It took Max a couple weeks to recover.

He was able to eat, but it was only certain foods. He was allowed to move around, but not to a point where it would hurt him. And he wasn't allowed back at school until the two weeks after he got out of the hospital. Which meant that he ended up missing the second playoff game, and promised to attend the next.

"Okay, but does he even talk about it?" Kacey asked, shoving another spoon of ice cream into her mouth. I shook my head, shrugging.

Once I had told her that Max had asked if I wanted to try us out as a couple, she had automatically bombarded me with questions.

"Not really. I mean, he jokes about it. But I think he's scared too." I replied, feeling uncomfortable talking about it in public.

"Why? You said you looked it up and it's the same. Aren't you even a little but curious?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow. I sighed, staring down at my empty container.

"I don't know, I guess? Honestly, Kace, I could live without sex for a while. And if he wants to wait, if he's scared, then I'm okay with that." She sighed, nodding.

"I still can't believe that's the same Max that. . . that took my virginity. He's. . . it's like he's a different person." I agreed and tossed my empty ice cream container in the trash.

"But I can almost guarantee you that he at least thinks about it, Quinn. He's a guy, even if he's handicap, he's still a teenager with needs." I fought the urge to roll my eyes and started to walk backwards toward the doors.

"I'll see you later!" I said before turning around and stalking out of the ice cream parlor, now with the image in my mind that I just couldn't shake out.

**

"No, no, I can promise you it's going to be Leo." I replied, laying my head across Max's lap, "He's not the sharpest tool in the shed if you know what I mean." I joked.

"He was my best friend for ten years, Quinn, I know." He smiled, running his fingers through my hair.

"He takes pride in it too. He told me that it attracts girls, acting dumb. Maybe it's all an act." I felt my smile reversing into a frown as I thought about the way he acted.

"Max?" I changed the subject after a second, looking up at him. He nodded, waiting for me to go on.

"What?"

"Kacey and I were talking and. . . and she brought up sex and-"

"Why were you two talking about sex?" He asked, snorting a little. I sat up, yawning.

"We were talking about her great weekend with Troy at his beach house." I lied, well at least partially, "And she asked if we'd done anything. I just. . . I want to know if you'd ever be comfortable or. . . uh. . ." I shook my head to myself as the words died off. How the hell was I supposed to ask him if he wanted to have sex or not?

"Quinn, I can't answer that. I. . . I don't know if it's safe or if it'll work and-"

"Of course." I muttered, "I'm so dumb, I didn't think about it not being safe." He kissed my cheek, his lips brushing against it for a second as he shook his head as well.

"No, don't say that. I'll talk to my doctor, see what he says." I nodded, letting my head fall against his arm.

"You're ready to go tonight, right? To visit Ryan." I felt his arm tense under me at the mention of his cousin's name.

"No, Quinn. We have school on Monday and-"

"And we're going. Our parents both already know and it's only a few hours away." He sighed in defeat, knowing their was no use in trying to fight me.

"I hope Andrew and Ariel aren't over there." He whispered, burying his face in my hair, "I don't want them or Abbie and Brendan seeing me like this." I didn't recognize the last of the names, but I assumed they were Andy's kids.

"Even if they are, they won't treat you any different." He snickered and went back to watching the old Western that was on TV.

"The things I do for you." He finally muttered, caressing my hand. I smiled, laying my head back down and focusing on the movie in front of us.

**

Max fell asleep within the first forty-five minutes of the drive. He was laying his head against the window, his breath casting a fog over it. I kept quiet, keeping my eyes on the road as I followed my GPS.

When I finally pulled up to the house, I sent Ryan a quick text from Max's phone. I was surprised to find who walked out.

I had only seen Andrew McLaughlin from a few of the pictures he'd taken with Max. In them, he had been about as old as we are now. As I watched him walk beside Ryan, I couldn't help but stare.

He was a good head taller then Ryan, and his bicep probably weighed more than my head.

"Ryan?" I guessed, stepping out of the car to greet the slightly shorter of the two.

"Yeah. You must be Quinn." He took my hand and shook it, sending a quick glance toward his sleeping cousin in the car.

"This is Andy, he's our cousin by default." Ryan joked, nudging Andrew with his elbow before walking around the car.

"I can do it my fucking self." I jumped at Max's loud protest and walked around the car to help Ryan. His dark brown hair had fallen into his eyes as he set the wheelchair up in front of him, his blue eyes on his cousin.

"Come on, kid. I'm not gonna-"

"I can help him." I cut Ryan off, pushing his hand away gently. Max looked relieved to be able to have me to grab on to as he forced himself into his chair. I grabbed the blanket and our bags from the gar and draped them over the back of his wheelchair. When I looked back up, Ryan was giving me an impressed look, but Andy was staring at me with a strange look that I wasn't quite sure how to feel about.

"Let's get back inside." Andy jogged up the steps, Ryan a few steps behind him. I struggled to get up the driveway, letting out a sigh of relief once we were on the porch.

"Why do we have to do this?" Max groaned from below me, his head turned so he could see my expression.

"Because it's important." I said, pushing him through the open door. I was startled by the young boy that came barreling toward us with a toy truck.

"I Brendan." He said, pointing at himself proudly. I smiled, waving shyly as Ryan shut the door behind me,

"Max!" The boy cried, touching his spiked brown hair in confusion. Andy crossed the room and picked up an even younger girl out of a pink playpen.

"That's my son Brendan and this is Abbie." He smiled warmly at the little girl in his arms, kissing her forehead. I saw Max wince a little, but I'm positive I was the only one that saw it.

"I'm Quinn." I held my hand out to Brendan, kneeling down. He took my hand and nodded.

"Are you Max's girlfriend?" He questioned, his eyes huge. I laughed, leaning back against Max's wheelchair.

"Yeah, I am. You're a smart kid, aren't ya?" I ruffled his hair and stood back up, turning to look back at Ryan.

"You hungry?" He asked, looking back and forth between Max and me. I nodded, seeing Max follow the action out of the corner of my eye.

"You mind holding her?" Andy held Abbie out to Max, digging in his pockets for his phone. "I think Ari's calling." Max took the baby carefully from him, setting her on his lap.

"You've gotten so big." He said in a baby voice, caressing the small girls cheek, "The last time I saw you, you could almost fit in my hands." She started giggling, taking Max's finger in her hand.

"She likes you." I stated the obvious as I knelt down and reached over to push a lock of hair out of her eyes.

"She likes everyone." Brendan said beside me, staring at his little sister with a frown, "Everyone likes her too." I nudged the boy playfully.

"I know the feeling, kiddo. Everyone loved my older brother growing up. But it gets better, I promise." He smiled and tugged at my hand, trying to drag me over to where he was building a fort out of LEGO's.

"Daddy won't play with me. Can you?" He held out a car to me, staring at me with hope filled eyes.

"Sure." I replied with a smile, "I'd love to."

As I sat and played with the five year old, I found myself looking over at Max and Abbie. He was letting her crawl across his lap, her hands grabbing on to his shirt and necklace. He kept whispering to her, a smile permanently plastered on his face. It was right now, in this second, that I realized that some day this was exactly what I wanted. A family.

***AN***

Hope you guys enjoyed!

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I'm crying right now, so excuse me and please let me know what you thought!

~ChasingMadness24