IT'S A LOST CAUSE I TELLS YA
Aug. 27th, 2015 03:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spottoWhat irony it was, for the woman who had been in an accident to be the one to rush over to him, instead. Max's gaze remained at the sky despite the snowflakes that were falling all around him and on him. The pinch of coolness that would touch his cheek or forehead or nose was nothing compared to his elbow that hung limply by his side. But even with that surge of pain enveloping his arm, he could do nothing but stare up at the heavens. It wasn't like he was about to die or anything as heavy as that and was viewing his immediate future. It was as if everything that happened today; everything that happened just now was insignificant. The clouds in the sky were fluffy as they could be, a far cry from the slippery and hard surfaces underneath his back. He could barely register the voice of that woman, who had only been lightly injured, calling for him and asking if he was okay. The guys back at the hotel would soon notice he was late, and eventually missing, if he had not responded or given any information to the sudden appearance of people in dark navy jumpsuits. It was only when his fixed stare of the limitless ceiling above him was replaced by a true ceiling, white and bland in colour, did his mind finally process what was happening.
That didn't keep any of it from being a complete haze. Max eventually attributed his state to the heavy dose of morphine the freshly hired EMT had administered on him, even if he never felt the needle being inserted into his still useful arm. By the time he found himself to be fully sound-of-mind, the medical personnel at the hospital had kicked him out after fixing his arm to a split and wrapping it up in what felt to be far too much gauze. On the bright side, they didn't forget the sling, and Max was an expert at discovering the bright side of life. He had apparently given a statement on what happened during the car accident while he was high on drugs, and had wondered if the investigation team from the insurance offices were aware that whatever he said had to be taken with a grain of salt. The heavily-worded letter filled with passive-aggression and near profanity he had found on his doorstep when he had gotten home was a good indication they did not. As such, Max had suddenly found himself being sued.
"For how much!?" His almost as excitable friend had asked.
"Two hundred..."
Takao began to smile, "Oh that's not too bad--"
"...thousand dollars."
"Oh man. That can buy like, a thousand burgers!"
A younger teenager sitting not far from the two of them could be heard directing his palm into his face, "No. More like forty thousand burgers."
"Whoa!" He audibly gasped.
Max then turned his attention to the other letter he had received in the mail, "Forty thousand...the same number on this piece of paper."
The blonde had barely remembered any of it, but apparently those two or so days within the ER and beyond was worth around forty grand, and that wasn't including the surgery. His best friend of five years had lamented a few times how America, though renowned for its burgers, was pretty lackluster in various other areas. Takao had expected the toilets to be just like the ones in the hotels in Japan, where there was an extra option for..well, extra hygiene. And he hadn't seen a single arcade during any of their commutes through the city. If it weren't for the massive portions of food, which he had considered what was appropriate for the norm, he would've demanded a plane out of the country ages ago.
Max wondered why he would even bring up such complaints as this was at least the fourth or fifth time he had come here. He himself had lost count, seeing as he had a single parent in one side of the world and another in the next. He had somehow managed when growing up to never break a bone in his body until now, and as luck would have it he chose the wrong country to do so in.
"That's harsh man. A whole forty-grand...that's like how much...yen?" Takao chuckled, still struggling to figure out the currency exchange.
"Let's just say a lot," Max put down his bill and sat back on his bed, "Well luckily mom will be able to find a good lawyer...and maybe I'm still part of her health insurance plan? I'm not sure, but until then I can't go back to Japan with you guys."
"Oh that's fine! We'll stick around until you have everything settled!"
That same teenager who remained seated at the table with his laptop stood up, "Takao! We can't afford to stay in a hotel for the next few weeks!"
"Weeks!? You're stuck here for weeks!?" Takao exclaimed in horror.
"Weeks, maybe even months. Who knows?" Max shrugged despite one of his arms in a sling. It's not like his elbow bone was affecting his shoulder bone.
The brunette by the desk adjusted his glasses, "The pressing matter at hand is what we'll do back at the force without you. As dramatic as your alter-ego may seem, you are a crucial part of our department."
"Aw shucks Kenny, I'm sure you'll all be fine for a few weeks. Think of it like an extended vacation!" Max began, "...Where I lose the use of my arm and several thousand dollars."
"But we're strapped with people even with you on board!" Kenny argued, "Our precinct has far too much of an area to cover without you!"
Max though, wasn't worried in the slightest, "Pshaw! You and the guys are more than enough to handle the load! After all, remember that time when Takao, Kai, and Tala spent the week away with food poisoning because of the mysterious lemon pie left at the office party? We managed fine!"
"No we didn't! We let two hit-and-run suspects get away, and the Mayor threatened to lower our funding for our inadequate efforts that week!" Kenny was not at all convinced.
"I don't remember that at all. I caught all the villains I was pursuing," Max tapped his chin with his good arm.
Takao almost slammed his hand into Kenny's back, "Oh the Chief is exaggerating! We only let one get the away, the other was eventually caught two weeks later. And the Mayor only threatened to lower our food bill...actually, that does sound serious now that I think about it."
"That isn't the point!" Kenny continued, "We're not just losing an officer, we're losing Maxman! What will our city do in the weeks without Maxman? Their confidence in the fight against crime will diminish! All the criminal organizations' morale will be boosted significantly! Crime will be rampant! Lives will be lost! Property, destroyed!"
"Well, Maxman will temporarily be relocated to the City of New York! If I know my crime dramas all the bad guys operate here!"
Takao scratched his cheek, "That's well, that'd be cool except I dunno how well Maxman will do with a broken arm."
"Oh what's the deal? I've fought with a shattered knee before once! A little single arm action can go a looooong way!"
"No, Max. You'll have no backup here like last time. You're in an totally foreign environment--"
"Half-American."
"You haven't lived here in years! And it wasn't even this particular city! And if you get yourself hurt again, no one can cover for your damages so you'll be seeing double that bill, or triple, or quadruple!"
-
Why the fuck did I continue this story?
That didn't keep any of it from being a complete haze. Max eventually attributed his state to the heavy dose of morphine the freshly hired EMT had administered on him, even if he never felt the needle being inserted into his still useful arm. By the time he found himself to be fully sound-of-mind, the medical personnel at the hospital had kicked him out after fixing his arm to a split and wrapping it up in what felt to be far too much gauze. On the bright side, they didn't forget the sling, and Max was an expert at discovering the bright side of life. He had apparently given a statement on what happened during the car accident while he was high on drugs, and had wondered if the investigation team from the insurance offices were aware that whatever he said had to be taken with a grain of salt. The heavily-worded letter filled with passive-aggression and near profanity he had found on his doorstep when he had gotten home was a good indication they did not. As such, Max had suddenly found himself being sued.
"For how much!?" His almost as excitable friend had asked.
"Two hundred..."
Takao began to smile, "Oh that's not too bad--"
"...thousand dollars."
"Oh man. That can buy like, a thousand burgers!"
A younger teenager sitting not far from the two of them could be heard directing his palm into his face, "No. More like forty thousand burgers."
"Whoa!" He audibly gasped.
Max then turned his attention to the other letter he had received in the mail, "Forty thousand...the same number on this piece of paper."
The blonde had barely remembered any of it, but apparently those two or so days within the ER and beyond was worth around forty grand, and that wasn't including the surgery. His best friend of five years had lamented a few times how America, though renowned for its burgers, was pretty lackluster in various other areas. Takao had expected the toilets to be just like the ones in the hotels in Japan, where there was an extra option for..well, extra hygiene. And he hadn't seen a single arcade during any of their commutes through the city. If it weren't for the massive portions of food, which he had considered what was appropriate for the norm, he would've demanded a plane out of the country ages ago.
Max wondered why he would even bring up such complaints as this was at least the fourth or fifth time he had come here. He himself had lost count, seeing as he had a single parent in one side of the world and another in the next. He had somehow managed when growing up to never break a bone in his body until now, and as luck would have it he chose the wrong country to do so in.
"That's harsh man. A whole forty-grand...that's like how much...yen?" Takao chuckled, still struggling to figure out the currency exchange.
"Let's just say a lot," Max put down his bill and sat back on his bed, "Well luckily mom will be able to find a good lawyer...and maybe I'm still part of her health insurance plan? I'm not sure, but until then I can't go back to Japan with you guys."
"Oh that's fine! We'll stick around until you have everything settled!"
That same teenager who remained seated at the table with his laptop stood up, "Takao! We can't afford to stay in a hotel for the next few weeks!"
"Weeks!? You're stuck here for weeks!?" Takao exclaimed in horror.
"Weeks, maybe even months. Who knows?" Max shrugged despite one of his arms in a sling. It's not like his elbow bone was affecting his shoulder bone.
The brunette by the desk adjusted his glasses, "The pressing matter at hand is what we'll do back at the force without you. As dramatic as your alter-ego may seem, you are a crucial part of our department."
"Aw shucks Kenny, I'm sure you'll all be fine for a few weeks. Think of it like an extended vacation!" Max began, "...Where I lose the use of my arm and several thousand dollars."
"But we're strapped with people even with you on board!" Kenny argued, "Our precinct has far too much of an area to cover without you!"
Max though, wasn't worried in the slightest, "Pshaw! You and the guys are more than enough to handle the load! After all, remember that time when Takao, Kai, and Tala spent the week away with food poisoning because of the mysterious lemon pie left at the office party? We managed fine!"
"No we didn't! We let two hit-and-run suspects get away, and the Mayor threatened to lower our funding for our inadequate efforts that week!" Kenny was not at all convinced.
"I don't remember that at all. I caught all the villains I was pursuing," Max tapped his chin with his good arm.
Takao almost slammed his hand into Kenny's back, "Oh the Chief is exaggerating! We only let one get the away, the other was eventually caught two weeks later. And the Mayor only threatened to lower our food bill...actually, that does sound serious now that I think about it."
"That isn't the point!" Kenny continued, "We're not just losing an officer, we're losing Maxman! What will our city do in the weeks without Maxman? Their confidence in the fight against crime will diminish! All the criminal organizations' morale will be boosted significantly! Crime will be rampant! Lives will be lost! Property, destroyed!"
"Well, Maxman will temporarily be relocated to the City of New York! If I know my crime dramas all the bad guys operate here!"
Takao scratched his cheek, "That's well, that'd be cool except I dunno how well Maxman will do with a broken arm."
"Oh what's the deal? I've fought with a shattered knee before once! A little single arm action can go a looooong way!"
"No, Max. You'll have no backup here like last time. You're in an totally foreign environment--"
"Half-American."
"You haven't lived here in years! And it wasn't even this particular city! And if you get yourself hurt again, no one can cover for your damages so you'll be seeing double that bill, or triple, or quadruple!"
-
Why the fuck did I continue this story?
