You and Me -- Chapter 6

Disclaimer:  The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Max, Zack, Tinga, etc.), and everything else that has to do with the show belong to their respective owners, not to me.  No money is being made off of this fic.  I only own the original characters.

Max jumped off of the bus a few stops short of her usual one on her way back from work, still thinking about what had happened the previous afternoon. How did that happen? I mean, I know technically how that happened, but why? And why the hell am I sounding like such an idiot even in my own head? She shook her head. This is just crazy.

She walked down the block until she reached an apartment building and just stood there and stared up at it. Crazy as it might be, it did happen and I’ve got to deal with it…somehow. I almost-but-not-quite kissed Zack. She sighed irritably. What really drives me nuts is how annoyed I am that I only barely kissed him! I know that it’s not Zack’s fault that his injuries from the accident were bothering him and I know how big of a pain-in-the-ass injuries to the ribs especially are, but it still pisses me off.

Max sat down on the steps. I wish I knew what the hell is going on. Let’s be honest here: I’ve been having these weird thoughts about Zack for a little while now and I have as much of a clue as to why now as I did when I first started to have them. She couldn’t help laughing to herself a little bit. I can almost see Tinga standing right in front of me with her arms crossed with that one look on her face, the one that the boys used to call her ‘Mommy’ look, telling me ‘You probably know why you’ve been having these thoughts, Maxie. You just don’t want to admit the reason to yourself yet.’ You’re most likely right on that one, big sis.

She stood up and went inside the building and up to the elevator. After getting on it, she took it to the sixth floor and got off and walked down the hall until she reached one of the apartments. Max paused for a moment and listened before she knocked on the door. “Jamie? It’s Kara. Can I come in?”

“Um, Kara? This isn’t a very good time. I’m not feeling very well,” Jamie replied in a panicky voice.

“I do that whole Echinacea and vitamin C dealio. I’ll take my chances,” Max said. She waited for the man who’d just left the apartment a few doors down to walk past her towards the elevators. “Please?” There was a pause before Max heard Jamie get up from where she had been and walk to the front door of the apartment and unlock the door. She opened the door and walked inside. “Thanks. I guess that’s why you weren’t at work today.”

“And why I wasn’t at work yesterday,” Jamie agreed. She shut the door. “Were you at work then or were you taking care of your friend?”

“Wasn’t there yesterday, went today,” Max said. “You look kind of flushed.”

“I did say that I was sick,” Jamie pointed out. She looked slightly annoyed.

“Sorry,” Max said. She looked around Jamie’s living room. “I’ve never been inside this place before. Not bad.” Something caught her eye and she walked over to the coffee table and picked up a framed photograph. “Why do you have some random photograph of Niagara Falls on your coffee table?”

“It came with the frame,” Jamie said. “I liked the frame and I didn’t have any pictures to put in it, so I left it the way it is.”

Max nodded. “You don’t have any pictures of anything else? What about your family?”

“Nothing,” Jamie said quickly. “I’m sorry, Kara. I tend to get a little snappy when I’m not feeling 100 percent.”

“Name one person who doesn’t,” Max replied.

“Yeah,” Jamie said. “Speaking of which, how is your friend doing?”

“He’s doing fine,” Max said. “He’s crashing in my guest room bed and probably watching something on TV right about now.” Zack watching TV…yeah, right!

“Fine…yeah…” Jamie said slowly. She shook her head. “Don’t mind me. I think this bug that I’ve got is messing with me head. Anyway, remind me to stop in on you to check up on him once I’m feeling better. I wish I—never mind.” Jamie started to pace restlessly around the living room.

Something about her behavior is familiar, but what is it? Max shook the feeling off and nodded. “Yeah, no problem. He won’t mind.” She watched in amusement as Jamie paced the length of the room. “Are you really sick or are you just on the mother of all sugar highs?”

“I wish that I was on the mother of all sugar highs,” Jamie said. “I can’t stand being sick like this at all. I just want this to be over with!” She made an irritated noise. “Ugh! What can I do, though? Not a damn thing.” She flopped down on the couch. “I can’t do a single thing for the next d—however long this is going to last.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t even be up if you’re feeling this bad,” Max said teasingly.

Jamie rolled her eyes. “Very funny, Kara. I really don’t think that I’m that sick.”

“No, you claim that you’re sick as hell…” Max continued in the same tone of voice. She walked up to Jamie and put a hand to her forehead. Sure enough, Jamie felt much too warm. “Let’s take your temperature and see just how bad you are.” She walked off to Jamie’s bathroom.

“If you use the rectal thermometer, I swear that I’ll kill you,” Jamie yelled after her.

Max laughed. “Do you even have one?”

“I don’t know. I think one might have come with the first aid kit that I’ve got in the kitchen,” Jamie said.

Max just shook her head. She’s something else. She opened the medicine cabinet and took out a regular digital thermometer and went back into the living room. “Now, open your mouth like a good little girl.”

“Kiss my ass like a good little girl,” Jamie retorted, but she opened her mouth and let Max stick the thermometer in. They waited for several minutes before Max took it back out and looked at the reading.

“Holy shit, Jamie, you’ve got a temperature of 102.8 degrees,” Max said.

Jamie raised an eyebrow. “The thermometer’s in Celsius, Kara. How did you know the temp in Fahrenheit?”

“I must have done these calculations so many times in chemistry in school that it’s second nature to me now,” Max lied quickly. She gauged Jamie’s reaction and mentally relaxed when she saw that Jamie had appeared to have bought her lie. “Regardless of which form of measurement used, you have got a relatively high fever and you really do need to get your ass in bed.”

“I told you that I was this sick,” Jamie said. She stuck her tongue out at Max.

“Okay, you were right,” Max said. “Get your ass in bed.” She looked at the clock on Jamie’s DVD player. “I should be getting back to my place now anyway.”

“I will,” Jamie said. “Thanks for stopping by. Tell your beaut—“ Again, Jamie shook her head. “Tell your buddy that I said hi.”

“I will,” Max said. She left the apartment, frowning. That was odd. Then again, I don’t get sick like an ordinary human does so how would I know how they would react? She shrugged and headed back to her own apartment building.

TBC