ROSWELL on PLANET-SF

CHAPTER NINE

Isabel Evans just finished registering for an evening class for the spring semester. Her parents let her slide through the summer and fall, but told her now she needed to be enrolled in school or get a job. They never specified how much school so she assumed one class was sufficient. It was creative writing. She was using Maria’s laptop to type her story about the little girl with special powers. It was harder than she had originally thought when she started doing research on formatting and agents and everything else it takes to get a book published.

She frequently stayed over at Michael and Maria’s working with Leia. Leia was above average intelligence and understood most of what Isabel was teaching her. She got a sense of herself as she taught Leia. She felt valued and confident; things that had been eluding her for awhile. She still saw Erin O’Leary, but not as often. They dated casually, but Isabel wouldn’t let herself fall further. She realized she had to learn to love herself before she could love anyone else again. She was aware it was going to be a slow trek, but she had the time.

As she was baby-sitting now while Michael and Maria were out Christmas shopping, she felt at ease in their home. They had opened it to her and she had stayed. Living with her parents wasn’t exactly what she enjoyed, but until she got a job she didn’t have a choice. Spending the night away from home was something she tried to do at least a few times a week.

During the fall semester she had taken the train to Las Cruces for several weekends. She stayed with Morgan in the girl’s dorm and had a great time with her and Kyle. Next semester they were moving into an on-campus apartment together.

She also liked spending the night at her brother and sister-in-laws place. She couldn’t wait to become an aunt. Should be any day now, she always smiled when she thought about it. How many people get pregnant on their wedding night? The same way it had gone with Maria and Leia it was going for Liz. Everything appeared normal. Isabel was excited, hoping there were going to be some powers attached.

Isabel envied her brother sometimes, especially now. He knew whom he loved and wanted to share his life with since grade school. His future was secure. It would always be Max and Liz. Always. Max was enrolled for the next semester, but Liz wasn’t. She said she wanted to take some time off to be a mother. She was still going to work at the Crashdown after the baby was born and Isabel jumped in with the offer to baby-sit.

Then there were sometimes that she didn’t envy Max at all. His future was set. He knew what he was doing the next week and the next month. He finally decided on teaching. He wanted to be a teacher. What kind, he wasn’t sure about that yet. Isabel felt free. She had no plans, nothing that had to be done. She was finally enjoying life. No struggle to get the good grades or be the most popular. She was finally able to be Isabel Evans.

Kyle and Morgan were in town for the holidays; Morgan was staying with Jim and Amy. As soon as she had turned eighteen she left home. She hadn’t been back since. She had taken Isabel up on her offer to stay with her family for a brief time last summer before she went away to school. Now that her and Kyle were very serious, she had an open invitation from Amy and Jim to stay with them.

She was happy for her friends and brother. They had all found their happiness. She knew she would, too, eventually. Right now she was content doing what she was doing. Who knows? She thought often, I could become the next J.K Rowling.

* * *

Max watched his pregnant wife stand at the counter making chocolate milk. She had her hand on her back, her belly protruding underneath her shirt. He could watch her for hours. She glowed. Over the last nine months he had sometimes felt guilty about her getting pregnant on their wedding night. After all the discussions of her wanting to wait until she was done with school, he felt the ping of guilt. Her birth control pill had failed, that was what the doctor had said; nothing is one hundred percent effective except abstinence.

He watched her drink her milk and smiled. Liz had never complained once about getting pregnant; she had been just as excited as he was. He was surprised how easily she had decided to give up a semester of school to stay home with the baby. Max had offered to take the semester off, but Liz had chastised him telling him he was already one semester behind.

It was only a matter of days now. A few more days and he was going to be a father. A real father. He didn’t forget about his son, but he distanced himself. He didn’t think of Lantham as his son anymore, just someone he was supposed to know and didn’t get the chance to meet. This baby, this child he was having with Liz, that was what it was all about.

Liz Evans went into labor minutes after finishing a glass of chocolate milk. She looked to the living room and saw Max watching her. She pointed to her belly and he jumped up and ran to her.

"Time?" He asked.

She nodded and walked to the bedroom. She picked up her bag from the closet and carried it out to the living room. Max was on the phone no doubt starting the chain. He hung up and looked at his wife.

"Ready?"

She nodded and he picked up her bag. He held her arm and led her to the door and down the steps to the parking lot. It was cold out and he offered to go back in and get her jacket. She declined and got in the car, her hands resting on her belly.

"Okay?" Max looked to her and smiled. She smiled back and clasped his thigh. "I called my mom and paged Michael so everyone should be at the hospital in no time."

"As long as you’re there, that’s all that matters."

"Are you in any pain?"

"Oh, yeah." She nodded. "Not much I can do about it now. We’ll be there shortly."

Max kept his eyes on the road and pulled up to the emergency room entrance. He helped her out of the jeep and into a wheelchair. A nurse steered her away while he parked the car. No rush, she had told him before disappearing into the hospital.

She had been right about not rushing. All their friends and family had gathered in the waiting room for the arrival of the baby, and they waited. And waited. Max frequently came out of the delivery room and gave them updates. The Evanses and the Parkers were loaded down with teddy bears and balloons. Maria bounced her foot up and down until Michael put his hand on her leg.

"Sorry, just anxious." She smiled. Her mom was watching Leia, alone. That concerned her, but not as much as it used to. Isabel had worked wonders on Leia. She hardly ever summoned things to her anymore unless she was told to.

Michael ran his hands through his hair. All the same images of doubt when Leia was born were back. Nothing was certain until the baby came out. He didn’t voice his concerns now in front of the parents.

After five hours of waiting Kyle and Morgan were asleep and Isabel was close to it. Jim Valenti had showed up after he got off work and was sitting next to Michael. Maria was looking anxiously to the doors, waiting for the news of the normal birth and perfect health of her best friends’ baby.

Liz screamed one more time and it was over. She clutched Max’s hand as he looked to their daughter for the first time. He looked back to Liz and grinned, with tears in his eyes, he nodded. She cried and waited for the doctor to hand her their daughter. Liz looked into her baby’s eyes and smiled; eyes so light brown they were almost amber. That night a Warrior was born. Her name is Sloane.

THE END

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STORY OF LINES:
5 - ALL ROADS LEAD HOME

CHAPTER NINE

WRITTEN BY BECKY W

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