New Amsterdam's Max Goodwin X OC.

Silence.

My front door had barely closed when my hands left the warm embrace of packets and met the cold surface of the banister. My coat was placed on it and so was my bag. The door had been left unlocked so I wasn't alone and I knew who it was.

"Alec. I didn't realise that you were here. Sorry to cancel so late but work. You know?" He sat at the table and nodded. I walked over to him and saw how annoyed he was as he pretended not to worry. The nerve in his chin made me nervous as I realised that I had upset him so I sat on his lap and he was then forced to put the phone down. My hand rested on his chest and my head on his shoulder as we sat in a room full of silence.

"Why were you so late? A couple hours I could maybe understand but a day?" I really seemed to be upset and I couldn't see why it bothered him so bad but that didn't matter as his hand rested on my hip and the grip grew tighter as the silence passed. He was getting angrier.

"Max passed out and his breathing was ruined. He had the day off to relax so he spent it with some of his friends. I ended up having to treat him because Bloom had some issue or something." I finished and began to run a finger down his chest as he breathed heavily. Almost heaving with air.

"It's not good enough." He commented and suddenly I was stood. He had turned me around and I looked up at him as shock took over and made me stand as still as I could be.
"Do you understand?" He had asked me a question and I sensed that he wanted me to answer it.

"I just, he is a friend." I barely had time to react as a hand struck my face and hot tears tried to fall but I didn't let them. My face felt warm as I cupped the hot cheek that stung with a vibrant fire. His hand held no mercy.

"I said, do you understand?" I shook my head in utter disbelief at what had just happened. He was a good man but something must have snapped as he acted so out of character. He did get angry a little more than most but that wasn't a worry or concern. Was it?

"No. I would do it again." I was trying to be defiant but he seemed to roar with rage as my hair was then tugged on and the tears dropped. He had never hit me before and yet he seemed to have snapped. Just once though, people change. His hand pulled at my hair though and I was on the tips of my toes before I could escape and his face got close to mine. He didn't have to say anything as I looked at him. His free hand cupped my chin and his hand tightened over my jaw. Tears falling freely.
"Yes. I understand." He smiled and let me go. A kiss on my lips before he lifted me over his shoulder and up to my room. He put me on the bed and just left me there.

The front door slammed and I couldn't believe it. He had never done it before. It wasn't like him and when it came to Alec he was so controlled. I really had messed up with him. My hands ruffled through the sheets and I realised that my phone was in my bag so I climbed downstairs and lifted it. I dialled his number but it ran to voicemail so I closed my eyes and shook my head. At times he held me tighter than I was used to but he was just trying to show that he cared. He cared enough to hurt me but I seemed to hurt him in the worst way. A text was sent off.

I am so sorry. I won't do it again. I promise. Xxx

The phone went back and I sat on the step with my head in my hands. Worry spread all over me and so I began to cry some more. At one point my mind was groggy and my head hurt but I slipped into a sleep.

It was filled with images of the hospital and Alec. He stood with his back to me and then suddenly he faced me. The look in his eyes told me to run and I did. I was out of breath and hiding in the on-call room as Max sat on the small bed. Worry in his eyes.
"Max. How are you? I'm so sorry that I left before you woke up but I didn't know what else to do. You look fine. Nothing worrying you? This Nutella is out of hand and you know it. You need to take a break." He looked at me and suddenly the door slammed open behind me and I jumped. Alec walked in and then it went black.

My mind raced and the beat of my heart was even faster as I slipped off of the bottom step and onto the floor. The images ran through my mind until finally I got up and changed. The time on my phone told me that I had been out for a while so food was quickly grabbed and I sat, watching something on the TV. Not that I was actually paying attention to it as I was sure to keep an eye on my phone at all times. Luckily I did as it rang unexpectedly and made me jump. The TV being turned off as I lifted the phone and answered it.

"Hello."

"Where are you?"

"In my front room."

"Good. You shouldn't over exert yourself after such a long shift. I'll be over when your shift ends tomorrow at lunch."

"Okay. See you then."

"Bye."

He was fine with it. I sighed out feeling glad and that I had actually done something right. Until the alarm telling me to get up went off. I would have to get up and dressed. I had slept longer than usual but I had been crying so that may have been a reason why. I had fallen asleep before I normally did.

I managed to leap up the steps and enter my room as clean scrubs were searched for until I found some. I would have time to get dressed and leave but not much else. I had eaten later than usual so some small snacks were grabbed and then jumped into the car.

The drive was silent but when I arrived I looked in the mirror. As I did so, my makeup in hand, the view I got wasn't expected as red eyes and a purple jaw. I wasn't sure if what I had would work for me so all that was left for me to do was to try. Half an hour of my time was taken up in doing this and I was late for work but I would learn to factor that in because that was what had to happen.

"Sorry. Venus is late? What on earth has happened to the world?" Reynolds had chosen to pass the door just as I got in and the pair of us walked to the main floor. The ER was the busiest but best because that was what I had been trained to deal with so it was the environment that seemed most natural to me.

"Didn't sleep well. Makeup took longer than expected as well." He raised his eyebrows but walked on as I stopped at the desk. Bloom was off in the distance as well as Sharpe. Iggy may have been there as well but I could only see their back and people blurred the view so I lifted the charts and began the rounds for the day.

"Hello. Miss Leanne Onder? Lovely name by the way. I am Dr Waters but Venus us much quicker. Now, I have my notes here but is there anything that you wish to add to my list? Anything new or worse than before?" My smile was wide as the girl looked up at me. The papers said that she looked paler but it was beginning to look unnatural and clearly that was a sign.

"All of my symptoms feel like they are all worse. My back hurts and my skin is crawling." My eyebrows came together as I thought about what may be wrong with her but she didn't need to know what hit my mind. She needed to feel comfortable.

"Well, I am going to get a nurse in. They will change the fluids. I have a suspicion about something but I can't be sure. We don't have a job listed. Can I ask what it is you do?" Her reply came sheepishly and after her answer I had her rushed to a private room.

"Chemical poisoning." Max just watched as I spoke to others. I hadn't even realised I had stopped outside his door until that moment.