Call Your Girlfriend

Part 28: In Which The Truth Is Revealed

Max...

Max!

MAX!!!!

"Max! Wake up!" My head pounds and I slowly open my eyes. What the fuck happened? The room is fuzzy and spinning and all I see is fluorescent lights above me. My head is cushioned and looking up, I find Helen above me- my head on her legs. "Are you okay?"

Blinking a few times, I slowly look around. Her hands are on either side of my face and I can hardly recall what happened.

"Max? Are you even in there?" She's in her lab coat and a black blouse. Shaking my head, I notice nurses gathering around and...Todd? What the fuck? Ow!

"Wh...what happened?" She bites her bottom lip and looks down at me a bit saddened.

"Well, we were arguing about you cutting yearly mammograms and I slammed the door in your face...a bit harder than I intended. In my defense though, I didn't know how close you were to it." She says with just a hint of amusement. I look up at Todd eating his chips and smirking.

"But...the concert- and my brain tumor?" Her eyes widen as if this news is shocking to her.

"Oh my God! Max what are you saying? When did you get diagnosed with a brain tumor and why wasn't I the first to hear about it?" She's worried now. I don't understand what's going on.

"What's going on over here?" Castro? But she resigned...shit, tell me I'm asleep.

"Max walked into my door as I was shutting it. Now he's lost his damn mind." Helen states and Castro smirks and keeps walking. "Todd, help me get him into my office?"

The tall military man rolls his eyes and grabs an arm. They both hoist me up and get me in Helen's office and on the couch.

"I'll be back to discuss the budget cuts." Todd says before shutting the door behind him. Heading to her mini fridge, she pulls out an ice pack and looks at me. Helen sits sideways on the couch and moves my hair out of my face.

"You have a nice goose egg, that's for sure." Pressing the ice pack to my head, she leans against the back of the couch. She seems upset now. "Please tell me you don't actually have a tumor?"

But, I do...don't I? I know she and I have been having some issues lately, but the surgery. My scar- how can she not...

There's no scar. I feel my left side of my head and there's no scar- just hair. What is going on?

"I could have sworn...this makes no sense."

"Max?" I stand up and pace a bit.

"This makes no sense. None of it. It's November!"

"Max, It's October 1st. How hard did I hit you?" No, this isn't right.

"No, because Castro resigned. I know you gave up half your department for me and when you told me- I wanted to kiss you because I love you and yet I felt guilty because I slept with this woman that morning! I said nothing and you left and it's been weird between us- but you invited me to go see Motörhead in Philly and we went and I could sense you knew about me and the other woman- but didn't say anything until we got back! Then you left because your Dad was sick and I started losing my Damn Mind and here it was because I had a brain tumor. You came back and Vijay did the surgery- Luna and I lived with you and I wasn't myself. The only thing that you could do was to keep reassuring me that you loved me even though I was different and...and...and I've lost my damn mind...haven't I?" I look at her and she seems beyond lost. I sit down on the wooden part of her coffee table and stare off at the edge of the couch. This makes no sense. None. I'm lost until I feel her hands grab mine. She looks at my face and smiles softly.