Rebirth Into My Second Chance

Max was in pain, yet there he was, leading me to stitch him up. By the third stitch, he let out a sharp hiss. It snapped me back to reality to see his face turn paler, drained of all color.

I had always known Max to be the cold, unapproachable type, yet undeniably skilled and not without warmth. His actions of taking a hit for Ronald spoke volumes of his loyalty. Seeing him weakened, I couldn't help but voice my concern, "Max, can you hang in there?"

He nodded slightly, eyes closing as he let go, entrusting the task entirely to me. I pushed aside all other emotions, concentrating solely on securing six more stitches with precision.

He leaned against Ronald. His breathing was erratic, sometimes heavy, sometimes barely there.

I said, "I must get you some antibiotics and a tetanus shot. I'll go sort it out."

Hospital protocols were strict, but Max seemed keen on keeping his injury under wraps. Why he insisted on secrecy puzzled me deeply.

After discarding my latex gloves and noticing how my blisters had burst open, I grimly set about cleaning the wound further, dousing it with almost half a bottle of disinfectant. Clutching my wrist in pain, I remained silent. Ronald seemed about to speak, but a shake of my head silenced him, not wanting to disturb Max.

With Max in such a fragile state, I managed to get the medication, running into a nurse who recognized me as an intern. "Dr. Floyd, what happened to you?"

burn and touched some rust. Better safe with tetanus." I

hesitated, but I insisted I handle it alone,

I sneaked him back to his office, which

"Your injury wasn't that bad at first Ms. Floyd, that's impressive. Aren't you curious why Max

ant

know about

tending to my hand, the pain was bearable, nothing compared to past experiences. And I

wondering about the man who attacked you, Scar Man. Do you know his

previous topic,

yet. "But I'm interested in this Serenity Bluff you mentioned. It sounds like a place worth checking

immediate alertness was

Max for me," he said, rushing off,