When Dani’s phone rang as she drove away from the cinema, she expected Nina, checking to make sure she’d gotten back safely after lunch, or Pete, wondering whether she’d be around for dinner. Seeing Max’s name on the caller ID instead, for a moment she imagined the worst -- the piece of shit truck he drove breaking down; or a horde of the undead cutting him off; or a sudden appearance by that other gang, the ones that tagged their territory with a jaguar head and were rumored to be even more ruthless than the Hounds.
Her foot moved to the break, slowing the car to a crawl, and she answered the call. “Hello?”
A smile slowly spread across her face as Max responded, and she accelerated forward again, turning off Walsh Tarlton and heading back downtown. She glanced in the rearview mirror out of habit, but of course there was no other traffic on the road. It was nice, in that respect, not to have to ride through the desolate city with only her thoughts for company. She hit the speakerphone button, letting Max’s voice fill the empty car as she waited for the punchline.
“That was awful,” Dani said, when it came. The pun made her roll her eyes, despite the fact that no one was there to witness, but she was laughing too. It had been a long time, too long, since the last dumb joke she'd heard Max tell. It felt nice. Normal.
“Alright, hit me with another one. I'm guessing you do have another one?” It was a good fifteen minutes back to the hospital, maybe more with the inevitable detours. Jokes wouldn't last them the whole way, but she could think of something else to keep Max on the phone for a little longer, maybe even that story of Helen and the plastic rat someone kept tormenting her with. It didn't matter what the topic was, though. They were starting to talk like friends again. That was all that mattered.