The next morning eyes opened, and Liz started to wake up as she thought she had the longest sleep ever when she looked over she saw that Max was by her bed. Confused, she looked around and noticed it was morning and she wondered what was going on and then her mind stopped being fuzzy, and it came to her what happened, and tears came to her mind.
Max woke up at the change in the bed and he looked up and into her eyes which were now open. Seeing her starting at her, she sat up. “What happened?”
“It’s morning,” Max sighed as he checked his watched and confirmed the early hour.
“I know,” Liz said as her mind cleared, and the truth came to her in ever clarity. “Oh no… please, no.”
“Stay calm okay,” Max advised as he grabbed her hand and gently persuaded her blood pressure to lower. “We’re checking it out and we won’t let him get to you.”
“If he ordered it?” Liz asked with genuine fear.
“We’ll find that out too,” Max said with a tender smile. “I promise you Liz, everything is fine, and it will continue to be fine.”
“Bella is out there…” Liz started as emotion showed up on her face. “She is waiting for me to find her. I need to find her.”
“We’ll find her.” Max promised as he knew he would do this for her, as he did try to be there when he assumed he was having a child with Tess and that child was off, out there... “You have a whole group of friends who will do anything for you and that includes finding your little girl.”
“Will you?” Liz asked as she looked dubious.
“I promise,” Max smiled as he looked into her eyes and took her hand in his “Once I promise you that if the situation was reversed and you lost a child, then I would do anything to help it. I mean it Liz, I’ll do anything I can do to help you and the investigation.”
Liz looked away because she knew she really should tell the truth about Bella but found she still couldn’t do it because the reunion was still too fresh to complicate with the knowledge that she had to impart on Max and yet she was feeling guilty.
“Liz…” Max asked as he sensed she was conflicted in some way.
“What?” Liz asked quietly.
“Can I ask, what does Bella know about me?” Max couldn’t help but ask…and he knew he hit something when he saw that Liz was speechless. “Can I ask?”
“She knows nothing,” Liz murmured because she had truthfully never uttered Max’s name in front of her. Sighing she realized that Bella might have overheard things however, but she never consciously talked about Max because the wounds were too deep, and Bella was always too young. To Liz’s knowledge she always seemed satisfied that Kyle was her father, in name only and she never asked about the public story that Sean Deluca was her biological father. As far she knew Bella believed Sean was her biological father or until Maria had mentioned her suspicious cemented by what Betty had told her mother and father. Liz didn’t know Max had heard that conversation.
“Really?” Max asked.
“There was never any reason to mention you,” Liz lied and knew Max looked hurt as he looked away. “You were gone Max, and I didn’t know if you were ever going to come back.”
Max nodded.
“Why, can I ask?” Liz asked turning the question back on Max who had gone silent for a moment.
“Because Michael and I went and searched your house for any clues now that we are suspicious of Sean, and we checked her room…”
“Her room…” Liz said quietly.
“I saw this,” Max asked as he showed her the diary. Liz went pale when she saw it, as she recognized it. “Michael mentioned you couldn’t look at it.
I am sorry for looking at it, but I wanted to know if there were any clues that may have been missed.”
Liz nodded but she couldn’t concentrate on the words he spoke as observed the book he held as he realized it the diary she had given her daughter.
Seeing it unlocked, she opened it and tears came to her eyes as she saw the picture of her and Bella that her daughter had drawn. She hadn’t realized her daughter was so talented at such an early age. Looking up at Max with tears coming down her face. “You looked at it?”
“While you slept I couldn’t help but wanted to check,” Max mentioned.
“Oh,” Liz tried to find a way out of the mess. Fingering the diary, she opened it. She laughed when she read her daughter’s insights before closing it. The pain was too intense. Max recognize it and took the book from Liz and put it down. “I am sorry for pushing.”
“It’s alright,” Liz sighed. “Max…”
“Don’t Liz, it’s alright” Max repeated. “You can tell me when you are so emotional overwhelmed.
Liz nodded. “I miss her so much….”
“We’re find out the truth and she’ll come back, okay?” Max smiled as he tried to bring some brightness back into her eyes that had gotten dull by the news that the envelope had brought.
“Sean had a lot of sleezy friends, what if they did something to her…” Liz cried. “What if she
can’t come home?”
“I don’t think that’s the case,” Max shook his head. “Sean wouldn’t be coming after you now if he had no ammunition to use, and if something had happened to Bella during the last year than he knew his threats would be weightless.”
“But he might not know,” Liz cried.
“Hey,” Max assured his ex. “If Bella is anything like you than she will be okay, and you have to believe it. She’ll come home again, okay.”
“She is very much like her father,” Liz said and winced by the implications of her words as Max’s face went a little paler as she knew he didn’t like thinking of her with anyone else, and she knew what he had to be thinking as he wasn’t putting together the clues that pointed to Bella’s real biological father.
How would he know? She asked herself.
Bella is very much like Max she mused to herself.
“Max,” Liz began.
“Don’t Liz, now that you’re awake I think I’ll go get some coffee and something to eat. Do you want anything?” Max was quick to ask as he wanted to leave this conversation as he didn’t want to think about Liz with anyone else and certainly not someone else as Bella’s biological father.
“No…” Liz said silently as she watched Max walk away as she cursed herself. She shouldn’t be feeling guilty she told herself as Max did leave her, and she chose to go there with Sean and then Kyle. But she hated knowing what she lost.
She’s your daughter she whispered with Max out of earshot. Max,
Bella is your daughter.
“Damn it,” Liz cursed out loud.
“What’s wrong” came a voice as she saw it was…
“Ava” Liz asked she saw her ‘doctor’ walk in, but in civilian clothes. “You are not working today?”
“Nope,” Ava smiled. “I have worked too many hours this week and so they have me off the patients and so I thought I would come to visit since I have only been seeing you in my professional duties since you arrived.”
Liz nodded. “It’s good to see you.”
“Was that Max I saw leaving your room. He was looking a little pale and forlorn as I saw him walk away.”
“Yeah. I touched on some sore subjects before he left. He needed some fresh air I think,” Liz admitted as she saw her daughter’s dairy which Max left on the table next to her bed. “I hate hurting him.”
“So, he doesn’t know Bella is his daughter, huh?” Ava asked as Liz looked stunned. “Liz, it was the worst kept secret in the circle” she smiled. “You don’t name her after Isabel and think you can keep the rouse that Deluca was her father.
“Did everyone know?” Liz asked even though she knew the answer. She still didn’t know why she decided on the name she did for Bella, when she knew it was odd when she was telling everyone that the father was not Max. When she knew how much Max loved his sister.
“Everyone but Max…” Ava smiled. “And it’s evident that he still doesn’t know.”
*
Max was kicking himself for reacting how he did to Liz’s innocent words as he knew it’s not like he could judge the situation and what Liz might have done when he left town and stayed gone and forced her hand. Sighing as she walked around the hospital as he needed some space and to think, and as he walked back to her room he did spot that ‘Ava’ was visiting Liz. It still blew his mind that Ava was now back in town and very different from the girl he had met back in junior year when she was very much a product of her environment and was following Lonnie and Rath.
He knew she and Liz had become friendly in the brief time in Roswell, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to see them so buddy buddy, but it was, and he didn’t know why. Maybe because by cleaning herself up and adopting more of a normal lifestyle… she was uncanny resemblance to Tess. Which made sense since she was her
dupe.
He felt like he had been duped as he saw Michael coming his way. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” Michael asked. “Did you spend all night here…”
“Yeah,” Max acknowledged. “I should have called Isabel, but things led to another and I didn’t…”
“Well Isabel feared you ran back home, but I knew you wouldn’t, not with how things are going with Liz.”
“I am not leaving until I have to,” Max acknowledged. “I am off until next Sunday at least officially.”
Michael nodded.
“Where are your girls?” Max smiled.
“Maria took Betty to swimming practice,” Michael said. “Then she’s headed over to her mothers. I thought I would come and see how Liz was doing with the latest information we have. Jim is trying to figure out if Sean does have a connection to all of this.”
“It doesn’t look good,” Max admitted.
“No, it doesn’t,” Michael agreed. “He’s running down any names or associated of Sean’s for back prior to Bella disappearing. If he finds anything he’ll let me know, or I’ll try using my connections.”
Max nodded.
“How is she this morning?” Michael asked. “Is she awake.”
“She’s awake. Ava is in visiting with her, so I thought I would give her a break from me” Max admitted. “It got confusing there for a few minutes between us, so I thought we needed time.”
Michael nodded.
“Is it me or does it seem Ava has taken over the path that Liz was once meant to take on?” Max couldn’t help but ask as Michael smiled and nodded in agreement.
“But then you haven’t been here to see it,” Michael said. “Ava surprised us when she showed up. She said that Liz gave her a model to look up to while she was in Roswell and she didn’t want to go down the path she was going down with how things were all in flux as Lonnie and Rath disappeared, well, she went out on her own and then she found her way.”
“It is surprising,” Max admitted.
“It is. But she’s been a good friend.” Michael admitted.
“Is she just like Tess?” Max asked.
“Very close to it,” Michael nodded. “But we can trust her.”
“You do?” Max asked.
“Yup. She saved the day a few times,” Michael admitted. “She and Liz resumed their friendship and it actually has helped her during those times where she didn’t want to talk to us.”
Max nodded. “How has she explained to people her resemblance to Tess?” he asked as he squirmed by the memories of Tess, “Those people Tess might have had contact with while here in Roswell?”
“She’s her twin sister, separated at birth” Michael cracked.
“Really?” Max asked.
“Yup,” Michael smiled.
“Unbelievable,” Max muttered as they slowly walked back to Liz’s room as Ava continued with her visit with Liz.
*
Molly meanwhile was restless as she wondered why her brain was sending conflicting messages to her. Everyone called her Molly, but she didn’t feel like she was a Molly. Her voice was recovering but still thin, and she didn’t like repeating herself, so she didn’t speak up for herself because she also knew that there would be questions asked and she didn’t know the answers. Her mind was such a blank, and things that were filling up in her brain didn’t mesh with what she was told.
As she was drawing more pictures on her pad of paper that had added to her collection by Serena; she looked down and her eyes went wide as she saw
green energy coming out of her hands as she opened her eyes and saw what she had been drawing. She often drew from what came to her mind. “Please no, please no” she whispered to herself as she willed it to stop before anyone saw because she knew the schedule of the hospital by heart by now, and knew they would be bringing her breakfast anytime now…
“Isabella… Bella come here” came a voice in her head.
“My name is Isabella Maria…” came a small voice in her head…
Molly wrote the words Isabella… Bella… Isabella Maria on her pad of paper and then she closed it when her breakfast did show up, and she thanked the lord when she saw her take the tray and saw the
green energy had disappeared.
“Molly enjoy your breakfast” the nurse smiled.
Molly nodded but didn’t look that happy as the nurse noticed as she noticed the little girl’s mood had darkened over the last few days as her condition has rapidly improved. “Odd” she thought as she made a note in her chart and left the room.
*
Serena was vastly annoyed as she walked into the squad room at the police department as she wanted her day off, and now she’s called into work and she hated it. But with Max gone on vacation she was the only wave of defense in relation to their cases that they worked together. Seeing Chief Gibson, she nodded. “Chief.”
“Sorry Franklin, but with Evans off… I figured you would want the information because it involves one of your cases with Evans”
“I understand, sir. So, what has come up?”
“The Davidson boys have been spotted and apprehended. They are being transported back here…”
“Where?” Serena asked as her hatred for being called in on her day off vanished. “Where?” she asked again.
“San Francisco.” Gibson commented as they walked to Serena’s desk as she threw her jacket and bag down on the chair and followed her boss into his office.
“They were all the way up there?” Serena asked as her eyes shot up. “Was their father also with them?”
“Nope, they were solo under the custody of the oldest boy,” Gibson commented. “They tried to run but this time we found them.”
“Hmmm…” Serena murmured. “The father is in the wind and given his rap sheet I would have thought we would have gotten a hold of him before we did the kids.”
“I know,” Gibson nodded. “Anyways, the paperwork is being processed and it might not be until tomorrow when we finally get the kids into our custody and sorted out. You might want to do whatever you can do to prepare for their arrivals, and then head home.”
Serena nodded as she left the office and went to the phone and her computer to check in on the information related to the apprehension of the boys and when it would be that they would be back in Los Angeles. Knowing her girls were with their father and grandfather at the park, she had a bit of time before getting back to her family so when she confirmed that the Davidson boys wouldn’t be back in their vicinity until the following day, she decided to stop by the hospital on the way home.
“How is Molly?” Serena asked as she spotted Dr. West who oversaw the girl’s overall care.
“She is a medical marvel,” Dr. West smiled as she saw the officer approach her. We thought it would take her a lot longer for the more serious of her injuries to start to fade, but she’s recovering at an impressive rate even for a child. She has more movement, but it’s her attitude that is causing us some concern.”
“How so?” Serena asked.
“She seems depressed.” Dr. West admitted.
“Well she was attacked…” Serena asked.
“Yes, some detachment from her ordeal is expected from a child, but it seems to be more,” the doctor admitted.
“What is it?” Serena asked.
“It’s hard to explain,” Dr. West commented. “It’s just this sense I get from speaking and the nurses have seen these last few days as her condition has stabilized and she has started to truly recover."
Serena nodded and thanked the doctor as she went inside and saw Molly sleeping restlessly, so she was going to leave and head home, but she saw the pad of paper open and instead of pictures she saw words that drew her attention.
And the words written under a picture of a small girl with a sad face…
I don’t think my name is Molly”
Serena focused on the small girl, with wide eyes.
Who are you then? She thought and then saw the names
Isabella and Bella and wondered where they came from… as she sighed about what this little girl went through as she turned around and headed home.
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Happy Holidays, and a very Merry Christmas... Hope you come back for more exciting developments... and twists and turns... Enjoy the holidays everyone.