The Only

Just Wait

"Max, wake up," Vanessa lovingly whispered as she gently shook her daughter's shoulders. "There's been an accident."

"What? An accident?" Vision was returning as the freckled brunette blinked and looked around the room. The spot beside her, which was occupied the evening before, now laid vacant. "Where's Chloe?"

Her mom leaned in for a hug and she kissed the groggy girl on the forehead.

Jerking to an upright position, Max aggravatedly huffed, "I asked you a question, Mother. Where the hell is she?"

"She's at the hospital. She wrecked her truck this morning, apparently on the way back from getting you two some coffee," Vanessa responded with a sigh, hands and voice slightly trembling.

"No, Chloe! Is she okay?" the girl questioned in disbelief.

"No. It's bad, sweetie. She's in surgery as we speak." Vanessa swept a strand of dark hair out of her daughter's eyes, tucking it behind her ear.

Jumping up, Max stumbled around the room. She rapidly changed from her pajamas to an old, grey hoodie and sweatpants. Her arms and legs continually shuttered with fear. She anxiously grabbed the keys from her nightstand and dropped them to the floor.

"I'll drive," her mother said, "You're in no condition to be behind a wheel."

"No, I need to go right now!" Her voice had a sharpness to it with an intensity that sounded almost as if it were someone else speaking.

"She's my daughter-in-law, Maxine, I need to be there too. Your father left work immediately and is already at the hospital."

The girls planned to spend several nights in Seattle. They had been road-tripping for the better part of two years while working on getting Max's photos accepted into new galleries. Despite their pasts, Victoria Chase had reached out to her former nemesis to meet and check out her art. They hoped a deal could be reached that afternoon so Max could finally display her life's work with a long-term residency at the Chase Space. Those plans would obviously now be put on the back burner, as nothing else mattered to the photographer but making sure Chloe was safe.

Pulling up to the hospital, Max and her mom were greeted outside by David Madsen and a woman she had only met once prior. They were living in the Arizona desert the last time Max saw them. They had visited their commune during the girls' cross-country trip.

"Max, it's so good to see you," David gruffly said pulling her in for a hug. "You look more grown up every time we meet."

"Good to see you too, David, but I need to see Chloe." Her voice was stern and her eyes were squinted in concentration.

"You can't right now, she's in surgery. Once they move her to ICU, she can have visitors on a limited basis. At least that's what they told me." The man looked back and forth from Karen to Vanessa. "Hey, guys, can I speak to Max alone for a moment." The women nodded and went on ahead, taking the first elevator up to the surgical floor of the hospital.

Putting one arm around Max's shoulders, the army veteran began, "I'm so glad to be here now. Karen and I decided to come to Seattle and surprise you girls. We wanted to take you to dinner and catch up..."

"How bad is it, David," Max broke in, not caring about the pleasantries of catching up. "She's gonna be fine, right?" The desperation in the girl's voice was apparent. She wiped her eyes on the backside of her hoodie sleeve leaving streaks of moisture on the fabric.

"It's really bad, Max. She went head on into an eighteen-wheeler. It broke her collar bone, both legs, and punctured a lung, but the worst part is her head. She suffered a brain aneurism after flying through the windshield." David leaned over to Max's shoulder attempting to stifle his own sobs. "I'm so sorry, Max. We just can't lose her."

"We won't lose her, David. She's the strongest person I know. She'll get through this, she has to." The words coming out of Max's mouth sounded less comforting and more like a plea. "I don't know what I'll do if..."

"Don't even say it. I think we've suffered enough. After losing Joyce and everyone back in Arcadia Bay, it would be a sick fucking joke to lose Chloe because of a goddamn semi-truck." He tried to be strong, but it was clear he was distraught.

They made their way up the elevator to the surgical floor, and when the doors opened, Max noticed her dad standing at the snack machine. She ran up and hugged him around the neck with both arms. Immediately, the tears came flooding down, and she couldn't stop the waterworks.

"Hey, hey, Sweetheart. It'll be okay." Ryan tenderly stroked her head and rubbed her back. "She'll pull through. This nightmare will be over soon."

Looking up at her father, the freckled girl sniffed then asked, "What do we do now, just wait?"

"Just wait," he confirmed. "But you have people who care about you here, Max. We are all here for Chloe, but we're also here for you. Remember that. Plus, there are amazing surgeons in Seattle. She has one of the best."

A couple of hours went by, and Max needed to use the restroom. She sat there for longer than she realized, thinking about her soulmate being operated on. "It's my fault," she said out loud, an echo bouncing off the tiled walls in the tiny room. "If I hadn't asked her to surprise me with coffee this morning, she would still be in my arms... c-cuddling." The guilt began weighing on her, and the heartbreak returned.

Several more minutes passed, the cascading tears finally drying on her face, and she wiped up and washed her hands. As she exited the restroom and made the left turn towards the waiting room, she noticed the looks in her family's eyes, darting from one set to the next. A doctor with pink and crimson on his once white coat was turning to walk away after delivering some sort of news. David and Karen were hugging, as David loudly wept, his head on her shoulder.

Max located her parents, and saw her mother's face buried in her dad's chest. "Dad?" the worried photographer questioned.

"She didn't make it," he confirmed, pulling her in for a family hug. "Max, I'm so sorry."

Pushing away, Max thrust herself towards the doctor. She could hear her heart drumming in her ears as time seemed slow to a crawl. "You let her die?!" she screamed. The words felt like they escaped her lips in slow motion. Ryan grabbed his daughter so she wouldn't attack the man. "This can't be real! Fuuuuck!"

The girl held out her hand attempting to rewind but the power was gone. She couldn't go back and save Chloe's life like she had many times before, and then the room began spinning. Her throat felt like it was closing and she seemingly couldn't pull in a full breath.

The doctor slowly walked up to her and asked, "You're Max, right?" Through a vertiginous grimace she confirmed, nodding her head up and down. "I tried everything I could, I swear. There was nothing more we could do. She'd been in a coma until nearly the end. She did have one final moment of lucidity right before she passed, though. She repeated the word 'Max' then whispered, 'Even when we're not.'"

"AHHHHH!" Max screamed, shooting up from her position in the bed, sweat dripping down her forehead and back.

"Max!" the beautiful girl with messy green hair yelled, grabbing her partner's shoulders. "You're safe, love. It was just a bad dream! Goddamn nightmares!"

"I thought I'd lost you!" It took several minutes of purposeful deep breathing for her to fully catch her breath. "It was sooo bad, Chlo! Worst one yet. Fuck." The older girl tenderly slid her tattooed arm around her partner's neck.

"You'll never lose me, Maxter. You're stuck with me." Chloe smirked in an attempt to ease the tension. She gently placed her puckered mouth on Max's nose, then craned over and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry you keep having these nightmares; hoped the fuckers would stop eventually." She momentarily paused, placing both hands on either of her partner's cheeks, lining their faces directly in front of one another. "Hey, I love you so much, and we'll always be together, ya know."

"I love you, too, Chloe. Forever."