Our New Normal

Part 1: Birage

When the pandemic first hit, New Amsterdam was confident in itself.

The doctors and nurses knew that it would be a tough road ahead, but they knew they could do it. They knew with their fearless bizarre leader, that they would overcome what was rocking the globe.

Tragedy struck them left and right.

Thousands of victims of an invisible killer were bagged up and stored in cooling containers until they could properly be put to rest.

With the ramble of fear and uncertain tactics- everyone sacrificed their lives to heal their community.

When Max sent Luna to Georgia's parent in the suburbs of Connecticut- he hoped it was just a short temporary thing.

But months of quarantine and deaths plagued upon his dwindling hope and even now- after the brunt of the pandemic has died off- he still refuses to bring her home and risk her fragile immune system just for the comfort of having his daughter near.

Things had changed in more ways than one.

Helen has seemed to distance herself and not just nation ordered.

Max and her haven't been connecting as he would have liked.

Then again, he certainly can't blame her: after their rocky run in months ago, where he refused to speak and she refused to wait for something of substance.

He put her on the spot and she fired back.

However, Max was never good at shooting and therefore missed every target before him. She has slowly showed him that she can chart new courses and her ship isn't necessarily following his maps any more.

Cassian Shin has proved to be a more adventurous expedition in Helen's eyes and that irks him slightly. The Trauma Surgeon is cocky, inconsiderate and a pain in Max's ass.

But he is a good surgeon despite his character's flaws.

Upon all of this corrosive aftermath and failures of communication- Max's biggest concern right now is poor Vijay Kapoor. He had finally woken up after months of battling the Corona Virus and now his heart is damaged and failing.

All Max could do was call in the big guns to help.

So, as he waits outside the airport for his big gun to show up, Max stares at his messages from Sharpe.

The last message they sent to each other was from March 23rd, 2020.

Helen:

Can't do paperwork tonight. Sorry!

He never messaged her back.

He didn't need too.

He wasn't blind.

He knew Shin asked her out.

And with this text- he knew she said yes.

"Hey, Man!" Looking up, Max smiles as he sees his purple masked hero walking towards him with a suitcase.

"Purple? I would have pegged you for periwinkle or lavender." Max jokes and they bump elbows.

"Royal purple. Haha- Laker's Baby!"

"Oh...well you can walk now." Laughing, they head off to find Max's car and the air seems stale between them- though neither hold any grudges against the other. "How uh...how's San Francisco?"

"Great, Max. Evie and I are enjoying the sunshine...masks get hot though, but gotta do what's best for everyone."

"Yeah..."