The ambulance ride was short, five minutes at the most, Max spent most of the time wondering if it was true that you had to pay by the mile when riding in an ambulance as if it were a taxi.
There traffic yielded easily for them and there was no reason for the lights or sirens so they travelled in welcome silence. Henry watched Max, a stern gaze, unblinking whilst Max in turn ignored him, willing Zoe to look up at him.
When the ambulance finally stopped in the drive of the ER Henry waved away the paramedics, insisting on helping Max out of the ambulance himself, Zoe trailing behind, still she seemed to be walking in a dream land surrounded by strangers.
The doors hissed, swallowing them into the warmth of the ER. Max looked about himself, how different it was already from their own A+E department and they were only just in the waiting room. Large HD screens showing The Ellen Degeneres Show hung from overhead, the floor was polished and the seats large and comfortable, not hard and worn like the seats they had at home.
"Take a seat."
A receptionist ushered them through with a snap of her hand and a southern twang, allowing them to skip the lengthy queue.
"Are you alright to stay with him if I go and explain our situation?"
Henry asked, eventually letting go of Max, looking to Zoe, his head lowered.
She nodded gently.
"We'll be fine."
She said softly.
"If you need me, just shout."
He added, glancing back to look at Max, his expression cold.
"God."
Max whispered as Henry moved away from them over to reception.
"Do you get the feeling he doesn't like me?"
He asked, he began to smile but felt the cut on his lip split back open.
Zoe moved away from him, sitting down in one of the chairs that faced away from reception. He followed slowly, sitting down stiffly, taking a moment to relax back into it.
She glanced at him, still not quite able to believe he was here, sitting in front of her.
"Fuck...Max..."
She exhaled as though she had been holding her breath for too long.
"What are you doing here?!"
She asked, her voice barely a whisper.
He looked down at his feet, the hole in his shoe had split and become bigger, he moved his toes ,seeing his wet sock through the hole.
"I had to speak to you."
He said slowly, looking back up at her, her expression was difficult to read. Above everything else she looked tired, but then she always looked tired.
"Couldn't you have rung me...or emailed?"
She asked, it was her turn to look away from his gaze now, she noticed the hole in his shoe.
"Would you have answered...?"
She looked back up as he spoke, rolling her eyes.
"Didn't think so..."
He breathed, rubbing the wrist of his injured hand with his good one.
"Well I hardly think you can blame me...?"
She spoke louder and the elderly woman opposite them glanced up at them.
"Zoe I didn't cheat on you."
He said it so calmly, so quickly that it took her a moment to realise what he had said. The woman opposite stared brazenly at them.
"Zoe?"
He slipped his good hand over to her, touching his fingertips against hers before she drew in a faltering breath, pulling her hand away and pushing it between her knees.
"Max, don't."
She whispered.
"Why?"
He asked, glancing behind them, Dr Mollengraaf still stood at reception talking intensely with another doctor.
"Because it's too complicated!"
She struggled to keep her voice quiet again, shifting her position so that she faced him as opposed to the woman opposite.
"I seem to remember you saying that before..."
She shrugged his words off.
"Max..."
She was closer to him now, looking up seemed to take forever and when she did she felt his fingers slip again to rub the very tip of her knee, she could smell his breath, stale and nicotine laced.
"I didn't cheat on you."
He said again.
She looked at him, that frown playing between her eyes.
She pursed her lips, desperate to believe him, but the image, the half-imagined memory of that night, and what she had heard on the phone playing and re-playing in the back of her mind haunting her, forbidding her to let go.
"I love you."
He spoke again, tilting his head just that little bit more forward so that his forehead pushed against hers, their noses meeting briefly. She closed her eyes, despite the sweat and metallic smell of blood, somewhere he still smelled the same as he had when they'd made love.
"I can't."
She whispered. He was so young, what did they have in common, apart from sex?
She exhaled, feeling her own breath buffer about between their lips.
"I wrote you a letter but that bastard took it."
He said, moving his head slightly, their lips so close they could feel the warmth of each others words, eyes lowered.
"What did it say?"
She asked, swallowing hard, a clicking noise sounding in her throat.
"Zoe?"
She moved back from Max with such force that her chair rocked underneath her. Henry caught hold of the back of it, holding it steady, his fingers brushing the nape of her neck.
"He can be seen now."
He said coolly.
I will try to squeeze out another one tonight" It's my son's 2nd birthday on Wednesday so I'm struggling with time! Thank you so so much for the lovely commentsxxx