Disclaimer: Roswell and all its characters are owned by Melinda Metz, Jason Katims, Regency and the Fox Corporation. The dinky little poem is mine. Please pardon the corniness.
Summary: Leaps off from the Pilot. Liz is shot and Max rushes to save her, but what if he can’t? What if he has no alien powers, what then? He gets to see what life would be like being completely human. Think of the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life Roswell-style.
Thanks to Destinee for her beautiful artwork!
Paradox (A Contradiction)
An old tale, familiar yet strange. About a boy who loved a girl but never a peep was exchanged.
He, not of this earth; She, a being so true. Star-crossed lovers, destined to always be blue.
But little do they know, there is mystery about. Their fates are about to change, wait ‘til they find out!
Their fondest wish they're about to behold. Come join me and see the story unfold.
Act I: Twist of Fate
“Liz, Max Evans is staring at you again,” Maria Deluca informed her best friend, tipping her head to one of the booths.
“Maria that is so in your imagination. Max Evans? This face, nuh uh,” Liz Parker shook her head. She stole a glance at the aforementioned booth and saw that Max Evans was indeed looking their way. However, when he caught her eyes, he promptly looked away.
Sighing, she brushed past Maria, counting her money on the counter.
“And, even if he was staring, I'm going out with Kyle. I mean, he's steady and loyal, and he appreciates me.”
“Gee Liz, it sounds like you’re describing a poodle,” Maria replied, making a face.
The two girls shared an easy laugh as they cleared the dishes off of the counter.
That July, Liz Parker had gone on her first official date with Kyle Valenti, captain of the football team and son of the town sheriff. Of course, any girl would be ecstatic that a boy of such character would ask her out but not Liz. She was too busy swooning away at another dark-haired, mystery man.
She didn’t understand what it was that drew her to Max when Kyle was just about throwing himself at her. Max had never even uttered a word to her outside the classroom. Even when he ate at the Crashdown, he merely placed his order and never bothered making idle chit chat. But yet, her attraction to him was electric, and it confused her to no end.
“Yo! Maximillion!” Michael Guerin snapped his fingers in front of his best friend trying to gain his wandering attention.
“Stop pining over Gidget over there and answer my question.”
Max turned to face his friend and out of the corner of his eye he saw a pair of men arguing in one of the booths.
Suddenly, the pair jumped up as their argument escalated. A woman screamed and that’s when he saw the silver glint of a barrel of a gun.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the two men struggled and people dove to the floor.
He heard a girl scream Liz’s name before he heard the loud clap of the gun firing.
Suddenly, everything was back in real time. People screamed, plates were broken, and chairs were upturned, but Max didn’t notice any of that. Instead, he followed Maria’s line of vision to see white sneakered feet, which he recognized were Liz’s, lying still on the floor. Like a burst of lightning, he was immediately at her side.
He looked down upon the girl who occupied his dreams and watched her face scrunch up in pain. Looking down upon her stomach, he noticed the telltale colour of blood. Ripping open her uniform, he placed his palm down on top of her abdomen.
“Call 911!” He heard Michael yell.
All sounds were ignored except for the ragged breathing of his beloved.
“Liz! Liz! You have to look at me,” he implored as he cradled her head.
“Max?” she mumbled groggily.
A strange feeling came over Max as he looked at her face and concentrated, willing his powers to heal her. A second later, he blinked.
Nothing happened.
He tried it again.
Still nothing.
What was going on?
He looked down at his palm which was now covered in crimson when he heard Liz moan.
“My arm,” she hissed, moving to sit up only to drop back down again.
Max snapped to attention. He looked up and noticed the tears running down Liz’s face and her left arm lifting to cover her right. That was when he saw her wound.
It was thin but it was red and angry. Blood slowly trickled from it making Max’s stomach churn. He looked back to Liz and saw that she too was looking at it, shock clearly evident on her face.
“Oh my gosh! Liz!” he exclaimed before looking around the back of the counter for something to staunch the bleeding.
“I’ve been shot,” was Liz’s dumbfounded reply. She couldn’t move. Her brain had gone into pause and nothing seemed to register other than she’d been shot.
Grabbing a handful of dishcloths, Max pressed down on her wound.
“The ambulance is coming,” he heard Michael say.
“It hurts, Max,” Liz sobbed.
It broke Max’s heart to see her in such pain but there wasn’t much he could do about it other than to hold the rag.
“It’ll be okay, Liz. The ambulance is coming. Just look at me okay,” he implored as she nodded her head.
Max stared into her eyes and felt his temperature rise. Liz was looking at him with an intensity she never had before. His eyes scanned her face and despite her paleness he still thought her the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He felt his breath come out in pants as she continued to look at him, when suddenly he was pulled back and the paramedics rushed in to tend to Liz’s injuries.
“Stand back, sir,” one of them ordered as he brushed past Max.
Stumbling back, he shook his head to clear the fog. He felt stupid for thinking with his hormones when the love of his life was lying on the cold café floor bleeding.
“Max! Get back and let them do their job,” Michael charged, tugging on his arm.
Max shrugged out of his friend’s hold and hovered over the paramedics.
“Can I ride with her to the hospital?” He asked them, his anxiety clearly written all over his face.
“Where are her parents?”
“They’re in Hondo picking up supplies,” Maria replied from behind Max.
Max looked up startled. He had almost forgotten about Maria. Of course she would want to ride in the ambulance with Liz. They’re best friends after all. He had no right to ask for that privilege. But before he could utter a word, Maria beat him to the punch.
“It’s alright, Max,” she said, wiping her tears, “just make sure that she’s well taken care of, okay.”
He mumbled a quick word of gratitude before following the paramedics out to the ambulance.
The ride out to Roswell General was too quick for Max’s liking. He held Liz’s hand along the way, never once breaking his hold, even when the ambulance doors opened and they wheeled the stretcher out and into the ER. He trailed alongside the stretcher, the whole time holding both Liz’s hand and her gaze. He felt the iciness of her hand as she looked to him for comfort and reassurance that he was more than glad to give.
She was wheeled behind a curtain, as the attending nurse spoke with the paramedics.
“Max,” she whispered, “I don’t feel so good.”
“I know, Liz. But they’re going to fix everything up,” he assured her, trying to put up a brave front. She had lost some blood and he was afraid. Afraid and frustrated. Why couldn’t he heal her? But he put that thought out of his mind when he heard Liz mumble.
“I feel really dizzy. I think I’m gonna be sick.”
Max’s eyes widened in panic. Glancing around he tried to find a waste basket, a bucket, anything.
He rushed up to the nurse in a moment of panic.
“Excuse me! My…my friend…she’s feeling sick. Do you have anything she can throw up in?”
The nurse nodded her head, moving quickly behind the curtain. A second later, she was carrying a small cardboard container and holding it under Liz’s chin as she helped her sit up.
Max quickly moved to Liz’s side and held her hair back as she heaved. Wincing, he continued to rub Liz’s back as she dry heaved. When she was done, she slumped back and closed her eyes tight.
“You hang on to this just in case she gets sick again.” The nurse thrust an empty cardboard container at him. “I’ll just go get an attending and be right back.”
Max stood there uncomfortably, unsure of what to do. From the moment he found out that Liz had been shot, all he wanted to do was be there right beside her. He needed to protect her, take care of her and now that he was at the hospital, he was a little unsure of his place. After all, he hadn’t really spoken to her inside or outside of school. To her he was nothing more than a lab partner.
The nurse came back bearing clear bags of IV and a doctor.
They talked amongst themselves and Max stepped back to let the doctor check Liz’s vitals.
“Where are your parents?” The doctor asked.
“They’re in Hondo but they’re on their way,” Max replied trying to be helpful.
“Okay, they’re going to need to sign some papers when they get here.
“Who are you?” The doctor turned to him.
Max swallowed, “I-I’m her friend.”
The doctor gave him a sad smile. “I’m sorry young man, but its family only. You can wait out in the waiting room and I’ll let you know how she’s doing.”
Max’s face fell. Of course he couldn’t stay. He wasn’t a relative after all.
He nodded. However, when he began to move away, Liz’s hand shot out and grabbed onto his wrist.
“Please? Can he stay?” Liz asked looking at him before turning to the attending doctor.
“Well it’s against hospital policy,” the young resident warned but when he caught site of Liz’s pleading eyes he relented.
“Okay but just until your parents arrive. Now let’s take a look at your arm.” He moved aside and lifted the bandage off of Liz’s wound, eliciting a hiss of pain from her.
“Does…does it hurt?” Max whispered to Liz, who nodded her head.
“I’m sorry…,” the young doctor looked down at his chart, “…Liz but we couldn’t give you any pain medication in the ambulance. At least not until we knew if you had any drug allergies.”
As the doctor began to list off the types of medication that Liz might be allergic to, Max’s eyes couldn’t help but look at the laceration on Liz’s forearm. He swallowed convulsively thinking of the pain Liz must be feeling at this moment.
“…you’re very lucky. The bullet only grazed your forearm,” the doctor said as he administered some medication into Liz’s intravenous drip. “It could have been much worse. At least the bullet didn’t hit a major artery.”
Max gulped thinking, you mean it could have been worse?
“Why…why is there so much blood?” He croaked.
“Well, the bullet did tear past her skin causing a flesh wound,” the doctor explained.
“No, I mean on her stomach,” Max moved his eyes down her uniform to her abdomen.
“Well, judging from the smell, I think its ketchup,” the doctor replied, trying to keep his face serious. “And the EMTs noticed a broken ketchup bottle beside her at the scene.”
“Oh!” Max felt his cheeks flame. All this time he had been freaking out thinking that his beloved was bleeding to death when it turns out that all that ‘blood’ had only been ketchup!
“How’re you feeling, Liz?” the doctor asked.
“Like I’ve been shot,” Liz slurred, the medication taking effect.
“I’ll just get the stuff for your stitches and I’ll be right back,” the young resident chuckled.
As soon as the doctor left, Max just couldn’t resist it anymore. Softly, he brushed Liz’s hair back off her forehead.
“Sorry to gross you out like that,” she apologized, closing her eyes as she began to feel the lull of the Demerol.
“I’m so embarrassed. I haven’t barfed in front of anyone…well…since our kindergarten field trip to the zoo…and…that was because…I ate too much popcorn…and cotton candy.”
Max smiled despite of the situation. Liz was just too lovable for words.
His heart ached.
She was sweet and beautiful and perfect…and he couldn’t have her!
“Oh God! Lizzie!”
Max swivelled to see Liz’s distraught parents approaching.
Jeff and Nancy Parker rushed to their daughter’s bedside. They had been shopping in Hondo when Jeff’s cell phone rang. On the other end of the line was Maria, who proceeded to deliver anxious, unintelligible drivel. Only when Nancy had managed to calm down the over-excited girl did they find out that their daughter had been shot and was now en route to Roswell General; needless to say that they had dropped their shopping and rushed to the hospital.
The whole drive over Nancy had been somewhat hysterical not knowing what their daughter’s condition was. Jeff had been close to the breaking point himself. It was taking all his self-control to even concentrate so that they could drive to the hospital.
As soon as they arrived, they hurried to where their daughter now lay.
“Oh my God! My poor girl,” Nancy sobbed, grasping her daughter’s hand.
“Hi mom,” Liz smiled crookedly at her mother. “Where’s Max?”
At the mention of his name, Max tried to back away slowly not knowing what Liz’s parents’ reaction to him would be.
Jeff turned to the boy who was slowly trying to blend into the walls, noticing him for the first time.
“You’re Phillip’s boy aren’t you?” Jeff asked his voice hoarse with emotion.
Max nodded his head.
“He saved my life,” Liz added, smiling groggily.
“Is that right?” Nancy asked.
“No, I…I just rode with her in the ambulance,” Max stammered.
“Thank you, Max. For being there.” Jeff clapped him on the back, causing Max to stumble forward in surprise.
“He’s my hero,” Liz slurred, punctuating her statement with a yawn.
Max felt his heart swell at Liz’s proclamation. He’d never been anyone’s hero before.
“I’m just gonna…um…wait out in the lounge,” he pointed behind him before turning and walking to the waiting room, leaving the Parkers alone with their daughter.
As soon as Max reached the lounge, he sank down into one of the vinyl chairs. He felt exhausted, the day’s events finally catching up to him. He laid his head back, just wanting to rest his eyes for a bit.
Just for a little bit…
Max felt something shaking him. Something was insistently pushing on his shoulder. He batted it away but it was persistent.
“Max! Max wake up!”
Max opened his eyes to find Maria Deluca hovering over him in her turquoise waitress uniform, her antennas bobbing in rhythm with his shaking.
“I’m awake. I’m awake,” he muttered, scooting to sit up. However, as soon as he shifted positions, pain shot up his neck and shoulders. He realized that he must have drifted off to sleep on the uncomfortable chair, his neck resting at an awkward angle.
He rubbed his soar neck as Maria sat down beside him.
“How is she?” Maria inquired anxiously.
“She’s gonna be okay. Her parents are in there with her right now,” he replied.
“Oh thank God!” Maria exclaimed.
Max watched as she twisted off the lid off of a small vial of liquid. His curiosity piqued.
Sniffing the bottle, Maria caught his inquiring eye. “Relax moondoggie. It’s only cedar oil. It helps me calm down.”
Maria smirked and Max felt himself blush.
“How she doing?”
Max felt Michael take the seat on the opposite side of him.
“She’s fine. Thank you very much. You may go now,” Maria quipped.
Michael looked at her irritably.
“Look blondie, I came to pick up my friend. I thought I’d be nice and drive you since I was coming here in the first place. The least you could do is be grateful instead of being a bitch.”
“Why you fu – !”
Max held down Maria’s arm, restraining her to the chair.
“Look guys. Can you just cool it,” Max said wearily. “Maria, why don’t you go to the nurse’s station and see if you can get any information about Liz?
“Michael, why don’t you come with me to the cafeteria?”
Both Michael and Maria grumbled but got up to do their respective tasks.
When Michael was sure that Maria was out of earshot, he let it rip.
“Damn! Do you know how annoying that girl is?!”
Max sighed tiredly.
“She wouldn’t shut up in the jeep. She wouldn’t shut up about my driving!” Then he says in a false falsetto voice, “ ‘Michael, you’re going too fast! Michael, you’re going too slow! Michael, watch out for that old lady crossing the road!’ I wasn’t even near that old lady. I missed her by about a mile!”
“Michael, she’s just worried about Liz, okay. Cut her some slack,” Max sighed as they hurried down the sterile corridors towards the cafeteria.
“Fine,” Michael mumbled along with some unintelligible words.
When they got back to the waiting room, Maria was already sitting down on one of the chairs with Jeff Parker.
“Uh…hi, Mr. Parker,” Max stammered, balancing the cups of coffee in his hands. He looked down and realized that he only bought enough coffee for the three of them. Feeling rude, he thrust out one cup to Maria and handed his own to Jeff.
Jeff nodded his thanks as he took a sip.
Jeff eyed the tall, dark-haired boy in front of him. He now recognized him as one of the students who frequented his café.
“Thanks. Thanks for being there for my daughter.”
Max nodded, feeling awkward at receiving Mr. Parker’s gratitude. He shuffled his feet and sank his hands deep into his pockets.
“Is-is Liz…how’s she doing?”
“The doctor just finished stitching her up. He said that it was only a flesh wound and that she’ll have to wear a sling for a few weeks. The doctor’s also casting her foot. He said that she must have sprained her ankle during her fall.” Jeff ran his hands through his hair, accentuating his haggard appearance.
“That’s…that’s good. I mean bad that…I mean…I’m glad she’s okay,” Max swallowed, feeling a sense of relief.
“Can we see her?” Maria piped in.
“In a little bit,” Jeff smiled down at his daughter’s best friend. “The doctor gave her a mild sedative and she’s down for the count.”
“Maxwell, we should get going,” Michael rested a hand on Max’s shoulder.
“Maria do you want a ride back?” Max asked.
“Nah, I’ll stay here till Liz wakes up. I can get my mom to pick me up. Thanks anyway.”
They all said their goodbyes before Max and Michael headed to the parking lot.
“Can you drive, Michael? I’m feeling really tired.” Max asked as they hopped into the jeep. He tossed Michael his keys before settling into his seat.
As they sped out of the hospital parking lot and into the busy streets, Max laid his head back and thought of the long, strange day he’s had today.
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