Chapter 5
Max, Muttley… MEDIC!
Peter and Penny approached Rachel and put their arms round her.
Breaking the deafening silence, Peter spoke up.
"2nd eh? You must be proud!"
Rachel turned her head, but kept her eyes on Dick the whole time.
"Yeah… But I’m most proud of Dick…"
Penny stared at her face.
It was a mix of happiness, worry and something much, much deeper.
"Why are you proud of him, my dear?" asked Peter with a smirk of curiosity.
Rachel’s eyes were still fixed on Dick, who had finished his hugging spree with Muttley and was peering back at her.
"Because he has taken my advice," she replied out of the corner of her mouth.
Rachel walked forwards and smiled as Dastardly waved nervously.
Peter nudged Penny and pointed at Rachel with a sarcastic look on his face.
Penny, catching his drift, giggled as quietly as she could.
The Red Max walked over to Rachel and put his arms round her.
Not realising Dick was around, he placed a kiss on both her cheeks.
This immediately deterred Dick, who was actually going to go down and talk to her.
Muttley saw his sudden attitude and emotion change and realised what had just happened.
He snarled and hobbled his way down the stairs.
Dick didn’t notice this, as he was in a depressed trance-like state.
Muttley approached the unknowing Max and sunk his teeth into his leg.
"Eeeeyaaaarrgh!"
The Red Max flailed around trying to shake Muttley off, but his efforts just made Muttley’s teeth sink deeper into the flesh.
The crowd peered over the stands to see what all the fuss was about and gasped when they saw the pair.
"Curse you Dick", screamed the Red Max noticing Dick stood in the stands.
Max’s outcry actually woke Dastardly up from his trance and he peered at Max with a puzzled stare.
Muttley’s teeth had broken the skin and it was now bleeding profusely.
"GET YOUR FREAKING DOG OFF OF MY LEG," roared Max shaking his fists with agitation.
Rachel was just stood to the side, not knowing what to do.
Muttley was dangling from Max’s outstretched leg, still growling with frustration.
"MUTTLEY!" shouted Dick.
Muttley’s ears pricked up at the sound of his master’s voice.
"….Carry on!"
The Red Max seethed.
Grinning, Dastardly put his hands on his hips and starred at Max, who was still trying to remove Muttley from his leg, down his nose.
Rachel, Peter and Penny, who were watching everything with open mouths and partially covered eyes, were wondering what to do.
Rachel walked over to Max and whispered something in Muttley’s ear.
Muttley’s eyes widened, his ears pricked up and he immediately let go of Max’s leg and sat there wagging his tail at Rachel.
She held up a medal and waved it around a bit.
Smiling, she threw it towards Dick, who caught it, not realising what it was.
Muttley leapt, splatted on the floor due to his plaster cast and hobbled as fast as he could towards Dick.
Rachel approached Max, who had actually fallen backwards and landed smack on his butt.
He had taken his orange scarf off and was mopping up the blood that was pouring out of his bitten leg.
"Are you ok, Max?" she asked kneeling down and placing a hand on his shoulder.
He raised his head to see a worried face peering at him.
His lips curved into a slight smile that was hidden behind a veil of pain.
Peter, Penny and Rachel helped him to his feet and took him to the makeshift medical centre in a nearby office.
The medic that was on duty had been watching the events ensue and was silently sniggering to himself.
When the four entered, he tried his hardest to drop the smile that was plastered on his face.
"OK, if you could just sit on the table just there", said the Medic.
Max nodded and hobbled, with help, to the table and plonked himself on it.
Penny and Peter had decided to wait outside, as the room was far too crowded with them inside too.
It was a small room, with ivory walls, a white plastic skirting board, blue fuzzy carpet tiles, a large panoramic window looking out over the finish line and a couple of small desks.
The one Max was sat on had been covered with padding and that strange disposable tissue paper that is always used in hospitals and doctors surgeries.
There was a really headachy feeling to the room due to the light colours and the florescent strip lighting.
There was also that lingering office smell.
That nauseating mix of plastic, printer ink, coffee and paper.
The Doc adjusted his stethoscope.
"Now sir, if you could remove your trousers."
Max’s head darted upwards and he gulped rather loudly.
Rachel couldn’t help but laugh.
"M-M-My TROUSERS!" he blushed.
The Doctor nodded.
"Yes, your trousers!"
Max turned a bright shade of red and looked at Rachel in a rather embarrassed way.
"OH! RIGHT!" she exclaimed swivelling round and hiding her eyes.
He took his boots off, along with his socks and proceeded to unbutton his trousers.
Rachel was blushing as well as smirking.
She found it hilarious when he unzipped his trousers, as they made a humorous ‘Vzzzeeuuoop’ sound.
The medic stared at his wounds.
There were deep teeth marks that were bleeding quite a bit, but there were also rather large gashes.
"Oh dear oh dear," exclaimed the medic, "Looks like you’re going to need some stitches and a lot of love and affection."
Max sighed.
The Doctor was talking to him as if he was a child.
"Now, this is going to sting a little, so be prepared," exclaimed the Doctor pulling out some cotton wool and stuff to clean it all up with.
He doused the cotton wool with the strange smelling clear liquid and pressed it firmly onto the wounds, dragging it along them as he went.
Max cringed and his eyes watered.
"GOOD GOD!" he shouted, "What the hell IS that? ACID?"
Rachel sniggered, but tried her hardest to hide it, which made it sound even louder.
The Doctor smirked and reached for the needle and thread.
Max flinched.
He hated needles.
Every time he saw one, be it in real life or on TV, he would break out in a cold sweat.
"Unfortunately", said the doctor raising his eyebrows, "I am all out of Anaesthetic injections, so you are going to feel, pretty much, everything. Sorry."
Max gulped.
"Oh no no no no NO!"
He leapt off the desk.
"I’d sooner bleed to death than have to suffer that evilness", he shouted.
The Doctor restrained him from dashing half naked out of the room.
Rachel, who still had her back to the pair, realised what was going on and tried to help restrain him… Backwards.
Her arms flailed behind her and her hands tried to grip onto something so that they could get him back on the desk.
Outside the room, Penny and Peter were wondering what all the fuss and shouting was about.
It sounded quite alarming and so they decided to check it all out.
Penny entered the room, only to notice that Max was trouser-less.
"OH MAH!" she exclaimed shielding her eyes and dashing out again.
Peter was wondering why she ran out and walked in himself.
He cracked a faint smile, which changed rapidly to a hysterical grin.
"AHAHAHAHA!"
Max, still trouser-less, was being restrained by the Doctor, who’s hands were gripping tightly around his arms and Rachel, who was still backwards, was flailing her arms trying to help.
It was a hilariously funny sight.
Peter arched forwards and slapped his knees, trying to catch his breath.
Penny peered nervously from behind Peter.
"Are y’all OK?"
Rachel smirked.
"Yeah. Just that Max is nervous at the fact that he’s going to have to have stitches done without Anaesthetic."
Penny smiled and pushed her way past the flailing, hysterical Peter and sat down next to Max. (As well as trying to avoid looking at his lower half.)
"Don’t be afraid honey! Why, when I was a li’l gal, I fell over and bashed my eyebrow so hard that the skin split."
She patted his hand.
"I was only three and the Doctor that fixed it had no Anaesthetic then either, but I was a brave li’l gal and I stuck it out!"
Rachel smiled inwardly, as Max relaxed and headed for the desk again.
"I, er, I’m just a little scared of… uhm, needles… That’s all…", he gulped sweating over the needle that was beside him.
Penny patted his hand again.
"Now don’t you worry! It’ll be over before you know it!"
Max smiled nervously.
"Besides", she exclaimed grabbing hold of Rachel’s hand, "Rachel’s here! She’ll help you!"
Penny tugged her towards him, spinning her round in the process.
Putting Rachel’s hand in Max’s, she stood up and headed for the door.
Peter staggered his way out, clutching his stomach, still laughing and virtually crying.
Rachel was stood in front of Max.
She blushed as red as a tomato.
Max held her hand firmly.
He liked the feeling of her hand in his, it made him feel secure and safe, as if nothing in the world could harm him.
She sat down on the seat next to the desk and smiled softly at him.
"Don’t worry."
Those words stunned Max and echoed through his mind.
She rubbed her thumb against the palm of his hand, trying to reassure him that everything was going to be ok.
"OK?", asked the Doc raising the needle up.
Turning his head to face the Doc, then turning it back to face Rachel, Max placed his other hand on top of Rachel’s hand, squeezing it.
"…yes… OK."
The Doctor threaded the needle and pierced the skin.
Max winced.
It was an unusual sensation.
The needle poked into the flesh, stretched it, then poked out the other end.
He wasn’t feeling the pain, as his mind was too busy to notice it.
He was staring into Rachel’s eyes.
He started sweating, but this time it wasn’t out of fear.
He swallowed loudly, as he started to shift uneasily in his seat.
The Doctor tapped Max on his leg and edged away.
"There we are, all done", he exclaimed removing his rubber gloves.
Rachel smiled again.
"That wasn’t so bad was it?"
Max turned his head and stared at his now stitched up wounds.
"No… No it wasn’t. Thank you."
After Max had put his trousers back on and had thanked the Doctor, the two exited the room and were met by Peter and Penny.
"How did it go", asked Penny leaping out her chair.
Max smiled faintly, almost in a trance. (Again)
He started to speak softly.
"It was fine… It’s always fine when I’m with her…"
"Her", asked Peter Perfect, "Rachel you mean?"
Max just smiled dreamily again and staggered off towards the pits.
Penny gasped as quietly as she could to herself, as she watched Max stumble off with Rachel helping him along.
He put his arm around her shoulders and slowly eased her unknowingly towards him.
"Oh mah…", exclaimed Penny after they had gone from sight.
Peter turned round to see why Penny was so startled.
Half expecting there to be a spider crawling across her or a rat or mouse attacking her, he immediately readied himself by leaping and falling into a crouch stance.
"WHAT, WHAT?" he shouted.
Penny looked puzzled.
"I think that there is a big problem at hand here, I sure do," she said after much puzzled silence.
Peter’s eyes darted from left to right as he started to relax slightly.
"Yo-you do? With what?" he asked.
"Well, I think that the Red Max here is becoming quite attracted to Rachel, so it’s a problem for the whole Dick and Rachel coupling."
Peter stood up straight and covered his eyes.
"Ohhh dear… Was THAT all?"
"What do you mean ‘Was That All?’ Its really serious", exclaimed Penny frowning and putting her hands on her hips.
"I thought you were being attacked or something with the exclamation you gave", sighed Peter.
Penny shook her head in disbelief and walked off.
Peter shrugged and walked after her.
