Adequate Medicine

**BLANCA**

Max doesn’t reply, turning away as if he didn’t hear the good doctor prompting him. *Baiting* him. When his gaze falls back on me a muscle tics in his jaw and something like worry flashes in his eyes, but it is there and gone in the space of an instant.

Maize’s voice cracks through the silence, her words lilted with an unmistakable accusation. “How did your evening go with Miss Fionna? You were out with her tonight, correct?”

“Excuse me?” Max recoils, somewhat caught off guard by her line of questioning. “What does my evening with my chosen mate have to do with what happened to *Blanca?”*

*If my heart wasn’t broken already…*

Doc Maize smiles slowly, but there is no joy in it. “Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.” Her gaze softens as she once again grants me her full attention. “I’ve already warned you, Blanca, of the danger. Bond bruising can *kill* you. Do you understand? I am willing to stand as witness should you choose to-”

“Now wait a minute!” Max interrupts, his voice the deadly calm before a storm. “Are you saying *that* is what happened to Blanca?” He snickers, “She isn’t mated.”

Doc Maize doesn’t let up. “You know, Maxwell, I’m starting to think you need to stop at my office to have your hearing examined.”

A laugh bubbles out of me before I can stop it, however with my joy comes a fresh bout of pain as my middle is still quite tender. And when I moan then grimace, Max’s head snaps in my direction, a frown marring his features.

Doc Maize goes on, “No, she isn’t mated. But as I explained once already, Bond Bruising can also occur when the connection between two is extraordinarily strong or-”

Max gulps. “-or one of them is exceptionally powerful… like say, an Alpha might be? That is what you were getting at, is it not?” He asks softly, casting his eyes toward the ground. “My hearing is just *fine* Maize.”

Doc Maize loses her smile. “Then you heard me say that it can kill her.”

“That won't happen,” Max replies, resting his eyes on me.

“How can you be so sure?” Maize asks incredulously. “Call me crazy, Maxwell, but I could have sworn that when you called me this afternoon to treat Miss Blanca’s head injury that you were nearly overcome with worry for her well being. Is that no longer the case?”

My eyes fill once again and I look to her saying, “That was never the case. His only worry was that Fionna might catch me there in his rooms.”

Maize’s eyes fill with sympathy and her mouth opens in rebuttal, but Max beats her to it, saying, “That’s not true.”

“Yes,” I whisper, pressing my hands over my eyes to force the tears back, “it is. As you have proven tonight.”

Max winces, but doesn’t look away from me when he says to Doc Maize, “This afternoon you mentioned that spending time with one’s mate could speed up the healing process. Is that true?”

“Undoubtedly,” Maize says, watching Max with a critical eye. “But I wouldn’t consider it a permanent fix.”

Max sighs, holding my eyes when I chance a look directly into his handsome face. The picture of him, of Max, looking at someone else the way he did at me this morning puts a knot in my throat that I simply cannot loosen and I fear that I may choke to death on my very own pain. 

“I need to be rejected,” I say, under my breath, ignoring the way Max’s jaw hardens. “Or sent away.”

“Sent away?” Max questions, his eyes drawing over me skeptically. “Sent away to where? The Rim?” he chuckles.

My eyes cut to his and suddenly anger is all I feel. “Maize says distance can prevent attacks like this from happening. So I need to either be sent away or rejected.”

Max’s eyebrows draw together stubbornly and his jaw pulses as he shoots me a warning glare. “It won’t be happening again, so there is nothing to worry about.”

I snort unattractively, glancing away from him to hide the hope in my eyes. 

*He doesn’t mean that. He’s just trying to reassure Doc Maize. Do not get your hopes up, Blanca.*

“Not going to happen again, huh?” Maize counters slyly. “And you know this how?” she prompts him, her eyes alight with mischief.

He sends her a withering glare. “I just do.”

She nods, as if gaining the confirmation she was searching for. “The bond should be accepted,” Maize says sternly, her eyes on Max. “And she should be placed within the position the Moon Goddess intended for her.” Max shakes his head, throwing his eyes up toward the sky as if what Maize speaks is utter nonsense, but she ignores him and keeps going. “There is *always* a reason for the Moon Goddess’ pairing, Max. Always. Discontent has hovered over this territory for far too long. It’s time for a change and I believe that Blanca-”

“She’s my brother’s killer,” Max snaps so harshly that Maize actually recoils from him, taking a step back.

Maize nods, sending me a sympathetic smile. “Of course,” she says. “How could I have forgotten? Silly me. Drake’s life was worth that of ten Shiftless, easy.” She hold a finger to her lips, pretending to be deep in thought. “Although, from what I remember, he killed at *least* that many every week, so some might say that justice was served.” Max stiffens, his body going tight with apprehension as he fixes Maize with an indignant scowl. “You lie,” he hisses, his fangs snapping forth in anger. 

“Hmph,” Maize harumphs, stepping toward the side of the bed and closer to Max. She is unafraid of him and for the moment I am in complete awe of her. “Your image of Drake will never be whole, Max, because you were his little brother. You saw only what he wanted you to see, knew only what he wanted you to know. Your idea of him is warped.”

“And you know better I suppose?” Max growls, his muscles swelling.

She smiles, “I do. And so do quite a few others. Some that might not have been willing to talk before, but are now.”

“Enough,” Max snarls.

She continues, “You know, you might want to check in with Commander Finn tonight. I delivered his baby earlier this evening and something tells me that tonight, he could really use a friend. You might find his heart has been… sufficiently altered.” Then as she turns to leave she says over her shoulder, "I will check in with you tomorrow, Blanca. Now that I see you have access to adequate *medicine,* I hope to see you completely healed."

"Maize," Max calls after her and she freezes wirh her hand on the door knob. "This is to stay between us."

"Now where have I heard that one before?" she replies, her voice drenched in sarcasm. Then she laughs as if just remembering. "Oh that's right! Drake!" She purses her lips in disapporval and says, "You know, Max, you may be more like him than I thought."

Then... she leaves.