Holdin' On for a Hero (104 page)

She hung up the phone and bounded to her feet in excitement. “You’re a genius, Max. A genius!”

Max’s eyes grew round as she started jumping and dancing around.

. Max was a genius! She was right.

The knowledge brought with it a rude awakening. She froze with a horrified look on her face. Oh god, all these years and never once to share a thought or idea or feeling? He’d been treated like an incompetent—scorned and made fun of and he knew every single time it happened they were wrong. He just couldn’t tell them. He’d been totally alone.

Curiosity turned to anxiety and then to dread as Max watched her movements cease and the look of dismay that came on her face. Without thinking he grabbed her hand.

Nikki folded her legs into a sitting position and sank to the floor. “Oh god, Max. I’m so sorry.”

He didn’t understand why tears spilled from her eyes. He held his hand palm up with a slight shrug and his eyebrows raised high.

She swiped at the tears tracking down her face. “You’re…you’re smart, really smart—even a genius maybe.”

He nodded. He had pretty much figured that out when he taught himself algebra in six weeks. At least he had suspected. But why should that upset her so much?

“How could they not have known, Max?”

He shrugged and she wiped her face with her hands again. “God, it’s just…Max, all this time, all these years—the way they treat you. It’s just…I’m surprised you didn’t go insane.”

Max didn’t like to see her cry, but at the same time part of him felt an overwhelming sense of thanks. No one had ever shed tears for him before. Just as no one had ever bothered to take the time to realize that he wasn’t an idiot. Gratitude warred with other equally unfamiliar emotions within him. He couldn’t find an appropriate gesture and it would take volumes of words to explain such things to her, if he could sort it out for himself.

All at once Nikki frowned. “I don’t get it. You’re smart and you understand, so why do you act the way you do? I’m not coming down on you, but in all honesty you can be pretty much of a shit when you want to be. What I don’t understand is why?”

Max knew no way to explain. He looked around for something, anything he could use to help. His eyes fell on the dictionary. Snatching it up, he flipped quickly through it, found the word he wanted and pointed to it.

Nikki looked down at the page. “Protection? You act like that to protect yourself?”

He nodded and she studied him for a moment. “Against what?”

Quickly he flipped through the pages and pointed again.

“Spy?” She was completely confused. “You need protection against a spy? Who would want to spy on you?”

The next word he pointed to made her eyes grow round. “Parents? You think your parents have people spy on you?”

He nodded.

“But why, for what possible reason?”

He mimicked giving himself an injection and becoming zombified.

“I know they have you drugged, but I still don’t understand. If you didn’t want to be drugged then it’d seem to me you would avoid the destruction and violence.”

But that wouldn’t get rid of the drones. He considered what word would best convey the meaning. There was not just one. He held up his hand then flipped the pages of the dictionary. Nikki read the word.

“If?”

Max immediately flipped the pages, she read the word he pointed to. He proceeded, with her reading and him locating words and pointing.

“If…they…find…out…they…will…have…me…committed.”

She gasped at the last word. “Committed? Why in god’s name would they do that?”

Max shrugged. He had no idea. He had asked his grandfather many times, but had gotten no answer. All Max knew was that the only safety that existed for him was keeping everyone on the estate in the dark about his intelligence.

“Why would your parents have you committed if they knew you were normal? It doesn’t make sense.”

Max shrugged. Despite his efforts over the years to find the answer to that question, he’d yet to come across anything that would explain it.

Nikki’s brows drew together in a tight scowl. “Max, we need information. Like who originally diagnosed you as being brain damaged. Do you know who the doctor was?”

He nodded. He’d always known that. It was the same doctor who continued to prescribe the drugs they used on him. Charles Abernathy. Getting off the bed, he rummaged around in one of the desk drawers and pulled out a phone book. Finding the listing, he showed it to Nikki.

“Charles Abernathy?”

Max nodded and she looked up at him thoughtfully. “Then we’ve got to figure out a way to see what’s in your medical records.”

Max nodded enthusiastically and Nikki smiled. “God, Max, this is…unbelievable.”

Her enthusiasm over his intelligence returned. “You’re a genius, Max. A genius!”

Max took a mock bow and she laughed. He grinned widely. For the first time in his life he felt like he had someone on his side. It made him want to jump and shout. Shouting was out of the question, but dancing was not. Rushing to the stereo he put in a CD and started it.

Nikki looked at him in astonishment as he turned, executed a bow then extended his hand. He grinned and beckoned her with his fingers. With a smile she took his hand.

Max swung her around and around until they were both dizzy. Falling onto the bed, she looked up at him as he supported himself above her. The smile disappeared from her face and transformed to a look he never expected to see directed at him.

Something like a fever seemed to sweep through him. He felt like his temperature suddenly shoot up ten degrees and his stomach was knotting in a most peculiar way. Not to mention the pressure that was steadily increasing in other parts of his anatomy.

Nikki put her hands on either side of his face. Her face was flushed and the pupils of her eyes were very dilated. He could feel the rapid pound of her heart and the swell of her breasts pressed against him. If he’d had the courage he would’ve kissed her.

He felt the edge of reality start to fade and before he could stop it, the sight took him into another world. One that paralleled his own, but one in which he had no fear. He lowered down on her, feeling her body mold to his as his weight settled on her. Her lips parted under his eagerly, tongue exploring and tasting.

Her hands moved up to fist in his hair as she wound her legs around his waist, pulling him tight so that the heat from her sex burned against his erection. She moaned into his mouth as he pressed against her.

He tore himself away from her lips to feast on her neck, feeling her arch her head back in invitation. His lips moved lower, mouthing her breasts through the soft fabric of her top.

She ground against him, rocking her pelvis up and down to create a delicious torment on his erection. There was no doubt in his mind as to her desire. She wanted him. He could feel it in the heat of her body, smell it in the air.

And he wanted her just as much. He sat back on his heels, intent on divesting her of her clothing.

And was suddenly back in the confined reality he called home, with Nikki staring at him with a flushed face and wide eyes.

A knock at the door made them both jump. Nikki started grabbing papers and books, crumpling them in her arms. She rolled over the edge of the bed and scooted underneath.

Max opened the door. Osgood stood outside.

“We could not help but notice the music, Maxwell. It’s rather loud. Aren’t you supposed to be napping?”

Max nodded and dropped his eyes. Osgood patted him on the shoulder. “Nothing to get upset about. Just turn the volume down and try to get some rest.”

Max nodded again and Osgood turned to leave. He closed the door and locked it. Nikki looked up over the edge of the bed. “Does he do that often?”

Max nodded and she made a face. “God, don’t you get any privacy in this place?”

He shook his head and brought his hand up with his index finger and thumb almost touching. Nikki understood. “Kind of makes you wish you could tell them to leave you the hell alone.”

Max agreed, but unlike Nikki he knew that Osgood wouldn’t be back. Once he had made his perfunctory appearance he would leave Max alone until time for dinner.

Nikki was still a little shaken from what had happened before Osgood’s interruption. To have fallen so easily into a vision in front of Max made her a little embarrassed. Had she said or done anything that revealed what was going on in her mind? To cover her discomposure, she dug out her papers and books from underneath the bed. “Well, I better get this stuff put out of sight before someone sees it and gets suspicious. We still need to go over the information I found on sign language and come up with a plan to get the information from that doctor, though. Want to discuss it somewhere else where we won’t be bothered, like at the pier?”

Max nodded.

“Great, I’ll put this stuff away and change and meet you there.”

Max put out his hand to stop her as she started by him, trying to end the war that was raging inside him, fear battling curiosity. Had she sensed what he’d seen in the vision?

If she did, she wasn’t letting on. She didn’t seem to. “We’ll get to the bottom of it, Max. I promise. Now get changed. I’ll meet you at the pier in ten minutes.”

Max watched her leave. Once he was alone, the room seemed to close in around him, like the walls had eyes. Doubts began to crash in. What good would it do if they got the information from Dr. Abernathy? He’d still be a prisoner. There was no way he was going to be allowed to leave the estate. What good was knowing what was wrong with him if it made no difference in his future?

Anxiety welled up in his chest like acid. He couldn’t allow himself to slide back into despair. For the first time there was real hope. He had someone who was interested in him. He couldn’t allow despondency to erase the joy that gave, even if the joy wasn’t meant to last forever.

The track on the CD changed. Max’s eyes got a faraway look in them as the song began. Confused visions ran through his mind—thrashing water, blood spreading out, a shark’s gaping jaws coming up from the depths, a cat sitting above a goldfish bowl, licking its chops and waiting, a demon’s face coming closer, ready to swallow him.

His mouth moved spasmodically, his throat convulsing and his body twitching. He couldn’t see the familiar sights around him. He was in a terrifying and bewildering world of his own. His fists clenched and unclenched.

As Max stood transfixed in terror, the volume of his pounding heart seemed to rival the music blasting from the speakers… the lyrics of the Beatles tune Maxwell’s Silver Hammer reverberating off the walls as he sank to the floor into a defensive crouch, his body tense and his fists clenched for battle.

Chapter Six

Nikki climbed back up on the catamaran and sat down beside Max. He watched as she wrung the water from her hair. Taking the catamaran out had seemed pointless to him. There was no wind. They’d only drifted around the point from the estate. Nikki pointed out that at least out of sight of the estate they didn’t have to worry about constantly being watched.

Max had to admit that the idea had been a good one. Not only did they not have to worry about someone overhearing anything she said, but the risk of someone noticing him as he attempted to communicate with her was greatly decreased.

They’d made progress in establishing the rudiments of a sign language, combining things they learned from a book on American sign language with things they came up with that were meaningful to the two of them. It was becoming easier with each passing day to communicate and he found himself with more energy than he’d had in a long time, wanting to “talk” to her all day. He still wrestled with telling her that he could communicate in another way, but hadn’t reached a decision. His grandfather had advised caution, but told Max that in the final analysis, the decision was his. If he trusted Nikki enough to tell her, then Simon wouldn’t say anything against it.

Max admired Nikki as she lay down on her stomach and propped her chin on her hands. She tanned very quickly and the light areas of skin exposed by the twisting of her suit drew his eyes like a magnet.

Nikki rolled over and stared at the sky, a frown gathering on her face. “There has to be some way to find out what we need from that doctor.”

It’d been nearly a week and still they hadn’t come up with a plan. Max wasn’t sure it was really that important. What difference did it make what the files said? They knew he wasn’t mentally handicapped. But Nikki was obsessed with the notion. She had to know.

Max shrugged and made a motion to tell her to forget about it, at least for the time being.

“No way,” she argued and sat up. “Besides I did have one idea.”

Max raised his eyebrows in question.

“I thought maybe I could schedule an interview with him.”

An interview? What good with that do?

She frowned at his motions. “I take that to mean you think it’s a bad idea?”

He shrugged.

“Well, I think it’s at least worth a try. I can say it’s for the university paper. I did write for it—once—so it won’t really be a lie.”

Max gave her a doubt-filled look and she grimaced. “Okay, maybe it’s not the best idea, but it’s all we have. Besides at least I can get a look around. And who knows maybe I can find a way to get a look at the files.”

Oh yeah, right.
Max rolled his eyes.

“Well, I’m going to do it.”

Fine.
He knew the appropriate sign for that. He seemed to use it a lot in their conversations. Nikki was very stubborn, he’d discovered. Once her mind was made up about something she wouldn’t let it go.

She smiled and lay back down, shading her eyes so that she could look at him. With their increasing communication came new realizations. One important discovery she’d made was that even though Max probably qualified as a genius on the intellectual scale, emotionally he was not as mature as his years.

He wasn’t what she’d consider emotionally unbalanced, just a little immature. Due to the fact that it’d been years since he’d a normal relationship with anyone, he really didn’t understand a lot of things about adult relationships.

Added to that was what she’d learned about his relationship with his parents. Aside from providing him with material things, they stayed away from him as much as possible. He felt like an outcast, unwanted and only tolerated out of obligation, not love. From Osgood and Louise he was given the kind of attention and affection a small child is given, and that only in small doses when his parents were not watching.

Everything Max understood about adult human interaction had been learned from books and films. Nikki wasn’t a psychologist, but even a layman could understand how living as he had would serve to limit his emotional maturity.

It made things rather difficult for her. She saw the way Max looked at her. She knew he was attracted to her. The feeling was mutual and it was hard not to act on the attraction. But how could she, without feeling like she was taking advantage of him?

While he might be one of the most intelligent men on the planet, emotions had little to do with intellect. He’d never been involved with a woman, at least not that she knew. What would happen if she allowed herself to get physically intimate with him?

As much as she wanted to think she was protecting Max, she knew that she was also protecting herself. She and Max had grown very close, intimate in a way she’d never been with a man. They shared their innermost feelings and fears. She knew it was a new experience for him, but it was for her as well. She’d never trusted anyone as she did him and it made her afraid. If the intimacy moved to another level, she’d be putting even more faith in him. And then what? What if he didn’t live up to that faith? Could she face that possibility?

At summer’s end, the Westons would return and she’d have to leave. What would happen to her and Max then?

The thought of leaving him a prisoner and walking away had become unthinkable. But what choice did she have? Unless it could be proven that he was competent to take care of himself, there was no chance. She had to find a way to prove beyond all doubt that Max was a fully functional human being, capable of making his own choices and being on his own.

Max signed out one of their favorite phrases.
A penny for your thoughts.

Nikki smiled. “Thinking about you.”

Me?
He pointed at himself and blinked in a parody of coquettishness.

“Yeah, you. My favorite subject.”

Max’s smile vanished. His eyes met hers and held. God help her, she wasn’t falling in love with Max. She was already there.

* * * * *

“Doctor Abernathy will be with you in a few moments, Ms. Richards.” The receptionist smiled and indicated toward the waiting room. “If you’d please have a seat?”

“Thanks.” Nikki took a seat and looked around. The waiting room was tastefully and expensively decorated. Clearly, psychiatry had been very good to Charles Abernathy.

Using the name of a casual friend who’d written for the university paper, Nikki got an appointment with the doctor. She’d been surprised at just how easy it was. Now if she could just manage to get the conversation around to Max.

The inner door opened and the receptionist gestured to her. “The doctor will see you now. If you’ll follow me.”

Nikki looked around as she followed the receptionist down the hall. Her pace slowed as another woman exited a room, giving Nikki a glimpse inside. All she had time to see was a wall filing system, a desk and a computer. The receptionist stopped and knocked on a door at the end of the hall.

“Yes?” came a male voice from inside.

Pushing open the door, the receptionist gestured for Nikki to enter. “Ms. Richards, sir.”

“Thank you.” Charles Abernathy stood and walked around his desk. “Ms. Richards. Good day.”

Nikki studied him as he crossed the room to greet her. He was slight of build, around five-eight, with thin brown hair that was graying at the temples. Bright hazel eyes peered from behind stylish rimless glasses.

“Thank you for taking the time to see me, Doctor.” Nikki shook his hand then let him guide her to the couch along one wall of the office.

The doctor took a seat across from her in a thickly padded wing chair. “My pleasure. Always happy to do my part for young eager minds.”

Nikki gave him a half-hearted smile and pulled out a small digital recorder she’d borrowed from Max. “Do you mind?”

“No, not at all.”

“Thanks.” She turned it on and placed it on the low table between them. “I’m doing a series on disabilities and people who overcome them. I wanted to focus one of the articles on speech disorders.”

Charles looked at her in surprise. “An interesting concept, yet hardly my specialty, Ms. Richards.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She dug out her notebook and flipped through the pages, pretending to look for something. “I was sure I read a paper written by you on speech disorders, physiological versus psychological pathology or something like that.”

“No, no I don’t believe so.”

“Are you sure? I know I’ve got it somewhere. Heck! Anyway, I thought you had worked with people who suffer from speech disorders.”

“No, I’m afraid not.”

“Oh, so you’ve never had a case in which the patient had some type of speech disorder, lost the ability to speak, anything like that?”

“No.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, I seem to remember reading something about a girl who suddenly lost the ability to speak and you were her doctor.”

Charles straightened in his seat. “I believe you’re mistaken, Ms. Richards.”

Nikki flipped through her notebook again. “Oh, hold on, I’m sorry. It wasn’t a little girl. It was a young man. Richard Maxwell Weston, III. Sorry, my mistake.”

Charles squirmed in his seat. “Ms. Richards, at the risk of sounding redundant, I believe you’re mistaken.”

“I don’t think so, doctor. It was Maxwell Weston and you were the doctor who diagnosed him. Surely you can’t have forgotten something like that. Not considering who the Westons are.”

Charles stood with a glower. “I’m afraid that’s all the time I have, Ms. Richards.” He hurried to the door. “Good day.”

Nikki picked up the recorder and tucked it in her oversized handbag along with her notebook. She stopped, facing the doctor at the door. “Thank you so much for your time, Dr. Abernathy. I’m sure your…comments will make a welcome addition to my article.”

She stepped out and the door closed behind her. Looking around she saw no one else in the hall. She dashed to the door she had seen the filing system in and tapped lightly. No answer. Carefully and slowly she opened the door. There was no one inside.

Just as Nikki started to enter the room the doctor’s voice sounded from the end of the hall. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Ladies room,” she said as she turned. “Looking for the ladies room.”

“In the reception area.”

“Thanks.”

Hurrying down the hall, she bolted through the reception room. She was sure the doctor was hiding something. But at least she knew where the file room was. Now she just had to figure out how to get back in and take a look around.

* * * * *

Richard was jarred from sleep by the persistent buzz of his cell phone. Turning on the light, he answered. “Yes?”

“Richard, it’s Mark. Sorry to call at such an ungodly hour, but I just had a rather disturbing meeting with Charles.”

If Mark was disturbed, it was reason enough for Richard to be. “Explain.”

“It seems that a young reporter showed up at Charles’ office asking questions about Maxwell.”

Richard’s initial reaction was panic. “What did Charles say?”

“Nothing. He threw the woman out.”

“I assume he got a name.”

“Yes, Jan Richards.”

Richard considered it for a moment. “Call Charles and calm him down. And make sure this reporter doesn’t ask any more questions. And while you’re at it, make sure Charles doesn’t have any documentation on Maxwell aside from the legal documents signed by Judge Bellamy.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks, Mark. I knew I could count on you.”

“Always, my friend. Sleep well.”

Richard signed off, and lay back. It was probably nothing. Charles was prone to overreacting. Mark would take care of things.

Turning off the light, Richard closed his eyes and concentrated on more pleasant matters, such as getting home and setting his plan into motion to win over Nikki Morgan. Yes, indeed. He had big plans for her.

* * * * *

Nikki and Maxwell were just finishing lunch on the terrace. She was laughing at something he “said” when Osgood walked out, accompanied by Mark Robinson. Maxwell immediately when into his role of the dullard, looking down at the tabletop.

“Ms. Morgan, Maxwell, Mr. Robinson is here.” Osgood announced.

“Hello, Maxwell.” Mark kept his eyes on Nikki as he spoke to Maxwell, then stepped up to the table and extended his hand to her. “How are you faring? Maxwell giving you any trouble?”

“Not really,” she replied then thought again. It would not do to let anyone think that Maxwell was treating her any different than he did anyone else. “All things considered.”

She felt the light kick Max gave her under the table. He did not look up, but continued to stare at the tabletop.

Mark glanced over at him with obvious disinterest. “Yes, I understand. Tell me, Miss Morgan, do you have any experience writing?”

“Not really.”

“You’ve never been published?”

“Just in the college paper.”

“Umm, you might know a young lady I just recently met. Jan Richards.”