The Break
Show: Dark Angel
Rating:M
Status: WIP
Genre: Drama/Romance
Pairing: M/A
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from anything, nor anything else
Summary: Even supersoldiers have limits. Max unknowingly pushes Alec to breaking point. The newly appointed leader of the Freaks finds he has some unexpected emotional issues to deal with.
Chapter 2: Back
Max felt heavy and inexplicably tired, so why she was waking up was a complete mystery to her. She tried to take a deep breath but was stopped by a blinding pain in her chest that caused her to break out into a convulsing cough. Cindy who had been drifting off in the chair beside the bed was suddenly very awake. Despite the violent coughs and gasping breaths Cindy couldn't help but feel relieved that her friend was finally awake.
"Max ... Max ..." She called gently as she took her friends hand. Max's eyes gradually adjusted to the change in light and focused on her friend sitting close by.
"Hey." She said her voice very slight, it was quite an effort to produce any sound at all. Her free hand moved slowly to her aching chest and lay to rest over her heart where the pain was most acute.
"Hey baby girl."
"What are you doing here?" OC chuckled,
"We had a date remember?" Max's forehead creased.
"Oh right," Slowly she looked around taking in the whole room for the first time, "What am I doing here?"
"What you forget your amateur heroics already?" Max frowned again before the memories of her botched mission came flooding back to her. Her eyes widened and forgetting her condition again she tried to sit up.
"The kids!...the kids... they're tied up under the pier! some one needs to..." The pain was devastating and she found herself coughing under the strain again. Cindy put a hand on her chest trying to stop her attempts to get up.
"It's ok Boo, it's ok, chill Boo. The team got to 'em in time." Max started to calm down. The on-call medic rushed in hearing the commotion and started to do some checks, increasing the morphine dosage now that the patient was awake and it was safe enough to do so. Cindy watched uncharacteristically quietly as the medic worked. Max kept her eyes on her sullen friend as she was helped to sit up.
"What?" She asked almost timidly. Cindy shook her head, tears forming in her eyes but said nothing until the medic had left them.
"You could have died. You went out there alone, and came back all bloody. I though I was watching you die..." Cindy trailed off to wipe away her tears. Max felt deeply guilty, she had certainly never intended for any of this.
"I'm sorry." She said quietly, but Cindy shook her head, she had already forgiven her, she would forgive Max anything.
"Don't you fret, anyway, It's not me you should be 'pologisin' to." She said giving Max a pointed look, Max didn't have to guess who she meant.
"Has he been by?"
"Sorry Boo, I ain't seen yo boy since..." She trailed off unsure how to continue as the last time she'd seen him, raging and out of control, passed through her mind. "What can I say he's a busy guy."
"Right." Max said trying not to sound disappointed but what did she expect? He would no doubt be angry with her for not waiting for him to make a plan. Either that or he was waiting to laugh at her or sing 'I told you so.' A defensive wave of anger ran through her. "So he should be," She said. Cindy looked up at her friend but bit her lip letting the comment slide this time. Max had no idea what had happened, how could she? and she was damn sure no one was likely to tell her unless she did. It was very much between her and Alec but she was sure it was far from over.
"How are you feelin' Suga?" She asked swiftly changing the subject.
"Ugh," Max complained rubbing her chest, "like I've been smacked with a sledge hammer." Cindy's gaze became hard again and she shifted uncomfortably at the memories those words brought.
"It'll pass."
"I hope so. How long was I out?"
"Three days. Logan was here for the first but he had some things to do. Dog-boy came by but he was mewin' and whinin' so much I had ta shift his ass and tell him to go make his self useful..." OC mentioned her few other visitors who strangely enough briefly included Mole, who on good days was not her biggest fan. It seemed that everyone had been by except...
"Everyone but Alec." She said out loud. She wouldn't allow herself to feel hurt so, "If he doesn't care then I don't care. If he'd come up with a plan then I wouldn't have had to go on my own." She failed to disguise her feelings. As she looked up at her friend she caught that hard yet uncomfortable look in her eyes again and now it was beginning to irritate her. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Max asked feeling irked. Cindy looked at her debating for a moment as to what to say.
"Max, Honey, there's something you need to know before you go bitin' at heads ... its about Alec."
"What about him? don't tell me your taking his side."
"There are no sides!" Cindy scolded "The boy saved your life!"
"What?"
"He went in to get you, he was the one to carry you out, and when everyone else had lost hope he was the one who brought you back to life." Max was stunned and sat her mouth gaping with nothing to say to this new revelation. She wasn't surprised that he had gone after her, she was glad in fact but she hadn't quite realised how serious her condition had been, nor how close to death she had been.
"You were in such a state," Cindy continued shaking her head, "I mean with you girl, I seen things no one ever sees, but I ain't never seen so much blood as that in my life. I thought you were a goner for sure, we all did, even your medics...everyone 'cept your boy, and he just lost it." Max frowned in confusion. "He'd been wound tighter than a pocket watch. That stunt you pulled got him all riled up, and then he just ... he just broke. I aint never seen anyone snap like that ever." Max looked concerned.
"I'm telling you boo, keep out of his way for a while, he is on the edge."
"Ok I get it, so he's angry." Max said hoping to change the subject, no enjoying the dark shade of shame that seemed to be settling over her.
"I think its deeper than that boo." Max said nothing and Cindy decided maybe she'd said enough. She looked at her crest fallen friend and tried to brighten up. The atmosphere in the room had become far too heavy and Cindy hated being the reason for it. "Anyway, enough doom and gloom suga you're ok and that's all that matters. We're supposed to be on a date but a slumber party seems more appropriate, so whadda ya say we pop some corn and paint our nails?"
A/N: Well, thanks for the reviews, I really need the encouragement. This chapter is a bit patchy so I might rewrite it later but i wanted to get the story out there so let me know how I'm doing. Thanks!