| 1 Month Later |
"Sometimes I ignore them, like you said and others I cant help it, I totally lose my cool ..." Celia, Maddox's sister was recalling a couple days ago when she was trying to cope with bullies at her high school. She was a senior, but still managed to feel like an outcast. She sat there, looking at Maddox lying there, that's when someone walked in, she looked up, "uh hi, can I help you?" She wiped the tears from her face and stood from the chair next to Maddox's bed, "were you seeing my brother?" She knew his only type, since she could remember was pretty black girls.
"Uhhhhhhhhhhh ... No." Janine smiled, "I'm just a coworker," then held up the flowers she was holding. "I can come back though."
"No it's fine, I'm always here," she motioned to the chair, "come and sit down. What's your name?"
"Janine." She took the seat and shook her hand. "Sister? You look alike."
"Yeah, thanks ..." she smiled, "i get that a lot, however if you saw our brother Trent, now that's his doppelganger." She chuckled, "so how long have you worked with him?"
"Just a couple of weeks before the accident. I was supposed to be training to be one of his underlings," she chuckled.
"Oh, my brother the big boss. Only position he can handle, otherwise he gets in trouble for being a smart ass, too bad you didn't get to know him better. He'd probably fall in love. You're beautiful and black, the only prerequisites he has for dating," she half joked with a smirk.
She chuckled. Janine had heard from the women in the office about his dating habits. "He probably wouldn't have liked me much. I like to argue."
"If i know my brother way i know i do, that would be perfect ..." she chuckled, "he would kill me right now if he could, tellin his business, he knows i cant hold water."
"Oooooh. You've got the dirt." Janine paused and stared at the man hooked up to those machines, then looked at Celia, "any change?"
"Nope. He's gonna be the same jerk he's always been, keep us waiting and wake up in a year or so and ask us, what took US so long. I really and truly miss my big brother. he is my support system." She sighed as her eyes began to water, "I'll leave you to it," Celia left out of the room.
The door closed and Janine frowned. "Your sister is ... Pretty great. Well... I don't have any updates for you. All the season finales have happened and there's nothing else on worth mentioning." After a long silence, Janine told him, "I hope you wake up. No one at work can really do what you do and ... You should have asked me out. If your sister thinks we would have worked out, I believe her." She stood, "hurry and get up so we can talk for real. See you later."
+++
| 1 Year Later |
"This kid is smarter than you are," Celia was joking around as she played with her nephew. Maddox and Janine had a little boy a few months back.
"I wouldnt have it any other way," Maddox said proudly.
Janine handed Celia a bottle, "i think he made my hair fall out. It's an omen."
"But he's so perfect," Celia cooed at the baby as she took the bottle and began to feed him.
"Look at this ..." Janine held her head towards Maddox. Shed gotten a haircut during the pregnancy because so much hair was coming out. It looked fine now, just shorter.
"i see you halle berry ..." maddox kissed her on the lips, "you look fine baby."
"I've always had hair. It was my crowning glory!"
"But this IS sexy." He ran a hand down the back of her head.
She calmed, "as long as you think so." Sitting down, "Lia what's new?"
"living freshman campus life. It's fascinating how different college is from high school, no one is giving me a hard time yet."
"Good. If they do, you call me. I'll go up there. I ain't scared."
"I love it though, i've already met a couple of cool people too."
Janine and Celia chatted a while longer, then she went upstairs to a bedroom since she was visiting for the weekend. "Hey..." Janine got right in Maddoxs face and smiled, "let's ditch the baby and go out. Celia will watch him. He's sleep anyway."
"You bad parent you...' he smirked, "I'm down."
"Yes!" Janine got out of bed and went to the closet, "how sexy will i be? I think I'll go moderately. Let's do a bar."
The two of them got dressed and headed to a bar called Scripts where they held adult plays and comedy shows. Maddox wore a henley, nice jeans, timbs and a fitted cap. he put his arm around Janine, "we needed this right?" He looked down to Janine, "baby, You are so fuckin gorgeous. How did i get this lucky?" he admired her for a moment.
"Babe..." Janine shook her head and looked at him, then kissed him. His compliments were always genuine and she always blushed as if they were first dating. "thank you... You're pretty amazing yourself. I'm just as lucky."
"We have a table up front," the hostess told them. "if you want it... Most don't."
"Uhhh balls out tonight, let's do it.." maddox chuckled and looked to janine, "no time to be a punk."
"I'm ready." then she nodded at the hostess who walked them to a front table. "Don't cuss anybody out," Janine told him.
"No promises." He rested his arm on the back of her chair and they ordered drinks, thats when the comic was announced. Maddox immediately rolled his eyes, "i regret life right now.." he looked up on the stage as Hai, the worst possible person entered the stage.
Janine sighed. She didn't mind Hai but he had a unique ability to make Maddox blindly angry. "I havent seen him in a while," she mumbled.
"Big crowd... Looking good..." is how he started. Halfway through his set, he looked out to the crowd, "So many couples..."
That's when Janine started praying.
"I'm gonna fuckin kill him." maddox mutterered
"Y'all tryna make feel bad for being alone," hai kept on, "so many assholes get the good women... Take this guy for example..." he motioned to Maddox, "he's a grade a dick with a woman like that ... Lemme shoot my shot," he looked to Janine, "Me?! I'm competent. Don't sleep on the job often. Clean the refrigerator everyday at lunch... "
Maddox glared at him, "janine, I will murder him in front of EVERYONE."
"Drink your drink, baby..." Janine touched his leg, ignoring the comedian.
Hai continued, "its like his nose is a radar. He always knew when i was trying to get something to eat. Look at it... Look at the beak. It's blipping like a space satellite."
The crowd laughed as maddox just mugged hai. it wasnt even what he was saying, it was just him, the person, he hated the kid, such a waste of human.
"I have never met a whiter man who thinks he's blacker than the women he dates. It's embarrassing. I apologize, for him, to every black person in the world." He kept going with his set, finally moving from Maddox to some other person. When it was over, he disappeared to applause.
"Glad that's over," Janine looked at Maddox and then noted the band coming to set up.
"Yeah, me too, shouldve kicked his asss in front of all these people, see how he likes that. See how funny that is." He said calmly. Seriously considering it
Janine shook her head and ordered them both more drinks. Not long after the drinks were brought, Hai came out and pulled up a chair at their table. "How'd you like my set, x-boss?" He smiled real big.
"Hilarious." Maddox said dryly
"That's what I thought!" He moved his chair close to Janine, "did something happen to you?"
She looked at him crazy, "what are you talking about?"
"I mean ... I aint tryin to be rude but... You bald. You needed the hair cause your head is small."
Janine picked up her drink, sipped it and tossed it in his face. "Get away from me," she was still sensitive about her hair.
"MAN!" Hai backed up and stood, "what I say?"
Maddox stood up and pushed hai away from the table, "say some more slick shit to my wife again and see what the fuck go down."
"You aint gon do SHIT! SECURITY!" Hai yelled out.
Janine's jaw dropped, "are you serious right now?"
The security guard walked over and Hai pointed at Maddox, in his face, "I have been assaulted!"
"Tell that dip shit to quit being disrespectful to my wife and wont be a problem."
"This mufucka can't take a joke!" He pointed at both Maddox and Janine.
"Look." The security guard said, "if you can't take being heckled in the front row at a comedy show, you should try going to a different place. Let's go ..." He got ready to turn Maddox around.
"No no, thats not how this is gonna work. Its not about the show. Its about what he just said to her right now. Im a grown ass man, you're not about to turn me around like a little ass kid."
"GET HIM OUTTA HERE, PERCY!" Hai yelled.
"Hey!" A nosey black couple that was table behind them stood up, "he went to their table starting shit. I got video!" The woman tossed her weave around and walked her phone to the security guard and played it.
"This is my wife's first night out after having my son, this muthafuca is startin shit. Keep the lil asshole away from my table.
Percy looked at Hai, "you're always in the middle of something. Your set is over, go home."
Hai immediately started cursing but walked away.
Janine sighed and thanked the couple, then she and Maddox sat back down, "you good?" She asked him.
"Yeah im fine, and you look beautiful. Fuck that kid..."
+++
| 6 Months Later |
Lynn battled Doc to keep Maddox on life support. She then had him moved to their home into a bedroom that was fitted with the proper equipment. Only a few months after the move, and while Lynn was reading to him, Maddox opened his eyes. "Maddie!?"
Maddox looked at her trying to say something but couldnt as his moth was so dry. He began coughing a little.
"DOC! DOC!" She started yelling, then got her own water bottle and gently held it to his lips. At least he could move his mouth. That's a plus. "Oh baby ..." She gently poured the water in in small drips and started crying.
Doc came in and couldnt believe his eyes, "finally ..." he sat on the side of Maddox.
"I need to call the doctor," Lynn announced, then handed the water to Doc, kissed Maddox on the forehead and ran to get her cell phone.
Maddox wanted to talk but couldnt. Not even something quick witted and snarky since his dad had the nerve to have tears in his eyes. It would be something he'd do in the middle of something so serious
"The doctor is coming," Lynn came back with the phone on her ear. She was answering questions, then put the phone away and moved Doc off the bed so she could sit in that spot.
Half an hour later, as the doctor was checking Maddox's vitals, he erupted in a fit of seizures.
+++
"What are you doing? You can't go in there!" Jeremiah Tanner was Maddox's partner. They were detectives for the Portland Police Department. Both of them were standing outside a restaurant where someone they needed to talk to was inside. "We don't have a warrant, Ames!"
"Look, im tired of the fuckin hold up," maddox ames was the cop who broke the law all the time. He was fearless and uninhibited, "shit, if they wont come to us."
Jeremiah sat in the car a few more moments, thinking Maddox would come back but ... When would he ever. Getting out of the car, Jeremiah jogged up next to him, "we're only talking. That's all." He put a hand on Maddox's shoulder, "don't shoot anybody got damnit."
As long as the sonofabitch keeps it cool there will be no issues
"Jesus ..." Jeremiah made the sign of the cross over his body and followed Maddox into the restaurant. THey flashed their badges and walked past the host, through the kitchen and to a back room.
They knocked and small piece of the door slid open. Jeremiah held up his badge and the latino man rolled his eyes and turned around, talking in spanish. A few minutes after, the door opened and the two were welcomed inside, "my two favorite detectives," Ricardo Montega stood up from a table that was perfectly empty except for the petite dark skinned woman that was draped across it in a sheer dress. She spoke to Ricardo in spanish, he kissed her, she slid off the table and went to lay across a chaise close by. "What do you want?" Ricardo asked them.
"We're looking for someone," Jeremiah started. "Word around town is you would know where to find him."
"I do not know what you speak of," he smiled.
"Hey chachi, we're not here for your no speaka-any english bullshit. Where the fuck is ernesto or we'll make business for you harder than it has to be." Maddox sat down, "how does no room to breathe sound. Not a single moment to conduct what you call business."
"I will remind you that you came into my place without a warrant," Ricardo smiled. "I will make sure to have my lawyer file a harassment suit on my behalf. You two are completely out of control."
The woman behind him chuckled quietly, then said something about a 'gringo' to someone close by her.
Ricardo continued, "better yet. I will call the mayor."
"No." Jeremiah shook his head, "we're not calling the mayor today," he tapped Maddox on the back, "come on . This was pointless."
"We'll see. ." He backed up, gently pushing over a bottle of champagne as it poured all over the table and floor. "Piece of shit.." they left
"You HAD to go in there swinging your balls around," they left the same way they came. "And I'm willing to bet that that bitch will be a tattle tale and call the captain."
"So what! And you aint do shit. "
"I'm not about to get put on the desk duty with you again!" Jeremiah lowered his voice.
"Then switch partners! I need one thats not a pussy anyway," he walked to the car so they could leave.
