CHAPTER 19

Max POV (after she blacked out…and they were flying her to her mom's)

The wind was rushing past me, but my wings weren't moving. That was about when I noticed a few things:

First, someone was carrying me. Who that someone was, I had no clue.

Second, my eyes would not open no matter how hard I tried.

Third, my brain was not making any connections to anything.

I'm not sure how long I attempted to focus on these things. As I said, my mind wasn't making sense of anything.

It felt like days when the wind that was pushing by me finally slowed until it was completely gone.

That was about when my synapses started connecting. Things were making sense, finally!

I mentally took stock of everything that happened and was still happening.

The person that carried me to wherever I was, I presumed, was Fang. I recalled his strong, wiry arms holding me tight to his chest. Only, his arms weren't as wiry as they used to be. They were a little more muscular.

Okay, puzzle number one: check!

Problem number two…

I still couldn't force my eyes to open. At first, I thought I was trapped in an isolation tank again, but that thought was shoved aside immediately!

So, problem number two was still under investigation.

Before I moved on to another issue, I felt pain shoot up my spine. I was suddenly in a lot of pain. My back was on fire. The pain, I figured, was what kept me in the semiconscious state I was stuck in.

Problems two and three: check!

Unfortunately, I discovered problem number four. I still had no idea where I was, or how long I've been out. Everything felt like a painful dream. Or nightmare.

Suddenly, I felt something pinching my already sore back. I faintly felt something in my hand, but that's all I was sure of.

The pinching was ebbing away, slowly but surely, until it finally stopped. My back still hurt like hell, but it was better than before.

Practically a life time later (again…no sense of time still), another realization hit me.

I couldn't hear anything, or anyone, for that matter, going on around me. I hadn't heard anyone during any of this crazy nightmare.

"Max," someone whispered in my head.

I wasn't sure if I'd actually heard anything or not.

"Max, you did hear me!" the small, angelic voice said with pure joy. "Max! It's Angel!"

"Oh, Angel," I sighed in relief to hear another voice.

"It's good to hear you, too," she giggled. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure," I replied. "I'm in a lot of pain right now, and I'm really tired."

I didn't realize how tired I was until then. "I just want to sleep."

"Okay, Max," she said. I could practically see her smiling face. "Goodnight."

"Night, Angel," I whispered.

Someone squeezed my hand before I drifted off. I immediately knew it was Fang. I was relieved to know that Fang was there with me. Watching out for me. Protecting me.

***

I woke up lying on my stomach, and, let me tell you, it was really uncomfortable! I shifted to role over, but quickly decided against it when it caused me so much pain. That was when I went into panic mode.

I opened my eyes carefully as the too-bright lights burned them. I tried to look around while my eyes were focusing, but it didn't do me much good.

"Max," someone whispered close to me.

Finally, my vision cleared, and I saw Fang staring at me as if I just rose from the dead. Again, I tried to move, but quit once the pain sparked.

"Max," Fang whispered soothingly, brushing some hair out of my face. "Max, you're okay."

"More or less," I groaned. My voice was raspy and quiet. "What happened? Where are we?"

I couldn't remember anything at all. The last thing I remembered was giving Angel a hug on the bridge and, then, nothing.

"A Flyboy got you. When we flew back to the bridge, you turned a minor injury into a major problem," he said. His face was impassive, but his eyes were horrified. "You passed out, so we brought you here."

"And where is here, exactly?" I asked, trying to grasp everything he was saying.

"Your mom's office," he smiled. This triggered an unfortunate domino effect…

That smile made my heart skip. That skip made the heart monitor, which I was previously unaware of, beep a little faster. The quick-paced beep made me blush. My blushing made Fang's smile grow. And repeat…

"Oh, Max!" my mom screeched. "You're awake!"

She came into my peripheral with tear-filled eyes and the biggest smile I'd ever seen on her.

"Yea," I smiled weakly.

"I'll go let the others know!" she replied excitedly.

Once again, I attempted moving. This time, Fang gently forced me to stay by pressing his hand on my shoulder. "Max, don't do that. You'll open your stitches."

"Stitches?" I asked curiously.

Before he answered, the others crashed through the door with various greetings and much excitement.

I tried smiling, but my eyes were drifting shut again.

"Alright, guys," Fang said. "Max still needs rest."

They all sighed and grumbled before quietly leaving the room.

"Thank you," I mouthed to Fang.

The last thing I felt before I slowly fell asleep was his warm, soft lips brush against my forehead.

***

Ok. Just to clarify some things here:

Max couldn't remember anything when she woke up because I assume that you don't remember much after you pass out. (I can't say from experience, but that's what I would figure.)

Umm…I guess I only had to clarify something…not some things. Haha.