I don't wanna say I'm leaving so I'll stay until the weekend Who: Max Mendelson and Dani Diaz. When: Backdated to August 2, evening. Where: UMCB. What: The night before Max heads out to his new home he says goodbye to the nicest, prettiest girl in all of Austin. Warnings: Awkward awkwardness and potential language.
Max paces for no more than ten, fifteen minutes tops trying to psych himself up to talk to Dani. She said to stop by before he left for his new place, she said it, why would she say it if she didn't mean it? But still he's questioning it, turning her phrasing over and over in his mind. He shouldn't be thinking about it so much. She was just being nice.
Dani was nice. She was the nicest girl he knew in Austin (besides Zhenya of course but that was different). Once he was able to settle his sick mother into the hospital he'd spent a lot of time in her room. For once in his life he was forsaking meals, leaving his mom's bedside only for a quick shower or change of clothes. He felt like he had to circle the wagons so he slept on stiff armchairs and kept mostly to himself, a change for the normally gregarious Max.
Out of nowhere, this angelic goddess in a lab coat started bringing him gifts. Usually it was food; a pack of crackers or a handful of pretzels but sometimes it was a whole meal. Occasionally it was something more thoughtful, such as a book she said she thought he'd enjoy or an article she'd clipped out for him to read. Even if she didn't have something for him, she always made a point to stop by a few times a week just to chat. She'd ask how his Ma was, talk about the weather or to complain about some idiot doctor doing idiot doctor things. Max was as dumbfounded by her generosity as he was awestruck by her kindness and beauty.
But Ma was gone now. The hallways at the hospital seemed to be closing in on him, making him seem more alone than ever. And if he didn't have any biological family left (his MIA sister notwithstanding) he knew he needed to go to his other family, Vic and Zhenya. He was satisfied with the decision, happy to start someplace new with a clean slate. But he couldn't go without saying goodbye to Dani. He'd miss her most of all.
Max finally mustered up the gumption to approach Dani's lab and, after a few second's hesitation, rapped his knuckles against the door frame.
"Hey," Max said, wiggling his fingers in a lame attempt at a wave. "I'm shipping off tomorrow. Thought I'd, you know, say hi. And bye."