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Chapter 4: Never Let Me Go

When Max next awoke, it was to the sound of her cell phone ringing and the door opening at the same time. However, as she turned to answer the phone, she noticed the door closing. She expected the phone to be Chloe, but it was not.

It was her parents.

"Hello?" Max spoke.

"MAX, honey! Are you alright?" exclaimed the voice of her father, Clyde. It was clear that he had been worried about her for some time. The relief to hear his daughter speak was evident in his voice.

Max smiled. Even though she didn't contact her parents frequently, she still loved them dearly. It pained her knowing that they had probably heard about the incident a while back, but didn't know the details.

"Hi Dad," she spoke softly.

"Oh Max, I'm so happy to hear you're okay! Are you in any pain? Are they treating you well?"

"Dad, I'm okay. I haven't been in much pain at all. I have a kind nurse named Andrew taking care of me. They said that I could be discharged today as long as everything looks okay. I just can't do any major lifting for about two weeks," Max told him.

"I'm glad to hear that you're recovering well, honey," he spoke, emotion still resounding clearly in his voice. "I'm sorry we haven't been able to visit you, but your mother only got back late last night from her business trip. As soon as she heard about you, she got on the next flight home, but it took all day yesterday," he said, sounding remorseful that they hadn't been at her bedside earlier.

Max understood that. Her family had always had two cars, but only a few weeks ago one of them had reached its last mile. Her parents were working on getting another car, but in the meantime they only had one. If her father had come early, her mother would have been stranded at the airport in Seattle, and there weren't any airports near Arcadia Bay where her father could pick her up. They were caught in a jam at the most inconvenient moment.

Max noticed herself getting choked up as well, "Dad, it's alright. In the meantime, Chloe has seldom left my side. I know my friend Kate came by to see me as well, even if it was while I was resting, so I haven't been alone at all. You don't have to visit if it's inconvenient; I'm getting discharged today and then I'm returning to school either tomorrow or the day after."

"I'm glad to hear that both you and Chloe are okay. It sounds like she's quite devoted to you, even after all these years. Even when you were young, you two were inseparable. It's nice to know that hasn't changed. Your mother and I may visit you this weekend, if that's alright. I know you have school, but we want to make sure you're okay," Clyde spoke. Even though he was still choked up, you could tell he was smiling as he spoke about her and Chloe.

"Your Mom wants to talk to you, Max. We'll be visiting you at Blackwell in a few days. Love you sweetie!"

"Love you too Dad!" Max said.

"Hello Max, dear," her mother, Robyn, spoke gently. "How are you?"

Max reveled in hearing her mother's gentle voice. In her family, her father was the more emotional one while her mother was always more of a brass tacks and down-to-Earth sort. However, she knew that her mother could be just as gentle as her father was when it came to her well-being.

"I'm doing fine, Mom. I haven't been in much pain at all, and Chloe has been keeping me company this whole time. I have a good nurse who has been keeping a close eye on me. I should be getting out today, so hopefully I'll be able to go back to school in a day or two." Max didn't beat around the bush with her mother, but still spoke gently to her.

You could hear her mother's smile through the phone. "Chloe is still sticking with you through it all, huh? I'm glad to hear that you two have found each other again. Max, your principal has told us what happened and we were wondering if you could release to the police a statement of what happened. You won't have to attend the trial, but your testimony would help the jury decide what to do about both Mr. Prescott and Mr. Jefferson. Would you be willing to do that?"

Max's stomach turned at the thought of reliving those awful moments again, but she knew that it would be for the best if she released a statement as well. It was far better than going to the trial; that was for sure. She could never look at Nathan or Mr. Jefferson the same way again.

Max swallowed, "Yeah Mom, I could do that. Would I give it while I'm here or at Blackwell?"

"Honey, I want you to know that you're being very brave by being willing to do that. I'm sure it isn't going to be easy thinking about that incident again, but you'll be making a difference. I'll call the police there and ask them if they would be willing to take a statement from you before your discharge." Her business concluded, her voice softened again, "Max, your father and I love you very much and we'll see you this weekend, okay? Make sure Chloe keeps you out of trouble."

Robyn's words made Max smile. Her mother always was always on the same wavelength as her when it came to her thoughts. However, she also was the voice of logic when she got too emotional. It was good to have her around when her thoughts were scrambled or irrational.

Max laughed at the mention of Chloe, "I'll be sure to tell her that Mom, though it may be the other way around! Love you too! Bye!"

With that, she hung up. No sooner had she placed the phone on her bedside table than did her favorite blue-haired friend walk through the door.

"I didn't know who it was, so I wasn't going to intrude on your conversation," Chloe said, striding over to the chair and sitting down next to her.

Max smirked, "I thought you didn't give a damn about common courtesy."

Chloe blushed, "Well, I usually don't, but I'll make an exception in your case. I don't know, I kind of feel like I have to be on better behavior when I'm around you. With Rachel, I didn't care so much. Your influence is different though and…and I don't want to lose you too."

Max's eyes shone with determination, "Chloe, you aren't going to lose me. I promise I am not leaving you anymore…not unless you're coming with me."

Chloe had the decency to look sheepish, "I know you have reassured me numerous times already, in like, less than 48 hours," she allowed herself a smirk before turning serious again. "I'm still just tripping out on how you managed to dramatically reappear after being gone for five years in order to save me from a gunshot." She squeezed Max's hand to remind her just how grateful she was for it.

Max wiped the tears from her eyes, "Yeah, but now we're back in action. Think of it as finding your first mate after she was knocked overboard or something."

Chloe snorted, "Max, if you had fallen overboard, I would have jumped in to save you. As my first mate, you are my number one priority." The two friends shared a smile with each other.

The 'number one' comment made Max think of something she had wanted to ask Chloe for a while now. "Chloe, when the nurse came in the other day, you told him that I was your bae. What did you mean by that?"

Chloe was not the type of person to be easily embarrassed, so it was quite a sight for Max to see as Chloe blushed to the roots of her hair and attempted to stutter out an answer, "Um, well you see, Max I…I…"

An unexpected knock at the door saved Chloe from Max's thoughtful question as the door opened to reveal a friendly looking police officer and Nurse Andrew as well. The police officer looked to be about the same as Andrew, Max guessed in his mid to late 20s. His hair was styled differently and had a more muscular build than Andrew, but he still had a kind smile just like Andrew.

"Good morning, Max. My name is Officer Thomas. Your mother told me that I could get a statement from you. I know that this is rather abrupt, but I was wondering if you be willing to answer a few questions for me right now? If it's a bad time or too sudden, we can always talk another time. I don't want to put you on the spot, especially since you are still recovering."

Max was slightly claustrophobic, and she squeezed Chloe's hand for support as she nodded her agreement to answering his questions now. Noticing her discomfort, Andrew backed up slightly and sat against the opposite wall to give Max some space. The officer surprised Max by bringing up a seat next to her, sitting opposite Chloe.

"Max," Officer Thomas began, "I know that police officers can be scary when you become an adult. However, you need not fear anything from me. Only Nathan and Mr. Jefferson have anything to fear. However, I will be asking you very direct questions. If I ask any question that you will not or cannot answer, you can choose not to answer it. If you need a few moments to compose yourself, I can give you that time. If you are confused as to why I'm asking a question, you can look to me for clarification. Also, you don't need to censor yourself around me. You can speak candidly."

Max was stunned at how much the officer seemed to break from the traditional mold of being gruff and impassive. Thomas seemed to be intelligent and direct, but not mean or apathetic. He would be the kind of person you would want to be around if you were in danger. He was quite capable and intelligent, but also caring and level-headed.

"Okay," Max replied, her gaze drawn to Andrew, who was just chilling in the chair across from her. He smiled back at her.

"Don't worry about me Max," Andrew replied. "My job here is to make sure that Officer Thomas here doesn't cross any legal boundaries or cause you any great distress. It's one of our procedural safeguards for our patients' well-being." He flashed a brilliant smile, which made her smile.

"Alright then," Thomas started, "How did you witness the confrontation between Mr. Prescott and Ms. Price?"

"I was in the restroom against the far wall when he walked in. He seemed almost manic, rambling on and on about trying to stay cool and about how much money his family had. Chloe came in afterwards, talking about how...he owed her money. Their argument escalated and that is when Nathan pulled a gun on her." Max told him, easily answering the question. Giving the setting was the easy part. It would be what happened next that would be harder for her.

Thomas kept his eyes on Max as much as possible without staring. His face was straight, and he seemed to be taking notes on very specific things that Max said. It would have seemed unnerving if he hadn't made his intentions clear beforehand.

"Alright, that explains the setting. So Mr. Prescott didn't know you were there then?"

Max realized it was more of an afterthought than a direct question, so she merely nodded her head instead of giving a verbal affirmation.

"Can you tell me what happened next, Max?" Thomas asked softly.

Max took a deep breath and glanced at Chloe for support. Chloe squeezed her hand in support and Andrew mouthed the words 'You can do it' silently.

"Once Nathan pulled out the gun, Chloe changed from arguing to…asking him to put the gun away. She didn't provoke him further in any way, but Nathan just kept yelling about how no one would miss Chloe if she were gone." At that point, Max gave Chloe's hand a big squeeze, just to make sure she knew that Max clearly cared deeply about her, and Chloe returned that squeeze.

"At that point, I…I crept out from around the wall in order to intervene. Nathan's body language and words made it clear that he wasn't calming down. Seeing my long-time friend made me want to protect her, so I jumped in between Chloe and Nathan."

Max had to stop again, remembering everything again in slow-motion, but in two separate timelines. There was one where Max had jumped in to save Chloe, but there was also one where she hadn't reacted. Feelings of guilt, anguish, shame, anger, courage, and relief all fought inside her, and anguish won out. She reached out for Chloe who instantly moved from her chair to Max's bedside and held Max in her arms as she sobbed loudly. Andrew's face had a look of concern, but he made no move to make Thomas leave. He had been aware that this may happen, but it pained him to see his patients in such distress.

Thomas sat back in his chair, gazing sympathetically at the pair. His glance shifted to Andrew, who nodded at him to let him know that he wasn't in over his head and to just give it time. The two of them were actually long-time friends, and it had been Thomas who had asked if he could be the one to take the statement at the hospital. The two were a good team. They were steadfast about their jobs, but were able to easily communicate their intentions and limits to each other. Being friends and video game buffs had made sure that they had seen each other at their best and worst.

Chloe held her friend tightly. She didn't know what was going through Max's head, but she could wager a guess. Since Max told her all that had happened, she guessed Max was feeling guilty. She leaned close to Max and whispered, "It's not your fault. You saved me." Chloe was not one for getting emotional, but Max was the one person who could coax it out of her. She decided on a different tactic. This time, she whispered, "I'm here for you Max. Always."

At this, Max's sobbing gently subsided. Max slowly lifted her head to see Chloe, gazing at her with admiration and kindness. Max's heart surged with love toward her long-standing friend, a friend who had never truly given up on her, and a friend who she was still willing to sacrifice herself for again if need be. In that moment, she knew that would be one friend she could always count on to be there for her. She could be emotional without having to hide it. She could speak her mind without the fear of ridicule. She could be herself without having to give up her dreams or any aspect of her personality. Sure, they would banter and tease each other back and forth, but it was always in jest, never serious. It was a friend she could truly never replace. She acted on instinct, and raised her lips to Chloe's cheek. Max kissed her cheek, squeezed Chloe again, and moved away slowly, always keeping her hand intertwined with Chloe's.

Chloe's mind was racing. Max had just kissed her, and she had…liked it? She certainly wasn't going to complain, but what had brought that on? Was it just the words she had said? Did those words mean that much to Max? Chloe wasn't going to write it off, but she had to put it aside until they were alone again. She gave Max a small, genuine smile and continued to hold her hand.

Max drew in a heaving breath, and continued, "At that point, I can only remember snapshots. I remember seeing Chloe's face change to surprise as I charged out of my hiding place, I…I remember… jumping in front of her, feeling a pain in my side, and hearing Chloe call my name. I don't even remember hitting the floor."

Thomas nodded at her. His face was still neutral, but his eyes had sympathy for her. "Ms. Price, could you fill in the details of what happened with Max? Is that acceptable?" He asked not only Chloe, but Andrew as well.

Andrew motioned to Chloe, who shrugged.

"After I heard the gunshot, I kicked the douche in the face and the groin so he dropped the gun and stumbled to the floor. Luckily, the security office was right down the hall, so I yelled for my step-father, who came running. He notified paramedics and instructed me on how to slow the bleeding while he took Nathan into custody. The paramedics came and took Max, the police took the asshole, and I followed Max here." There was no hesitancy in Chloe's voice, but rather a desire to push the incident behind them. Not so much for her sake, but for Max's. Chloe did not remember the version of time where she was shot, but Max certainly did.

Thomas nodded to Chloe. He didn't mind her coarse language. Hell, he would love to give that young man some punishment himself. He held out his hand and shook Max's gently.

"You're a very brave young woman Max. I'll make sure the right people know what you did for Chloe and what Mr. Prescott did. If you're ever out in Arcadia Bay and someone gives you trouble, give us a call. We're here for you." With that, he walked out of the room. Andrew flashed Max and Chloe a brilliant smile and a thumbs-up before escorting Thomas out.

As soon as the door closed as far as it was going to, Max latched herself on to Chloe again, and Chloe made it easier by lying next to Max in her hospital bed. She wasn't crying, but simply wanted to be close to her best friend.

Chloe held her again and whispered, "I'll always be here for you Max."

"I know that Chloe. It meant a lot to me that you would say that. It means so much to me that you're my best friend. I'm glad you're always there for me," Max replied.

'I guess that solves that mystery' thought Chloe. 'Still, that was a nice kiss.'

The friends spent the remainder of the morning together, simply talking to each other. Max's statement left the air highly emotionally charged, and the two of them were physically inseparable for practically the whole morning, knowing that their friendship was stronger than it had ever been since Max came back.