Chapter 8

Waiting.

Waiting for a sign.

Waiting for a glimpse of hope.

For the last few hours, Max and his parents, as well as Rachel had been waiting for some news, regarding Chloe's condition.

Right after Steph and Max's step-sister had been brought to the hospital, they had put her into surgery. The word was about severe concussion and brain damage, but actually, nobody really knew any details. So, everything came down to stay put and wait until someone would tell them about Chloe's current condition.

Though Steph's injuries weren't as worse as Chloe's, the doctors had decided to keep her at the hospital over night.

Now being in a entirely confirmed relationship, Max had laid his head onto Rachel's shoulder, while the blonde was brushing with her fingers through his brown hair.

"She's gonna be okay!" she whispered soothingly, trying to take some concern from her boyfriend, who literally shot straight up as a doctor approached him and his family, who were doing the same.

"Doctor, how's my daughter?" asked William right away with concern and got his answer only seconds later.

"Your daughter got just out of surgery and is not in critical condition anymore. However…"

Though at first a collective atmosphere of relieve was filling the waiting room, everyone went stern again as they heard that there was more to come.

"…there is a situation I need to talk with you and your wife, alone."

Both, William and Vanessa, shared a frowning glare and then agreed to follow the doctor, leaving Max and Rachel all alone.

"See, she's okay!" Rachel kept on reassuring, rubbing Max's shoulder. "I bet the doctor just wants to know why she has such a high THC concentration in her blood."

Scoffing about this little joke, Max indeed relaxed a bit and slumped down into his seat again.

"Yeah, I…I guess you're right."

"I'm always right and true!"

As he heard the word true from Rachel, Max remembered that they hadn't finished their little game, earlier. It wouldn't have been a problem, since Maxine wasn't very fond of increasing the risk of saying contradictory nonsense regarding Maximilian's life. Yet, her nosy side wanted to know, which of Rachel's facts had guessed wrong.

"Rach," he eventually spoke, gazing into his girlfriend's green eyes. "Back, when we were playing two truths and a lie, you said that the last fact was a lie and I…I believe you. So…the first fact must've been true, but…you are from Cali, right?"

With a loud and long sigh, Rachel let herself fall back against the seat. It was quite clear that this topic – the story behind it – was an uncomfortable one. But it was also evident that Rachel wanted it off her chest. So, Max did the only right thing and held her hand tightly while the heavy words were flowing over her lips.

"You're right, I grew up in Long Beach, but it's also true that I was born in New York." she started to tell melancholy, gazing deeply at Max who saw the sadness and hurt in his girlfriend's eyes. "What I'm gonna tell you now is just that what Mom had told me. But since she's not coming away that good in her version, I believe it to be true, plus that I trust her."

Rachel once more took a deep breath and strengthened the hold on her boyfriend's hand just make entirely sure that he was there for her.

"Mom and Dad...they were kinda the dream team of their Highschool. Dad, the straight-A super-exemplary student and dream of every mother-in-law. And Mom, the beautiful It-girl who everyone wanted to date. Figured, that these two would find to each other and become prom king and queen.

But this was only the dreamy part of the story, 'cause while Dad took life seriously and attended law school, Mom just wanted to live and have fun. So, instead of pursuing a career as an artist and visiting an art school, she rather went to community college and partied the shit outta her life, getting wasted included.

Dad…was just too busy studying to realize that Sera had entered a vicious circle. For a short time it was even so bad that she'd consider herself a drug addict, getting fucked up on a daily basis. Of course, sooner or later she couldn't hide it anymore and Dad…

What followed, were fights…lotsa fights and arguments. And if it hadn't been for me, they would've surely broken up."

For a short moment, Rachel paused and took a shaky breath.

"Yes, I was an accident. An accident that gave their relationship another chance and my Mom a new purpose. It was hard for her to go through the withdrawal, but she did it…just for me.

Mom was in her 6th month as Dad finished law school and accepted a job in New York. A new life, a new place, many new possibilities… They both thought a move would make everything better and for the first time, it was.

Dad made enough money to rent a nice apartment and pay all the bills, and Mom decided to perform arts in her own, little gallery. Painting relaxed her…freed her. She needed it as a therapy.

Then, I came into the picture and for a short time, we were the perfect family, until…"

Again, Rachel paused and then something changed. The blonde's grip tightened on Max's hand until it hurt while she began to speak with an angry voice.

"How could somebody put his fucking job over his family? How could he leave Mom alone with a cry-baby? Why the fuck didn't he help her?"

And from one second to another everything went back to normal, evident as Rachel loosened the grip and her demeanor became sad again.

"I wasn't an easy baby, y'know. I cried a lot, even at night. And Mom had to do everything alone. Dad was at work, coming home somewhat in the middle of the night and slept on the couch to have a peaceful rest, and our grandparents lived on the other side of the states.

Of course, due to the exhaustion and excessive demands, painting wasn't an option anymore. Over time, Mom drifted into a deep depression and one day…

One day, my dad came home early from work and found me, lying on the ground with a bleeding wound on my head while my Mom was laying on the couch, totally spaced out."

Absently, Rachel touched a certain spot on her head, where she felt the slight bump of a scar.

"In a mental breakdown she had thrown me against a wall and then fucked herself up to overcome her regrets.

My dad immediately reacted, packed all necessary stuff and left with me for L.A. to get me tugged in by my grandparents while he would take care of the mess in New York.

By law he cut all strings to Sera and eradicated her from our new started life in Long Beach. A year later, he met and later married Rose and she became my new Mom.

Don't get me wrong, Rose was a great Mom. Nice and caring. She loved and encouraged me and made Dad happy. So, we actually were a happy family again…"

And again, her voice got cold and bitter, tears welling up at the brim of her eyes.

"…if Dad hadn't constantly lied to me so shameless.

Deep inside I always felt that Rose was somewhat off picture…that she somehow didn't fit. As a kid I was just naïve and ignored it. But the older I got, the more questions were forming in my head.

Rose and me shared no similarities whatsoever, but whenever I mentioned it, she became quiet and Dad just swatted the question away and changed topic. Of course, he made me even more curious with his strange behavior than anything else. So I started my own investigation. And at first, I did come out with nothing. Mom and Dad never married, so finding her purely by name was impossible. So, the only place where it was possible to find such info would be my dad's office.

Getting the space I needed to break into his office wasn't hard. Just mentioning to Dad that he hadn't been on a date with Rose for ages and boom...! Two hours without any disturbance."

"I guess, you found something?" commented Max in between, causing Rachel to sigh a whiffed "Yeah." And then continued.

"At first…nada. But then I dug deeper. Maybe it wasn't an inconspicuous method to pull out all drawers and dump the content on the floor by flipping 'em over. However, if I hadn't done so, I never would've found the false bottom.

A whole bunch of letters had been hidden under it. Most were addressed to my dad, but some…some had been addressed to me. And they all hadn't been older than 6 months.

My mom…Sera…she had written to my dad that she was totally clean and sorry for what had happened. She wanted to reconnect with us. Wanted to see me at least one last time. But Dad obviously refused.

I also found a not yet sent letter. In the envelope was a check plus a note, saying that Sera should take the money and back off or face legal consequences if she wouldn't stop contacting us."

Once again, Rachel's hand clenched out of anger has she remembered the events that followed.

"Of course I confronted Dad and Rose, throwing those fucking letters right in front of their feet as soon as they came back home.

I was furious. Yelled. Screamed. Cursed. Rose was so devastated as I called her a false mother and Dad a lying bastard. I demanded to see my real mom and, of course, Dad refused, saying that she's dangerous. But I wanted to see for myself.

This was the moment he told me the whole story. Everything. Finally the truth…or the way how he saw it.

I was so done. Shocked. My whole world had turned upside-down. I listened. I cried. I was furious. I was sad. Everything felt wrong.

I needed some space…Rose and Dad gave it to me and hoped that I would come to my senses again. And I did. Secretly, I had written down Sera's phone number and address.

Though, at first, I was pretty pissed at her for what she had done, I wanted to meet my real mom. I wanted the whole messed up puzzle, my life had become, to be complete.

So, I called her and we secretly met in the city. Our first moment together consisted mainly of tears. Tears of joy. Tears of anger. Tears of disappointment. But we met again. And again. And again.

We talked a lot and I felt that she was sorry for what she had done. She regretted it and wanted to be my mom again. So, we decided to give us a try.

Though my dad was against it, I spent more and more nights at Sera's. He couldn't do anything against it, 'cause otherwise he would've lost me entirely. And I wouldn't have minded.

All those lies. How he had treated my mom when she had needed him the most… I hate my dad for tearing our family apart! Still, I had to see him, since the only thing Mom and I achieved was a shared custody.

As Junior High came to an end, we decided to move away, so that I only had to see him once every two weeks.

Our choice was Arcadia Bay as they have an Arts School and Mom found a job to pay her part of the rent and everything we need to live."

As Rachel had finished her story, she paused for a moment while a faint smile was formed by her lips. "And I'm glad to be here now, 'cause if I hadn't chosen to live here, we never would've met." She mentioned and intertwined her fingers with Max's.

But the young boy stayed silent, caught in deep thoughts. What Rachel had just told about her real mother – leaving a loved person in dire need without a word and then trying to reconnect – it sounded so much like what Maxine had experienced with her Chloe.

Like Chloe, Rachel had given this person another chance, and also made up with her. Still, Maxine felt guilty and understood what her girlfriend had been feeling through this re-bonding process.

"I'm glad that you and your mom managed to work things out." he mentioned with an honest smile before Rachel laid her head back on his shoulder and whiffed "Me, too!"

Some more minutes passed in solemn silence. Telling by the clock on the wall of the waiting area, it was about 2 in the morning. Besides the nurse at the counter, nobody was around or wandering the floors. So, it didn't came with a surprise that the slow yet heavy steps of William and Vanessa echoed through the halls and drew immediate attention.

William was holding his wife in a tight embrace as they approached Max and Rachel, who were already on their feet before they had even reached them. Just seeing the red-cried eyes and wet lines on his mother's face, Max immediately started to worry again.

"Mom? Will?" he said, obviously wanting to know what was going on, yet only received a "Come on, Max!" by his step-father.

Entirely puzzled, the young boy gazed at his girlfriend, who communicated with her look that she didn't know what was going on either, yet also didn't know what else to do.

William realized his step-son's concern and calmly said "Max, Chloe's gonna be fine. She's in post-op now and needs some rest. We better use the time to get some rest as well and visit her tomorrow morning."

Concurring with this idea and feeling very tired, Rachel took both of Max's hands to get his full attention.

"Look, Max, I think we all deserve a break," she spoke and gave him a short peck on his lips. "Let's get some sleep, and tomorrow, you can visit Chloe and I'll join you right after school. Okay?"

With some reluctance, Max nodded in agreement, whiffing a short "Okay." He would've loved to stay and be there for Chloe as soon as possible, but he also reasonably accepted that they all had a stressful day and needed some rest. Still, he had the feeling that something was off with his mom's and William's behavior and the wish to leave right away without telling him the details. But for now, Max simply blamed it on the fact, that they both had just to hear about Chloe's condition and the specifications of the surgery.

All four were now on their way to the parking lot, walking through quiet, empty halls and the enlightened darkness outside the hospital.

Her car standing a bit further away from the building, Max walked Rachel to the vehicle, were both embraced each other right away.

"Sorry that our date didn't go as planned…again," spoke Rachel with a sigh and – in return – got pressed closer by Max.

"Not your fault!" he answered, breaking the embrace for a long kiss. "And not everything was shitty."

With a softly chuckled "Yeah!" Rachel engaged another kiss. "G'night, Max! See you tomorrow!"

"Yeah," he replied, giving his girlfriend another kiss. "G'night! I'll keep you posted."

Though not wanting to separate again, Rachel heavy-heartedly broke contact and got into her mother's plain car. Both were keeping eye contact of yearning until the blonde drove off into the night and Max remained. He then went back to his parents to finally head home.

The whole drive back home could been described as strange. Max could hear the quiet sniffs of his mom while William was constantly clenching his hands around the steering wheel, paired with a few soft and soothing brushes over his wife's thigh.

Something was off. Way off. Maybe they tried to keep something a secret, but Maxine was neither dumb nor lacking empathy. The girl inside the boy's body realized that there was something going on. But should she push it. Should she pressure Maximillian's already tensed-up parents to give her an answer?

A decision was hard, and without her rewind-powers very risky. On the other hand, as Chloe's step-sibling, she had the right to know the truth. However, as the car drove and parked in the driveway of 44 Cedar Avenue, her entire mental struggle got interrupted. Especially, as Vanessa literally jumped out of the car and walked into the house in a fast pace, William following her right away as soon as Max had left the car, so he could lock it.

Being entirely exhausted, Max slowly shambled into the house as well. And neither in the mood nor having the strength to discuss some more info from his parents, he already wanted to go upstairs and crumble onto his bed, until he heard Vanessa's and William's whisper-yelled word.

"…-perienced it a dozen times. He wouldn't understand."

"He's fifteen, Vanessa! He's smart and would understand. Goddammit, they've been close for so many years now, he just deserves to know."

"Do you even know how high the psychological pressure could be on him? We both know that their relationship was way closer before they became siblings."

"Van…sooner or later he will learn the truth. Right now, we are in control of how he learns it."

"Fine!" suddenly blurted Vanessa and walked out of the living room, and as she almost collided with her son, who was still standing at the bottom of the stairs, she froze for a moment, staring at Max with bewilderment. William followed right after and both grown-ups realized that the cat was out of the bag.

Furiously, Vanessa turned towards her husband and said "You wanted to tell him, now go ahead…here's your chance!" before she made her way past her son and upstairs, where soon after a door got slammed shut.

Taken aback by this strange behavior, Max was gazing at his step-father with dilated eyes, stumbling "W-Will… What is going on?"

With a heavy sigh, the mid-aged man said "C'mon, Max. Let's sit down and talk, buddy." And both then went to the living room and sat down at the table, facing each other.

Sternly and with slight watery eyes, the red-haired man gazed deeply at his step-son.

"Max…I know this is gonna be hard to understand, but before I tell you everything, you need to answer me a question."

"O-okay!"

Brazing himself once more with a deep inhale, Will asked "Max, do you know if Chloe had sexual contact with a boy last night?"

Max had expected a lot, but not such an intimate question. True, Chloe wasn't really shy, talking about her sexuality, but…not every detail. Let alone, that his step-sister was dating Steph Gingrich at the moment, and the hell would she cheat on her. That's not her style.

"N-no…" answered Max truthfully, being a but nervous and flustered upon talking with his step-father about it. "She, uh…she practically dumped Eliot last weekend and just dated Steph after that."

Though the young teenager thought that this answer would've calmed Will, right the opposite happened. Instead, the mid-aged man sighed shakily and brushed with hand through his hair to keep his composure. Of course, this made Max even more curious as he felt that – beside the known injuries – something more happened to Chloe. And for a moment, Maxine feared that, like in this other reality – Chloe would die, eventually.

"Will, what's goin' on? You and Mom…you both act so strange, like…"

"They found traces on her, Max." it suddenly blurted out of Chloe's dad. "Marks on her thighs and…and sperm. She…"

Suddenly, Will's words got stuck in his throat as he couldn't say what needed to be said. But it wasn't necessary, since Max had already completed the puzzle by himself.

Aghast, he stared at his step-father, and it was right now that a flood of negative memories were flooding his mind. Memories that Maxine had buried deep inside and stayed there upon her mind constantly focused by the events of this reality. But now they were digging their way back to the surface like rotten, evil zombies, sinking their pointy teeth into her brain.

Max didn't know what to say. He was in shock, not able to understand how somebody could do this. At the same time he felt a mixture of feelings, reaching from numbness to pure need to kill.

Getting raped…Maxine had experienced a glimpse of it as Jefferson had drugged and kidnapped her. She remembered this powerlessness. This loss of control. God, she couldn't even tell what Jefferson had done to her while she had been out of it.

"Max…?"

William's sudden call ripped the brunette boy out of his stupor. He hadn't even realized how his nails had dug deep into the wooden table, leaving scratches on the sealed surface.

"I-I'm fine…" he just stammered and got up, walking straight into his room. The poor boy was done, overwhelmed and crushed by everything that had happened.

Chloe, Jefferson, Rachel, her powers to influence time, all the lives she had changed, her travel to this reality, being stuck in a boys body, her uncertain future and now this. It was just too much!

A barrage of sobs escaped his mouth and like Vanessa and William, he was about to cry himself to sleep.