Aftermath – Chapter 5
By MyNameIsCAL
-Max's POV-
I was going to see Gazzy, but then I caught a glimpse of Iggy and Fang through the door. I stood watching them.
Iggy was holding Fang's hand. He was talking to him. Something about Gazzy and then me. Fang looked exhausted and only nodded in response. Then Iggy said something else I couldn't make out and Fang smiled. I hadn't seen that smile in a long time.
God, I missed it.
"Excuse me, Ms. Ride?"
I swerved around. "Yes?"
A short man in a pinstriped suit stood in front of me. He was clutching a large yellow envelope. Duncan was his name. He was Dylan's assistant or something. After adjusting his spectacles and clearing his throat, he held the envelope out to me. "My name is Chuck Duncan. I am here to serve you divorce papers."
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Dylan has petitioned for a divorce." He shifted his weight.
The door opened and Iggy stepped out.
"What's going on?" he asked.
Duncan's eyes fell to the floor. "I'm really sorry."
I took the envelope from him. "You tell Dylan he better come talk to me."
Duncan nodded and trudged off muttering another apology.
"Max…"
"I have to go, Iggy."
He grabbed me by the wrist. "Max…"
I couldn't keep it together after that. Iggy got me into Fang's room somehow and sat me on the couch. I don't know how long I sat there and sobbed, but I felt pathetic after that, especially because this was the first time Fang was seeing me in like, well, ever. Iggy had put an arm around me. I guess that calmed me a little.
"Max, let go of the envelope." Iggy tugged it from me. "C'mon, you'll talk to Dylan. It'll be alright."
I shook my head. All the signs were there. I had just been in denial.
There was a knock on the door. "Mr. Griffiths, the police are here to see you. Could you step out for a minute?"
Iggy let out a sigh. "I'll be right back, alright?"
There I was with Fang, alone. I wiped my eyes and looked up at him. His eyes met mine for a moment and then he closed him.
"This wasn't the way I expected to see you again," he said, his voice hoarse.
I looked down at my hands. "Well, me neither."
"Thanks for the blood."
"You think I'd let you die?" I let out a harsh laugh and then sucked in a breath. "Fang, I'm so sorry…"
"Yeah? Me too."
We sat in silence for a long time. I was hoping Iggy would come back in.
"We don't…" Fang hesitated. "We don't have to talk about anything, if you don't want to. But I'd really like to start over, alright?"
"I'd like that too."
-Iggy's POV-
I had forgotten all about Christmas until I woke up to the smell of pine tree.
"Fang?"
Footsteps travelled towards me from the bathroom. "I got a tree."
"I can smell it." A grin spread across my face.
"We can decorate later," he said, climbing into bed next to me. "Christmas is at the end of the week anyways."
I put an arm around him as he snuggled up against me. "What time did you go out to get that?"
"Early," he murmured. "So you'd still be asleep."
He was asleep before I could say anything else. I ran my fingers through his hair, which was still a little damp from the shower he had just taken. We had only gotten back from the hospital last night, and he was worried about not having a tree. I did my best to pull the blankets over us and we stayed in bed until noon.
Fang was mostly silent on the days up until Christmas. I was afraid he would withdraw back to his old self, but he'd speak when I spoke to him, and he was still telling me goodnight before we went to sleep.
He agreed that we should visit Gazzy the day before Christmas Eve. Not only to check up on him, but to also give our support. I guess Fang had never been angry, just upset. I guess we had always thought better of Gazzy, that he'd never fall into the trap of drugs.
Gazzy promised us he was going to get things together, that he had just talked to a friend who was going to hook him up with a nice apartment.
"I've got an idea for a movie script too. I've been stupid. I hope you'll forgive me."
"Of course," Fang said before I could. "Gazzy, I just wish we could have helped you before."
Gazzy said nothing for a long time. "I know, I wish I had said something before too."
"Well, you let us know if we can help you in any way," I told him. "I mean it."
"Thanks…" He hesitated. "Look, I know you and Max aren't on the best of terms, but I called her this morning and Ari's condition hasn't really improved and she seemed pretty upset Dylan wouldn't come for Christmas…I tried to get her to come visit me, but she said no…"
"We'll stop by the hospital on the way home," Fang said quietly.
"I think that'll mean a lot to her." Gazzy shifted in his chair. "I mean, I'm really glad you two came. I wasn't expecting it. I got some Christmas presents heading to your house. Might be a day late, but sorry I couldn't be spending it with you."
We thanked him and talked a little more about his treatment before we headed to the hospital. I knew Fang had said he had talked to Max briefly, but he never told me what they had discussed.
"You sure about this, Fang?" I asked.
"Yes." He let out a breath.
I let him lead me through the hospital. We checked in with a nurse and she brought us to Max's room.
"Iggy! Fang!" Max had her arms around me before I could even say hello.
"Hey, Merry Christmas." I managed to get an arm around her before she moved to Fang.
"Hey, Max," Fang managed to say.
Max let out a sigh. "Gazzy told you, didn't he?"
I nodded. "We'll hang around here if you want. Or you're welcome to come over for a while. Let us cook you dinner or something. This hospital food is awful. I mean, at least tomorrow for Christmas Eve."
This time she sucked in a breath. "I'd…I'd like that."
Fang's cell phone started to ring and he excused himself from the room before I could say anything.
"You think he'd be okay with that?" Max asked me.
"He was the one who told Gazzy we'd make sure you were ok."
"Does he know that I know?"
I nodded.
The door opened and a nurse came in. Max said she'd see me tomorrow, maybe around five. She gave me a hug goodbye and told me to tell Fang thanks. Was I nervous about all of this? Of course. But something about all of this felt right finally.