Page 46 of After Felix
She gets a few steps down the drive and then stops and turns back. “The house is done and clean. There had better not be any more experiments in your study or I won’t answer for my actions. You’re resting on my last nerve since the incident with the gunpowder.” She looks at me and Andrew. “He’s nutty as a squirrel’s dinner,” she remarks in a warning tone.
“You have my deepest and most sincere condolences,” I tell her.
Andrew shakes his head. “He does seem to inspire strong emotion, doesn’t he?”
“Mainly homicidal ones,” I snap. I look at Max and sigh. “Okay, get in the car,” I command. “I’m going to drive you to the hospital to get that arm checked out.”
“Isn’t that sort of a poacher turned gamekeeper?” Max asks, getting to his feet with suspicious obedience.
Andrew laughs and ruffles my hair. “He’s definitely not the best driver. I nearly had a heart attack being in the passenger seat this morning.”
Max stares at him coldly, all the humour leaving his face. “I’m sure he’d be brilliant if he put his mind to it,” he says stiffly. “Felix has an amazing brain.” I stare open-mouthed at Max, but he just carries on glaring at Andrew. “He hates driving though, and that’s not his car. So why was he driving in the first place?”
“Oh.” Andrew shifts position awkwardly.
I’m torn between glee at Max defending me and ire that he’s sticking his nose in my private life. “None of your business,” I say sharply.
At the same time, Andrew says, “I got a bit drunk last night and Felix offered to drive.”
I gape at Andrew. My open mouth gets even wider, when Max says primly, “Maybe have a bit more consideration for Felix and limit your alcohol consumption.”
“That’s like Marie Antoinette lecturing the guillotine operator on how to cut her hair,” I observe as I open the passenger door. “Get in,” I command.
Max obeys with suspicious obedience. I’m just about to start the engine when he says, “Wait,” urgently and jumps out and vanishes into the house.
“Where is he goingnow?” I groan. “Christ, this is like a long car journey with a toddler.”
Andrew opens his mouth to reply but then Max is back and throwing something through the open car window at me. “What’s this?” I ask, picking up a bundle of fabric.
“A jumper.” He climbs into the car and smiles at me. “You’re only in a T-shirt and you’re shivering.”
“Oh.” I hesitate for a long second before finally saying awkwardly, “Thank you.”
“No problem,” he says sunnily. “Now I’d better direct you to the hospital.”
We set off with a jerk. Max winces and I look at him in concern as Andrew groans in the back seat. “Fucking hell, Felix, try and be a bit more light-footed on the pedal.”
Max directs a glare back at him. “You’re doing fine,” he says gently to me. “Just ignore him.”
Andrew huffs, and I look gratefully at Max before remembering that I’m not supposed to like him. I focus on the road, instead.
The hospital is fairly quiet and Max is quickly whisked away to get an X-ray. I settle back on my chair with a cup of disgusting coffee and prepare to wait.
Andrew fidgets on his chair and sighs.
“Still hungover?” I ask, attempting to sound interested but probably failing dismally.
“My head is killing me. Have we got to stay the entire time?”
“You’ve changed your tune. What happened to, ‘Oh, you’ve hurt him, Felix. You must nurse him back to health’?”
He shrugs. “He opened his mouth.”
I start to laugh and then I shrug. “We have to stay.”
“Why?”
“Erm, were you not a witness to what happened? I ran into him with a car. It’s my fault.”
