Coffee

Part Eighty-Two: Lost and Found

"Helen....Helen!" Shaking my head, I look from where Max is standing-to Lauren who is sitting across from me. "What are you staring at?"

She has her back to Max and his eyes drop from mine back to the sonogram in his hands.

"He found it..." I whisper.

"Found what?" I'm happy the other men are distracted with an elaborate story of Vijay's childhood in India- because they know nothing of this.

"The sonogram. I lost it when I brought you the blood for Georgia. I didn't know I lost it in his bedroom...he just found it and he seems really pissed." I whisper back to her and she slowly turn and looks and then jerks back to me.

"Could it possibly be Georgia's?"

"No. Why would he look at me angrily if it was?"

"Maybe he's upset you two never had one...I don't know." She quickly and quietly says as she bites into her pizza.

"I need to go."

"What?"

"I need to leave. Go home- somewhere. I can't have this conversation with him. I can't explain why I never told him." I'm panicking. My heart is pounding so hard in my chest and my skin fills with goosebumps.

"Calm down. You can't avoid it now. Leaving now won't matter because he'll just find you at home tomorrow. Either way, you're having the conversation. Just be honest with him and don't come off angry. You have a tendency to get a little hostile and defensive and it only ever makes things worse."

"I'm gonna be sick, I think." I set my plate on the floor beside me and hold onto my waist.

"You're gonna be fine."

"Don't go home. Stay until I leave and maybe he won't say anything."

"Helen...you know he's going too. If you were him and found it- you would have questions and concerns as well." She clarified and Max comes back to us- the photo gone from his hand. I swallow hard as he sits down on the floor next to Iggy and just looks at me for a long time.

"So Max- anything you else you need done tonight?" Iggy asks and Max forces a smile on his face and shakes his head.

"No, I think you guys covered all the bases very well. Thank you. I appreciate you guys very much. You being here for me and Luna...I don't know what I'd do with you." He is very genuine and appreciative- even looks at me without being disgusted.

"Well, Thank Helen. It was her idea and she bought all the supplies." Iggy states and they clap. Max nods his head and smiles kindly.

"Thank you, Helen." His eyes linger on me for quite some time and then slowly drop down to his glass of sprite.

"Well, I'm gonna get going. Anyone need a ride?" Iggy asks and Reynolds and Kapoor say yes and I look at Lauren.

"Helen, you wanna come over..." Lauren begins to ask and Max quickly jumps in.

"Actually, Helen, I need to ask you a few questions about my treatment that Valentina couldn't answer. Could you?" Everyone looks at me and I shouldn't be caught saying no to a patient- even if it is Max.

"Of course..." Lauren looks at me promptly and her smile slowly dissipates.

"You want me to wait?" Lauren asks and as I go to answer again, Max cuts in once more.

"It may be a while- I have a lot of questions." She nods and stands up slowly, grabbing her cane as she goes and follows the men out. Getting up, I grab all the plates and I don't even say anything to Max- I just go into the kitchen and begin washing them. After a few minutes and having finished the last dish, I grab the empty pizza boxes and start breaking them down. Max hasn't moved or spoken. After they're broken down, I turn to find him leaning against the door frame to the kitchen, sonogram in hand and tempered scowl on his face. Leaning against the island counter, I stare back at him and wait. His blue eyes turn to ice as he shifts them between both of mine. "How long did you know?"