Chapter 49: Duncan-induced Migraine
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Beeep! Beeep! Beeep! Beeep!
Max woke up to the sound of monitors beeping and hushed whispers. He opened his eyes and looked over to his left. The professor spoke with a fat man in a doctor's suit. He looked to his right. Ryan sat in a chair resting his chin on his hands. His eyes were shut and from the quiet sound of his breathing Max thought he was asleep.
"Hey Ryan," Max said. "Who died?" His voice came out rough, like sand paper.
Ryan's eyes popped open and he sat upright. "Max, you're awake."
"Very perceptive Ryan, now who died?"
"We thought you had," Ryan said. "Duncan hit you with his car."
Max felt an itch arise on his nose. "Oh yeah, he said he wanted to play chicken." Max tried to raise his hand to scratch his nose but his arm felt like a weight and he could not lift it.
"So why didn't you move?" Ryan asked.
Max tried the other hand; it hurt as badly as his left. Nuts. "I didn't think he'd actually hit me." He raised his arm slowly into his line of vision. The skin was red with burns but it finally reached his nose.
Success!
Ryan rolled his eyes. "Well you'll be happy to know that you destroyed his car with your electric shock but he's not in jail because he claims that you just walked out in the middle of the road and he couldn't stop."
"Excuse me?" Max said. "And they believed him? Just get any doctor to look at me and they'll know I was facing the car."
Ryan shrugged. "He said you turned to face him when he honked at you."
Max groaned. "What I wouldn't give to tear that jerk limb from limb."
He sighed. "No witnesses I guess?"
"Nope."
"So it's his word against mine. That's fabulous."
Ryan nodded.
"So what's the damage?" Max asked.
"Uh the doctor said that your right arm is broken, your left arm is sprained, you have a slight concussion, a few broken ribs and some burns, complementary of your electric shock, but that's about it," Ryan said.
"Max, how are you feeling?"
Max turned to see the professor rolling up to his bed.
"Great," he said. "Considering I was just hit by a car and the guy who hit me got away with it."
The professor smiled, but his eyes showed no joy. Max recognized that smile. He had seen it appear so many times on his mother's or Ryan's face. They gave that smile to reassure that somehow things would work out, but at the moment they saw no light. They gave that smile to say, "I know life's not fair, but I'm going to keep on pushing."
Max had never given that smile. He always hid his pain, and he had gotten very
good at it.
"I'm sorry Max," Xavier said. "But no one saw what happened but you, and Duncan's story has no holes, except for your side of it."
Max shook his head. "But they won't take my word over his because I'm a mutant."
No one said anything.
The sick truth dripped from those words and filled the air like a foul stench, a gas that worked it's way into their lungs and tried to suffocate them. So many injustices came to pass simply because they had mutant abilities; Ryan's family was brutally murdered, Ryan was locked away and tortured for three years, Andie's brother Asher was forced to run away from his family, Andie was forced to leave all she knew and live with the people of her kind, like a ghetto.
It made Max sick.
They could stop it all if they threw away their morals and simply overtook mankind, but he knew better. Not all of the humans felt the way Duncan, or his father, or George Dobson felt, some thought that mutants were cool; he had a lot of good friends who were humans. He could not generalize about humans as some of them did about mutants. Max would rather suffer than sink to his father's level.
The sound of high heels clip clopping across the tile floor frightened away the silence and they all looked to the door.
"Lilly?" Max asked.
"Hey cowboy."
"Uh, we'll leave you two alone," Ryan said. He and the professor left the room.
Lilly circled the hospital bed and crossed her arms over her chest. A smile overtook her red lips. "So you thought he wouldn't hit you huh?"
"No I really didn't think he'd sink that low," Max said laughing. It hurt his chest. "What are you doing here?"
"Principal Kelly interrupted our conversation," she said. "I need to tell you my requirements for the privilege of a night with me."
"Oh, so I get to take a shot at it huh?"
Lilly nodded.
Max waved his hand. "Proceed."
"Okay, first no sleeping with any other girls, if I catch you, which with my powers I will, the deal is off."
"Hold on a second-"
"No talking 'till I'm finished," Lilly said. "Second, I don't want to hear about former sexual escapades, this is a turn off and will get you nowhere. Third, when I talk, you listen. Fourth, what I say goes, you are no longer in charge. Fifth, if you see me with a man, don't question me, I will not deal with your jealousy. Sixth, this is commitment free; once I'm done with you it's over. Seventh, flattery is always good as long as it's truth-flattery, not trying-to-get-in-my-pants-flattery. Eighth, don't piss me off. Ninth, make love don't fall in love. Don't fall in love with me because I will not fall in love with you. Tenth, no sex until I think that you have been successful in following all the rules. If you have been a good dog you will be rewarded."
Max laughed. "Dude you're not worth it," he said.
Lilly sighed and started to walk to the door, her heels still clicking.
"I knew you couldn't do it," she said.
"Now wait just a second," Max said sitting up. A sharp pain ran up his rib cage and he ground his teeth.
/Stupid Duncan./
Lilly's heel scraped the floor as she turned. She raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
Max stuck a hand out. More pain. I hate you Duncan. "You got yourself a deal."
The corner of Lilly's mouth stretched up. "Well good for you." She slid her soft hand into his and they shook. Then, she leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "When you're out of the hospital give me a call." As she moved away she let her hand glide down his arm.
/So that's how we're gonna play, huh?/ Max thought. /Well Miss Beckham,
I'll follow your rules and I'll win. We'll see who conquers who./