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WOUNDED - Chapter 05

Maxie ran through the doors, startling everyone in the ER. “Where is he? Where’s Spinelli?” She yelled to nobody in particular. She could barely see through the tears in her eyes. It was a miracle she had made it to the hospital in one piece.

“Maxie,” Lu Lu called out softly, walking over to her.

“What happened?” Maxie couldn’t stop thinking about the last time she had seen Spinelli. He had looked so sad. She had done that to him. She numbly let Lu Lu lead her to a seat in the waiting area.

“There was an accident—“

“Was he driving?” He had been too upset to drive. Because of her.

“No,” Lu Lu continued. “I had just arrived at the Metro Court and he was leaving. I called out to him, but he didn’t hear me. I think he was crying.”

Maxie felt sick again. She shook her head, unable to stop the tears. She had hurt him so badly.

“He walked into the street right when some guy came speeding around the corner. Everything happened so fast. God, there was so much blood.”

Maxie started to sob uncontrollably. Lu Lu pulled her into an awkward hug, but Maxie pushed her away. “This is my fault… my fault… my fault,” Maxie murmured over and over.

“What are you talking about? You weren’t driving the car!”

Jason walked in. “What happened?”

Lu Lu told him about the accident.

“Lu Lu, I got your message!” Sam ran in and saw Maxie in tears. “Oh, honey.” She sat down beside her and held her.

“It’s my fault,” Maxie kept babbling.

Sam glanced up at Lu Lu, who simply shrugged. “She keeps saying that, but I don’t know why. Some guy was speeding and hit Spinelli as he was crossing the street.”

“Has there been any word on his condition,” Jason asked.

Lu Lu shook her head. “He’s in surgery right now. That’s all I know.”

Sam rubbed Maxie’s back. “Shhh, it’s gonna be okay. Spinelli is one tough cookie.”

Maxie pulled back and stared at Sam. “I told you this would happen. I told you! I did this to him!”

“Maxie, you’re upset. You’re not making any sense. It’s not your fault some jackass was speeding—“

“He was upset because of me!”

“I don’t get it,” Jason interrupted. “Spinelli was so happy when he left. He said you were having dinner together.”

“We were going to have dinner,” Maxie said. “But he showed up too early. He wasn’t supposed to see…” Maxie remembered the look on his face. He was so devastated. The flowers slipped from his hands. “He bought me red roses…”

Sam touched her face. “Maxie, what did Spinelli see?”

Maxie laughed. “Me… in bed with Johnny Zacchara.” She looked up at Lu Lu.

Lu Lu’s mouth dropped open. “What? What did you just say?” She grabbed Maxie and pulled her out of the chair, throwing her against a nearby wall.

“It was supposed to be you,” Maxie chuckled. “Not Spinelli. You were supposed to walk in on us!” She stopped laughing and got angry. “Why didn’t you? Why did it have to be him?”

“You bitch!” Lu Lu drew back her fist and let it fly. Maxie fell to the floor in a daze. “You slut! I was right about you all along. I warned Spinelli. I told him not to get involved with you!” She lunged at Maxie again, but Jason grabbed her arms and held her back.

“Hold on a minute,” he said. “This doesn’t make any sense!”

Sam helped Maxie up. “No, it doesn’t! Maxie, I know how you feel about Spinelli. Why would you ruin that?”

Maxie rubbed her jaw. She welcomed the pain. She deserved it. “It’s what I do, Sam.” She shrugged. “Lu Lu’s right. I warned Spinelli, too, but he wouldn’t listen. And now look where he is.” She turned to Lu Lu and smiled sadly. “Don’t you have anything else to say?” She wanted Lu Lu to tell her what a horrible person she was, how she didn’t deserve someone like Spinelli. She knew it already, but she wanted to hear it again.

Lu Lu relaxed against Jason and he let her go. “Something’s not right here. Johnny would never cheat on me. He wanted me to meet him--”

Maxie looked away, feeling ashamed.

Lu Lu grabbed her phone. “I’m calling Johnny!”

---

Johnny awoke to the sound of ringing. “Quiet!” He held his head. “Ow.” He blinked a few times and tried to focus on something, anything, in the room. “Wha--? Where am I?” He fumbled to get the phone out of his pocket. “Mmm… yeah… hello?” He rubbed his face and groaned.

“Johnny?”

“Lu Lu?”

“Where are you?”

Johnny looked around again. “I was just wondering that myself. I have no clue. It looks like a hotel room, but I don’t remember… oh, wait a minute. I was meeting Maxie here to talk about— “He glanced down at his naked torso. “What the hell? Where’s my shirt?”

“Johnny, are you okay? You sound drunk.”

“I’m not drunk! I just had one glass of—“ He dropped the phone and ran to the bathroom.

--

Lu Lu could hear faint growling sounds. “Johnny? What’s going on? Johnny!”

“Sorry. I got really sick all of a sudden. I remember I was talking to Maxie one minute and the next minute I wake up and my shirt’s gone.”

“Are you okay? Do you want me to come get you?”

“I think I’m all right. I just need to splash some water on my face. Where are you?”

“I’m at the hospital. Spinelli was hurt and he’s in surgery right now. I’ll be here all night if you want to come by.”

“Yeah, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I love you, Johnny.”

“I love you too. See you soon.”

Lu Lu hung up and stared at Maxie in confusion. “You drugged him didn’t you? What the hell is going on?”

Maxie couldn’t look at her. She had gone through with Claudia’s plan just like she was supposed to, but it all went wrong. Lu Lu even figured out the truth. Now Claudia was probably going to kill her. She didn’t care anymore. She was so tired of her messed up life.

Sam and Jason exchanged glances, both looking equally shocked.

Sam touched Maxie’s arm. “Please tell us what really happened. I don’t believe for one minute that you would cheat on Spinelli or hurt him in any way.”

Maxie squeezed her eyes tight. “But I did,” she whispered. When she opened her eyes again she saw Claudia Zacchara walk into the ER and over to the nurse’s station. Maxie felt her blood boil. There was her accomplice, the woman who set the events in motion. She ran over to Claudia at full speed and shoved her. “Did you send him? Did you?

“Get off me!” Claudia pushed Maxie away. “What the hell are you talking about” She looked across the room and saw Jason. She lowered her voice. “I heard you were here. What happened to the plan?”

“Screw the plan!” Maxie screamed. A wave of dizziness overcame her. She put her hand over her heart and dropped to the floor.

Sam rushed over. “Maxie, are you okay? I think we need a nurse over here! She has a weak heart.”

Nadine grabbed a gurney and Leyla helped her lift Maxie onto it. They wheeled her away to an exam room. Sam followed them.

“Would somebody please tell me what the hell is going on?” Claudia demanded.

Lu Lu watched Maxie get taken away on a gurney then she stared at the older woman with contempt. “It was your idea wasn’t it? You wanted Johnny and me apart so badly you would do anything.”

Claudia smirked and shrugged. “I would do anything to protect my brother.”

“Only one problem with your plan. Maxie is in love with Spinelli. She wanted to be with him, not Johnny. And now, thanks to you, she may never get the chance.”

“What are you talking about?”

Jason walked over. “Spinelli’s in surgery fighting for his life right now.”

Claudia gasped. “Spinelli? What happened?”

“Your plan backfired, Claudia. Spinelli was the one who walked in on Maxie and Johnny. Not me.”

Claudia's eyes filled with tears and she sunk into the nearest chair.

Jason kneeled beside her and whispered in her ear, “You better pray he makes it through the surgery… or you won’t make it through the night.”