently shrugged it off. After having lunch at a small cafe they returned to the hotel.
"Mind if I have a nab. For normal human beings this is kinda exhausting."
"Sure, do whatever you wanna do." She climbed into the bed herself and sheepishly grinned at him. "Mind if I cuddle with the man of my dreams?"
"As long as I'm allowed to sleep..."
Logan pushed his body on the bed and moved his legs under the bedding.
"I'm so sore."
Max kneeled up and told him to turn around. Then she started massaging him and felt him relax after a few minutes. Only then she dared to move towards his lower back. She knew that was something he was very sensitive about. But he let her go on, and she felt his muscles all knotted up. He had needed that, and his legs probably did so, too.
"Max, don't stop..." His voice was heavy with sleep.
She held her hands still for a moment, slightly shocked. She'd never understood all the implications concerning his paralysis. He didn't even know she was still kneeling on top of him, touching him forcefully.
"I'm still here, Logan. Just sleep." She kept on massaging the knots out of his legs while he rested, still thinking about his condition. He couldn't feel her touch, not could he sense coldness, heat or the softness of sand, grass or water; and there was no guarantee he'd ever again be able to. Suddenly she understood some of his pain better.
Finally she laid down next to him, cuddling close.
Max grinned when she saw the uncombed hair of her boyfriend and his sleepy eyes. "Get up."
Logan mumbled something not even Max could understand before he allowed her to help him into his chair. Finally he woke up enough to at least spell a good morning, then he wheeled himself to the bathroom.
Max sat at the table when Logan entered the kitchen, greeting his grandma with a kiss.
"Peter is packing away the suitcases. We're gonna leave when you are finished."
"Sounds like I'm supposed to hurry. You should have woken me earlier."
"Like I didn't try." Max shot him a glance, amused.
"You know some bad words, Logan Cale."
"I'm sorry, not much of a morning person."
The both women nodded, knowingly, then giggled.
"I really envy you. Paris, wow." Anna sighed. "You gotta take lots of pictures."
Max looked at Logan. "I don't think we have a camera, do we?"
"There should be one in my backbag, we might have to get a film though."
Peter entered the room. "All set." He dropped on a chair and filled himself a cup of coffee.
They finished breakfast in silence, then left the house.
At the airport they made their way to the right gate, this time, Logan didn't allow Max to push him. She hadn't even tried.
"Ok, here we are. I hope you are going to have a great week." Anna embraced Max.
"Thanks for everything, and greet Karen, Emily and Mark." She also hugged Peter, then waited until Logan has said his goodbyes.
"Take care."
A few minutes later they sat on the plane.
"I can't believe it, we're going to Paris. Wow."
Logan smiled. "You're gonna love it."
"How do you know?"
"I always did, so I figure you will aswell."
"Have you been there?"
"I studied there."
"You never told me!"
"Long time ago." The other passengers came in and Logan and Max watched them pass by. Suddenly a grumpy, middle-aged, fat man stood over them, wanting to get to his seat at the window, leaving Logan no time to get his legs out of the way.
"What the hell is the matter with you young people?"
Logan didn't answer, just tried to move his uncooperative legs.
Max glared at the man. "Would you step back please. We can't just disappear." She climbed out of the row, casually taking Logan's legs along. "here you go." Her voice was cold.
The man squeezed his huge body past Logan and sank down in his seat, immediately screaming for the stewardess.
Max returned to her seat, helping Logan to get comfortable again.
"Thank you." He squeezed her hand.
"You're welcome."
Aftera short flight they were in Paris, Max repeated the act to let the other man get out.
An hour leter the two of them were sitting in a cab, taking them downtown. Max was amazed about how well Logan spoke French.
"He can show us a nice little hotel in Quartier Latin, that's a great place to stay. And it has the right accommodations for me, at least for European standards.
Max knew by now that adjustments for disabled people were by far worse and rarer in Europe. "Sounds great to me."
"Wow, this is really cool. Where will we go first?"
Logan had to grin at the enthusiasm Max showed.
"Wherever you want to go. We have to catch a cab anyway. I won't be able to use the Metro easily."
Max nodded her agreement. "But we will try, OK?"
"Sure, we can check out the accessibility." He sighed inwardly. It would be a lecture in how normal his life could be, and he wasn't sure the outcome would be positive. But then again, Max was with him. No matter how much he had to endure, the stares, the pity, the avoidance, Max was his and nobody was as lucky as to have her.
Max grabbed her jacket and preceded her boyfriend to the door. She knew he was scared of the day ahaed. People's reactions bothered him a lot more than he let on. And she wanted to prove to him that she didn't care, she would not deny him. She'd always defend the best man she'd ever known. She grinned slightly when she thought about what all those people missed by avoiding Logan.
"Max? What's up? Wanna bounce?" She hadn't realized Logan was already waiting for her.
"Sure." She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Paris, we're coming!"
When they'd reached the street, Logan opened a map. "I just gotta get my bearing. It's been a while."
While he studied the map, Max watched the people passing by, casting odd looks at them. They all were fools, she thought.
"OK, I think I got it. How about we take a cab and start with the Eiffeltower? Then we can walk to some other sights if you want."
"Sounds great to me." Max waved at a cab, then stored Logan's chair in the trunk.
The Eiffeltower was so much more impressive than she'd ever imagined it to be. She'd seen pictures, but never thought about how huge it really was. "This is amazing."
Logan nodded. "It feels good to see that not the entire world has changed."
He indicated an elevator. "Wanna go up there?"
She shrugged. "Would you come?"
"Well, I'm not sure. It's not exactly what I was looking forward to all my life."
"Come on, you won't have to look down."
"OK, why not. But you gotta stay close."
"I swear. I won't leave you." - Ever again. Max didn't dare to say that out loud, not yet.
They made their way over to the elevator, there were only few people waiting. During the ride up, Max had both hands on Logan's tense shoulders, knowing he only did that for her.
"Ok, here we go." Logan rolled out of the elevator, but stayed far behind the barrier, watching Max as she enjoyed the view.
"Logan, you gotta see this, it's fantastic. Come on."
"Thanks, but I wouldn't be able to see much anyway." He pointed at the wall Max was leaning on, and she realized it was in fact pretty high.
"I'll help you." She pleaded. "You stare out your windows all the time. That's not different." She stretched out a hand. "I'll help you stand, then you can see everything."
"Max...I...the people..." Logan blushed.
"There are only few and they don't care about us, besides we will never see them again." She smiled at him. "I can help you, we've done that before. I want to share that with you."
Logan couldn't resist anymore, he slowly rolled closer, with one last glance at Max he lifted his feet on the floor and took the hand she offered. She bent down so he could lay his arms around her shoulders, then she carefully pulled him up. If it wasn't for the wheelchair behind Logan, they would have seemed like any normal couple.
Max could feel the strain, the tension in Logan's body as he struggled to maintain his balance, both physically and mentally. But she knew he wouldn't lose it, not as long as she was there to prevent it. If only he would finally believe in that.
"This is breathtaking, isn't it?" Max held him tighter.
"Yeah.Thank you."
"You're welcome." She felt his hand searching for more support. "Wait, I'll help you back..." She made him sit down in his chair again.
"Let's go back down and remember it this way." Max nodded her agreement.
From the Eiffeltower they walked to some more sights and then back to the hotel. For Max it was a piece of cake, but Logan was exhausted when they entered the room.
They had not eaten anything and she proposed to go to a small restaurant across the street.
"Yeah, but lemme have a shower first." Logan warily grabbed clean clothes and rolled into the bathroom. It wasn't exactly as comfortable as his own shower, but better than his grandparent's. If only his arms were feeling better, he'd pushed too hard all day- literally.
Logan instantly knew he wouldn't make it, but his pride stopped him from asking Max for help, so he tried to lift himself into the shower. Of course, his arms gave out, with a curse on his lips he landed flat on his face.
Max heard him scream and entered the bathroom within seconds. "Logan, are you OK?"
"I'm fine." His voice was icy and hard.
"Right."
"Just leave me alone."
"Sure."
She approached him slowly. It was obvious he needed help, so there was no way she would leave.
"I told ya not to come closer."
"Logan, please..."
"Damn it!" Max knew him well enough, she wouldn't give in. Logan knew he would require her help to get up, and she was willing to give him the time he needed to accept that.
"It's OK, you needn't be ashamed. I know who you are."
She slowly kneeled down next to him and helped him sit up.
"I don't wanna be who I am. Damn, up there, on the tower, I felt complete for a moment. And now I'm back in reality. I can't stand that anymore."
He glanced up at Max, defeated. "I don't want to depend on you or anybody else." His voice grew stronger with desperate conviction. "Damn it, leave me alone!!"
Max stared at him. "Why are you doing this?"
"Cut it out Max. Just go." He shoved her away.
"No, I'll stay. You're stuck with me, Logan Cale. I won't let you bath in self-pity again."
She sat down so she was on eye-level with him. "There's nothing you have to hide from me, I know you. Why do you still try to fight this battle alone?"
He stared at her, his expression changing from furious to despondent.
"Because I'm afraid you'll eventually realize what it's like to be witha cripple like me. You, the perfect super-soldier."
"You are no cripple, and I'm not perfect. What about feline DANN, seizures, heat cycles? I'm just as hopeless as you are, but I allow you to support me." She laid her hands on his legs. "I love you and I don't care about the chair. Give me a chance to prove this."
Logan's face suddenly softened. "I'm so tired of fighting, every day is a battle. I wake up, and in the very first moment I want to stand up, then I realize I can't, and that hurts like hell, every single morning. I struggle so hard to get through each day, and I'm not sure how much longer I can go on." Tears fell down his cheeks. He'd finally admitted it. "I'm scared to death, Max."
Max crawled closer and gathered him in her arms. "I'm gonna be there, every morning. I'm gonna show you that's it's worth to face each day. Let me in. Logan."
He answered the embrace and held her close. "I love you."
They sat like that for another few minutes, then she helped him into the shower and joined him.
An hour later they sat at a table in the small restaurant Max had mentioned earlier, enjoying the atmosphere and the complete understanding they finally shared.
Logan was tired, so they returned to their room right after finishing dinner. Warily, he transferred onto the bed and fell asleep in a matter of seconds.
Max had slept a few hours herself and now lay awake, waiting patiently for Logan to wake up. She remembered their conversation and wanted to distract him from reality the very moment he opened his eyes. Finally he stirred and Max leaned over to place light kisses on his face. "Good morning."
"Good morning yourself." He smiled at her. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. So what are we gonna do today?"
Logan tried to push himself into a sitting position, but his arms gave in. "Gosh. Not much I'm afraid. My arms hurt like hell."
He suddenly felt vulnerable again, his arms were everything he had left to get from here to there. "Max, please help me." He sighed, but it didn't feel as embarrassing as he'd expected.
"Sure." She grinned as she rolled the wheelchair closer to the bed and then pushed his legs on the floor before she helped him sit up. When he placed his left hand on the wheel and put weight on it, he groaned again. With Max's help he managed it fairly quickly though.
"I guess me pushing you around is not an option." He didn't even bother to answer that. "So I'll call room-service for breakfast, maybe you are feeling a little better afterwards."
"Sounds good to me. God, I didn't know I had that many muscles."
Groaning, he pushed himself over to the suitcase, looking for khakis and a shirt. Max called the room-service meanwhile.
"So tell me about Paris. Why have you been here again?"
"I studied here for a couple of months. But that's been a long time ago."
"Didn't make any close friends?"
Logan shrugged. "Sure I had friends, but there were only few I'd consider true friends."
"Are you still in touch?"
"There was this one guy, Nicolas. We exchanged e-mails, a phone call every other week; but you know, somehow we stopped that last year."
"After the shooting, and you just didn't answer. Right?"
"Why do you have to know me so well?"
"It doesn't take much to figure that out, believe me."
Max grabbed another croissant. "Does he live in Paris?"
Logan shrugged. "He did when I heard from him the last time."
"Why don't we just visit him?"
"Max, I..." Logan looked at his legs, avoiding her intense gaze.
"I'm not the guy I used to be."
"Sure, it's been like nine or ten years. He'll have changed aswell."
"We used to do so many things I just can't do anymore."
"Right, let the damn wheelchair rule over your life. Damn it, there is more about you than your legs, Logan! Why can't you see that?"
She chewed slowly, giving him time to consider her words.
"I haven't even told him..."
"Where is his number? You have it in your agenda, don't you?"
He nodded wearily. "You're stubborn Max."
"I know, just like you." She'd found the booklet. "amazing I can beat you sometimes, huh?"
"Nicolas Perrier?" He nodded. "Do you want me to call him?"
"Right now?"
"Sure, no time like the present."
He sighed. "I can do it." The telephone landed in his lap, with another sigh he began to dial. "He is probably at work any...Salut, c'est Nicolas? Hi, it's me, Logan...listen, I'm sorry I didn't answer your mails and calls. I've been - occupied. Anyway, I'm in Paris right now...for a couple of days only...girlfriend...Today? Yeah, why not...Ok, wait. I'll ask Max." He looked up at her and saw her nodding. "OK, where and when?...Your place...No, it's ok. Do you have elevators in your building?...Great. So see you at about 4.Bye."
Logan pit the phone back in his lap. "He asked..."
"...us to come over by four."
They spent the rest of the morning exploring the area around the hotel, that much Logan's tortured arms could handle. Sometimes Logan had trouble entering a small shop or aisle, but he apparently shrugged it off. After having lunch at a small cafe they returned to the hotel.
"Mind if I have a nab. For normal human beings this is kinda exhausting."
"Sure, do whatever you wanna do." She climbed into the bed herself and sheepishly grinned at him. "Mind if I cuddle with the man of my dreams?"
"As long as I'm allowed to sleep..."
Logan pushed his body on the bed and moved his legs under the bedding.
"I'm so sore."
Max kneeled up and told him to turn around. Then she started massaging him and felt him relax after a few minutes. Only then she dared to move towards his lower back. She knew that was something he was very sensitive about. But he let her go on, and she felt his muscles all knotted up. He had needed that, and his legs probably did so, too.
"Max, don't stop..." His voice was heavy with sleep.
She held her hands still for a moment, slightly shocked. She'd never understood all the implications concerning his paralysis. He didn't even know she was still kneeling on top of him, touching him forcefully.
"I'm still here, Logan. Just sleep." She kept on massaging the knots out of his legs while he rested, still thinking about his condition. He couldn't feel her touch, not could he sense coldness, heat or the softness of sand, grass or water; and there was no guarantee he'd ever again be able to. Suddenly she understood some of his pain better.
Finally she laid down next to him, cuddling close.
