The twins were roaming the hospital. After thinking about maybe following the adults to Jake’s room, they thought they would go in a different direction. All so far, they have managed to accomplish was staying one step in front of their mother and Max, who were still looking for them throughout the hospital. They were having too much fun checking out the sights and seeing what kind of gossip they could catch.
“Maybe we should check in with Mom as she must be worried?” Alexandra asked her sister as they approached Grace’s hospital room. They were curious if the ban over visitors was taken down because they were curious of the girl that was their older sister. “What do you think?”
“We could,” Carrie smiled as she didn’t relish having to meet up with their mother after playing hide and seek from her for the last several hours. “Why don’t we check on Grace first.”
“Let’s go,” Alexandra nodded as they approached the room. “I wonder if they are letting in visitors yet?”
“Hopefully,” Carrie said as they heard a shout coming from Grace’s hospital room, and they rushed quickly the remaining steps and glanced into the room, and found an agitated Grace trying to get someone she was angry at to get out of the hospital room.
“Tommy, get out.” Grace said through gritted teeth. “Shouldn’t you still be in your own hospital bed?”
“Well, you can’t stop me,” Tommy taunted. “The doctor has given me the all clear to get some exercise, and I may be able to get out of this place later if I play it right and it’s not like you can stop me…”
“They might have given you permission to be in the halls, but they didn’t give permission to be in my room,” Grace said. “So, get out!” she demanded of the teenager as she reached for her help button by her bed, but Alexandra motioned in their code for Carrie to go fetch the adults, or the Sheriff.
Carrie rushed off, while Alexandra watched out for Grace from the doorway.
Grace was trying in vain to get Tommy Ellis out of her hospital room. This was the last thing she wanted to deal with after the glow of discovering that she was getting the feeling back in her legs, and feet. After Dr. Cook had left the room and the time before Ellis appeared in her room. She had continued to feel tingling in her limbs, and they weren't completely numb anymore and she was feeling like god was being kind again, and maybe life would end up working out.
Only for Ellis to appear in her room, and all her glow was dampened and now her blood pressure was rising, and she feared how Dr. Cook would react to the newest reading. "Ellis, get out."
"Can't make me," Ellis taunted. "So, Grace, you definitely have been hitting on rough time. I am sorry about that," he smiled.
"I bet you are," Grace muttered. "If the doctor cleared you than go back to your room, or better than that. Go home," Grace groaned. “Leave me alone," she pleaded. "Look Tommy, it's over for us as if it ever started. If you don't want me to talk or officially go to the Sheriff and press charges than go home."
"What can you do, or say?" Tommy taunted.
"I can say you raped me, and press charges." Grace said. "I was pregnant and lost it and you were the father."
Alexandra who was watching eye brows rose and her blood pressure as well as she heard what her older sister had gone through and this boy in the room had hurt her sister and was now lording it over her because Grace obviously had stayed quiet and not gone to their father or other family members.
"That is a lie," Tommy said. "You can't prove that it was me or that I hurt you."
Grace hated that he was partially right because she couldn't exactly go to the authorities and raise the fact that she was raped and she wanted to press charges because everyone knew her secret status would complicate any case as even her hospital records in Connecticut would let the court know that her baby appeared to be older than the incident in question and everyone would say she was lying about the father of her unborn child, and cry rape as a result because she didn't want her father to think she was intimate with Jake. "If you don't want me to go to the cops, stay away from me."
"And why should I do that,” Tommy asked as if voicing her fears. “All I have to say is Jake was the father if you were really pregnant or you went and got rid of it when you and Guerin went on your little rebellion weekend from school. I am not very worried because just like Elizabeth stayed quiet. You did too... And neither are you going to do anything about it, especially not now."
"WHAT!" Grace asked as fear roused by what he had said about her best friend, Elizabeth Guerin. “Excuse me, what did you just say?”
"See I was right. She stayed quiet, and so did you." Tommy smiled as she whistled gleefully as his feeling of invisibility only rose.
"What did you do to Elizabeth?" Grace demanded of her rapist.
"Why should I tell you when she obviously didn't," Tommy gloated as Grace prayed someone would find out about her visit and come and stop it.
*
Carrie meanwhile had rushed to alert some adults to the unwanted visitor in Grace's hospital room. She was pretty sure they would be mostly gathered in Jake's hospital room. She didn't know about Max because she feared her mother unable to find her or Alexandra would bring in their mysterious biological father into her search. She knew she should be feeling bad at the hide and seek they were playing with their mother, but she did personally sort of want her mother to bring in their father and spend time with him. But right now, she was on a mission to help her older sister. The sister she didn't know, and she went to the first place she could think of.
Because she didn't know where Jake's hospital room was, she elected to take out her cell phone and call the main desk and ask for Jake Guerin's hospital room number, and when she got it, she rushed in the direction.
Elizabeth was just about to head back to school when Carrie rushed into the room, and found the Sheriff, Maria and Michael visiting Jake who was itching to get out of his hospital bed, even if it was in a wheelchair so he could visit Grace. "Which one are you?" Jake suddenly asked as the door opened, and Carrie appeared.
"Carrie," said the teenager. "I was hoping to be able tell the Sheriff something."
"What?" Jim said as all his alerts came on, and he suspected that it had to be something important if Carrie was coming to him. "Yes Caroline?"
"It's Carrie," Caroline smiled but turned her smile to a frown. "Alexandra and I saw something concerning, and we wondered if you needed to know or we could get someone to help stop it."
"What is it Carrie," Jim asked as Michael and Maria's interest in the conversation peaked. "Is it your mother?"
"No," Carrie shook her head. "We are kind of hiding from her," she acknowledged.
"Why?" Jim asked.
"So, Mom can spend time with Max," Carrie sheepishly answered and the adults laughed at the teenager's mischief making. "Anyways, Alex and I ended up at Grace's hospital room and we were going to visit her but someone else was there, and she didn't seem happy with the visitor."
"Who is it?" Michael asked, as his trusty soldier second in command switch came on and he approached the teenager.
"Someone named Tommy Ellis," Carrie asked, and suddenly her words seemed to have made the room tense as everyone came alive and yelling soon was the primarily sound in the hospital room.
"Holy hell," Maria screamed "Why in the hell is Tommy in her hospital room. Jake, stay still, as you're not going to risk your recovery."
"Uncle Max can fix me," Jake said as he tried in vain to move but his knee restraints were holding him still.”
"No, he won't," Michael said. "Jim, and I will head over there. Elizabeth and Sue, please, you're heading back to school. Maria if you want to come, come but Jake you're not to do anything to harm your recovery. Okay!"
"That is fine for now, but if you don't deal with him. I will!" Jake warned his mother…
"The hell you will," Maria muttered. "You are already lucky to be where you are over your Tuesday night clash with Ellis. So, you’re going to stay still and be quiet and let us take care of Ellis, and you’re not going to do anything to either help or hurt the situation, okay?”
Carrie could hear the swearing under Jake breath and suspected that Jake could be quite formative if given the chance as the adults fled the room, and she stayed for a few minutes. "You care about Grace, don't you?" she asked of the teenager boy. She saw the emotion on Jake’s face, and knew he felt something real for the sister she didn’t know.
"Yeah," Jake said as he silently cursed his stay in the hospital bed. “I am sorry for the outburst to your news… Thank you for telling us!"
"Alex figured that it was bad for him to be in there, and she decided to stay and watch out for Grace. What did he do?" Carrie asked as she knew the meeting had to be unwelcome news by the very reaction of all the adults in the room.
"He hurt Grace badly, and I am not going to allow him to hurt her again," Jake muttered as he debated ways to make Ellis pay. "Something tells me Elizabeth is not going back to school as school will be the last place she will head if she feels Grace is in danger."
"Is Grace in danger?" Carrie’s face flashed in angst.
"From Tommy Ellis?" Jake murmured. "God yes!"
*
Alexandra continued to watch the meeting between Grace and Tommy and her eyebrows lifted at the mention of Elizabeth, and while she didn't really know the girl. She knew enough to know that she was the daughter of the man who had opened her mother's eyes into her identity and allowed her and Alexandra to know that they had other family out there, and a biological father who was very much alive and, an older sister. And now she and Carrie had a chance to know their new family members and they weren't going to lose that opportunity until they were forced to head home to Madison.
"Get out," Grace said as she was sickened by the boy in her room and wished her would just vanish.
"Only when I am ready to," Tommy declared and Alexandra knew she needed to make her appearance so that Grace knew she had someone on her side.
"Grace, hey" Alexandra smiled as she entered the room as if she was ignoring the presence of Tommy. "It's me, Alex."
"Alexandra," Grace said relieved by the entrance of her mysterious younger sister as she saw the younger teen bounce into the room with an upbeat tone as Tommy immediately tensed up by the intrusion to his visit. “I am glad to see you…"
"Who are you?" Tommy asked as he didn't like being interrupted.
"None of your business," Alexandra smiled and Grace smirked at the boy as she saw the anger in Tommy’s face as she turned her attention to Alex. "I didn't know you were allowed visitors."
"I wasn't," Grace allowed as she looked with pure hatred at Tommy. "Dr. Cook hadn't lifted the ban yet and well Tommy wouldn’t take no for an answer… He never has…" she murmured softly into the room as Tommy eyes went lethal before turning them down a level for fear of what Alexandra could say she witnessed.
"Do you want me to get him out of here for you," Alexandra asked. "Or do you want to wait until your father arrives." she asked as she lied through her teeth.
And Grace knew it.
"You don't have any authority," Tommy asked as he tried to figure out how this girl was related to Grace as the resemblance was eerie enough, but town lore was that Max Evans only had one child.
"She does," Grace said as moments later the door slammed opened and in ran Maria, Michael and Jim raced into the room. "Aunt Maria!" she exclaimed with relief as the help she needed had come. She wondered who went for the gang, and since she didn’t see Carrie, well, she figured her other sister rounded up the troops.
"Grace, are you okay?" Maria asked as Elizabeth joined them in the room as she knew she was not headed back to school but Sue had. Michael noticed and could only shook his head as they all saw Elizabeth join them in the room.
"What?" Elizabeth asked.
"Nothing," Michael muttered as his wife groaned at the sight of their daughter. "What are you doing in here Ellis" he asked as he got back to the matter at hand as he silently sent a
SOS message to Max. "Grace is only allowed to see family."
"You are not family?" Tommy asked.
"Yes, they are," Grace muttered. "I have asked him to leave Uncle Michael, and Alexandra thankfully is trying to help me persuade him that No means No.."
"Then you should listen to the lady," Jim said as he faced off with the hoodlum. "You have been asked to leave and if you come anywhere close to Grace in the future, the courts will have something to say with you."
"She won't talk!" Tommy threatened.
"What makes you think she hasn't already talked," Maria glared at her goddaughter's rapist. "I know what you did to my goddaughter."
"She lies, just like your daughter is a liar."
"What did you say?" Michael threatened with a murderous glare as he approached the hoodlum. "You do not say that about my daughter or goddaughter ever again, do you hear me?"
"Dad!" Elizabeth frowned as she knew she had to tamper down the situation otherwise there was going to be another incident in the hospital, and there was too many witnesses surrounding the family with doctors and nurses and security guards making rounds. "No, please don't, I am asking you not to as much as he deserves it. Not now…"
"I am out of here," Tommy muttered as he stalked out of the room and everyone sighed a giant breath of breath as the darkness was sucked out of the room, and everyone felt like everyone could breathe again.
Grace broke the aura of silence as she tried to lessen her skyrocketing blood pressure, "Thank you Uncle Michael," she smiled as she felt instant relief. “Alexandra was a big help… I just wished we didn’t have to deal with him… Thank you Alex."
"Sure," Alexandra smiled as a sincere moment was expressed by the newfound sisters. "He gave me bad vibes."
"He's definitely a bad guy," Grace said as unknown to her, her left foot started to twitch, and Maria caught it, and her grin turned big. "What?"
"Grace, do you feel that?" Maria asked, referring to her foot and now the whole room turned to face the patient in her hospital bed.
"Oh, but given everything I just encountered but yes, I should say, movement is starting to come back. It’s a tiny bit of progress but yes, I did feel that" she smiled with a hopeful grin and everyone shouted with glee at the movement of progress in Grace's condition.
"Oh my god," Elizabeth smiled as she grabbed at the newest news and tried to forget that Tommy Ellis was colliding with their family, and the results wouldn't be that great when finally exploded. "I knew you would get better."
"It's still early." Grace warned.
"But it's a first step," Maria said confidently of her god-daughter's medical progress. "Just wait until your father finds out."
"Speaking of Dad, where is he?” Grace asked.
"Trying to find Carrie and me," Alexandra smiled. "We have been hiding from Mom and she likely called in your father" she admitted. "We were taking a walk."
"I bet," Grace said as she turned her attention back to her best friend as her brain was trying to come back to earth from her encounter with Tommy, and a comment he had made came back to her as she glanced at her best friend who had sunk to the back of the room as to avoid questions.
“Elizabeth, can I ask if it is true what Tommy told me?”
“What did he tell you?” Elizabeth asked warily and looked on at her father and then back at her best friend as she sensed danger was in the offering surrounding her deep dark secret.
“Did Tommy do the same thing to you as he did to me?” Grace asked her friend despite not knowing that Maria didn’t know.
“EXCUSE ME!” Maria shouted and turned to face her daughter with a distraught anger on her face as she cornered the girl. “Elizabeth, did Tommy hurt you?”
“Mom,” Elizabeth tried wearily and glanced at her father and Maria noticed the newest glance and only made it feel worse.
“Oh god, please no.” Maria pleaded as she turned to her husband as a sense of doom settled over her, and she felt unable to handle it. “Michael, did you know?”
“Look Mom, Tommy didn’t hurt me.” Elizabeth muttered as she was annoyed that this was happening. It wasn’t something she liked talking about it despite her ability to stave off true violence.
“Elizabeth!” Grace asked said as she knew evasion when she saw it and sensed it in her best friend. “Tell me the truth, that is all I am asking…”
“Fine,” Elizabeth asked as she felt cornered but knew Grace of all people did need to know the truth and now that she was outed with her father and uncle than it only made sense for Grace and for her mother to know the truth… I guess, it’s true. I wasn’t raped like you were Grace, and I promise you when I tell you this,” Elizabeth murmured as she gathered the courage to tell the truth. “Okay, Tommy did try I admit that as I told Dad and Uncle Max earlier today. Which is how they know Mom. Dad wasn’t keeping it a secret from you. I never talked about it. Anyways, when the incident happened last summer. I wasn’t drunk and so with my full powers, I could rebuff him and successfully get away.” Elizabeth smiled. “I am sorry if because I didn’t go to you Grandpa, he was able to turn your charm on you once we were back in school last fall Grace.”
“I don’t blame you Elizabeth,” Grace frowned as flashbacks of her own ordeal came back to her as she glanced around the room. “It’s on Tommy, not you and even me because I shouldn’t have been drinking that night.”
“Just because you drank something at the party, it doesn’t give him license.” Maria frowned, as she wasn’t sure if she could believe her daughter’s story or if there was more to it.
“I just wish I could press charges and not worry about it opening a Pandora Box for our families,” Grace muttered.
“You can Grace,” Jim said as he was prepared to commit bloody murder on the idiot who hurt his family, and now to hear that his own granddaughter had a close call with the same individual only made him furious.
“But I risk the truth being revealed. And the court won’t believe that Tommy was the father, and even if we had DNA to prove it.” Grace said.
“They said the baby was like five months along, but the party was on New Year’s Eve.”
“Still....”
“Then it’s my word against his,” Grace muttered. “Without proof or witnesses. Anyone who saw me leave will be said to be reliable in that they saw me leave willingly, even if they saw that I was drunk…”
“Just say the word, and I will file charges. Elizabeth can back you up that he has the tendency and the pattern in term of his actions, and the other girls we might be able to find?”
“It’s too much of a risk,” Grace said quietly.
*
Max during all this time was headed back into the hospital. Having gotten the SOS message from Michael, he knew he had to get back to see his daughter. He had gotten a call from his office and he had gotten distracted enough with Beth’s mission to find the twins that he felt he needed to handle it because of an escalating emergency with his client. His father could have taken it, but he didn’t want to put it on his father because of the nature of the case and then there was a matter of rescuing Grace’s car that was still at the park from before the whole incident and take it home. So, Beth had elected to search the outside of the hospital to see whether the twins were hiding outside, but now he saw her as he walked into the hospital from the parking lot. “Hey, no luck, huh?”
“Yup. I guess it’s official that my kids are having fun hiding from me.” Beth muttered as she met up with Max.
“They like the unique atmosphere of Roswell,” Max asked.
“No, they like the freedom and I have been too deficient at giving it to them because of the circumstances of the last few days.”
“Sorry,” Max frowned.
“It’s okay,” Beth smiled. “As I have said, I usually like the idea of their independent streak.”
“You were pretty independent as a teenager yourself,” Max said as he smiled at the memories of them as teenagers. Most of the memories weren’t positive, but the memories of how strong and independent Liz had been in those glory days were something he did like to relish and revisit in his dreams.
“I was,” Beth asked.
“Yes,” Max smiled. “I know this is hard for you.”
“It’s definitely not been easy,” Beth admitted. “But if I am Liz, then I might as well find out more about that life so that I can make decisions.”
“You should,” Max acknowledged as they walked into the elevator, which would head to ICU.
“Was Liz happy?” Beth asked.
“Yes,” Max smiled. “I promise you that as far as I knew, Liz loved our life together, and with Grace and before the car crash, everything was going well with us and our marriage. Not to say everything was perfect as it never is, but we were even thinking of more children before the night in question.”
“You were?” Beth asked.
“I didn’t know if Liz was pregnant when we lost her because of who I am.”
“What do you mean?” Beth asked.
“As I have said before, my genetics allow any pregnancies to display later and because Liz wasn’t completely human, if she was pregnant, it was still early enough even if really wasn’t.”
“What are you talking about?” Beth asked as her brain started to hurt as if it was trying to tell her something. “Right, you have said that before... but never followed up on it.”
“Sorry,” Max said. “It’s pretty hard to talk about and we don’t usually try. But back in the beginning, you were involved in a shooting?”
“I was,” Beth asked as she got a whiff of memory flashing through her mind, a partial but it was something. “Right, I might have heard something about it,” she admitted as she remembered what Grace told her in the ambulance.
"You would have died, if I hadn't saved you" Max said honestly as they arrived on the floor of the Intensive Care Unit, and they got out of the elevator and started walking. "And because I did save you, well, there were some side effects that we were never too clear about and that is why they likely have also transferred to our children. Not only because of me..."
"But because of me?" Beth asked.
"It likely helped," Max allowed. "You were still considered human, but well, you know."
"Yeah," Beth said they walked towards Grace's room and at the end of the hall on her own way to the patient's room, was Carrie. "There is at least one of them," she sighed at the success her children had been giving in their quest for adventure.
"Mom!" Carrie said as she saw her mother and Max walk towards her. "I know you're mad at us, we are sorry."
"I am sure you are" Beth said sarcastically as she glanced at her daughters. "I am just tired of all this."
"Again, I am sorry." Carrie said and this time she meant it.
"Where is your sister?" Max asked the teen as he worried about the stress level in Beth because she was still without her memory and the constant discovery couldn't be good for her.
"Inside with Grace," Carrie murmured. "I was heading in myself."
"Why?" Beth asked as she felt a migraine starting to form.
"Alex had to chase someone out of her room. An unwelcome visitor for Grace. I went for added adult power. I guess it worked,” Carrie murmured as she seen Tommy stalk out of the hospital room moments before her parents arrived.
"Who was visiting her Carrie?" Max asked the teenager who again impressed him with how levelheaded she was despite her playing hide and seek from her mother. "Who was it. Who?"
"Someone named Tommy," Carrie said softly as she saw the surprise on her mother’s face and the utter anger on her father’s face.
"TOMMY ELLIS was here?" Max said as his voice rose, and the outrage appeared on his face. Beth took his hand, and gripped and suddenly his blood pressure dipped slightly, but not enough. "Is he still here?"
"Nope," Carrie answered as she shook her head in the negative. "Your friends, Michael and Maria and the added helping of Sheriff Valenti helped."
"I am going in," Max said instantly as he ran into the room and the room looked up as Grace’s father came rushing inside. "Grace, are you okay?" he asked as he saw his daughter sitting up in her hospital bed, against some pillows to try to soften some of the pain at the injury sight.
*
"Dad." Grace said as she saw her father for the first time in a long time. Alexandra was at the back of the room, taking stock of the atmosphere while Maria was busy trying to make Grace comfortable, as Michael had left to take a call from his secretary at the agency while Elizabeth was sitting down beside Grace, and corresponding via text with Sue who was back at school and hearing the gossip around the school about Tommy being awake, and already being released from the hospital.
"I heard," Max said. "Sorry, I wasn't here before, but I was called to the office due to an emergency that I had to take care of, and your Grandfather wasn't able to take the meeting. I heard Tommy came by, are you okay?"
"He was only slightly annoying. I am fine," Grace smiled. "Alexandra helped get him out before Maria, Michael, and Jim finished it off so there wasn't too much damage."
"Are you okay?" Max asked again, not convinced.
"I am perfectly fine Dad," Grace gave a more convincing smile this time, and the blood pressure spike Max had been feeling had slightly reduced itself. “I promise you that…"
“Good,” Max said slightly relived but the sight of his daughter in a hospital bed was not good for his overall mood despite the glow of spending time with Beth. “Did I miss anything else?”
"Max!" Maria with a deep smile.
"What!" Max asked as if he should know something he obviously didn’t.
"Dad, look…” Grace said eagerly as she moved her foot slightly. "Did you see that?”
"Really?" Max said as he looked at awe at the movement of his daughter's leg. "How… when?"
"It is still early,” Grace assured her father “But with every movement more is coming back, and I am even getting a bit of flexibility. Dr. Cook did say that I might need some therapy to fully recover, but this shows that I have a chance…"
"I say that this is a call for celebration," Max smiled as he came in for a hug with his daughter who gladly took the embrace as it had already been an emotional day, but she sensed a corner was being turned, or she prayed it was at least. "Again, I am sorry I wasn't here for you when you had to face Tommy."
"It's alright Dad," Grace said. "I don't expect you to spend all your time here at the hospital with me. You do have your job to do," she smiled as she could see the vibe between her father and the woman who was her mother as Beth stood at the doorway looking in on her. "What else did you have to do?"
"I was helping Beth look for you two," Max said turning to face Alexandra. "You and your sister do know you worried your mother, and the way you two were playing hide and seek was not appreciated by her."
"Sorry," Alexandra said sheepishly.
"I bet," Max said as he had a new appreciation for Grace's entrance into teenage life, and that it hadn’t induced the stress that he saw in the twins’ as he turned to focus on his eldest daughter. “I wish you didn’t have to deal with Tommy.”
“I told Grace that if she wanted to press charges, we are quite capable of taking the case to court!” Jim said to Max. “There might be complications to the case, but still it’s still a compelling one, and if we open it up for past or current victims.”
“Grace!”
“I am not ready,” Grace said. “There is still too much risk!”
“We’ll take it as you wish,” Jim assured the girl, but decided to do some searching for possible new victims, as he knew that the case was complicated with Grace and Elizabeth as acknowledged victims given the family secret that they shared, and their unusual status. “But come to me if you are ready.”
“Thank you, Jim,” Grace smiled.
*
Jake was going crazy in his hospital bed as he waited for word to find out what happened in Grace’s hospital room with Tommy Ellis.
Why did I okay this surgery? he asked himself as he laid there and tried to count the minutes away when the door open, and in walked his sister. “So, I was right, you didn’t make our parents happy and go back to school.”
“And miss all this drama, are you crazy?” Elizabeth smiled. “Today is a lost cause, too much is happening here for me to be interested in math or English.”
“I bet,” Jake muttered. “What’s going with Grace, is she okay. Where is Mom and Dad?”
“Dad had to go to the office to take care of a case matter, and Mom is talking with Uncle Max and Grace’s mother, Beth.”
“Crazy,” Jake sighed.
“Yeah, and you wanted me to go to school and miss this craziness. Sue tells me that school is pretty routine, and boring.”
“But it’s normal,” Jake said.
“You’re one to talk,” Elizabeth said pointedly as she smiled. “Your attendance has been historically pretty dismal.”
“Still you shouldn’t follow my lead.” Jake said warily because he knew his example shouldn’t be one his sister should heed.
“You don’t worry bro. I think it’s safe you’re an example of what not to follow,” Elizabeth teased, and Jake only shook at his sister and how wild she was tending to be at only fifteen years old and it made him worry for the future. “Most of the time I am on the straight and narrow, but there are going to be side trips to the other side which is only appropriate given our family history, and who our parents are…”
Jake only shook his head at the quip “You didn’t answer me, how is Grace doing?”
“She’s doing better than she was last night or even this morning” Elizabeth smiled as she knew she at least had to soften some of her brother’s concerns. “Thankfully the Tommy situation was partially defused by the time we got there. The danger level is reduced. One of her mysterious new sisters, Alexandra gave Grace some company against Ellis before we could get there. And eventually Tommy got the message and left.”
“So, she’s doing alright?”
“I don’t know how she is emotionally, but she’s not letting being in the hospital deter her and her recovering is progressing…”
“Really?” Jake asked.
“She’s starting to get her feeling back…” Elizabeth smiled.
“Really?” Jake asked. “She can walk?”
“That is taking it a little too far, as she’s only starting to get her movement and some flexibility back, but it means that the swelling is reducing and she’s able to move a bit. She still has a long road to go, but it’s a start.”
“Yes, it is,” Jake nodded as he sighed a deep breath as the knowledge that Grace was getting better was what he needed to know. He just needed to get out of this bed so that he could visit her, but knew he wasn’t going anywhere.
And he was content, for now at least.
*
Maria was taking a walk. Michael was back at the office to take care of some business. Jake was resting or, so she hoped. Elizabeth had just left to head home, and not school like her parents wished but Maria wasn’t going to fight it. It was Friday after all, and the week had been one nightmare after another, and she didn’t know how much the group could take. While there was some positive in that they had Liz back in their lives. Liz wasn’t Liz, and she didn’t know how to handle that. And there was still the threat Tommy posed to her family, and friends and now Grace was a concern.
“Hi,” came a quiet voice as she walked towards the cafeteria where she needed a coffee to give her some pep and a much-needed break from the drama that was filling her brain. The twins were still visiting Grace along with Max and Beth gave them a chance to be together, without the awkwardness that existed when she was still in the same vicinity.
“Hey,” Maria looked up and saw Beth coming her way. “I thought you and the girls left?”
“I wish, but the girls wanted to spend some more time with Grace before we head back to the motel to get some rest and given Max was still visiting, I figured I wasn’t risking them going rogue once again.”
“At least they aren’t playing hide and seek,” Maria smiled as she saw the tension that existed within Beth “I am sorry for how much craziness it had been for you and the girls since you arrived here in Roswell.”
“Given the situation, it was going to be crazy,” Beth nodded. “But it has met my expectations and exceeded them. Are you headed to the cafeteria as well?”
“Yeah, coffee.”
“Me too,” Beth smiled. “So, how is your son?”
“Quiet for the moment,” Maria acknowledged. “For a minute there, I was worried he was going to screw everything up.”
“Because of Grace?” Beth asked.
“Yeah,” Maria sighed. “I wish it wasn’t so intense right now but given we didn’t listen when we were their age, how am I going to stop them.”
“Was it hard when we were kids?” Beth asked.
“Hell yes,” Maria smiled. “Most of the time I smile that we conquered all our challenges. You with Max, even though I know you don’t remember it right now, and I with Michael. Being teenagers was hell on all of us. But we made it through. I just wish things were easier for our kids.”
“All parents want that,” Beth muttered.
“But in our case, the challenges were so immense, and the danger level was so damn unique, the mere idea of them being revisited on the kids.”
Beth nodded.
“Sorry for burdening you with this. Given everything you have been going through, the last think you need to know is me giving you worries if you decide to subject yourself, and the twins to our life.”
“It’s alright. It’s interesting, because it’s so not the life I have been leading since my accident so for me, it’s fascinating. But I guess not for you.”
“I wish it could be,” Maria smiled as they got the cups for the coffee as she reflected over the years. “The thing for so long, things were quiet. So, the last few weeks have been a head spinner.”
“Max tells me that too, so it was?” Beth asked.
“Yeah, graduation from high school really stopped it for a lot of us as things calmed down enough for you and Max to get married and I left Roswell.”
“You left Roswell?” Beth asked.
“Yeah,” Maria smiled. “Michael and I moved to New York after your wedding. I had this notion that I wanted to be a singer, and well, it didn’t go very well. And it was even worse for Michael, and so it didn’t work out.”
“Obviously you’re back here,” Beth asked as they sat down at a table.
“We broke up,” Maria admitted. “Michael came back before I did.”
“Wow, you did. You both seem so in love, like nothing could stop you two from being together. Can I ask, what happened?”
“You take someone like Michael to New York, well, it’s not going to work. And coupled with that we were two 18-year old’s struggling to make it in a big city. I was trying to be someone. And nothing was happening, and it just didn’t mesh for our relationship. And I still wanted to try, and he didn’t so we couldn’t stop a breakup from happening. We loved each other so much and had since we were sixteen years old. But being in New York was too much for us, and he hated it, so we broke up, and he ended up coming back to our hometown.”
“And you didn’t want to?” Beth asked.
“Nope, I was still misguided that something was going to happen. I was right, something did happen, just not how I hoped.”
“What happened?” Beth asked as she was fascinated about this woman’s life, and even though nothing was sparking in her memory. The tale was unique and captivating, and so different from what she had led or believed she had lived.
“I became pregnant!” Maria muttered as she remembered the time, and how lucky she had been to find herself back with Michael because her life could have been so different, and she wouldn’t trade it for a minute or all the success in the world.
“Wow,” Beth whispered.
“Yeah, with Jake.” Maria smiled. “I grew up big time.”
“Wait,” Beth asked. “Michael’s not Jake’s father?”
“He is, but only by adoption although if you look at each other side by side, you would find it pretty eerie how much Jake is like Michael. Biologically no,” Maria admitted. “I became pregnant while I was in New York after Michael left. I got hired on a television show that was shooting out of the city, and while it didn’t last a year, it allowed me financially to stay while Michael left. I thought we were done for good that time. Once the show ended, the money ran out and before I came home… I got involved with someone who I shouldn’t have, and Jake resulted.”
“Wow,” Beth said.
“Yeah,” Maria nodded. “Once the money started to dwindle and I found out I was pregnant, I came home to have the baby and spend some time with my mother and stepfather, Jim. And then Michael came back into the picture.”
“And you two got back together?” Beth asked.
“Yes,” Maria nodded. “Michael was my sounding board while I was pregnant. I was thinking of adoption and then going to Los Angeles, but we found ourselves back together, and he wanted to be there for me and the baby. And to raise Jake if I chose to keep him. So, we got married soon after Jake was born, and I started my life here in Roswell and I am very happy that I did because I am content, and this is the life I wanted…”
“I am glad. Michael seems like a great guy, and you two despite the circumstances of the last week or so, seem very happy.”
“We are. We have created a wonderful family and despite his own growing up, he had made a wonderful father to Jake, and other children; Elizabeth, Colin, Liam, and Belle.”
“You left. And Max and….”
“You,” Maria smiled. “What can I say, Yes, you guys were taking Las Cruces by storm while I was living in New York.”
“Las Cruces…” Beth asked.
“Our university town nearest us,” Maria smiled. “You were pre-med before getting into medical school and Max was heading toward law school.”
“I wish I remembered it,” Beth said.
“You will,” Maria said confidently. “
Chica, you were always so memorable.”
“Chica” seemed to break a memory in Beth…
“How’s married life?” came a voice from afar.
“It’s better than ever” came from the response. “I love him Maria, and it’s been amazing adventure despite the stresses, but we have each other, and that is something I wasn’t sure was going to happen there for awhile…”
“You’re really living the dream, aren’t you?” came the softness of a voice as there was regret and hurt in it despite the happiness of the tone.
“Enough about me, you Maria, I am sorry about you and Michael” came the woman’s voice as sadness crept into their conversation. The happiness of their reunion was peppered by the past. “I know it can’t be easy for you to come home to Roswell, with the knowledge of the past and how it is, and to know he’s here.”
“It’s okay,” Maria admitted with a restrained voice as she sighed as she thought of her ex. “How is he Liz, is he okay?”
“Well you know Michael, he’s not one to show his true emotions unless you cross him but he he’s back working at the Crashdown.”
“Wow,” Maria said with surprise peppered in her voice. “He always hated that job.”
“He still does most of the time and he’s constantly gripping about it at home. But it’s money, and it does help with the rent.”
“Wait, he’s living with you and Max?” Maria asked as she connected the information that was being told to her.
“Well his place was gone when he came back, and we offered, and we had moved to a bigger apartment, so the chance was there, but he’s talking about moving out one of these days.”
“Liz, I am pregnant!” came a blurted cry.
“Oh god, really, wow.”
“Yeah” Maria frowned as the memory ended, and she snapped back into reality and saw Maria looking at her. “I remember.”
“What do you remember?” Maria asked tentatively, afraid to wish…
“You!”