ImmobileThree: Step By Step

General disclaimer: Max Steel belongs to many companies, Kids’ WB!, two different computer animation companies, and a whole mess-o corporate executives. This story is my personal work derived from my inner child getting hold of an uzi and obliterating my good side.

A determined look crossed Max’s face. He gripped the bars, and very easily pulled himself free of the chair. Six weeks since the accident, and he still couldn’t walk.

“Easy, hermano,” Berto cautioned. The young man nodded, and turned his full attention to the task at hand. Six long weeks. He’d promised her he’d keep trying. There was no way he could give up now. A hand touched his shoulder.

“Good luck,” Rachel encouraged. She winked at him. He grinned in response, and reset his focus. The left leg twitched slightly, as it had been constantly for the last few weeks. But, that was the most it ever did.

“I’ll say. Come on, hermano. Try again,” Berto piped. The older agent nodded, and resumed his seemingly impossible task. Without warning, his right arm gave out. There was a dull thud as his head connected with the left railing on the way down. He groaned when he landed. Everyone was by him in a moment.

“Max, are you all right?” Rachel questioned worriedly. The young man reached up to his head, making sure there was no big dent or missing piece.

“Nice landing, Steel,” Kat quipped as Berto and Rachel got the boy up and into the chair. Max shot her a good-natured glare. Rachel sighed at both of them as she gripped the handles of the wheechair.

Four or five hours later, Max had just been returned to his room after another x-ray. Berto pushed the wheelchair into it’s place at the foot of the bed. Max glared at it, idly rubbing a needle mark in the crook of his left arm. Berto moved towards the door.

“I hate that thing. Have I mentioned that?” he said suddenly. From the door, the younger agent turned and chuckled.

“Many times, hermano. Get some rest. I’ll have those test results back in an hour or two,” the boy said firmly, then left the room. Max chuckled to himself, and closed his eyes. He was asleep within a few minutes.

Not an hour later, the sleeping agent was woken by something striking the end of his bed. He looked to see Rachel shifting the wheelchair to the side of the bed.

“Hi,” he greeted, yawning. She turned her head to look at him. She smiled in response, and let go of the chair.

“I thought you might want to go finish this morning’s session. What with how boring it is in here and all,” she explained idly, fingers drumming on the back of the chair. Max nodded his agreement, and looked around.

“Where’s Berto? Doesn’t it take both of you to get me into the chair?” he questioned. Rachel shot him a confident smirk.

“I’ve picked you up before,” she said stubbornly. He grinned, and shrugged in defeat. She pushed the chair up alongside the bed, and pulled him into a sitting position on the edge of the mattress. He stretched, trying to work out the kinks that came from being trapped in the cursed medical area.

“Put your arms around my shoulders,” Rachel told him. A little shyly, he reached up, and did as told. She linked her hands around his waist, and leaned back. A little too far. Both of them yelped, and with a thud, they found themselves on the floor. Blue eyes locked on green, and held them. A black curtain dropped everything out of view except them. For several seconds, they were frozen, neither wanting to let the moment go. Finally, Max braced both hands on either side of Rachel’s head, and pushed himself up.

“If someone came in right now, we’d have a lot of explaining to do,” she noted. Max looked down at the position they were in. Full body contact, her under him. He turned even redder.

“Geez, Rachel, I’m sorry...” he started to apologize. She put a finger to his lips, stopping the flow of words.

“It’s not your fault, Max. Come on, let’s get up, and get down to the rehab center,” she said calmly, as if nothing had happened. The younger agent pushed himself up, and she squirmed out from under him. Obviously, she was decidedly embarassed, but was careful not to let it show. She reached down and caught him across the chest, and, with much struggling and effort on the part of both, managed to get him into the chair.

They didn’t run into a single person on their way to the rehab. Considering it was around ten, it wasn’t too surprising. The doors slid open, and they entered the by now familiar room.

“It’s so quiet in here,” Max observed in a surprised voice. Rachel chuckled softly, and rolled her eyes. She pushed the chair over to the ramp, and put the brake on.

“We both know the drill. Come on,” she said soothingly, taking his left wrist. He nodded, and pulled himself up. The easy part. She kept her hands on his arm.

“Those happen everyday, or so I’m told,” she agreed. Max looked at the ramp ahead of him, and pulled his leg. Nothing happened, not even the twitch. He looked up at her worriedly. Her fingertips stroked his wrist comfortingly, encouragingly. You’re stronger than this, Max. Push yourself, and you’ll succeed, she thought. He struggled again, and his hand was suddenly ripped from the blonde agent’s grip as he toppled forward to land hard on his hands.

“One’s not happening right now,” he groaned as she knelt beside him, placing her right hand over his left. He looked up at her.

“They take time to set in. Come on. Let’s give that another try,” she said firmly, tugging on his wrist. He chuckled softly, and gripped the bar above his head, dragging his protesting body back up. He was shaking slightly from the exertion. Her hand moved up his arm, tracing the muscles in the limb, and then clamped firmly onto his shoulder. A bead of sweat trickled down his face as he forced his leg to move. It twitched, and he found himself back on the floor.

“Oh, this is fun,” he grumbled, pushing his upper off the floor. Rachel pulled him back to his feet. An idea came to her. After making sure he had a secure grip on the bar, she let go of his hand. He looked over at her curiously.

“I want to try something different, “ she explained, walking down to the end of the ramp. She paused at the end of the bars, and stood facing him.

“Walk towards me, Max,” she directed. The younger agent nodded, and his body again went into the internal struggle. Suddenly, to his shock, he thought he felt his left leg move. He looked down. It had worked. His leg had moved forward a step.

“Wow,” was all he could say, before collasping suddenly, his right leg giving out. Rachel shot down the ramp, and knelt by him.

“Step by step, I guess?” the teenager replied. She nodded, and helped him back to his feet. Immediately, he almost fell again. She caught him.

“I think you’ve had enough for one day,” she told him, trying to move him back into the chair. Max didn’t protest or resist in the slightest. He felt burned out.

Rachel left Max sound asleep in his room, and hurried to find Berto to tell him the good news. However, she forgot that it was after midnight, and that the Spanish agent went to bed early, except in emergencies. By the time the information had reached her brain, she’d been rushing around N-tek for half an hour. With a sigh, she turned to head for her room.

“Nice going, Leeds. If anyone saw you, they probably think you’ve lost your marbles,” she muttered to herself, entering her own room. The bed never looked so inviting. Worrying about Max, helping him to recover, along with the occasional mission had her worn out as well.

The next morning, Max woke by the harsh light of a flashlight on his face. Blinking rapidly in the bright glare, he tried to see who was holding the light.

“Oh, sorry, hermano. I thought you were still asleep,” Berto apologized quickly. Shielding his eye from the bright light, Max chuckled. Raising his left eyebrow, Berto shut off the light and looked at Max curiously, silently asking if the older agent had gone crazy.

“I walked. Last night,” the boy said contentedly. It was Berto’s turn to start laughing. He’d been at Max’s last session, or so he thought, and the rehabilitating agent had been flat on his face last he saw him. Max glared at him.

“Sorry, hermano. But when was this? I’m pretty sure I was at your last session, and I don’t remember you walking,” the younger boy explained. Max folded his arms stubbornly.

“He’s telling the truth, Berto,” a voice said from the doorway. Both boys looked to see Rachel leaning in the door frame. She entered the room, and came over by them.

“I’ll believe that when I see it. Come on,” he replied, gesturing to the immboile agent. The two uninjured agents pulled their partner into the chair, and headed for the rehab area.

Max gripped the bars, hauled himself up, and paused to adjust from the movement. Berto laid a hand on Max’s right shoulder reassuringly. Rachel slipped her hand around his left wrist.

“Steady, hermano,” Berto cautioned. Max nodded, and immediately fell. Rachel sighed, helped him back to his feet, then walked around to the end of the ramp.

“Just like last night, Max. Walk towards me,” she instructed. Berto shook his head in disbelief as Max took a slow step forward, then another. He fell almost immediately after, but he’d proven it. Rachel rushed down the ramp, and knelt beside him.

“Nice job, hermano,” Berto said finally. Rachel’s pager bleeped suddenly. With a sigh, she plucked it off her belt, and looked at it. Her eyes went wide as she read the message. Max and Berto looked at her oddly.

“Kat’s been injured on a mission. I’ll be back in a little while,” she explained, getting up. She was gone a moment later. Berto turned to Max.

“How you feeling, hermano?” he asked casually. Max shrugged, and gripped the bar above his head. He felt encouraged by the events of last night and a few minutes ago.

“Oh, just great, bro. Maybe this’ll work after all,” he chuckled, pulling himself up. Berto nodded, and helped his partner steady himself.

Almost two hours after Rachel had sped off, Max had been escorted back to his room, after successfully repeating his first “trick” several more times.

“Augh. How much longer am I gonna be stuck in here?” the bed-ridden teenager sighed, looking up at the ceiling. He glanced at the door, hearing it open. Rachel entered the room, and walked over to him.

“That’s good to hear. What happened, exactly?” he returned, concern evident in his voice. Rachel grinned slightly at him.

“She pulled a ‘Max Stunt.’ Didn’t go over quite as well as she expected. She broke her arm,” the older agent explained simply. The injured agent nodded thoughtfully.

“You’re making great progress. Don’t try to fool yourself,” she said, then left, almost abruptly. Max just shook his head, settled back against the pillows, and closed his eyes. Moments later, there was a soft snore.

Max was jolted awake by his door opening again, a little more than gently. He registered the person as Kat, with a cast on her left arm, which was also in a sling. She smiled in gretting, coming over to the side of the bed.

“Well, nothing better to do around here. Hey, how’s your arm?” he questioned. Kat put one hand on the sling strap, absently fiddling with it.

“Still numb from whatever they gave me, but it should be fine in a few weeks,” she said finally, dropping her hand. Max nodded, and sighed irritably. Kat shot him a questioning look.

“I want out! This was boring after day one!” the bed-ridden agent complained. The older agent laughed, and reached out to mess up his hair.

“I know. It’s just really boring in here,” he sighed. Kat grabbed a chair nearby, and settled on it. She went back to playing with the strap on her sling. Max watched her for a moment, then up and behind his head at the monitors.

“What’s it feel like?” the brunette agent asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Max looked at her curiously.

“You know. These. What’s it like?” she lamented, leaning over and thumping his right leg, just below the kneecap. The younger agent was silent for a moment, contemplating the question.

“I guess...kinda like being stuck from the waist down in jell-o. Or something,” he mused thougthfully. Kat nodded, and plucked at her cast.

“My arm feels like it’s made out of rubber. It’s weird,” she explained, still playing with the cast. Max watched her for a moment longer, then laughed. She looked at him, and shook her head.

“It’s the way how you keep poking at that. It’s just funny,” he told her, still chuckling softly. She rolled her eyes, and grinned.

“Well, they say laughter is good for healing. So, whatever makes you laugh,” the older agent agreed. There was a soft knock on the door, and Rachel looked in.

“Glad to see you two getting along,” she said by way of greeting. Kat smiled and nodded in the older woman’s direction.

“Well, you know us. We always get along, right Max?” she retorted. When the young man didn’t respond, she glanced over at him curiously. A look of surprise crossed her face. There was a noticable change in the boy, since Rachel had come in, that is. She couldn’t quite figure it out. He shook his head suddenly, and grinned.

“Oh, yeah. Injury loves company,” he added, trying to make light of his and Kat’s otherwise unfavorable conditions. It got a laugh from both women.

“Well, I was trying to find Kat. I thought she might have come by here. Dr. Grats is looking for you, Kat,” Rachel added. Kat groaned, and slid farther down in her chair.

“I take it the guy isn’t high on your list of favorites?” Max quipped wryly. Kat shot him a “are you nuts?” look.

“The guy’s a cerified quack! No way I’m going near him again,” she compained. Rachel chuckled and turned back to the door.

“I’ll tell him you’re in here,” she promised over her shoulder. The brunette agent stuck her tongue out at the retreating back. When she turned back, she noticed that the look in Max’s eyes was missing. Seconds later, something clicked.

“Check that. You love her. I can tell, Steel. Come on, if it’s true, tell her! You two would make a great couple!” she chuckled. Max flushed, and fiddled with a wrinkle in his blanket.

“What do I do? Say ‘You know, Rach. I think you’re a real hottie. Will you marry me?’ No, I don’t think so,” he muttered. Kat sighed, and batted him upside the head.

“Obviously not like that, Max. Just think. In the meantime, I have to go hide from the witch doctor,” she told him, just as the door opened. A bushy-white-haired man with large, thick glasses, an even bigger nose, and a cheerful smile stuck his head into the room. Kat’s face froze in a look of horror. Max stuggled to keep from laughing.

“Kat, there you are! Come along, we’ve got a few more tests to run,” the doctor said brightly. Kat groaned, and got up as slowly as possible.

“If I ever get stuck with him. Later, Kat,” he corrected, just before the doctor and patient left. A moment later, he sighed, and looked up at the ceiling, contemplating Kat’s words. I do love her. But how do I tell her? he wondered, staring up at the gray platerboard. It wasn’t a question that could be swiftly and easily answered, that was for sure.


	Max Steel no Chishiki Baiten Home ImmobileOne: The Accident \| ImmobileTwo: What's the Point? \| ImmobileThree: Step By Step \| ImmobileFour: Now and Forever More ImmobileThree: Step By Step General disclaimer: Max Steel belongs to many companies, Kids’ WB!, two different computer animation companies, and a whole mess-o corporate executives. This story is my personal work derived from my inner child getting hold of an uzi and obliterating my good side. IMMOBILETHREE: STEP BY STEP BY: Maxy Steel A determined look crossed Max’s face. He gripped the bars, and very easily pulled himself free of the chair. Six weeks since the accident, and he still couldn’t walk. “Easy, hermano,” Berto cautioned. The young man nodded, and turned his full attention to the task at hand. Six long weeks. He’d promised her he’d keep trying. There was no way he could give up now. A hand touched his shoulder. “Good luck,” Rachel encouraged. She winked at him. He grinned in response, and reset his focus. The left leg twitched slightly, as it had been constantly for the last few weeks. But, that was the most it ever did. “Ugh. It’s even more stubborn than I am,” he sighed after a moment, relaxing. “I’ll say. Come on, hermano. Try again,” Berto piped. The older agent nodded, and resumed his seemingly impossible task. Without warning, his right arm gave out. There was a dull thud as his head connected with the left railing on the way down. He groaned when he landed. Everyone was by him in a moment. “Max, are you all right?” Rachel questioned worriedly. The young man reached up to his head, making sure there was no big dent or missing piece. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he assured after a second. Berto patted his shoulder. “Nice landing, Steel,” Kat quipped as Berto and Rachel got the boy up and into the chair. Max shot her a good-natured glare. Rachel sighed at both of them as she gripped the handles of the wheechair. Four or five hours later, Max had just been returned to his room after another x-ray. Berto pushed the wheelchair into it’s place at the foot of the bed. Max glared at it, idly rubbing a needle mark in the crook of his left arm. Berto moved towards the door. “I hate that thing. Have I mentioned that?” he said suddenly. From the door, the younger agent turned and chuckled. “Many times, hermano. Get some rest. I’ll have those test results back in an hour or two,” the boy said firmly, then left the room. Max chuckled to himself, and closed his eyes. He was asleep within a few minutes. Not an hour later, the sleeping agent was woken by something striking the end of his bed. He looked to see Rachel shifting the wheelchair to the side of the bed. “Hi,” he greeted, yawning. She turned her head to look at him. She smiled in response, and let go of the chair. “I thought you might want to go finish this morning’s session. What with how boring it is in here and all,” she explained idly, fingers drumming on the back of the chair. Max nodded his agreement, and looked around. “Where’s Berto? Doesn’t it take both of you to get me into the chair?” he questioned. Rachel shot him a confident smirk. “I’ve picked you up before,” she said stubbornly. He grinned, and shrugged in defeat. She pushed the chair up alongside the bed, and pulled him into a sitting position on the edge of the mattress. He stretched, trying to work out the kinks that came from being trapped in the cursed medical area. “Put your arms around my shoulders,” Rachel told him. A little shyly, he reached up, and did as told. She linked her hands around his waist, and leaned back. A little too far. Both of them yelped, and with a thud, they found themselves on the floor. Blue eyes locked on green, and held them. A black curtain dropped everything out of view except them. For several seconds, they were frozen, neither wanting to let the moment go. Finally, Max braced both hands on either side of Rachel’s head, and pushed himself up. “Oops,” he said, flushing in embarassment. Rachel smiled slightly, and shook her head. “If someone came in right now, we’d have a lot of explaining to do,” she noted. Max looked down at the position they were in. Full body contact, her under him. He turned even redder. “Geez, Rachel, I’m sorry...” he started to apologize. She put a finger to his lips, stopping the flow of words. “It’s not your fault, Max. Come on, let’s get up, and get down to the rehab center,” she said calmly, as if nothing had happened. The younger agent pushed himself up, and she squirmed out from under him. Obviously, she was decidedly embarassed, but was careful not to let it show. She reached down and caught him across the chest, and, with much struggling and effort on the part of both, managed to get him into the chair. They didn’t run into a single person on their way to the rehab. Considering it was around ten, it wasn’t too surprising. The doors slid open, and they entered the by now familiar room. “It’s so quiet in here,” Max observed in a surprised voice. Rachel chuckled softly, and rolled her eyes. She pushed the chair over to the ramp, and put the brake on. “We both know the drill. Come on,” she said soothingly, taking his left wrist. He nodded, and pulled himself up. The easy part. She kept her hands on his arm. “Are we hoping for a miracle?” he asked, grinning slightly. Rachel shrugged innocently. “Those happen everyday, or so I’m told,” she agreed. Max looked at the ramp ahead of him, and pulled his leg. Nothing happened, not even the twitch. He looked up at her worriedly. Her fingertips stroked his wrist comfortingly, encouragingly. You’re stronger than this, Max. Push yourself, and you’ll succeed, she thought. He struggled again, and his hand was suddenly ripped from the blonde agent’s grip as he toppled forward to land hard on his hands. “One’s not happening right now,” he groaned as she knelt beside him, placing her right hand over his left. He looked up at her. “They take time to set in. Come on. Let’s give that another try,” she said firmly, tugging on his wrist. He chuckled softly, and gripped the bar above his head, dragging his protesting body back up. He was shaking slightly from the exertion. Her hand moved up his arm, tracing the muscles in the limb, and then clamped firmly onto his shoulder. A bead of sweat trickled down his face as he forced his leg to move. It twitched, and he found himself back on the floor. “Oh, this is fun,” he grumbled, pushing his upper off the floor. Rachel pulled him back to his feet. An idea came to her. After making sure he had a secure grip on the bar, she let go of his hand. He looked over at her curiously. “I want to try something different, “ she explained, walking down to the end of the ramp. She paused at the end of the bars, and stood facing him. “Walk towards me, Max,” she directed. The younger agent nodded, and his body again went into the internal struggle. Suddenly, to his shock, he thought he felt his left leg move. He looked down. It had worked. His leg had moved forward a step. “Wow,” was all he could say, before collasping suddenly, his right leg giving out. Rachel shot down the ramp, and knelt by him. “You did it, Max!” she said excitedly. He grinned, and pushed himself up on his elbows. “Step by step, I guess?” the teenager replied. She nodded, and helped him back to his feet. Immediately, he almost fell again. She caught him. “I think you’ve had enough for one day,” she told him, trying to move him back into the chair. Max didn’t protest or resist in the slightest. He felt burned out. Rachel left Max sound asleep in his room, and hurried to find Berto to tell him the good news. However, she forgot that it was after midnight, and that the Spanish agent went to bed early, except in emergencies. By the time the information had reached her brain, she’d been rushing around N-tek for half an hour. With a sigh, she turned to head for her room. “Nice going, Leeds. If anyone saw you, they probably think you’ve lost your marbles,” she muttered to herself, entering her own room. The bed never looked so inviting. Worrying about Max, helping him to recover, along with the occasional mission had her worn out as well. ***** The next morning, Max woke by the harsh light of a flashlight on his face. Blinking rapidly in the bright glare, he tried to see who was holding the light. “Oh, sorry, hermano. I thought you were still asleep,” Berto apologized quickly. Shielding his eye from the bright light, Max chuckled. Raising his left eyebrow, Berto shut off the light and looked at Max curiously, silently asking if the older agent had gone crazy. “I did it, bro,” the bed-ridden agent explained. Still confused, Berto shook his head. “Did what, hermano?” he questioned with interest. Max grinned proudly. “I walked. Last night,” the boy said contentedly. It was Berto’s turn to start laughing. He’d been at Max’s last session, or so he thought, and the rehabilitating agent had been flat on his face last he saw him. Max glared at him. “Sorry, hermano. But when was this? I’m pretty sure I was at your last session, and I don’t remember you walking,” the younger boy explained. Max folded his arms stubbornly. “I did! Rachel was there, she helped me!” he complained. “He’s telling the truth, Berto,” a voice said from the doorway. Both boys looked to see Rachel leaning in the door frame. She entered the room, and came over by them. “I’ll believe that when I see it. Come on,” he replied, gesturing to the immboile agent. The two uninjured agents pulled their partner into the chair, and headed for the rehab area. Max gripped the bars, hauled himself up, and paused to adjust from the movement. Berto laid a hand on Max’s right shoulder reassuringly. Rachel slipped her hand around his left wrist. “Steady, hermano,” Berto cautioned. Max nodded, and immediately fell. Rachel sighed, helped him back to his feet, then walked around to the end of the ramp. “Just like last night, Max. Walk towards me,” she instructed. Berto shook his head in disbelief as Max took a slow step forward, then another. He fell almost immediately after, but he’d proven it. Rachel rushed down the ramp, and knelt beside him. “Nice job, hermano,” Berto said finally. Rachel’s pager bleeped suddenly. With a sigh, she plucked it off her belt, and looked at it. Her eyes went wide as she read the message. Max and Berto looked at her oddly. “Kat’s been injured on a mission. I’ll be back in a little while,” she explained, getting up. She was gone a moment later. Berto turned to Max. “How you feeling, hermano?” he asked casually. Max shrugged, and gripped the bar above his head. He felt encouraged by the events of last night and a few minutes ago. “Oh, just great, bro. Maybe this’ll work after all,” he chuckled, pulling himself up. Berto nodded, and helped his partner steady himself. Almost two hours after Rachel had sped off, Max had been escorted back to his room, after successfully repeating his first “trick” several more times. “Augh. How much longer am I gonna be stuck in here?” the bed-ridden teenager sighed, looking up at the ceiling. He glanced at the door, hearing it open. Rachel entered the room, and walked over to him. “Kat’s in recovery. She’ll be fine,” she said in greeting. Max nodded, and smiled. “That’s good to hear. What happened, exactly?” he returned, concern evident in his voice. Rachel grinned slightly at him. “She pulled a ‘Max Stunt.’ Didn’t go over quite as well as she expected. She broke her arm,” the older agent explained simply. The injured agent nodded thoughtfully. “Figures,” he chuckled. Rachel nodded, and patted his hand. “You’re making great progress. Don’t try to fool yourself,” she said, then left, almost abruptly. Max just shook his head, settled back against the pillows, and closed his eyes. Moments later, there was a soft snore. ***** Max was jolted awake by his door opening again, a little more than gently. He registered the person as Kat, with a cast on her left arm, which was also in a sling. She smiled in gretting, coming over to the side of the bed. “I heard about your progress. Nice job, Steel,” she said approvingly. Max chuckled softly. “Well, nothing better to do around here. Hey, how’s your arm?” he questioned. Kat put one hand on the sling strap, absently fiddling with it. “Still numb from whatever they gave me, but it should be fine in a few weeks,” she said finally, dropping her hand. Max nodded, and sighed irritably. Kat shot him a questioning look. “I want out! This was boring after day one!” the bed-ridden agent complained. The older agent laughed, and reached out to mess up his hair. “You’ll live,” she promised, grinning. Max nodded defeatedly. “I know. It’s just really boring in here,” he sighed. Kat grabbed a chair nearby, and settled on it. She went back to playing with the strap on her sling. Max watched her for a moment, then up and behind his head at the monitors. “What’s it feel like?” the brunette agent asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Max looked at her curiously. “What?” he inquired, raising an eyebrow. Kat grinned slightly, and shook her head. “You know. These. What’s it like?” she lamented, leaning over and thumping his right leg, just below the kneecap. The younger agent was silent for a moment, contemplating the question. “I guess...kinda like being stuck from the waist down in jell-o. Or something,” he mused thougthfully. Kat nodded, and plucked at her cast. “My arm feels like it’s made out of rubber. It’s weird,” she explained, still playing with the cast. Max watched her for a moment longer, then laughed. She looked at him, and shook her head. “You are amused by the oddest things, Steel,” she told him. Max shrugged innocently. “It’s the way how you keep poking at that. It’s just funny,” he told her, still chuckling softly. She rolled her eyes, and grinned. “Well, they say laughter is good for healing. So, whatever makes you laugh,” the older agent agreed. There was a soft knock on the door, and Rachel looked in. “Glad to see you two getting along,” she said by way of greeting. Kat smiled and nodded in the older woman’s direction. “Well, you know us. We always get along, right Max?” she retorted. When the young man didn’t respond, she glanced over at him curiously. A look of surprise crossed her face. There was a noticable change in the boy, since Rachel had come in, that is. She couldn’t quite figure it out. He shook his head suddenly, and grinned. “Oh, yeah. Injury loves company,” he added, trying to make light of his and Kat’s otherwise unfavorable conditions. It got a laugh from both women. “Well, I was trying to find Kat. I thought she might have come by here. Dr. Grats is looking for you, Kat,” Rachel added. Kat groaned, and slid farther down in her chair. “I take it the guy isn’t high on your list of favorites?” Max quipped wryly. Kat shot him a “are you nuts?” look. “The guy’s a cerified quack! No way I’m going near him again,” she compained. Rachel chuckled and turned back to the door. “I’ll tell him you’re in here,” she promised over her shoulder. The brunette agent stuck her tongue out at the retreating back. When she turned back, she noticed that the look in Max’s eyes was missing. Seconds later, something clicked. “You like Rachel, don’t you?” she asked Max, grinning. He looked at her in confusion. “Huh? What?” he asked, trying to look innocent, and failing. “Check that. You love her. I can tell, Steel. Come on, if it’s true, tell her! You two would make a great couple!” she chuckled. Max flushed, and fiddled with a wrinkle in his blanket. “What do I do? Say ‘You know, Rach. I think you’re a real hottie. Will you marry me?’ No, I don’t think so,” he muttered. Kat sighed, and batted him upside the head. “Obviously not like that, Max. Just think. In the meantime, I have to go hide from the witch doctor,” she told him, just as the door opened. A bushy-white-haired man with large, thick glasses, an even bigger nose, and a cheerful smile stuck his head into the room. Kat’s face froze in a look of horror. Max stuggled to keep from laughing. “Kat, there you are! Come along, we’ve got a few more tests to run,” the doctor said brightly. Kat groaned, and got up as slowly as possible. “Have fun,” Max chuckled at her. Kat shot him a glare, and stuck her tongue out. “I will remember this when you get this guy for a doctor,” she swore. Max’s grin broadened. “If I ever get stuck with him. Later, Kat,” he corrected, just before the doctor and patient left. A moment later, he sighed, and looked up at the ceiling, contemplating Kat’s words. I do love her. But how do I tell her? he wondered, staring up at the gray platerboard. It wasn’t a question that could be swiftly and easily answered, that was for sure. TO BE CONTINUED... ImmobileFour: Now and Forever More Return to... Canon Fanfiction Or go back to... Max Steel no Chishiki Baiten