I pour.
I walk over to the tape line.
"Here," I say, holding out the crystal glass.
Maxwell looks up. He takes the glass. His fingers brush mine. They are trembling slightly.
"She is..." Maxwell starts, then stops. He takes a long swallow of the whiskey. He grimaces, then sighs. "She is a monster."
"She’s a piece of work," I agree, leaning against the edge of his desk. I take a swig from the mug. "But you handled her."
"I have never spoken to her like that," Maxwell admits. He looks at me, his eyes searching my face. "I apologize for her behavior. She has very specific expectations."
"I don't care what she thinks, Max," I say. "I’ve been called worse by better people."
"I care," he says fiercely.
I pause. The whiskey burns pleasantly in my throat.
"Why?"
"Because," Maxwell says, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "You are not clutter. And you are not a distraction."
"No?" I grin, trying to lighten the mood. "I thought I was annoying, chaotic, and loud."
Maxwell looks at the blood on my scrubs. He looks at the tattoo on my arm.
"You are," he says softly. "But you are also the only real thing in this entire building."
He finishes his drink in one gulp. He sets the glass down on his pristine desk, not caring about the condensation ring.
"I have to go," he says. "I have rounds."
"Max," I say.
He stops at the door.
"Thanks," I say. "For the backup."
He nods once. He looks like he wants to say something else. He looks like he wants to cross the room and finish what we started in the Sim Lab. But the ghost of his mother is still lingering in the air.
"Wash up, Jax," he says gently. "She was right about the smell."
He leaves.
I stand there alone in the Fishbowl. I look at the empty glass on his desk.
The Ice King has cracks. And I think I’m the one holding the hammer.
Chapter 9
The Ghost
Maxwell
The most dangerous pathogens in a hospital are not bacteria. They are rumours.
Bacteria can be killed with antibiotics. Rumours, however, mutate. They spread through the ventilation system, infect the nursing staff, and eventually make their way to the Board of Directors.
