Chapter Ten
Madison
I slept well the night before knowing that Max was finally safe and sound at home. But I did wake up a few times to make sure that he hadn’t called while I’d been sleeping. I’d had a nice evening with him, and it was so good to have him back. Although, for the most part, it was like I was talking to a different person. Well, the same person, but different. He was still Max, but I wasn’t used to him being so nice to me. I assumed that one of these days all the memories would come rushing back to him and he’d go back to the way he had always been—cold and distant to the rest of the world and constantly joking around with me. I’d always been just one of the boys around him, and I was certain it would go back to being that way again soon.
I woke up late for a change, knowing that I didn’t have to go to work. I almost put my uniform on and went in but reminded myself that I deserved the break. I’d been looking forward to taking time off all year. So, I lay in bed for a while and then called Max.
“Morning, Madi,” he said.
“Madi? Good to hear you using my nickname again. Does that mean your memory is back?”
He laughed. “I have no idea. No, I don’t think so. This house still feels strange to me.”
“You don’t remember your house? You didn’t tell me that last night.” I felt bad leaving him in a place that felt so foreign to him. I had no idea.
“I do remember it. I just don’t really remember living in it. It’s more of a house than a home in my memory.”
“Ah, that’s so strange. Did you manage to sleep?”
“Surprisingly yes. But I still feel tired. I feel like I could sleep all day.”
“You should. The doctor told me that you’re going to need lots of rest.”
“But all I’ve been doing the past week is sleeping.”
“I know. But sleep is when the brain gets a chance to recover. Don’t fight it. Listen, I’m out and about today but give me a call if you need anything. I was thinking I could pop around tomorrow and spend the day with you? Then today you can just try to get as much sleep as possible.”
“That sounds great. Oh, I came up with another nickname for you last night.”
“You did? Uh oh. What it is?”
“Microwave Madi.”
I burst out laughing. “I like it. And what are you?”
“Uh . . . Maverick Max, maybe. I don’t know why. I just made that up.”
“Max, that’s a real nickname.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a nickname your brother had for you, I think. You told me about it ages ago. I can’t really remember the details too much myself, though. We had that conversation such a long time ago. Weren’t you guys part of some motorcycle club when you were younger? You and all the guys in your family?”
“A motorcycle club? Hmm, that does actually ring a bell.”
“I think everyone in that club got nicknames. I’m sure that’s what you told me. And yours was Maverick.”
“So, does that mean I’m a rebel?” he asked, and I was surprised to hear that it was a genuine question.
I giggled. “Not exactly.”
“Why are you laughing?”
“I think the nickname was ironic. You’re a very serious guy, and you do everything by the book. You’re definitely not a rebel.”
“I’m a serious guy?”
“Well, not with me. You’re always teasing me. But you do like things to be done the right way.”
“I guess I’m in the right profession then.”
“You definitely are. It’s why you’re so good at what you do.”
I chuckled as I put the phone down. I’d forgotten about that nickname. How strange that he had come up with it out of the blue like that. I made a mental note to start calling him that again. It would drive him crazy. I climbed out of bed, stretched, and made my way to the shower. The night before I had decided to visit my sister Lyndsey. I hadn’t seen her for the entire year, and I couldn’t wait to speak to her again. I’d sent her a message and told her that I’d be taking her for breakfast.
I arrived at her house and smiled at the familiarity of it all. I’d missed going over to visit her, but I’d been given strict instructions by the chief that I wasn’t allowed to see family all year. It was for my safety, as well as for theirs. Lyndsey knew that I was on the job, but she didn’t know any other information than that. It wasn’t the first time I hadn’t been able to see her, so she was used to it. But it didn’t make it any easier.
“Oh, it’s so good to see you,” I said when she opened the door. “You look beautiful. Your hair! It’s short now. I love it!”
Lyndsey, despite being my sister, looked very different from me. She was short, with dark brown hair. The only thing that was the same was our eyes and our personality. But from afar you would never think that we were related.
She chuckled and enveloped me in a big bear hug.
“You look so good too. Although you’ve gotten too thin. Way too thin. I think this calls for chocolate pancakes for breakfast. I need to fatten you up. What do you think?”
“Chocolate pancakes for breakfast? I think that sounds amazing.”
“Let’s just have it here. I have all the ingredients and I also just got a fancy new coffee machine that I want to try out. Is that okay?”
I smiled. I could think of nothing better than spending the day at her house again. It was much better than going out and having strangers all around us. “That sounds wonderful. As long as I’m with you, I don’t really care where we are.”
“Okay, mind if I get started on the food? I’m starving. Then I want to hear everything that’s been going on.”
Unlike me, Lyndsey was great in the kitchen. “Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed your food? I’m starving too. Okay, you cook and tell me what’s been happening in your life first. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too. I hated not having you around. So, what do you want to know? About my job or about my boyfriend?”
“Boyfriend! You have a boyfriend? This is what happens when I’m not around for a year. Who is he? How long have you been dating? And do you have a picture of him?” I wanted to know absolutely everything. I was certain that we were going to spend the entire day together and still not get through everything that had been going on in the past year.
She laughed and launched into the tale of her new boyfriend, a man named Dalton, who she had met at a cooking class. The two of them fell for each over a shared love of croissants, and had been inseparable ever since.
“Love and croissants. It sounds like the title of a romantic movie. I can’t wait to meet him. Photo?”
Lindsey got out her phone and held out a photo of the two of them smiling into the camera. Dalton was a good-looking young man, with a mop of hair that stuck in all directions and small Harry Potter glasses. He looked both sexy and intelligent all at once. He was exactly the sort of man I would picture for my sister.
“Hell, Lindsey, you don’t mess around. He’s gorgeous.”
She giggled. “He is. I can’t wait for the two of you to meet. Okay, breakfast is served,” she said and put everything in the middle of the table.
“Oh, this is amazing. Everything smells so good.” I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten something so decadent. I usually just threw some bread into the toaster and smothered it with peanut butter. That was as far as I went when it came to ‘making an effort’ in the kitchen.
“Tuck in. Now, tell me what’s been going on. A whole year without you. Are you finally able to tell me why? It’s been so hard not to stay in contact with you.”
I nodded. “Yeah. And I’m sorry for not telling you. The chief made us promise, and the whole thing was very strict. We couldn’t have word getting out, and we didn’t want to get family involved in case something went wrong.”
I launched into the story of the drug ring that Max was involved in, and how it had all boiled down to the big bust.
“We were so sure that we were going to capture them all. I mean, we had everything that we needed.” The fact that we hadn’t managed to pull it through after a year of working on the case was still something that bothered me. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get over that.
“Didn’t it work?” she asked.
“Not quite. They got wind that something was up, and realized that Max was not really on their side. They changed the location at the last minute, and when I followed them, they found me and took me inside with a gun pointed at my head.”
“What? Madison! I can’t believe this.”
“Yeah, just thinking about it makes me feel strange. It was one of the worst things I’ve ever gone through. Anyway, to cut a long story short, Max got out his gun and shot the guy that was holding me. But the boss got out his gun and shot Max right after. Then the boss got away while we all ran toward Max.”
“But . . . is he okay?”
“He went into a coma, but he’s out now. It’s been so traumatic.” The worst week of my entire life reduced to a few sentences. It was strange to be talking about it now. Sometimes it felt as if it had happened to someone else.
“Oh, Madi, I wish I had known. I wish I could’ve been there for you. Although, I’m glad I didn’t actually see it all. I don’t think I could’ve coped seeing a gun pointed at your head like that.”
“Yeah, it’s not really something I want to think about myself either. I’m just glad everyone is fine.”
“You must’ve been so worried about Max. How’s he coping through this all?”
“Max . . . well, he’s fine. I mean, physically he’s in good health. But, his memory is a little fuzzy. He remembers a lot, but he’s also forgotten a lot. Like he knows who I am, but he’s acting differently with me than he used to.”
“In what way?”
“He asked his brother if I was single. And he’s nicer to me.”
“Flirting?”
“Yeah, and he keeps asking if we’ve ever been together. It’s so weird.”
“Hmm . . . do you have feelings for him?”
“Feelings for him? No.” I said the word no a little too loudly, though.
“Are you sure?” Lyndsey asked. She was giving me a look that I knew meant, I know you better than you think I do.
I shook my head. “He’s confusing me. That’s all. It’s just strange to have him look at me in that way when not so long ago he was just looking at me like one of the guys. But I’m sure I don’t have feelings for him. I . . . well, I care for him. I always have, and I was devastated when I thought something had happened to him. But he’s my good friend. He always has been.”
“Would it really be so bad though? I mean, the two of you get along better than most people. Like you said, you care for him so much. So why not just give it a go?”
“No, we’ve been partners for way too long. The last thing I want to do is to get involved with someone from work. Anyway, why would I want to be with someone that can get taken away from me so quickly? He was just shot. No, I think I need to find a man outside of the work force.”
Lindsey nodded. “Maybe you’re right. Speaking of, have you considered finding a new job.”
“A new job? Why? I love what I do. I’m good at it.”
“I know. But I hate it when you go away for so long. And now, after what happened, I’m going to be worried about you all the time.”
I smiled. “You’re my little sister. It’s your job to worry about me.”
“I just hate the thought of something happening to you.”
“Are you kidding me? Nothing will happen to me. I want chocolate pancakes made by you for the rest of my life.”
“Well, that’s the deal then—you stay safe, and I’ll keep providing you with pancakes.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.”