Alec pushed more air into her lungs and prepared for another round of chest compressions. This was not how he'd imagine their lips would meet, but her lips were soft and cold, and he longed to warm them. But now was not the time to dilly-dally with emotions.
Max felt her soul scratching against her insides, trying to make itself known, trying to break out of the prison of her body. She felt the urge to throw up. Fire seemed to course through her veins, burning her blood to a boil as it stung up her veins from her toes to her head.
Finally, freedom! She coughed what felt like the entire ocean up onto her chest and felt a strong hand support her neck, helping her to sit upright.
"Maxie! Can you hear me?"
She slowly opened her eyes. Before her kneeled a drenched, worried-looking Alec. It could have been tears or water on his face, she wasn't sure.
Max felt her stinging eyes, and wondered illogically how she could have any more liquid in her body. She shut her eyes tight and though she tried to calm down, she was sobbing uncontrollably. "Alec," she said between sobs. The warm tears were coming on full-boar against her cold cheeks.
Alec pulled her to him in a gentle, but firm, hug. "Shhh," he comforted, one hand resting comfortably at the back of her head, stroking her wet hair. "I got cha, you're okay, you're alive."
Max admonished herself for crying. Soldiers didn't cry.
"Max, don't do that again, okay?" Alec pleaded.
Max shivered. She was very suddenly aware of the cold of her whole body. She was soaked to the bone. She felt tired.
She must have nodded off. When she woke up, she felt submerged again, and panicked, thrashing her arms out for the surface. She felt the pain in her ribs and winced.
"Easy, Maxie," she heard Alec from behind her. She was lying in his arms in the bathtub, both of them fully clothed. "Your core temp was too low. I had to find a way to heat you up fast."
Max felt relieved. "How long have I been out?" her voice scratched.
"About an hour," he replied.
She made no further attempt to move. She sucked in some beautiful air, and winced again.
"I think I broke your rib," he said. "Sorry."
Max tilted her head to try to see his face, but she couldn't.
"Anyway, they don't have any robes here, so I'll bring you the sheet from the bed. Okay?"
Alec motioned to get out of the tub. Max didn't want him to go. She wasn't ready for his absence. But he was right, she needed to get out of the tub and into something dry, but they were in some motel bathroom somewhere and they don't have random clothes for someone to wear.
He closed the door between them and she heard him shuffling about in the room.
She slowly sat up fully, unplugging the stopper from the drain. Alec had already removed her shoes, socks, and jacket, hanging the latter over the towel rack.
She looked at her feet. They looked wrinkly but not pale.
She stood up in the tub, unbuttoning and unzipping her jeans, peeling them down her body weakly. She carefully raised her tank top over her head, letting it fall to the bathwater.
A soft rapping came at the door. "Max?"
Max climbed out of the bathtub and stood behind the door. She opened it a crack and his arm shot in with the sheet. She took the sheet and he closed the door from the outside as she set the sheet on the toilet lid.
She removed her bra and underwear with some difficulty, her cracked rib reminding her of itself. Drying herself off with the bath towel, she looked into the mirror. Her face seemed slightly pale, but the warmth of the water returned some color to her cheeks. She shivered. Even in the fog of the warm air, she still felt the chill of her near-death.
She doubled over with little pain and twisted her hair into the other bath towel, tucking one end under securely.
Max wrapped herself in the sheet. It circled her twice over before she turned the knob on the door, opening it a little. She pulled her arm in against herself, stuffing the corner of the sheet in at her neck. She used her foot to open the door the rest of the way.
She saw Alec's bare back first. His shoulders had tiny little beads of water on them, which threatened at any moment to slide down the curve of his muscles and absorb into the towel stretched taut over his waist. She felt a couple of degrees warmer just watching him. He was looking out the window, she thought, but what for?
He must have heard the bathroom door open. "Do you need help?" he asked, keeping his back to her.
Max looked down at the sheet. She just needed to get warm. She padded her way over to the bed and laid on it. Hearing the springs move with her slight weight, he turned.
Her sight was immediately drawn to his face, again twisted with concern. Why is he so upset? I'm alive, and it's because of him, and can't he see that I'm fine? Just a little shaken up, but I'm not dead. "Cold," she managed in a rasp, snuggling herself in the sheet and tucking her feet into the drawn-down blanket.
Alec crossed the few feet between them and brought the blanket up over her shoulders. He rubbed the line from her shoulder to elbow to create the heated friction. "Better?" he asked after a good couple of rubs. She nodded.
I wish he'd stop and just hold me again. Safe.
Alec went into the bathroom and closed the door.
With her back to the door, Max's face twitched into a sadness she didn't understand. Never before had someone's absence had such an effect on her. Her lungs felt a pressure again as she held her breath, trying not to let those tears break the dam. She heard the hum of the hair dryer through the door.
For over an hour.
For over an hour, he'd been in there, drying. She had turned to face the door and eventually fell asleep.
Finally, the door opened, waking her, and he came out wearing his boxers and carrying her undergarments. "Max," he said. He kneeled on the bed with one knee.
Even though she was awake, she longed for his touch. She feigned sleeping until he reached out and rubbed her shoulder gently with his warm hand. "Max."
She opened her eyes. To a chestfull of Alec. Which she stared at for a little longer than she intended.
He laid her bra and panties on the bed. "Your underthings are dry," he said, noticing the slight blush he had just given her.
He sat on the bed with his back to her. Max stared at his back, similarly to how she had done an hour ago. She untangled herself from the sheet and pulled on the warm garments. She wrapped herself back in the sheets. "Thanks."
Alec turned to face her. He reached for the towel at her head and untwisted it, dropping it to the ground as her hair fell loosely around her shoulders.
"What happened, Max?" he asked. "Was this a mission for Logan?"
Max nodded. It was a little hard to talk, but she pushed. "I got caught."
Alec looked away. "That son of a bitch! Max, you almost died tonight! When is enough enough?"
Max sat up, clutching the sheet over her chest. "It's not his fault. He didn't force me to take this mission."
Alec returned his stare to her. "Max, I don't know what I would have done…"
Max looked down, a couple strands of hair shading her face. "I'm sorry."
Alec reached toward her and cupped her face one-handedly. They looked into one another's eyes and shared an understanding. She saw a glint of something occur to him.
He had a thought, a dangerous thought.