"He won't," Max says calmly. "Because he is currently being escorted off the premises by security."
I blink. "What?"
"Sterling is gone," Max says. "Fired. For cause. Effective immediately."
"How? The Board loves him. He makes them money."
Max lets out a long, shuddering sigh. He rubs histemples as if warding off a migraine.
"My father," Max says. "Alistair decided to... intervene."
"Alistair fired him?"
"Alistair destroyed him," Max corrects. "He stormed into the boardroom like an avenging angel in a three-piece suit. He told the Board that Sterling lacked 'vision.' He threatened to pull the entire York endowment."
Max pauses. He looks traumatized.
"And then... he started talking about boarding school."
"Boarding school?" I ask, confused.
"He went on a tangent," Max says, staring into the middle distance with a thousand-yard stare. "About the sixties. About cold showers and rugby and... 'confusing friendships' with the rowing captain."
I choke on a laugh. "No."
"Yes," Max says, looking horrified. "He told the entire Hospital Board that 'experimentation builds character.' He implied things, Jax. Graphic things. He essentially told Sterling that he doesn't care who I sleep with, as long as I’m winning."
"Your dad is a legend," I wheeze, clutching my ribs.
"My dad is a menace," Max shudders. "I learned things today, Jax. Things a son should never know about his father. I may need therapy. I may need to scrub my brain with bleach."
"So Sterling is gone?"
"Gone," Max confirms. "And the Interim Chief is terrified of Alistair, so he reinstated the shared workspace. Office 104 is ours again."
He reaches into his bag on the floor.
"Which brings me to this."
He pulls out a heavy, wrapped box. He places it carefully on the bed.
I tear the paper off. It’s heavy.
It’s the espresso machine. The "Spaceship" from hisoffice.
"I am giving it tous," Max says. "For the office. I already set it up. Tape line and all. Although... I might be willing to negotiate the boundaries of the Exclusion Zone."
I grin. "I’m keeping the corn chips."
"We will discuss the chips."
"My turn," I say. "My leather jacket. Is it here?"
"The nurses cut it off you," Max says apologetically. "But I saved the contents of the pockets. It’s in the drawer."
Max opens the bedside drawer. He hands me a small, crumpled envelope.
"I was going to give this to you before everything with Sterling happened,” I say. "Open it."
