Disclaimer: See other chapters
A/N: Sorry it took us a little longer, we're both kinda busy these days.
Thanks to somebody's angel!!!!
Have fun!
**
Dream and Reality
*
On their way back Logan watched Max suspiciously. Now and then she seemed to lose track a bit, as if she was having trouble keeping her balance. Her gait wasn't as steady and powerful as it usually was.
He finally wheeled closer and took her hand. "Sit down. I'll give you a ride home," he said softly but determined.
Max frowned, but when she nearly stumbled over a curb she decided to give in. She sank down in his lap and put her arms around his neck, resting her head against his shoulder.
"Good girl." Logan said, placing a kiss on her forehead. Then he hurried to get back to their motel.
Max moved from Logan's lap straight into bed and snuggled in under the blanket. She mumbled something he didn't quite understand, but what sounded like 'tryptophan'.
Logan quickly searched Max's bag for the bottle of pills and offered them to Max together with a half empty bottle of lukewarm water that was standing on the nightstand.
She swallowed a couple of them, and then opened her eyes to look at him. "Are you gonna stay with me?" she whispered, reaching for his hand.
"Sure," Logan promised, stroking her hair from her face with his free hand.
After he had sat with her for some minutes, Logan realized how hot the room was although he had made sure, the air conditioning had been turned on earlier. He looked around for something to drink but all that was left was the half bottle of lukewarm water they had brought home from the beach.
Max seemed to be dozing by now, so he decided to risk leaving her for a moment to get some fresh water for the night. "I'll be back in a minute," he mumbled, squeezing her hand one more time, before turning and leaving for the reception.
*
Max laid still for a second when she suddenly started to shift uncomfortably. There was a burning sensation in her legs and she felt like throwing up. So she gathered her strength and made her way to the bathroom on shaky feet.
*
Logan quickly wheeled over to the brightly lit house that held the reception. He didn't like the idea of leaving Max alone, but they'd need something to drink after the spicy meal, especially in this heat. The evening breeze was cooling his neck nicely.
When he entered the office, the receptionist was eagerly chatting with a young man who was leaning against the desk. They both seemed to discuss a football match that was running on a small TV in the back of the room. None of them seemed to notice or to care about him.
*
Meanwhile, Max stumbled to the toilet and emptied her stomach. Then she forced herself over to the sink to wash her mouth and face with cold water. She let some water run over her face when she suddenly had black spots dancing in front of her eyes and her head spun faster than she had ever experienced. Her balance was completely gone and she sank to the floor, holding her head between her hands, moaning loudly.
*
"Hòla." Logan said, trying to catch the guy's attention.
But the game seemed to be much more interesting to the two men than the guy in the wheelchair, who had just entered the room.
*
Max laid down, pressing her back against the cold wall, trying to make the dizziness go away, but not knowing how. "Logan…you said you wouldn't leave me alone," she mumbled. Then another wave of pain washed over her and made her lose connection to reality even more. "Zack, don't, I wanna stay…no!!!" She coughed, then laid still, whimpering.
*
"Excuse me," Logan said louder now. The guy who was leaning on the desk turned around unnerved, eyeing Logan up and down. Then he turned back to his friend, saying something in Spanish, which Logan didn't quite understand.
The man behind the counter slowly got up and walked up to the desk. "Buenas noches. Qué desiera?" he said harshly.
*
Max suddenly woke with a start, gasping for air. Her head nearly killed her and there was a numbness radiating through her legs. She tried to shake it off, but the legs were burning and prickling, driving her crazy. She let out a curse, still trying to catch her breath. It scared the shit out of her that she seemed to lose control and there seemed to be nothing she could do about it. She didn't even remember where she was. All she knew was that she was alone and vulnerable. And that was something she was not used to, not in that dangerous combination.
*
Logan searched his mind for the last bits of Spanish he could recall: "Quiero un agua frío," he said, blushing.
The guy grinned and went back to the fridge which had all kinds of cool beverages in it. He took out a large bottle of water and held it out to Logan. "Grande?" he asked. Logan nodded and got out his purse. He was getting impatient now. He had left Max alone for too long already.
*
She had to fight intruders, had to make sure nobody could harm her as long as she was weak, so she concentrated all her senses on defending herself.
*
He put a few coins onto the desk and reached for the water. "Graçias," he said, turning to leave. With the bottle in his lap, he hurried back to their room.
*
Max could hear a noise in the next room and tensed, trying to force her body to obey to her orders. She would have to fight to stay alive.
"Damn it Zack, why did you leave me?" she forced out through clenched teeth.
*
Logan entered the room and saw with a glance that the bed was empty. He threw the bottle onto the bed and wheeled towards the bathroom, calling Max's name.
*
Max tried to sit up, but her head spun the moment she moved it from the floor. She sank back, groaning.
"Max!" Logan yelled, when he yanked open the door and saw her lying on the floor.
Max tensed even more and tried to get away from the voice, she gasped for air and sweat was running down her forehead.
Logan stared at the huddled figure on the bathroom floor. He had only been away a couple of minutes. How could Max have deteriorated that quickly? She was covered in sweat and she was trembling all over. Her face was pale and her gaze was wandering into space. She was panting heavily and the sounds that escaped her mouth made him shudder. He moved closer, still calling Max's name, but she shied away from him, trying to shield her face with her arms.
Max could feel the enemy come closer and she didn't know how to fight him. She needed her siblings! "Zack! Tinga!" she yelled, suddenly thrashing her arms wildly.
"Max! It's me, Logan. Calm down. It's okay!" He tried to grab her, but failed miserably.
"No! Leave me alone! Zack!" her voice was filled with panic. She wasn't used to feeling completely helpless, she'd always been able to defend at least herself.
"Max! Can you hear me? You're safe. Nobody will harm you. You can stop fighting!"
"Don't touch me! Don't come any closer or I'll kill ya!" she slurred, her eyes now open, pupils dilated, a crazy look in them.
Logan realized that she wouldn't listen to him. She seemed to see an invisible enemy in him, whom she had to fight.
Slowly he moved out of the chair onto the floor, pushing the chair out of reach. "Look, Max. I'm staying here. I'm not fighting you. I'm not doing anything. It's okay. Calm down." It hurt him that she said those words to him, but at the same time he knew, that she didn't mean him, but her imaginary enemy.
Max was completely oblivious of her surroundings; she continued trying to fight the other person. Her heart hammered against her chest and her pulse raced. "Leave me alone, you bastard. My unit will be here any minute, they are gonna kill ya..." she screamed in a high-pitched, trembling voice.
Logan just sat there, watching Max, not sure what to do. His obvious gesture of surrender hadn't worked.
Max eventually felt her strength ebbing, she wouldn't be able to fight the enemy much longer, but how could she allow herself to be caught? She changed her plans and suddenly looked towards the door, which was a blur in front of her. Her head was spinning and she swayed slightly when coming to her knees. She had to fight the urge to vomit, but eventually she found the balance to stagger to her feet and, leaning heavily against the wall, she made her way towards it.
Logan watched Max stagger to her feet. If she wanted to get out she'd first have to fight him first. He wouldn't let her leave in this condition and he hoped that she wouldn't put up a fight for too long. He grabbed Max's legs when she came within his reach and pulled her down onto his lap, closing his arms around her tightly.
Max fought the enemy, but her movements grew weaker. She just didn't have the strength anymore. The dizziness overwhelmed her and she thought about giving up. But then again, she was a soldier and indoctrinated to fight, so she gave it one last shot. With all her strength she lashed out and triumphed when she connected with the guy's jaw. At least she hoped she had, her vision was blurred and foggy.
Logan tried to hold his grip on her fighting form, while her hands were punching against his arms and chest, her legs doing their own job against his legs and abdomen. He groaned when Max's fist hit his jaw and a knee kicked into his stomach but he only held her tighter. She would have to give up some time soon. He could feel her getting weaker and weaker in his grip.
Suddenly Max had the black spots in front of her eyes again, and she couldn't fight them off. Spent she sank down, mumbling something Logan couldn't make out. Then she lay nearly motionless on the cold bathroom floor, sweating and panting.
Relieved, that Max wasn't punching him wildly anymore and at the same time worried at the sudden and complete loss of energy, Logan carefully touched her sweaty cheek.
Max suddenly felt a gentle hand caressing her cheek and she tried to open her eyes to see what was going on. She found herself in Logan's arms on the bathroom floor, feeling like she had been run over by a truck. "Logan?" she forced out and looked at his blurry form right above her face. "What…?"
Logan pulled her closer into his lap, so she was more comfortable and he could reach her better. "Max…How do you feel? You…somehow zoned out," he said, studying her face worriedly. "I found you on the floor when I came back, fighting some imaginary enemy."
"I don't…did I hurt you? I'm sorry, I just…I felt dizzy and my legs were numb and I threw up and then…I don't remember. Logan…" Her voice was full of fear and confusion.
"Shhh. Don't talk now. You're exhausted." Logan said calmly. "I'm okay. Don't worry." He stroked the hair from her face and kissed her forehead.
"No, I need to know what happened!" She struggled to sit up.
Logan hugged her close, so she was leaning against his chest now. "You punched and kicked me a little. But that's okay. I guess I'm lucky those hits didn't connect at full force, huh?" Logan said, trying to sound lightly. What he had just seen had scared him to death, because Max had seemed totally out of control and as far away as she could be from reality. "I don't know what's going on, honey," he added. "But I promise we'll find out. Now let me get you back to bed, all right?"
"No, it's not okay. Damn it, Logan. You can't stay with me when I'm like this, it's too dangerous." She realized he was sitting on the floor with her. "When you get out of your chair and I lose control completely, what then?" She had tears in her eyes. "Damn it."
"Max. I promised to stay with you…I left you alone for way too long already, waiting for that stupid water…" he said determinedly
"No, you don't understand. I'm a threat to you like this, I don't even remember what I did!"
"I do Max. I had it under control." Logan lied. "I know you won't seriously harm me, Max!" he said, hoping he sounded as sure as he would have liked to be.
Max looked at him with hope in her eyes. Maybe he was telling her the truth. She loved that man, how could she harm him?
"I love you Max!" she heard Logan say. "You don't seriously expect me to go running when I find you lying on the floor, kicking and fighting for your life like that, do you?"
"I…I'm sorry. I don't know, this is just so weird. I'm not supposed to be the weak one." She bit her lips, realizing what she had said. "I mean, I need to be in control of my body, it's freaking me out that I'm apparently not…I…" She was at a loss for words, her exhausted brain didn't seem to be able to form coherent sentences. "I'm sorry," she eventually finished and sank back down against his chest.
Logan smiled down at her reassuringly. "Don't worry, Max. I can understand that. We'll find out what's happening to you. I promise. If the tryptophan doesn't help maybe there's something else. We'll find out. Okay, and now, we should get you back to bed. It's getting cold here."
She slowly sat up, paying close attention to her body, if the dizziness or nausea would reach an unbearable point again.
"Just let me get back into the chair, and then I'll get you back over there," Logan said, reaching out for the chair, which was out of reach, especially with Max on his lap. "Could you…" he asked and gently shoved Max off his legs.
Max only nodded and moved leaning back against the wall.
Logan shoved himself towards the chair enough to get a grip onto the wheels and draw it closer. The he pushed up, suppressing a groan at the pain in his shoulder and all the other parts of his body that were complaining at having been punched at. Then he picked up the bottle of tryptophan and saw with horror that it was half empty. This stuff didn't seem to work anymore at all. He wheeled closer to Max and half picked her up; half dragged her onto his lap, where she curled up immediately, like a kitten.
Logan slowly brought her back to the bed and waited for her to crawl over. Then he closed the blankets around her as she was trembling despite the heat. He placed the fresh bottle of water along with the bottle of tryptophan on the nightstand beside Max, and then wheeled around to the other side of the bed.
After he had settled in bed himself, he gently pulled Max closer, until she lay pressed against his body. He could feel her shudder from time to time, but her breathing was even, now as she drifted into an exhausted sleep.
TBC…
A/N: Sorry it took us a little longer, we're both kinda busy these days.
Thanks to somebody's angel!!!!
Have fun!
**
Dream and Reality
*
On their way back Logan watched Max suspiciously. Now and then she seemed to lose track a bit, as if she was having trouble keeping her balance. Her gait wasn't as steady and powerful as it usually was.
He finally wheeled closer and took her hand. "Sit down. I'll give you a ride home," he said softly but determined.
Max frowned, but when she nearly stumbled over a curb she decided to give in. She sank down in his lap and put her arms around his neck, resting her head against his shoulder.
"Good girl." Logan said, placing a kiss on her forehead. Then he hurried to get back to their motel.
Max moved from Logan's lap straight into bed and snuggled in under the blanket. She mumbled something he didn't quite understand, but what sounded like 'tryptophan'.
Logan quickly searched Max's bag for the bottle of pills and offered them to Max together with a half empty bottle of lukewarm water that was standing on the nightstand.
She swallowed a couple of them, and then opened her eyes to look at him. "Are you gonna stay with me?" she whispered, reaching for his hand.
"Sure," Logan promised, stroking her hair from her face with his free hand.
After he had sat with her for some minutes, Logan realized how hot the room was although he had made sure, the air conditioning had been turned on earlier. He looked around for something to drink but all that was left was the half bottle of lukewarm water they had brought home from the beach.
Max seemed to be dozing by now, so he decided to risk leaving her for a moment to get some fresh water for the night. "I'll be back in a minute," he mumbled, squeezing her hand one more time, before turning and leaving for the reception.
*
Max laid still for a second when she suddenly started to shift uncomfortably. There was a burning sensation in her legs and she felt like throwing up. So she gathered her strength and made her way to the bathroom on shaky feet.
*
Logan quickly wheeled over to the brightly lit house that held the reception. He didn't like the idea of leaving Max alone, but they'd need something to drink after the spicy meal, especially in this heat. The evening breeze was cooling his neck nicely.
When he entered the office, the receptionist was eagerly chatting with a young man who was leaning against the desk. They both seemed to discuss a football match that was running on a small TV in the back of the room. None of them seemed to notice or to care about him.
*
Meanwhile, Max stumbled to the toilet and emptied her stomach. Then she forced herself over to the sink to wash her mouth and face with cold water. She let some water run over her face when she suddenly had black spots dancing in front of her eyes and her head spun faster than she had ever experienced. Her balance was completely gone and she sank to the floor, holding her head between her hands, moaning loudly.
*
"Hòla." Logan said, trying to catch the guy's attention.
But the game seemed to be much more interesting to the two men than the guy in the wheelchair, who had just entered the room.
*
Max laid down, pressing her back against the cold wall, trying to make the dizziness go away, but not knowing how. "Logan…you said you wouldn't leave me alone," she mumbled. Then another wave of pain washed over her and made her lose connection to reality even more. "Zack, don't, I wanna stay…no!!!" She coughed, then laid still, whimpering.
*
"Excuse me," Logan said louder now. The guy who was leaning on the desk turned around unnerved, eyeing Logan up and down. Then he turned back to his friend, saying something in Spanish, which Logan didn't quite understand.
The man behind the counter slowly got up and walked up to the desk. "Buenas noches. Qué desiera?" he said harshly.
*
Max suddenly woke with a start, gasping for air. Her head nearly killed her and there was a numbness radiating through her legs. She tried to shake it off, but the legs were burning and prickling, driving her crazy. She let out a curse, still trying to catch her breath. It scared the shit out of her that she seemed to lose control and there seemed to be nothing she could do about it. She didn't even remember where she was. All she knew was that she was alone and vulnerable. And that was something she was not used to, not in that dangerous combination.
*
Logan searched his mind for the last bits of Spanish he could recall: "Quiero un agua frío," he said, blushing.
The guy grinned and went back to the fridge which had all kinds of cool beverages in it. He took out a large bottle of water and held it out to Logan. "Grande?" he asked. Logan nodded and got out his purse. He was getting impatient now. He had left Max alone for too long already.
*
She had to fight intruders, had to make sure nobody could harm her as long as she was weak, so she concentrated all her senses on defending herself.
*
He put a few coins onto the desk and reached for the water. "Graçias," he said, turning to leave. With the bottle in his lap, he hurried back to their room.
*
Max could hear a noise in the next room and tensed, trying to force her body to obey to her orders. She would have to fight to stay alive.
"Damn it Zack, why did you leave me?" she forced out through clenched teeth.
*
Logan entered the room and saw with a glance that the bed was empty. He threw the bottle onto the bed and wheeled towards the bathroom, calling Max's name.
*
Max tried to sit up, but her head spun the moment she moved it from the floor. She sank back, groaning.
"Max!" Logan yelled, when he yanked open the door and saw her lying on the floor.
Max tensed even more and tried to get away from the voice, she gasped for air and sweat was running down her forehead.
Logan stared at the huddled figure on the bathroom floor. He had only been away a couple of minutes. How could Max have deteriorated that quickly? She was covered in sweat and she was trembling all over. Her face was pale and her gaze was wandering into space. She was panting heavily and the sounds that escaped her mouth made him shudder. He moved closer, still calling Max's name, but she shied away from him, trying to shield her face with her arms.
Max could feel the enemy come closer and she didn't know how to fight him. She needed her siblings! "Zack! Tinga!" she yelled, suddenly thrashing her arms wildly.
"Max! It's me, Logan. Calm down. It's okay!" He tried to grab her, but failed miserably.
"No! Leave me alone! Zack!" her voice was filled with panic. She wasn't used to feeling completely helpless, she'd always been able to defend at least herself.
"Max! Can you hear me? You're safe. Nobody will harm you. You can stop fighting!"
"Don't touch me! Don't come any closer or I'll kill ya!" she slurred, her eyes now open, pupils dilated, a crazy look in them.
Logan realized that she wouldn't listen to him. She seemed to see an invisible enemy in him, whom she had to fight.
Slowly he moved out of the chair onto the floor, pushing the chair out of reach. "Look, Max. I'm staying here. I'm not fighting you. I'm not doing anything. It's okay. Calm down." It hurt him that she said those words to him, but at the same time he knew, that she didn't mean him, but her imaginary enemy.
Max was completely oblivious of her surroundings; she continued trying to fight the other person. Her heart hammered against her chest and her pulse raced. "Leave me alone, you bastard. My unit will be here any minute, they are gonna kill ya..." she screamed in a high-pitched, trembling voice.
Logan just sat there, watching Max, not sure what to do. His obvious gesture of surrender hadn't worked.
Max eventually felt her strength ebbing, she wouldn't be able to fight the enemy much longer, but how could she allow herself to be caught? She changed her plans and suddenly looked towards the door, which was a blur in front of her. Her head was spinning and she swayed slightly when coming to her knees. She had to fight the urge to vomit, but eventually she found the balance to stagger to her feet and, leaning heavily against the wall, she made her way towards it.
Logan watched Max stagger to her feet. If she wanted to get out she'd first have to fight him first. He wouldn't let her leave in this condition and he hoped that she wouldn't put up a fight for too long. He grabbed Max's legs when she came within his reach and pulled her down onto his lap, closing his arms around her tightly.
Max fought the enemy, but her movements grew weaker. She just didn't have the strength anymore. The dizziness overwhelmed her and she thought about giving up. But then again, she was a soldier and indoctrinated to fight, so she gave it one last shot. With all her strength she lashed out and triumphed when she connected with the guy's jaw. At least she hoped she had, her vision was blurred and foggy.
Logan tried to hold his grip on her fighting form, while her hands were punching against his arms and chest, her legs doing their own job against his legs and abdomen. He groaned when Max's fist hit his jaw and a knee kicked into his stomach but he only held her tighter. She would have to give up some time soon. He could feel her getting weaker and weaker in his grip.
Suddenly Max had the black spots in front of her eyes again, and she couldn't fight them off. Spent she sank down, mumbling something Logan couldn't make out. Then she lay nearly motionless on the cold bathroom floor, sweating and panting.
Relieved, that Max wasn't punching him wildly anymore and at the same time worried at the sudden and complete loss of energy, Logan carefully touched her sweaty cheek.
Max suddenly felt a gentle hand caressing her cheek and she tried to open her eyes to see what was going on. She found herself in Logan's arms on the bathroom floor, feeling like she had been run over by a truck. "Logan?" she forced out and looked at his blurry form right above her face. "What…?"
Logan pulled her closer into his lap, so she was more comfortable and he could reach her better. "Max…How do you feel? You…somehow zoned out," he said, studying her face worriedly. "I found you on the floor when I came back, fighting some imaginary enemy."
"I don't…did I hurt you? I'm sorry, I just…I felt dizzy and my legs were numb and I threw up and then…I don't remember. Logan…" Her voice was full of fear and confusion.
"Shhh. Don't talk now. You're exhausted." Logan said calmly. "I'm okay. Don't worry." He stroked the hair from her face and kissed her forehead.
"No, I need to know what happened!" She struggled to sit up.
Logan hugged her close, so she was leaning against his chest now. "You punched and kicked me a little. But that's okay. I guess I'm lucky those hits didn't connect at full force, huh?" Logan said, trying to sound lightly. What he had just seen had scared him to death, because Max had seemed totally out of control and as far away as she could be from reality. "I don't know what's going on, honey," he added. "But I promise we'll find out. Now let me get you back to bed, all right?"
"No, it's not okay. Damn it, Logan. You can't stay with me when I'm like this, it's too dangerous." She realized he was sitting on the floor with her. "When you get out of your chair and I lose control completely, what then?" She had tears in her eyes. "Damn it."
"Max. I promised to stay with you…I left you alone for way too long already, waiting for that stupid water…" he said determinedly
"No, you don't understand. I'm a threat to you like this, I don't even remember what I did!"
"I do Max. I had it under control." Logan lied. "I know you won't seriously harm me, Max!" he said, hoping he sounded as sure as he would have liked to be.
Max looked at him with hope in her eyes. Maybe he was telling her the truth. She loved that man, how could she harm him?
"I love you Max!" she heard Logan say. "You don't seriously expect me to go running when I find you lying on the floor, kicking and fighting for your life like that, do you?"
"I…I'm sorry. I don't know, this is just so weird. I'm not supposed to be the weak one." She bit her lips, realizing what she had said. "I mean, I need to be in control of my body, it's freaking me out that I'm apparently not…I…" She was at a loss for words, her exhausted brain didn't seem to be able to form coherent sentences. "I'm sorry," she eventually finished and sank back down against his chest.
Logan smiled down at her reassuringly. "Don't worry, Max. I can understand that. We'll find out what's happening to you. I promise. If the tryptophan doesn't help maybe there's something else. We'll find out. Okay, and now, we should get you back to bed. It's getting cold here."
She slowly sat up, paying close attention to her body, if the dizziness or nausea would reach an unbearable point again.
"Just let me get back into the chair, and then I'll get you back over there," Logan said, reaching out for the chair, which was out of reach, especially with Max on his lap. "Could you…" he asked and gently shoved Max off his legs.
Max only nodded and moved leaning back against the wall.
Logan shoved himself towards the chair enough to get a grip onto the wheels and draw it closer. The he pushed up, suppressing a groan at the pain in his shoulder and all the other parts of his body that were complaining at having been punched at. Then he picked up the bottle of tryptophan and saw with horror that it was half empty. This stuff didn't seem to work anymore at all. He wheeled closer to Max and half picked her up; half dragged her onto his lap, where she curled up immediately, like a kitten.
Logan slowly brought her back to the bed and waited for her to crawl over. Then he closed the blankets around her as she was trembling despite the heat. He placed the fresh bottle of water along with the bottle of tryptophan on the nightstand beside Max, and then wheeled around to the other side of the bed.
After he had settled in bed himself, he gently pulled Max closer, until she lay pressed against his body. He could feel her shudder from time to time, but her breathing was even, now as she drifted into an exhausted sleep.
TBC…