Thunder: Back Through the Rain – Chapter 23
By MyNameIsCAL
---Fang's POV---
Max was coming home today, finally. I had spent the past few days in bed, trying to keep weight off my leg. It felt better now, or so I was trying to make myself believe.
Gazzy appeared in the doorway. "They're on their way home now. Five minutes, maybe."
I sat up and reached for my crutches. "How is she?"
"Probably better than you are." I couldn't tell if Gazzy meant it or if he was just trying to make me feel better.
Nudge was sitting in the kitchen with Angel, Iggy cooking and Ella setting the table. I wondered how things were moving along with Iggy and Ella. Before I could say anything, Iggy announced he could hear the car pulling into the driveway. As slow as I was, they let me go out to meet Max first.
"Fang!" Max hopped out of the car and practically ran up to me. I guess Gazzy wasn't lying when he said she was a lot better than I was. She hugged me and I tried my best to hug her back without falling down.
"I missed you," she whispered as we broke apart, grabbing my arm to steady me.
---Max's POV---
Iggy prepared an amazing lunch, nothing that was too hard on the stomach. Fang remained his quiet self as we ate. As always, Nudge did a lot of talking. I could tell everyone was making an effort to not talk about Marian Janssen and what was going on in the news. It even got to the point where Nudge and Ella were reciting lines from Saturday Night Live's latest episode.
"So how are you feeling?" Fang asked me as the other started to clear from the table.
I had to laugh. "I think the real the question should be about how you are feeling."
Fang gave in and laughed along with me, mostly because he didn't want to tell me the truth.
We lay in his bed later, staring at the ceiling, listening to the things going on around us. The news was on downstairs. Gazzy and Nudge were arguing about it. Ella and Iggy were outside talking, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.
Angel came into the room. "I think the FBI is gonna be around in the next few days again."
I felt Fang tense up next to me. "How do you know?"
She shrugged. "Just a feeling. And don't agree to help them, no matter what."
"Why?" It was my turn to ask.
"Because, I just know, ok?" Angel said. She was always right though, as much as I hated to base decisions off of what she said.
"Alright," I sighed.
She left the room.
"I hate when she does that," I muttered, curling up next to Fang again.
He squeezed my hand. "Me too."
---Iggy's POV---
Max and Fang returned to what they were before the chaos happened. I think what happened with the two of them getting hurt brought them together. It had smoothed things out between the entire flock too. That feeling of strain was gone, and that was a good feeling too.
"So you wanna come to junior prom with me?" Ella asked, almost so quick I couldn't make out what she was saying.
"Of course," I smiled.
She grinned. "You'll have to come dress shopping with me. And we can get you a suit or something."
"What's the point if I can't see?" I inquired.
She lets out a laugh, but cuts if off quickly, like I might be offended or something.
"Nah, it's ok," I laughed. "I was just being obnoxious."
There was silence, and then she said, "In case you didn't know, I'm rolling my eyes."
---Fang's POV---
The peace that seemed to take over the house over the next few days was broken by the arrival of the same FBI agents from the hospital. We talked with them in the kitchen, Mom serving coffee. I had been confined to my wheelchair again by Mom.
They began to tell us about what was going on. The rest of the flock filed into the kitchen, surrounding Max and me. Angel pushed her way through Iggy and Ella to stand next to me.
"And then Janssen contacted us last night," the agent who I remember as Jimmy said. "She kept telling us about some kind of cure for one of you. She said if you could just meet to discuss some things, she'd give it to you. We're thinking that if you do that, you can get what you want and we could arrest her."
Remember what I said, Angel intruded my thoughts.
Max's eyes met mine. Once again the chance to save me from pain was being laid out in the table in front of us, but I knew inside Max's head, Angel was urging her to say no too.