“We stopped checking for monsters under our bed when we realized they were inside us.”

-Charles Darwin

Max’s consciousness trickled into her body; abstract thoughts and non-cohesion formed into tangibility and understanding.

Having watched Victoria run out of the room demanding a nurse’s attention, she realized she only had a couple of moments alone before others returned. Soon, by her estimation, there would be commotion and many more people around her than she would prefer.

Okay, Max. This is fake. The Voodoo Man sent you here. Just go with the flow and see where this reality takes you. Chloe is still out there. That’s what matters. She’s your number one priority. Always.

Max took in an extended breath and stretched out her limbs in front of her body. The spot in the bend of her arm where a needle was resting inside her vein burned like fire.

Well, it sure as hell feels real. Ouch!

Automatically, she removed the tape holding the needle in place and dragged it out with a grimace. Blood trickled from the opening more quickly than she anticipated. Max hectically reached towards a table near her bed knocking several items to the ground. Finally, she located a pad of gauze. Her hand trembled from a lack of strength, but she steadied it as well as she could from her position. Max placed the swathed mesh on the tiny hole in her arm and reattached the dangling tape, putting pressure on the wound. She noticed her arm was bruised a few inches in each direction from the hole.

Mobility was returning to her body; that much was clear. She didn’t know how long she had been in the hospital nor the reason for her stay, but it was obvious it was longer than a day or two. She planned on asking Victoria about her predicament when the girl returned. However, the first thing she needed to do was get more comfortable. She was in a bit of pain in her current position.

Max pulled at and removed other cables and cords that were still attached to her. One must have been the electronic vitals reader, as the constant flatline beep erupted through the small room. The alarming volume of the machine caused Max to place her hands over her ears and push herself to a sitting position, now hopeful for the medical staff to rush in and turn it off. Other instrumentation also began to buzz and chime in a hellish symphony of noise.

A moment later, she was surrounded by a team of individuals wearing scrubs and doctor coats; holding clipboards and miscellaneous medical items. The machines were eventually silenced, but the commotion was exceptional. Everyone insisted Max lie back down and not try to move around too much. And, at first, she fought back, continuing to struggle. Then, after she noticed one nurse approaching her holding a freshly filled syringe, she quickly complied in hopes she would not be put under. The nurse read the situation and retreated back outside with the syringe still in her gloved hand.

Shit. That was a close call. Just go easy, Max. Everything will even out soon.

As the urgency of the situation relaxed, Max was asked many questions about how she was feeling. She responded with nods for “yes” and shaking her head back and forth for “no”. They tested her muscle strength and ability to control different parts of her body. After she passed her tests, many of the nurses and other staff departed from the room, leaving her with exactly one doctor and one nurse by her side.

“I’m hungry,” Max softly spoke, at a level that the pair would certainly hear. She knew she would need to exhibit a specific amount of normalcy for the medical staff to consider letting her leave. And she truly didn’t want to be there any longer. “You know what would be good?” Max glanced at the doctor with the peppered grey on top of his head and in his short beard. He seemed to be the one who might could eventually sign off on her release. “Cheesecake and coffee.”

The doctor laughed. “Sounds like your appetite is coming back. No cheesecake yet, but we can whip you up something shortly. You will be on more of a liquid diet for a day or so. You took out your IV, so you will need nourishment soon.”

“H-how long until I can leave?” Max asked, attempting to sound polite and gracious; though she worried she would actually seem weak and tired. “I’d like to go home, if that’s alright.”

“That all depends on you. What we want to see from you prior to…” The doctor was abruptly cut off.

“MAXINE! I mean, Max! Holy shit!”

The tall blonde stomped into the room, rudely stepping between the doctor and his patient, pivoting her hips as she pushed in. She bent down and aligned her eyes with Max’s. A scowl replaced the look of concern that was there just a moment prior.

“You scared the living shit out of me! Asshole. Don’t you run away from me ever again! Also, why the hell were you meeting that girl? What the fuck happened?”

“Excuse me, Ma’am,” the doctor spoke up. “There will be plenty of time for conversation later. The patient needs to rest. Your chaotic energy will not help her heal.” He seemed annoyed.

“Fine.” Victoria smirked then twisted around. She bumped past the man and stopped in the doorway. “Your mother went out for lunch. I called her while I was in the waiting room and she’s on her way back.” She didn’t even look behind her; she just spoke and disappeared outside around the corner.

What does Victoria mean to me here? If she’s calling my mom, we must be pretty close. Yikes. This is getting weird.

Max noticed the nurse roll her eyes after Victoria left. It seemed to indicate the two had previously had unpleasant words with one another. From what she knew about the blonde, she was overly reactionary and impolite, which many people found to be annoying, herself included.

“Ms. Caulfield,” the doctor continued, “I realize you just came out of a coma, but we need you to rest. We’ll bring you food and water soon. Oh, and I’ll send someone to remove that catheter. We need to see that you can use the restroom on your own. Do you understand?”

Max slowly lifted the blanket that was still draped across her body. She peeked down and noticed the line coming from between her legs and leading to a hanging bag on the side of her bed.

Shit.

Max nodded.

“Well, if you need anything, push the nurse call button. I’ll check on other patients since you’re doing good now. Glad to see you awake, Ms. Caulfield.” The two individuals left the room and shut the door nearly all the way– leaving a small crack.

Suddenly, like bubbles crossing her path on the Pacific Northwest breeze, new memories began pushing old memories away from her thoughts.

Max recalled awakening as she and Victoria were sitting on the grass outside of Blackwell after hiding William’s keys following a photo-jump to the past. She had hoped, in doing so, William would be alive so Chloe would not have to experience the trauma of losing her father.

She remembered seeing Victoria’s friends sitting around them as well. Max recalled desperately seeking Chloe in a sudden panic. She looked across the green space outside of her school and noticed Warren and Stella being romantic together. Although she would have thought Warren and Brooke would have gotten together, somehow, in this timeline, the two had hooked up.

What the fuck?! Not THIS timeline, please. Oh dog!

Max remembered taking the bus, which was being driven by David Madsen, to Chloe’s house. On the way, she noticed dead birds and beached whales– exactly the same as in her original timeline. In her mind, the bus couldn’t travel fast enough to get back to Chloe.

After finally making her way to the Price’s residence, she was greeted by William at the front door, followed by her best friend. The shock of the memory was no less painful than when she actually experienced it firsthand. Chloe had become paralyzed from the neck down, and she was in a wheelchair.

FUCK!

A couple of minutes passed, and Max re-experienced the entirety of the alternate timeline she encountered during the week of the storm. From her new perspective, she could see herself photo-jump from that reality and reassume her body in that same timeline. When she looked over and Chloe was dead in her bed, Max suddenly couldn’t breathe and passed out.

Her mind reconnected as she was awakening in the hospital and seeing Victoria standing above her. Everything made sense now, though she didn’t know why the Voodoo Man would send her to this place. It was one of the most depressing moments of her life. Though it was nice to reconnect with Chloe, even if she was wheelchair-bound, the entire day they spent together filled her heart with guilt and regret.

Max, you’re such a shitty person. Maybe you don’t deserve Chloe. No, don’t think like that. It’s not about you. Deserve her or not, SHE deserves to live. Remember that.

A gentle tap at the door startled the patient. Max jumped.

“Hey. It’s me.” Victoria whispered. “I didn’t mean to alarm you.” The girl seemed to be in a different headspace this time.

The blonde tiptoed inside the room and gingerly shut the door behind her. It closed so softly; Max didn’t even hear the metal scrape from the latch.

“What are you doing here, Victoria? What’s happening?” Max knew a little bit about the current timeline from her previous trip, but there were plenty of holes she hoped the taller girl could fill in.

Victoria strolled up and craned over Max’s bed, confident as usual. Max flinched a bit as her visitor leaned down and lovingly kissed the brunette on the cheek before lifting herself to a stand. She pivoted her body and plopped down in the chair nearest Max.

“If I had my say, these stupid fucking hospital furnishing would be of higher quality.” She huffed. “What is this polyester bullshit? It is so uncomfortable. Yuck times ten.”

“Victoria, are we friends?” From her memory, Max knew the probable answer to her question. “Like, are we really close? Really, REALLY close?”

“Duh, Maxine. I-I mean, Max. Shit, I keep forgetting. I have called you ‘Maxine’ since we first met. Then, for some unknown reason, you decided to run off after telling me to never call you that again. Next thing I knew, Nathan said he heard something bad had happened to you. Both the fucking police and emergency responders were involved somehow. Something about you and the death of a rando quadriplegic girl.”

“She’s not a ‘rando’, Victoria. She’s my best friend.”

“Yeah, I know. I met your mom at the hospital that day and we talked. You and, uh, Kari grew up together, right? But…”

Max broke in. “You mean Chloe. Chloe fucking Price, goddamn it.”

“Jeez. I’m sorry. You never mentioned anything about her before. What made you want to visit her so suddenly?” Victoria’s eyes were tender. Her head was cocked to the side, and it was as if the girl was looking through Max and directly into her heart. It wasn’t often that she experienced Victoria’s genuine concern for her.

Huh?

Max felt her own features softening. The anger and confusion in her mind momentarily dissipated, as she realized her former nemesis was filled with care for her. Only one other person had made her feel special in that kind of way.

“I…” Max couldn’t find the words. Her heart jumped from her chest, skipping a beat before resuming a routine rate.

“Don’t worry Maxin… Uhm, Max. The doctor told me you would be a little woozy. I’ve been here for you for the past two weeks. That won’t stop now. You can thank me later, Bitch.” Max saw the girl’s arm stretch out. Her hand tenderly swept the stray strands of hair from her eyes. The touch on her skin sent a pleasurable shiver through Max’s body that both surprised her and made her feel at ease.

“I…” Max repeated.

“Quiet now.” Victoria slid her own hand down from the patient’s ear and laid a pointer across her lips. “Rest now. Your mom should be here soon. Oh. By the way,” she removed her hand and stood, “your dad is still in Seattle. He couldn’t leave because of his dumbass job. Vanessa drove here as soon as she could. We’ve really bonded– me and your mom. You would be proud. Look at me being all nice and shit. You always tell me I should be nicer to everyone.” She winked, spun around, and exited the room.

What the hell was that?

A litany of emotions washed through Max’s entire body. She felt guilty that somehow, she and Victoria were more than friends in this reality. It hurt her heart to think she could even allow herself to get to that point, knowing she was forever in love with Chloe. On the other hand, from the moment her former nemesis left the room, all she wanted was to be around her again. It felt confusing and complicated.

As she did in Seattle for nearly five years, and her first few months back in Arcadia Bay, when emotions felt too complex to decipher, Max went into shut down mode. She couldn’t process her thoughts, she didn’t eat regularly, and all she wanted to do was sleep. It was probably a way for her mind to block those stressful emotions out and protect her from herself.

Max turned to her side and closed her eyes.

She was abruptly transported to a dark, silent place. Looking around, Max didn’t recognize where she stood, but it felt like somewhere in the forest leading up to the Voodoo Man’s house. She noticed she was wearing the same leather jacket she wore during her trip, but her motorcycle was nowhere to be found.

“I know this is a dream, Voodoo Man,” Max spoke towards the black. “I’m not scared. To be honest… I’m nothing at all now. And… J-Just shut up. You’re not scaring me anymore.”

That last part felt like an intrusive thought. Almost as if it was coming from another version of herself that didn’t exist yet, which was an odd sensation. Max shook off the feeling and scanned the dim area again.

Suddenly she heard a baby’s cry nearby. She frantically ran up to a tall tree and crouched down. She quickly waved her arms around in the fog near the trunk’s base. The wind she produced with her hand blades was cutting through the thick mist, but only just barely. She reached her arms down into the hole where the cries were coming from and clutched the item below.

When she pulled the naked baby out, the girl’s cries only grew more intense. Out of instinct, Max took off her jacket, flipped it inside-out, and utilized it like a blanket for a swaddle, wrapping the child snuggly. She placed the swaddle against her shoulder and started swaying back and forth, like a good mother would.

“Shh, shh, shh. It’s okay. Everything’s going to be fine now. How did you get out here all alone?” In that moment, nothing else mattered. Just the child and her safety.

The little girl stopped crying and Max pulled her away from herself to get a better look at her face. She had blonde hair, freckles, and blue eyes that reminded her of Chloe. Something about the look in the girl’s eyes gave her that same intrusive feeling– that she had experienced the same moment at some point previously. Or maybe she hadn’t yet experienced it somehow.

Suddenly, the girl’s eyes turned from deep-sea blue to emerald green. Max stumbled backwards, still holding the girl as she fell.

Like surfacing from a pool, Max was transported back to the hospital room gasping for air. A handful of blankets had replaced the little girl, still gripped tightly in Max’s arms. Her eyes darted around, trying to get a handle on her reality.

“It’s okay, Ms. Caulfield. Night terrors, as we call them, are normal. It’s not quite night yet, but you get the idea. Just breathe.”

Max took a giant breath as directed, then noticed the same doctor who checked on her before was standing in the room near her bed.

“I’m sorry I had to wake you, but your dinner is here. We need you to eat this broth and Jell-O. Then, ultimately, use the restroom on your own. Know what I mean? We have to ensure everything is working properly.” The man moved to the side to clear a path for a woman Max hadn’t noticed until that moment. She was holding a tray with various food items on top. The nurse slid it around on a small swiveling table and set it in front of Max, scooting it as close to her body as possible.

The man reached to the side of her bed and pushed a button that made it move upward, sliding Max into a sitting position. She finally released her clutched blankets and took a relieving sip of water.

“I’ll go get your mom and your, uh, friend.” The doctor turned and exited the room.

Despite the bizarre dream she just encountered, as well as the complex feelings she experienced earlier; Max was feeling exceptionally hungry. Without the IV in her arm feeding her body the nutrients it needed, she felt famished.

“Remember the nurse button if you need me.” The nice lady smiled then left the room as well.

Max removed the plastic lid, picked up her spoon, and scooped several squares of Jell-O out of the container and directly into her mouth. The patient barely chewed as she scarfed down her food. It didn’t take long for Max to finish her entire meal.

As she was turning the broth bowl up to her mouth to consume the final drops, her mother walked in.

“Oh, Maxine!” Vanessa ran up to her daughter and hugged her as best she could. “You really are awake!”