CHAPTER FOUR

Liz was curled against Max sitting on her roof.  A hot, humid night nearing the end of June.  Liz was smiling, content in the arms of her adoring boyfriend.  She sighed and snuggled in closer to him.

"Liz."  He kissed the top of her head and she turned up to peer in his eyes.  "I've been thinking.  A lot.  If you still want to try your plan, then we'll try it."

"Seriously?"  She sat up and looked at him incredulously.  "I'd all but given up hope that we'd ever be together."

"If you really, truly believe that we have a chance of getting rid of her, then let's do it."

"No pun intended?"

"I'm serious, Liz."  He shook his head.  "This has been driving me crazy for weeks.  Should we or shouldn't we?  I still don't know if it's the right thing, but we can't our lives on hold forever."

"I'm so glad you finally see it my way!"  She kissed the corner of his mouth.  "I can't wait.  When?"

"Well, can I prepare a little?"  He frowned.  "I've been wanting this as long as you have, probably longer.  Definitely longer.  I want to make it special.  Do I have time to make it special?"

"Max, you have time to do anything you want," she grinned.  "Wow.  This is so awesome.  I hope I can remain, you know, myself."

"Me too, Liz.  Me too."  Max thought this may be the worst decision he had ever made, but for Liz, he'd do anything.  "Give me a few week -"

"Weeks?" Liz interrupted.  "You have got to be kidding me!"

"Two weeks, tops?"

"Okay.  Then you're mine."  She leaned in to him and kissed him.  His hand rested on his thigh.

"I'm already yours."  He tensed when he felt her hand moving slowly between his legs.  "Liz?"

Nothing.

"Liz!"  He almost shouted and placed his hands on her shoulders turning her to face him.  He shook her gently and watched as her eyes flew open.  "Liz?"

"Yeah, was I...?"

"Yeah," he sighed.  "Are we sure we want to risk this?"

"We have to.  I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I want to have a real relationship.  We have to try Max.  Remember what I told you that your future you told me?"  Liz squinted.  "You got that, right?"  He nodded.  "Once we make love we're cemented and Tess is gone."

"I think you're taking that out of context."

"I don't think I care," Liz folded her arms across her chest.  "We have to, Max.  If we're to be together always, we have to."

Max nodded hesitantly; the fear of losing her again was evident on his face.

"You won't lose me."  Liz seemed to read this mind.

"How can you be so sure?"

"You won't.  We'll beat this the same way we've beaten everything else - together," Liz promised.

*          *          *          *

Maria was lying on the couch at Michael's, her head on his thigh.  Her hands rested on her very swollen belly.

"She's a crazy girl," she commented.  "Really active today."

"Of course she's crazy, look at her mother."  Michael's remark earned him a glare from below.  He placed his hand on her belly and smiled at the movement.  "I can't wait."

"Me either, but I am getting scared," she admitted.

"Scared?  Why?"

"Oh, for a number of reasons.  I'm going to have to squeeze this girl out of me in like eight weeks.  Even though the doctor says everything is right on schedule and looks great, we won't actually know that for sure until she's born.  My mom is driving me freakin' crazy, Liz is driving me crazy, I don't know how much longer I work because my feet are like big inflatable potatoes and my back hurts ninety-nine percent of the time.  Good enough?"

"Yeah."  He took a deep breath.  "I thought things were going smoother with your mom."

"Yeah, they were.  But now she's crazy.  Excuse me, crazier.  She's getting a little controlling about the baby and it's freaking me out.  I mean, I totally appreciate her help with everything, but she thinks I'm going to live there forever and raise the baby there."

"Aren't you?" Michael joked, this time he earned a flick on the chin.  "I was kidding."

"I know.  She won't listen to me about moving in with you.  I mean straight up, won't listen.  I explained that I want to wait until I'm comfortable, until we're comfortable, with Leia and then we can make it on our own."

"She doesn't think we can?"  Michael tried to hide the disappointment in the fact that Amy DeLuca still didn't trust him completely or think he would do right by her daughter.

"Well, not really.  We both work at a little theme restaurant and I know I barely have two nickels to rub together.  She doesn't think we'll be able to support a family," Maria shrugged.

"I see.  She actually doesn't think Michael will be able to support his family, right?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to.  I will be able to support my family no matter what I have to do.  Trading in the bike for a real car was a big step for me."

"I know it was."

"I'm driving a baby blue Tempo around town.  Me.  Michael Guerin.  Rebel without a clue.  A Tempo."

"You look hot in the Tempo."

"I look like a dork in the Tempo."

"You look like a dad in the Tempo."

Michael opened his mouth to speak then closed it.  A dad.  He leaned over and awkwardly kissed Maria's forehead.  "Thank you."

Maria tried to sit up and with a little leverage from Michael succeeded.  She swiveled to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck.  She met his mouth and his arms encircled her, pulling her as close as her belly would allow.  Only seconds had passed when Maria broke away from him clutching her stomach.  She gasped as tears fell.

"Maria?"  Michael slid next to her.  Panic.  "Maria!  What's wrong?"

"Pain," she muttered and moaned.

"Oh shit."  Michael stood and ran to the phone.  He called for an ambulance as he ran back to her.  "I called for an ambulance.  They'll be here in a few minutes.  Where does it hurt?"

"Stomach.  Shooting pain."  She doubled over and let out a painful howl.  "Michael...?"

"I'm here, you're going to be fine.  Everything's fine."  He tried to reassure her while wiping rivulets of sweat from his forehead.  "Everything's going to be fine."

"Scared," she cried.  "Leia?"

"She's fine.  You're both fine."  Michael tried to keep his voice even, he didn't want to make her anymore upset than she already was.  A small wave of relief went through him as he heard the sirens getting closer.  "See baby, they're almost here."

"I feel like I'm dying," she moaned and slumped next to him, still clutching her stomach.

"No.  You're not dying, I won't let you die DeLuca.  You are not leaving me now, got it?"  His voice was stern as the front door opened and two EMTs knocked then came in with a gurney.  "Thank God."

The two EMTs got Maria on the gurney and put an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth.  Michael walked beside her holding her hand.  He could see the fear in her eyes as she gazed up at him.

"You're going to be fine."  He squeezed her hand.  "I love you and I'm not leaving your side."

Maria blinked and seemed to smile at him through the fog of the mask.  He held her hand in the ambulance and into the hospital, never letting go.

*          *          *          *

Bret arrived to pick up Isabel the same way he had several times a week for the last few weeks.  She was as elated to see him now as she had been the day before.  He had stolen her heart and she wasn't calling the police to get it back.

"So, how much money are you spending on a hotel?" she asked while they were driving towards the movie theatre.  "I mean seriously?"  Bret had been staying at a hotel for the last couple of weeks so he could stay close to Isabel and it bothered her tremendously.

"Not too much, I get a student discount."  He smiled.  "Besides, I'd squander a lot more just to spend time with you."

"You're so sweet," Isabel blushed.

"We're meeting your brother, Liz and Kyle, right?"

"Yeah," she frowned.  "Do you think this weekend we could do something by ourselves?  I mean we've spent so much time with my friends, you must be sick of them by now."

"Hardly, I think they're great."

"They like you, too.  Even Michael and he doesn't usually like anyone."

"I will take that as a compliment."  He smiled and reached over, picking up her hand.  "Have I thanked you lately for giving me a second chance?"

"Not yet today, but you're welcome.  But don't think there will be a third."  She grinned.

"No need for a third."  He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it as they pulled into the parking lot.  "Hey!  There's Kyle"  He honked and waved his hand wildly out the window at him.

Kyle Valenti looked towards the honking and half waved when he saw Bret with his arm out the window.

"Great," he muttered, walking slowly towards the car.  "Super Dork seems to be in his super dooper dork mode tonight."  He was smiling when he reached the car and opened the door for Isabel.  "Good evening Princess Iz."  He mock bowed to her.

"Kyle."  She nodded aristocratically while extending her hand to him.  He rolled his eyes and walked to the front of the car.  "Ass."  Isabel smiled and got out on her own.

"Hey Kyle!"  Bret walked to the front of the car and extended his hand.  "How's it going?"

"Great Bret!"  Kyle tried to meet his enthusiasm, but fell horribly short.  "How's it going with you?"

"Super.  So where are Max and Liz?"  He looked around the parking lot.  "Have you seen them yet?"

"Nope, just got here myself."

"Oh.  Anyway, Isabel told me you're going to Las Cruces in the fall, too."

"Yeah, I'm going to play football for them."  Kyle's shoulders sank slightly; thinking of all the other big schools he had hoped would recruit him, but didn't.

"Are you staying in the dorms?"

"Isn't it a requirement for all Freshmen?"

"OH, yeah."  Bret laughed to himself.  "Well, if you're looking for a roommate, let me know.  I have a friend in the housing department.  We could be roommates!"

"Oh.  Wow."  Kyle paused desperately trying to think of a lie.  Fast.  "Yeah, well, there's this other guy on the team that I think I'm going to room with."

Isabel, standing next to Bret and holding his hand, rolled her eyes at his lie.  She thought about asking a lot of questions and embarrassing Kyle but decided to save it for later.  Entertainment after the movie.

"There they are," Kyle pointed to Max and Liz as they strolled towards them.  Max's arm around Liz's shoulder.  Kyle waved almost as enthusiastically as Bret had at him.  "Hey!"

"Hey what?" Liz called back to him and then turned to Max.  She said something to him and they both laughed.

"I hate all this cutesy shit."  Kyle shook his head as they reached the trio.  "I mean, could I feel any more left out?"

"You need a girlfriend," Isabel stated.

"No kidding."

"Want me to find you one?" Isabel offered, looking over the selection of females in the parking lot like she was picking out meat at the butcher.  "How about her?  Yellow halter, jean shorts?  Over there?"  She pointed.

"She'd do," Kyle smiled and cocked his head to the side.  His smile dissolved when Isabel walked away towards the girl in the yellow.  He looked to Max and Liz for help.  They shrugged.  He turned back towards Isabel and saw her talking to the girl and pointing in his direction.  Redness crept up his neck to his face.  "Shit."

They watched as Isabel and the girl talked some more and then the girl waved goodbye to her friends and accompanied Isabel back.

"This is Morgan Chase.  Morgan, this is Kyle Valenti, your date for the evening.  That is my brother Max Evans, Liz Parker and Bret Anderson."  Isabel pointed out each one of them.  "Morgan is going to be a senior at St. Joseph Academy in the Fall."

"Hi," Morgan smiled nervously.

"Hi," Max, Liz and Bret said at the same time.  They all laughed.

"So Morgan, do you usually ditch your friends and join complete strangers?" Max asked.  He loved to see Kyle uncomfortable for any reason; it was a bonus if he was the reason.

"Usually, no," Morgan replied soundly, looking directly at Max.  "However your sister here was quite convincing of Mr. Valenti's character.  She did fail to mention yours, and I wonder if that was an oversight or not."

Kyle, Bret and Isabel laughed out loud, Liz was biting her lip to refrain from laughing.

"Alrighty then."  Max took Liz's hand.  "Point for you."

"Truce?"  Morgan held out her hand towards him.  Max nodded and shook it with his free hand.

"So, Kyle," Morgan walked over next to him, "Isabel had very nice things to say about you, are they true?"

"Probably," he grinned.  "You can tell me yourself when I drive you home tonight, deal?"

"Oh my," she feigned a Southern accent, placing her hand to her chest, "I do declare, I think I have found the last gentleman."

Kyle turned red again and the others laughed.

"I like this girl," Isabel smiled.  "C'mon, let's go get tickets."

The three couples made their way to the entrance and bought tickets, Kyle paid for Morgan which brought about another Southern Belle routine.  She had the others in stitches by the time they took their seats.

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