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Part 13

To say he'd been surprised when he woke up and Max wasn't next to him was a serious understatement. The soft covers beneath him were rumpled like his clothes but he could still smell that undeniable scent of hers impregnated on himself yet the cold spoke that they'd been empty for a while and his eyes softly opened.

He jumped out of bed a haggard and frightened look on his face as every memory flooded back to his brain. The surroundings were unfamiliar and his fluorescent green orbs looked left and right as if looking for a clue that might reveal everything to him.

Forgetting his injured leg he jolted forward intent on going in search of her when reality brought him crashing to the ground . . . literally.

A soft groan reverberated out of his throat and he took deep breaths trying to grab a semblance of control and steady his beating heart, pushing the throbbing pain away from his thoughts. No matter how much he tried he couldn't control his mind to analyze the situation. Only the distinct feeling that he should be with her, make sure she was okay ran through his thoughts.

An intake of breath alerted him to someone else's presence and his face shot up locking gazes with blue pitying irises, "I don't want your pity Jondy," he ground out, lifting himself to his feet, "Where is she?"

The X5 looked a little taken aback but for which sentence he wasn't sure, maybe a little of both, "I'm not showing you pity Alec. You've been in this world far longer than me and you still insist on seeing in people's eyes what you want to see, what's most advantageous for you. Or maybe it's your pride."

His thigh felt like it was being squeezed into pulp but he bit back on the pain and took a tentative step forward, "Where's Max? Why did they take me here?"

Jondy kept her distance but Alec was sure it wasn't fear of him that kept her away, "We moved you to a different room for space purposes and believe me when I tell you that it was better this way. But that doesn't mean you can walk on that leg of yours."

"Where is she?!" he growled in anger as she refused to tell him, "Alec you were hurt worse than you think. The last thing you should be doing is walking. That bullet was an inch away from hitting your artery."

He blew up in a fit of rage throwing his body forward and smashing the wall either side of her head with his fists, "WHY WON"T YOU TELL ME WHERE SHE IS?"

Not so much as blinking Jondy held his gaze, "Because I know Max. And there's a few things we have to straighten out between me and you before I let you run off to her."

His nose scrunched and he squinted slightly at her blinking, "Jondy I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not interested in anything more than friends with you," he explained.

Her laugh only confused him further, "Oh Alec you can't seriously be that self centered?!"

The blank look she received made her chuckle once again and she scratched her chin, "I have no interest in being in a relationship with you. Sit down Casanova."

Offended relief washed over him and though in reluctance, he found himself obeying.

******

Max was thankful that her bandages needed changing. Not for the pain or discomfort of it, but because the task allowed her to focus her attention on the present and not the past.

Creek's hands, careful to keep his touch light and not put pressure on her skin, grasped her arms just above her elbows helping her to find her footing. She masked the wrenching pain of her wounds and using Creek's aid she got out of bed moving carefully but fast enough to get a disapproving glare from the medic.

It wasn't as if she couldn't move, for she could have gotten up by herself if need be but her pride had momentarily taken the backseat as she decided to avoid the pain.

He smiled at her and feigned amazement, "Wow Max! You didn't even hit me or bat my hands away!" he exclaimed in a light-hearted tone.

She shrugged, "I thought I'd humor you. I might as well try this accepting help thing once in a while. If it had been anyone else I probably wouldn't have tried, but you're special Creek."

Rolling his eyes at her sarcasm he pulled a face as he began unwinding the gauze from her side but knowing that she was in more pain than she'd ever let on, "Good thing these boxers of yours are low or I might have had to ask you to take them off."

She bit her lip from whimpering as the last bit of gauze came away ripping the scab. Swallowing audibly she joked not fully able to remove the shaking from her voice, "Not eager to get in my pants? That's a first."

"Pffftt," was the only reply she received.

His fingers were gentle on her bruised and raw skin as he applied this and that to stop infection soon repeating the same process to her shoulder bullet hole. One of her arms was in a sling immobilizing her broken clavicle that was already well on it's way to healing.

She smiled at him when he began spinning round her re-bandaging her side and he grinned back, "You're still the same little girl you always were. Just bitchier."

Rolling her eyes at him she looked away seeing a glimpse of the boy he'd been.

Helping her back onto the bed he turned to leave stopping at the door and looked at her, "He would be proud of you Max. He always was," his soft-spoken words affected more than she'd have liked to admit and she broke the stare.

******

Alec sat back down on the bed, his leg propped up on the mattress the other dangling freely off the edge as Jondy studied him and he couldn't help the distinct sense of déjà vu he felt at the situation at hand, "Try not to be as cryptic as last time Jon."

She tilted her head smiling and leaned back into the chair as she recalled their last conversation, "Max is far more than she seems but you probably already know that."

His eyes stared in confusion and impatience as she continued, "There's things about her that nobody knows except only a few of us, her unit, know. And there are things about her, things that have happened to her that she buries within her. Things that even I don't know."

Listening in silence his nerves calmer than before he thought carefully about his words, "We all do."

She smiled sadly and nodded, "Yeah. We all do. But what I'm trying to say is that Max has never talked to anyone about how she felt, about those things as I'm sure you have for at least some, " at his nod she carried on, "She's built up all the betrayal, hurt, pain and confusing treacherous things and I have a feeling she's gonna reach the brim soon."

"Twenty years is a long time," he stated for no other reason than the need to hear his own voice and control his mind with its sound, "Yeah, it is. I just wanted you to know, that when she breaks, she'll break to you."

******