Chapter 4: The Clapper

I know this one is a short one but It's been a long week. If you didn't already know Max & Mal are a kind of spin off from another story of mine (link in the side bar)so for some people who started with that story some of this might be review. As always I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!


I wake up with Stanley panting in my face. “Gross.” I mumble to myself rolling over. I groan seeing Max was out of bed. I stumble to the bathroom and snag Max’s plaid bathrobe before heading downstairs. It’s February and his house of steel and glass is freaking freezing. I hear cooking sounds and can’t help but smile as I make my way to the kitchen.

“ Ello beautiful!” Max says far to perky for my liking. He does that sometimes. He’s just painfully cheerful at completely inappropriate times. “I’m glad you did not come down naked.”

“Yeah me too.” Johnny said from the counter where he sat eating an omelet Max obviously had just made. “No offense, I’m married is all.”

All I could do was chuckle and tightened the robe. I had pajama’s on not they were silky and shorts and a tank and not for the guys to see. “So what are you boys up to today?” I ask snatching Johnny’s toast from the toaster before he could get it. Vengeance was sweet.

“So it’s true? Max is in a relationship?” Jordan asked emerging from the downstairs bathroom. “I wouldn’t go in there for awhile.” he said closing the door behind him letting the fan run.

We had all hung out before but to an observer it would just look like Max and I were casual with our conflicting schedules keeping us from being out in public with his friends all that often. The reality was it had been a rather intense four months running from Thanksgiving to the Winter Olympics now. I had given up on seeing other people and from what I understood so had he.

Max looked to me and then back to Jordan before answering as he loaded up his friend with a dinosaur sized omelet. “Neither of us are seeing other people and I like it that way.” He said it as casually as he could but I knew it was a big deal for him. He had this… reputation/persona.

I do my best to hide my smile behind a mug of coffee I had just poured myself. I move next to Max placing my arm around his back as he makes a normal sized omelet for me.

“Kris how’s our girl?” I ask looking to the quietest member of the breakfast crew of boys. Out of the team I knew him the best since he was dating my best friend and along with Sarah was a part of Max and I ending up together.

He sighed looking up from his breakfast. Sometimes he was so French I wanted to punch him in his pretty face. That would make Sarah mad though so I resist the urge since she loves him and all. “I took her to the hospital to sit with Jason. I’m picking her up after practice later.”

I nod knowingly. Sarah used to work on the same floor as me at Children’s Hospital but has since left to work with the Pens. She and Kris have been dating since before the season started. He was a good guy to stand by her now as she go through the pain of seeing a ‘favorite’ patient die. It happens when you works with terminal kids. I don’t pretend what I do is easy but being able to compartmentalize the pain of seeing a child’s life end before it starts is something you have to deal with when this was your job. It was a skill Sarah never really mastered.

“Cool. We’re running at four so I guess you’ll be picking her up and then I’ll be over to meet her for our run.” She agreed to train with me for the marathon in the spring. She did it last year and this was my first time. What were best friends for if not to support one another in doing something incredibly stupid. “I know it’s hard with her like this but she’ll pull through she always does.” I put a hand on his shoulder and he gives me a nod. Damn him for being so perfect for her all strong and silent like. He’s exactly what she needs.

Generally I didn’t talk much about work. I kept a journal which I regularly dumped my feelings into. The pages were marred with my pressing to hard on the pen due to my overwhelming emotions at times. I just recently started talking about my work to Max. There’s never really a good time to talk about how hard it is to see a six year old little girl in so much pain she can’t even wear a birthday hat because the feeling of it on her skin when she turns seven makes her want to cry. I don’t like dumping that kind of pain transference on anyone.

“Chin up Tanger. She’ll get through it. Jason isn’t the first and he won’t be the last as long as she keeps nursing.” I say trying to be positive.

“Was that supposed to be cheerful?” Max asked as every eye in the room was on me.

“Well no… just the truth.” I say with a shrug.

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“Damn you Sidney Crosby!” I yell at the tv. My cursing of the Pens team captain was lost in the cheers of all the freaking Canadians around me. I cross my arms pouting as I watch my boyfriend do a jig of glee his country having topped mine.

“Dance with me!” he said pulling me to my feet.
“I don’t wanna. My team lost.” I said as he swung my arms still dancing around.

“My friends are awesome, friends on both teams.” he said giving me a smile.
“Yeah, they are.” I said giving in letting him move me to whatever music was playing in his head.

“Come with me to Montreal this summer?” he asked still dancing around everyone around us high fiving and such as the showed the replay over and over again.

“Wait what?” I said really confused.

“Come with me to Montreal this summer where I train. Come meet my family, meet my home. I want to show you my Montreal.” he said pulling me in close now slow dancing whispering in my hear the beat of the music in his head slowing to a ballad or something.

“Max that’s like four months away.” I say. Sarah taught me always to include the playoffs and a cup run to the finals in my estimation of the length of the season.

“Just say you’ll come.” he whispered swaying me so my hair swished from side to side across my back.

I get so lost in his eyes and the swaying that I nod my agreement. His eyes are so fucking blue I can’t help but get lost in them. Damn him for having such a hold on my girlish emotions.

It wasn’t until we were laying in bed later that night that what he asked me really made sense.

“Hey…” I say rolling over shaking his shoulder. He always slept with his back to me. Not to be rude or because we were fighting but because he still didn’t lay on the shoulder he had surgery on over the summer. I could tell it still caused him pain from time to time as did his groin strain which he was struggling to get healed properly. “What do you mean come to Montreal this summer?”

“What the fuck Mal I’m sleeping.” he said not giving me two thoughts as he readjusted to go back to sleep.

“Hey I need to know.” I said shaking him again. I know the middle of the night wasn’t the right time to have this conversation but I didn’t want to forget and let it slide.

I hear him sigh and turn back towards me his eyes catching the street light coming in from the windows. He’s ridiculously cute when he’s sleepy. “Come to Montreal where I train this summer with me. I want you to meet my family and see my Montreal.” he explain.

“Oh ok.” I say nodding. “I bet I can swing three solid weeks off and some long weekends.” I say feeling better about it all as I settle back in to go to sleep turning my back to him now.

“No come for all summer.” he said snuggling up to my back his hands finding my breasts obviously in the mood now that I woke him up.

“I can’t just leave my job Max.” I said rolling to face him again removing his hands from me.

“Sure you can I’ll take care of you.” he said softly as he kissed my neck trying to get me in the mood with him.

“Hold the phone.” I said lightly pushing him away creating some space between us in the bed.

“Is it ringing?” he said with a smile looking to his night stand where both our phones sat charging as well as the base for his land line.

“Ugh fuck you Max I know you know that expression.” I say my obvious distaste in my voice.

“Ok, ok…” he said putting on his glasses and clapping his hands so the lights came on.

“You can’t just use the switch like a normal person can you?” I said glairing at him.

“This is better…” he said going to clap again but I grabbed his hands to stop him. Damn him for distracting me with the popular infomercial product.

I can’t just go to Montreal with you for the summer Max.” I say trying to be as earnest as possible.

“Why not?” he asked perplexed. “I can take care of you and if that makes you uncomfortable I know you can take care of yourself or your family can.”

I climb out of bed searching for my clothes. I had told him everything the night of the ballet. I told him about all my families money, the trust fund I had sitting in the bank, how they all hated that I worked in a ‘menial’ job, how I didn’t want to access my trust and continue to let it gain interest till I found a good use for it someday. “I hate money Max. I thought I made that clear.” I say as I pull on my panties and jeans not bothering with a bra just stuffing it in my purse as I throw on a hoodie of his that was laying on a chair. I had money all my life and have never wanted for anything. Now after a lifetime of being spoiled I liked working for my money and earning and living within a budget like the rest of the world. I liked being normal. Being normal was all I ever wanted growing up and I had finally achieved it.

“Mal, come on I did not mean it like that.” he said climbing out of bed starting to dress as I left the room.

“Yes you did!” I shout up the steps as I head downstairs stuffing my feet into my fuzzy boots as passed by my coat.

“Mal come back..” I hear him call as he hops around pulling on pants of some kind. I kicked his under the bed giving myself a few seconds head start on him.

I head outside and curse at the cold. My keys are on his kitchen counter and I’m to pissed off to go back in there. I head for the corner. It was stupidly difficult to get a cab on the south side but I would make it fucking happen. I stood there with my arm out as occupied cabs sailed by and drunken Pitt students stumbled around. It was fucking freezing.

“Mal come back…” I hear him say next to me. At least he knew better than to touch me when I’m this pissed off.

“No way asshole.” I say refusing to look at him. It was childish but I know as soon as I look at him he’ll do something adorable and I’ll give in because he’s fucking Max Talbot. “I thought you understood how important my work is to me and how much I hate taking advantage of having money.” I finally look at him trying not to drop the tears that were welling in my eyes. I wanted to go with him I really did but what hurt the most out of all this was the fact that I thought he understood. I thought he got that part of me that no one else had yet to pick up on. “I’m good at what I do.” I say putting my arm down. “Not to be cocky but I’m a damn good nurse. I work on a floor where 8 out of 10 kids who walk in won’t live to be 20 years old. They deserve more than me running off to Montreal with my hockey player boyfriend.” I say dropping tears that turn icy on my red cheeks.

“You’re right.” he said stepping closer to let some drunken students pass by. He took the opportunity to brush my tears away daring not to touch me any more than that.

“I want to visit you in Montreal Max. I can do three weeks and some long weekends.” I saw with a shrug.

“I want to show you my Montreal.” He said nodding. “Can we go home now it’s fucking cold out.” he said burrowing his hands into his pockets.

“Yeah, we can go home.” I agreed.