Adopted by Brendon Urie

21

Max's POV

"Is she alive?" I whimpered at the hospital. My teeth were back in the plaster cast, and i knew i was probably barely understandable, what with my cast, and my warbled tear choked voice.

Brendon looked at me from just exiting the room. "She'a alive Maxie." New nickname to help me cope, okay.  I could live with it. "If you want you can go check on her, but I don't want you going in there alone."

"Why?" My voice shook.

"She's doing pretty badly. I don't want you to be upset without anyone to support you. I know she was only a girl you four on the sidewalk, but I don't want you getting depressed again."

I whispered, a couple tears falling as I spoke the truth. "Brendon, that's Claire. I took care of her at the orphanage. When she was just two years old, I protected her from her abusive parents. I took her from her home and brought her to the orphanage, because I knew it would be better for her there. She was the closest thing I had to a sister." I sat in one of the hard, blue, plastic chairs in the hallway. "I don't want her to die." I curled up into a ball.

"I'm so sorry, Maxie." Brendon hugged me close.

Brendon's POV

I carried Max to the car. The visiting hours were over, and she had fallen asleep on the cold chair outside of Claire's door. As I drove home, I sung quietly to her, hoping she would feel better that Claire was getting treated. When I got home, I carried her all the way up the stairs, and put her in my bed, covering her with the blankets, as a single tear fell down her face.

***********

"BRENDON!" Max called out to me the next morning. I had fallen asleep on the couch. 

I ran up the stairs to a bawling Max, her chin resting on her knees, bloodshot eyes, and pink face. "What is it, honey?"

"Claire is dead. I had a dream that she flatlined. They couldn't do anything. She's gonna be gone forever." She bawled.

"Max, that was just a dream. The doctors know what they're doing. they can fix it. I promise." I hugged her and my phone rang.  I picked up, seeing the hospital's number. "Hello?"

"Claire is dead. Her heart flatlined." The doctor's voice was blunt. A man. Middle aged. Obviously had to relay the news to people all the time. And yet, I couldn't see how insensitive people could be about death.

And I couldn't believe how easily a promise could be broken.