‹ Prequel: mobster mash
love in the time of trash fires
four
The first month was hard. Even after getting discharged from the hospital, Max had a long way to go in terms of recovery. He couldn’t get up the stairs to the bedroom, so Athena had to set up the couch for him. For the first week or so he could only eat soft and bland foods, which Athena ate with him out of solidarity despite his protests.
The hounds visited early on, though after that Athena told them they were only having Michael over to bring them groceries and check up on Max. Lion and Bobo were both pretty rattled by the situation, too. Bobo, especially. The man was usually pretty aloof, but seeing Max get hurt had shaken him. He sat with Max while Athena made him a cup of coffee in the kitchen.
“I don’t even know what happened,” he sighed. “I did a full check. Like always. Everything was fine. There was no reason for my tires to blow, let alone the engine.”
“Yeah.”
“Is… there anything left of Valerie?” Max asked hesitantly.
“Sorry, kid,” Bobo said, taking the hood ornament out of his inner jacket pocket and handing it to Max. “I managed to take this before they took the wreckage off, but she took most of the hit so you didn’t. The safety was pretty good for a car made for racing.”
“Not good enough, apparently,” Max grumbled.
Athena handed Bobo the cup of coffee before sitting by Max and gently running her fingers through his hair. Out of everyone, she was the most shaken. Max felt awful that she was going through so much turmoil, but she wouldn’t leave his side. She would sleep with him in the living room every now and again when the bedroom felt too far away.
Max looked at the hood ornament in his hand. Despite everything, his heart was broken. Valerie had been with him since he was fourteen. They had been through everything together.
“I can’t believe myself,” Max scowled. “I checked everything that morning.”
“Right,” Bobo said. “That morning.”
“What does that mean?” Athena frowned.
“Never mind.”
“What, are you saying I fucked up my car in the time between the morning and the race?” Max questioned.
“Look, just focus on your recovery,” Bobo said. “That’s what matters.”
“You know something,” Max said, narrowing his eyes at him. “Spit it out, Robert. You have to tell me.”
Athena gave Max a stern look.
“Maxie, he’s right. Don’t strain yourself.”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll find out another way,” Max told Bobo.
“Fine,” he sighed. “We looked over the wreckage after they took you away. We were just as confused as you were. It’s not like you to not do a safety check. Then we found these little things stuck to your wheels and engine. It was too burnt up to tell what it was, but it looked like an explosive or something.”
“A car bomb,” Max said dully. “Someone put a car bomb on me.”
“Probably while you were at work all day,” he said. “Have you messed with anyone recently? Any reason they’d put a hit on you?”
“Not as far as I know,” Max said. “Unless it was one of the racers who wasn’t entered that night. No one else dislikes me enough to try and kill me. And then endanger everyone else in the process. Most of the other guys sent in get well cards.”
“It was probably a petty one time thing,” Bobo said quickly. “Probably that Jonesy. The aggressive one. Regardless, it’s over. Just focus on your recovery. Whoever it was, I’m sure they’re in way over their head and they’re over it. Alright? I gotta go. Get some good rest.”
Max still felt like shit as Bobo left. He looked back down at the hood ornament, wondering why anyone would put a car bomb on him. Since he started nursing school, he hadn’t bothered anyone or gotten in any fights. He was living an honest life. Athena shook her head with a sigh.
“He’s right, it’s over,” she said. “It’s time for your pills.”
She refused to talk about it, and soon enough Max forgot about it. Nothing else was happening and no one was trying to finish the job, so maybe Bobo was right. It was a prank that went way too far and almost killed him.
After a month or so, Max was able to function a little better. He still had a severe concussion and couldn’t move around too much with his broken leg, but he was able to use crutches to get around the apartment. He’d try to convince Athena to come cuddle on the couch, but she was so afraid of hurting him that she would scurry away the second she felt like she was hurting him. He wasn’t as fragile as she thought he was, but she was still nervous around him.
Soon the head injury would be well enough that he could start physical therapy and walk again, but for now, the crutches would have to do. Athena occasionally caught him trying to do tricks or balance on the crutches like they were stilts. She’d promptly scold him for it and put him in time-out, but at least it meant he was recovering.
“Can I trust you to be alone for ten minutes while I take a shower?” she questioned. “You’re not going to fall and crack your skull.”
“I’ll just sit here and watch TV,” he promised.
“You better,” she warned. “Dad is coming by with groceries soon, but I’ll try to be out soon enough to open the door for him.”
“You know you could go out and do the shopping yourself if you want,” Max told her. “I’m really going to be okay at home.”
She ignored him, instead just giving him a peck on the lips.
“I’ll be quick,” she said.
He sighed as she went to take her shower, slowly lowering himself on the couch. He was dozing in and out of sleep when an urgent knock at the door startled him awake. Athena was still in the shower, so Max pulled himself back up on the crutches so he could answer the door.
He expected Michael, but instead saw a posh looking blonde woman standing there. Her face looked so tight that he could barely read her expression, but she seemed disgusted at the sight of Max.
“Ugh, this is the place?” she said.
“I don’t know,” Max said. “You might have the wrong apartment. Where are you trying to-“
She suddenly shoved past him to walk into the apartment. She thrust a snakeskin handbag into his hands and he felt his head start to spin a bit, holding the bag like an idiot.
“Ma’am, I think you have the wrong-“
“Where is Athena?” the woman asked. “I was told she’d be here.”
Still confused, Max could hardly piece together a sentence.
“Athena? She’s- who-“
“Mom?!”
Athena had appeared in the doorway in her bathrobe and pajama pants, toweling off her wet hair.
“Mom,” Max repeated in disbelief.
“Mommy’s here,” the woman grinned. “Let’s talk.”
Max was still in a daze, but the woman removed her coat and shoved it into his hands. He stumbled back and used the wall to ease himself. Maybe this was just another medicated hallucination, but it looked like Athena’s mother had found her.
The hounds visited early on, though after that Athena told them they were only having Michael over to bring them groceries and check up on Max. Lion and Bobo were both pretty rattled by the situation, too. Bobo, especially. The man was usually pretty aloof, but seeing Max get hurt had shaken him. He sat with Max while Athena made him a cup of coffee in the kitchen.
“I don’t even know what happened,” he sighed. “I did a full check. Like always. Everything was fine. There was no reason for my tires to blow, let alone the engine.”
“Yeah.”
“Is… there anything left of Valerie?” Max asked hesitantly.
“Sorry, kid,” Bobo said, taking the hood ornament out of his inner jacket pocket and handing it to Max. “I managed to take this before they took the wreckage off, but she took most of the hit so you didn’t. The safety was pretty good for a car made for racing.”
“Not good enough, apparently,” Max grumbled.
Athena handed Bobo the cup of coffee before sitting by Max and gently running her fingers through his hair. Out of everyone, she was the most shaken. Max felt awful that she was going through so much turmoil, but she wouldn’t leave his side. She would sleep with him in the living room every now and again when the bedroom felt too far away.
Max looked at the hood ornament in his hand. Despite everything, his heart was broken. Valerie had been with him since he was fourteen. They had been through everything together.
“I can’t believe myself,” Max scowled. “I checked everything that morning.”
“Right,” Bobo said. “That morning.”
“What does that mean?” Athena frowned.
“Never mind.”
“What, are you saying I fucked up my car in the time between the morning and the race?” Max questioned.
“Look, just focus on your recovery,” Bobo said. “That’s what matters.”
“You know something,” Max said, narrowing his eyes at him. “Spit it out, Robert. You have to tell me.”
Athena gave Max a stern look.
“Maxie, he’s right. Don’t strain yourself.”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll find out another way,” Max told Bobo.
“Fine,” he sighed. “We looked over the wreckage after they took you away. We were just as confused as you were. It’s not like you to not do a safety check. Then we found these little things stuck to your wheels and engine. It was too burnt up to tell what it was, but it looked like an explosive or something.”
“A car bomb,” Max said dully. “Someone put a car bomb on me.”
“Probably while you were at work all day,” he said. “Have you messed with anyone recently? Any reason they’d put a hit on you?”
“Not as far as I know,” Max said. “Unless it was one of the racers who wasn’t entered that night. No one else dislikes me enough to try and kill me. And then endanger everyone else in the process. Most of the other guys sent in get well cards.”
“It was probably a petty one time thing,” Bobo said quickly. “Probably that Jonesy. The aggressive one. Regardless, it’s over. Just focus on your recovery. Whoever it was, I’m sure they’re in way over their head and they’re over it. Alright? I gotta go. Get some good rest.”
Max still felt like shit as Bobo left. He looked back down at the hood ornament, wondering why anyone would put a car bomb on him. Since he started nursing school, he hadn’t bothered anyone or gotten in any fights. He was living an honest life. Athena shook her head with a sigh.
“He’s right, it’s over,” she said. “It’s time for your pills.”
She refused to talk about it, and soon enough Max forgot about it. Nothing else was happening and no one was trying to finish the job, so maybe Bobo was right. It was a prank that went way too far and almost killed him.
After a month or so, Max was able to function a little better. He still had a severe concussion and couldn’t move around too much with his broken leg, but he was able to use crutches to get around the apartment. He’d try to convince Athena to come cuddle on the couch, but she was so afraid of hurting him that she would scurry away the second she felt like she was hurting him. He wasn’t as fragile as she thought he was, but she was still nervous around him.
Soon the head injury would be well enough that he could start physical therapy and walk again, but for now, the crutches would have to do. Athena occasionally caught him trying to do tricks or balance on the crutches like they were stilts. She’d promptly scold him for it and put him in time-out, but at least it meant he was recovering.
“Can I trust you to be alone for ten minutes while I take a shower?” she questioned. “You’re not going to fall and crack your skull.”
“I’ll just sit here and watch TV,” he promised.
“You better,” she warned. “Dad is coming by with groceries soon, but I’ll try to be out soon enough to open the door for him.”
“You know you could go out and do the shopping yourself if you want,” Max told her. “I’m really going to be okay at home.”
She ignored him, instead just giving him a peck on the lips.
“I’ll be quick,” she said.
He sighed as she went to take her shower, slowly lowering himself on the couch. He was dozing in and out of sleep when an urgent knock at the door startled him awake. Athena was still in the shower, so Max pulled himself back up on the crutches so he could answer the door.
He expected Michael, but instead saw a posh looking blonde woman standing there. Her face looked so tight that he could barely read her expression, but she seemed disgusted at the sight of Max.
“Ugh, this is the place?” she said.
“I don’t know,” Max said. “You might have the wrong apartment. Where are you trying to-“
She suddenly shoved past him to walk into the apartment. She thrust a snakeskin handbag into his hands and he felt his head start to spin a bit, holding the bag like an idiot.
“Ma’am, I think you have the wrong-“
“Where is Athena?” the woman asked. “I was told she’d be here.”
Still confused, Max could hardly piece together a sentence.
“Athena? She’s- who-“
“Mom?!”
Athena had appeared in the doorway in her bathrobe and pajama pants, toweling off her wet hair.
“Mom,” Max repeated in disbelief.
“Mommy’s here,” the woman grinned. “Let’s talk.”
Max was still in a daze, but the woman removed her coat and shoved it into his hands. He stumbled back and used the wall to ease himself. Maybe this was just another medicated hallucination, but it looked like Athena’s mother had found her.