Chapter 2

The steady beeping had an almost hypnotising quality to it. That quality was quickly lost when the antiseptic smell hit Max like a punch. She jolted awake only to register a severe pain in her head and a pressure on her chest. Chloe Price was sitting by her bed, bent forward with her head crushing Max's right boob as she slept soundly.

As she snored peacefully, Max looked at herself and realised she was in a hospital gown. Her face went red with indescribable rage and embarrassment as she realised that someone had stripped and re-dressed her while she was out for the count. Could they not have waited until she woke up and given her some privacy to change in peace?

"How do you feel?" Max's head snapped downwards to see Chloe picking herself up and straightening her spine with a series of audible cracks and clicks.

"You drooled on me!" Max cringed as she noticed a clear patch spreading on the chest area of her white hospital gown.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" Chloe looked absolutely mortified.

"And how are we feeling today, miss Caulfield?" a nurse asked as she walked in

"What do you mean 'today'?" Max asked as she looked to see a window in the corner of the room with sunlight streaming through it.

"She's literally just woken up." Chloe explained.

"Oh, so she won't know yet then." The nurse nodded. "Shall I give you a couple of minutes to break it to her?"

"Would that be okay?" Chloe asked.

"Of course it would. I have patients to tend to in the next room anyway." She left and shut the door, leaving Chloe and Max alone.

"Okay, I know this is going to be hard to believe, but you've been out for two days." Chloe told Max.

"Wait, that means I'm missing class!" Max tried to spring out of bed, only to be grabbed and held down by Chloe. As much as Max struggled, Chloe held her there like it was nothing. The two backfires had weakened her immensely.

"Cool it, Max. Principle Wells was told just as they rushed you in here. David phoned him as soon as the ambulance showed up. He's said that if need be, then you can pause where you are in class and pick it up again when it comes around next year. I'm not going to lie, this is serious stuff."

"Is there any chance I'll be here long enough to have to stop my studies this year?" Max asked, the truth of the matter hitting home.

"There could potentially be." Chloe told her. "You had another two nosebleeds in the ambulance. You've not had any since getting here though, touch wood." Chloe reached out and tapped Max on the head. "They want to do CT and MRI scans so they can see what's going on, but they thought it would be better if they waited until you were awake."

"I don't know why they bothered with that." Max seethed. "They already stripped me off and put me in a gown!"

"I know you probably feel violated; but if it makes you feel any better at all, I demanded on your behalf that there were only female practitioners in the room when it happened." Chloe told her.

"Thanks, but it really doesn't." Max grumbled.

"Look, all I can say is that this is the best place for you now." Chloe said. Something inside Max felt a sting at that. "Rachel and I will visit you often, and we'll also play Rumour Control at Blackwell so no one starts gossip about you being absent due to an unplanned pregnancy or something. That said, it'll be a lot easier once we have some solid knowledge about what's actually going on."

"I think I may know." Max told her. "But I can't be sure until those tests are done. There's something I need to tell you, but now isn't the time. I feel to crap to bother with it for a start."

"Take all the time you need." Chloe said. "By the way, your little incident made me think about how little I was doing with my life, so I've literally just booked myself in for drugs rehab sessions for minor addicts. With a bit of luck, I can get off the grass totally in a few months."

"Chloe, that's brilliant." Max tried to sound enthusiastic, but all she could manage was a lethargic groan. "If I had the energy right now, I'd kiss you."

"What Rachel doesn't know won't hurt her." Chloe said cheekily before leaning in. She was about to kiss Max, but she raised a finger to her lips and stopped her.

"I really wouldn't." Max advised. "My breath tastes of stale blood right now."

"We'll save it for later then." Chloe winked before getting up and walking to the door just as the nurse reappeared "See you later, gorgeous." With that, she slipped through the door and left Max alone with the nurse. She stepped into the main corridor only to come face-to-face with Rachel.

"So, what's this about you trying to kiss her?" she asked. "I saw everything."

"Rachel, she's suffering from something that could potentially be fatal. I think she can be allowed a few luxuries." Chloe defended. "What, are you getting jealous?" With that, Chloe grabbed Rachel by the back of the head and kissed her. It lasted for about three minutes until a nurse walked by and told them to act their ages before kicking them out on their backsides. They picked themselves up, gathered their dignity and left the hospital in Chloe's truck.

"Where are we going now?" Rachel asked.

"First and foremost, we're going to Blackwell to keep the gossip in check." Chloe told her. "Before that though, I have something important to do."

The pair rode in silence for about fifteen minutes before they pulled up by the junkyard. Once they were there, Chloe got out and started walking. Rachel moved to follow, but Chloe stopped her.

"What are you even trying to do?" Rachel asked.

"Just trust me. This is something I have to do myself." Chloe replied. "I'll tell you once it's done." As Rachel nodded and pulled herself back into the passenger seat, Chloe walked to the small stream at the edge of the junkyard. It was so small that the current was inaudible, but she knew it would be enough.

Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out her bag of grass. If the current didn't wash it away, it would render it useless. Either way, she was going to force herself to go without until her rehab session that night. It was only a few hours to go and she knew it would be a stretch, but she was determined to do it. If not for herself, she was going to do it for Max and Rachel. Max had only just stumbled back into her life, and now there was a very real possibility she could be snatched away again. Chloe's life had changed twice in the space of twenty-four hours. She couldn't do much to help Max except try and ease things for her, and the best way to do that would be to make her happy by giving up the drugs.

Her hands shaking, Chloe let go of the bag. There was no turning back by that point. The bag hit the water with a small splash and was carried away. Reaching into her breast pocket on her shirt, she pulled out her packet of cigarettes as well. She propped the cardboard flap open and dropped it horizontally into the stream. The water instantly flooded the packet and ruined them. Even if she wanted to, there would be no point in retrieving them as she watched them being carried away.

Rachel had shifted into the driver seat so she could recline back in it and doze while Chloe did whatever she was doing since the passenger seat mechanism was broken. She jolted awake to a tap on the window and shifted back into her own seat so Chloe could get back in. She hit the catch, causing the seat to spring back into place. Chloe made herself comfortable before starting the engine and pulling away.

"What was it you had to do?" Rachel asked.

"I'll tell you when we get back on the road." Chloe said as she headed for the exit. "Let's just get to Blackwell."