Max felt emotional as he walked into the room and saw his little girl lying on the bed. So, frail looking. So not the lively sixteen years old she had been sitting at the kitchen breakfast table eating her breakfast and being evasive about her plans for the day. “Oh Gracie” he sighed as he sat down next the bed.
“Is she okay?” he asked the doctor.
“She’s sleeping. She woke up briefly after the incident, but it was so exhausting she fell asleep once again. All indications are that she is recovering. We should get to the bottom of what happened, and we are trying. You see that there is still a heart monitor hooked up on Grace as a precaution. We want to monitor her for a few more hours, and if all goes well, we can move her up to a room for the night,” Dr. Davis said as she opened the chart on her patient. “You said she has been healthy all her life?”
Max nodded “She’s been healthy from the moment she was born.”
“Any known allergies or drug reactions?” she asked as she made notes. “Jake wasn’t able to tell us Grace’s history.”
“No.” Max said as he looked at his sleeping daughter and took her hand and squeezed. “None.”
“Have there been any accidents or causes for concern lately?” Dr. Davis asked. “Besides the one we’re currently dealing with?”
“As far as I know everything has been fine. Of course, she’s a teenager and independent. She has a job as a waitress at her grandparent’s restaurant. Teenagers are always prone to hide things as I know that perfectly well from my own experience and they aren’t always up front all the time, and teenage girls I find are no different, and that can be no different especially since I am only her father. Witness this weekend but no I haven’t seen any signs of discomfort with my daughter,” Max said as he was reminded of the lecture that needed to be given once Grace was on the mend. “But then obviously, I have been known to be oblivious regarding my daughter, so I might have missed something.”
“Where do you two live?” Dr. Davis asked as she continued to make notes.
“Roswell, New Mexico.” Max said.
“Well then that is a long trip to have taken for the weekend.” Dr. Davis noted. “Did the kids come here alone?”
“Of course,” Max said. “They ditched school and flew to Boston and drove here to see Yale University.”
“That is a lot of traveling in the last 24 hours,” Dr. Davis observed. “It’s possible she is just a little stressed. But I am sure the tests will tell us something,” she said. “Her friend Jake mentioned that Grace’s mother died when she was a toddler?”
“Yes,” Max said solemnly. It was a car crash when Grace was only two years old. It changed both our lives.”
“I am sure.” Dr. Davis nodded as she jotted down some notes in the chart. “Was your wife healthy?”
“Yes, very.” Max said. “It was one of those freak accidents. One night after work she was coming home the hospital where she working as a medical student and she was killed instantly.”
“So, your wife was a doctor.” Dr. Davis asked.
“Yes, or on her way to be one. She was a medical school student rotating at the time in the cardiology department,” Max said as he remembered the joy Liz had for the field of science and medicine and the joy she had every day for their marriage and for their little girl.
“Are you aware of any inherited diseases? Dr. Davis asked.
“I was adopted along with my sister as a young child by our parents. So, I am unable to state my medical history to that point. After our adoption, I can say no major illnesses for either of us. Of course, we don’t know anything medical related to our biological family.” Max lied. “In terms of her mother’s family, there is nothing that I am aware of now and her grandparents are away on a cruise right now, so I am unable to contact them.”
“Okay,” Dr. Davis said making a final notation. “As I have said, we are monitoring her, and doing some further tests and if she continues stabilize then she’ll likely be able to go home in a day or so. But I won’t know anything until the testing comes back. So, I’ll leave you with your daughter. If there is a problem this is the button to press and nurse will help you and get a hold of me. As I explained earlier, we were planning to move Grace to a hospital room but her recent incident has delayed it a bit. We’ll let you know if the move will happen this evening.”
Max nodded and watched as the doctor leave the trauma room while being left behind the curtain by Grace’s bed. Looking at his little girl, she reminded him so much of the time when she had been born. He and Liz had been so nervous because Grace had been the first child born of any of the alien human match ups. And no one knew what they could expect. Grace though had surprised them and exceeded all their expectations.
She had been so normal when she was born. To the outside world; she had been a normal little girl and the picture of her parents, the apple of their eyes. Born in a home birth by a midwife because her parents had been so paranoid about what happened if the birth had taken place in the hospital and there had been complications of the alien kind. But the birth had been normal despite a pregnancy only being six months in duration. Luckily by the time Grace had graced their lives; the new grandparents had been told about the identity of their grandchild’s father and the other members of the secret society and they had the time to adjust to the news.
Initial tension within the group of adults had been wiped away with Grace’s arrival. She had been loved from moment one and day one and now Max couldn’t help but reflect on that time as he watched his little girl sleep.
Muttering to herself Grace started to toss and turn before waking up with a startle, “what” she whispered as her eyes took in the atmosphere of where she was. Turning her head, she saw her father staring at her. “Daddy”?
“Hi princess,” Max said lovely as he leaned forward to take her hand. “Welcome back to the land of the living.”
*****
Maria was sitting outside in the waiting room with her son. A lecture was being given. Instead of fighting it, Jake was taking it in. “Jacob Luca Guerin, do you know the scare you gave your father and me over these last 24 hours. Or the freight you and Grace gave her father. Max has been beside himself.”
“I am sorry Mom,” Jake said quietly as he tried to concentrate to the lecture his mother was giving him but all he could do was watch the room Max had gone into and couldn’t help but wonder if Grace was awake.
“I know you are, but you gave us a serious scare. How in the heck were you able to afford this little adventure?” Maria asked. “Your bank account didn’t show much of a dent which is good because you need as much money as possible for college in the fall. And the credit card only had the car rental.”
“I was working extra shifts at the garage,” Jake said of the garage he worked. The one that at one time had employed Kyle for a year of his life. “And I kept some of the money instead of depositing it all.”
“And not putting it in the bank?” Maria asked as a bit to stern for her own taste.
“This was an early birthday gift for Grace.” Jake said of the adventure he and Grace had undertaken. “It was risky. But I felt it was worth it and most of the money did go towards college and into the bank but for this once, I decided to splurge a bit. Of course, this trip to the hospital kind of ruined it.”
“Kind of…” Maria said looking at her son. “You know how lucky you two were that Max and I were following you and were close by when tragedy struck. If Grace is really sick she would need every second and if Max was back in Roswell when he received the call.”
“I know Mom,” Jake said cringing at the idea of Max being back in Roswell when he learned about Grace’s hospitalization and how lucky he had been that his mother and Uncle were nearby when he finally reached out. “We were incredibly dumb, and stupid. It was risky, and I am completely to blame. I am the one who talked Grace into it. Under some misguided notion that we could be pop in and pop out, and in the meantime, show Grace that she could really get out of Roswell or New Mexico if she really wanted to, when it comes time for college.”
“You might have talked her into it, but Grace is just like her mother was before her so it’s not all on you. It’s in the blood shall we say. Teenage girls live for this stuff. And especially one that is very by the books like Grace is. Liz was the same way. Max opened a whole new world for her,” Maria sighed at the memory of her fallen friend and how much Liz had been seduced by the danger and the risk all due to her love for her mystery man she met at age 16. Heck she had been the same way with her own space boy. “So, it’s only natural that the pattern would live on in her daughter, but, it was very risky. So, I want you to think twice in the future, okay Jake?”
“Yes Mom!” Jake said with genuine feeling.
*****
Knocking on Elizabeth’s bedroom door, Michael could hear the pounding of music behind the walls. He wondered if she could even hear the lyric to the song given it was playing so loud. Knocking again; and getting no answer. He tried to turn the knob but found the door was locked from the inside.
Damn. It is so dangerous to have children who have their own abilities to put up in defense against you he muttered to himself as he used his own ability as he opened the door slightly and looked in and saw that the music was coming from the television. Elizabeth was sitting at her computer desk having a chat on-line. “That better be someone I know,” Michael asked.
Spooked Elizabeth turned around and saw her father, using her remote to turn down the music blaring in her bedroom. “How did you get in here?”
“Elizabeth, do you realize how absurd that question is to me of all people, so why don’t you answer me. Do I know who you are having the chat with?”
“It’s Sue.” Elizabeth said.
“Okay,” Michael said modified that it was someone acceptable. “You might want to end the chat. I have something to tell you and it won’t be pleasant.”
“Is it about Jake?” Elizabeth asked.
“In a matter of speaking so as I said you might want to end you chat with Sue now. Say goodnight,” Michael insisted to his daughter.
Elizabeth nodded and quickly typed “I have to get off line, so I’ll see you at school” and sighed off.
Sitting down on Elizabeth’s bed he started to lay out what had happened in Connecticut. “I don’t want you to blame yourself. I just received a call from your mother and she let me know that they have located the kids, but Grace is in the hospital.”
“What?” Elizabeth asked as her face became pale.
“They don’t know exactly what is the issue is yet but they are trying to get to the bottom of it.” Michael said as he hugged emotional daughter who had tears coming down her face “Hey, it’s going to be alright.”
“This is my fault,” Elizabeth sobbed.
“No, it isn’t” Michael assured his daughter. “This is nothing you did.”
“But if I had been honest yesterday. Grace might have been coming home instead of being in the hospital.” Elizabeth whispered.
“We don’t know that. For all we know, Grace is suffering from something completely unrelated and only sprung up recently.” Michael said. “Your mother will call again when they know more. Hopefully it’s something minor and she can come home as scheduled.”
“I don’t know,” Elizabeth said.
“Hey, it’s going to be alright,” Michael said. “But I’ll leave you here to take a moment. When you feel up to it, why don’t you come down in a little while and watch a movie with Belle and me. I think she wants to watch one of those Harry Potter movies and you would appreciate it a lot more than I would.”
Elizabeth nodded but stayed as her father left her bedroom. Closing the door behind him, Michael went downstairs to search for his other kids.
*****
“Grace is awake,” Max was saying outside in the waiting room to a waiting Maria and Jake. “They are continuing to monitor her, and running some further tests and if all goes well then they will be moving her to a hospital room,” he was saying. “But she will have to spend the night.”
“Is she okay?” Jake asked attentively as it was the first-time Max had talked to him since they arrived at the hospital and didn’t know how his godfather would react.
“She’s awake. That is the first step. She seems to be getting stronger. But they will know more when the results come back from the lab,” Max said as he sat down in one of the chairs. “Dr. Davis is looking in on her.”
“Uncle Max, I am sorry,” Jake was saying to Max. “For all of this” he said, and it was true. He knew what a risk he and Grace took, and he hoped they hadn’t done something to bring on this crisis on Grace since she looked so healthy when they left Roswell.
“I know you are,” Max said as he looked at the teenager. He knew he should be angry and ready to throttle his god son and initially he had been, but he also knew Jake had meant no harm and it was just supposed to be a harmless weekend.
God knows, Liz, Michael, Maria, and Isabel took dozens of risks during our teenage years he was thinking to himself.
We just didn’t get caught he though
for the most part he added to himself. “I don’t blame you. My daughter could have said no and stopped this all from happening. But she has a mind of her own and I usually respect that in her and eventually she will be in trouble but for now, I just want her feeling better and able to go home.”
Jake nodded.
“Mr. Evans?” came Dr. Davis’s voice as she approached the two adults and the teenage boy. Max, Maria and Jake immediately turned to face the doctor.
“Yes Dr. Davis?” Max asked.
“Can we talk privately?” Dr. Davis asked to Max.
“You can talk in front of Maria and Jake. They have been around Grace all her life.” Max assured the doctor. “Maria has been like a second mother to my daughter.”
“That may be the case, but I think this is something you will want to talk to me about in private,” Dr. Davis assured Max.
Max was surprised. Maria gave her son a look and he just shrugged as if he had no idea what the doctor could want with Max alone. “Go Max, we’ll be here for you when you return. Is Grace up?” Maria asked the doctor. “Can we go in and see her?”
“She is awake,” Dr. Davis said. “But don’t make the visit long. She is still weak as the cardiac event took a lot out of her and she’s still recovering.”
Maria nodded as she watched Max walk off with the doctor. Before walking towards Grace’s hospital room; she turned to her son and gave her eldest son a stern look. “Do you know what is going on Jake?”
“Honestly, I have no idea Mom,” Jake said. “It’s a mystery as much to me as it is to you and Max. She seemed fine. And she has never told me any deep secrets about her health. I promise you Mom we screwed up, but I know nothing about whatever the doctor wants to talk to Uncle Max about regarding to Grace.”
“Okay,” Maria said as an eerie feeling settled over herself as she saw Max go with the doctor to talk as she worried about the news the doctor had for her friend. “Why don’t we spend our time visiting with Grace.”
*****
“Aunt Maria,” Grace said as she sat in her hospital bed as she watched Maria and Jake walk in. “Jake?” she asked. She has been feeling better and better ever since she had woken up. “I am sorry I scared everyone.”
“It’s alright,” Maria said softly. “If you are feeling better, that is all that is important.”
“I am,” Grace said as she looked at her friend and her godmother. “I am sorry I scared you Jake. And Maria; I know I screwed up coming here with Jake. But I guess I just couldn’t resist the urge to rebel for a weekend,” she said softly. “I am usually so against this stuff, but I just felt this urge.”
“Yes, I know,” Maria smiled. “And I understand the urge to rebel. I did enough of it myself along with your parents Grace. But it was incredibly risky and gave us a real scare, especially your father Grace. Leaving home, and going so far away,” she smiled. “What if you had been seriously injured?”
“I know, I know.” Grace nodded as she felt the words and the truth before them. “I guess I felt invincible by who I am. Where is my father?”
“The doctor needed to talk to him for a moment” Maria said as she sat next to her god daughter. “You do know you scared your father half to death.”
“I know,” Grace said as she repeated an earlier Jake sentiment. “I guess I was under this teenage misguided idea that we could get home without being noticed that we were missing.”
“Skipping a full day of school is just asking to be caught. Especially if you are on the honor roll and hadn’t missed a day in your whole academic career.” Maria smiled. “Your parents and I were famous for missing school due to chaos that happened, but the teachers didn’t expect us to be in class every day. Oh, maybe they expected it of your mother before she met Max,” Maria smiled at the memories. “So, I know the feeling of invisibility well but there are risks you can take, and there are risks that are just calling out to go wrong. And this was one of them.”
“You, Mom, Uncle Michael and Dad caused a lot of trouble, didn’t you?” Grace asked as she, Jake and Elizabeth being the oldest of the kids had for years heard of the stories of their parents exploits or as much as was fit to tell three teenagers
.
“But you two better not take it as permission to wreak havoc on us your parents,” Maria sternly told Grace and her son. “You are eighteen, I can’t ground you Jake. You’re almost out of high school if you don’t screw it up. And it’s not like I can really scream at you because at your age, I was weeks away from heading to New York myself on an adventure of a lifetime,” she said as she turned to her son and faced him. “But Grace is still not even 16.”
“I am not a baby,” Grace protested.
“I know you are not.” Maria assured the girl. “But you played the tables big this time, and almost risked something more valuable than money. Look where you are; in a hospital and there might not have been anything done to keep you in our lives.”
“I know,” Grace nodded. “I am tired. I think I need to some rest.”
“I’ll leave you to rest. Jake, you can say good-night and join me in waiting room” Maria said as she went to find Max and see if he learned anything new from the doctor. “Don’t stay long.” she warned as she opened the door and left.
“They are being cool about this,” Grace remarked as soon as Maria had left the room. She could feel that Jake was tense. He hadn’t said much of anything since coming into the room. She could see the concern on his face.
“Yeah but you in hospitalized has kept the lectures on hold for the time being. Even in regards with me. I am sure I’ll hear it much more, in much higher pitch of tone when we get home and Dad has his shot at me. Whenever, that is, given you are here are under the care of a doctor. How are you doing Grace? You scared me.” Jake remarked.
“Again, I am sorry,” Grace said in a quiet voice. “I don’t know what happened. I got faint suddenly and the next thing I know; I am here. Do you know anything?”
“Nope,” Jake said. “As soon as they realized that I wasn’t related to you. They stopped talking to me unless it was to pester about getting your father here pronto. I had to wait until Mom and your Dad arrived to find out anything. And that was still next to nothing. I guess they are still running tests.”
“Did they want to know anything?”
“Just the usual questions I assume they ask everyone. They even asked if you had been sexually active.” Jake remarked as she sat down next to her bed. “Like they would expect me to know the answer that kind of question?”
“What did you say?” Grace said feeling a little faint at the turn in the conversation. Jake didn’t notice anything had changed within Grace.
“That I didn’t think so,” Jake said as he lied.
“Oh,” Grace said as she her face paled.
“Grace, are you okay?” Jake asked as he got a little concerned. “Grace” he asked quietly.
******
Max was in an empty trauma room talking with the doctor. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what the doctor had to tell him as she came back from an emergency she had been called to attend to while Max waited. “It’s alright,” Max was saying.
“As I said, I am sorry to keep you waiting. An emergency with a patient needed my attention.”
“I know that I am taking your time,” Max said. “I assume there something you wanted to tell me about my daughter?” Max asked. “Given the need for privacy for our conversation?”
“Your daughter is sixteen, right?” Dr. Davis clarified.
“Actually, she is fifteen. She’ll be 16 on Thursday,” Max said. “She’s supposed to be having a big party next weekend. That is if she’s not grounded,” he chuckled. “What is it? Is there a problem with her blood test or a test?” he asked immediately thinking to Grace’s secret status; that she was half alien. To this day; all the kids had been supremely healthy and none of their alien parents had to worry about the level of alien DNA encoded in their children. But it wasn’t as if it hadn’t been a worry, especially as Liz became pregnant with Grace. Time and age had told them all the kids had abilities that meant they weren’t completely human. But they were probably more so than Max, Michael and Isabel ever had been. And now it was worrying Max that the doctors may have found something that would get them discovered.
“Since she’s a minor, I am by law forced to let you know. Ordinary I wouldn’t care and just tell the patient if she doesn’t already know but something has come up that makes you knowing paramount.” Dr. Davis said.
“Yes,” Max said.
“A test we ran came back positive.” Dr. Davis said.
“Positive?” Max asked as he got a weird feeling of what the doctor was trying to gently tell him.
“Yes?” Dr. Davis. “Grace is pregnant. Or she
was…”