I sincerely apologize for the extreme time gap between recent chapters. I broke my computer so that was a major hold up and life just got in the way. Sorry this is kinda short and I don't think it's my best work, but I really wanted to get a new chapter up for you guys. Thanks for the reviews, I never realized so many people were attached to this story and I did need to at least end the cliffhanger. But anyway, here's the next chapter of Maximum Ride of High School.

P.S. All characters and ideas related to Maximum Ride belong to genius James Patterson, who sadly isn't me.

Recap:

"Would you like the good or bad news first?"

"Bad," Fang and I said together but Ella said "Good."

The doctor ran a hand through his graying hair. "Well the bad news is..."

(End Recap)

The doctor ran a hand through his graying hair. "Your mother suffered a traumatic blow to the head. When she fell, she hit her brain stem, cerebellum, and her temporal lobe. She has what you might consider an extreme concussion. When she was awake, she didn't know who she was. Max, I'm really sorry. Your mom may never recover from this. And even if she does, it is highly unlikely that she will ever return to the way she was before this accident. Her memory and language control is impaired, and there are possibilities that this will affect her vision. She won't remember how to complete simple tasks like making a bed or brushing her teeth. We will be able to continue diagnostic tests when she fully awakes."

Ella's knees collapsed, and Fang barely managed to stick his arm out in time to catch her before she crashed to the ground in a heap. She looked like she'd seen a ghost, her face was sheet white and her eyes just stared at the doctor. I nudged Fang, and he got what I was saying as he and Ella went over to go sit in a chair so I could finish talking with the doctor. I had a bad feeling he wasn't done.

"Is that all?" I asked quietly, my voice catching in my throat.

His dark blue eyes softened as he noticed my vulnerable state. "Max, there is a chance that your mom won't recognize you or your sister. She doesn't know her name or where she lives or what she does for a living, it wouldn't come as a surprise if she doesn't recognize you."

Wow. That's hard to swallow. I glanced over where Fang leaned over Ella, making sure she was alright, but he kept looking over at me every few seconds. I heard Ella reassure him several times that she was fine before he came to stand with me. He slid a comforting arm around my shoulders and I leaned into his side. "It'll be okay, Max. No matter what happens, we'll get through this." The doctor left us to return to the emergency wing of the hospital.

"How's Ella?" I asked, my voice barely audible in its scratchy state.

"Pretty shaken up, but who can blame her. We all are. Max, are you okay?" He dropped the hand off my shoulder to lace his fingers through mine. We left the waiting room, and the white walls stared back at me. Was I okay? Of course not. I just shrugged.

"Max, it's okay. I promise, you can tell me," his dark eyes stared intensely into mine.

"I know," I whispered. My throat hurt, from trying to hold back tears that I wasn't able to control anymore, and a single tear fell down my cheek. A tan hand tenderly brushed it off.

We walked on in silence before finding a deserted corridor where I found my legs give way and I landed in a crumpled heap on the floor. Fang ran a hand through my messy hair, in an attempt to brush it out of my face. I leaned into his chest for a few minutes while I silently let the tears fall. Once they started, they seemed to never stop. It was why I hated crying; I felt so powerless, completely unable to control my emotions.

"Fang, I'm scared," I said, looking straight into his endless eyes.

"I'd think you were crazy if you weren't," he said, looking at me evenly.

"What if she doesn't pull through? The doctor said she won't be able to recognize me, let alone herself. How are Ella and I supposed to get through this by ourselves?" I asked. I was terrified, exhausted and incredibly anxious. I had so many questions, and I just wanted to see my mom, but at the same time I didn't. I wasn't sure if I would be able to stand watching her look at me through vacant eyes, pretending to know me.

"You're not alone. I'm always here, and you know my family would never let you go through this alone. Max, are you scared to see her?" he asked, reading my thoughts as usual.

I hesitated. I felt like this wasn't something I could say out loud. "Um, a little bit." His gaze didn't waver from my face so I continued. "I'm just really scared. I don't think I'll be able to see her and know that she has no idea who I am. What if she never remembers who I am? What if she becomes like a patient with amnesia and I have to remind her that I'm her daughter every few minutes." I shuddered; it terrified me to think that she might never be the same person she was before.

"She'll remember you; maybe not right away, but it'll come back. She's young and strong and if I know your mom at all, I know that she would never leave you like this. She'll do everything in her willpower to get her brain working again. I'll be with you when we see her later, and so will Ella. It'll be alright," he said. His words comforted me, but only for a minute.

"What am I gonna do, Fang?" I asked softly, trying to hide the fear in my voice. What if she never pulled out of this? What if she can never relearn how to cook or clean or say my name? I guess our only other option is to move in with dad-or have him come here, but considering that he left us for his job I would say that is pretty unlikely.

"You don't have to do anything." He told me, his face barely inches from mine. "Your mom will recover; you and I both know it. She's a fighter. If worst comes to worst, you and Ella can stay with us until your dad comes to move here."

"You know Jeb would never do that. He would never uproot his life and job just for his two daughters," I said bitterly. Okay, it was a little uncalled for but I was scared, upset and confused. Ella had called him earlier and he was on his way to the hospital. He had to buy a last minute flight so he wouldn't be here until tomorrow.

"Well if he absolutely refuses to move here, then I guess we don't have any other options," he said, and I felt a cold feeling settling in my chest.

"We don't?" I asked, my hands starting to shake. I couldn't lose Fand and my mom both in the same day.

"No, we don't. You'll just have to move in with us," he flashed me a quick grin and I couldn't help but let out a shaky laugh. He had scared me so bad. Without another word, he leaned in and pressed his lips softly against mine and for a split second, everything was right with the world. His strong hand tenderly held the back of my neck, and everything felt okay. Mom was going to make a miraculous recovery. Nothing would change, and we would stay here forever. Well for another year at least until we went off to college. "Max, I promise. It'll all be okay."

Except it wasn't. But more on that later.

"Thanks Fang," I said, gripping his hand tightly as I tried to prop myself into a standing position. "Should we get back to the others?" I asked, as I pulled him up so he was standing too.

Instead of answering, he leaned in and kissed me softly. He just shrugged in response. We decided to keep walking the way we were heading since the whole building is just a giant circle, we would end up where we started.

When we got back, there was a group of people surrounding Ella, who was doing her best to put on a brave face. As Fang and I rounded the corner, Nudge bombarded over and wrapped her arms around us both in a huge hug. "Oh Max, I'm so sorry!" she cried, her eyes wet with her tears. "I promise it'll be okay, and you know we're always here for you."

I wrapped an arm around her as I felt warm drops fall onto my shirt. My teeth bit into my lip and the metallic taste of my own blood as I willed myself to stay strong, and not let any tears out. "Thanks Nudge," I murmured into her sweater.

"Have the doctors said anything?" Fang asked, getting to the point.

Nudge shook her head, another tear slipping down her cheek. "Your dad called Ella. He's on his way. Should be here soon." Her voice broke, and she collapsed in tears again and Iggy wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and walked her and Ella over to the chairs, trying to calm them down.

I walked over to the generic blue chairs that every hospital has, and sat down. I closed my eyes, hoping to get some sleep but with no luck. My eyes twitched against my eyelids as my mind raced with the endless possibilities that could happen. She might be fine, or she might need to move to a mental hospital. Jeb might come live with us, or I might move to Colorado in a few weeks to live with him. There was no certainty and it was killing me. Literally.

After hours of restlessly moving from the chairs to the floor of the waiting room, sleep came through and I was out for a good six hours. My dreams were awful; they were full of nightmares, and mom dying over and over and over. It was horrible.

By the time I had woken up, the Flock had all gone home except for Fang whose eyes were closed as he slept peacefully in the chair next to me.

Finally, finally, finally the doctor with the gray haired appeared behind the glass doors, and in seconds he was just feet away from me.

I opened my mouth to say something, but he read my mind. "She's awake," he said, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. "But Max, wait, I need to update you on her status." But I was already gone. Once I heard that she was conscious, I took off down the hallway without a glance behind me. I heard rushed footsteps following me, but I didn't dare turn around. My eyes searched frantically for a sign that said Valencia, Martinez on a door. After a few more minutes, my eyes settled on a large wooden door.

"Max, are you sure you want to do this?" the doctor asked, his eyes worried. He grabbed my wrist, his hands soft but warning me. I pulled out of his grasp with a scowl.

"I don't have another choice," I said firmly, reaching for the door handle. But my hand refused to grab the brass knob. My hand shook, as my fingers hesitantly grabbed the handle, turning it slightly. I took in a deep breath, counted to ten, and stepped inside the room. I could do this.

I saw her familiar chestnut hair first, and then her warm eyes as they saw me enter through the door. But then I saw the confusion, the sadness, the frustration behind her eyes. She had absolutely no idea who I was, but she knew she was supposed to know. It was like a dog chasing its tail: she knew she wanted to know me, and knew that she was supposed to, but she just couldn't do it no matter how hard she tried. I knew it was killing her, and it was killing me to watch.

"Hi," I said slowly, approaching her cot. For the most part, she looked alright. Her head was incredibly swollen, and there were two IV drips, but other than that she didn't seem to be in any physical pain.

"Hello," she said softly, her familiar voice causing tears to spring to my eyes

"It's Max," I said. The doctor had briefed me on things I could and couldn't say. She had to undergo therapy and a series of tests each day to test her memory and they were beginning to reteach her simple tasks. They showed her pictures of Ella and me this morning, hoping it would trigger her memory. She had more therapy and these types of exercises throughout the day.

"Hi Max," she held out her hand. It seemed so formal, shaking the hand of my mom who had absolutely no idea who I was. I closed my eyes, feeling the lump form in my throat. "I'm Valencia."

I took her hand, and that's when the tears came. Hardly visible, they traced down my cheek, outlining my cheekbone and jaw line before falling onto my chest.

Her large brown eyes, that strongly resembled mine, looked up at me as the tears fell. "Why are you sad?" She sounded so sincere, so genuinely troubled that I was upset. "Was it me?" she asked again, but that just made the tears fall harder. I quickly wiped my face, trying desperately to hold it together. At least for a few more minutes.

"No," I told her softly, shaking my head. "It was just a movie I'd been watching."

"Ohhh," she nodded, completely convinced my dumb excuse. "I don't like sad movies." She looked down at the ground.

I couldn't take it anymore. She was so vulnerable, almost like a child. She could only formulate simple sentences, and even that took a lot out of her. "I have to go now, but I'll come back soon to visit you. How does that sound?"

She nodded, her eyes wide and promising. I hated seeing her like this. "Bye, Max." She seemed very proud of herself for remembering my name, and I gave her an encouraging smile as I left the room. It took all of my self control not to say "mom", or get angry or upset with her for not remembering me. It's not like she was enjoying this either. The doctors said she had already made substantial progress from this morning, but I found that hard to believe. Yes, it was reassuring, but if in several hours of intensive practice she was only able to formulate sentences, how long would it take her to recognize me? Let alone act as a mom to me again?

I bit my lip, trying to stop the tears from falling but I couldn't. When I came back to the waiting room, Fang was standing right at the door, his eyes full of hope but they fell instantly as he saw my reproachful face.

He gave me a smile, which I quickly returned with the shake of my head. No words were needed, he just opened his arms and pulled me into a warm embrace. "It'll be okay," he murmured. His hand stroked my hair softly, and I felt the tears quickly soak through his dark T-shirt. Embarrassed, I quickly tried to regain my composure, but without success. He wrapped me in his arms, and I stayed like that until I became drowsy, and my eyes closed and I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

I awoke to a very frightening sight. My father, Jeb, leaning on the wall next to me with tears slowly making their way down his face. Jeb, who I'd never seen cry in my life, shed tears as he learned that his wife didn't know who he was. That she might not ever remember him the way she did. His button down shirt, normally ironed until not a crease was visible, was crinkled and misbuttoned. His shoes were untied, and his belt was crooked, missing several of the belt loops. In other words, he was a mess.

"Hey kiddo," he said softly, as I stood up to get a better look at my dishevelled dad. Wow that sounded weird. Dad. Jeb. Same thing.

"Hi," I said, trying not sound as tired and upset as I was. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and to my surprise (and I'm sure his) I wrapped my arm around him too. He looked down at me, his eyes wide but then settled for a smile as he stared longingly at the glass doors that led to the patients.

"You okay?" he asked. I didn't say anything, not trusting myself to answer without crying. "Me too, Max. Me too." He wrapped his arm a little tighter around me and we waited in silence as doctors came out and summoned different people. It was hard to watch as the doctor said something, everyone's reactions were different. Everyone had a different story: some people cried for happiness, some cried out of grief, some yelled, some just collapsed. I pictured Ella collapsing as I stood next to the doctor, mouth gaping and mind whirring.

"Max," Jeb said at least an hour later.

"Yeah?" I asked, weary of what he had to say.

"I talked to the doctors, and um. Well, I have some news you won't be too pleased to here," he began, looking everywhere except my eyes. "Your mom won't be healthy for a while," my heart stopped in my chest as he continued. "and we really only have one option." My chest was on fire, my heart was pounding so fast. I was almost shaking. Was she going to die? "Max, you and your sister and Valencia are going to have to move in with us: Ari and me. In Colorado."

My jaw dropped. Colorado. But we lived in Chicago. Chicago, Illinois. We just moved here two years ago; we couldn't move again. I felt a stabbing pain enter my chest and settle there for good. I had a feeling it wasn't going to go away anytime soon.

"We can pack your things this weekend, but the dates aren't official. We have to wait until we get the results back from the doctor." I stared at him, in total and under shock. I was completely uncomprehending. "As of right now, you are moving back to Colorado with me sometime within the next month."

Okay, so what'd ya think? Love it, hate it? Sorry, I know it's a bit rough around the edges and please let me know if you think it is too rushed. I only want to submit the best chapter I can, but right now I feel like I just need to add this chapter because it has been far too long since I've updated. But honestly, tell me how you feel and I can always revise this chapter and repost it if you think it isn't up to standard with the rest of the story. Anyway, feel free to PM me or REVIEW with suggestions, comments or criticisms. If you are interested in beta-reading for me for this story, or any of my other stories I would love to have your help.

But pretty please with cherries on top review, review, review. How about a deal? If I get 10-15 more reviews, I'll have the next chapter up by the end of the week. Have a superb rest of your day and don't forget to REVIEW!