Max caught a glance of Sheffield in the hospital headed toward Alec. I'm afraid her work isn't done…

Chapter Nine

Max was so frustrated she wanted to scream. Sheffield was in the building, and she had no doubt that he was Anderson's go-to guy for taking care of problems. When he picked up the unconscious guy from the bar, she remembered him saying he would add it to his bill, like it was normal. If she had to guess, the guy Sketchy found in the office building was Sheffield's work. Max had seen the look in his eyes. Sheffield was a guy who would be happy to chop off a few fingers to send a message.

Max had gone straight to hospital security, but they'd basically blown her off. They'd told her not to worry and that they would keep an eye out. She'd therefore searched the hospital herself, but with a guy like Sheffield, a one woman search just wasn't going to cut it.

Max had, therefore, bullied her way past the Employees Only doors and parked herself outside the OR. She'd informed them she was Alec's bodyguard and snarled at anyone who dared try to move her. Security hadn't cared about Sheffield, but they had decided to get off their asses for that, and showed up to remove her. Thankfully, Dr. Shankar had arrived and vouched that Alec was a VIP with a bodyguard, and she was his personal physician.

Once security left, Max had kept her eyes peeled, all the while listening as the doctors and nurses worked to repair the damage. As Max had feared, the broken ribs had torn into his lungs. One had completely collapsed, the other partially. The liver had been damaged, as had one of the kidneys, and the intestines had been nicked. Max didn't know if that was from the beating, the shredded ribs, or the stabbing, maybe all of it.

The doctors were sure an infection was imminent from the bowel perforation, and Max forced herself to keep quiet. Alec's body could fight an infection and fix the damage. They just had to keep him alive long enough for his body to begin the repairs.

Finally, after what felt like hours, they finished, with only a few odd mentions that some of the tissue seemed to be in better shape than they'd originally thought. They didn't know about the quick repair process a Transgenic could manage and Dr. Shankar did her best to distract them from noticing anything too obviously out of the norm. Max just knew she was going to owe the doctor for the rest of her life.

The doors finally opened and Alec was wheeled out to the recovery room. Max followed them whether they liked it or not and apparently the look on her face was enough to keep anyone from saying any differently.

In the recovery room, the nurses bustled around him, setting up more machines and monitoring equipment than Max had thought possible for a hospital to produce in Post-Pulse Seattle. Nevertheless, she was grateful. She could see his vitals for herself on the screen above his head that read out all sorts of nice stats, not that she knew what half of them were.

More time passed as Max stood against the wall of the recovery room, watching as the nurses occasionally stopped to check on Alec, watched to make sure he was still breathing. With all of the patching and the chest tube, his lungs were recovering, probably better than the doctors would have thought possible, but he was still on a ventilator while they repaired themselves and returned to being the pink little balloons they were supposed to be, or at least that's how she was choosing to think of it.

Most of the nurses ignored her. They looked after the other patients as they were moved in and out of recovery. It worried her that other patients didn't have to stay as long before being moved to rooms. At one point, there was a flurry of movement and the nurses drew vials of blood. They came back a few minutes later with two more bags to add to the IV drip. It seemed to right whatever was wrong, but since no one bothered to explain, she was left with nothing to do but stand there and watch the blips and numbers on the screens.

Finally, they decided he was stable to move to a room. A transport team arrived to accompany him to a different area of the hospital. The ICU was still a rundown looking craphole, but it did have more equipment and staff than the norm.

Dr. Shankar arrived and once against pulled the VIP business and made sure both that she was his personal physician who would be looking after him, and that Max was allowed to remain at all times.

When Alec was settled and all the medical people seemed satisfied, Max finally allowed herself to relax. It was as if she'd been holding her breath since the moment Alec had set off his distress signal. There was a metal chair in the corner and she sagged down into it, allowing relief and hope to seep back in after hours of preparing for the worst.

Dr. Shankar came back in the room, and spent some time looking at Alec's vitals, and the various machines and tubes still attached. Finally, she turned to Max. She smiled kindly and Max felt that last bit of worry and fear fall away.

"He's going to be okay, Max."

"He doesn't look okay."

"The lungs are re-inflating. I'm probably going to remove the ventilator in a few minutes because he's already fighting it. He'll be short of breath, but better to breathe on his own. The muscles we use to breathe get lazy very quickly. The chest tube will stay, but it will come out soon as well. It will need to since he's going to heal so quickly. "

"The ribs?" Max asked. "The stab wounds?"

"Healing like everything else. Just give him time and rest. Your bodies are amazing. Now that he's stable, it's only a matter of time."

Max was shocked to feel a tear trail down her cheek. "Thank you."

"He's doing the hard work. Be patient with him."

It was like an echo of what Mrs. Anderson had said and Max was once again shaken by thoughts that had never really occurred to her. Alec had talked and talked about her, and worried he wasn't good enough. Alec who always talked like he was so sure of himself… And now Max wasn't sure of much at all.

It was like a stream that had been happily flowing within its banks for ages and someone came along and threw a huge rock in, and suddenly the stream was crashing against it, and diverted outside its banks, trying to cut a new path.

Max didn't like new paths. She didn't like having to re-think everything. She certainly didn't like to think that she'd been missing something for so long. She liked the status quo, if there was such a thing for a person like her. Anything out of the ordinary usually meant disaster, and she hated every second of it.

All Max knew was that she had been worried sick about Alec, followed up by terrified that she would lose him. She cared about him. She had to or she wouldn't have been so scared. Mrs. Anderson had said he barely understood friendship. Max wondered if that wasn't true for her too. She'd spent her whole life keeping people at a distance. She had O.C., but it had taken a long time for her to tell her the truth. The real difference between her and Alec, however, was that she'd had a family. She'd had her brothers and sisters. Alec hadn't had that friendship, that love, when he was young.

Dr. Shankar left, promising to return shortly. Almost as soon as she was gone, though, a man in a suit appeared in the doorway. He was in his 50s, gray headed, pudgy, pale and tired looking. His charcoal colored suit was cheap and rumpled. His eyes, though, were alive, bright with intelligence and taking in everything. If Max had to guess, this was the federal agent Mrs. Anderson had tried to go to the last time she'd made a break for it.

The man walked in and looked from her to Alec and back again. "Max?"

"Yeah. And you are?" She stood up from her metal chair to face him.

"Agent Porter. Do you have a minute to talk?"

"Go ahead," she replied, her tone headed toward belligerent.

"I've borrowed a room downstairs where we won't be interrupted."

Max was already shaking her head. "Sheffield is here. I tried to get security to watch for him, but they brushed it off. I'm not leaving Alec here like a sitting duck."

"Sheffield is here? You saw him?"

Max nodded.

Porter pulled out a cell phone, which Max was pretty sure was against the ICU rules, but she wasn't going to knock it if the guy was going to help.

"Perez? Pass the word Sheffield is here at the hospital looking for the guy who informed on him. Send McIntyre to the ICU. Room…," he backed up so he could see the plaque outside the door, "229. I want a security detail until Sheffield's in custody."

Porter put his phone away and looked back to her. "We'll get him and we'll keep your friend safe. Sheffield never should have been released. He's wanted in several states for murder, among other things."

"That's what happens when you have the Sector Police in your pocket."

He didn't try to deny it. "That's exactly why they won't be anywhere near this investigation."

Max heard a choking sound from the bed and her head snapped in that direction. She hurried to Alec's side and saw that his eyes were open and wide with panic. She pointed to Porter. "Find Dr. Shankar. She shouldn't be far. Tell her he's awake."

Alec was choking, struggling against the tube in his throat. She knew he also had to be in terrible pain. His body would have already burned through whatever drugs he'd been given, along with the anesthesia. He could no doubt feel all of his injuries as well as the chest tube. His hands were in restraints because a Transgenic coming out from under anesthesia was likely to come out swinging, and they couldn't afford for him to pull out the chest tube, the vent, or the other drains. Max was almost certain, however, it was the vent that was making him panic.

"Alec, don't fight the ventilator. You need it right now, so let it breathe for you. Do you understand?" She waited several seconds while what she said filtered into his brain and he stopped fighting, although his eyes were still panicked. "Listen," she tried for soothing, but knew she was crap at it. She'd have to go for her usual tactic of just telling it like it was. "You have a chest tube. That's what you're feeling here." She laid a hand against his chest above where it was inserted in his side. "The stab wounds let a little air into the chest cavity, but the internal bleeding was the real problem. All the fluid built up and wouldn't let your lungs expand. Your lungs themselves were damaged by the stab wounds and then your crushed ribs also damaged them. They both collapsed. You were in surgery for a long time to patch you up, but the chest tube and the vent are doing the job, so don't mess with them."

She wrapped one hand around his bicep and set the other against his chest, so that he could feel she was really there. "Your lungs are already tons better, but you were hurt, ok?" Her voice cracked, but she ignored it. "You were hurt really bad, so just stay put. I'm here and Dr. Shankar's here to fix you up."

The longer she talked, the panic faded from his eyes, but they remained locked on her, as if she was a lifeline. "You getting any of this, or should I try again?"

He tried to say something, but there was no way. Max had a good idea though. "Mrs. Anderson is fine. Her other son, who apparently isn't a homicidal maniac, showed up a little while ago. She seemed really happy to see him."

Alec sagged back against the bed, and closed his eyes in relief. Yes, he'd been panicked about the vent, but he'd been terrified for one little old lady who'd evidently adopted him.

Dr. Shankar returned with a pair of nurses. She unceremoniously gestured to the door. "We're going to reassess him, and see about the vent. You'll need to wait outside."

"Alec?"

He opened his eyes again, but they were a bit glassy as if he was about to pass out again now that he knew Mrs. Anderson was safe.

"Dr. Shankar is here. She's going to take a look at you. I'll have to wait outside."

His eyes widened and Max grasped his hand in hers. "I won't be gone long, ok? Just do what the nice doctor says. I know you're crap at obeying orders, but this time it's for your own good."

Alec glanced toward the doctor, then back at her, and finally gave a tiny nod. She gave his hand a squeeze of reassurance. "Be right back."

Max walked to the door and glanced back to see Dr. Shankar leaning over Alec. "I wasn't expecting you to be awake yet," she said. "You and Max are always surprising me."

Satisfied he was in good hands, she turned to Agent Porter. He was standing in the hall talking to another man who was nodding along. The new guy was tall and wiry, but solid, all lean muscle. He had a severe military haircut, and as always it looked kind of odd when paired with his dark, fed issue suit.

"You the security detail?" Max asked.

"Yes. Agent McIntyre." He walked closer to her, but didn't hold out his hand in greeting, or even offer a nod of acknowledgement. Jerk.

"No one gets through the door. You understand me?"

McIntyre looked at his boss in disbelief at Max ordering him around, then turned back. "Of course," he answered, but his tone was appeasing at best, flippant at worst.

Max crossed her arms and cocked one hip. "Look, I'm not moving from this spot until I'm sure you can do the job," she said.

McIntyre narrowed his eyes. "I assure you, I'm-"

McIntyre gasped as she reached inside his suit coat, grabbed his gun from the shoulder holster, ejected the clip and the chambered round, and then turned the gun, holding it out to him butt first. She hated guns. That didn't mean she didn't know how to use them.

"If you were going to tell me you can protect him better than me, you're wrong. But your boss, here, needs to talk, so I'm counting on you. Bring your A game or you two can both leave."

McIntyre carefully took the gun. He bent down to pick up the bullet and clip she'd ejected and reloaded his weapon, all while watching her warily. Porter still had his hand on his own gun, as if just waiting for her to jump them.

"Sheffield's good," she said, remembering that he had gotten into a busy office and killed the businessman Sketchy had found, all without anyone noticing, or anything showing on surveillance. "Don't pretend like this is business as usual. Now do we understand each other?"

McIntyre straightened and nodded, as if acknowledging a superior officer. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Ok, then." She looked to Porter. "You gonna draw that gun, or can we get this done? I don't want to be gone long."

Porter stayed still as if seriously deciding whether or not to pull his weapon. Finally, he took his hand away and held it up to show he was unarmed. "Let's go."

Max nodded and followed him out of the ICU. They stood in the elevator in awkward silence. He'd been thinking of her as a girl crying over her injured friend. Now he knew she was dangerous.

They walked down another hallway to a small, dingy meeting room. Mrs. Anderson was seated at the table and her son was sitting beside her across from two more agents. As they entered, Mrs. Anderson stood, wringing her hands nervously. "How is he?"

"He's a wreck," Max answered, "but give him some time and he'll be all right."

"Oh, thank the Good Lord."

Max didn't know about that, but she was willing to take any help at all if it would keep Alec breathing. Listening to him gasp his last in the back seat was going to feature in her nightmares for a long time to come.

"Fordice," Porter said to one of the agents seated at the table. "Escort Mrs. Anderson and her son to the safe house. I'll call you later."

"May I see Alec first? I'd like to visit him before I go. I don't know if I'll be able to come back."

Porter simply nodded and then gestured for the two agents to go with her. Mrs. Anderson thanked him, and then walked to the door. She hugged Max, who accepted the gesture despite how awkward she felt doing it. Apparently, Mrs. Anderson just brought that sort of behavior out in people like her and Alec.

Once the others were gone, shutting the door behind them, Porter pointed toward a chair and Max sat while Porter took the chair across from her. He pulled out a recorder and set it on the table between them.

"Agent Robert Porter conducting this initial interview," he said for the benefit of the recording, giving his badge number as well as the date and time. He then looked at Max and raised his eyebrows. "Please state your full name."

"Max Guevara."

"So… for starters, why don't you tell me how you know Mrs. Anderson?"

"I don't," she answered. "I know Alec. He knows her."

"And how do you know Alec?"

"We're friends. Until a few weeks ago, he used to work for Jam Pony." When Porter made a face, she explained. "It's a bike messenger business."

"You seem very... capable for a bike messenger."

Max shrugged. "It's a tough town and people think I'm an easy mark. I learned early on I had to keep people from stealing my deliveries."

"I see."

Max could tell he didn't quite believe her, but she didn't care as long as he couldn't prove otherwise.

"And Alec is the same?"

"Yeah. He's worked there a while. Or he did before he before he started this mess."

"And what do you mean by 'this mess'?"

Max shrugged. "He quit and went to work at a bar Anderson owns… owned, now, I guess."

"Which bar?"

"The Blue Birch."

"And what did he do there?"

Max sighed. This was going to take a while at this rate, and she didn't like leaving Alec in McIntyre's hands. "He was a bartender. But somehow he ended up getting to know Mrs. Anderson. I have no idea how. I've hardly talked to him at all since he started working for Anderson. He was acting all secretive and weird. I got worried, then more worried, and finally I confronted him about it. He told me Anderson was a bad guy and somebody had to do something to bring him down. That was all he could tell me before Anderson and Sheffield showed up and I had to leave. Next thing I know, Alec sends a message that he's in trouble. I found him in the basement of the bar surrounded by Anderson and his goons. They'd beaten and stabbed him, and basically tried everything except kill him to figure out how much he knew. Mostly, though, Anderson was pissed because Alec had helped his mom escape from wherever he was keeping her. The only reason I got to see Alec at all was because Anderson wanted to use me to get Alec to talk. It didn't work out that way though."

"Why not?"

"Because Anderson got word they'd found his mom. He and most of the goons took off to bring her back. The one who was left was supposed to kill us, but Alec and I got free."

"We found a dead man in that basement," Porter said.

"I didn't say it was easy to get out of the basement," Max shot back.

"Then what happened?"

"I tried to get Alec to the hospital, but he wouldn't go. He was dead set on saving Mrs. Anderson before her psycho son could kill her or stash her away again."

"And how did you do that?"

"We rode to Alec's place, where he'd hidden Mrs. Anderson. Anderson tried to kill us and it didn't work out."

"Care to be more specific?"

"Alec shot two of Anderson's men. Mrs. Anderson shot her son when he was about to kill Alec."

"And you didn't think to call the authorities at any point? Maybe when Alec said he was in trouble or when Anderson was on his way to get his mother?"

"Thought about it." Max shrugged. "Didn't really feel like leaving Alec or Mrs. Anderson to the care of the Sector Police. They were the ones who gave Alec to Anderson in the first place when Sheffield was picked up. If they'd found Mrs. Anderson, they would have handed her right over to her son, too."

Porter nodded. To be honest, Max was surprised that Porter was being so easygoing. She'd expected a much more belligerent approach from a fed. "Mrs. Anderson has told us the same story, minus the events in the basement of the Blue Birch. From the amount of blood there, as well as what we found when we searched, it's fairly easy to see what happened there as well. Your friend, Alec, contacted us, asking for help to protect Mrs. Anderson. He explained briefly what he knew, and where Mrs. Anderson was going to be. Unfortunately, the message didn't get to me right away."

"How did you even know to go to the Blue Birch?" Max asked.

"Your friend, Mr. Cale, was in the ER waiting room with Mrs. Anderson. He told me you'd found Alec there, and I sent some of my people to check it."

"Are we in trouble?"

"Should you be?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"Look, Anderson is dead. I don't know anything, and I just want Alec left out of this as much as possible." She really, really wanted them out of this. She didn't want to be on the fed's radar. They had enough problems as it was.

"We'll see." Porter reached over and picked up the recorder. "End initial interview," he said, clicked it off and put it in his breast pocket. Porter sighed and clasped his hands in front of him. "Look, I'm going to be straight with you."

"Ok."

"I've been trying to take down Anderson for years, all the time having to fight the local cops who protected him and tidied up after him." Max nodded and he continued. "I'm not interested in you or your boyfriend. You're not a part of the business, and Alec hasn't been in the business long enough to know anything much. We'll interview him of course, and take whatever information he has, but he's not going to be that much help. All I really want is Mrs. Anderson who's made it a point to gather as much information as possible over the years on her son's organization and his associates. You and your boyfriend saved her, and I'm grateful."

Max blinked in surprise. "Uhh… you're welcome."

Porter thought Alec was just a bartender who'd stumbled into a nest of snakes and gotten bit. He didn't know Alec was a trained operative who'd been gathering intel. Anderson was dead, and his mom was safe, so Max definitely wasn't going to inform Porter of his mistake.

"The scene at Alec's apartment has already been cleared. After I get Alec's official statement, I don't need anything else regarding Anderson's death. What I need now is information on the organization itself, and Alec won't have had access to much beyond what we already know. I am, however, going to warn you that Anderson's people may not appreciate your part in this. I can make a request for assistance in relocation-"

Max held up a hand to stop him. "We're good," she said. "We can take care of it."

He gave a wry smile. "I can see that."

Porter's cell phone beeped and he pulled it out of his pocket. He looked at the screen. "It's Fordice." He pressed the button and put the phone to his ear. "Yes?"

"McIntyre's down!" Max heard the other agent say. "He's in there with him!"

"Who?"

Max was already on her feet and moving. She knew who. Sheffield had made it past the security detail. Sheffield had Alec.

More soon…