

Another thing is for the banners. You can check out one graciously made by Marteloise on the first page! :onfire: thank you soo much. Also, I got another one made by Anipoo, and you can see this one on my signature as a link for SGTY

Now, here goes the new part:
Part 9
Liz and Michael both jumped at the sound of Max’s sleepy but determined voice. The young man was slowly pushing the wheelchair in the middle of the room looking at them in both anger and confusion, darting his eyes from one to the other.
“Max... I-I thought you were asleep…what are you doing up?” Liz was the first to talk suddenly understanding the gravity of the situation when she saw Michael’s agitation increasing. He had turned his back to them muttering under his breath as he slapped his forehead in frustration.
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” She could hear him repeat over and over.
Max dismissed Liz’s question, his gaze focused on his friend’s back. “Michael?” he made an effort to straighten his slumped body on the chair when he saw his friend eventually turning around.
“I’m sorry Maxwell I shouldn’t have said that.” He said blandly already walking to the front door for a fast retreat. “Michael!” Max called weakly as he tried to catch up on his friend’s fast step, all the time pleading Liz with his eyes to help him.
She quickly moved from her spot, running to the open door and grabbing Michael’s arm before he arrived to his car. “Michael please, you have to stop! Max needs you, and whatever the truth is, I think he deserved to know it.”
She met his agitated look once again briefly before he closed his eyes raking a tired hand over his face as he sighed. “Liz you don’t understand…it’ll kill him!” He whispered dimly.
“It’s my choice to take that risk Michael.”
His friend’s voice caught him of guard and his head shot up as he watched Max weakly pushing himself up against the front door. “Maxwell! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He cried running to his friend to put him back in the safety of the chair. Max didn’t resist, the simple effort of pushing on his arm had awaked the pain of the broken ribs and he winced slightly as he sat back.
“And what do you think YOU are doing hiding stuffs from me Michael?” Max retorted sternly once he was seated and had once again his friend’s full attention.
“I- Max, please don’t make me do that… please.” Michael pleaded softly. But Max’s eyes held determination and he knew he had no chance to get through this easily. Max wanted to truth and one way or another he’d have it.
*************
They all sat in silence in the small living room. Liz had found Maria in her room a few minutes earlier, where her friend had retreated when she had heard the serious argument going on in the living room. Liz had explained the situation quickly and they had both agreed to meet again later on this afternoon when, hopefully, everything would be back to normal. But Liz felt that somehow it wasn’t going to be that easy.
She watched as Michael nervously fidgeted on his seat, his head hanging low as he refused to meet his friend’s gaze. Finally Max’s patience wore off and asked once more.
“Michael? I’m waiting.”
“Fine! Fine! I’m telling you, ok! Just give me a minute...” Michael exploded, jumping from his sitting position to finally stand by the window.
“I don’t know where to start Maxwell…” He finally admitted.
“Try the beginning.” Max answered, the sarcasm painfully audible in his voice.
Michael went to sit back on the couch, leaning his elbow on his knees as he searched for the strength to tell Max what he had been hiding for months.
“Ok…Hmm…I guess- I guess I should start with-.” He looked up at Liz, somehow seeking her encouragement and she granted it to him by putting a comforting hand on his forearm. Finally, he met his friend’s eyes.
“Max, when they brought Tess to the hospital, she was still alive-.”
“I know that Michael!” Max sighed in exasperation, “Would you cut the slack and go straight to the problem here?” He snapped impatiently.
Michael pinned him with a glare, not liking at all his sudden brat-like reaction. “You want the truth Maxwell, you’ll have it, but you’ll have to listen to me, now will you stop interrupting, it’s hard enough like that.”
Max didn’t reply, sinking deeper in his chair when he realized his attitude would get him nowhere, before nodding his acceptance.
“Ok, so like I was saying, when they brought Tess to the hospital, she was still alive and they managed to keep her heart and vital functions in shape long enough for her parents to say goodbye. They also run a battery of tests on her trying to find out what was wrong with her and they found out…” His breath caught in his throat and he fight back tears of anger, composing himself for his friend’s reaction to what he was going to say.
“Maxwell, they found out she was pregnant.” He breathed the words out closing his eyes sharply as he wait for the outburst. But his revelation was met by a heavy silence. He opened his eyes slowly, slightly confused by the lack of reaction from Max. His jaw was actually moving but no sounds were coming out from his mouth. Michael took this opportunity to continue, knowing that making Max believe he had also lost his child in the accident wasn’t the solution either.
“But I had a reason for not telling you Max, a good one.” He had read the unspoken question in her friend’s eyes and hastily answered.
“What could be a good reason for hiding this?” Max hissed through his teeth, feeling sick to his stomach at the simple thought of Michael lying to him on something so important. “How did you dare?” he whispered angrily, looking at Michael with disgust. He couldn’t believe Michael, his so-called best friend had betrayed his trust like that, were there other secrets he was hiding from him? About him, about Tess?
“Max it’s not over. Maybe I shouldn’t have kept this from you, but I told you I had a good reason, believe me!” Michael pleaded for his friend’s acceptance.
He could see the wheel already turning in his head, first he was blaming him for hiding this secret, and then he would start blaming himself for letting a child he thought was his own dying in the accident. Michael needed to tell him the all truth before letting his friend hurt himself mentally. He waited till he had his full attention to continue.
“A few days after the accident, this guy showed up at the hospital. He was looking for Tess claiming he was her fiancé.” He saw the shocked look in Max’s eyes but didn’t stop. “This nurse at the desk, she had just started her shift and she didn’t know… I heard him from the hallway, he was screaming and saying Tess was pregnant and he needed to know if the baby was ok… that’s when I came to him… I asked him how he knew about the baby and… he said he was the father.”
This time he refused to look at Max, knowing what he would see in his eyes, confusion, pain. “I interrogated him. He said he had known Tess for years, they had grown up together, but they had only started…” he cut himself feeling ill at ease. “They had only started… err… seeing each other…a few months before.”
He heard the gasp from where Max was sitting but kept on “He didn’t know she was seeing somebody else, and when she told him about the baby he thought he would marry her… but she broke up with him, saying she had a better future for the baby and that if he loved her he would let her go… I wouldn’t believe him at first; I wouldn’t convince myself that Tess was capable of something like that… I thought he was just jealous, but it didn’t make senses since Tess was dead now… I even confronted Ed Harding at the funerals. The bastard knew everything, he knew about Tess being pregnant and he was the one who had convinced her to tell you it was yours.”
By that time, Michael was pacing on the floor; he needed to get done with this once and for all or he wouldn’t make it through. He was careful not to look at Max but he still felt his intense gaze focused on him.
“When I learnt about all this you were in such a bad condition that the doctors didn’t even know if you were going to make it. I kept hoping for a miracle and all at the same time wishing you’d never wake up so I’d never have to tell you that, to hurt you once again…” Michael admitted shamefully “I knew I was being stupid and when you finally woke up I was relieved somehow but I made the promise to keep this to myself…I didn’t know what to do; I saw how you were blaming yourself for her death but I just couldn’t find the guts to tell you what I knew…I-I just didn’t want to hurt you again Maxwell.”
There was a long silence as Michael stood behind the couch, keeping some distance between his friend and him. For the first time in his life, he felt like he might have lost his best friend. He felt miserable and resigned all at the same time.
He eventually raised his head meeting Liz’s comforting gaze before focusing his attention on Max’s slumped form in the wheelchair. He looked plainly devastated. Then Max looked right back at him and Michael felt the sudden urge to duck his head shamefully, hating to see the tears shimmering in his friend’s eyes.
Liz looked back and forth between the two friends, feeling like she didn’t belong here but at the same time refusing to betray Michael’s pleading eyes. She had made the promise to him to stay by his side the whole time whatever Max’s reaction would be.
Max sat there, his mouth opening in a series of quiet gasps as angry tears started to fall down his cheeks. He hated himself for being so weak, for having to cry again as though he hadn’t already cried all his tears for Tess… Tess… How could he believe one second that what Michael was telling him was true? He had known her, lived with her. And this woman Michael had described had nothing to do with his quiet innocent Tess. She had been the world to him and he had been the same to her. No this couldn’t be true…
“You’re lying.” He said blandly raising his head to meet Michael’s eyes once again. “You’re one fucking liar!” He shouted.
Michael closed his eyes at the sudden attack. He should have expected that, he should have known, but nothing could have prepared him for the rush of emotion resulting from it afterward. He ran a shaking hand through his hair as his friend leave the room for the comfort of his bedroom. He flinched when the door slammed but didn’t look up.
Liz noticed the stiffness of his stance but his face was unreadable. His fist clenched and unclenched several times and he eventually move from his spot heading straight for Max’s door.
“I need to go talk to him.” He stated resolutely, but Liz’s firm grip on his arm stop him from reaching Max’s door. “Liz what are you doing, I need to talk to him.”
“No Michael, you need to leave him alone.” She said quietly.
“What? No!” he snapped irritated by her reaction.
“Yes Michael!” She stood up before continuing, her voice softening at the sight of despair on Michael’s face. “You have to let him deal with it alone now?”
“Why?” He asked confused.
“Because Michael, he is on the edge right now, he is confused and angry but he’ll come back to his sense, I promise. But right now, one wrong move toward him and we’ll lose him forever.”
“How do you know? How can you be so sure?” All irritation was gone from his voice replaced by wonder as he admired her calm and composure.
“I’ve known a lot of people like Max, hurt both physically and emotionally. I know how they work and it’s basically always the same… you’ve got to trust me on this Michael, I know what I’m talking about ok?” She waited until he gave her a reluctant nod and softly pushed him to the door.
“Here, now you need to go home and relax. I’ll call you if anything happens.”
He didn’t say a word as he left the house but she saw him casting one last glance toward Max’s closed door.
TBC