Disclaimer: Still hasn't changed!
A/N: Dedicated to everybody who enjoys reading it!
Thanks to Alaidh!
**
"Max! Can you hear me?" he yelled.
There was no answer. "Max! Please! Answer me!" he tried again.
Logan looked back at the road. He had almost missed the onramp to the freeway. "At least something!" he muttered under his breath. He had to put some distance between them and their followers and he had to bring the car to a stop as soon as possible. He had to get Max to take her medicine and quick. He had seen her pack the bottle of tryptophan in her bag, which was now lying on the backseat, but the hand controls required both hands to drive.
He looked at Max again who was shaking all over now, her hair clinging to her sweaty face. Seeing her like that scared the shit out of Logan. He had never seen her like that. She had collapsed on his couch a few times but this time it seemed worse than ever. Now there seemed to be no pattern to her seizures like before. They seemed to be coming and going, leaving her body exhausted while her mind slipped away into darkness. He called her name again but he couldn't reach her. He couldn't do anything right now. Pictures of the attack in his apartment and the effect the aerosol had had on her passed through his mind. Could it be that the aerosol…
Checking the rear-view mirror, he saw a dark blue car approaching them quickly. "Shit!" he exclaimed, speeding up beyond the speed limit. He was eight miles from the next stop now and the car was approaching them still. "Damn it!" There was no way he'd lose them until then.
As much as Logan wanted to stop at the shoulder of the highway to give Max her medicine, he couldn't risk it if he didn't want their followers to catch up with them.
Another sign indicated the Mexican border. "Well then, Mexico, here we come," he said to himself and sped up even more.
He doubted that the men would risk the check up at the border. Some of them were probably carrying drugs, money or illegal weapons. Even though it would take them a long time to actually get to the border, it was still the best idea he could come up with. He just hoped Max would be all right.
Logan changed into the fast lane, praying that the police wouldn't stop them.
Logan's blood was pumping in his head and he could feel the adrenaline rush through his body. He kept his eyes alternately on the road and in the rear-view mirror, relieved to finally see their followers fall behind. They seemed to lose interest the longer the chase lasted.
Logan kept driving for another endless one and a half hours until he neared the Mexican border, tirelessly talking to Max, trying to soothe her and to keep her awake.
When they were finally nearing the border, Logan slowed down considerably so as not to draw any attention to himself. He told Max to try and lie as still as possible for a minute, although he didn't even know if she could understand him. Then he pulled up to the checkpoint and let down his window.
"What is your business in Mexico and how long will you be here?" the old Mexican approached him, talking with a strong accent.
Logan answered the questions, hoping he didn't show his uneasiness. He didn't want the officer to suspect that he might have anything illegal in the car considering the fact that there was a gun and a packet of cocaine in the glove compartment.
"Can I see some ID?" the man demanded, looking at Max suspiciously. She was still slumped against the window. Logan reached for his wallet and got out his ID, showing it to the officer.
"Hers, too." The man nodded towards Max. "She all right?" he asked harshly.
Logan tried to come up with good excuse. Smiling apologetically, he said. "This is my fiancée, Max. She fell asleep awhile back. Probably got a little too much sun. Let me get her ID for you." Logan leaned back in his seat to get Max's bag from the backseat. Searching through the bag, he came across the tryptophan. He had to pull himself together not to take it out and give it to Max right away. That would only provoke further questioning.
Logan handed Max's ID to the man. "Max Guevara", the man read aloud, comparing the picture with the pale woman on the passenger seat. "Miss?" he asked, a little louder, so Max would hear.
Logan reached over to help Max sit up a little. "Miss Guevara?" the man asked again. "You okay?"
Logan was relieved to see Max open her eyes and squint at the man. "I… I'm …o…okay," she managed, before she lay back again, concentrating with all her might to suppress the seizures.
Logan gave the man a fake smile and took back Max's ID. "Anything else?" he asked as politely as he possibly could. The man frowned at him and backed away from the car, checking if there was anything suspicious about it. Then he waved them on with a dismissive gesture.
*
Having left the border behind, Logan exhaled deeply. He drove on for a couple of minutes so he would be out of sight of the border guards, then turned onto a small sandy street and stopped the car. Max was not seizing as badly as before but she seemed to be nearly unconscious.
Logan reached back for the bag, got out the bottle of pills and forced a handful of them down Max's throat, along with some water from a bottle he had found between the seats. He had some fresher water in the back but he didn't want Max to wait any longer for her meds.
After Max had swallowed her pills, he held her close, stroking her hair, until the seizures ebbed away a little. It was not until then that he realized how much his shoulder hurt. He had probably injured it further today, but he didn't care. He had saved Max from their attackers and that was all that counted.
He carefully positioned Max back in the passenger's seat and reached back for his sweater, which was lying on the backseat. He stuffed it between Max's head and the door for it to serve as a cushion. Max was looking extremely exhausted, but at least the seizures were gone. He fastened her seatbelt and started the car again. He would drive for another hour and then find a place for them to stay for the night. They both needed some rest.
Another 50 minutes later, Logan brought the car to a stop next to an old gas station somewhere in the middle of nowhere. He was going to ask the man behind the counter if he knew a nearby place to stay for the night.
Max was sleeping next to him, hardly stirring, but at least it didn't seem to be a troubled sleep. This felt like déjà vu with the roles reversed. Some days ago he had been the one feeling bad, needing Max to take care of him.
Max was actually more asleep than awake, but she noticed that Logan had stopped the car. She tried to pry her eyes open and check what was going on, but she was too tired and weak. She also noticed Logan moving next to her, but he seemed to be calm and relaxed, so she finally gave in to her exhaustion and drifted off again.
Logan looked over at Max again, to make sure she was okay, and then he set up his chair and transferred carefully. He had probably re-injured his shoulder enough so that it was back to where it was a few days ago. Logan sighed and hoped a good night's sleep and relaxation would take care of it.
He reached back into the car to get his wallet, then wheeled over to the entrance of the small gas station.
Two elderly men were sitting in front of the shop, wearing nothing but shorts. On the table in front of them there were two bottles of beer. The two men reminded Logan of an old TV ad from before the Pulse. They ignored Logan, until they had to move aside to let him enter the building.
Inside, a big, raven-haired woman looked up from cleaning the floor when he entered. "Hola."
"Ahem...hola." Logan greeted her, not really prepared to speak Spanish right now. He had taken Spanish in highschool, but he'd have to dig deep in his memory to recall even the most essential bits of Spanish conversation.
"¿Americano?" she smiled at him, probably because his visit promised good American money. "¿Habla español? No?"
She stepped closer. "I speak English."
Logan sighed, relieved. "That's good. My Spanish isn't very good," he explained.
"No problem." She shook her head.
"My...wife and I were looking for a place to stay for the night. Would you know of anything around here? We have been driving all day and my wife doesn't feel well. She really needs some rest." Logan rambled on, not sure if the woman understood all he was saying. He didn't know why he was talking so much anyway, but it felt good to talk to someone after this long and crazy drive, and the woman seemed to be nice.
"Si, si. Hotel?" She bent down behind a counter and retrieved a map. "This is nice hotel, with a pool and nice rooms." She considered him for a moment. "No stairs, good for you." She smiled gently.
"Is it far from here?" Logan asked, suppressing a yawn.
"No, no. Cinquo minutos. Five." She showed him the fingers of one hand. "Small town, nothing far."
"Great. How do I get there? Down this road?" Logan pointed his finger at the dusty road outside.
"Si. At traffic light right. Then towards the water. When you are there, left. After some meters on the left is hotel."
"Okay. Thanks very much." Logan said, turning to leave. Then he thought better and turned around, letting his eyes roam through the store. "Maybe I should take something cold to drink."
"Si. And we have watermelon, fresh."
Max would probably be hungry, too when she woke up, Logan thought to himself. But watermelon wouldn't be enough, then.
"Do you have sandwiches?" he asked.
The woman nodded eagerly and moved through the small room only to return with a plate full of sandwiches.
"Great. I'll take two of those." Logan said. He personally wasn't very hungry, so Max could have his sandwich, too, in case one wasn't enough. "And a bottle of juice and some water. Cold please!" he added.
The woman packed everything in a brown paper bag and finally handed it to him.
Logan got out his wallet and raised his eyebrows questioningly. "How much?"
"23 dollar," she smiled.
Logan swallowed at the high price, but this was probably the only place they would get something to eat this late.
The woman accepted the money. "Gracias."
"Thanks again," Logan said and made his way back to the car.
**
Max stirred slightly when Logan transferred back into the car; her eyes flickered open for a moment and she watched him, mumbling something he didn't understand.
"Max, are you okay? What did you just say?" Logan turned to her with concern
"What happened?" she whispered, her voice hoarse and shaky.
Logan sighed, relieved when he heard her speak again. At least that was something! "They chased us down to the Mexican border, and then suddenly fell behind. I guess they didn't want to get into any trouble at the border. I drove for another hour. I think we're safe now," he explained.
Max nodded her understanding. "Thanks."
"No problem," Logan said as cheerfully as possible. Now they just had to find that hotel. He really felt like dropping into bed, relaxing his aching body and leaving this horrible day behind. He would just make sure Max was okay before he'd allow himself to do that.
When Logan finally killed the engine, Max's condition had improved somewhat.
She still felt drained and totally exhausted, but at least she could keep her eyes open and move her aching limbs.
She sat up straighter in the seat and looked at the building in front of them. "Think this is safe? Because I ain't gonna kick ass tonight."
Logan sat back in his seat without making a move to get out of the car, and looked at her intently. "Should be. So what's happening Max? Those seizures were even worse than last time. I thought you might fall into a coma or something."
"I don't know," Max replied honestly, frowning. "I can't explain that either." She swallowed hard before her next sentence. "And it gives me the creeps." She looked so lost and confused at that very moment that Logan's heart nearly melted away. He reached out his arm and pulled her close.
"I know. I was scared, too." Logan gently stroked her cheek. "We'll have to find out what causes them, but for now, let's go get some sleep. Okay?"
"I hate my body for doing this to me," she admitted. "I can't even rely on myself like this."
Logan sighed and wiped a lock of hair from her pale face. "I know that feeling," he said with a little smile. After a pause, he added, "Don't worry. You can rely on me every now and then. No shame in that."
Max looked up at him with big brown eyes, suddenly realizing the truth in his words. God, if anybody knew that feeling it was Logan, and she felt comforted by his words. He was the first person, other than her siblings, who she had ever trusted with her life, and she realized that this very moment. "I know," she whispered. "I love you."
"Love you, too." Logan answered sincerely. They were silent for some minutes, enjoying the closeness. Then Logan gave a small laugh. "Look at us. We're beat. Let's go get some sleep!"
"Yeah, let's go." Max pushed the door open and shakily climbed out of the car, and then waited until Logan was ready to join her.
She laid a hand on his shoulder, both for support and just because it felt nice to have her hand there, and together they entered the small lobby.
"Do you have Mexican money or do they accept American dollars?" she asked, and wondered herself why she worried about something like that.
"They should be glad to accept American money ," Logan answered, collecting his thoughts in case he'd have to book a room in Spanish. Still, it was worth trying in English first. "Excuse me," he asked the woman sitting behind the small reception desk. "Do you speak English?"
The young woman looked over the desk at the guests and then stood up to yell something into a back room. Moments later, another woman appeared, this one slightly younger. "Good evening. What can I do for you?" she asked with a strong accent.
"We'd like to rent a double room for tonight, one that's wheelchair accessible if possible,"
The woman looked at Logan, as if noticing that he was sitting in a wheelchair for the first time, then she shook her head. "Sorry, we do not have special rooms. What do you need?" she asked innocently.
"It'd just have to be on the ground floor and have a regular width bathroom door, not a narrow one." Logan said hopefully. Right now he really didn't care about bathroom adjustments or anything else. A comfortable bed would do.
"Sure," the girl nodded, relieved. "We have that." She smiled at the couple and busied herself with looking for a room for them. She then presented a sheet and placed it on the fairly high counter. "Please fill out this." She looked from Logan to Max and then hesitantly handed Max a pen.
Logan gave Max's arm a little nudge. "I can fill that out, honey," his voice made it clear that Max was not to argue. He doubted Max was lucid enough right now to fill out the form.
Max smiled at the young woman and then leaned over. "May I?" At the nod she grabbed a book, so Logan would have a hard surface to write on, and handed both the paper and the book to Logan. By way of explanation, she added, "Nobody can read my handwriting. Sometimes I even have trouble myself."
Logan smiled at her explanation and quickly filled in their names and addresses, then signed the sheet.
"There you go," he said, handing it back to Max who gave it to the woman
"Thanks, honey, what would I do without you?" Max gently brushed through his messy hair and smiled at the other woman. Then she accepted the key and listened to the directions the receptionist gave her. "Gracias." And to Logan, "We have to get our luggage first, sweetheart."
"I can do that, honey," Logan played along. Not that he didn't like calling Max those names, but usually he'd never have dared to do it for fear of her kicking his ass. He chuckled inwardly. "You go ahead. Check out the room. I'll get our bags," he added. Max was still a little shaky, so he didn't want her to exert herself if not absolutely necessary.
Max nodded hesitantly. She felt fairly stable right now, but the seizures had not completely subsided and the last thing they needed was her collapsing in the lobby or the parking lot.
Logan wheeled back to the car and got the bags from the hatch. Then he turned around to see where Max was heading. The car was parked quite far away from their room, but he wasn't going to be bothered climbing back in just to park a little closer.
*
Max opened the room in a daze and left the door open a little so Logan could enter. She made her way to the closest bed and collapsed onto it. Her head was killing her and she felt tremors run through her entire body again.
Moments later, Logan entered the room. Max seemed to be dozing again. Logan dropped Max's bag on the floor and headed straight to the bathroom. He would have loved to join Max right away, but if he allowed himself to lie down for a while, he probably wouldn't wake up before the next morning.
He got ready quickly, just washing his hands and face, brushing his teeth and using the toilet. A shower would have been nice, he thought, but at that moment he was too exhausted. Back in the bedroom, he locked the door and made sure Max's pills were within reach, and then he transferred to the double bed next to Max.
Max felt somebody move next to her. In her weird, half-awake state, her first reaction was to fight, so she spun around, kicking. Logan caught her raised arm in mid-air, thankful that she wasn't in her best fighting form, and for once, welcomed the fact that he couldn't feel her foot colliding with his shin, almost sending him back over the edge of the bed.
"Hey, Max! Shh!! It's me. It's okay," he said soothingly
But she didn't stop fighting him, groaning slightly, sweat forming on her forehead.
Logan pushed himself up into a sitting position, holding her arm in one hand and gently pushing Max back into the pillows. "Please Max, wake up! It's me, Logan. Everything's okay! We're safe! Stop fighting," he said again, louder now, to make sure she would hear him.
Max's eyes finally opened, and she looked up at the man hovering over her. Her brown eyes met his and eventually she calmed down. "Logan?"
Logan released his grip and sighed. "Yes, Max. I'm here. We're safe. Calm down now, will you?"
"I'm sorry." She suddenly seemed to realize what she had just done. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you? I'm sorry. "
"No. It's okay, Max. It was my fault. I shouldn't have sneaked in. Now let's get some sleep, okay?" Then he lay back down and hesitantly, so as not to alarm her again, put his arm around her and drew her close.
Despite the calm tone in his voice, some part of him was intimidated by the force with which Max, even in her condition, had fought him. He knew how strong she was, but he had never felt her strength turned against him.
"Thanks for putting up with this damn body of mine," Max mumbled, before shifting so that she lay even closer.
Logan let out a deep breath and buried his nose in Max's hair. In response to her comment, he took her hand and squeezed it tight.
Together they slept peacefully and undisturbed.
**
TBC
A/N: Dedicated to everybody who enjoys reading it!
Thanks to Alaidh!
**
"Max! Can you hear me?" he yelled.
There was no answer. "Max! Please! Answer me!" he tried again.
Logan looked back at the road. He had almost missed the onramp to the freeway. "At least something!" he muttered under his breath. He had to put some distance between them and their followers and he had to bring the car to a stop as soon as possible. He had to get Max to take her medicine and quick. He had seen her pack the bottle of tryptophan in her bag, which was now lying on the backseat, but the hand controls required both hands to drive.
He looked at Max again who was shaking all over now, her hair clinging to her sweaty face. Seeing her like that scared the shit out of Logan. He had never seen her like that. She had collapsed on his couch a few times but this time it seemed worse than ever. Now there seemed to be no pattern to her seizures like before. They seemed to be coming and going, leaving her body exhausted while her mind slipped away into darkness. He called her name again but he couldn't reach her. He couldn't do anything right now. Pictures of the attack in his apartment and the effect the aerosol had had on her passed through his mind. Could it be that the aerosol…
Checking the rear-view mirror, he saw a dark blue car approaching them quickly. "Shit!" he exclaimed, speeding up beyond the speed limit. He was eight miles from the next stop now and the car was approaching them still. "Damn it!" There was no way he'd lose them until then.
As much as Logan wanted to stop at the shoulder of the highway to give Max her medicine, he couldn't risk it if he didn't want their followers to catch up with them.
Another sign indicated the Mexican border. "Well then, Mexico, here we come," he said to himself and sped up even more.
He doubted that the men would risk the check up at the border. Some of them were probably carrying drugs, money or illegal weapons. Even though it would take them a long time to actually get to the border, it was still the best idea he could come up with. He just hoped Max would be all right.
Logan changed into the fast lane, praying that the police wouldn't stop them.
Logan's blood was pumping in his head and he could feel the adrenaline rush through his body. He kept his eyes alternately on the road and in the rear-view mirror, relieved to finally see their followers fall behind. They seemed to lose interest the longer the chase lasted.
Logan kept driving for another endless one and a half hours until he neared the Mexican border, tirelessly talking to Max, trying to soothe her and to keep her awake.
When they were finally nearing the border, Logan slowed down considerably so as not to draw any attention to himself. He told Max to try and lie as still as possible for a minute, although he didn't even know if she could understand him. Then he pulled up to the checkpoint and let down his window.
"What is your business in Mexico and how long will you be here?" the old Mexican approached him, talking with a strong accent.
Logan answered the questions, hoping he didn't show his uneasiness. He didn't want the officer to suspect that he might have anything illegal in the car considering the fact that there was a gun and a packet of cocaine in the glove compartment.
"Can I see some ID?" the man demanded, looking at Max suspiciously. She was still slumped against the window. Logan reached for his wallet and got out his ID, showing it to the officer.
"Hers, too." The man nodded towards Max. "She all right?" he asked harshly.
Logan tried to come up with good excuse. Smiling apologetically, he said. "This is my fiancée, Max. She fell asleep awhile back. Probably got a little too much sun. Let me get her ID for you." Logan leaned back in his seat to get Max's bag from the backseat. Searching through the bag, he came across the tryptophan. He had to pull himself together not to take it out and give it to Max right away. That would only provoke further questioning.
Logan handed Max's ID to the man. "Max Guevara", the man read aloud, comparing the picture with the pale woman on the passenger seat. "Miss?" he asked, a little louder, so Max would hear.
Logan reached over to help Max sit up a little. "Miss Guevara?" the man asked again. "You okay?"
Logan was relieved to see Max open her eyes and squint at the man. "I… I'm …o…okay," she managed, before she lay back again, concentrating with all her might to suppress the seizures.
Logan gave the man a fake smile and took back Max's ID. "Anything else?" he asked as politely as he possibly could. The man frowned at him and backed away from the car, checking if there was anything suspicious about it. Then he waved them on with a dismissive gesture.
*
Having left the border behind, Logan exhaled deeply. He drove on for a couple of minutes so he would be out of sight of the border guards, then turned onto a small sandy street and stopped the car. Max was not seizing as badly as before but she seemed to be nearly unconscious.
Logan reached back for the bag, got out the bottle of pills and forced a handful of them down Max's throat, along with some water from a bottle he had found between the seats. He had some fresher water in the back but he didn't want Max to wait any longer for her meds.
After Max had swallowed her pills, he held her close, stroking her hair, until the seizures ebbed away a little. It was not until then that he realized how much his shoulder hurt. He had probably injured it further today, but he didn't care. He had saved Max from their attackers and that was all that counted.
He carefully positioned Max back in the passenger's seat and reached back for his sweater, which was lying on the backseat. He stuffed it between Max's head and the door for it to serve as a cushion. Max was looking extremely exhausted, but at least the seizures were gone. He fastened her seatbelt and started the car again. He would drive for another hour and then find a place for them to stay for the night. They both needed some rest.
Another 50 minutes later, Logan brought the car to a stop next to an old gas station somewhere in the middle of nowhere. He was going to ask the man behind the counter if he knew a nearby place to stay for the night.
Max was sleeping next to him, hardly stirring, but at least it didn't seem to be a troubled sleep. This felt like déjà vu with the roles reversed. Some days ago he had been the one feeling bad, needing Max to take care of him.
Max was actually more asleep than awake, but she noticed that Logan had stopped the car. She tried to pry her eyes open and check what was going on, but she was too tired and weak. She also noticed Logan moving next to her, but he seemed to be calm and relaxed, so she finally gave in to her exhaustion and drifted off again.
Logan looked over at Max again, to make sure she was okay, and then he set up his chair and transferred carefully. He had probably re-injured his shoulder enough so that it was back to where it was a few days ago. Logan sighed and hoped a good night's sleep and relaxation would take care of it.
He reached back into the car to get his wallet, then wheeled over to the entrance of the small gas station.
Two elderly men were sitting in front of the shop, wearing nothing but shorts. On the table in front of them there were two bottles of beer. The two men reminded Logan of an old TV ad from before the Pulse. They ignored Logan, until they had to move aside to let him enter the building.
Inside, a big, raven-haired woman looked up from cleaning the floor when he entered. "Hola."
"Ahem...hola." Logan greeted her, not really prepared to speak Spanish right now. He had taken Spanish in highschool, but he'd have to dig deep in his memory to recall even the most essential bits of Spanish conversation.
"¿Americano?" she smiled at him, probably because his visit promised good American money. "¿Habla español? No?"
She stepped closer. "I speak English."
Logan sighed, relieved. "That's good. My Spanish isn't very good," he explained.
"No problem." She shook her head.
"My...wife and I were looking for a place to stay for the night. Would you know of anything around here? We have been driving all day and my wife doesn't feel well. She really needs some rest." Logan rambled on, not sure if the woman understood all he was saying. He didn't know why he was talking so much anyway, but it felt good to talk to someone after this long and crazy drive, and the woman seemed to be nice.
"Si, si. Hotel?" She bent down behind a counter and retrieved a map. "This is nice hotel, with a pool and nice rooms." She considered him for a moment. "No stairs, good for you." She smiled gently.
"Is it far from here?" Logan asked, suppressing a yawn.
"No, no. Cinquo minutos. Five." She showed him the fingers of one hand. "Small town, nothing far."
"Great. How do I get there? Down this road?" Logan pointed his finger at the dusty road outside.
"Si. At traffic light right. Then towards the water. When you are there, left. After some meters on the left is hotel."
"Okay. Thanks very much." Logan said, turning to leave. Then he thought better and turned around, letting his eyes roam through the store. "Maybe I should take something cold to drink."
"Si. And we have watermelon, fresh."
Max would probably be hungry, too when she woke up, Logan thought to himself. But watermelon wouldn't be enough, then.
"Do you have sandwiches?" he asked.
The woman nodded eagerly and moved through the small room only to return with a plate full of sandwiches.
"Great. I'll take two of those." Logan said. He personally wasn't very hungry, so Max could have his sandwich, too, in case one wasn't enough. "And a bottle of juice and some water. Cold please!" he added.
The woman packed everything in a brown paper bag and finally handed it to him.
Logan got out his wallet and raised his eyebrows questioningly. "How much?"
"23 dollar," she smiled.
Logan swallowed at the high price, but this was probably the only place they would get something to eat this late.
The woman accepted the money. "Gracias."
"Thanks again," Logan said and made his way back to the car.
**
Max stirred slightly when Logan transferred back into the car; her eyes flickered open for a moment and she watched him, mumbling something he didn't understand.
"Max, are you okay? What did you just say?" Logan turned to her with concern
"What happened?" she whispered, her voice hoarse and shaky.
Logan sighed, relieved when he heard her speak again. At least that was something! "They chased us down to the Mexican border, and then suddenly fell behind. I guess they didn't want to get into any trouble at the border. I drove for another hour. I think we're safe now," he explained.
Max nodded her understanding. "Thanks."
"No problem," Logan said as cheerfully as possible. Now they just had to find that hotel. He really felt like dropping into bed, relaxing his aching body and leaving this horrible day behind. He would just make sure Max was okay before he'd allow himself to do that.
When Logan finally killed the engine, Max's condition had improved somewhat.
She still felt drained and totally exhausted, but at least she could keep her eyes open and move her aching limbs.
She sat up straighter in the seat and looked at the building in front of them. "Think this is safe? Because I ain't gonna kick ass tonight."
Logan sat back in his seat without making a move to get out of the car, and looked at her intently. "Should be. So what's happening Max? Those seizures were even worse than last time. I thought you might fall into a coma or something."
"I don't know," Max replied honestly, frowning. "I can't explain that either." She swallowed hard before her next sentence. "And it gives me the creeps." She looked so lost and confused at that very moment that Logan's heart nearly melted away. He reached out his arm and pulled her close.
"I know. I was scared, too." Logan gently stroked her cheek. "We'll have to find out what causes them, but for now, let's go get some sleep. Okay?"
"I hate my body for doing this to me," she admitted. "I can't even rely on myself like this."
Logan sighed and wiped a lock of hair from her pale face. "I know that feeling," he said with a little smile. After a pause, he added, "Don't worry. You can rely on me every now and then. No shame in that."
Max looked up at him with big brown eyes, suddenly realizing the truth in his words. God, if anybody knew that feeling it was Logan, and she felt comforted by his words. He was the first person, other than her siblings, who she had ever trusted with her life, and she realized that this very moment. "I know," she whispered. "I love you."
"Love you, too." Logan answered sincerely. They were silent for some minutes, enjoying the closeness. Then Logan gave a small laugh. "Look at us. We're beat. Let's go get some sleep!"
"Yeah, let's go." Max pushed the door open and shakily climbed out of the car, and then waited until Logan was ready to join her.
She laid a hand on his shoulder, both for support and just because it felt nice to have her hand there, and together they entered the small lobby.
"Do you have Mexican money or do they accept American dollars?" she asked, and wondered herself why she worried about something like that.
"They should be glad to accept American money ," Logan answered, collecting his thoughts in case he'd have to book a room in Spanish. Still, it was worth trying in English first. "Excuse me," he asked the woman sitting behind the small reception desk. "Do you speak English?"
The young woman looked over the desk at the guests and then stood up to yell something into a back room. Moments later, another woman appeared, this one slightly younger. "Good evening. What can I do for you?" she asked with a strong accent.
"We'd like to rent a double room for tonight, one that's wheelchair accessible if possible,"
The woman looked at Logan, as if noticing that he was sitting in a wheelchair for the first time, then she shook her head. "Sorry, we do not have special rooms. What do you need?" she asked innocently.
"It'd just have to be on the ground floor and have a regular width bathroom door, not a narrow one." Logan said hopefully. Right now he really didn't care about bathroom adjustments or anything else. A comfortable bed would do.
"Sure," the girl nodded, relieved. "We have that." She smiled at the couple and busied herself with looking for a room for them. She then presented a sheet and placed it on the fairly high counter. "Please fill out this." She looked from Logan to Max and then hesitantly handed Max a pen.
Logan gave Max's arm a little nudge. "I can fill that out, honey," his voice made it clear that Max was not to argue. He doubted Max was lucid enough right now to fill out the form.
Max smiled at the young woman and then leaned over. "May I?" At the nod she grabbed a book, so Logan would have a hard surface to write on, and handed both the paper and the book to Logan. By way of explanation, she added, "Nobody can read my handwriting. Sometimes I even have trouble myself."
Logan smiled at her explanation and quickly filled in their names and addresses, then signed the sheet.
"There you go," he said, handing it back to Max who gave it to the woman
"Thanks, honey, what would I do without you?" Max gently brushed through his messy hair and smiled at the other woman. Then she accepted the key and listened to the directions the receptionist gave her. "Gracias." And to Logan, "We have to get our luggage first, sweetheart."
"I can do that, honey," Logan played along. Not that he didn't like calling Max those names, but usually he'd never have dared to do it for fear of her kicking his ass. He chuckled inwardly. "You go ahead. Check out the room. I'll get our bags," he added. Max was still a little shaky, so he didn't want her to exert herself if not absolutely necessary.
Max nodded hesitantly. She felt fairly stable right now, but the seizures had not completely subsided and the last thing they needed was her collapsing in the lobby or the parking lot.
Logan wheeled back to the car and got the bags from the hatch. Then he turned around to see where Max was heading. The car was parked quite far away from their room, but he wasn't going to be bothered climbing back in just to park a little closer.
*
Max opened the room in a daze and left the door open a little so Logan could enter. She made her way to the closest bed and collapsed onto it. Her head was killing her and she felt tremors run through her entire body again.
Moments later, Logan entered the room. Max seemed to be dozing again. Logan dropped Max's bag on the floor and headed straight to the bathroom. He would have loved to join Max right away, but if he allowed himself to lie down for a while, he probably wouldn't wake up before the next morning.
He got ready quickly, just washing his hands and face, brushing his teeth and using the toilet. A shower would have been nice, he thought, but at that moment he was too exhausted. Back in the bedroom, he locked the door and made sure Max's pills were within reach, and then he transferred to the double bed next to Max.
Max felt somebody move next to her. In her weird, half-awake state, her first reaction was to fight, so she spun around, kicking. Logan caught her raised arm in mid-air, thankful that she wasn't in her best fighting form, and for once, welcomed the fact that he couldn't feel her foot colliding with his shin, almost sending him back over the edge of the bed.
"Hey, Max! Shh!! It's me. It's okay," he said soothingly
But she didn't stop fighting him, groaning slightly, sweat forming on her forehead.
Logan pushed himself up into a sitting position, holding her arm in one hand and gently pushing Max back into the pillows. "Please Max, wake up! It's me, Logan. Everything's okay! We're safe! Stop fighting," he said again, louder now, to make sure she would hear him.
Max's eyes finally opened, and she looked up at the man hovering over her. Her brown eyes met his and eventually she calmed down. "Logan?"
Logan released his grip and sighed. "Yes, Max. I'm here. We're safe. Calm down now, will you?"
"I'm sorry." She suddenly seemed to realize what she had just done. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you? I'm sorry. "
"No. It's okay, Max. It was my fault. I shouldn't have sneaked in. Now let's get some sleep, okay?" Then he lay back down and hesitantly, so as not to alarm her again, put his arm around her and drew her close.
Despite the calm tone in his voice, some part of him was intimidated by the force with which Max, even in her condition, had fought him. He knew how strong she was, but he had never felt her strength turned against him.
"Thanks for putting up with this damn body of mine," Max mumbled, before shifting so that she lay even closer.
Logan let out a deep breath and buried his nose in Max's hair. In response to her comment, he took her hand and squeezed it tight.
Together they slept peacefully and undisturbed.
**
TBC