Disclaimer: The main characters don't belong to me and I don't intend to make any money with this story.
Summary: Logan has to make a tough decision, saving a friend or countless strangers. The friend's brother can't live with the decision and freaks out. Will Max and her new found ally be able to safe Logan and other hostages in time?
(I'm bad at summaries!!)
A/N: Thanks to somebody's angel for her help with betaing, the summary and title. I owe you girl!
*Life Ain't Fair*
*
Chapter 1
*
"Hey! Where are you headed?" Max just wanted to step out of the elevator when she almost bumped into Logan. She had to grab his shoulders to avoid falling right into his lap.
"Hospital," Logan explained, reaching for her arms himself to help her back up.
Max immediately tensed. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"Nothing," he chuckled at the obvious concern in her voice. It made his heart pound faster. She did care about him!
"So why are you going then? I thought you weren't much into it?"
"Actually, I hate hospitals. But an old friend of mine there. I only found out yesterday."
"What's up with him?"
"He's waiting for a liver transplant."
Max shrugged. "Is it hard to get one?"
"Yeah. No matter how much modern medicine improved over the last few decades, there are still quite a few things it hasn't achieved." He unconsciously rubbed his thighs. Usually, the gesture wouldn't draw much attention, but Max noticed immediately and it killed her to see how much he still hurt. No matter how well he tried to hide, there were small gestures and comments, or just a tinge of bitterness creeping into his voice every once in a while that told her another story.
Logan wheeled past Max into the elevator. "Why did you stop by in the middle of the day anyway?"
Max put a hand out to keep the elevator from closing. "Normal gave me a day off, said he was tired of having me complain about never having a day off," she grinned.
"Not afraid you might lose your job?" Logan raised his eyebrows.
"Nah," Max waved it off. "Tomorrow he'll have loads of packages and I'll keep my mouth shut for a few hours. Then it's gonna be forgotten."
"Whatever you say. I really need to go though." He pushed the button for the parking garage again.
"Mind if I come?" Max hopped inside before the door closed. "Got no plans."
"If you want to. I'd like not having to go there alone. Hospitals are giving me the creeps," he admitted.
"Sure. I'm actually starved anyway. They always have food there, haven't they?"
"You don't really mean to say that you would eat hospital food voluntarily?" Logan laughed.
"Girl's gotta eat," Max smiled back. "I've had worse."
Before Logan could answer or question the meaning behind her words the elevator opened and they crossed the few feet to the Aztek.
Max waited patiently until Logan had transferred then she wordlessly stored away the wheelchair, leaving him no room to argue. "Okay, ready!" she finally exclaimed, fastening her seatbelt.
**
"When will he get a new liver? He doesn't have much time left," a young dark-haired man asked the young blonde nurse nervously. His gaze wandered nervously into a hospital room to his right where a slightly older man with similar dark hair and good looks lay, his face pale and haggard.
"It's not that simple, Mr Leyva. We're trying all we can, but you can't just manufacture organs matching your brother's blood type. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, right," the man muttered. He had heard that line a million times over the past few months.
"Brad?" He turned around only to see a thirty-something-year old guy come towards him in a wheelchair.
"Excuse me. Do I know you?" he asked slightly on edge. He couldn't place him, even though he could tell that the face seemed somewhat familiar.
"Logan Cale. I went to Yale with your brother." Logan held out his hand.
"Of course! Now I remember. You…have changed," he finished.
"Haven't we all?" Logan responded uncomfortably. It was always the same when people from his old life met him in the chair. "Ahem, this is Max. Max, Brad."
They shook hands and Max noticed the same exhausted blankness in Brad's dark eyes she had seen in Logan's blue ones before.
"How's Randy?" Logan asked now.
Brad shrugged. "Not so good. He needs a liver soon or…" his voice broke.
"Can I see him?"
"Sure, right that room over there." Logan wheeled into the room, followed by Brad while Max sat down on a plastic chair attached to the wall of the hallway. She didn't feel like disturbing this meeting. After all, she didn't even know the guy- and this terrible sadness in Logan's eyes was something she could do without right now.
**
Logan gasped involuntarily when he laid eyes on his former roommate. Of course, almost ten years had passed since they had last seen each other, but still, Randy looked much older than he should. His cheeks were sunken, his skin was unnaturally grey and the dark circles under his eyes were almost blue. Logan wondered if he had looked like that after the shooting. Maybe that was why so many people had been hesitant to come see him, because they couldn't deal with the change. Couldn't deal with the fact that the Logan they had known was gone.
He set his brakes next to his friend's bed and looked at him as he lay there with closed eyes. "Randy?"
Brad leaned closer from the other side. "Randy, you've got a visitor. Logan's here."
Slowly, Randy's eyes fluttered open, taking a moment to focus on the faces in front of him. Eventually he turned his head towards Logan. "Hi. Long time no see," he said weakly.
"That's true."
"And this isn't quite the place for a happy reunion," Randy smiled, before he had to cough hard.
"Sometimes you just can't be picky," Logan answered gently.
"How did you find out I was here?"
"Ellen called me. She somehow found out you were in hospital here in Seattle, and she knew I lived here. She asked me to say hello from her."
"Ellen Prudy," Randy sank back as if he was already exhausted to the bone again. "She's a hot chick. Every guy wanted her. You ever had her?"
Logan's gaze had wandered to the many machines next to Randy's bed. They triggered bad memories of his own hospital stay. Distractedly he shook his head. "Nope. You?"
"Never. Hey, don't worry about all those monitors and machines. I think half of them are for show."
"Tell me about it," Logan smirked.
"Sorry?" Randy asked, slightly confused.
In answer, Logan released his brakes and pushed back a few inches for Randy to see his wheelchair. "Car accident, almost a year ago," he explained quickly, not wanting to tell him the truth. People always kept asking question Logan didn't have answers for. He had learnt that car accidents seemed to be the easiest way out. "I've had my fair share of those, too."
"I didn't know," Randy sounded genuinely sorry and shocked.
Logan shrugged, trying hard to convey an air of indifference. "That's okay, I didn't really tell many people, actually I didn't tell anybody."
"I'm sorry."
"No need to be. We all have our crosses to bear."
"Yeah, I guess." He closed his eyes for a moment in order to gather some strength.
Logan watched in concern. Randy had always been an athlete and party guy. To see him like this was disturbing and Logan had a hard time hiding his true feelings. Maybe it was just like that for so many people seeing him in the chair? Maybe they remembered the active, young man he used to be and realized that he wasn't ever gonna be that guy again.
"You're still into writing?"
"Huh?" Logan woke from his thoughts.
"You're still a journalist?"
"Yeah, sure. Still writing."
"And? Did you settle for a girl?" His voice slowly but noticeably lost strength.
"Well, not really, you know me…"
Randy nodded, his eyes falling shut. "I guess I need some sleep," he mumbled, forcing them open one last time. "Thanks for stopping by. It was nice seeing you."
"You're welcome. See ya later."
Randy had already dozed off.
TBC
Feedback is greatly appreciated! I'd like to know if it's worth continuing after all…
Summary: Logan has to make a tough decision, saving a friend or countless strangers. The friend's brother can't live with the decision and freaks out. Will Max and her new found ally be able to safe Logan and other hostages in time?
(I'm bad at summaries!!)
A/N: Thanks to somebody's angel for her help with betaing, the summary and title. I owe you girl!
*Life Ain't Fair*
*
Chapter 1
*
"Hey! Where are you headed?" Max just wanted to step out of the elevator when she almost bumped into Logan. She had to grab his shoulders to avoid falling right into his lap.
"Hospital," Logan explained, reaching for her arms himself to help her back up.
Max immediately tensed. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"Nothing," he chuckled at the obvious concern in her voice. It made his heart pound faster. She did care about him!
"So why are you going then? I thought you weren't much into it?"
"Actually, I hate hospitals. But an old friend of mine there. I only found out yesterday."
"What's up with him?"
"He's waiting for a liver transplant."
Max shrugged. "Is it hard to get one?"
"Yeah. No matter how much modern medicine improved over the last few decades, there are still quite a few things it hasn't achieved." He unconsciously rubbed his thighs. Usually, the gesture wouldn't draw much attention, but Max noticed immediately and it killed her to see how much he still hurt. No matter how well he tried to hide, there were small gestures and comments, or just a tinge of bitterness creeping into his voice every once in a while that told her another story.
Logan wheeled past Max into the elevator. "Why did you stop by in the middle of the day anyway?"
Max put a hand out to keep the elevator from closing. "Normal gave me a day off, said he was tired of having me complain about never having a day off," she grinned.
"Not afraid you might lose your job?" Logan raised his eyebrows.
"Nah," Max waved it off. "Tomorrow he'll have loads of packages and I'll keep my mouth shut for a few hours. Then it's gonna be forgotten."
"Whatever you say. I really need to go though." He pushed the button for the parking garage again.
"Mind if I come?" Max hopped inside before the door closed. "Got no plans."
"If you want to. I'd like not having to go there alone. Hospitals are giving me the creeps," he admitted.
"Sure. I'm actually starved anyway. They always have food there, haven't they?"
"You don't really mean to say that you would eat hospital food voluntarily?" Logan laughed.
"Girl's gotta eat," Max smiled back. "I've had worse."
Before Logan could answer or question the meaning behind her words the elevator opened and they crossed the few feet to the Aztek.
Max waited patiently until Logan had transferred then she wordlessly stored away the wheelchair, leaving him no room to argue. "Okay, ready!" she finally exclaimed, fastening her seatbelt.
**
"When will he get a new liver? He doesn't have much time left," a young dark-haired man asked the young blonde nurse nervously. His gaze wandered nervously into a hospital room to his right where a slightly older man with similar dark hair and good looks lay, his face pale and haggard.
"It's not that simple, Mr Leyva. We're trying all we can, but you can't just manufacture organs matching your brother's blood type. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, right," the man muttered. He had heard that line a million times over the past few months.
"Brad?" He turned around only to see a thirty-something-year old guy come towards him in a wheelchair.
"Excuse me. Do I know you?" he asked slightly on edge. He couldn't place him, even though he could tell that the face seemed somewhat familiar.
"Logan Cale. I went to Yale with your brother." Logan held out his hand.
"Of course! Now I remember. You…have changed," he finished.
"Haven't we all?" Logan responded uncomfortably. It was always the same when people from his old life met him in the chair. "Ahem, this is Max. Max, Brad."
They shook hands and Max noticed the same exhausted blankness in Brad's dark eyes she had seen in Logan's blue ones before.
"How's Randy?" Logan asked now.
Brad shrugged. "Not so good. He needs a liver soon or…" his voice broke.
"Can I see him?"
"Sure, right that room over there." Logan wheeled into the room, followed by Brad while Max sat down on a plastic chair attached to the wall of the hallway. She didn't feel like disturbing this meeting. After all, she didn't even know the guy- and this terrible sadness in Logan's eyes was something she could do without right now.
**
Logan gasped involuntarily when he laid eyes on his former roommate. Of course, almost ten years had passed since they had last seen each other, but still, Randy looked much older than he should. His cheeks were sunken, his skin was unnaturally grey and the dark circles under his eyes were almost blue. Logan wondered if he had looked like that after the shooting. Maybe that was why so many people had been hesitant to come see him, because they couldn't deal with the change. Couldn't deal with the fact that the Logan they had known was gone.
He set his brakes next to his friend's bed and looked at him as he lay there with closed eyes. "Randy?"
Brad leaned closer from the other side. "Randy, you've got a visitor. Logan's here."
Slowly, Randy's eyes fluttered open, taking a moment to focus on the faces in front of him. Eventually he turned his head towards Logan. "Hi. Long time no see," he said weakly.
"That's true."
"And this isn't quite the place for a happy reunion," Randy smiled, before he had to cough hard.
"Sometimes you just can't be picky," Logan answered gently.
"How did you find out I was here?"
"Ellen called me. She somehow found out you were in hospital here in Seattle, and she knew I lived here. She asked me to say hello from her."
"Ellen Prudy," Randy sank back as if he was already exhausted to the bone again. "She's a hot chick. Every guy wanted her. You ever had her?"
Logan's gaze had wandered to the many machines next to Randy's bed. They triggered bad memories of his own hospital stay. Distractedly he shook his head. "Nope. You?"
"Never. Hey, don't worry about all those monitors and machines. I think half of them are for show."
"Tell me about it," Logan smirked.
"Sorry?" Randy asked, slightly confused.
In answer, Logan released his brakes and pushed back a few inches for Randy to see his wheelchair. "Car accident, almost a year ago," he explained quickly, not wanting to tell him the truth. People always kept asking question Logan didn't have answers for. He had learnt that car accidents seemed to be the easiest way out. "I've had my fair share of those, too."
"I didn't know," Randy sounded genuinely sorry and shocked.
Logan shrugged, trying hard to convey an air of indifference. "That's okay, I didn't really tell many people, actually I didn't tell anybody."
"I'm sorry."
"No need to be. We all have our crosses to bear."
"Yeah, I guess." He closed his eyes for a moment in order to gather some strength.
Logan watched in concern. Randy had always been an athlete and party guy. To see him like this was disturbing and Logan had a hard time hiding his true feelings. Maybe it was just like that for so many people seeing him in the chair? Maybe they remembered the active, young man he used to be and realized that he wasn't ever gonna be that guy again.
"You're still into writing?"
"Huh?" Logan woke from his thoughts.
"You're still a journalist?"
"Yeah, sure. Still writing."
"And? Did you settle for a girl?" His voice slowly but noticeably lost strength.
"Well, not really, you know me…"
Randy nodded, his eyes falling shut. "I guess I need some sleep," he mumbled, forcing them open one last time. "Thanks for stopping by. It was nice seeing you."
"You're welcome. See ya later."
Randy had already dozed off.
TBC
Feedback is greatly appreciated! I'd like to know if it's worth continuing after all…