Billy did come to visit her as much as he could. He sat on a chair by her bedside, he held her hand. Max came in quietly. Billy looks behind him and saw her. "Have I ever told you the story about how I began to surf?" Max shook her head no. "Care to hear it?"
"Only if you want too."
Billy was still holding Anastasia hand, Max eyes focused on the two of them as she listens to them. "When I was six or seven, I nearly drowned in a pool. I know silly right? I could swim somewhat. But I nearly drowned because I never could relax. One day I felt this urge to try to swim, like really swim. Mom took me to the ocean were I was free. One day this older guy come up and asked mom to see if I wanted to surf, she was scared out of her mind when I begged her. So she let me. Turns out that is how my great grandfather died, but he loved to surf. I pick up on it so fast that I would beg my mom to take me everyday after school." Looking at Anastasia.
"Why did you stop?"
"When she left I didn't feel safe, Neil never took me." He rubbed Anastasia knuckles. "I could find away. But he would stop and make a big deal out of it." Clearing his throat. "Your mom tried to take me while I was in school before we became... Well a family if you call this that."
Max moved closer. "I'm sorry Billy."
"For what?" He chuckled. "For being a pain in the ass?" With a little sigh. "Eh I would be a pain in the ass too. Well I mean I guess that I am."
"But not like your father Billy."
"You don't think so?"
"Yeah.. he's way mean and hate to break it to you. You're just mean. But you can be nice. Like when you are with her. I mean I get nice being with Anastasia, but something changes when you are with her." Taking another step closer. "It's for the best too sometimes." She gave a little smile. "Like what Anastasia says about you.. 'you are nice when you want to be. Really... It's hard after you've been beaten down so many times that you can't remember the last time you were nice to anyone... Not even with yourself.' and I believe that."
"You do?" He was a little snarky with her.
"Yeah." Standing next to Billy and Anastasia bed. "You can always be a dick head. But your my dick head like I'm your shitty sister." They both laughed. As they stayed silent for a moment. "Do you think she will wake up?"
"I dunno Max I really don't know."
About two hours later Max was doing homework as Billy just watched her. It was time for them to go but Billy stayed for the last few minutes. Max place a hand on his shoulders. "I'll wait for you out there." He nods.
Not once letting go of her hand as he was standing in there. He started to tell her the dream that he had of the two of them. "You know you are always better with kids than I am. After the shooting I went into shock, but as I was passed out. I dream't about us. Weird right? We had moved back and we took Max with us. Neil was awful towards her after when I went away.. me in college? I know I had done all the studying and the hard work. Shit, I really got in. In a corner there was tons and tons of photos. And guess this I was HAPPY in them. HAPPY. Me!" Looking down at her hands. "The way it looked like you saved us." He chuckles. "Ha, and then we had a miscarriage... You told me that it was a girl. Now I don't know about me having kids is a good idea. But who knows." Before the very last call he whispered. "I'm sorry for breaking your heart. I'm sorry that I hurt you. I do care about you, I really, really do. It's scary to love someone like me, because I feel like I would love you more than you would ever love me." Kissed her hand as he gently place it back on the bed. Walking out of the room, he drove Max home. Billy started to work out as Max was finishing up her homework before their parent arrived.
