Chapter 11: The One Where They Celebrate Christmas Eve
“I’m pretty sure I’ve never met someone who enjoyed spending as much time in the grocery store as you do, Mike.”
Michael and Liz were standing in the frozen food section of Trader Joe’s, their cart just off to the side.
Michael simply shrugged, his eyes never leaving the list in his left hand. “And I’m pretty sure I’ve never met anyone else who had an irrational fear of Jell-O, Liz.”
“Oooooo…burrrrn.” Michael looked at Liz and smiled.
Kyle walked up carrying a produce bag with lemons and placed them in the cart. “What do we have left to get, Mike?” He pulled Liz to him and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Not too much. I think we have to go to Raley’s for most of the rest of this stuff.”
“By the way Kyle, I never asked. Did Derek find you at Copia the other day?”
Kyle nodded. “He has a new boyfriend. Thinks he may get picked on draft day, too.” Derek Ibarra had been on the same team with Kyle at Napa High School. Derek was a power hitter who played first with the range of a shortstop. Now he played for Florida State. “Not that I or anyone else ever doubted that would happen.”
“Do you want to get drafted, Kyle?” It was a question Kyle wouldn’t have answered had it come from someone not named Parker, and the three Parkers currently standing in Trader Joe’s knew that.
“I don’t know. I haven’t decided if that’s what I want to do for the rest of my life. Baseball got me through mom, but maybe it’s time to let it go.” He paused then, before saying, “Ah hell, I don’t know. You know me. I’ll be an athlete until the day I die, even if I’m a quadriplegic. I’ll never be able to let baseball go.”
Michael and Liz nodded. They did know. It was the same way that Alex would be a musician, Liz would be a photographer and Michael would be a chef until they died. It didn’t matter whether they were active in it or not. Even time would not be capable of curing them of their own distinct itches.
“Okay, I think we need…” Michael scanned his list. “Uh…two loaves of sourdough. Then we can go to Raley’s to get the rest of the list.”
“Liz? Michael? Kyle? Hi!”
Amy DeLuca certainly knew how to make herself known. Or was it Valenti now? Or Deluca-Valenti? Liz shrugged internally.
“Hi Amy.”
“Hi Amy.”
“Hi Amy.”
Amy hugged the three in turn. “Amy, are you, Jim and Maria coming to Christmas Eve at Parkers? I know dad was meaning to tell you about it, but he may not have gotten around to it yet.”
“Yes he did, thank you. From what I hear, it’s the best party of the year. We wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
Kyle spoke then. “You know, we won’t get a lot of time to catch up with you at the party, what with how many people there’ll be, why don’t the three of you come for lunch too? That is, if you aren’t doing anything.”
“We aren’t. Thank you, we’d love to. What time should we be there?”
“Mike?” Liz, Amy and Kyle all turned to look at Michael, who had yet to say much.
“Uh…Twelve-thirty would be fine, I guess.”
Amy smiled brightly at each sibling in turn. “Great! We’ll see you then! Bye kids.”
As they watched Amy walk away, Kyle said, “Well, one thing’s for sure- we know Maria doesn’t get one particular tendency from her dad.”
-:-:-:-
“Hey Mike, need any help?”
Michael looked up from the kitchen island at Max, who was walking into the kitchen barefoot and sipping from a bottle of Corona, the four fingers of his left hand in the left pocket of his jeans.
Michael wiped his hands off on a kitchen towel to his right. “Uh…would you mind starting the salad?”
“Not at all. I did offer.” Max set his beer down and went to the sink to wash his hands before pulling leaves of lettuce off the first head of romaine to wash.
A few minutes later, as Max was chopping up tomatoes and Michael was snapping the bottoms off of spears of asparagus, Liz walked in the kitchen. “Aw, how cute. Two of my boys, being all domestic.”
“Eat your heart out.” Michael smiled as he winked at Liz, who just laughed.
“Do you need anything?”
“You could wrangle Alex up and get him to set the table if you want. Then you can start bringing the food out.”
“You got it.” Liz smiled and bounced out of the room. Max watched her until she was gone, then continued to keep his eyes on the doorway; almost as if he expected her to come right back and he didn’t want to miss one moment of her.
Michael didn’t miss that.
About ten minutes later the table was set and everyone was gathered, Michael and Max the last to reach their seats. Jeff was at the head of one end, Jim at the head of the other. Daniel, of course, had insisted on sitting next to Liz, and Kyle had had to kick Alex to prevent him from groaning loudly. They did not need to start something with the pompous ass today, especially when in about five minutes, Pompous Ass was going to start something all on his lonesome.
The conversation began innocently enough. Liz simply wanted to know what Maria had been up to.
Maria spoke between bites of roast chicken. “Well, my music is my main focus right now. I had planned to stay with mom only until I turned eighteen, but the commune really helped with my musicianship. There’s a man there, Perry, who plays an amazing guitar. He was really instrumental in my development. Uh…no pun intended. Sorry.”
All except Daniel laughed. He simply rolled his eyes and looked down at the food he was pushing around his plate. Jim spoke after swallowing his bite of salad. “So Tess, I heard your family moved to Atlanta. Is that accurate?”
Tess nodded as she took a sip of water. “It is.” She set her glass down. “Just before the third grade.”
“And how did you and Kyle meet again?”
Tess turned to Kyle, an affectionate smile on her face. “We had a class together.”
“I thought I recognized her, so I went up and introduced myself.”
Daniel mumbled something to himself.
“Sorry Daniel, what was that?”
“Oh nothing. I just said that all men think they recognize girls with that hair color.”
And just like that, all the noise exited the room.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at Daniel. Some were outraged, some were just shocked but none could rival the look on Liz’s face.
She was flat-out pissed.
Liz got up abruptly from her chair and threw her napkin down on her plate, resting her hands on the table to either side of the plate. She was breathing heavily as she stared down at the table, unwilling to look anyone in the eye until she turned her eyes to Daniel and said, “You. Outside. Now.” before stalking away through the French doors behind her.
Daniel followed and as he shut the door behind him, the occupants of the table had still not moved.
-:-:-:-
“Shut the door.” Daniel did and moved to Liz. Her hand, palm out, stopped him in his path.
She was pacing, and she was angry. No, more than angry, livid. But Daniel didn’t care. He knew what was best for her, after all. And this family of hers was not what was best for her. He was confident she would see that in time. Of course, had he thought to mention that to Liz, the outcome would most likely have been entirely different than he expected.
“What is the matter with you? You sat there, at my family’s table, and essentially called my older brother’s girlfriend a whore. Are you mentally challenged or something?”
Daniel laughed lightly and Liz wanted to slap him across the face. “If the shoe fits, Elizabeth.”
Liz stood there, arms hanging down at her sides, and stared at him in disbelief.
“Who are you?”
“Pardon me?”
“Who is this person in front of me? Because there’s no way you can convince me that you are the same Daniel I met two years ago. That Daniel would never even think about disrespecting my family.”
“It’s not disrespect if it’s the truth, Elizabeth.”
Liz snorted. “That’s another thing- when did you start calling me Elizabeth? It’s always Elizabeth this or Elizabeth that. Whatever happened to Liz?”
Daniel frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. “What’s wrong with my calling you Elizabeth?”
“Nothing’s wrong with it. It is my name. But I prefer Liz. You know that.”
“Elizabeth is more becoming a lady. And I expect my wife to be a lady.”
Come again?
“Come again?”
Daniel let out a long, annoyed sigh and rolled his eyes. “That’s why I wanted you to spend Christmas with my family.” He drew closer and wrapped his hands on her upper arms, rubbing them. “I was going to propose tomorrow. But since you spoiled that surprise, well…” Daniel simply looked away.
Liz shook his hands off her arms and said, “What on earth makes you think I want to marry you?”
“Well, we’ve been dating for two years now. That is the next step, Elizabeth.” Daniel spoke slowly, as if he were addressing a small child and Liz would have none of it.
“Well that answers that question. Not only are you a condescending asshole, but apparently you’re also delusional.” She paused, closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and middle finger.
“Language, Elizabeth.” She looked up at him, the anger clear in her eyes.
“Fuck off, Daniel. You don’t get to scold me as if I’m some petulant three year old. I will swear as much as I like. Asshole, asshole, asshole.” Liz walked away from him, pacing the length of the deck. A minute later she stopped, lightly shaking her head. “This isn’t working. I can’t do this anymore. We can’t do this anymore.”
Daniel rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest impatiently. “Someone’s being a little overdramatic.”
Liz chose to ignore him. If she let herself be baited right now it would throw her completely off target. There was no way she was giving up the opportunity to say the things she needed to say. “It hasn’t been working for a long time, Daniel. You want this girl who’s going to bow down when you enter a room, who’ll fawn over you night and day and who doesn’t get upset when you spend more time with your golf buddies than her. I refuse to stoop that low. I’m worth more than that.”
“The greatest thing a woman can be, the only thing she should worry about being, is a good wife and mother. Filling the needs of those around her, that’s what she’s great at.”
And suddenly, Liz saw Daniel as he really was. She saw the sneers at her brothers, the inconsiderate actions and the insensitive comments. She was tired of making apologies for a Daniel she had once known. It was clear by now that that Daniel had left on a Greyhound to Oklahoma City or wherever, and he was never coming back.
“When you call, I immediately send you to voicemail. I don’t consider you in any decision I make. I don’t talk about you. Ever. These things, Daniel? They aren’t normal. I should want to tell everyone I meet about you, but I don’t. Most days I can’t even stand to be around you because you grate on my nerves. You’re-”
“You’ll grow out of-”
“I’m speaking. You always do all the talking. It’s your turn to listen now. Do not interrupt me again.” Liz paused before continuing. “You’re inconsiderate and condescending and rude. You never take what matters to me in account, but you always expect me to accommodate you. But you want the big kicker, Daniel? I don’t love you. I never have. I couldn’t possibly love someone like you. I always knew that, it just became obvious recently.”
Daniel sneered. “Wake up little girl. Marriage isn’t about love.”
“See Daniel, I don’t doubt that you believe that. But that’s not what I want. I want what my parents had. I want that kind of ‘no doubt about it, head over heels, bursting at the seams’ kind of love. I deserve that Daniel. And there’s no way you can ever give that to me.
Liz gestured in the space between them. “This…whatever this is…is over. Goodbye Daniel.”
Liz walked inside and shut the French doors soundly behind her, effectively severing Daniel from the rest of her life.
-:-:-:-
Christmas Eve at Parker’s was an event in its seventh year.
It was an event exclusively for the town, a nod from Parker Vineyards to the people of Napa. Every year was a little different than the last, with every year holding to a theme. This year’s theme was A Midwinter Night’s Dream, and the decorations were just breathtaking.
Liz and Isabel walked through the doorway of one of the east buildings on the vineyard and into another world. There were glass snowflakes of every shape and size hanging from the ceiling, momentarily paused on their way to earth. Fake snow was everywhere, and it seemed some of the local kids had already realized that. The kids were giggling and making fake snow angels in the fake snow bank off to the right of the girls.
Jeff walked in just behind the girls and laughed when he saw the kids. “Parents are going to have a rough time keeping their kids out of those all night.”
There was a band playing on a stage to their right and Jeff started toward it, but not after looking at his watch. “Well girls, it looks like it’s that time again. Excuse me, would you?” Liz and Isabel nodded and turned to look at the rest of the room.
A large dance floor had been set up in the center of the room, tables flanking it on two sides. There were no set places, being that at this party people usually just came and went as they pleased, but each table had a centerpiece in the middle, photos in silver frames sitting on beds of snow. As Liz and Isabel reached a table, Liz gasped.
“Liz? You okay?!?”
Liz simply nodded, not saying a word. Alex walked up moments later and said, “Those are her photos, Isabel. Every table has one of her photos.”
In fact, when Liz walked around later, taking in as much of the party as she could, she would find that her photos were not only on the tables, but on the walls and outside on the patio.
There was a photo Liz had taken five years ago of downtown at Christmas.
There were many photos of her family from Christmases and ski vacations past.
And there was one of the first photos Liz had ever taken: Nancy with Alex on her lap, smiles on their faces as they opened one of Alex’s Christmas gifts together. Liz had received a camera that year. It was the first photo on that roll of film.
There was an amplified sound as Jeff tapped his fingers on the microphone in front of him.
“Hi everybody.” Jeff got a chorus of ‘Hi’s’ back. “As you know, the Parker family has lived in Napa for years. Since even before we started this little vineyard, in fact. This family has owed so much of its success to this town and its people. We just want to thank all of you for the support and kindness you’ve shown us over the years. It has not been overlooked, we assure you. That said- have fun, enjoy, live and love.”
Jeff back away from the microphone and hopped off the stage as the band started to play. Alex stood in front of Liz and held out his right hand, a grin on his face. “May I have this dance, milady?”
Liz grinned and put on a southern accent. “Why Alexander Charles Parker, I do declare. You are a gentleman of the highest order. I would be pleased to accept this gracious invitation.” She put her hand in Alex’s and they walked to the dance floor before he spun her, making her giggle instantly.
“So…you and Izzy.”
“So…you and Daniel.”
“When’s your date?”
“How did it feel to break up with him?”
Liz gasped with her mouth open and a smile on her face. Alex definitely had the juicier question.
“Great.”
Alex grinned. “The Twenty-Sixth.”
Liz grinned. “How did you know?”
Alex shrugged, smile firmly in place. “Twin thing. What else? And before you ask, no, they don’t know.” Liz nodded.
Alex dipped her and she laughed loudly as the song came to an end.
-:-:-:-
Max was walking down the stairs on the way to the kitchen when he noticed one of the French doors leading outside was slightly ajar. He walked through them hesitantly, suddenly understanding the phrase ‘All is calm, All is bright’.
The night sky was completely clear, leaving the stars to shine down on the earth below. Max looked to his left and saw Liz sitting in a porch swing, wrapped up in a quilt with her legs tucked underneath her. She was looking out across the yard toward the grape vines that stretched over the hills and the light from the stars was dancing across her hair. Max’s breath caught.
“He wasn’t always like that, you know. And before you say it, no, I am not one of those girls who will excuse a man anything. But he wasn’t like that in the beginning.”
Max simply walked over and sat down next to her, and she pulled the quilt over his lap. He didn’t answer because he knew she didn’t really want him to. She wanted to explain; needed to be heard. So Max sat. And Max listened.
“He was considerate and sweet. He always had time for me. He listened. He even told a joke every now and again. Not a funny joke, mind you, but at least he tried.
“Then he started to change. It happened so gradually that I didn’t even notice at first. He stopped telling me where he was going to be, he started canceling dates. That sort of thing. And I started sending his calls to voicemail. Did you know I hate the sound of his voice?”
Max laughed, a sound that made Liz’s toes tingle. “I do. I hate the sound of his voice. It annoys the crap out of me. Or that when he talks, I do the multiplication tables in my head to keep from being bored to tears?” At Max’s bright laugh, she said, “It’s true! I do. That conversation the other day when were outside for fifty minutes? I got up to the fifteens. And I don’t exactly race through them. If he had kept going on much longer I would have moved on to my prepositions.”
Max and Liz laughed then, the sound rolling over the hills. “So Liz, why do you stay with him then? Because you have to know, you deserve so much better than what Daniel gives you.”
Liz turned to look at him. The stars were resting in his hair and he was looking at her with what looked like, and Liz thought she could possibly be mistaken, tenderness and affection. “Well, that question is moot now. I broke up with him.”
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! All-lay-ay-lew-yuh!
“Really? What prompted you to end it now?”
“Truthfully, you.” Liz sighed. “You reminded me of something. I was holding on to Daniel in part because it was so easy. All the hard work had already been done. But mainly I was holding on to him because…”
Max gently nudged her right shoulder with his left. “Because why, Liz?”
Liz took a deep breath and jumped off the deep end. “I said goodbye to my mother, Max. Say what you will about Daniel, but two years is a long time. I just didn’t want to say goodbye.”
She paused before saying one last thing. “I never said thank you, Max. Last night meant the world to me.”
“You’re welcome, Liz.”
The conversation was over, so Max wrapped his arms around her and held her to him. Liz looked down at the leather cuff watch on Max’s right wrist and said, “Hey look.” Max looked down at his wrist as Liz smiled.
“Merry Christmas, Max.”
“Merry Christmas, Liz.”
AN: Trader Joe's and Raley's as well as Napa High School, are not mine.
A Parker Family Christmas (M/L, CC, Adult)- AN 10/02 (WIP)
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Chapter 12: I Still Want a Hula-Hoop
It was tradition in the Parker family for the Parker kids to push their beds together and sleep in one big bed on Christmas Eve. They started the tradition when Alex and Liz became too old for their cribs and even though they had two new guests for Christmas, they saw no reason to put an end to the tradition now.
That was why Liz wasn’t shocked to walk into her bedroom that night and find three queen sized beds. It was also why Max was shocked to walk into his room and find no bed at all.
Max stuck his head out of his doorway and called out into the hallway. “Okay, this seems like an odd question I admit, but has anyone seen my bed?”
“In here Max.” Michael’s faint voice called out to him from another room.
“In where?”
“Liz’s room.”
“Oh-kay…” Max mumbled to himself as he left his room and entered Liz’s, where he saw his bed. “Yep, that’s my bed. What is it doing in here?”
“We always sleep together in the same bed the night before Christmas Max. Tradition.”
“Why?”
“Huh?”
“Why?”
The Parker kids looked at one another dumbfounded until Kyle spoke. “No clue. We just always have.”
“I have come up with the perfect plan for optimal sleeping comfort. Seeing as we have two new bodies this year, I wanted to make sure everyone was comfortable with the person they were sleeping next to on both sides.”
“Good idea, Alex. What have you got?”
Alex gestured with his right hand, pointing to one side of the bed. “Okay…so starting on that side of the bed, we have in order me, Liz, Isabel, Max, then Michael and finally Kyle. Does that work for everybody?” Everyone nodded.
“Okay, everyone go get your quilts and pillows.” Michael left the room first, before the final words left his mouth. Everyone but Liz followed, soon returning dragging homemade quilts behind them. They looked like grownup versions of Linus, and Liz laughed.
They made it on to the makeshift bed and into their designated spots in various ways. Alex and Liz full on jumped onto their bellies. Michael walked over and got on the bed on his knees before falling forward. Isabel sat down on her bottom before scooting back, finally resting on her left side. Max arranged his blankets before climbing in knees first. Kyle didn’t get in at all, waiting until everyone else was done to turn out the lights.
“Everyone good? Okay.” Kyle flipped the light switch, sending Liz’s bedroom into darkness. The members of the group squirmed a little, each trying to find their most comfortable spot.
“Alex? Watch the elbow.”
“Sorry Liz.”
“AH! Mike, get your feet off of me. They’re frickin’ freezing!”
“Sorry.”
“That’s my quilt, Max.”
“Sorry Iz.”
There was silence for a minute or so until Liz said, “Goodnight John-Boy.”
It sent the occupants of the bed into a giggle fit until everyone finally said their goodnights and settled down.
“Hey guys?”
“Yeah Liz?”
“Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas Liz.”
-:-:-:-
As the clock hit One, Jeff slowly opened the door to Liz’s room and peered in at the six sleeping bodies. He watched them for a moment or two, drawn in by their innocent slumber before he yawned deeply.
He shook the cobwebs out that were starting to form in his head. Santa didn’t have time to fall asleep now. He still had work to do.
-:-:-:-
Isabel opened her eyes and was met with the sight of her older brother, deep in slumber. Not wanting to wake him, she turned over as gently as she could to face the person on her other side: Liz.
Liz was just starting to wake, and Isabel watched as her eyes gradually regained focus. Isabel whispered, “Morning Liz.”
Liz smiled. “Morning Izzy. How did you sleep?”
“Really well, actually. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“I always sleep better when we do this too. No clue why. What time is it?”
Isabel craned her neck to see the red digital numbers of the alarm clock behind her. “Eight oh one.”
“Everyone should start waking up soon.”
True to Liz’s statement, Alex was slowly coming back to the waking world, his eyes fluttering and his breathing becoming shallow and more frequent. In a minute or two, Michael and Kyle would be doing the same, but Max seemed to be deep in slumber.
-:-:-:-
Liz gently laid her right hand flat against his chest and methodically started walking him backward, a grin on her face. Max couldn’t remove his eyes from hers, sucked in to the gentle brown. He moved back and back and back until his back came in contact with something hard.
They had reached the back of the closet.
Liz smiled and slowly brought her hands down to hem of her red t-shirt before lifting it over her head.
“Oh God.”
No bra.
Liz slowly stalked toward him, the smile never leaving her face. She brought her hands to the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his head, tossing it off to the left side. She looked at his chest and smiled and he continued to look at hers, captivated. His breathing was erratic as she came ever closer until finally she brought their chests together and moaned just a little.
It was enough.
Max moaned deeply before bringing his lips achingly close to hers.
She stopped him before he made contact and looked at his eyes before looking back down at his lips and up again. Then she spoke.
“Max, wake up.”
Huh?
“Huh?”
“Max, wake up!”
-:-:-:-
Max awoke with a start, Michael hovering over him.
“He’s awake now.”
“You were talking in your sleep.” That was Kyle.
“What was I saying?”
“Well mainly you were moaning a lot, but you did say ‘Oh God’ once.” Enter Alex with a silly grin.
“Oh God.”
“Yep. Pretty much like that, but with more of a breathy quality.”
“Alex? Shut up.” Max sat up in bed and looked around. “Where are Isabel and Liz?”
“Downstairs already. We told them we’d wake you up. C’mon man, it’s Christmas.” Michael walked out the door, followed by Kyle and finally Alex, who still had a silly grin on his face.
Max sat there for just a moment more before pulling the covers off and getting out of bed. He was just outside Liz’s bedroom door when he heard the bright laughter from the family room below.
Max took the stairs quickly and walked into a TV special version of a Christmas. This was vastly different than the ‘wake up to an empty house, breakfast on the table, check in a card next to your plate’ traditional Evans Christmas.
Liz called out to him. “Max, what are doing standing there? Get over here!” Max obliged and walked over to Liz who was sitting on the floor before sitting down next to her. Michael leaned forward and handed Max a red and green stocking before settling back into his place on the floor.
“What’s this?”
Michael gave him a ‘duh’ look. “Your stocking? It does have your name on it, Max.” Michael pointed at the lettering across the cuff. “See? Maaaaaaax.”
“Very cute.”
“I got one too Max.” Max looked over at Isabel who was smiling, half of the gifts already out of her stocking.
A few minutes later Jeff walked into the room. “Well, I see the little elves have already found their stockings.”
“Thanks daddy.”
“Thanks dad.”
“Thank you Jeff.”
“You are all more than welcome. What say we have breakfast and then get to that obscenely large mound of gifts under our obscenely large tree? Hmm?”
The group of 20-somethings got up from their seats on the floor and followed Jeff into the kitchen.
-:-:-:-
“How long?”
“Three minutes after the last time you asked me.”
“Okay…deja-vu.” Alex leaned up against the granite counter.
Michael and Kyle glared at him.
“Well, she is talking with Daniel.”
“True, but she’s only been out there for five minutes.” Isabel spoke up, and everyone turned to look at her. “What? I pay attention.” She shrugged.
Just then Liz opened the door leading to the outside and walked into the kitchen. “Okay, sorry to hold everyone up. Let’s dive into that obscenely large mound of presents now.” Michael, Kyle and Max just gave her a look before walking into the family room while Isabel smiled and shook her head.
Alex looked at her expectantly. “He wants his stuff back.”
“He called you on Christmas to tell you that?”
“He is Daniel, after all.”
“True.”
“You mind going with me tomorrow to drop it off?”
“You have to ask? Now, you are going to love what I got you.”
“I always do.”
-:-:-:-
The presents had all been unwrapped and Alex was lying asleep in the middle of the humongous pile of paper clutching his black Fender Stratocaster signed by Jim Morrison, a gift from Michael and Kyle.
Replace the guitar with a toy zeppelin, and it was a scene right out of A Christmas Story. Liz giggled.
Isabel and Kyle had the earbuds of their new iPods in their ears as they sat together on the floor, commenting back and forth on the quality of the songs. The iPods had been everyone’s gift from Alex, complete with Midnight Dancing Mix 2006.
Liz got up from her spot in one of the overstuffed chairs and plopped down next to Michael, who immediately lifted his right arm up and wrapped it around her shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder and Jeff spoke. “Well, did you get everything you hoped for?”
“Well we know Alex did. I’m pretty sure that present of yours is a hit, Mike.” The three of them looked at Alex affectionately as he groaned a little and scrunched up his nose before settling back down.
“Kyle’s idea. He should get the credit.”
“Who are you kidding? Both of you are behind that gift and we all know it, Mr. Modesty.” Michael simply shrugged, a statement unnecessary.
Max walked in then from the kitchen, carrying several glasses of orange juice. “So what’s the plan for the rest of the day?”
“Well Max, we always go to a movie together, usually in the early afternoon, and then dinner and the Christmas Pageant. Paolo’s kids are in the pageant this year. Very important roles. Grace is a tree and I believe PJ had the rather unfortunate luck of being cast as a rock.”
“Poor kid.”
Jeff nodded. “Mmm…yes. I’m afraid he’s never going to live that down. Okay, who wants to wake Alex up?”
Max, Liz and Michael burst out the door.
Jeff laughed. “Cowards.”
-:-:-:-
Parker, party of seven, walked out of the theater and right into Valenti, party of three.
And once again Michael found himself unable to talk.
Just being near Maria was driving him insane. But add to that his newfound muteness and Michael wanted to smack his head against a wall to end the misery. Why couldn’t he say just one friggin’ word to her?
What was wrong with him?
After all, this was just Maria. Maria, the girl who used to follow him around like a little lost puppy. Maria, scrawny and-
Maybe that was his problem.
Because Maria? Not exactly scrawny anymore.
No, maybe the reason Michael was having a hard time around her was that Maria was no longer just Maria.
Oh crap.
“Hey Maria.”
Maria feigned a shocked expression and brought her hand lightly to her chest. “He speaks. What did we do to deserve this honor?”
“You got a problem blondie?”
“Why would I have a problem? You’re the one who just stands there, not saying anything.”
“Yeah? Didn’t I just say hi? And maybe if you shut those yappers for a second someone else could get a word in edgewise!”
Liz turned her head and looked at Alex who looked just as confused as she felt. Michael was not acting like himself. He never fought with anyone. Mostly they had always figured that he just didn’t care enough to fight.
“Maria? Let’s go, alright?” Amy turned to Jeff. “Are you going to the pageant tonight?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Okay, we’ll see you there, then.” Amy and Jim waved their goodbyes but Maria didn’t, too caught up in the remains of her argument with Michael to care that there had been eight other people there.
And not one of them had spoken.
-:-:-:-
“So…Kyle…”
“Don’t ask me Lizzie. I won’t answer and you know that.”
Liz sighed. She did know that.
“And don’t give me that look.”
So Liz just sat there. And waited. Kyle would give her some sort of explanation as to why he wouldn’t tell her. He wouldn’t make her suffer.
Kyle turned to look her in the eyes. “It’s a twin thing, Lizzie.”
So Liz crossed her heart and hoped to die and vowed to leave it alone.
You did not question a twin thing.
-:-:-:-
“Man, poor PJ.” The Parker kids stood behind the very last row of seats in the outdoor theater that had been set up specifically for this year’s Christmas pageant. There were always two locations just in case the weather was bad, but the skies were clear this year and a starry sky over the pageant always felt a little more…well…Christmasy.
“Yeah. Being the rock was not fun.”
Liz, Michael and Alex laughed. “Hey, you know how hard it was to move in that thing?” They just continued to laugh as Kyle muttered something under his breath about them ‘not understanding because they got to be trees’.
“Kyle, please tell me you’re not still holding on to that. You’re twenty-two years old son. Let it go.” Jeff clapped his hand on Kyle’s right shoulder.
“Let what go?” Max and Isabel had just then walked up behind the Parkers.
Alex spoke, but it was difficult to understand him through the laughter, so the Evans siblings turned to Liz. “Kyle had to be the rock years ago and he’s always been a little bitter about that.”
“Hey! Everyone else got to be trees! Trees! Do you have any idea how much cooler a tree is?”
Tess, who had walked up behind them some minutes ago with her grandparents, put her hand on Kyle’s lower back and said, “Aw, honey…you’re pretty.” Kyle glared at her while everyone else erupted in laughter. “Mr. Parker, I wanted you to meet my grandparents. Ken and Lucille Harding. Nana…Papa…this is Jeff Parker, Kyle’s dad.”
“I’d like to tell you this isn’t normal conversation for us, but I’m afraid it is.” Jeff shook their hands. They smiled at one another warmly.
“Where’s Cassandra?”
“I think she went to go find us seats, honey.”
“Okay, well I think we should probably go find her.”
“And we should probably find our seats too. Ken…Lucille…pleasure to meet you.”
“You too Jeff.”
As the Hardings walked away, the Parker contingent made their way in the opposite direction, down the far left edge of the seats. Jeff stopped at a row four back from the stage and entered, moving down the row until he was seated next to Paolo.
“Thank you for saving us seats, Paolo. We never would have gotten seats this great otherwise.”
Paolo shrugged, an easy smile on his face. “I know a guy.”
Jeff greeted Paolo’s wife Cleo as everyone else found their seats. Liz sat next to Jeff and after her were the Evans kids, who were followed by Kyle, Alex and Michael. There were jackets on the seats beside him and Michael briefly wondered when the people would be getting there. His question was answered when three people made their way into the aisle and sat down.
What did a guy have to do to get a break?
He was sitting next to Maria.
-:-:-:-
Jeff walked in the front door and tossed his keys on the entryway table. “Well I think Grace and PJ can rest easy. Grace was a very lovely tree and PJ showed a lot of gumption as a rock.”
“How do you show gumption as a rock?”
Jeff paused. “No clue. But I thought it sounded nice. So…who’s up for ice cream?”
The family spent the next few hours relating stories to one another including the time Liz was learning to ride her bike and crashed right into a tree (they called her Liz of the Jungle for nearly an entire year after that) and the time Alex was so panicked about a date, he almost got out the door with only his underwear on.
As the clock struck eleven, Jeff got up from his seat at the head of the kitchen table saying goodnight and bidding everyone a Merry Christmas before heading off to bed. One by one everyone else got up too, until only Max and Liz were left.
“You know, this seems like it’s getting to be a thing with us.”
“What’s that?”
“Being awake at night together when everyone else is asleep.”
Liz nodded, smiling at him. “It’s nice.”
“So I’m not sure if I’ve gained the right to ask yet, but what was that call from Daniel about earlier?”
He looked hopeful, and Liz laughed softly. “You’ve done your time in the trenches Private, you can ask. He wants his stuff back, that’s all.”
“You taking it back to him?”
She nodded. “Tomorrow. Alex is going with me.”
“Good.”
“Yeah.”
There was a silence then, an almost uneasy silence. It was clear that the air held something now it hadn’t the last few days. Or maybe it was something that had simply been growing, and it was letting them know it was in the room with them now.
“Okay, I think I’m going to go to bed.” Liz got up to go, pushing her chair in.
“Uh…yeah…me too.” He did the same and as they walked through the doorway leading to the family room Max grabbed her hand, pulling her to a stop next to him.
“What is it Max?”
Max looked at Liz and paused, taking in the light reflecting from her eyes and the way her hair fell across her shoulders just so before looking up. Liz followed his eyes with hers and saw what he was looking at.
Mistletoe.
Their eyes caught.
“You know, it is tradition. Who are we to shirk tradition?”
Max grinned as he started to move closer. “Merry Christmas Liz.”
Liz pointed to the face of his watch. “Not Christmas anymore, Max.”
Max grinned wider, moving his face closer to her until his lips were almost on hers and then stopped. “Happy Boxing Day, Liz.”
Liz giggled before Max’s lips caught hers.
She sighed.
Ahhh.
Liz’s knees buckled and Max brought his right arm around her waist to prevent her from dropping to the ground.
So that’s what that feels like.
AN: Hey Fee, can I have Dean back now?
It was tradition in the Parker family for the Parker kids to push their beds together and sleep in one big bed on Christmas Eve. They started the tradition when Alex and Liz became too old for their cribs and even though they had two new guests for Christmas, they saw no reason to put an end to the tradition now.
That was why Liz wasn’t shocked to walk into her bedroom that night and find three queen sized beds. It was also why Max was shocked to walk into his room and find no bed at all.
Max stuck his head out of his doorway and called out into the hallway. “Okay, this seems like an odd question I admit, but has anyone seen my bed?”
“In here Max.” Michael’s faint voice called out to him from another room.
“In where?”
“Liz’s room.”
“Oh-kay…” Max mumbled to himself as he left his room and entered Liz’s, where he saw his bed. “Yep, that’s my bed. What is it doing in here?”
“We always sleep together in the same bed the night before Christmas Max. Tradition.”
“Why?”
“Huh?”
“Why?”
The Parker kids looked at one another dumbfounded until Kyle spoke. “No clue. We just always have.”
“I have come up with the perfect plan for optimal sleeping comfort. Seeing as we have two new bodies this year, I wanted to make sure everyone was comfortable with the person they were sleeping next to on both sides.”
“Good idea, Alex. What have you got?”
Alex gestured with his right hand, pointing to one side of the bed. “Okay…so starting on that side of the bed, we have in order me, Liz, Isabel, Max, then Michael and finally Kyle. Does that work for everybody?” Everyone nodded.
“Okay, everyone go get your quilts and pillows.” Michael left the room first, before the final words left his mouth. Everyone but Liz followed, soon returning dragging homemade quilts behind them. They looked like grownup versions of Linus, and Liz laughed.
They made it on to the makeshift bed and into their designated spots in various ways. Alex and Liz full on jumped onto their bellies. Michael walked over and got on the bed on his knees before falling forward. Isabel sat down on her bottom before scooting back, finally resting on her left side. Max arranged his blankets before climbing in knees first. Kyle didn’t get in at all, waiting until everyone else was done to turn out the lights.
“Everyone good? Okay.” Kyle flipped the light switch, sending Liz’s bedroom into darkness. The members of the group squirmed a little, each trying to find their most comfortable spot.
“Alex? Watch the elbow.”
“Sorry Liz.”
“AH! Mike, get your feet off of me. They’re frickin’ freezing!”
“Sorry.”
“That’s my quilt, Max.”
“Sorry Iz.”
There was silence for a minute or so until Liz said, “Goodnight John-Boy.”
It sent the occupants of the bed into a giggle fit until everyone finally said their goodnights and settled down.
“Hey guys?”
“Yeah Liz?”
“Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas Liz.”
-:-:-:-
As the clock hit One, Jeff slowly opened the door to Liz’s room and peered in at the six sleeping bodies. He watched them for a moment or two, drawn in by their innocent slumber before he yawned deeply.
He shook the cobwebs out that were starting to form in his head. Santa didn’t have time to fall asleep now. He still had work to do.
-:-:-:-
Isabel opened her eyes and was met with the sight of her older brother, deep in slumber. Not wanting to wake him, she turned over as gently as she could to face the person on her other side: Liz.
Liz was just starting to wake, and Isabel watched as her eyes gradually regained focus. Isabel whispered, “Morning Liz.”
Liz smiled. “Morning Izzy. How did you sleep?”
“Really well, actually. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“I always sleep better when we do this too. No clue why. What time is it?”
Isabel craned her neck to see the red digital numbers of the alarm clock behind her. “Eight oh one.”
“Everyone should start waking up soon.”
True to Liz’s statement, Alex was slowly coming back to the waking world, his eyes fluttering and his breathing becoming shallow and more frequent. In a minute or two, Michael and Kyle would be doing the same, but Max seemed to be deep in slumber.
-:-:-:-
Liz gently laid her right hand flat against his chest and methodically started walking him backward, a grin on her face. Max couldn’t remove his eyes from hers, sucked in to the gentle brown. He moved back and back and back until his back came in contact with something hard.
They had reached the back of the closet.
Liz smiled and slowly brought her hands down to hem of her red t-shirt before lifting it over her head.
“Oh God.”
No bra.
Liz slowly stalked toward him, the smile never leaving her face. She brought her hands to the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his head, tossing it off to the left side. She looked at his chest and smiled and he continued to look at hers, captivated. His breathing was erratic as she came ever closer until finally she brought their chests together and moaned just a little.
It was enough.
Max moaned deeply before bringing his lips achingly close to hers.
She stopped him before he made contact and looked at his eyes before looking back down at his lips and up again. Then she spoke.
“Max, wake up.”
Huh?
“Huh?”
“Max, wake up!”
-:-:-:-
Max awoke with a start, Michael hovering over him.
“He’s awake now.”
“You were talking in your sleep.” That was Kyle.
“What was I saying?”
“Well mainly you were moaning a lot, but you did say ‘Oh God’ once.” Enter Alex with a silly grin.
“Oh God.”
“Yep. Pretty much like that, but with more of a breathy quality.”
“Alex? Shut up.” Max sat up in bed and looked around. “Where are Isabel and Liz?”
“Downstairs already. We told them we’d wake you up. C’mon man, it’s Christmas.” Michael walked out the door, followed by Kyle and finally Alex, who still had a silly grin on his face.
Max sat there for just a moment more before pulling the covers off and getting out of bed. He was just outside Liz’s bedroom door when he heard the bright laughter from the family room below.
Max took the stairs quickly and walked into a TV special version of a Christmas. This was vastly different than the ‘wake up to an empty house, breakfast on the table, check in a card next to your plate’ traditional Evans Christmas.
Liz called out to him. “Max, what are doing standing there? Get over here!” Max obliged and walked over to Liz who was sitting on the floor before sitting down next to her. Michael leaned forward and handed Max a red and green stocking before settling back into his place on the floor.
“What’s this?”
Michael gave him a ‘duh’ look. “Your stocking? It does have your name on it, Max.” Michael pointed at the lettering across the cuff. “See? Maaaaaaax.”
“Very cute.”
“I got one too Max.” Max looked over at Isabel who was smiling, half of the gifts already out of her stocking.
A few minutes later Jeff walked into the room. “Well, I see the little elves have already found their stockings.”
“Thanks daddy.”
“Thanks dad.”
“Thank you Jeff.”
“You are all more than welcome. What say we have breakfast and then get to that obscenely large mound of gifts under our obscenely large tree? Hmm?”
The group of 20-somethings got up from their seats on the floor and followed Jeff into the kitchen.
-:-:-:-
“How long?”
“Three minutes after the last time you asked me.”
“Okay…deja-vu.” Alex leaned up against the granite counter.
Michael and Kyle glared at him.
“Well, she is talking with Daniel.”
“True, but she’s only been out there for five minutes.” Isabel spoke up, and everyone turned to look at her. “What? I pay attention.” She shrugged.
Just then Liz opened the door leading to the outside and walked into the kitchen. “Okay, sorry to hold everyone up. Let’s dive into that obscenely large mound of presents now.” Michael, Kyle and Max just gave her a look before walking into the family room while Isabel smiled and shook her head.
Alex looked at her expectantly. “He wants his stuff back.”
“He called you on Christmas to tell you that?”
“He is Daniel, after all.”
“True.”
“You mind going with me tomorrow to drop it off?”
“You have to ask? Now, you are going to love what I got you.”
“I always do.”
-:-:-:-
The presents had all been unwrapped and Alex was lying asleep in the middle of the humongous pile of paper clutching his black Fender Stratocaster signed by Jim Morrison, a gift from Michael and Kyle.
Replace the guitar with a toy zeppelin, and it was a scene right out of A Christmas Story. Liz giggled.
Isabel and Kyle had the earbuds of their new iPods in their ears as they sat together on the floor, commenting back and forth on the quality of the songs. The iPods had been everyone’s gift from Alex, complete with Midnight Dancing Mix 2006.
Liz got up from her spot in one of the overstuffed chairs and plopped down next to Michael, who immediately lifted his right arm up and wrapped it around her shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder and Jeff spoke. “Well, did you get everything you hoped for?”
“Well we know Alex did. I’m pretty sure that present of yours is a hit, Mike.” The three of them looked at Alex affectionately as he groaned a little and scrunched up his nose before settling back down.
“Kyle’s idea. He should get the credit.”
“Who are you kidding? Both of you are behind that gift and we all know it, Mr. Modesty.” Michael simply shrugged, a statement unnecessary.
Max walked in then from the kitchen, carrying several glasses of orange juice. “So what’s the plan for the rest of the day?”
“Well Max, we always go to a movie together, usually in the early afternoon, and then dinner and the Christmas Pageant. Paolo’s kids are in the pageant this year. Very important roles. Grace is a tree and I believe PJ had the rather unfortunate luck of being cast as a rock.”
“Poor kid.”
Jeff nodded. “Mmm…yes. I’m afraid he’s never going to live that down. Okay, who wants to wake Alex up?”
Max, Liz and Michael burst out the door.
Jeff laughed. “Cowards.”
-:-:-:-
Parker, party of seven, walked out of the theater and right into Valenti, party of three.
And once again Michael found himself unable to talk.
Just being near Maria was driving him insane. But add to that his newfound muteness and Michael wanted to smack his head against a wall to end the misery. Why couldn’t he say just one friggin’ word to her?
What was wrong with him?
After all, this was just Maria. Maria, the girl who used to follow him around like a little lost puppy. Maria, scrawny and-
Maybe that was his problem.
Because Maria? Not exactly scrawny anymore.
No, maybe the reason Michael was having a hard time around her was that Maria was no longer just Maria.
Oh crap.
“Hey Maria.”
Maria feigned a shocked expression and brought her hand lightly to her chest. “He speaks. What did we do to deserve this honor?”
“You got a problem blondie?”
“Why would I have a problem? You’re the one who just stands there, not saying anything.”
“Yeah? Didn’t I just say hi? And maybe if you shut those yappers for a second someone else could get a word in edgewise!”
Liz turned her head and looked at Alex who looked just as confused as she felt. Michael was not acting like himself. He never fought with anyone. Mostly they had always figured that he just didn’t care enough to fight.
“Maria? Let’s go, alright?” Amy turned to Jeff. “Are you going to the pageant tonight?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Okay, we’ll see you there, then.” Amy and Jim waved their goodbyes but Maria didn’t, too caught up in the remains of her argument with Michael to care that there had been eight other people there.
And not one of them had spoken.
-:-:-:-
“So…Kyle…”
“Don’t ask me Lizzie. I won’t answer and you know that.”
Liz sighed. She did know that.
“And don’t give me that look.”
So Liz just sat there. And waited. Kyle would give her some sort of explanation as to why he wouldn’t tell her. He wouldn’t make her suffer.
Kyle turned to look her in the eyes. “It’s a twin thing, Lizzie.”
So Liz crossed her heart and hoped to die and vowed to leave it alone.
You did not question a twin thing.
-:-:-:-
“Man, poor PJ.” The Parker kids stood behind the very last row of seats in the outdoor theater that had been set up specifically for this year’s Christmas pageant. There were always two locations just in case the weather was bad, but the skies were clear this year and a starry sky over the pageant always felt a little more…well…Christmasy.
“Yeah. Being the rock was not fun.”
Liz, Michael and Alex laughed. “Hey, you know how hard it was to move in that thing?” They just continued to laugh as Kyle muttered something under his breath about them ‘not understanding because they got to be trees’.
“Kyle, please tell me you’re not still holding on to that. You’re twenty-two years old son. Let it go.” Jeff clapped his hand on Kyle’s right shoulder.
“Let what go?” Max and Isabel had just then walked up behind the Parkers.
Alex spoke, but it was difficult to understand him through the laughter, so the Evans siblings turned to Liz. “Kyle had to be the rock years ago and he’s always been a little bitter about that.”
“Hey! Everyone else got to be trees! Trees! Do you have any idea how much cooler a tree is?”
Tess, who had walked up behind them some minutes ago with her grandparents, put her hand on Kyle’s lower back and said, “Aw, honey…you’re pretty.” Kyle glared at her while everyone else erupted in laughter. “Mr. Parker, I wanted you to meet my grandparents. Ken and Lucille Harding. Nana…Papa…this is Jeff Parker, Kyle’s dad.”
“I’d like to tell you this isn’t normal conversation for us, but I’m afraid it is.” Jeff shook their hands. They smiled at one another warmly.
“Where’s Cassandra?”
“I think she went to go find us seats, honey.”
“Okay, well I think we should probably go find her.”
“And we should probably find our seats too. Ken…Lucille…pleasure to meet you.”
“You too Jeff.”
As the Hardings walked away, the Parker contingent made their way in the opposite direction, down the far left edge of the seats. Jeff stopped at a row four back from the stage and entered, moving down the row until he was seated next to Paolo.
“Thank you for saving us seats, Paolo. We never would have gotten seats this great otherwise.”
Paolo shrugged, an easy smile on his face. “I know a guy.”
Jeff greeted Paolo’s wife Cleo as everyone else found their seats. Liz sat next to Jeff and after her were the Evans kids, who were followed by Kyle, Alex and Michael. There were jackets on the seats beside him and Michael briefly wondered when the people would be getting there. His question was answered when three people made their way into the aisle and sat down.
What did a guy have to do to get a break?
He was sitting next to Maria.
-:-:-:-
Jeff walked in the front door and tossed his keys on the entryway table. “Well I think Grace and PJ can rest easy. Grace was a very lovely tree and PJ showed a lot of gumption as a rock.”
“How do you show gumption as a rock?”
Jeff paused. “No clue. But I thought it sounded nice. So…who’s up for ice cream?”
The family spent the next few hours relating stories to one another including the time Liz was learning to ride her bike and crashed right into a tree (they called her Liz of the Jungle for nearly an entire year after that) and the time Alex was so panicked about a date, he almost got out the door with only his underwear on.
As the clock struck eleven, Jeff got up from his seat at the head of the kitchen table saying goodnight and bidding everyone a Merry Christmas before heading off to bed. One by one everyone else got up too, until only Max and Liz were left.
“You know, this seems like it’s getting to be a thing with us.”
“What’s that?”
“Being awake at night together when everyone else is asleep.”
Liz nodded, smiling at him. “It’s nice.”
“So I’m not sure if I’ve gained the right to ask yet, but what was that call from Daniel about earlier?”
He looked hopeful, and Liz laughed softly. “You’ve done your time in the trenches Private, you can ask. He wants his stuff back, that’s all.”
“You taking it back to him?”
She nodded. “Tomorrow. Alex is going with me.”
“Good.”
“Yeah.”
There was a silence then, an almost uneasy silence. It was clear that the air held something now it hadn’t the last few days. Or maybe it was something that had simply been growing, and it was letting them know it was in the room with them now.
“Okay, I think I’m going to go to bed.” Liz got up to go, pushing her chair in.
“Uh…yeah…me too.” He did the same and as they walked through the doorway leading to the family room Max grabbed her hand, pulling her to a stop next to him.
“What is it Max?”
Max looked at Liz and paused, taking in the light reflecting from her eyes and the way her hair fell across her shoulders just so before looking up. Liz followed his eyes with hers and saw what he was looking at.
Mistletoe.
Their eyes caught.
“You know, it is tradition. Who are we to shirk tradition?”
Max grinned as he started to move closer. “Merry Christmas Liz.”
Liz pointed to the face of his watch. “Not Christmas anymore, Max.”
Max grinned wider, moving his face closer to her until his lips were almost on hers and then stopped. “Happy Boxing Day, Liz.”
Liz giggled before Max’s lips caught hers.
She sighed.
Ahhh.
Liz’s knees buckled and Max brought his right arm around her waist to prevent her from dropping to the ground.
So that’s what that feels like.
AN: Hey Fee, can I have Dean back now?
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
-
OrangeSky
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:04 pm
- Location: Somewhere left of center
- Contact:
Just a few notes for 'ya.
-The Nelli Deli does not actually exist but it was modeled in part after an awesome deli in the Bay Area called the Beli Deli that does.
-The City is what native Northern Californians call San Francisco (p.s.- Never call it Frisco. That ticks us off.
)
-The song 10,000 Miles is by The Proclaimers.
-I don't own Target.
Chapter 13: An Accidental Meeting
“Liz, you have to help me! I have no idea what to wear on my date with Alex.” A panicked Isabel was pacing the length of Liz’s room.
“Izzy, you need to calm down. Now I promise to help you, but is it really necessary that I do it at seven forty-nine in the morning?” A groggy Liz was seated cross-legged on her bed, hair rumpled. The covers were pulled up over her lap, her right elbow on her right knee.
Isabel looked at Liz. “Okay. You’re right. I know you’re right. I do. It’s just…” Isabel sighed then and sat down on the bed next to Liz, leaning her head to rest on Liz’s shoulder.
“What Izzy?”
Isabel paused and said, “I’m not very good at these things. I don’t know what to wear or how to act or what to say. Do I let him kiss me at the end of the date? Does he walk me to my door? I mean, I don’t really have a door here. Does he walk me to my bedroom door then? Do I order a salad or do I order what I really want to eat? Do guys want you to order a salad? Do I-”
“Okay Izzy. First of all, I want you to breathe. Come on…” Liz motioned and Isabel took a deep breath. “Good. And second…I want you to remember something. This is Alex. He already likes you, so the hard part is over. He’s seen you in the morning with bed head, Iz. He thinks you’re beautiful. Trust me here. No one knows him like me. Be yourself and the rest will take care of itself.”
Isabel lifted her head from Liz’s shoulder and asked, her voice hopeful, “He thinks I’m beautiful?”
“Gorgeous. He thinks you’re gorgeous.” Liz smiled brightly at her friend. She was glad to see that Isabel had now calmed down ten-fold.
“Thanks Liz.”
Liz simply nodded and said, “Now, let’s make his jaw drop. Show me what you’ve got.”
-:-:-:-
Ding Dong!
Seven heads whipped around to look at the door leading to the family room. Liz stood up, throwing her napkin down to the right of her plate. She walked through the kitchen door, making her way to the front door, her bare feet making almost no noise.
She opened the front door and found Tess on the other side.
“Morning, Tess. I didn’t know you were coming over today. Come in.”
Tess walked in past Liz. “Thanks. Kyle and I are going to The City today.”
“The day after Christmas? You are a brave soul.”
Tess laughed. “That’s why I’m here so early.”
The girls walked into the kitchen. Alex was obviously in the middle of a story, his hands waving wildly. “…So I told her…grapefruit isn’t supposed to look like that!” The table erupted in wild laughter.
“Alex!” Liz was looking at her twin with wide eyes. Even though it was open in a wide ‘O’, her mouth was turned up at the corners, indicating her amusement. “Traitor! You promised me you’d never tell that story.”
Alex grinned at her. “I lied.”
“Ohhhh…you’re going to get it. When you least expect it Parker, you are going to get it.” Liz laughed.
“So Mike, what are you doing today?”
“I thought I’d take Max and Isabel out and show them Napa.”
“Sounds good. Kyle?”
“The City with Tess.”
“Brave man. Liz? Alex?”
“We have some errands to run. Alex bought a shirt that’s too small for him. I need a new polarizing filter for my camera. Also I’m almost all out of black and white film. That sort of thing.”
Jeff nodded and Alex asked, “What about you dad? What do you have planned for today?”
“Oh, winery stuff. Paolo and I have some personnel decisions to make and he wants to talk about adding more vines.”
“Do you really want to add more vines, dad?”
“It’s the Petit Verdot conversation, guys.” The Parker kids all nodded. They understood. Paolo and their dad had been having this conversation for going on four years now. “Paolo wants to plant a few for experimental purposes, so we’ll see.” Jeff shrugged. “It would add a new element to our wines. Why not try, huh?”
Why not try- their dad’s philosophy. He had a point. If you didn’t try new things, then what was the sense in participating in life at all?
Liz moved to the table and started picking up plates and silverware. The others followed and started to clear the table, but as soon as Kyle moved to pick up a glass, he had his hand slapped away by Tess.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Tess with her hands on her hips and her eyebrows raised was a truly terrifying sight. Well, for Kyle it was. To everyone else it was just funny.
“Picking up…after…breakfast?”
“No, you’re not. You’re going to go get dressed and I’m going to help with dishes. Go on.” Tess shooed Kyle out of the kitchen and picked up some of the dishes from the table, bringing them over to the sink.
“Oh Tess, you don’t have to do that.” Liz turned to look at Tess, her hands under the faucet as she rinsed a drinking glass off.
“I don’t mind. Besides, what else am I going to do while I wait for The Rock to get dressed?”
Working as a team, the dishes were done and the table cleared in less than ten minutes. The group was walking up the stairs to change just as Kyle was walking down.
“Bye Kyle. Have fun.”
“Thanks we will. Mike, you’re making dinner?”
“Tostadas.”
“We’ll be here. Have a good day guys. See you tonight.” Kyle and Tess waved and headed out the front door.
About twenty minutes later everyone else headed out the front door, Michael, Max and Isabel getting into the Envoy and Alex and Liz getting into a Honda Accord that the kids had driven in high school. It was rarely used now but Jeff kept it around for when the kids came home from school.
Jeff waved goodbye as they drove away and turned to walk back into the house.
-:-:-:-
Kyle and Tess walked hand in hand up a steep sidewalk in Chinatown. They had been window shopping for an hour or so when Kyle’s stomach let out a loud growl. Tess giggled and Kyle said, “What? I’m a growing boy.”
“Does the growing boy want to stop somewhere for lunch?”
“The growing boy would like that very much.”
“Okay Rock. Let’s go feed that stomach of yours.” Kyle groaned in response.
“I’m never going to get rid of that nickname now, am I?”
“Fraid not, sweetie.” She stopped them in front of a small Chinese restaurant named Ming’s. “How about here?” Kyle agreed and they walked in. The hostess seated them by the window and Kyle and Tess watched the passerby in silence, drinking in the atmosphere of the small hole-in-the-wall restaurant. “God, that’s nice.”
Kyle looked at Tess whose attention was focused outside. He followed her eyes and saw an older couple standing on the sidewalk just outside the window. They had stopped and the man was saying something to the woman that Kyle couldn’t hear while he caressed her check with his left hand. Then he took his jacket off and put it around her shoulders before wrapping an arm around her.
“Yeah.” Just then their waitress came up with their food, placing two of the plates down in the center of the table. But as she went to put the third plate down it slipped out of her hand and flipped over into Kyle’s lap.
“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” The woman fretted as she ran to grab napkins and was about to start cleaning up Kyle’s lap when he took the napkins from her. “I’m so sorry!”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. They’re just pants.”
“Well, at least let me give you your meal for free.”
“That’s really not necessary.”
“Please. I insist.”
“Okay, but only because you insist.”
The waitress scurried back into the kitchen to grab another plate of chicken chow mein and Kyle laughed as he got to work wiping up the rest of the chicken chow mein out of his lap. When he looked up, Tess was sitting there with a bright smile on her face but tears in her eyes.
“Tess? Are you alright?”
“I always think I pick the right guy. Always. But I’ve always been wrong. They end up being these massive jerks. But not you. This time…this time I know I picked the right guy. Those other guys? They would have reamed that waitress, but you just laughed it off. You are an incredible man Kyle Parker, and I am lucky to have you.
“I love you.”
“And I love you.”
Their lips touched in the smallest and sweetest of kisses before Kyle brought their foreheads together and gave Tess a smile.
-:-:-:-
Alex grumbled as a Ford Explorer cut him off.
“Al, you should have let me drive.”
“Every time I get behind the wheel I think it’ll be different. I keep thinking I won’t hate it so much and then I actually get on a street and start to realize why I was wary of driving in the first place. I hate driving.” He paused and looked at his sister out of the corner of his eye. “Why did I insist on driving again?”
Liz laughed and said, “If you want, after we get to Target we’ll switch. I don’t mind driving.”
“Please. And next time would you remind me that I hate it?”
They both knew she would but that he wouldn’t listen. He never did. This was one vicious cycle he would be stuck in for life. But that wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
“Sure, Al.”
-:-:-:-
“Paolo?” Jeff walked through the large door and swiveled his head to the right and left, looking for a certain winery manager.
“Back here, Jeff.” His faint voice had come from way in the back of the building and to Jeff’s right, so Jeff set off in that direction.
“I was thinking, and you’re right. We should plant some Petit Verdot grapes. Why not, right?”
Paolo grinned. “Only took you four years to come around to my way of thinking.”
“Paolo, I’ll never really come around to your way of thinking.”
Paolo tossed a folder down on the table in front of them. “These are the guys I like. They have the experience and the knowledge. One of them is a little sketchy on people skills, but he has vision. It’s up to you Jeff.”
“I trust you, Paolo. You know that. Pick whomever you think is best to oversee our laborers. I’ll back you up completely.”
Paolo simply nodded before pulling out another folder. “Now I was thinking about some changes for the tasting room.”
“Paolo…people I trust you with. Paint colors? Not so much.”
-:-:-:-
“Something happened, didn’t it? My twin senses are tingling.”
Liz laughed. “He kissed me. I kissed him.”
“Wait, did you kiss him or did he kiss you.”
Liz paused a moment and considered her answer. “We kissed each other.”
“That’s my girl. I’m so proud.” Alex wiped a mock tear from his eye.
“Turnabout’s fair play, mister. What about you and Isabel?”
“What about me and Isabel?”
“Where’s your date?”
“Skating rink.”
“Good choice.”
“I thought so.” He held up a shirt. “What about this one?” Liz wrinkled her nose in disgust and shook her head. “Okay…not that one.” Liz picked up a shirt and tossed it at Alex, who caught it in one hand. He looked down at the shirt and then up at his sister, who was grinning. “Can you shop for all my clothes?”
-:-:-:-
Isabel stepped out of the backseat of the Envoy and straightened her shirt. “Where are we Michael?” Michael had been taking the Evans siblings to some of the places the Parker kids had frequented when they were growing up. They had already seen Napa High School and the baseball diamonds Kyle had spent so many summers on.
“It’s an art gallery. I wanted to show you something.” Michael took the lead and opened the glass and metal door, walking inside the rather non-descript building. He held the door, allowing Max and Isabel to walk in past him.
“Michael! Long time no see. How are you? How’s your family?” A woman in her forties walked up to Michael and wrapped him in a hug. Michael returned it warmly. The woman’s deep brown hair with a splattering of gray was pulled back in a bun and held in place with chopsticks. She was wearing a dress that flowed as she moved.
“I’m good. My family’s good. Marcella, I want to introduce you to Max and Isabel Evans.” Marcella shook both of their hands. “Max is my friend and roommate. Isabel is Liz’s.”
“It’s very nice to meet you both. The Parkers are excellent people.”
“I wanted to show them the back.”
Marcella nodded and said, “Call me if you need me.”
Michael gave his thanks and led them to the back room. When the group of three turned the corner Max and Isabel could see why Michael had wanted to bring them here.
The white gallery walls were full of photos, about 95% of them black and white.
Liz’s photos.
There was a photo of Michael and Kyle caught with wide smiles and bright eyes as they played a video game.
There was Alex, eyes closed, head tilted slightly to the right, a blissful smile on his face as he played his guitar cross-legged and barefoot on the hardwood floor.
There was Paolo, stomping grapes in his bare feet in a stomping barrel.
There were pictures of the vineyard, pictures of small children caught in the act of play and action sports shots, including one of a swimmer on his side, caught in mid-stroke.
But Max and Isabel had to take a moment to breathe when they reached what had to be the most stirring photo there.
Nancy was sitting on her window seat, the light from the window next to her illuminating her face as she looked outside. She was stoic and her scarf-wrapped head was leaning gently against the wall behind her.
“Lizzy took that a few weeks before she died.”
“It’s amazing, Michael. Your mother was so beautiful.”
Michael’s voice was a whisper. “Thank you Izzy.”
They spent about twenty more minutes there, taking in all of Liz’s photos. As they walked out the door, Michael asked, “Anyone hungry?”
Max nodded. “I could eat.”
“There’s a great place nearby…the Nelli Deli. Amazing sandwiches.”
Five minutes later Michael put the car in park and they entered the Nelli Deli, pushing their way through a crowd at the door.
“Wow, it’s packed in here.” Max held on to Isabel’s wrist as he pulled her behind him.
“Yeah it’s pretty much always like this. They’re only open for lunch.” Michael shrugged and stopped at the front counter. After they ordered they were looking around for a spot to sit down when Paulie Romo appeared, stopping directly in front of Isabel.
Apparently Paulie hadn’t learned from the last time he saw Isabel, because once again he was looking her up and down as if she were his last meal. Isabel shuddered and wished that Liz were there with her. Liz would know exactly what to do. Liz would know exactly what to say.
And then Isabel heard her. It was almost as if Isabel had a mini Liz angel on her right shoulder, telling her what to say.
And for the first time in her life, Isabel spoke up.
“Eyes up top.” Paulie looked up into Isabel’s eyes. “You know what you are Paulie? You’re that guy everyone avoids at the class reunion. You’re the crap that people scrape off the bottom of their shoe.” She paused a moment and placed her hands on her hips.
“I actually feel sorry for you. One day Paulie, I hope you get a clue. Until then, stay out of my airspace.”
Isabel turned around then, dismissing him not only with her words, but also her body language. Paulie walked away, tail between his legs as Max and Michael congratulated her.
“Number Fifty-Nine, order up!”
-:-:-:-
The light turned red and Liz slowed the car to a gentle stop as 10,000 Miles came on the radio.
Liz squealed. “I love this song!” Liz started to sing in an exaggerated Scottish accent. “When I wake up…yes I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who wakes up next to you.”
Alex joined in and soon he had taken the melody with Liz switching over to harmony. Their voices blended well, years of singing together making their decisions confident. About halfway through the song, Alex stopped singing and said, “Is it just me or does this light seem unusually long to you?”
“It’s not just you. Oh shit!”
“What?”
“I forgot Daniel’s crap. That was part of our whole reason for going out today and I forgot it.” She sighed and hit her head gently on the headrest of her seat. “We’re going to have to go back home and get it. Sorry, Alex.”
“No big deal.” Alex shrugged as the light turned green and Liz placed her right foot on the accelerator. “I’d rather have you give him his stuff now than-”
The Honda went skidding through the intersection and a sickening sound of crunching metal and shattering glass filled the early afternoon air. Alex was thrown to the right against his door, his seatbelt straining to keep him as still as possible. Liz’s hands flew off the steering wheel and her body whipped to the right before her head came crashing down on the wheel.
Then, just as quickly as the impact had occurred, the Accord came to rest in the middle of the intersection, its entire left side smashed in.
On all sides of the intersection people got out of their cars and stood behind the open doors, staring at the wreckage. A teenage girl pulled out her cell phone and dialed three very familiar numbers, silently praying that the paramedics would get there quickly.
A man in his thirties walked from behind the door of his Pathfinder and up to the car, intending on helping the teenager with any detail he could. She looked like she didn’t want to get any closer to the car than she had to.
As he looked in through the front passenger side window, he saw a man leaning against the door and a woman slumped forward, her head resting on the steering wheel.
Alex and Liz weren’t moving.
And as their car horn blared constantly through the now still intersection, a man stumbled out of the cab of his truck.
“What have I done?
“What have I done?
“What have I done?”
-The Nelli Deli does not actually exist but it was modeled in part after an awesome deli in the Bay Area called the Beli Deli that does.
-The City is what native Northern Californians call San Francisco (p.s.- Never call it Frisco. That ticks us off.
)-The song 10,000 Miles is by The Proclaimers.
-I don't own Target.
Chapter 13: An Accidental Meeting
“Liz, you have to help me! I have no idea what to wear on my date with Alex.” A panicked Isabel was pacing the length of Liz’s room.
“Izzy, you need to calm down. Now I promise to help you, but is it really necessary that I do it at seven forty-nine in the morning?” A groggy Liz was seated cross-legged on her bed, hair rumpled. The covers were pulled up over her lap, her right elbow on her right knee.
Isabel looked at Liz. “Okay. You’re right. I know you’re right. I do. It’s just…” Isabel sighed then and sat down on the bed next to Liz, leaning her head to rest on Liz’s shoulder.
“What Izzy?”
Isabel paused and said, “I’m not very good at these things. I don’t know what to wear or how to act or what to say. Do I let him kiss me at the end of the date? Does he walk me to my door? I mean, I don’t really have a door here. Does he walk me to my bedroom door then? Do I order a salad or do I order what I really want to eat? Do guys want you to order a salad? Do I-”
“Okay Izzy. First of all, I want you to breathe. Come on…” Liz motioned and Isabel took a deep breath. “Good. And second…I want you to remember something. This is Alex. He already likes you, so the hard part is over. He’s seen you in the morning with bed head, Iz. He thinks you’re beautiful. Trust me here. No one knows him like me. Be yourself and the rest will take care of itself.”
Isabel lifted her head from Liz’s shoulder and asked, her voice hopeful, “He thinks I’m beautiful?”
“Gorgeous. He thinks you’re gorgeous.” Liz smiled brightly at her friend. She was glad to see that Isabel had now calmed down ten-fold.
“Thanks Liz.”
Liz simply nodded and said, “Now, let’s make his jaw drop. Show me what you’ve got.”
-:-:-:-
Ding Dong!
Seven heads whipped around to look at the door leading to the family room. Liz stood up, throwing her napkin down to the right of her plate. She walked through the kitchen door, making her way to the front door, her bare feet making almost no noise.
She opened the front door and found Tess on the other side.
“Morning, Tess. I didn’t know you were coming over today. Come in.”
Tess walked in past Liz. “Thanks. Kyle and I are going to The City today.”
“The day after Christmas? You are a brave soul.”
Tess laughed. “That’s why I’m here so early.”
The girls walked into the kitchen. Alex was obviously in the middle of a story, his hands waving wildly. “…So I told her…grapefruit isn’t supposed to look like that!” The table erupted in wild laughter.
“Alex!” Liz was looking at her twin with wide eyes. Even though it was open in a wide ‘O’, her mouth was turned up at the corners, indicating her amusement. “Traitor! You promised me you’d never tell that story.”
Alex grinned at her. “I lied.”
“Ohhhh…you’re going to get it. When you least expect it Parker, you are going to get it.” Liz laughed.
“So Mike, what are you doing today?”
“I thought I’d take Max and Isabel out and show them Napa.”
“Sounds good. Kyle?”
“The City with Tess.”
“Brave man. Liz? Alex?”
“We have some errands to run. Alex bought a shirt that’s too small for him. I need a new polarizing filter for my camera. Also I’m almost all out of black and white film. That sort of thing.”
Jeff nodded and Alex asked, “What about you dad? What do you have planned for today?”
“Oh, winery stuff. Paolo and I have some personnel decisions to make and he wants to talk about adding more vines.”
“Do you really want to add more vines, dad?”
“It’s the Petit Verdot conversation, guys.” The Parker kids all nodded. They understood. Paolo and their dad had been having this conversation for going on four years now. “Paolo wants to plant a few for experimental purposes, so we’ll see.” Jeff shrugged. “It would add a new element to our wines. Why not try, huh?”
Why not try- their dad’s philosophy. He had a point. If you didn’t try new things, then what was the sense in participating in life at all?
Liz moved to the table and started picking up plates and silverware. The others followed and started to clear the table, but as soon as Kyle moved to pick up a glass, he had his hand slapped away by Tess.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Tess with her hands on her hips and her eyebrows raised was a truly terrifying sight. Well, for Kyle it was. To everyone else it was just funny.
“Picking up…after…breakfast?”
“No, you’re not. You’re going to go get dressed and I’m going to help with dishes. Go on.” Tess shooed Kyle out of the kitchen and picked up some of the dishes from the table, bringing them over to the sink.
“Oh Tess, you don’t have to do that.” Liz turned to look at Tess, her hands under the faucet as she rinsed a drinking glass off.
“I don’t mind. Besides, what else am I going to do while I wait for The Rock to get dressed?”
Working as a team, the dishes were done and the table cleared in less than ten minutes. The group was walking up the stairs to change just as Kyle was walking down.
“Bye Kyle. Have fun.”
“Thanks we will. Mike, you’re making dinner?”
“Tostadas.”
“We’ll be here. Have a good day guys. See you tonight.” Kyle and Tess waved and headed out the front door.
About twenty minutes later everyone else headed out the front door, Michael, Max and Isabel getting into the Envoy and Alex and Liz getting into a Honda Accord that the kids had driven in high school. It was rarely used now but Jeff kept it around for when the kids came home from school.
Jeff waved goodbye as they drove away and turned to walk back into the house.
-:-:-:-
Kyle and Tess walked hand in hand up a steep sidewalk in Chinatown. They had been window shopping for an hour or so when Kyle’s stomach let out a loud growl. Tess giggled and Kyle said, “What? I’m a growing boy.”
“Does the growing boy want to stop somewhere for lunch?”
“The growing boy would like that very much.”
“Okay Rock. Let’s go feed that stomach of yours.” Kyle groaned in response.
“I’m never going to get rid of that nickname now, am I?”
“Fraid not, sweetie.” She stopped them in front of a small Chinese restaurant named Ming’s. “How about here?” Kyle agreed and they walked in. The hostess seated them by the window and Kyle and Tess watched the passerby in silence, drinking in the atmosphere of the small hole-in-the-wall restaurant. “God, that’s nice.”
Kyle looked at Tess whose attention was focused outside. He followed her eyes and saw an older couple standing on the sidewalk just outside the window. They had stopped and the man was saying something to the woman that Kyle couldn’t hear while he caressed her check with his left hand. Then he took his jacket off and put it around her shoulders before wrapping an arm around her.
“Yeah.” Just then their waitress came up with their food, placing two of the plates down in the center of the table. But as she went to put the third plate down it slipped out of her hand and flipped over into Kyle’s lap.
“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” The woman fretted as she ran to grab napkins and was about to start cleaning up Kyle’s lap when he took the napkins from her. “I’m so sorry!”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. They’re just pants.”
“Well, at least let me give you your meal for free.”
“That’s really not necessary.”
“Please. I insist.”
“Okay, but only because you insist.”
The waitress scurried back into the kitchen to grab another plate of chicken chow mein and Kyle laughed as he got to work wiping up the rest of the chicken chow mein out of his lap. When he looked up, Tess was sitting there with a bright smile on her face but tears in her eyes.
“Tess? Are you alright?”
“I always think I pick the right guy. Always. But I’ve always been wrong. They end up being these massive jerks. But not you. This time…this time I know I picked the right guy. Those other guys? They would have reamed that waitress, but you just laughed it off. You are an incredible man Kyle Parker, and I am lucky to have you.
“I love you.”
“And I love you.”
Their lips touched in the smallest and sweetest of kisses before Kyle brought their foreheads together and gave Tess a smile.
-:-:-:-
Alex grumbled as a Ford Explorer cut him off.
“Al, you should have let me drive.”
“Every time I get behind the wheel I think it’ll be different. I keep thinking I won’t hate it so much and then I actually get on a street and start to realize why I was wary of driving in the first place. I hate driving.” He paused and looked at his sister out of the corner of his eye. “Why did I insist on driving again?”
Liz laughed and said, “If you want, after we get to Target we’ll switch. I don’t mind driving.”
“Please. And next time would you remind me that I hate it?”
They both knew she would but that he wouldn’t listen. He never did. This was one vicious cycle he would be stuck in for life. But that wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
“Sure, Al.”
-:-:-:-
“Paolo?” Jeff walked through the large door and swiveled his head to the right and left, looking for a certain winery manager.
“Back here, Jeff.” His faint voice had come from way in the back of the building and to Jeff’s right, so Jeff set off in that direction.
“I was thinking, and you’re right. We should plant some Petit Verdot grapes. Why not, right?”
Paolo grinned. “Only took you four years to come around to my way of thinking.”
“Paolo, I’ll never really come around to your way of thinking.”
Paolo tossed a folder down on the table in front of them. “These are the guys I like. They have the experience and the knowledge. One of them is a little sketchy on people skills, but he has vision. It’s up to you Jeff.”
“I trust you, Paolo. You know that. Pick whomever you think is best to oversee our laborers. I’ll back you up completely.”
Paolo simply nodded before pulling out another folder. “Now I was thinking about some changes for the tasting room.”
“Paolo…people I trust you with. Paint colors? Not so much.”
-:-:-:-
“Something happened, didn’t it? My twin senses are tingling.”
Liz laughed. “He kissed me. I kissed him.”
“Wait, did you kiss him or did he kiss you.”
Liz paused a moment and considered her answer. “We kissed each other.”
“That’s my girl. I’m so proud.” Alex wiped a mock tear from his eye.
“Turnabout’s fair play, mister. What about you and Isabel?”
“What about me and Isabel?”
“Where’s your date?”
“Skating rink.”
“Good choice.”
“I thought so.” He held up a shirt. “What about this one?” Liz wrinkled her nose in disgust and shook her head. “Okay…not that one.” Liz picked up a shirt and tossed it at Alex, who caught it in one hand. He looked down at the shirt and then up at his sister, who was grinning. “Can you shop for all my clothes?”
-:-:-:-
Isabel stepped out of the backseat of the Envoy and straightened her shirt. “Where are we Michael?” Michael had been taking the Evans siblings to some of the places the Parker kids had frequented when they were growing up. They had already seen Napa High School and the baseball diamonds Kyle had spent so many summers on.
“It’s an art gallery. I wanted to show you something.” Michael took the lead and opened the glass and metal door, walking inside the rather non-descript building. He held the door, allowing Max and Isabel to walk in past him.
“Michael! Long time no see. How are you? How’s your family?” A woman in her forties walked up to Michael and wrapped him in a hug. Michael returned it warmly. The woman’s deep brown hair with a splattering of gray was pulled back in a bun and held in place with chopsticks. She was wearing a dress that flowed as she moved.
“I’m good. My family’s good. Marcella, I want to introduce you to Max and Isabel Evans.” Marcella shook both of their hands. “Max is my friend and roommate. Isabel is Liz’s.”
“It’s very nice to meet you both. The Parkers are excellent people.”
“I wanted to show them the back.”
Marcella nodded and said, “Call me if you need me.”
Michael gave his thanks and led them to the back room. When the group of three turned the corner Max and Isabel could see why Michael had wanted to bring them here.
The white gallery walls were full of photos, about 95% of them black and white.
Liz’s photos.
There was a photo of Michael and Kyle caught with wide smiles and bright eyes as they played a video game.
There was Alex, eyes closed, head tilted slightly to the right, a blissful smile on his face as he played his guitar cross-legged and barefoot on the hardwood floor.
There was Paolo, stomping grapes in his bare feet in a stomping barrel.
There were pictures of the vineyard, pictures of small children caught in the act of play and action sports shots, including one of a swimmer on his side, caught in mid-stroke.
But Max and Isabel had to take a moment to breathe when they reached what had to be the most stirring photo there.
Nancy was sitting on her window seat, the light from the window next to her illuminating her face as she looked outside. She was stoic and her scarf-wrapped head was leaning gently against the wall behind her.
“Lizzy took that a few weeks before she died.”
“It’s amazing, Michael. Your mother was so beautiful.”
Michael’s voice was a whisper. “Thank you Izzy.”
They spent about twenty more minutes there, taking in all of Liz’s photos. As they walked out the door, Michael asked, “Anyone hungry?”
Max nodded. “I could eat.”
“There’s a great place nearby…the Nelli Deli. Amazing sandwiches.”
Five minutes later Michael put the car in park and they entered the Nelli Deli, pushing their way through a crowd at the door.
“Wow, it’s packed in here.” Max held on to Isabel’s wrist as he pulled her behind him.
“Yeah it’s pretty much always like this. They’re only open for lunch.” Michael shrugged and stopped at the front counter. After they ordered they were looking around for a spot to sit down when Paulie Romo appeared, stopping directly in front of Isabel.
Apparently Paulie hadn’t learned from the last time he saw Isabel, because once again he was looking her up and down as if she were his last meal. Isabel shuddered and wished that Liz were there with her. Liz would know exactly what to do. Liz would know exactly what to say.
And then Isabel heard her. It was almost as if Isabel had a mini Liz angel on her right shoulder, telling her what to say.
And for the first time in her life, Isabel spoke up.
“Eyes up top.” Paulie looked up into Isabel’s eyes. “You know what you are Paulie? You’re that guy everyone avoids at the class reunion. You’re the crap that people scrape off the bottom of their shoe.” She paused a moment and placed her hands on her hips.
“I actually feel sorry for you. One day Paulie, I hope you get a clue. Until then, stay out of my airspace.”
Isabel turned around then, dismissing him not only with her words, but also her body language. Paulie walked away, tail between his legs as Max and Michael congratulated her.
“Number Fifty-Nine, order up!”
-:-:-:-
The light turned red and Liz slowed the car to a gentle stop as 10,000 Miles came on the radio.
Liz squealed. “I love this song!” Liz started to sing in an exaggerated Scottish accent. “When I wake up…yes I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who wakes up next to you.”
Alex joined in and soon he had taken the melody with Liz switching over to harmony. Their voices blended well, years of singing together making their decisions confident. About halfway through the song, Alex stopped singing and said, “Is it just me or does this light seem unusually long to you?”
“It’s not just you. Oh shit!”
“What?”
“I forgot Daniel’s crap. That was part of our whole reason for going out today and I forgot it.” She sighed and hit her head gently on the headrest of her seat. “We’re going to have to go back home and get it. Sorry, Alex.”
“No big deal.” Alex shrugged as the light turned green and Liz placed her right foot on the accelerator. “I’d rather have you give him his stuff now than-”
The Honda went skidding through the intersection and a sickening sound of crunching metal and shattering glass filled the early afternoon air. Alex was thrown to the right against his door, his seatbelt straining to keep him as still as possible. Liz’s hands flew off the steering wheel and her body whipped to the right before her head came crashing down on the wheel.
Then, just as quickly as the impact had occurred, the Accord came to rest in the middle of the intersection, its entire left side smashed in.
On all sides of the intersection people got out of their cars and stood behind the open doors, staring at the wreckage. A teenage girl pulled out her cell phone and dialed three very familiar numbers, silently praying that the paramedics would get there quickly.
A man in his thirties walked from behind the door of his Pathfinder and up to the car, intending on helping the teenager with any detail he could. She looked like she didn’t want to get any closer to the car than she had to.
As he looked in through the front passenger side window, he saw a man leaning against the door and a woman slumped forward, her head resting on the steering wheel.
Alex and Liz weren’t moving.
And as their car horn blared constantly through the now still intersection, a man stumbled out of the cab of his truck.
“What have I done?
“What have I done?
“What have I done?”
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
-
OrangeSky
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Make sure you read your acknowledgements to your feedback in the last post.
There is actually a Queen of the Valley Hospital and it is in Napa. I don't own that either.
Chapter 14: Baby, I Have Bad News
Max, Isabel and Kyle sat around the kitchen table relating what was destined to become known as Izzy Smackdown 2006 while Michael stood at the kitchen island, chopping up tomatoes for the night’s dinner.
“Isabel, I wish I could have been there to see Paulie’s face.”
“It was amazing. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Liz has worn off on her.”
While just days ago Isabel would have blushed, today she simply smiled and Max couldn’t help but smile too. Little by little Isabel was coming out of her shell and it was a beautiful sight.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
“I’ll get it.” Kyle laughed and stood to answer the phone. He picked up the black portable handset, holding it to his right ear. “Hello?”
“Is this Mr. Parker?”
“One of. Who is this?”
“Mr. Parker this is Jeanine over at Queen of the Valley Hospital. I’m calling about Elizabeth and Alexander.” She paused. “Mr. Parker, are you there?”
She called them Elizabeth and Alexander. No one ever called them that.
“I’m here.”
“Elizabeth and Alexander were in a car accident today. As their father we’ll need you to come in.”
Kyle simply stared forward, unable to respond. If his heart hadn’t stopped beating right then and his lungs stopped working, being called their father was something Kyle would have found to be extremely funny.
Kyle heard something clatter on the counter behind him and felt Michael immediately by his side.
“Kyle, what is it?” Something was very wrong with his twin, and Michael had the sudden urge to hurt whoever was on the other line of the phone.
Kyle didn’t answer, and as Michael reached for the phone Kyle hung it up, gently laying the handset down on the counter.
Michael grabbed his twin’s shoulders and turned Kyle to face him. The look he saw in Kyle’s eyes was one he would never forget.
He had seen Kyle scared, angry, frustrated, sad, irritated and everywhere in between. Twenty-two years had a way of running you through a gamut of emotion. But he had never once seen Kyle empty.
Kyle’s eyes held nothing that betrayed the phone call but all the same Michael’s gut was telling him that something was very, very wrong.
“Kyle!”
Kyle’s eyes focused on his brother’s and he said, “Alex and Liz. They’re at the hospital. They were in a car accident.” Kyle looked around the kitchen. “We have to tell dad. Where’s dad?”
“They were in a car accident? Are they alright? Kyle! Are they alright?”
“I don’t know! They were in a car accident, Mike. What do you want me to say? We need to find dad.”
Isabel and Max had been watching the exchange and with each passing moment the knots in their stomachs were increasing in size. Things like this weren’t supposed to happen to people like them. They’d already had their mom taken away too early. What more did the universe want from them?
The Evans siblings stood from their places at the kitchen table and Max walked over to the Parker brothers. “Guys!”
They turned to look at Max. “You’re going to hate yourselves later if you waste time arguing here when you could have been at the hospital.” The Parker boys both dropped their heads a little. They knew Max was right. “Now, where’s your dad?”
“Study, I think.”
“Okay, I’ll go get your dad. Why don’t you get in the car? The less time we spend here, the better.” Max hurried off to find Jeff and Isabel, who saw that Michael and Kyle still weren’t moving, placed a hand in each of their lower backs and gently steered them toward the front door.
“C’mon guys. Get in the car.” They did and moments later, Jeff and Max came running out the front door. Jeff moved to get in the drivers seat and Max stopped him in his path.
“Right now you’re distracted. And you have every right to be. Those are your kids. Please…let me drive.” Jeff considered his words for just a moment before nodding and running around to the other side of the car.
-:-:-:-
The group of five was scattered around a Queen of the Valley waiting room, appropriately waiting.
Waiting for news, good or bad.
Waiting for answers.
Waiting for a doctor.
Just waiting.
They had been there for only about twenty minutes but they were all restless. Michael was pacing back and forth in front of the only window. Kyle was staring at the ground and he had been in the same slumped over position since they’d reached the waiting room. Jeff was rubbing the ring finger of his left hand at the base, Isabel was constantly squirming in her seat and Max kept getting up and sitting back down.
Isabel couldn’t take this anymore.
“Kyle? Do you mind if I borrow your cell phone? Mine’s at the house and I didn’t think to grab it before…” She trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence and Kyle nodded, handing over the phone without taking his eyes off the ground.
Isabel took it and walked out of the hospital, glad to have something…anything…to do.
She flipped open the phone and scrolled through the contacts before landing on the right name.
Tess.
“Hi…Tess? Hi, this is Isabel. I know it’s strange that I’m calling you and from Kyle’s phone, but I think Kyle needs you right now. It’s Alex and Liz. They were in a car accident. We’re at Queen of the Valley-” A click sounded on the end of the line. Obviously, Tess didn’t need any more information.
Isabel searched through the contacts again and found Paolo’s number. She got as far as ‘we’re at the hospital’ before he hung up on her. She hadn’t even told him who was in the hospital.
Isabel searched again through the contacts, but figured it was a long shot that the particular number she was searching for would be there. It wasn’t. Isabel dialed 411.
They connected her, and a voice came on the line.
“Hello? Maria?”
-:-:-:-
When Isabel walked back into the waiting room, she wasn’t surprised that the scene she had left was the exact same scene that greeted her now. She walked over to Kyle and handed him his phone back, extending her thanks before sitting back down in the chair she had vacated.
Five minutes later Tess came running into the waiting room and Isabel briefly wondered exactly how many traffic laws she had broken to get that quickly to the hospital.
Kyle looked up from the ground and spotting Tess, jumped up from his chair and into her arms. He stayed in their warmth for a minute or so, far too comforted to even think about letting go. When he did, his head swiveled to look for Isabel. His eyes found hers and he gave her a look that she immediately understood. He was saying thank you.
“So what do we know?”
“Nothing. They haven’t told us anything.”
“I’m sure they’re just fine. They have to be, right?”
No one voiced that Alex and Liz could very possibly not be okay, though all six were thinking that very thing.
Seconds later Paolo came jogging into the room, followed very closely by Maria.
“Well?” A panicked Paolo was looking around at everyone’s faces, searching for any information he could get.
Jeff turned his eyes to the vineyard manager. “Alex and Liz were in a car accident, Paolo. We don’t know how they are yet. No one’s told us anything.” Paolo dropped his body down into a chair, exhaling loudly. There were no words to express how he was feeling, and so he said nothing.
And then a man walked through the automatic doors.
“Mr. Parker?”
Jeff stood quickly to greet the doctor walking toward him in green scrubs. “Yes.”
“I’m Doctor Moreno, your son’s doctor.”
“Is Alex alright?”
“He’s going to be okay, Mr. Parker.” Jeff let out a long sigh and slumped down in the chair behind him. Alex had been driving. That meant if he was alright, then Liz probably was too.
Dr. Moreno sat on the edge of the chair next to him, angling his body toward the partially relieved father. “Alex fractured his right ankle so we put it in a cast. He also hit his head pretty hard, so we’re going to keep him overnight to monitor him. He needed six stitches in his forehead and he has some abrasions and contusions, but other than that I don’t see any reason why you can’t take him home tomorrow.”
“Thank you Doctor Moreno, that’s excellent news.”
“Considering the severity of the crash, your son got very lucky I think. It certainly helped that he was on the passenger side. You can see him now if you like. Room 457.” Doctor Moreno got up and walked through the automatic doors, leaving behind a stunned family.
“Did he just say passenger side? Alex was driving, wasn’t he?”
Kyle nodded to his father. “Alex was driving when we left.”
“The doctor must be mistaken. That’s all.”
“He’s not mistaken, Max. Alex hates driving.” Michael righted himself from where he had been leaning against the wall. “Liz would have switched with him.” He paused, his eyes wandering around the room. “He hates to drive.”
The weight of Michael’s words forced them all down into their chairs. Liz had been driving. Alex was okay and Liz had been driving. And they had no idea how she was.
Jeff stood and wiped his hands on his jeans. “I think I’m going to go in and see Alex now. Hug my son.” As he walked off, Michael stood and punched the wall before walking in the opposite direction, toward fresh air.
Maria followed him with her eyes and when she turned to look at Kyle and Tess, found they were doing the same. She shared a look with Kyle before she stood up and walked in Michael’s direction.
-:-:-:-
Alex had sworn he wouldn’t cry.
He was sitting in a hospital bed, sure, and he had a cast on his right leg, but he was fine. Liz was the one who really deserved to cry. But Alex looked up at his doorway and saw his dad standing there with this expression that just shouted relief and Alex couldn’t help but cry.
Jeff went to Alex and wrapped him in his arms, his son’s head on his left shoulder. Alex sobbed openly, his raspy breathing the only sound in the room.
“I’m sorry…so sorry…I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”
Jeff pulled back from Alex and put the palms of his hands on his son’s jaw line, his fingers curling around the back of Alex’s neck and his thumbs on his son’s cheeks. Jeff forced Alex to look in his eyes.
“Do not apologize, Alex. You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I should have been driving. I should have been driving.”
Jeff’s voice was far harsher than what was normal for him, but if he didn’t get his point across to Alex now, he may never listen. He would always blame himself. And that was a path Jeff never wanted Alex to walk. “Listen to me, Alex. You need to stop this. Right now. I am so grateful that you’re okay.”
“But Liz-”
Jeff’s voice was gentler now, more human. “We don’t get to choose our sorrow, Alex. You know that. Liz is the single strongest person we know, right?” Alex nodded, sniffling. “If anyone can go through this and be okay, it’s Liz. She’s going to be just fine.”
Alex wanted to look everywhere except in his father’s eyes, but Jeff wasn’t having any of it.
“We lost your mom, Al. I could not lose you, any of you. I would never survive that.
“I love you so much.” Jeff removed his hands from Alex’s face and brought his arms around his son, hugging him tightly once more. They stayed that way for a minute or so more, Alex clinging with all his might to his father. When Jeff finally felt Alex loosen his grip some, he pulled back from him.
“Now, I’m going to send in Michael and Kyle. I have a feeling they know far better what to say to you.”
Jeff got up and started to walk out the door and Alex said, through red eyes, “I love you too, dad. And you’d survive losing us, I think. It’d just hurt worse than anything else in the world.”
Alex knew. Alex knew because he could feel it. Something wasn’t right with Liz.
But he couldn’t tell their father that. He couldn’t.
But Michael and Kyle, they would know. They would know.
Didn’t they have a twin thing too?
-:-:-:-
Michael shoved the doors to the outside open, practically running to the grassed area. When he reached the lawn he stopped in the middle, unable to go any further. Half of him wanted to get as far away from the hospital as he could and the other half of him couldn’t bear to be parted from his younger siblings. Michael was trying to straddle the line but it didn’t seem to be working. No matter what he did, he wanted to cry out from the pain in his heart.
Maria walked out the doors about a minute after Michael and watched him standing there, just for a moment. She had no idea what she was planning on saying to him, but all the same she knew something needed to be said, and right now she may have been the only one who could say it.
So she steeled herself and walked over to Michael, head held high.
“Michael?”
“Go away, Maria.” Michael’s voice was harsh and he refused to look at her, but Maria was unfazed. He was about to say much worse to her, she was sure, and he wasn’t going to mean any of it. She just had to keep reminding herself of that.
“No.” Her voice was strong, forceful even, and Michael turned to look at her.
“Excuse me?”
“I said no. Talk to me, Michael.”
“Talk to you? Talk to you?” His voice was incredulous as he edged toward her. “You have nothing to do with this. Why should I talk to you?”
“I have everything to do with this. I care about them too.”
Michael laughed, but there was nothing light in his voice. “You care about them. You care about them.” He laughed again and started pacing, his steps quick and short. Then he stopped and stared Maria down. There was a look in Michael’s eyes she had never seen before in anyone’s.
Desperation laced with fear and wrapped in pain.
Michael’s voice was a whisper, but if anything it only made him seem more harsh, not less. “Have you ever loved someone so deeply that you were afraid if they died it would kill you too? Huh?” Michael was right in her face now. Still, Maria refused to back down. “Would you say the same thing to Alex? His head is groggy and his leg is broken and right now he wants to shoot himself. Because something is wrong with his twin, with Liz, and he feels like there’s nothing he can do about it.”
Michael started pacing again, but Maria’s hand on his arm stopped him. “Is there something you can do about it?”
“I’m not a doctor, Maria.”
“Who says you have to be a doctor to heal her? No one knows her like the three of you, right?”
“Great. New Age crap.”
Maria rolled her eyes, exasperated. “This isn’t New Age crap, Michael. Just listen to me. You know how to do it, I can feel it. You have to help Alex and then the three of you can help Liz.”
Michael turned to look Maria in the eyes then, and she saw what she had been waiting for: a moment of realization accompanied by a flood of tears.
Michael was crying.
“What if she’s not okay, Maria? What if I get back inside and I find out she’s not okay?”
“She has to be. She’s Liz. Your glue.”
“I heard that Alex was going to be okay but I couldn’t be completely happy because I didn’t know if Liz was going to be okay. What if she’s not okay Maria?”
And Maria didn’t answer because she knew the question just as well as he. She had been repeating it over and over in her mind since Isabel’s phone call.
What if Liz weren’t okay?
There was no right answer to that question.
-:-:-:-
When Michael and Maria walked back inside, Amy had arrived and was seated near Kyle and Tess. Jim walked in the room moments later and walked up to Jeff.
“Jim.”
“Jeff, I’m so sorry.”
“You’re here on official business?”
“I am.” Jim nodded and Jeff motioned for him to sit down. “The man who hit Liz and Alex is here too, being checked out.”
“Is he alright?” Jim nodded. “I’m glad.”
“It was an accident, Jeff. The sun was in his eyes and he thought the light was still green. He didn’t know the light was red.” Jim sighed deeply before continuing. “When he saw your kids come in the intersection, he tried to stop as quickly as he could, but there just wasn’t enough room.” Jim paused. “He tried to stop, Jeff. He wasn’t drunk or crazy or enraged. It was just a stupid accident.”
“Thank you Jim. I’m glad to know that.”
“He just keeps saying ‘I’m so sorry’ over and over again. He wanted to meet you, but I said-”
“Bring him here.” Jim couldn’t help but be shocked. “It’s okay, Jim. I think he needs to know that I don’t blame him.” Jim stood and shaking his head, walked out of the waiting room.
“Michael and Kyle.” They looked at their father. “I think Alex needs you right now.” They simply nodded, acknowledging the truth of his words and walked into the corridor and toward Alex.
“I don’t know how you can forgive him, Jeff.” Max speaking had surprised Jeff, since the young man hadn’t said a word since he asked to drive at the house. He had simply fidgeted like crazy, his eyes full but tears unshed.
“I love my children too much to ever hold on to that sort of anger, Max. I think it comes down to the fact that I love my children far more than I could ever deign to hate him.”
And Max could say nothing to that.
-:-:-:-
Michael and Kyle stood in the doorway and watched their little brother. He had always been tall, commanding his own sort of presence, but in his hospital bed, wearing that hospital-issued gown, he looked tiny, as if the bed below him were about to swallow him whole. He was running his fingers along the edge of his blanket, his eyes downcast. He was, without a doubt, in serious pain. And it had nothing to do with his leg.
“Hi little brother.”
Alex’s head snapped up and a look of relief so profound came into his eyes that his older brothers couldn’t stop themselves from rushing over to him and pulling him into their arms. Sandwiched in the safety and strength of his two older brothers, Alex let go and started to cry, his entire body shaking with the effort.
When had finally cried enough, Kyle and Michael pulled back and sat down next to one another on the foot of his bed.
“I want to kill myself right now, the pain is so bad.” There it was. What Alex had been dying to say was finally out.
Michael and Kyle nodded. “I would feel the same way if something happened to Kyle.”
Alex spoke then, his voice a whisper. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I think you do, Alex. I think we all know what to do. It’s just a matter of doing it. We need to do for Liz what she did for us after mom died.”
And there it was. Kyle had thrown the mom card back in the ring.
They had all known something was wrong with one another after their mom died. But grief has a way of keeping you narrow-minded, and all they could see was that they themselves were hurting. In those moments they hadn’t cared about anyone else.
But Liz had, and that was what had always made her their glue. She knew they were hurting and she had done something about it. It was their turn now to return the favor.
And suddenly, Alex knew exactly what to do.
-:-:-:-
“Mr. Parker?” Jeff looked up at the man who had walked into the waiting room. Kyle and Michael had returned about a minute before and they, along with the rest of the occupants of the room, stood when they heard the doctor’s voice.
“Yes?”
“My name is Doctor Sanjay. I’m your daughter’s surgeon.” He spoke with a slight British accent and the forty-something man with black hair sat down, motioning for Jeff to sit down next to him. “Elizabeth-”
“Liz.”
The doctor nodded. “Liz. She had internal bleeding that was caused by the seatbelt restraining her. We fixed the bleeding, but we had to remove her spleen. Her left arm is broken so we put it in a cast. It’s a good thing she was buckled in.”
“So she’s okay?”
“Mr. Parker, you should also know that Liz hit her head very hard on the steering wheel. She’s not waking up.” Jeff’s eyes grew wide and he started to speak when Doctor Sanjay said, “Now, we’ve done an MRI and her scans are perfect. There’s no reason that Liz shouldn’t wake up and soon.”
“But you’re saying she’s not.” Jeff nodded slowly, his eyes closed.
“That’s right. I was told by the paramedics that your daughter was driving and that while your son’s airbag deployed, your daughter’s did not. Since she’s much shorter than your son, she’s closer-”
“To the steering wheel. That’s how she hit her head.” Jeff nodded in time with the doctor. “Then if her brain scans are fine, why wouldn’t she be waking up?”
“I’m afraid the brain is far more complex than we know and though medicine has made great strides in learning all we can, we still have a ways to go. My best guess is that it’s simply her body’s way of trying to heal.”
“Do you think she’ll wake up?”
“I do.”
“Thank you doctor.”
“If you need anything, be sure to let a nurse know. They know how to contact me.” Then he stood and left, leaving behind a family who had no idea whether to cry or scream in joy.
It was this scene that Jim Valenti cam upon when he entered shortly after the doctor had left. He brought with him a heavyset, tall man who looked to be in his thirties. A man who was currently finding the pattern of the carpet under his feet to be the most interesting thing he had ever seen.
Jeff walked up to the man and stood in front of him until the man lifted his eyes from the floor and looked into Jeff’s. If Anton Brenner had expected anything from the man in front of him, it was not the forgiveness currently shining in his eyes.
Anton broke down and cried, clutching on to Jeff. Though Jeff was initially startled, that didn’t stop him from embracing Anton right back. Anton sank in the older man’s arms, and Jeff struggled to hold them both up, but he did.
As he held Anton, Jeff whispered in his ear, “I forgive you. I forgive you.
“I forgive you.”
There is actually a Queen of the Valley Hospital and it is in Napa. I don't own that either.
Chapter 14: Baby, I Have Bad News
Max, Isabel and Kyle sat around the kitchen table relating what was destined to become known as Izzy Smackdown 2006 while Michael stood at the kitchen island, chopping up tomatoes for the night’s dinner.
“Isabel, I wish I could have been there to see Paulie’s face.”
“It was amazing. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Liz has worn off on her.”
While just days ago Isabel would have blushed, today she simply smiled and Max couldn’t help but smile too. Little by little Isabel was coming out of her shell and it was a beautiful sight.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
“I’ll get it.” Kyle laughed and stood to answer the phone. He picked up the black portable handset, holding it to his right ear. “Hello?”
“Is this Mr. Parker?”
“One of. Who is this?”
“Mr. Parker this is Jeanine over at Queen of the Valley Hospital. I’m calling about Elizabeth and Alexander.” She paused. “Mr. Parker, are you there?”
She called them Elizabeth and Alexander. No one ever called them that.
“I’m here.”
“Elizabeth and Alexander were in a car accident today. As their father we’ll need you to come in.”
Kyle simply stared forward, unable to respond. If his heart hadn’t stopped beating right then and his lungs stopped working, being called their father was something Kyle would have found to be extremely funny.
Kyle heard something clatter on the counter behind him and felt Michael immediately by his side.
“Kyle, what is it?” Something was very wrong with his twin, and Michael had the sudden urge to hurt whoever was on the other line of the phone.
Kyle didn’t answer, and as Michael reached for the phone Kyle hung it up, gently laying the handset down on the counter.
Michael grabbed his twin’s shoulders and turned Kyle to face him. The look he saw in Kyle’s eyes was one he would never forget.
He had seen Kyle scared, angry, frustrated, sad, irritated and everywhere in between. Twenty-two years had a way of running you through a gamut of emotion. But he had never once seen Kyle empty.
Kyle’s eyes held nothing that betrayed the phone call but all the same Michael’s gut was telling him that something was very, very wrong.
“Kyle!”
Kyle’s eyes focused on his brother’s and he said, “Alex and Liz. They’re at the hospital. They were in a car accident.” Kyle looked around the kitchen. “We have to tell dad. Where’s dad?”
“They were in a car accident? Are they alright? Kyle! Are they alright?”
“I don’t know! They were in a car accident, Mike. What do you want me to say? We need to find dad.”
Isabel and Max had been watching the exchange and with each passing moment the knots in their stomachs were increasing in size. Things like this weren’t supposed to happen to people like them. They’d already had their mom taken away too early. What more did the universe want from them?
The Evans siblings stood from their places at the kitchen table and Max walked over to the Parker brothers. “Guys!”
They turned to look at Max. “You’re going to hate yourselves later if you waste time arguing here when you could have been at the hospital.” The Parker boys both dropped their heads a little. They knew Max was right. “Now, where’s your dad?”
“Study, I think.”
“Okay, I’ll go get your dad. Why don’t you get in the car? The less time we spend here, the better.” Max hurried off to find Jeff and Isabel, who saw that Michael and Kyle still weren’t moving, placed a hand in each of their lower backs and gently steered them toward the front door.
“C’mon guys. Get in the car.” They did and moments later, Jeff and Max came running out the front door. Jeff moved to get in the drivers seat and Max stopped him in his path.
“Right now you’re distracted. And you have every right to be. Those are your kids. Please…let me drive.” Jeff considered his words for just a moment before nodding and running around to the other side of the car.
-:-:-:-
The group of five was scattered around a Queen of the Valley waiting room, appropriately waiting.
Waiting for news, good or bad.
Waiting for answers.
Waiting for a doctor.
Just waiting.
They had been there for only about twenty minutes but they were all restless. Michael was pacing back and forth in front of the only window. Kyle was staring at the ground and he had been in the same slumped over position since they’d reached the waiting room. Jeff was rubbing the ring finger of his left hand at the base, Isabel was constantly squirming in her seat and Max kept getting up and sitting back down.
Isabel couldn’t take this anymore.
“Kyle? Do you mind if I borrow your cell phone? Mine’s at the house and I didn’t think to grab it before…” She trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence and Kyle nodded, handing over the phone without taking his eyes off the ground.
Isabel took it and walked out of the hospital, glad to have something…anything…to do.
She flipped open the phone and scrolled through the contacts before landing on the right name.
Tess.
“Hi…Tess? Hi, this is Isabel. I know it’s strange that I’m calling you and from Kyle’s phone, but I think Kyle needs you right now. It’s Alex and Liz. They were in a car accident. We’re at Queen of the Valley-” A click sounded on the end of the line. Obviously, Tess didn’t need any more information.
Isabel searched through the contacts again and found Paolo’s number. She got as far as ‘we’re at the hospital’ before he hung up on her. She hadn’t even told him who was in the hospital.
Isabel searched again through the contacts, but figured it was a long shot that the particular number she was searching for would be there. It wasn’t. Isabel dialed 411.
They connected her, and a voice came on the line.
“Hello? Maria?”
-:-:-:-
When Isabel walked back into the waiting room, she wasn’t surprised that the scene she had left was the exact same scene that greeted her now. She walked over to Kyle and handed him his phone back, extending her thanks before sitting back down in the chair she had vacated.
Five minutes later Tess came running into the waiting room and Isabel briefly wondered exactly how many traffic laws she had broken to get that quickly to the hospital.
Kyle looked up from the ground and spotting Tess, jumped up from his chair and into her arms. He stayed in their warmth for a minute or so, far too comforted to even think about letting go. When he did, his head swiveled to look for Isabel. His eyes found hers and he gave her a look that she immediately understood. He was saying thank you.
“So what do we know?”
“Nothing. They haven’t told us anything.”
“I’m sure they’re just fine. They have to be, right?”
No one voiced that Alex and Liz could very possibly not be okay, though all six were thinking that very thing.
Seconds later Paolo came jogging into the room, followed very closely by Maria.
“Well?” A panicked Paolo was looking around at everyone’s faces, searching for any information he could get.
Jeff turned his eyes to the vineyard manager. “Alex and Liz were in a car accident, Paolo. We don’t know how they are yet. No one’s told us anything.” Paolo dropped his body down into a chair, exhaling loudly. There were no words to express how he was feeling, and so he said nothing.
And then a man walked through the automatic doors.
“Mr. Parker?”
Jeff stood quickly to greet the doctor walking toward him in green scrubs. “Yes.”
“I’m Doctor Moreno, your son’s doctor.”
“Is Alex alright?”
“He’s going to be okay, Mr. Parker.” Jeff let out a long sigh and slumped down in the chair behind him. Alex had been driving. That meant if he was alright, then Liz probably was too.
Dr. Moreno sat on the edge of the chair next to him, angling his body toward the partially relieved father. “Alex fractured his right ankle so we put it in a cast. He also hit his head pretty hard, so we’re going to keep him overnight to monitor him. He needed six stitches in his forehead and he has some abrasions and contusions, but other than that I don’t see any reason why you can’t take him home tomorrow.”
“Thank you Doctor Moreno, that’s excellent news.”
“Considering the severity of the crash, your son got very lucky I think. It certainly helped that he was on the passenger side. You can see him now if you like. Room 457.” Doctor Moreno got up and walked through the automatic doors, leaving behind a stunned family.
“Did he just say passenger side? Alex was driving, wasn’t he?”
Kyle nodded to his father. “Alex was driving when we left.”
“The doctor must be mistaken. That’s all.”
“He’s not mistaken, Max. Alex hates driving.” Michael righted himself from where he had been leaning against the wall. “Liz would have switched with him.” He paused, his eyes wandering around the room. “He hates to drive.”
The weight of Michael’s words forced them all down into their chairs. Liz had been driving. Alex was okay and Liz had been driving. And they had no idea how she was.
Jeff stood and wiped his hands on his jeans. “I think I’m going to go in and see Alex now. Hug my son.” As he walked off, Michael stood and punched the wall before walking in the opposite direction, toward fresh air.
Maria followed him with her eyes and when she turned to look at Kyle and Tess, found they were doing the same. She shared a look with Kyle before she stood up and walked in Michael’s direction.
-:-:-:-
Alex had sworn he wouldn’t cry.
He was sitting in a hospital bed, sure, and he had a cast on his right leg, but he was fine. Liz was the one who really deserved to cry. But Alex looked up at his doorway and saw his dad standing there with this expression that just shouted relief and Alex couldn’t help but cry.
Jeff went to Alex and wrapped him in his arms, his son’s head on his left shoulder. Alex sobbed openly, his raspy breathing the only sound in the room.
“I’m sorry…so sorry…I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”
Jeff pulled back from Alex and put the palms of his hands on his son’s jaw line, his fingers curling around the back of Alex’s neck and his thumbs on his son’s cheeks. Jeff forced Alex to look in his eyes.
“Do not apologize, Alex. You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I should have been driving. I should have been driving.”
Jeff’s voice was far harsher than what was normal for him, but if he didn’t get his point across to Alex now, he may never listen. He would always blame himself. And that was a path Jeff never wanted Alex to walk. “Listen to me, Alex. You need to stop this. Right now. I am so grateful that you’re okay.”
“But Liz-”
Jeff’s voice was gentler now, more human. “We don’t get to choose our sorrow, Alex. You know that. Liz is the single strongest person we know, right?” Alex nodded, sniffling. “If anyone can go through this and be okay, it’s Liz. She’s going to be just fine.”
Alex wanted to look everywhere except in his father’s eyes, but Jeff wasn’t having any of it.
“We lost your mom, Al. I could not lose you, any of you. I would never survive that.
“I love you so much.” Jeff removed his hands from Alex’s face and brought his arms around his son, hugging him tightly once more. They stayed that way for a minute or so more, Alex clinging with all his might to his father. When Jeff finally felt Alex loosen his grip some, he pulled back from him.
“Now, I’m going to send in Michael and Kyle. I have a feeling they know far better what to say to you.”
Jeff got up and started to walk out the door and Alex said, through red eyes, “I love you too, dad. And you’d survive losing us, I think. It’d just hurt worse than anything else in the world.”
Alex knew. Alex knew because he could feel it. Something wasn’t right with Liz.
But he couldn’t tell their father that. He couldn’t.
But Michael and Kyle, they would know. They would know.
Didn’t they have a twin thing too?
-:-:-:-
Michael shoved the doors to the outside open, practically running to the grassed area. When he reached the lawn he stopped in the middle, unable to go any further. Half of him wanted to get as far away from the hospital as he could and the other half of him couldn’t bear to be parted from his younger siblings. Michael was trying to straddle the line but it didn’t seem to be working. No matter what he did, he wanted to cry out from the pain in his heart.
Maria walked out the doors about a minute after Michael and watched him standing there, just for a moment. She had no idea what she was planning on saying to him, but all the same she knew something needed to be said, and right now she may have been the only one who could say it.
So she steeled herself and walked over to Michael, head held high.
“Michael?”
“Go away, Maria.” Michael’s voice was harsh and he refused to look at her, but Maria was unfazed. He was about to say much worse to her, she was sure, and he wasn’t going to mean any of it. She just had to keep reminding herself of that.
“No.” Her voice was strong, forceful even, and Michael turned to look at her.
“Excuse me?”
“I said no. Talk to me, Michael.”
“Talk to you? Talk to you?” His voice was incredulous as he edged toward her. “You have nothing to do with this. Why should I talk to you?”
“I have everything to do with this. I care about them too.”
Michael laughed, but there was nothing light in his voice. “You care about them. You care about them.” He laughed again and started pacing, his steps quick and short. Then he stopped and stared Maria down. There was a look in Michael’s eyes she had never seen before in anyone’s.
Desperation laced with fear and wrapped in pain.
Michael’s voice was a whisper, but if anything it only made him seem more harsh, not less. “Have you ever loved someone so deeply that you were afraid if they died it would kill you too? Huh?” Michael was right in her face now. Still, Maria refused to back down. “Would you say the same thing to Alex? His head is groggy and his leg is broken and right now he wants to shoot himself. Because something is wrong with his twin, with Liz, and he feels like there’s nothing he can do about it.”
Michael started pacing again, but Maria’s hand on his arm stopped him. “Is there something you can do about it?”
“I’m not a doctor, Maria.”
“Who says you have to be a doctor to heal her? No one knows her like the three of you, right?”
“Great. New Age crap.”
Maria rolled her eyes, exasperated. “This isn’t New Age crap, Michael. Just listen to me. You know how to do it, I can feel it. You have to help Alex and then the three of you can help Liz.”
Michael turned to look Maria in the eyes then, and she saw what she had been waiting for: a moment of realization accompanied by a flood of tears.
Michael was crying.
“What if she’s not okay, Maria? What if I get back inside and I find out she’s not okay?”
“She has to be. She’s Liz. Your glue.”
“I heard that Alex was going to be okay but I couldn’t be completely happy because I didn’t know if Liz was going to be okay. What if she’s not okay Maria?”
And Maria didn’t answer because she knew the question just as well as he. She had been repeating it over and over in her mind since Isabel’s phone call.
What if Liz weren’t okay?
There was no right answer to that question.
-:-:-:-
When Michael and Maria walked back inside, Amy had arrived and was seated near Kyle and Tess. Jim walked in the room moments later and walked up to Jeff.
“Jim.”
“Jeff, I’m so sorry.”
“You’re here on official business?”
“I am.” Jim nodded and Jeff motioned for him to sit down. “The man who hit Liz and Alex is here too, being checked out.”
“Is he alright?” Jim nodded. “I’m glad.”
“It was an accident, Jeff. The sun was in his eyes and he thought the light was still green. He didn’t know the light was red.” Jim sighed deeply before continuing. “When he saw your kids come in the intersection, he tried to stop as quickly as he could, but there just wasn’t enough room.” Jim paused. “He tried to stop, Jeff. He wasn’t drunk or crazy or enraged. It was just a stupid accident.”
“Thank you Jim. I’m glad to know that.”
“He just keeps saying ‘I’m so sorry’ over and over again. He wanted to meet you, but I said-”
“Bring him here.” Jim couldn’t help but be shocked. “It’s okay, Jim. I think he needs to know that I don’t blame him.” Jim stood and shaking his head, walked out of the waiting room.
“Michael and Kyle.” They looked at their father. “I think Alex needs you right now.” They simply nodded, acknowledging the truth of his words and walked into the corridor and toward Alex.
“I don’t know how you can forgive him, Jeff.” Max speaking had surprised Jeff, since the young man hadn’t said a word since he asked to drive at the house. He had simply fidgeted like crazy, his eyes full but tears unshed.
“I love my children too much to ever hold on to that sort of anger, Max. I think it comes down to the fact that I love my children far more than I could ever deign to hate him.”
And Max could say nothing to that.
-:-:-:-
Michael and Kyle stood in the doorway and watched their little brother. He had always been tall, commanding his own sort of presence, but in his hospital bed, wearing that hospital-issued gown, he looked tiny, as if the bed below him were about to swallow him whole. He was running his fingers along the edge of his blanket, his eyes downcast. He was, without a doubt, in serious pain. And it had nothing to do with his leg.
“Hi little brother.”
Alex’s head snapped up and a look of relief so profound came into his eyes that his older brothers couldn’t stop themselves from rushing over to him and pulling him into their arms. Sandwiched in the safety and strength of his two older brothers, Alex let go and started to cry, his entire body shaking with the effort.
When had finally cried enough, Kyle and Michael pulled back and sat down next to one another on the foot of his bed.
“I want to kill myself right now, the pain is so bad.” There it was. What Alex had been dying to say was finally out.
Michael and Kyle nodded. “I would feel the same way if something happened to Kyle.”
Alex spoke then, his voice a whisper. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I think you do, Alex. I think we all know what to do. It’s just a matter of doing it. We need to do for Liz what she did for us after mom died.”
And there it was. Kyle had thrown the mom card back in the ring.
They had all known something was wrong with one another after their mom died. But grief has a way of keeping you narrow-minded, and all they could see was that they themselves were hurting. In those moments they hadn’t cared about anyone else.
But Liz had, and that was what had always made her their glue. She knew they were hurting and she had done something about it. It was their turn now to return the favor.
And suddenly, Alex knew exactly what to do.
-:-:-:-
“Mr. Parker?” Jeff looked up at the man who had walked into the waiting room. Kyle and Michael had returned about a minute before and they, along with the rest of the occupants of the room, stood when they heard the doctor’s voice.
“Yes?”
“My name is Doctor Sanjay. I’m your daughter’s surgeon.” He spoke with a slight British accent and the forty-something man with black hair sat down, motioning for Jeff to sit down next to him. “Elizabeth-”
“Liz.”
The doctor nodded. “Liz. She had internal bleeding that was caused by the seatbelt restraining her. We fixed the bleeding, but we had to remove her spleen. Her left arm is broken so we put it in a cast. It’s a good thing she was buckled in.”
“So she’s okay?”
“Mr. Parker, you should also know that Liz hit her head very hard on the steering wheel. She’s not waking up.” Jeff’s eyes grew wide and he started to speak when Doctor Sanjay said, “Now, we’ve done an MRI and her scans are perfect. There’s no reason that Liz shouldn’t wake up and soon.”
“But you’re saying she’s not.” Jeff nodded slowly, his eyes closed.
“That’s right. I was told by the paramedics that your daughter was driving and that while your son’s airbag deployed, your daughter’s did not. Since she’s much shorter than your son, she’s closer-”
“To the steering wheel. That’s how she hit her head.” Jeff nodded in time with the doctor. “Then if her brain scans are fine, why wouldn’t she be waking up?”
“I’m afraid the brain is far more complex than we know and though medicine has made great strides in learning all we can, we still have a ways to go. My best guess is that it’s simply her body’s way of trying to heal.”
“Do you think she’ll wake up?”
“I do.”
“Thank you doctor.”
“If you need anything, be sure to let a nurse know. They know how to contact me.” Then he stood and left, leaving behind a family who had no idea whether to cry or scream in joy.
It was this scene that Jim Valenti cam upon when he entered shortly after the doctor had left. He brought with him a heavyset, tall man who looked to be in his thirties. A man who was currently finding the pattern of the carpet under his feet to be the most interesting thing he had ever seen.
Jeff walked up to the man and stood in front of him until the man lifted his eyes from the floor and looked into Jeff’s. If Anton Brenner had expected anything from the man in front of him, it was not the forgiveness currently shining in his eyes.
Anton broke down and cried, clutching on to Jeff. Though Jeff was initially startled, that didn’t stop him from embracing Anton right back. Anton sank in the older man’s arms, and Jeff struggled to hold them both up, but he did.
As he held Anton, Jeff whispered in his ear, “I forgive you. I forgive you.
“I forgive you.”
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
-
OrangeSky
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:04 pm
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Addicted2AmberEyes- It'll get better from here on out, Michelle.
sprayadhesive-
I'd call it not so much 'bottling in' as 'Alli couldn't seem to fit Max and Isabel's grief into the same chapter as the Parkers'.
It's in this chapter.
ShatteredDreamer- Thanks, and I was glad for Isabel in that chapter too.
clueless- Thank you clueless.
rwllmn- I'm glad in a purely, non-sadistic kind of way. Thanks.
queenj-
FSU/MSW-94-
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Here's your tidbit: The closet scene will be finished eventually.
You see why they call me evil?
phyco352-
Hahaha!
tequathisy-
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youre my dreamgirl-
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Thanks.
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Queen Fee-
BehrObsession- I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you're going to be happy with me after this chapter.
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Smac-
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Cross my heart and hope to die, kindred. Cross my heart and hope to die.
crc1228- Thanks Christy.
Lurkers...big kisses!
Not much to say this time but thank you to you all. I am truly blown away by your feedback.
Oh...come chat with me tonight at Roswell Heaven. 6 PM PST. You know you want to!
Chapter 15: How to Save a Life
Jeff walked out of Liz’s hospital room, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He had just spent the last twenty minutes trying to yell, coax, persuade and cry Liz awake. None of it had worked, and Jeff was left feeling worn out.
He walked into the waiting room and was greeted by a bevy of stares. Everyone was looking to him for answers, and Jeff didn’t have the heart to tell them that he didn’t have any.
“Max, I think it’d be a good idea if we took the girls home. Would you mind driving?”
“Of course not.”
“Thank you. I’m afraid I’d be far too distracted to be a conscientious driver.”
Jim and Amy had left hours before and Paolo about thirty minutes ago leaving Tess, Maria, the Evans siblings and three of the five Parkers standing around the waiting room.
“Isabel, would you mind if I stayed with you at the Parker’s tonight? I don’t really want to…” Tess trailed off, and Isabel understood what she meant.
“I’d like to too, Isabel. If you don’t mind.”
“No, I don’t mind. Max is going to stay at the hospital tonight in case someone needs him, so it’ll be nice to not be alone tonight. I don’t mind at all.”
The three girls looked relieved, as if they had been waiting for the others to shut them down. Isabel turned to Jeff then and said, “Do you mind if I see her before I go?”
“Oh yes, Isabel. Of course you can see her. Go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
Isabel walked tentatively through Liz’s doorway, almost as if she were trying not to wake a sleeping baby. Liz was lying in the only occupied bed in the room, an IV tube attached to the top of her right hand. Other than the IV tube, plus the cast on her left arm and the stitched up cut on the upper right part of her forehead, Liz looked exactly as she did before the accident. Just asleep.
Isabel had to laugh a little at that, though the situation wasn’t funny. Isn’t that what everyone thought in circumstances like this?
She swiveled her head around until she saw a chair in the corner and went to it, dragging it to rest by the left side of Liz’s bed. She lowered herself into it, but was less demure about it than normal, Isabel’s body language a tell. She was not taking this well.
Isabel got as close to the bed as she could and leaned onto it, resting the fingers of her right hand on the upper part of Liz’s left arm. She was trying to make sure that this wasn’t just one of those horrible dreams you think are real until you wake up and realize it isn’t.
It wasn’t a dream.
Isabel left her fingers there and just sat for a while, not knowing how to start. Liz would have laughed at her good-naturedly and told her that it didn’t matter how she started, that just starting was the important thing and Isabel had to laugh. Liz was right. So she started. And when she started, she found she didn’t really want to stop.
“Hi Liz. I’m not sure if you can hear me or anything, but I wanted to come see you and talk to you anyway. I know that nothing would keep you from seeing me if this happened to me.”
Isabel’s gaze wandered around the room, taking in anything but Liz’s face. Somehow, looking at Liz when she couldn’t look back at you felt wrong.
“Alex is okay. He fractured his right ankle and he had a concussion, but he’s okay. I know you’d be glad to hear that.
“You’ll never guess what I did today, Liz. You’d never guess, not in a million years. Paulie Romo…that sleazeball…he was hitting on me again. And I stood up to him.” Isabel stood too, almost as if to punctuate her own point. “Can you believe that? I…Isabel Evans…stood up to a sleazeball for the first time in my life! And you did that, Liz. You did that.”
Isabel couldn’t stand still, the energy of her own words making her restless. She was pacing back and forth along the foot of Liz’s bed, gnawing on her left thumbnail. It was a bad habit and Isabel had always tried to restrain herself from doing it, but she tended to pay less attention to that sort of thing when distressed. Right now she was considering gnawing on all her fingers. That’s how bothered she was.
“So you can’t leave us. You can’t. You have to wake up so I can tell you what he did and what I said and so you can be my wingman. And I can be yours.” Isabel stopped pacing then and came back over to the right side of Liz’s bed, grabbing the sleeping girl’s right hand. Isabel was in tears now, her speech coming out in uneven bursts.
“You told me that day we met that we were kindreds, and kindreds don’t leave each other, right? They don’t. So you can’t go. You just can’t. I wouldn’t know what to do without you.”
Liz’s door opened slightly and Isabel heard Jeff’s voice. “Isabel?”
Isabel wiped the tear tracks quickly from her face, not relinquishing her hold on Liz’s hand. “I’ll be out in a second.”
The door closed with barely a sound and Isabel turned her attention back to Liz. “So do you hear me? You can’t leave.” Then she squeezed Liz’s hand gently before laying it back down on the mattress and walking out the door.
It was Max’s turn now.
-:-:-:-
What did you say to the girl you had kissed, who you probably sort of absolutely had a thing for, when she was lying in a hospital bed and she wasn’t waking up?
Max was pretty sure he was in uncharted territory here. It’s not like he could pick a book up at Barnes & Noble. “What to Say to the Girl You Like When She’s In a Coma.”
Oh yeah. Instant Bestseller.
Max sighed and slowly walked closer to Liz. He wasn’t in a hurry, really. This wasn’t the Liz he had kissed. She couldn’t come back with some witty remark if he said something stupid or laugh that brilliant laugh of hers.
But this was Liz, and that was probably why Max couldn’t be too close or too far. He was stuck trying to decide to stay on the other side of the room or sit as close to her as he could.
In the end there was only one decision, and Max knew that even when he walked in the room, but sometimes we like to trick ourselves into thinking we have other options, if only to prevent the feeling of being cornered by life.
So Max sat down in the chair Isabel had originally pulled to the side of Liz’s bed and brought his hands to her left hand, gently touching her fingers. He stared at the mix of three hands for a while, the fingers of both his hands interlacing with hers.
He sighed deeply before speaking. If anything, this was the perfect time to say the million things he wanted to say but hadn’t or couldn’t. The fact that she couldn’t respond gave him an unusual modicum of strength.
“I’m a little mad at you right now. I kissed you and you kissed me back and then I haven’t had the chance to kiss you again. You had to go and get in a car accident. But just so you know, I’m planning on kissing you a whole lot more.”
Max looked up at her eyes, hoping for the briefest of moments that he would be staring into her brown eyes instead of at her closed lids.
“You would have been proud of Isabel today. She stood up to that creep Paulie, but I guess she probably already told you that.”
Max sighed again, and he could feel the unrest starting to build in his gut. It spread quickly, the intoxicating hold of it reaching into his limbs, clutching on to his very nerve endings until it exploded out his every pore.
“This isn’t fair! It isn’t goddamned fair!” A furious Max was now standing and just barely resisting the urge to pick up everything moveable in the room and throw it.
“I just found you! We just found you! You can’t leave us. Isabel and I finally get this glimpse of what a real family is…we finally feel noticed, cared about, loved even…and some stupid accident is going to take that away. No! No No No!”
Max was clenching his fists now, his fingernails cutting into his palms to prevent himself from screaming. Screaming in a hospital was not a good idea. It would bring attention, and Max wanted all the alone time he could get with Liz. So he forced himself to calm down just a little.
“How could this happen to you? How could this happen to your family? This just isn’t right.” Max started pacing the length of her room.
“You and your family are the kindest people I have ever met.” He stopped pacing and stared at Liz, asking her the question as if he expected her to respond in some way. “How in the hell did this happen to your dad again? To Michael, to Kyle, to Alex. How? It must be some sort of cosmic joke.”
He stopped to really look at Liz, and found his anger softened by the peace present in her features. She was truly beautiful.
Max moved to stand next to Liz on her right, his fingers instantly reaching for her hair. He gently brushed it back from her face, the dark brown strands slipping in small groups through his fingers. When he spoke again, his voice came out cracked and thick, reflecting the tears leaving his eyes and the ache in his chest.
“I want you to promise me something. I want you to promise me you’ll wake up. Because if you don’t…” Max closed his eyes and leaned closer to her, breathing in a scent that couldn’t completely be covered by hospital sterilization. She was refreshing and grounded and fiery all at once.
“You need to wake up. You need to wake up so you and Alex can say something the rest of us don’t understand and so you can see Isabel tell some loser where to stick it and so I can kiss you again. Because I need that kiss, Liz. I need that kiss.”
Max leaned down and brought his lips to her forehead and placed a gentle kiss there, taking care to miss her stitches. He lowered his lips slightly and placed a kiss on each eyelid, before moving down to the tip of her nose, her cheeks and finally her chin.
And when he finally left her room with the taste of her skin still lingering on his lips, Max’s heart was just a bit lighter.
-:-:-:-
At noon on the next day, Alex was released from the hospital. Not that he was intending on going far. After all, Liz’s door was just ten down and he hadn’t been allowed to see her yet.
He pulled the clothes on that his dad had brought him from home and silently thanked whoever was responsible for inventing track pants. He couldn’t even imagine trying to put jeans on.
Michel and Kyle walked back into the room, carrying sandwiches and drinks. They had stayed the night with him, neither of them sleeping. Alex knew they had been playing sentinel, watching for even the slightest abnormality. Not that they needed to. A nurse had come in every hour to wake him up.
“Guys…I’m not-”
“Hungry. We know. Tough.”
“Hungry. We know. Tough.”
“Alex, we’re about to leave your room and go to Liz’s. Knowing us we won’t leave her room unless we have to, and since we all know that the human body can statistically last somewhere around twenty-eight days with no food, I’m guessing we’re not leaving that room at all.” Michael tossed the paper bag down on Alex’s former hospital bed.
Kyle set the sodas down. “So eat. We’re not making this optional.”
Alex sat down awkwardly, understandably unaccustomed to the large hunk of plaster he was now carrying around on his right leg. Michael handed him a ham and cheddar on toasted sourdough and Kyle tossed him an orange soda.
Alex wanted to tell them he was grateful they stayed last night, even if it wasn’t necessary. He wanted to tell them how comforted he felt. But he couldn’t say either of those things, the sandwich sticking in his throat and the fizzy-ness of the soda bringing tears to his eyes.
“We know Al.”
“We know Al.”
-:-:-:-
“You’re awfully quiet Max.” Max looked out of the corner of his eyes at Jeff, who was seated in the passenger seat of the Envoy. They had gone back to La Casa de la Vida to have breakfast and give the girls what little updates they had. Now they were on their way back to the hospital.
Max shrugged and Jeff sighed. “I’m worried about you Max. You haven’t said a word. I’m worried that you’re going to bottle all this up and-”
“I yelled at Liz.”
“You yelled at my daughter?” Jeff raised one eyebrow.
“Well not so much yelled at her as yelled at the situation in her general direction, but I guess you could call that yelling at her, yeah.”
“This was not how I expected this conversation to go.” Max clicked the right turn signal on and approached the intersection.
“What if she doesn’t wake up?” Max’s whispered question was a surprise to Jeff.
“You care for our Lizzy.”
It wasn’t a question and Jeff was looking at him with such open honesty that Max wanted to cry. Jeff rested his hand on the back of Max’s head, gently rubbing the scalp and hair and Max suddenly wanted to tell him everything. He wanted to tell the man who was more a father to him than his own had ever been that he loved Liz, that his entire being was screaming for her right now, but all he could seem to say was, “Very much.”
Jeff nodded. “Her brothers know what to do, Max.”
“How do you know that?”
Jeff removed his hand and paused, considering how to answer Max’s question. He knew the answer, helping Max to understand the answer was where the difficulty lay. “Michael and Kyle were a dream pregnancy for Nancy and I. Usually they expect twins to be born at thirty-six weeks and they made it to thirty-nine. Twins average five and half pounds at birth. Michael was six pounds eleven ounces and Kyle was six and a half pounds.
“Nancy was only in labor for a little over six hours before Michael was born. Everything went well. They were perfect and we got to take them home right away. So when Nancy found out she was pregnant again and it was twins, we naturally thought it would be just as easy the second time.
“Alex and Liz were born at thirty-three weeks, far too early. Right away, we knew something was wrong.”
“Liz?”
“You know it’s funny, everyone assumes that. No, it was Alex.” Jeff sighed. “Something wasn’t right with Alex. Liz was a little smaller than we would have liked- just over five pounds, in fact- but her lungs worked well and her heart was perfectly fine. She was just small, that’s all. But Alex…” Jeff trailed off, staring forward as Max drove the car into the entrance of the hospital parking garage.
Max waited, knowing Jeff would continue on his own. “Alex was born first by cesarean. His heartbeat wasn’t strong and he…he…uh…was having…trouble…breathing. It felt like they tried a million things to make him better, but nothing worked. He was just getting worse and worse. Watching your child suffer and not possessing any sort of ability to make it better…it’s one of the most painful feelings in the world, Max.”
Max and Jeff walked through a set of automatic doors. “Then two days after they were born, one of Alex’s nurses came up with an idea. She took Liz from the nursery and put her in with Alex in his incubator. They call it co-bedding. I guess it’s used sometimes when multiples are born and one of them isn’t doing so well.
“So the nurse, Amanda, put Lizzy in with Alex that afternoon. By the next morning Alex was off the respirator and his heartbeat was strong and constant. Alex had known all along what he needed, Max. He had been trying to tell us the only way he could, and none of us had been listening. Alex had just needed Liz. He just needed his sister.”
Jeff stopped then, about ten steps in front of Liz’s door. “I know it sounds crazy Max, but I think Liz knew even in the womb that something was wrong with Alex. She knew he needed to be born. Nancy and I were always convinced that she was the one who had induced the labor.”
Max furrowed his brow and Jeff held up his hand, stopping Max before he could say anything. “I know it sounds crazy, Max. I do.”
“That doesn’t make it incorrect.”
Jeff smiled at him. “My boys have always been close to their sister.”
“The twin thing.”
Jeff laughed. “Yes, that. But I think they also have a quadruplet thing. Sometimes it’s almost as if all my kids were born at once.”
The two men edged toward Liz’s door and opened it quietly, sticking their heads in. “See Max? Her brothers know exactly what to do.”
-:-:-:-
Michael and Kyle picked up the debris from their lunch and Alex put the crutches under his arms. There was something about what they were about to do that made them all feel stronger, and yet they couldn’t shake the feeling of desperation. What if it didn’t work?
They walked into Liz’s room, wasting no time making it to the side of her bed. None of the Parker boys had seen their baby sister before now, Michael and Kyle having decided that if Alex couldn’t see her, they would wait until he could and go as one unit.
“This is so wrong.” Michael’s tortured whisper caused Kyle and Alex to look at him. They had been thinking the same thing, they just hadn’t said it.
The boys stood there, wrapped in silence. It hurt to breathe but they did all the same, each of them fully aware that they may have dodged a bullet. Liz wasn’t in a coma, she was just asleep.
“I was so angry when mom died. I kept asking why me, you know?” Alex stared down at Liz’s closed eyes. “I asked her that once. Liz. You know what she said?” Kyle and Michael shook their heads softly in unison. “’Alex, when you found that ten dollar bill on the sidewalk last week, did you ask why me then?’ That night I picked up the guitar dad had bought me and I started to play my anger away. And eventually it was gone and I knew what to do if it came back.”
This was one of those moments where things were revealed, where all parties involved signed a silent pact. There would be no laughing, no judgment and probably no speaking of what was said later. Alex had taken point, and now he was passing it off to his older brothers.
Kyle spoke next, his eyes never once leaving the still form of his sister.
“I couldn’t hit the curveball. I couldn’t hit the slider. I couldn’t…well…I couldn’t hit. I wasn’t that good at it. Mom had been such a big baseball fan that it was our thing, teaching me how to hit. Then she got sick and she couldn’t stay outside with me as long and she couldn’t pitch to me anymore because she just didn’t have the stamina.
“And I didn’t blame her, but I didn’t want to play baseball so much anymore. Then she died, and I didn’t feel like doing any sports at all, least of all baseball. And Liz noticed. She did. Two nights after mom died Liz walked into my room, carrying her catcher’s mitt and my bat in one hand and tossing one of our baseballs up and down in the other.
“She pulled me out of bed and she made me practice. Told me it would feel good to focus on something else for a while. And it did. Instead of keeping my anger inside, I poured it into every swing. I was always exhausted when we were done, and it took a lot of trial and error to get me on the right track, but after a few weeks, I could hit the curveball. And I didn’t want to throw baseball away anymore.”
Michael paused a long time before speaking, and if they didn’t know their brother so well, they would have said that he was simply gathering his thoughts. But this was a moment of change, of frankness, and that had never been a problem for Michael. And because he was Michael, they’d never bring up a simple fact both Kyle and Alex knew to be true. Michael was waiting to speak because he couldn’t, not because he didn’t know what to say. It was an understandable moment of weakness.
“There was this night, six days after mom died, when I just couldn’t fall asleep. I had been avoiding her since…well…avoiding the memory of her, anyway. I stopped cooking because she was the one who had taught me. I found a different blanket to sleep under because she had made mine. But no matter what I did, I just kept seeing her face everywhere.
“It was just after twelve thirty when I decided that staying in my bed wasn’t working. I went downstairs to sleep on the couch. But Liz was sitting there, right in the center. I swear to god she knew. She knew that I hadn’t been sleeping. She knew that I had been avoiding our mom.
“She was watching one of our old home movies, the one where mom and dad are stomping grapes in a wine barrel. Mom was holding mine and Liz’s hands and dad was holding yours. We were stomping our feet in the grapes and Lizzy was squealing. So were you, Alex. The two of you couldn’t have been more than three.
“And she just sat there, watching it. Then she said, ‘I’m sad, Michael. We’ll never get to do that with her again. I keep finding things we’ll never get to do with her again. She’ll never drive me to soccer practice again. She’ll never laugh at The Princess Bride with us again.’
Michael looked up at his brothers then and held their eyes.
“Liz knew all along I was never going to start that conversation. She always has known us better than anyone.
“We talked all night. I don’t even remember half of what was said, but I knew by the end of it I was going to be okay. My nine year old little sister had made it all okay. Isn’t that what I was supposed to do for her?
“The next night I fell asleep in my bed, with the quilt mom had made on top of me, and I slept through the night. The first time in a week.”
When Michael had finished speaking, the three Parker boys stood there, staring at their sister just as she was one last time. Then Kyle turned around and walked toward the bed to Liz’s right. And almost as if he were mimicking Kyle’s movements, Michael turned around and walked toward the bed to Liz’s left. Each of the older boys pushed the beds until they were flush against Liz’s, being careful not to jostle her.
Then Alex pulled his shoes off and climbed into the bed on the right, turning to rest in his left side. He looped his left arm through her right, resting his hand on her forearm. Michael got in the bed on the left, and after taking off his shoes, he turned to face his little sister, bringing his left hand down to just barely clasp her fingers. Kyle stretched himself out horizontally across all three beds, his left hand reaching up to hold Liz’s right.
They said nothing, because the time for talking was done.
The time for healing was now.
-:-:-:-
Five hours later Liz’s room was bathed in moonlight and silence and Michael’s eyes were slowly fluttering open. There was a light pressure coming from his left hand and he looked down.
His fingers were being squeezed.
Out of instinct, Michael looked back up and right into Liz’s open eyes.
“Hi big brother.”
Addicted2AmberEyes- It'll get better from here on out, Michelle.
sprayadhesive-
Yeah...'bout that.But I don't like that everyone's found a way to cope (if even a little) but Max. He's bottling everything in.
I'd call it not so much 'bottling in' as 'Alli couldn't seem to fit Max and Isabel's grief into the same chapter as the Parkers'.
It's in this chapter.
ShatteredDreamer- Thanks, and I was glad for Isabel in that chapter too.
clueless- Thank you clueless.
rwllmn- I'm glad in a purely, non-sadistic kind of way. Thanks.
queenj-
I don't think you have any reason to feel bad, J. Everyone reacts to pain in different ways. Jeff wants to spend more time in appreciation than blame. And in a way, it really is doing it for his kids. He'd rather focus his energy on them and let Anton Brenner be.I feel bad because I don't think I'd be as forgiving as Jeff Parker. I mean that's your kids in the hospital, as a parent that's gotta be the only thought running through your mind.
FSU/MSW-94-
Unfortunately La'Shon, that is all too true.She doesn't deserve to suffer, none of them do, but sometimes bad things do happen to wonderful people
Shadowlynxbehr-
He is, I just couldn't fit it in chapter 14. He's here in chapter 15. I promise he goes crazy wih his feelings here.And Max...he hasn't said a thing, really. What's up with him. I know he's got to be feeling something after the kiss he shared with Liz.
Sternbetrachter- Thanks Trude!
LairaBehr4-
I wasn't planning on telling you this, but I had to laugh when I read your feedback. Reading my mind, much?Come back, wake Liz up, and give me the rest of the "closet" scene.
Here's your tidbit: The closet scene will be finished eventually.
You see why they call me evil?
phyco352-
2.I will wait in anticipation for the next instalment (does that have two L's or just one, anyhoo)
Hahaha!
tequathisy-
This is very true, you make an excellent point. Isabel's decision to call Maria was based on the fact that she obviously mattered to the Parkers, and she had a feeling that the Parkers mattered to her.Isabel calling Tess and Paolo was expected, calling Maria was inspired. She'd seen very little of Maria and had no way of knowing that she'd be the only one who could talk to Michael at that point.
Have I told you before how much in love with Maria I was in that chapter? Mad love.His hurt and anger came out very nastily and thank God Maria was able to see it for what it really was.
Yes...yes he is.Jeff is so awesome, but we knew that already.
begonia9508- Thanks Eve!
nibbles2-
It's one of the things I love about Maria and Jeff. They have this lovely restraint when in distress. I wish I had that.Jeff's reaction to meeting the driver of the car was amazing. He would have been completely entitled to loose it with the man. Much like Michael did with poor Maria. She was wonderful with him.
Luna_Seer- Thanks, and you'll see here.
Emz80m- Thanks Emma!
Jull_ana-
Have faith in Alex, Ju.I just hope whatever Alex had in mind works. I really hope it works!!! And soon...
youre my dreamgirl-
Someone put on her smart pants today.I really think that there is something to this twin thing.
Heavenli24-
Come now...don't tell me you're afraid of a little chaos?By the way, I doubt it would be a good idea for our families to meet up...it would be absolute chaos
frenchkiss70- And you leave me speechless.
Thanks.Bixie- Thanks Sandra. Would have had it to you sooner, but you know...that whole moving the server thing was happening.
Queen Fee-
Yay! Snaps for Alli!you just upped your Dean privileges!
BehrObsession- I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you're going to be happy with me after this chapter.
Chrissie1218- Welcome to the board Chrissie!
Oh yeah. Join the club.I think I want to be a member of this family.
Smac-
I promise the brothers know exactly what to do. But Max is not a part of it. Sorry.I hope all the brothers do figure out what to do to help their Lizzie come around. Maybe Max can give them a hand with that too?
jamy21- Thanks. So much.
Hahaha!But I swear, if you blind or girl or give her amnesia, I may not forgive you!
Cross my heart and hope to die, kindred. Cross my heart and hope to die.
crc1228- Thanks Christy.
Lurkers...big kisses!
Not much to say this time but thank you to you all. I am truly blown away by your feedback.
Oh...come chat with me tonight at Roswell Heaven. 6 PM PST. You know you want to!
Chapter 15: How to Save a Life
Jeff walked out of Liz’s hospital room, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He had just spent the last twenty minutes trying to yell, coax, persuade and cry Liz awake. None of it had worked, and Jeff was left feeling worn out.
He walked into the waiting room and was greeted by a bevy of stares. Everyone was looking to him for answers, and Jeff didn’t have the heart to tell them that he didn’t have any.
“Max, I think it’d be a good idea if we took the girls home. Would you mind driving?”
“Of course not.”
“Thank you. I’m afraid I’d be far too distracted to be a conscientious driver.”
Jim and Amy had left hours before and Paolo about thirty minutes ago leaving Tess, Maria, the Evans siblings and three of the five Parkers standing around the waiting room.
“Isabel, would you mind if I stayed with you at the Parker’s tonight? I don’t really want to…” Tess trailed off, and Isabel understood what she meant.
“I’d like to too, Isabel. If you don’t mind.”
“No, I don’t mind. Max is going to stay at the hospital tonight in case someone needs him, so it’ll be nice to not be alone tonight. I don’t mind at all.”
The three girls looked relieved, as if they had been waiting for the others to shut them down. Isabel turned to Jeff then and said, “Do you mind if I see her before I go?”
“Oh yes, Isabel. Of course you can see her. Go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
Isabel walked tentatively through Liz’s doorway, almost as if she were trying not to wake a sleeping baby. Liz was lying in the only occupied bed in the room, an IV tube attached to the top of her right hand. Other than the IV tube, plus the cast on her left arm and the stitched up cut on the upper right part of her forehead, Liz looked exactly as she did before the accident. Just asleep.
Isabel had to laugh a little at that, though the situation wasn’t funny. Isn’t that what everyone thought in circumstances like this?
She swiveled her head around until she saw a chair in the corner and went to it, dragging it to rest by the left side of Liz’s bed. She lowered herself into it, but was less demure about it than normal, Isabel’s body language a tell. She was not taking this well.
Isabel got as close to the bed as she could and leaned onto it, resting the fingers of her right hand on the upper part of Liz’s left arm. She was trying to make sure that this wasn’t just one of those horrible dreams you think are real until you wake up and realize it isn’t.
It wasn’t a dream.
Isabel left her fingers there and just sat for a while, not knowing how to start. Liz would have laughed at her good-naturedly and told her that it didn’t matter how she started, that just starting was the important thing and Isabel had to laugh. Liz was right. So she started. And when she started, she found she didn’t really want to stop.
“Hi Liz. I’m not sure if you can hear me or anything, but I wanted to come see you and talk to you anyway. I know that nothing would keep you from seeing me if this happened to me.”
Isabel’s gaze wandered around the room, taking in anything but Liz’s face. Somehow, looking at Liz when she couldn’t look back at you felt wrong.
“Alex is okay. He fractured his right ankle and he had a concussion, but he’s okay. I know you’d be glad to hear that.
“You’ll never guess what I did today, Liz. You’d never guess, not in a million years. Paulie Romo…that sleazeball…he was hitting on me again. And I stood up to him.” Isabel stood too, almost as if to punctuate her own point. “Can you believe that? I…Isabel Evans…stood up to a sleazeball for the first time in my life! And you did that, Liz. You did that.”
Isabel couldn’t stand still, the energy of her own words making her restless. She was pacing back and forth along the foot of Liz’s bed, gnawing on her left thumbnail. It was a bad habit and Isabel had always tried to restrain herself from doing it, but she tended to pay less attention to that sort of thing when distressed. Right now she was considering gnawing on all her fingers. That’s how bothered she was.
“So you can’t leave us. You can’t. You have to wake up so I can tell you what he did and what I said and so you can be my wingman. And I can be yours.” Isabel stopped pacing then and came back over to the right side of Liz’s bed, grabbing the sleeping girl’s right hand. Isabel was in tears now, her speech coming out in uneven bursts.
“You told me that day we met that we were kindreds, and kindreds don’t leave each other, right? They don’t. So you can’t go. You just can’t. I wouldn’t know what to do without you.”
Liz’s door opened slightly and Isabel heard Jeff’s voice. “Isabel?”
Isabel wiped the tear tracks quickly from her face, not relinquishing her hold on Liz’s hand. “I’ll be out in a second.”
The door closed with barely a sound and Isabel turned her attention back to Liz. “So do you hear me? You can’t leave.” Then she squeezed Liz’s hand gently before laying it back down on the mattress and walking out the door.
It was Max’s turn now.
-:-:-:-
What did you say to the girl you had kissed, who you probably sort of absolutely had a thing for, when she was lying in a hospital bed and she wasn’t waking up?
Max was pretty sure he was in uncharted territory here. It’s not like he could pick a book up at Barnes & Noble. “What to Say to the Girl You Like When She’s In a Coma.”
Oh yeah. Instant Bestseller.
Max sighed and slowly walked closer to Liz. He wasn’t in a hurry, really. This wasn’t the Liz he had kissed. She couldn’t come back with some witty remark if he said something stupid or laugh that brilliant laugh of hers.
But this was Liz, and that was probably why Max couldn’t be too close or too far. He was stuck trying to decide to stay on the other side of the room or sit as close to her as he could.
In the end there was only one decision, and Max knew that even when he walked in the room, but sometimes we like to trick ourselves into thinking we have other options, if only to prevent the feeling of being cornered by life.
So Max sat down in the chair Isabel had originally pulled to the side of Liz’s bed and brought his hands to her left hand, gently touching her fingers. He stared at the mix of three hands for a while, the fingers of both his hands interlacing with hers.
He sighed deeply before speaking. If anything, this was the perfect time to say the million things he wanted to say but hadn’t or couldn’t. The fact that she couldn’t respond gave him an unusual modicum of strength.
“I’m a little mad at you right now. I kissed you and you kissed me back and then I haven’t had the chance to kiss you again. You had to go and get in a car accident. But just so you know, I’m planning on kissing you a whole lot more.”
Max looked up at her eyes, hoping for the briefest of moments that he would be staring into her brown eyes instead of at her closed lids.
“You would have been proud of Isabel today. She stood up to that creep Paulie, but I guess she probably already told you that.”
Max sighed again, and he could feel the unrest starting to build in his gut. It spread quickly, the intoxicating hold of it reaching into his limbs, clutching on to his very nerve endings until it exploded out his every pore.
“This isn’t fair! It isn’t goddamned fair!” A furious Max was now standing and just barely resisting the urge to pick up everything moveable in the room and throw it.
“I just found you! We just found you! You can’t leave us. Isabel and I finally get this glimpse of what a real family is…we finally feel noticed, cared about, loved even…and some stupid accident is going to take that away. No! No No No!”
Max was clenching his fists now, his fingernails cutting into his palms to prevent himself from screaming. Screaming in a hospital was not a good idea. It would bring attention, and Max wanted all the alone time he could get with Liz. So he forced himself to calm down just a little.
“How could this happen to you? How could this happen to your family? This just isn’t right.” Max started pacing the length of her room.
“You and your family are the kindest people I have ever met.” He stopped pacing and stared at Liz, asking her the question as if he expected her to respond in some way. “How in the hell did this happen to your dad again? To Michael, to Kyle, to Alex. How? It must be some sort of cosmic joke.”
He stopped to really look at Liz, and found his anger softened by the peace present in her features. She was truly beautiful.
Max moved to stand next to Liz on her right, his fingers instantly reaching for her hair. He gently brushed it back from her face, the dark brown strands slipping in small groups through his fingers. When he spoke again, his voice came out cracked and thick, reflecting the tears leaving his eyes and the ache in his chest.
“I want you to promise me something. I want you to promise me you’ll wake up. Because if you don’t…” Max closed his eyes and leaned closer to her, breathing in a scent that couldn’t completely be covered by hospital sterilization. She was refreshing and grounded and fiery all at once.
“You need to wake up. You need to wake up so you and Alex can say something the rest of us don’t understand and so you can see Isabel tell some loser where to stick it and so I can kiss you again. Because I need that kiss, Liz. I need that kiss.”
Max leaned down and brought his lips to her forehead and placed a gentle kiss there, taking care to miss her stitches. He lowered his lips slightly and placed a kiss on each eyelid, before moving down to the tip of her nose, her cheeks and finally her chin.
And when he finally left her room with the taste of her skin still lingering on his lips, Max’s heart was just a bit lighter.
-:-:-:-
At noon on the next day, Alex was released from the hospital. Not that he was intending on going far. After all, Liz’s door was just ten down and he hadn’t been allowed to see her yet.
He pulled the clothes on that his dad had brought him from home and silently thanked whoever was responsible for inventing track pants. He couldn’t even imagine trying to put jeans on.
Michel and Kyle walked back into the room, carrying sandwiches and drinks. They had stayed the night with him, neither of them sleeping. Alex knew they had been playing sentinel, watching for even the slightest abnormality. Not that they needed to. A nurse had come in every hour to wake him up.
“Guys…I’m not-”
“Hungry. We know. Tough.”
“Hungry. We know. Tough.”
“Alex, we’re about to leave your room and go to Liz’s. Knowing us we won’t leave her room unless we have to, and since we all know that the human body can statistically last somewhere around twenty-eight days with no food, I’m guessing we’re not leaving that room at all.” Michael tossed the paper bag down on Alex’s former hospital bed.
Kyle set the sodas down. “So eat. We’re not making this optional.”
Alex sat down awkwardly, understandably unaccustomed to the large hunk of plaster he was now carrying around on his right leg. Michael handed him a ham and cheddar on toasted sourdough and Kyle tossed him an orange soda.
Alex wanted to tell them he was grateful they stayed last night, even if it wasn’t necessary. He wanted to tell them how comforted he felt. But he couldn’t say either of those things, the sandwich sticking in his throat and the fizzy-ness of the soda bringing tears to his eyes.
“We know Al.”
“We know Al.”
-:-:-:-
“You’re awfully quiet Max.” Max looked out of the corner of his eyes at Jeff, who was seated in the passenger seat of the Envoy. They had gone back to La Casa de la Vida to have breakfast and give the girls what little updates they had. Now they were on their way back to the hospital.
Max shrugged and Jeff sighed. “I’m worried about you Max. You haven’t said a word. I’m worried that you’re going to bottle all this up and-”
“I yelled at Liz.”
“You yelled at my daughter?” Jeff raised one eyebrow.
“Well not so much yelled at her as yelled at the situation in her general direction, but I guess you could call that yelling at her, yeah.”
“This was not how I expected this conversation to go.” Max clicked the right turn signal on and approached the intersection.
“What if she doesn’t wake up?” Max’s whispered question was a surprise to Jeff.
“You care for our Lizzy.”
It wasn’t a question and Jeff was looking at him with such open honesty that Max wanted to cry. Jeff rested his hand on the back of Max’s head, gently rubbing the scalp and hair and Max suddenly wanted to tell him everything. He wanted to tell the man who was more a father to him than his own had ever been that he loved Liz, that his entire being was screaming for her right now, but all he could seem to say was, “Very much.”
Jeff nodded. “Her brothers know what to do, Max.”
“How do you know that?”
Jeff removed his hand and paused, considering how to answer Max’s question. He knew the answer, helping Max to understand the answer was where the difficulty lay. “Michael and Kyle were a dream pregnancy for Nancy and I. Usually they expect twins to be born at thirty-six weeks and they made it to thirty-nine. Twins average five and half pounds at birth. Michael was six pounds eleven ounces and Kyle was six and a half pounds.
“Nancy was only in labor for a little over six hours before Michael was born. Everything went well. They were perfect and we got to take them home right away. So when Nancy found out she was pregnant again and it was twins, we naturally thought it would be just as easy the second time.
“Alex and Liz were born at thirty-three weeks, far too early. Right away, we knew something was wrong.”
“Liz?”
“You know it’s funny, everyone assumes that. No, it was Alex.” Jeff sighed. “Something wasn’t right with Alex. Liz was a little smaller than we would have liked- just over five pounds, in fact- but her lungs worked well and her heart was perfectly fine. She was just small, that’s all. But Alex…” Jeff trailed off, staring forward as Max drove the car into the entrance of the hospital parking garage.
Max waited, knowing Jeff would continue on his own. “Alex was born first by cesarean. His heartbeat wasn’t strong and he…he…uh…was having…trouble…breathing. It felt like they tried a million things to make him better, but nothing worked. He was just getting worse and worse. Watching your child suffer and not possessing any sort of ability to make it better…it’s one of the most painful feelings in the world, Max.”
Max and Jeff walked through a set of automatic doors. “Then two days after they were born, one of Alex’s nurses came up with an idea. She took Liz from the nursery and put her in with Alex in his incubator. They call it co-bedding. I guess it’s used sometimes when multiples are born and one of them isn’t doing so well.
“So the nurse, Amanda, put Lizzy in with Alex that afternoon. By the next morning Alex was off the respirator and his heartbeat was strong and constant. Alex had known all along what he needed, Max. He had been trying to tell us the only way he could, and none of us had been listening. Alex had just needed Liz. He just needed his sister.”
Jeff stopped then, about ten steps in front of Liz’s door. “I know it sounds crazy Max, but I think Liz knew even in the womb that something was wrong with Alex. She knew he needed to be born. Nancy and I were always convinced that she was the one who had induced the labor.”
Max furrowed his brow and Jeff held up his hand, stopping Max before he could say anything. “I know it sounds crazy, Max. I do.”
“That doesn’t make it incorrect.”
Jeff smiled at him. “My boys have always been close to their sister.”
“The twin thing.”
Jeff laughed. “Yes, that. But I think they also have a quadruplet thing. Sometimes it’s almost as if all my kids were born at once.”
The two men edged toward Liz’s door and opened it quietly, sticking their heads in. “See Max? Her brothers know exactly what to do.”
-:-:-:-
Michael and Kyle picked up the debris from their lunch and Alex put the crutches under his arms. There was something about what they were about to do that made them all feel stronger, and yet they couldn’t shake the feeling of desperation. What if it didn’t work?
They walked into Liz’s room, wasting no time making it to the side of her bed. None of the Parker boys had seen their baby sister before now, Michael and Kyle having decided that if Alex couldn’t see her, they would wait until he could and go as one unit.
“This is so wrong.” Michael’s tortured whisper caused Kyle and Alex to look at him. They had been thinking the same thing, they just hadn’t said it.
The boys stood there, wrapped in silence. It hurt to breathe but they did all the same, each of them fully aware that they may have dodged a bullet. Liz wasn’t in a coma, she was just asleep.
“I was so angry when mom died. I kept asking why me, you know?” Alex stared down at Liz’s closed eyes. “I asked her that once. Liz. You know what she said?” Kyle and Michael shook their heads softly in unison. “’Alex, when you found that ten dollar bill on the sidewalk last week, did you ask why me then?’ That night I picked up the guitar dad had bought me and I started to play my anger away. And eventually it was gone and I knew what to do if it came back.”
This was one of those moments where things were revealed, where all parties involved signed a silent pact. There would be no laughing, no judgment and probably no speaking of what was said later. Alex had taken point, and now he was passing it off to his older brothers.
Kyle spoke next, his eyes never once leaving the still form of his sister.
“I couldn’t hit the curveball. I couldn’t hit the slider. I couldn’t…well…I couldn’t hit. I wasn’t that good at it. Mom had been such a big baseball fan that it was our thing, teaching me how to hit. Then she got sick and she couldn’t stay outside with me as long and she couldn’t pitch to me anymore because she just didn’t have the stamina.
“And I didn’t blame her, but I didn’t want to play baseball so much anymore. Then she died, and I didn’t feel like doing any sports at all, least of all baseball. And Liz noticed. She did. Two nights after mom died Liz walked into my room, carrying her catcher’s mitt and my bat in one hand and tossing one of our baseballs up and down in the other.
“She pulled me out of bed and she made me practice. Told me it would feel good to focus on something else for a while. And it did. Instead of keeping my anger inside, I poured it into every swing. I was always exhausted when we were done, and it took a lot of trial and error to get me on the right track, but after a few weeks, I could hit the curveball. And I didn’t want to throw baseball away anymore.”
Michael paused a long time before speaking, and if they didn’t know their brother so well, they would have said that he was simply gathering his thoughts. But this was a moment of change, of frankness, and that had never been a problem for Michael. And because he was Michael, they’d never bring up a simple fact both Kyle and Alex knew to be true. Michael was waiting to speak because he couldn’t, not because he didn’t know what to say. It was an understandable moment of weakness.
“There was this night, six days after mom died, when I just couldn’t fall asleep. I had been avoiding her since…well…avoiding the memory of her, anyway. I stopped cooking because she was the one who had taught me. I found a different blanket to sleep under because she had made mine. But no matter what I did, I just kept seeing her face everywhere.
“It was just after twelve thirty when I decided that staying in my bed wasn’t working. I went downstairs to sleep on the couch. But Liz was sitting there, right in the center. I swear to god she knew. She knew that I hadn’t been sleeping. She knew that I had been avoiding our mom.
“She was watching one of our old home movies, the one where mom and dad are stomping grapes in a wine barrel. Mom was holding mine and Liz’s hands and dad was holding yours. We were stomping our feet in the grapes and Lizzy was squealing. So were you, Alex. The two of you couldn’t have been more than three.
“And she just sat there, watching it. Then she said, ‘I’m sad, Michael. We’ll never get to do that with her again. I keep finding things we’ll never get to do with her again. She’ll never drive me to soccer practice again. She’ll never laugh at The Princess Bride with us again.’
Michael looked up at his brothers then and held their eyes.
“Liz knew all along I was never going to start that conversation. She always has known us better than anyone.
“We talked all night. I don’t even remember half of what was said, but I knew by the end of it I was going to be okay. My nine year old little sister had made it all okay. Isn’t that what I was supposed to do for her?
“The next night I fell asleep in my bed, with the quilt mom had made on top of me, and I slept through the night. The first time in a week.”
When Michael had finished speaking, the three Parker boys stood there, staring at their sister just as she was one last time. Then Kyle turned around and walked toward the bed to Liz’s right. And almost as if he were mimicking Kyle’s movements, Michael turned around and walked toward the bed to Liz’s left. Each of the older boys pushed the beds until they were flush against Liz’s, being careful not to jostle her.
Then Alex pulled his shoes off and climbed into the bed on the right, turning to rest in his left side. He looped his left arm through her right, resting his hand on her forearm. Michael got in the bed on the left, and after taking off his shoes, he turned to face his little sister, bringing his left hand down to just barely clasp her fingers. Kyle stretched himself out horizontally across all three beds, his left hand reaching up to hold Liz’s right.
They said nothing, because the time for talking was done.
The time for healing was now.
-:-:-:-
Five hours later Liz’s room was bathed in moonlight and silence and Michael’s eyes were slowly fluttering open. There was a light pressure coming from his left hand and he looked down.
His fingers were being squeezed.
Out of instinct, Michael looked back up and right into Liz’s open eyes.
“Hi big brother.”
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
-
OrangeSky
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Chapter 16: Daniel, Be Careful of that Lion’s Den
“Lizzy?” Michael hadn’t intended it, but his voice came out in a whisper. “You’re awake.”
“So it seems.” Liz smiled. “How long was I out for?”
Michael looked at the watch on his left wrist. “A little less than a day and a half.”
“You guys work quick.”
Michael smiled at her affectionately, tears swimming in his eyes, and kissed her on the top of her head before getting out of the makeshift bed. “I’m going to go get dad and the doctor.” Michael jogged to the door and opened it, but paused for a moment and turned around to look at Liz, right hand on the doorknob. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t woken up.” Then he left the room, just as the tears started down Liz’s cheeks.
Liz felt a sort of unfocused pressure on both her right hand and her right arm, and she turned her eyes from the door. Kyle and Alex were both waking up.
“Lizzy? Are you really awake? Tell me you’re awake. Tell me I’m not dreaming. Tell me this isn’t some awful dream that I’m going to wake up from and find you’re not awake.” Kyle shifted to his belly so he could see her better.
“If it was awful, wouldn’t that make it a nightmare, not a dream?”
“Liz is awake and you’re nitpicking?”
“I’m not nitpicking. I just like being accurate.”
“I believe that while nightmare is specific, and dream is the general term, that it’s perfectly acceptable grammatically to use the word dream as a synonym for nightmare.” Kyle and Alex turned their heads to look at Liz, who was grinning at them.
“We’re so glad you’re awake Lizzy. Even if we suck at showing it.”
“Yeah.” Alex nodded and wrapped Liz in his arms. Liz winced from the pressure in her left side.
“Ooo…not so hard, Alex. How’s the leg?” She looked down at her twin’s leg and nodded slightly.
“Ankle.” Alex shrugged. “Not bad.”
Michael came running into the room then, Max, Jeff and Doctor Sanjay close on his heels.
“Lizzy!” A breathless Jeff made it quickly to his daughter’s side and pulled her into his arms, careful not to squeeze too tightly.
“Hi daddy.”
Jeff held her at arms length, rapidly looking her up and down. “Are you okay? You look okay.”
“I’m good.” Liz’s smile was pained but genuine. She wasn’t lying.
“Liz.” Liz turned her head to look into the eyes of the one man she didn’t know in the room. “I’m Doctor Sanjay, your doctor. How are you feeling?”
“Like I got hit by a silver GMC pickup and my airbag didn’t deploy.”
Alex laughed, his laugh coming out in a short, jerky burst. Liz shot him a brilliant smile. Everyone else just looked at him. “What? It was funny.” Liz looked at him in appreciation and pulled his left hand into her right, lacing her fingers into his and squeezing gently.
Count on Alex to understand what she needed.
“Ooo…we have matching scars!” Alex pointed at her forehead then his own, his features animated.
“Yeah…but then you went and broke your ankle instead of your arm. I thought we’d agreed, Al. Left arms, remember?”
“I do.” Alex lowered his chin to his chest in false regret then brought it back up. “Whatever will I do to make it up to you?”
“Hmm…” Liz played for a moment as if she were considering her answer, her eyes searching the ceiling. “Ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream.”
“That…I can do.”
Doctor Sanjay watched the exchange in wonder. Were these really the same two who had come in the hospital just a day and a half earlier, broken and bloody? Was this the same woman he was worried would never wake up? She was sitting up, engaged and lively, even if in obvious pain. How on earth…
The doctor shook himself out of his thoughts and said, “Gentlemen, if you would excuse us for a minute or so, I’d like to check Liz out.” The guys all nodded and gave her wide smiles before leaving the room, their eyes all trained on her until the door was finally closed.
Doctor Sanjay pulled his stethoscope from around his neck. “Can you lean forward a bit for me?” Liz complied. “Thanks.” He listened to her chest for a few seconds and then pulled back from her, draping the stethoscope back around his neck. “How are you really feeling?”
Liz smiled. “Good. Sore, but good.”
Doctor Sanjay shook his head a little, and though he probably hadn’t intended for Liz to catch it, she had. “Is something wrong?”
He must not have expected her to catch such a small movement because it appeared to Liz that her question had startled him a little. “No…no…”
“You can say it, whatever it is.” The doctor sighed then and looked behind himself. Spying a chair in the far corner, he pulled it to rest by her bed.
Sitting down, he said, “Looking at you now, I find myself questioning everything I’ve ever learned about medicine. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I have no idea how you’re awake right now.”
Liz laughed briefly, and she would have laughed longer had her side not decided that was a bad idea. “We’re not your typical family. We tend to defy convention.”
“I’ve noticed.” The doctor still seemed a bit…well…flabbergasted, would be the best word…and Liz considered briefly how to explain.
“Have you ever heard of co-bedding?”
“Sure. It’s a phenomenon where one child in a multiple set isn’t doing so well, so they place a well sibling in with the sick one and the sick one gets better. No one knows why.”
“Are you aware that Alex and I are twins?” He nodded. “And that we were born at thirty-three weeks? And that Alex’s heart wasn’t beating right and he couldn’t breathe on his own?” Doctor Sanjay was listening carefully now, the new information shedding light on a very curious case.
“Our dad told us this when Alex and I were eight; the story of how we were born. I think he wanted to wait to tell us until we were old enough to understand. One of Alex’s nurses put me in with Alex and overnight, he got better.”
Liz paused a moment, looking down at the blanket covering her before looking back up into the doctor’s eyes. “Our mom died when we were nine. And Alex couldn’t sleep after that. So I started getting in bed with him at night. And wouldn’t you know it; he fell right asleep every time. They knew what I needed, Doctor Sanjay, just like I did then. They knew.
“Like I said. Unconventional.”
Doctor Sanjay shook his head lightly back and forth, wrapped fully in the understanding that he would never really be able to explain what this family was. And while he should have felt unnerved by this, he found himself to be only comforted that people like this, so fully aware of the capabilities of their love, existed.
A knock sounded on the door and Kyle’s head came into view. “I don’t mean to be a pain, but we kind of missed the pretty girl in the middle of the bed, so…”
Doctor Sanjay laughed lightly. “You can come back in.” A bright smile broke out on Kyle’s face and he disappeared for just a moment before he and everyone else walked in the door. “Now, how’s the pain, Liz?”
“My arm doesn’t hurt so much, but my side does a little.”
“Okay, I’ll up the morphine drip.” The doctor made a note in Liz’s chart before replacing it on the foot of her bed. “Now I’m going to leave you alone so you can spend some time together. Liz…I’ll see you later.”
“Thank you Doctor Sanjay.”
“Thank you Doctor Sanjay.”
“Thank you Doctor Sanjay.”
“Thank you Doctor Sanjay.”
“Thank you Doctor Sanjay.”
“Thank you Doctor Sanjay.”
The doctor smiled and walked out Liz’s door.
Alex hobbled back over to the right side of the bed and hopped back in, laying down on his side and facing Liz. “Promise me you’ll never do that to me again.”
Liz hooked her right pinky in his and looked him straight in the eyes. “I swear.”
“I’m so glad you’re okay, Liz.” Liz sought out the whispered voice and her eyes fell to Max, his eyes shiny.
Liz fought the urge to cry and said, “I only got to kiss you once Max. No way was I going to die before I got to do that again.” Liz looked at him and laughed lightly when every other head in the room slowly turned to look at him.
“Oh…right. So…I kissed your sister. And uh…your daughter…sir.” Alex was giggling, and the rest of the men in the room turned their heads to look at him.
“You knew!” Michael’s voice was accusing but full of laughter. “Did you tell him?”
“I didn’t tell him, Michael. He guessed. Twin thing.”
“When?” Liz turned to look at her father.
“Under the mistletoe. On Boxing Day.”
“We don’t celebrate Boxing Day.”
Everyone turned to look at Kyle, most with raised eyebrows and/or amused smiles.
“What? We don’t.”
-:-:-:-
A week later Liz was out of the hospital gown and back in her own clothes, ready to go home. Jeff had gone out to the parking garage to bring the car around, so Doctor Sanjay was giving Liz her discharge information. Liz was seated on the bed, her legs hanging over the side.
“Okay Liz, I want you and Alex to come back in a week to have the stitches in your foreheads removed.”
“What about these stitches?” Liz motioned to her left side.
“I’m scheduling you for a follow-up in two weeks. I’ll remove the stitches then.” He handed her a large plastic amber colored bottle full of pills and a small piece of paper with his signature on it. A scrip. “Now because you’re under the age of twenty-one, I want you to take these until your twenty-first birthday.”
“Penicillin?” Liz looked at the label of the bottle and then up at Doctor Sanjay, her right eyebrow raised.
He nodded. “The spleen is the body’s bouncer, Liz. It kicks out infections that don’t belong. You don’t have one anymore, so we just want to ensure that you’re going to stay healthy. It’s just until you turn twenty-one.” Liz nodded. “Also, I would urge you to get a Medic Alert bracelet. In case you’re ever in an emergent situation again, the doctors treating you should know you don’t have one.”
“I’m guessing I should tell my doctor too.”
“And your dentist, yes. No heavy lifting or straining for six to eight weeks, but you can return to light lifting, driving, etcetera, as soon as you’re comfortable, okay?”
Liz nodded. “You don’t have to worry about me. I have way too many people worried about me.” She grinned. “If I breathe the wrong way I’m sure they’ll immediately bring me back to the hospital.”
Doctor Sanjay smiled. “That cast of yours has to stay on for at least a month, possibly longer. Make sure you keep it dry.”
Liz rolled her eyes. “That’s going to be a lot of fun in Manhattan in winter.” At the doctor’s questioning look, she added, “I go to school at NYU.”
“Ahhh. In that case, your doctor there will have to take your cast off. I want you to come back in if your wound looks red or infected or if you start to feel woozy. Okay?”
“You got it.”
Jeff walked back into the room, an obvious bounce in his step. “Ready squirt?”
Liz looked at the doctor who nodded, an easy smile on his face. “Looks like I am. Thanks again, Doctor Sanjay.”
“You are more than welcome, Liz.”
Liz slid down off the bed and sat down in the wheelchair. Jeff took the handles, pushing his daughter in front of them to the doors that would lead them outside. Doctor Sanjay watched them as they moved into the distance, further and further away from the nightmare a few days had brought them.
-:-:-:-
A strong, reverberating knock sounded on the front door of La Casa de la Vida and Michael rose from his chair at the kitchen table to answer it. His step had more of a spring to it than normal, his usually reserved nature giving way to his joy.
Liz was coming home from the hospital today.
He checked his watch as he approached the door and briefly wondered who it could be. Anyone who mattered was already at the house, waiting for Liz and Jeff. He grabbed the silver metal handle of the maple front door and swung it open, the person on the other side immediately dampening his good mood.
Daniel.
If there was one person he didn’t want to see right now, it was Daniel. What in the hell was he doing here, anyway? He and Liz were broken up.
“What the hell do you want, Franklin?”
“I came to get my stuff, Parker. Elizabeth was supposed to bring it to me the day after Christmas.”
“Yeah, too bad a car accident got in the way, huh? Sorry she inconvenienced you by going to the hospital, your highness.” Michel’s voice was thick with sarcasm, his eyes rolling to meet the sky.
“Can I get my stuff or not?”
Michael swept his arm in a wide arc, mockingly inviting Daniel in. Daniel walked in and Michael shut the door soundly behind him. “Five minutes Daniel, then I want you gone. Liz is coming home today. You don’t need to be here when she walks in the door.” Michael walked away from him and into the kitchen and Daniel, shaking his head, started up the gently spiraling staircase.
-:-:-:-
They had been in the car for a few minutes when Jeff abruptly pulled the car over to the side of the road. His hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles were quickly turning into a deathly shade of white and Liz was startled when Jeff started to sob. Loudly.
“Daddy?” Liz tentatively reached her hand out to his arm until her fingers were just gracing his upper arm, her eyebrows knit in concern.
“Oh Lizzy…I’m so sorry, honey. I don’t mean to scare you.”
“You’re not. Are you okay?”
“Yes. Better than that, though I’m sure it doesn’t seem that way to you right now.” He sighed and paused before turning to look at her. “I just…It’s that…I’m so proud of you Lizzy.”
Liz was honestly confused. He was proud because she had woken up?
“You know as a parent you hope you do a good job. You hope that what you teach your kids stays with them. That no matter what they grow to be good, kind, conscientious people.” He turned his eyes back to the paved road in front of him. “But this…this I never expected.
“I talked to Jake, one of the paramedics that brought you and Alex in, Lizzy. And he told me.” Jeff turned his eyes to his daughter, confusion clear in her face. “He told me that Alex was in and out but that you were conscious the whole time. That they tried to put you in separate ambulances but that you flat-out refused to let go of his hand, so they had to put you in the same one.
“He said it was obvious that you were in a lot of pain, but that you insisted he take care of Alex first. And that you talked to him the whole way, trying to keep him calm.” Jeff sighed at his daughter, who by now had her eyes trained on the carpeted floor under her feet.
“I am blown away by the person you are Lizzy. More and more every day you remind me of your mother. You are sweet, loving, generous and good and I know your mom would be as proud of you as I am. Sometimes I find it very hard to believe that I raised such amazing children.”
“It was you, dad. We’re the way we are because of you. You could have thrown yourself into the winery or drowned your sorrows in a bottle or done a hundred other self-destructive things and you didn’t. You loved us enough to see beyond your own grief. Do you know how amazing that is? You amaze us. Everyday. We never once felt overlooked, dad. And it would have been so understandable to take a break from our craziness. But you didn’t.
“And every time we meet someone else’s parents, we’re aware of how lucky we are. Alex and Kyle and Michael and I thank god for you every day.”
Jeff and Liz drew together in a strong, familiar embrace. They stayed that way for a few minutes until Jeff pulled back, wiping the tears from his eyes.
“Okay, tell me a joke.” This was their routine. Run off the tears with some serious laughter.
As Liz wiped the tears off her face with the back of her right hand, she spoke, voice thick with happiness. “So there are two muffins sitting in an oven. One muffin turns to the other and says, ‘Is it hot in here?’ You know what the other muffin says?”
Jeff shook his head, a smile on his face as he merged back onto the road. “No, what?”
Liz yelled. “AAAHHH! TALKING MUFFIN!”
Jeff laughed a barrel-chested laugh as he turned right, turning the car toward home.
-:-:-:-
Max jogged up the stairs toward Alex’s room. Alex wanted his iPod to play a special mix he had cooked up just for Liz’s homecoming but had forgotten it upstairs. Max, the owner of two perfectly capable legs, had volunteered to fetch it.
He walked down the long hallway, pausing every minute or so to look at the photos on the walls in between rooms. Liz was incredibly talented and it showed.
Max walked through the doorway three down from the stairs and stopped in his tracks. He stood there, eyes wide, unable to move. He had not expected this.
Daniel was laying in the middle of Alex’s bed, a naked girl riding him.
A naked girl with blonde curls.
Oh god.
How on earth was Max going to tell Kyle about this?
Did he just tell him, or should he try to break it to him gently? Liz had broken up with Daniel, but Kyle was still very much with Tess.
Max got his bearings and quickly but quietly exited Alex’s occupied room. When he was far enough beyond the doorway that he was sure he wouldn’t be heard, he ran to the stairs and raced down them toward the kitchen where he knew Kyle would be. Kyle was helping Michael make Liz’s welcome home dinner.
Max slowed as he came to the door that divided the kitchen from the family room, but walked through the doorway, even though his stomach was threatening to jump out of his navel. He stood there, staring at Kyle who was standing behind the kitchen island grating cheese, his hands in his pockets. After a minute or so, Kyle had the feeling someone was looking at him and proved himself right when his eyes locked with Max’s.
“Max? What’s up?” Max sighed, his shoulders dropping.
“Kyle, can I talk to you?”
“Sure man, what is it?”
“Alone?” Kyle was a bit taken aback but nodded, wiping his left hand on a dish towel before following Max out of the kitchen.
“Okay, you got me alone. What’s up?”
“I don’t really know how to tell you this.”
“Our mom always used to say ‘when in doubt, tell the truth’. Good advice, don’t you think?” Max was fairly certain that once Kyle knew the truth, he might have a different stance on it.
“I walked into Alex’s room to get his iPod and Daniel was in there. He wasn’t alone.” Kyle growled and clenched the fingers of his left hand into a fist. “Yeah…uh…that’s not all. I saw the back of the girl with him. Kyle…um…it looked an awful lot like Tess.”
Then Kyle did something Max never expected. He laughed.
Yeah…that was weird.
“I’m sorry Max, it’s not funny.” His face betrayed his words as he fought to keep a straight face. “Max, I don’t mean to laugh, but you’re wrong. How long ago did you see this?”
“Just a couple of minutes.”
“Max, Tess is outside watching the grill. She just got here about ten minutes ago. C’mon, I’ll show you.” Max followed Kyle until they were outside, staring at Tess, who was indeed watching the grill, a large pair of tongs in her right hand.
“See?”
“I’m sorry, Kyle. But I swear she looked exactly like her.”
“Like who?”
“Max walked in on Daniel having sex with some girl in Alex’s room. He said she looked like you. I said you were outside.”
“When was this?”
Max looked at her. “Just a couple of minutes ago.”
All of a sudden the look on Tess’ face changed from that of mild amusement to pure fury. “Oh I cannot believe her. I’m going to kill her. I’m going to kill her and then I’m going to murder her. And when I’m done murdering her, I’m going to torture her to within an inch of her life.” She threw the tongs down on the grill and stomped into the house, blowing past everyone in the kitchen on her way to the stairs.
Max and Kyle fought to keep up, and everyone else got up from their spots in the kitchen to follow. Something was up.
Even though Tess was short, the situation seemed to make her legs temporarily longer, because she took the stairs two at a time with ease. When they reached the doorway, Tess stood alone, flames practically spurting out her ears. No one got too close.
“CASSANDRA LOUISE HARDING! GET THE FUCK OFF OF HIM RIGHT NOW!”
Who knew Tess had such big lungs?
The curly-headed blonde on the bed turned her head to look at the group gathered in the doorway, her eyes immediately growing as wide as can be. “I said MOVE!” The girl scrambled out of the bed, partially falling onto the floor and pulled a sheet with her, wrapping it around her body.
“What is the matter with you? Since when is it okay to go into someone else’s house and have sex with some random guy?”
“Hey baby, she wasn’t complaining.”
“You…shut it. I’m not your baby. And guess what Romeo? She’s seventeen. As far as I know…seventeen in California still constitutes a minor. That’s statutory rape…baby.” Tess turned to the girl in front of her then. “Cassandra, get your clothes. Let’s go. Now.” Cassandra grabbed her clothes and raced into the bathroom. Tess watched her walk through the door, then turned around and said,
“Hi Liz.”
“Lizzy?” Michael hadn’t intended it, but his voice came out in a whisper. “You’re awake.”
“So it seems.” Liz smiled. “How long was I out for?”
Michael looked at the watch on his left wrist. “A little less than a day and a half.”
“You guys work quick.”
Michael smiled at her affectionately, tears swimming in his eyes, and kissed her on the top of her head before getting out of the makeshift bed. “I’m going to go get dad and the doctor.” Michael jogged to the door and opened it, but paused for a moment and turned around to look at Liz, right hand on the doorknob. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t woken up.” Then he left the room, just as the tears started down Liz’s cheeks.
Liz felt a sort of unfocused pressure on both her right hand and her right arm, and she turned her eyes from the door. Kyle and Alex were both waking up.
“Lizzy? Are you really awake? Tell me you’re awake. Tell me I’m not dreaming. Tell me this isn’t some awful dream that I’m going to wake up from and find you’re not awake.” Kyle shifted to his belly so he could see her better.
“If it was awful, wouldn’t that make it a nightmare, not a dream?”
“Liz is awake and you’re nitpicking?”
“I’m not nitpicking. I just like being accurate.”
“I believe that while nightmare is specific, and dream is the general term, that it’s perfectly acceptable grammatically to use the word dream as a synonym for nightmare.” Kyle and Alex turned their heads to look at Liz, who was grinning at them.
“We’re so glad you’re awake Lizzy. Even if we suck at showing it.”
“Yeah.” Alex nodded and wrapped Liz in his arms. Liz winced from the pressure in her left side.
“Ooo…not so hard, Alex. How’s the leg?” She looked down at her twin’s leg and nodded slightly.
“Ankle.” Alex shrugged. “Not bad.”
Michael came running into the room then, Max, Jeff and Doctor Sanjay close on his heels.
“Lizzy!” A breathless Jeff made it quickly to his daughter’s side and pulled her into his arms, careful not to squeeze too tightly.
“Hi daddy.”
Jeff held her at arms length, rapidly looking her up and down. “Are you okay? You look okay.”
“I’m good.” Liz’s smile was pained but genuine. She wasn’t lying.
“Liz.” Liz turned her head to look into the eyes of the one man she didn’t know in the room. “I’m Doctor Sanjay, your doctor. How are you feeling?”
“Like I got hit by a silver GMC pickup and my airbag didn’t deploy.”
Alex laughed, his laugh coming out in a short, jerky burst. Liz shot him a brilliant smile. Everyone else just looked at him. “What? It was funny.” Liz looked at him in appreciation and pulled his left hand into her right, lacing her fingers into his and squeezing gently.
Count on Alex to understand what she needed.
“Ooo…we have matching scars!” Alex pointed at her forehead then his own, his features animated.
“Yeah…but then you went and broke your ankle instead of your arm. I thought we’d agreed, Al. Left arms, remember?”
“I do.” Alex lowered his chin to his chest in false regret then brought it back up. “Whatever will I do to make it up to you?”
“Hmm…” Liz played for a moment as if she were considering her answer, her eyes searching the ceiling. “Ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream.”
“That…I can do.”
Doctor Sanjay watched the exchange in wonder. Were these really the same two who had come in the hospital just a day and a half earlier, broken and bloody? Was this the same woman he was worried would never wake up? She was sitting up, engaged and lively, even if in obvious pain. How on earth…
The doctor shook himself out of his thoughts and said, “Gentlemen, if you would excuse us for a minute or so, I’d like to check Liz out.” The guys all nodded and gave her wide smiles before leaving the room, their eyes all trained on her until the door was finally closed.
Doctor Sanjay pulled his stethoscope from around his neck. “Can you lean forward a bit for me?” Liz complied. “Thanks.” He listened to her chest for a few seconds and then pulled back from her, draping the stethoscope back around his neck. “How are you really feeling?”
Liz smiled. “Good. Sore, but good.”
Doctor Sanjay shook his head a little, and though he probably hadn’t intended for Liz to catch it, she had. “Is something wrong?”
He must not have expected her to catch such a small movement because it appeared to Liz that her question had startled him a little. “No…no…”
“You can say it, whatever it is.” The doctor sighed then and looked behind himself. Spying a chair in the far corner, he pulled it to rest by her bed.
Sitting down, he said, “Looking at you now, I find myself questioning everything I’ve ever learned about medicine. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I have no idea how you’re awake right now.”
Liz laughed briefly, and she would have laughed longer had her side not decided that was a bad idea. “We’re not your typical family. We tend to defy convention.”
“I’ve noticed.” The doctor still seemed a bit…well…flabbergasted, would be the best word…and Liz considered briefly how to explain.
“Have you ever heard of co-bedding?”
“Sure. It’s a phenomenon where one child in a multiple set isn’t doing so well, so they place a well sibling in with the sick one and the sick one gets better. No one knows why.”
“Are you aware that Alex and I are twins?” He nodded. “And that we were born at thirty-three weeks? And that Alex’s heart wasn’t beating right and he couldn’t breathe on his own?” Doctor Sanjay was listening carefully now, the new information shedding light on a very curious case.
“Our dad told us this when Alex and I were eight; the story of how we were born. I think he wanted to wait to tell us until we were old enough to understand. One of Alex’s nurses put me in with Alex and overnight, he got better.”
Liz paused a moment, looking down at the blanket covering her before looking back up into the doctor’s eyes. “Our mom died when we were nine. And Alex couldn’t sleep after that. So I started getting in bed with him at night. And wouldn’t you know it; he fell right asleep every time. They knew what I needed, Doctor Sanjay, just like I did then. They knew.
“Like I said. Unconventional.”
Doctor Sanjay shook his head lightly back and forth, wrapped fully in the understanding that he would never really be able to explain what this family was. And while he should have felt unnerved by this, he found himself to be only comforted that people like this, so fully aware of the capabilities of their love, existed.
A knock sounded on the door and Kyle’s head came into view. “I don’t mean to be a pain, but we kind of missed the pretty girl in the middle of the bed, so…”
Doctor Sanjay laughed lightly. “You can come back in.” A bright smile broke out on Kyle’s face and he disappeared for just a moment before he and everyone else walked in the door. “Now, how’s the pain, Liz?”
“My arm doesn’t hurt so much, but my side does a little.”
“Okay, I’ll up the morphine drip.” The doctor made a note in Liz’s chart before replacing it on the foot of her bed. “Now I’m going to leave you alone so you can spend some time together. Liz…I’ll see you later.”
“Thank you Doctor Sanjay.”
“Thank you Doctor Sanjay.”
“Thank you Doctor Sanjay.”
“Thank you Doctor Sanjay.”
“Thank you Doctor Sanjay.”
“Thank you Doctor Sanjay.”
The doctor smiled and walked out Liz’s door.
Alex hobbled back over to the right side of the bed and hopped back in, laying down on his side and facing Liz. “Promise me you’ll never do that to me again.”
Liz hooked her right pinky in his and looked him straight in the eyes. “I swear.”
“I’m so glad you’re okay, Liz.” Liz sought out the whispered voice and her eyes fell to Max, his eyes shiny.
Liz fought the urge to cry and said, “I only got to kiss you once Max. No way was I going to die before I got to do that again.” Liz looked at him and laughed lightly when every other head in the room slowly turned to look at him.
“Oh…right. So…I kissed your sister. And uh…your daughter…sir.” Alex was giggling, and the rest of the men in the room turned their heads to look at him.
“You knew!” Michael’s voice was accusing but full of laughter. “Did you tell him?”
“I didn’t tell him, Michael. He guessed. Twin thing.”
“When?” Liz turned to look at her father.
“Under the mistletoe. On Boxing Day.”
“We don’t celebrate Boxing Day.”
Everyone turned to look at Kyle, most with raised eyebrows and/or amused smiles.
“What? We don’t.”
-:-:-:-
A week later Liz was out of the hospital gown and back in her own clothes, ready to go home. Jeff had gone out to the parking garage to bring the car around, so Doctor Sanjay was giving Liz her discharge information. Liz was seated on the bed, her legs hanging over the side.
“Okay Liz, I want you and Alex to come back in a week to have the stitches in your foreheads removed.”
“What about these stitches?” Liz motioned to her left side.
“I’m scheduling you for a follow-up in two weeks. I’ll remove the stitches then.” He handed her a large plastic amber colored bottle full of pills and a small piece of paper with his signature on it. A scrip. “Now because you’re under the age of twenty-one, I want you to take these until your twenty-first birthday.”
“Penicillin?” Liz looked at the label of the bottle and then up at Doctor Sanjay, her right eyebrow raised.
He nodded. “The spleen is the body’s bouncer, Liz. It kicks out infections that don’t belong. You don’t have one anymore, so we just want to ensure that you’re going to stay healthy. It’s just until you turn twenty-one.” Liz nodded. “Also, I would urge you to get a Medic Alert bracelet. In case you’re ever in an emergent situation again, the doctors treating you should know you don’t have one.”
“I’m guessing I should tell my doctor too.”
“And your dentist, yes. No heavy lifting or straining for six to eight weeks, but you can return to light lifting, driving, etcetera, as soon as you’re comfortable, okay?”
Liz nodded. “You don’t have to worry about me. I have way too many people worried about me.” She grinned. “If I breathe the wrong way I’m sure they’ll immediately bring me back to the hospital.”
Doctor Sanjay smiled. “That cast of yours has to stay on for at least a month, possibly longer. Make sure you keep it dry.”
Liz rolled her eyes. “That’s going to be a lot of fun in Manhattan in winter.” At the doctor’s questioning look, she added, “I go to school at NYU.”
“Ahhh. In that case, your doctor there will have to take your cast off. I want you to come back in if your wound looks red or infected or if you start to feel woozy. Okay?”
“You got it.”
Jeff walked back into the room, an obvious bounce in his step. “Ready squirt?”
Liz looked at the doctor who nodded, an easy smile on his face. “Looks like I am. Thanks again, Doctor Sanjay.”
“You are more than welcome, Liz.”
Liz slid down off the bed and sat down in the wheelchair. Jeff took the handles, pushing his daughter in front of them to the doors that would lead them outside. Doctor Sanjay watched them as they moved into the distance, further and further away from the nightmare a few days had brought them.
-:-:-:-
A strong, reverberating knock sounded on the front door of La Casa de la Vida and Michael rose from his chair at the kitchen table to answer it. His step had more of a spring to it than normal, his usually reserved nature giving way to his joy.
Liz was coming home from the hospital today.
He checked his watch as he approached the door and briefly wondered who it could be. Anyone who mattered was already at the house, waiting for Liz and Jeff. He grabbed the silver metal handle of the maple front door and swung it open, the person on the other side immediately dampening his good mood.
Daniel.
If there was one person he didn’t want to see right now, it was Daniel. What in the hell was he doing here, anyway? He and Liz were broken up.
“What the hell do you want, Franklin?”
“I came to get my stuff, Parker. Elizabeth was supposed to bring it to me the day after Christmas.”
“Yeah, too bad a car accident got in the way, huh? Sorry she inconvenienced you by going to the hospital, your highness.” Michel’s voice was thick with sarcasm, his eyes rolling to meet the sky.
“Can I get my stuff or not?”
Michael swept his arm in a wide arc, mockingly inviting Daniel in. Daniel walked in and Michael shut the door soundly behind him. “Five minutes Daniel, then I want you gone. Liz is coming home today. You don’t need to be here when she walks in the door.” Michael walked away from him and into the kitchen and Daniel, shaking his head, started up the gently spiraling staircase.
-:-:-:-
They had been in the car for a few minutes when Jeff abruptly pulled the car over to the side of the road. His hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles were quickly turning into a deathly shade of white and Liz was startled when Jeff started to sob. Loudly.
“Daddy?” Liz tentatively reached her hand out to his arm until her fingers were just gracing his upper arm, her eyebrows knit in concern.
“Oh Lizzy…I’m so sorry, honey. I don’t mean to scare you.”
“You’re not. Are you okay?”
“Yes. Better than that, though I’m sure it doesn’t seem that way to you right now.” He sighed and paused before turning to look at her. “I just…It’s that…I’m so proud of you Lizzy.”
Liz was honestly confused. He was proud because she had woken up?
“You know as a parent you hope you do a good job. You hope that what you teach your kids stays with them. That no matter what they grow to be good, kind, conscientious people.” He turned his eyes back to the paved road in front of him. “But this…this I never expected.
“I talked to Jake, one of the paramedics that brought you and Alex in, Lizzy. And he told me.” Jeff turned his eyes to his daughter, confusion clear in her face. “He told me that Alex was in and out but that you were conscious the whole time. That they tried to put you in separate ambulances but that you flat-out refused to let go of his hand, so they had to put you in the same one.
“He said it was obvious that you were in a lot of pain, but that you insisted he take care of Alex first. And that you talked to him the whole way, trying to keep him calm.” Jeff sighed at his daughter, who by now had her eyes trained on the carpeted floor under her feet.
“I am blown away by the person you are Lizzy. More and more every day you remind me of your mother. You are sweet, loving, generous and good and I know your mom would be as proud of you as I am. Sometimes I find it very hard to believe that I raised such amazing children.”
“It was you, dad. We’re the way we are because of you. You could have thrown yourself into the winery or drowned your sorrows in a bottle or done a hundred other self-destructive things and you didn’t. You loved us enough to see beyond your own grief. Do you know how amazing that is? You amaze us. Everyday. We never once felt overlooked, dad. And it would have been so understandable to take a break from our craziness. But you didn’t.
“And every time we meet someone else’s parents, we’re aware of how lucky we are. Alex and Kyle and Michael and I thank god for you every day.”
Jeff and Liz drew together in a strong, familiar embrace. They stayed that way for a few minutes until Jeff pulled back, wiping the tears from his eyes.
“Okay, tell me a joke.” This was their routine. Run off the tears with some serious laughter.
As Liz wiped the tears off her face with the back of her right hand, she spoke, voice thick with happiness. “So there are two muffins sitting in an oven. One muffin turns to the other and says, ‘Is it hot in here?’ You know what the other muffin says?”
Jeff shook his head, a smile on his face as he merged back onto the road. “No, what?”
Liz yelled. “AAAHHH! TALKING MUFFIN!”
Jeff laughed a barrel-chested laugh as he turned right, turning the car toward home.
-:-:-:-
Max jogged up the stairs toward Alex’s room. Alex wanted his iPod to play a special mix he had cooked up just for Liz’s homecoming but had forgotten it upstairs. Max, the owner of two perfectly capable legs, had volunteered to fetch it.
He walked down the long hallway, pausing every minute or so to look at the photos on the walls in between rooms. Liz was incredibly talented and it showed.
Max walked through the doorway three down from the stairs and stopped in his tracks. He stood there, eyes wide, unable to move. He had not expected this.
Daniel was laying in the middle of Alex’s bed, a naked girl riding him.
A naked girl with blonde curls.
Oh god.
How on earth was Max going to tell Kyle about this?
Did he just tell him, or should he try to break it to him gently? Liz had broken up with Daniel, but Kyle was still very much with Tess.
Max got his bearings and quickly but quietly exited Alex’s occupied room. When he was far enough beyond the doorway that he was sure he wouldn’t be heard, he ran to the stairs and raced down them toward the kitchen where he knew Kyle would be. Kyle was helping Michael make Liz’s welcome home dinner.
Max slowed as he came to the door that divided the kitchen from the family room, but walked through the doorway, even though his stomach was threatening to jump out of his navel. He stood there, staring at Kyle who was standing behind the kitchen island grating cheese, his hands in his pockets. After a minute or so, Kyle had the feeling someone was looking at him and proved himself right when his eyes locked with Max’s.
“Max? What’s up?” Max sighed, his shoulders dropping.
“Kyle, can I talk to you?”
“Sure man, what is it?”
“Alone?” Kyle was a bit taken aback but nodded, wiping his left hand on a dish towel before following Max out of the kitchen.
“Okay, you got me alone. What’s up?”
“I don’t really know how to tell you this.”
“Our mom always used to say ‘when in doubt, tell the truth’. Good advice, don’t you think?” Max was fairly certain that once Kyle knew the truth, he might have a different stance on it.
“I walked into Alex’s room to get his iPod and Daniel was in there. He wasn’t alone.” Kyle growled and clenched the fingers of his left hand into a fist. “Yeah…uh…that’s not all. I saw the back of the girl with him. Kyle…um…it looked an awful lot like Tess.”
Then Kyle did something Max never expected. He laughed.
Yeah…that was weird.
“I’m sorry Max, it’s not funny.” His face betrayed his words as he fought to keep a straight face. “Max, I don’t mean to laugh, but you’re wrong. How long ago did you see this?”
“Just a couple of minutes.”
“Max, Tess is outside watching the grill. She just got here about ten minutes ago. C’mon, I’ll show you.” Max followed Kyle until they were outside, staring at Tess, who was indeed watching the grill, a large pair of tongs in her right hand.
“See?”
“I’m sorry, Kyle. But I swear she looked exactly like her.”
“Like who?”
“Max walked in on Daniel having sex with some girl in Alex’s room. He said she looked like you. I said you were outside.”
“When was this?”
Max looked at her. “Just a couple of minutes ago.”
All of a sudden the look on Tess’ face changed from that of mild amusement to pure fury. “Oh I cannot believe her. I’m going to kill her. I’m going to kill her and then I’m going to murder her. And when I’m done murdering her, I’m going to torture her to within an inch of her life.” She threw the tongs down on the grill and stomped into the house, blowing past everyone in the kitchen on her way to the stairs.
Max and Kyle fought to keep up, and everyone else got up from their spots in the kitchen to follow. Something was up.
Even though Tess was short, the situation seemed to make her legs temporarily longer, because she took the stairs two at a time with ease. When they reached the doorway, Tess stood alone, flames practically spurting out her ears. No one got too close.
“CASSANDRA LOUISE HARDING! GET THE FUCK OFF OF HIM RIGHT NOW!”
Who knew Tess had such big lungs?
The curly-headed blonde on the bed turned her head to look at the group gathered in the doorway, her eyes immediately growing as wide as can be. “I said MOVE!” The girl scrambled out of the bed, partially falling onto the floor and pulled a sheet with her, wrapping it around her body.
“What is the matter with you? Since when is it okay to go into someone else’s house and have sex with some random guy?”
“Hey baby, she wasn’t complaining.”
“You…shut it. I’m not your baby. And guess what Romeo? She’s seventeen. As far as I know…seventeen in California still constitutes a minor. That’s statutory rape…baby.” Tess turned to the girl in front of her then. “Cassandra, get your clothes. Let’s go. Now.” Cassandra grabbed her clothes and raced into the bathroom. Tess watched her walk through the door, then turned around and said,
“Hi Liz.”
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
-
OrangeSky
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- Posts: 221
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Chapter 17: Matchmaker Matchmaker, Catch Me a Catch
Phenomenon: a noun of Greek origin meaning an unusual, significant, or unaccountable fact or occurrence; a marvel.
Liz Parker, faced with the situation and the man in front of her, was laughing.
Phenomenon #1.
The other occupants of the room, all 14 of them, were thinking the same thing at exactly the same moment.
What the hell?
Phenomenon #2.
“Wow…you are a prick!”
“Excuse me?”
“A massively stupid, giant man-penis…that’s what you are. Not to mention an idiot with a capital I. And now…we can file rapist under your name. Why did I stay with you again? Congratulations Daniel…you are one interesting piece of work.”
Daniel came at her then, intending to get in her face but never made it, ending up flat on his back on Alex’s floor instead. He looked up in surprise and right into Max’s extremely pissed-off face.
Max’s voice came out a growl, his register so low that everyone strained to hear him. “Don’t you ever come that close to her again.”
Liz turned, catching Isabel’s eye, and Isabel walked up to Daniel, bending a little at the waist, and slapped him squarely across the face. Then she straightened up, turned with a flounce and walked back to the doorway.
Phenomenon #3.
Daniel moved to get up and Michael stepped forward. “I wouldn’t get up just yet if I were you, Franklin.” He stood next to Max, crossing his arms across his chest, his jaw set.
Liz continued, though this time she was pacing around the room, not looking at Daniel. “I’m just wondering…what kind of thought process do you have to have to sleep with an underage girl…and somehow think it’s alright? Hmm?” She turned to look at Daniel then, eyes boring into his.
Daniel didn’t speak and Kyle walked up to him and kicked him soundly in the hip. When Daniel yelped, Kyle said, “Answer the lady. And it better be good, or we’ll have Isabel slap you again.” They all turned to look at Isabel, who was sporting a triumphant little smile on her face.
Daniel looked into the eyes of Sheriff Valenti, who was standing in the doorway. “Aren’t you going to do anything?”
“This looks like a minor disagreement to me. Wouldn’t you agree, Amy?” Jim turned to his wife who turned to him and nodded comically.
“Mmm…indeed.”
“There you have it…simply a minor disagreement.” His voice grew dangerously low and he said, “Now…are you going to answer the lady or do I have to start including my own special force?”
“No…wait…now that I think about it…I’m fairly certain I don’t actually want the answer to that question.” Liz was staring at the door to Alex’s bathroom which opened just then to reveal a trembling and timid seventeen year old Cassandra. She looked half her size at that moment, and that was saying something since Cassandra could pass as her sister’s double any day.
While Tess, Liz realized, had probably always been able to command a presence with the sheer strength of her personality, Cassandra it seemed had none of that same depth. It was in that moment Liz felt truly sad for the teenage girl in front of her. This girl had no idea what she was doing to herself and someone had to make her see that.
“Do you really hate yourself that much Cassandra?” The girl’s eyes rose to Liz’s and she was about to speak when Daniel butted in.
“Jealous much?” Liz turned to look at Daniel, and if she had ever had any feelings for the man lying on the floor, they had left with that final statement. Liz was surer now than ever before that she had dodged a bullet dumping Daniel.
“I am so glad I never slept with you. You know, something about it always felt so…wrong. Now I know why…you’re a pedophile. And keep your mouth shut; no one’s talking to you.”
“You’re a virgin?”
Liz turned to her oldest brother, eyebrow raised and said, “Not sure this is really the time and place to be discussing my virginity, but no, I’m not.”
“But you just said you never slept with him.” Apparently Kyle thought it the time and place just as much as Michael.
“Billy Finneran…junior year. And she’s right. This isn’t exactly the right place to be talking about this.” Thank you Alex.
“You slept with Billy Finneran?” Oh dear god.
“Michael.” Liz gestured to the scene around her and Michael immediately shut up. Liz turned back to Cassandra who had an unreadable look in her eyes. “Do you, Cassandra? Hate yourself that much?”
Even though Tess and her younger sister Cassandra were four years apart, they were a perfect physical match. They were the exact same height with the exact same curly blonde hair and icy blue eyes. Though physically they appeared as twins, that was where the similarities ended.
Tess had a certain sweet joviality to her nature, and looking at Cassandra now, Liz could see that she did not match her sister. The very things that Liz supposed had drawn Kyle to Tess were missing in Cassandra. There also seemed to be a void between the two girls, a space that could only have been created by both circumstance and time.
“Hate myself? Please.” Cassandra sighed and rolled her eyes. “I wanted to sleep with him and I did. I just wanted to have a little fun. What’s wrong with that?”
Her question hung in the air, the immaturity of it causing nearly all present to cringe.
“What’s wrong with that? What’s wrong is that not only does it show your utter lack of tact in sleeping with a man in his ex-girlfriend’s house the day she gets home from the hospital, but it proves to me once again just how much you think you can get away with. But no matter what you’ve done Cassandra, I’ve never before been ashamed to call you my sister.” Tess stood right in front of her sister, the weight of her words settling between them.
Cassandra laughed, but there was nothing light in it. “I can’t get away with anything. You’re Little Miss Perfect. Everything you do is golden.”
Tess scoffed. “Please…you get away with everything. You are a spoiled, selfish, petulant child and I’m finally going to do something about it. You and I are going to see Papa…and we’re going to tell him exactly what happened.”
Ken Harding was a former Marine. He had softened with time, but even time would never completely remove the structure he believed necessary for a well-lived life. If she had believed she could avoid a talk with him after this episode, Cassandra was in for a rude awakening.
Cassandra’s eyes grew wide and the color left her face. “No…you wouldn’t.”
“Oh you better believe I would, and I’m going to. I’m going to tell him and then I’m going to stand there and watch. And maybe he’ll finally be the one to knock some sense into that thick skull of yours. Now you’ve trespassed on these lovely people’s time enough as it is. Into the car. Now.” Tess motioned and Cassandra started toward Alex’s bedroom door. “Wait. Apologize.”
Cassandra turned around and said, “Sorry.” Tess nodded.
It wasn’t enough, but it was a start.
Cassandra turned and walked through the door and as Tess was almost through door, she stopped and turned. “I’m sorry everybody. Liz…I’m so glad you’re okay. Kyle…call me tonight?”
“Of course.” Kyle kissed her on the forehead and she left. The attention was now completely on Daniel as everyone’s heads swiveled to look at the prone man.
“Can I get up now?”
“Hmmm…no…I don’t think so.” Alex tapped his chin in mock thought. “You see Daniel, we’ve been wanting to say a few things to you for a very, very long time. And now that we’ve got you right where we want you, there’s no way we’re missing the chance to say them.”
“But before they do that…I just want to say one last thing to you.” Liz walked slowly across the hardwood floor until she was standing right next to his left side and looked down at him.
“Shame on you. Shame on you for pretending to be someone else the entire two years we were together. Shame on you for taking advantage of a girl who didn’t know better. Shame on you Daniel for never realizing what a complete ass you are. And shame on me for not noticing.” Liz turned and moved away from Daniel, walking out Alex’s bedroom door and away from the conflict within.
A few moments later Cleo, Amy and Maria left as well, sensing that whatever was about to happen really wasn’t any of their business.
The men and Isabel stood there for a while, long enough that Daniel started to wonder whether they were ever going to start at all. But Daniel, if he had been a little smarter, would have realized that these were the Parkers, and though they were loud enough on their own, add in the two recently adopted members of their family plus Paolo and Daniel was in for a very rude awakening.
“I have never met someone like you before.”
“Are you really this stupid?”
“You are an ass…plain and simple.”
“Tu eres más feo que el culo de un mono.”
“Fuck you Daniel for treating my sister like that.”
“I can’t believe you actually function this way and no one’s kicked your ass before.”
“You know what I’ve been dying to do? Take your balls and run them through a meat grinder. Now I actually have a reason to.”
“Now I know the reason Liz barely talked about you at all.”
“Do you actually believe the shit you sprout? Wait…don’t answer that.”
“Cagaste y saltaste en la caca.”
“You are one runny piece of shit, Daniel.”
“Oh man, I’ve been dying to kick your ass. Damn broken ankle.”
“Ooo…maybe we could tie him up on the train tracks and wait for a train to come.”
Max put his hands up, bringing the group to a silence. “You know, Daniel…you deserve so much more than what we’re about to give you.” Isabel walked up to him and slapped him again, putting all the force she had behind it, before walking out the door.
Paolo did nothing as did Jim and Jeff, but Michael, Alex and Max each walked up to him and hit him once and Kyle ended the session with a good swift kick to Daniel’s balls.
It was nothing extreme…nothing Liz would disapprove of…and that was the point. Liz wasn’t in any condition to do anything physical to him, and the boys and Isabel had been her proxies. The boys, Paolo and Jeff exited, leaving only a Sheriff with a very pissed-off expression.
“Up. Now.” Daniel did as was told, scrambling to his feet. “Get dressed.” Daniel started to get dressed and Jim pulled out his cell phone. “Hey Carl. I need you to come pick up an arrest at the Parker house…yeah…yeah…see you soon.” He snapped the phone shut and turned to face the now dressed Daniel. “You have a date with a jail cell. Have I ever told you that other prisoners don’t take kindly to pedophiles? Hmm?”
-:-:-:-
Isabel was a girl on a mission. She had been searching the house for Liz, but hadn’t uncovered her yet. She had a few places left, including the deck off of the family room.
She opened the white French doors, walking out into the early January sunshine, and spotted Liz, curled up on a porch swing.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere, Liz. How are you doing?” Isabel sat down next to Liz, wrapping her left arm around Liz’s shoulders.
“Thank you for slapping him, Izzy. I wish I could have. How did it feel?”
“Amazing. I slapped him again after you left.”
“No way!”
Isabel giggled. “Yeah.” Liz snuggled down into Isabel. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Liz.”
“I wasn’t going to leave you Isabel. I wasn’t going to leave any of you. You haven’t had your date with Alex yet, remember? Who was going to coach you if I wasn’t here?”
“Yeah…that’s not exactly Max territory, is it?”
Liz laughed. “No…it’s probably not. So…you told off Paulie Romo, huh?”
Isabel turned to her, amazed. “You heard that?” Liz just smiled, a small secretive smile that spoke volumes. Isabel gasped. “You really did hear me!” Isabel pulled the other girl into a tight hug. “Thank you Liz. Thank you for not leaving us.” Isabel stood, wiping the tears from her eyes. “The barbeque is starting. You coming?”
“I’m going to sit here for a bit. I’ll see you out there soon.”
Isabel nodded and turned, walking through the French doors. A few minutes later Liz looked up and caught Michael walking through the doors.
“Hi big brother.”
“Hi baby sister.” Michael walked over to the swing and sat down, immediately pulling Liz to him and kissing her gently on the top of her head. They sat there in stillness for a while, staring out at the vines that ambled over the hills in front of them.
“Did you hit him?”
“Yep.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” They were silent again, both basking in the comfort of the familiar moment. The great thing about spending time with people you loved was that you didn’t always need to speak to have a full moment. To Liz and Michael, this moment would be one of the fullest they’d ever known, both comforted by the presence of the other. Michael stood a bit later, motioning that he was going to join the barbeque when Liz stopped him.
“So I’m a bit surprised that you weren’t more upset that Max kissed me, Mike.” By then Michael had his hand on the doorknob, but turned to look at her, a smile on his face.
And in that moment it became quite obvious to Liz that that had been Michael’s plan all along. “You planned this?”
Michael sighed, though he was still smiling, and said, “Since the guy became my roommate, Liz. You know I’ve been trying to get him to spend Christmas with us for years.”
“That’s why? I thought you just wanted us to meet him because he was your best friend.”
“He is. But Lizzy…I met him and I just knew he’d make you happy. Then you started going out with Daniel and I hated him right from the start.”
“You’ve hated all my boyfriends, Mike.” Liz rolled her eyes.
“Actually, that’s not true. I disliked them all, but I never hated one of them until Daniel. Though now I’m going to seriously rethink how I feel about Billy Finneran.”
“So I guess you’re bound to dislike Max now, huh?”
“Let me put it this way- if everything goes the way I’ve been hoping, then you’ll finally have a boyfriend I like. And hopefully one that knows exactly how to treat you.” Michael walked through the doors, leaving his words to float in the air behind him.
Phenomenon #4.
-:-:-:-
Michael passed Max on his way into the kitchen and said, “She’s on the deck off the family room” before Max even thought to ask. A bewildered Max watched as Michael grinned and walked through the kitchen door. Max stood there for a moment, trying to process exactly what Michael had just said to him.
Was he giving him permission?
He had to know.
Max followed Michael’s path into the kitchen and saw him standing outside with everyone else, huddled around the barbeque.
“Okay…so you’re going to have to help me out here. I’m pretty sure that you just gave me permission and that weirds me out a little.”
“Is that what you want Max? Permission?” Michael was smiling widely, his body angled away from Max as he talked over his own shoulder. “Let me ask you something. What would you do if I said you could never see her again? Hmm? What would you do?” Michael took a sip from the Corona in his right hand and watched at the emotions ran across his friend’s face.
“Well…first I’d probably call you a jackass. Then I’d tell you that nothing would stop me from seeing her again, even if you were my friend.”
“So why are you still standing here?” Michael raised his eyebrows and Max was halfway through the kitchen before the door shut behind him.
Michael turned his head around, shaking it slightly, and nearly missed Maria coming right up into his face. “Maria! Jeez…you startled me.”
If that had startled Michael, what happened next was bound to scare him half to death.
One second Maria was on the other side of the table, the next her lips were on his.
Phenomenon #5.
Michael dropped the half-full bottle of Corona onto the deck below him as his arms searched blindly for Maria’s waist. They encircled her and he deepened the kiss, his teeth nipping lightly at her bottom lip. His hands moved from her waist slowly upward, tracing the contours of her back before they settled on her neck and in her hair. Michael would have deepened the kiss even further except for the very loud throat clearing that startled him to a stop.
Amy was looking at the two of them, eyebrow raised and hands on hips.
“Uhhh…Amy, I…”
“Maria that was an excellent way to show initiative. Good for you! Way to not wait for a man to initiate the kiss. I’m so proud!” Michael was a bit taken aback but Maria was just embarrassed. Everyone else thought it was the funniest thing they’d ever seen.
Alex suddenly dropped the salad servers he was holding, the metal spoons clattering against the side of the bowl closest to him. His face was a rather unseemly shade of green. “Oh crap!”
“Al, what’s wrong?”
“Dad…” Alex whined a little and looked at his dad with the patented Parker Kid Puppy Eyes and Jeff laughed.
“Tomorrow, Al. I promise we’ll buy you a new mattress and sheets tomorrow. Okay?”
Alex let out a deep sigh in relief. “Oh thank god.”
Everyone laughed and Michael said, “Al, you can stay with me tonight.”
“Thanks Mike.”
“No problem.”
Kyle turned to his twin. “Hey Mike, I was wondering…”
“Why I didn’t…”
“Yeah.”
“That was the point.”
“All along?”
“Saw it early on.”
“Nice catch. Not sure I would have seen the same thing.”
“Eh…you would have.”
Isabel interrupted the twins, her hands up. “Does one of you want to tell the rest of us what you’re talking about?”
Kyle, Michael, Jeff and Alex looked at her with a mixture of amusement and amazement. Was this the same Isabel from just before Christmas who loved to stare at her own feet?
“What?”
“Uh…nothing, Isabel. We’re just pleasantly surprised that you interrupted them.” Jeff smiled at her, his eyes full of laughter and something else Isabel couldn’t place and Isabel shrugged lightly in response.
“I figure conversation to you guys is a contact sport. I’ve got my helmet on, so I’m good to go.”
Alex laughed. “I agree with Isabel. What’s going on?”
“Mike?”
“I’ve been trying to get Max to come home for Christmas since he became my roommate.”
“You set your sister and your friend up, Mike?” Jeff jumped right to the heart of the matter, his right eyebrow raised as he crossed his arms.
“More like gave them both a head start. Besides, why are you guys complaining? You like Max.”
“Actually son, I think it’d be safe to say we love Max.” Kyle and Alex nodded in confirmation. “But if that was your only motive for bringing Max to our home, that may be a bit unfair to him.”
“Even if they didn’t “like” each other dad, I knew they’d like each other. No harm no foul.”
“In that case Mike…I’m terribly proud of you and thank you for playing a part in driving Daniel away. I thought we’d never get rid of the Pompous Ass.” Jeff exhaled deeply.
“My pleasure. Now…who wants a burger and who wants chicken?”
-:-:-:-
Max stood there, just inside the doors, watching Liz for a few minutes. God…she was amazingly beautiful.
“You just going to stand there staring at a girl or are you going to come outside and say hello?” Max laughed lightly and stepped through the doorway, his eyes meeting hers. There was a new kind of light in them, one he had never seen before, and he liked it. It was intense, open and free. It was the kind of light that always belonged in her eyes.
Max took a seat right next to her, his body faced forward to match hers. They both looked forward for a moment before their heads turned to face one another and Liz laughed. He brought his left hand to her right cheek, his elbow rested on the back of the porch swing. His fingers traced their own pattern through Liz’s hair and the gentle caress made her close her eyes in pleasure.
He leaned forward and touched the tip of his nose to hers, resting it there while his fingers continued to trace their path. The breath from both their mouths mingled between them and Liz opened her eyes slowly to find Max looking at her, an expression of tenderness in his gaze.
“Are you going to kiss a girl or are you just going to stare at her all afternoon?” Max smiled and brought his mouth to hers, gently pulling her bottom lip into his mouth. Their kisses were sweet and full of the understanding that this would not be the last time they would kiss one another. They took their time, wanting to memorize the very feeling of such joy.
A few minutes later they pulled apart and Liz pouted. “You aren’t close enough.” Max laughed and picked her up gently, depositing her back in his lap. His left hand was gently laid over the stitches on her left side and his right was wrapped over her left hip, keeping her close and protecting her from pain.
Liz leaned into the warm shelter and her hair fell from her right shoulder to rest between them. “Better?”
“Much. Thank you.” Her words were a whisper as she leaned into his mouth again.
They had been kissing for a while when Kyle opened the French doors and cleared his throat, grinning. “Alright lovebirds, dinner’s on. Come on.” Kyle left and the two stood up from the porch swing, content.
Liz took Max’s left hand in her right and led him through three sets of doors and into the backyard, where a family awaited them.
“So Lizzy…let’s talk about Billy Finneran.”
Liz groaned.
-------
AN: Paolo's insults translated:
You shit and jumped in it.
& My personal favorite:
You are uglier than the butt of a monkey.
Phenomenon: a noun of Greek origin meaning an unusual, significant, or unaccountable fact or occurrence; a marvel.
Liz Parker, faced with the situation and the man in front of her, was laughing.
Phenomenon #1.
The other occupants of the room, all 14 of them, were thinking the same thing at exactly the same moment.
What the hell?
Phenomenon #2.
“Wow…you are a prick!”
“Excuse me?”
“A massively stupid, giant man-penis…that’s what you are. Not to mention an idiot with a capital I. And now…we can file rapist under your name. Why did I stay with you again? Congratulations Daniel…you are one interesting piece of work.”
Daniel came at her then, intending to get in her face but never made it, ending up flat on his back on Alex’s floor instead. He looked up in surprise and right into Max’s extremely pissed-off face.
Max’s voice came out a growl, his register so low that everyone strained to hear him. “Don’t you ever come that close to her again.”
Liz turned, catching Isabel’s eye, and Isabel walked up to Daniel, bending a little at the waist, and slapped him squarely across the face. Then she straightened up, turned with a flounce and walked back to the doorway.
Phenomenon #3.
Daniel moved to get up and Michael stepped forward. “I wouldn’t get up just yet if I were you, Franklin.” He stood next to Max, crossing his arms across his chest, his jaw set.
Liz continued, though this time she was pacing around the room, not looking at Daniel. “I’m just wondering…what kind of thought process do you have to have to sleep with an underage girl…and somehow think it’s alright? Hmm?” She turned to look at Daniel then, eyes boring into his.
Daniel didn’t speak and Kyle walked up to him and kicked him soundly in the hip. When Daniel yelped, Kyle said, “Answer the lady. And it better be good, or we’ll have Isabel slap you again.” They all turned to look at Isabel, who was sporting a triumphant little smile on her face.
Daniel looked into the eyes of Sheriff Valenti, who was standing in the doorway. “Aren’t you going to do anything?”
“This looks like a minor disagreement to me. Wouldn’t you agree, Amy?” Jim turned to his wife who turned to him and nodded comically.
“Mmm…indeed.”
“There you have it…simply a minor disagreement.” His voice grew dangerously low and he said, “Now…are you going to answer the lady or do I have to start including my own special force?”
“No…wait…now that I think about it…I’m fairly certain I don’t actually want the answer to that question.” Liz was staring at the door to Alex’s bathroom which opened just then to reveal a trembling and timid seventeen year old Cassandra. She looked half her size at that moment, and that was saying something since Cassandra could pass as her sister’s double any day.
While Tess, Liz realized, had probably always been able to command a presence with the sheer strength of her personality, Cassandra it seemed had none of that same depth. It was in that moment Liz felt truly sad for the teenage girl in front of her. This girl had no idea what she was doing to herself and someone had to make her see that.
“Do you really hate yourself that much Cassandra?” The girl’s eyes rose to Liz’s and she was about to speak when Daniel butted in.
“Jealous much?” Liz turned to look at Daniel, and if she had ever had any feelings for the man lying on the floor, they had left with that final statement. Liz was surer now than ever before that she had dodged a bullet dumping Daniel.
“I am so glad I never slept with you. You know, something about it always felt so…wrong. Now I know why…you’re a pedophile. And keep your mouth shut; no one’s talking to you.”
“You’re a virgin?”
Liz turned to her oldest brother, eyebrow raised and said, “Not sure this is really the time and place to be discussing my virginity, but no, I’m not.”
“But you just said you never slept with him.” Apparently Kyle thought it the time and place just as much as Michael.
“Billy Finneran…junior year. And she’s right. This isn’t exactly the right place to be talking about this.” Thank you Alex.
“You slept with Billy Finneran?” Oh dear god.
“Michael.” Liz gestured to the scene around her and Michael immediately shut up. Liz turned back to Cassandra who had an unreadable look in her eyes. “Do you, Cassandra? Hate yourself that much?”
Even though Tess and her younger sister Cassandra were four years apart, they were a perfect physical match. They were the exact same height with the exact same curly blonde hair and icy blue eyes. Though physically they appeared as twins, that was where the similarities ended.
Tess had a certain sweet joviality to her nature, and looking at Cassandra now, Liz could see that she did not match her sister. The very things that Liz supposed had drawn Kyle to Tess were missing in Cassandra. There also seemed to be a void between the two girls, a space that could only have been created by both circumstance and time.
“Hate myself? Please.” Cassandra sighed and rolled her eyes. “I wanted to sleep with him and I did. I just wanted to have a little fun. What’s wrong with that?”
Her question hung in the air, the immaturity of it causing nearly all present to cringe.
“What’s wrong with that? What’s wrong is that not only does it show your utter lack of tact in sleeping with a man in his ex-girlfriend’s house the day she gets home from the hospital, but it proves to me once again just how much you think you can get away with. But no matter what you’ve done Cassandra, I’ve never before been ashamed to call you my sister.” Tess stood right in front of her sister, the weight of her words settling between them.
Cassandra laughed, but there was nothing light in it. “I can’t get away with anything. You’re Little Miss Perfect. Everything you do is golden.”
Tess scoffed. “Please…you get away with everything. You are a spoiled, selfish, petulant child and I’m finally going to do something about it. You and I are going to see Papa…and we’re going to tell him exactly what happened.”
Ken Harding was a former Marine. He had softened with time, but even time would never completely remove the structure he believed necessary for a well-lived life. If she had believed she could avoid a talk with him after this episode, Cassandra was in for a rude awakening.
Cassandra’s eyes grew wide and the color left her face. “No…you wouldn’t.”
“Oh you better believe I would, and I’m going to. I’m going to tell him and then I’m going to stand there and watch. And maybe he’ll finally be the one to knock some sense into that thick skull of yours. Now you’ve trespassed on these lovely people’s time enough as it is. Into the car. Now.” Tess motioned and Cassandra started toward Alex’s bedroom door. “Wait. Apologize.”
Cassandra turned around and said, “Sorry.” Tess nodded.
It wasn’t enough, but it was a start.
Cassandra turned and walked through the door and as Tess was almost through door, she stopped and turned. “I’m sorry everybody. Liz…I’m so glad you’re okay. Kyle…call me tonight?”
“Of course.” Kyle kissed her on the forehead and she left. The attention was now completely on Daniel as everyone’s heads swiveled to look at the prone man.
“Can I get up now?”
“Hmmm…no…I don’t think so.” Alex tapped his chin in mock thought. “You see Daniel, we’ve been wanting to say a few things to you for a very, very long time. And now that we’ve got you right where we want you, there’s no way we’re missing the chance to say them.”
“But before they do that…I just want to say one last thing to you.” Liz walked slowly across the hardwood floor until she was standing right next to his left side and looked down at him.
“Shame on you. Shame on you for pretending to be someone else the entire two years we were together. Shame on you for taking advantage of a girl who didn’t know better. Shame on you Daniel for never realizing what a complete ass you are. And shame on me for not noticing.” Liz turned and moved away from Daniel, walking out Alex’s bedroom door and away from the conflict within.
A few moments later Cleo, Amy and Maria left as well, sensing that whatever was about to happen really wasn’t any of their business.
The men and Isabel stood there for a while, long enough that Daniel started to wonder whether they were ever going to start at all. But Daniel, if he had been a little smarter, would have realized that these were the Parkers, and though they were loud enough on their own, add in the two recently adopted members of their family plus Paolo and Daniel was in for a very rude awakening.
“I have never met someone like you before.”
“Are you really this stupid?”
“You are an ass…plain and simple.”
“Tu eres más feo que el culo de un mono.”
“Fuck you Daniel for treating my sister like that.”
“I can’t believe you actually function this way and no one’s kicked your ass before.”
“You know what I’ve been dying to do? Take your balls and run them through a meat grinder. Now I actually have a reason to.”
“Now I know the reason Liz barely talked about you at all.”
“Do you actually believe the shit you sprout? Wait…don’t answer that.”
“Cagaste y saltaste en la caca.”
“You are one runny piece of shit, Daniel.”
“Oh man, I’ve been dying to kick your ass. Damn broken ankle.”
“Ooo…maybe we could tie him up on the train tracks and wait for a train to come.”
Max put his hands up, bringing the group to a silence. “You know, Daniel…you deserve so much more than what we’re about to give you.” Isabel walked up to him and slapped him again, putting all the force she had behind it, before walking out the door.
Paolo did nothing as did Jim and Jeff, but Michael, Alex and Max each walked up to him and hit him once and Kyle ended the session with a good swift kick to Daniel’s balls.
It was nothing extreme…nothing Liz would disapprove of…and that was the point. Liz wasn’t in any condition to do anything physical to him, and the boys and Isabel had been her proxies. The boys, Paolo and Jeff exited, leaving only a Sheriff with a very pissed-off expression.
“Up. Now.” Daniel did as was told, scrambling to his feet. “Get dressed.” Daniel started to get dressed and Jim pulled out his cell phone. “Hey Carl. I need you to come pick up an arrest at the Parker house…yeah…yeah…see you soon.” He snapped the phone shut and turned to face the now dressed Daniel. “You have a date with a jail cell. Have I ever told you that other prisoners don’t take kindly to pedophiles? Hmm?”
-:-:-:-
Isabel was a girl on a mission. She had been searching the house for Liz, but hadn’t uncovered her yet. She had a few places left, including the deck off of the family room.
She opened the white French doors, walking out into the early January sunshine, and spotted Liz, curled up on a porch swing.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere, Liz. How are you doing?” Isabel sat down next to Liz, wrapping her left arm around Liz’s shoulders.
“Thank you for slapping him, Izzy. I wish I could have. How did it feel?”
“Amazing. I slapped him again after you left.”
“No way!”
Isabel giggled. “Yeah.” Liz snuggled down into Isabel. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Liz.”
“I wasn’t going to leave you Isabel. I wasn’t going to leave any of you. You haven’t had your date with Alex yet, remember? Who was going to coach you if I wasn’t here?”
“Yeah…that’s not exactly Max territory, is it?”
Liz laughed. “No…it’s probably not. So…you told off Paulie Romo, huh?”
Isabel turned to her, amazed. “You heard that?” Liz just smiled, a small secretive smile that spoke volumes. Isabel gasped. “You really did hear me!” Isabel pulled the other girl into a tight hug. “Thank you Liz. Thank you for not leaving us.” Isabel stood, wiping the tears from her eyes. “The barbeque is starting. You coming?”
“I’m going to sit here for a bit. I’ll see you out there soon.”
Isabel nodded and turned, walking through the French doors. A few minutes later Liz looked up and caught Michael walking through the doors.
“Hi big brother.”
“Hi baby sister.” Michael walked over to the swing and sat down, immediately pulling Liz to him and kissing her gently on the top of her head. They sat there in stillness for a while, staring out at the vines that ambled over the hills in front of them.
“Did you hit him?”
“Yep.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” They were silent again, both basking in the comfort of the familiar moment. The great thing about spending time with people you loved was that you didn’t always need to speak to have a full moment. To Liz and Michael, this moment would be one of the fullest they’d ever known, both comforted by the presence of the other. Michael stood a bit later, motioning that he was going to join the barbeque when Liz stopped him.
“So I’m a bit surprised that you weren’t more upset that Max kissed me, Mike.” By then Michael had his hand on the doorknob, but turned to look at her, a smile on his face.
And in that moment it became quite obvious to Liz that that had been Michael’s plan all along. “You planned this?”
Michael sighed, though he was still smiling, and said, “Since the guy became my roommate, Liz. You know I’ve been trying to get him to spend Christmas with us for years.”
“That’s why? I thought you just wanted us to meet him because he was your best friend.”
“He is. But Lizzy…I met him and I just knew he’d make you happy. Then you started going out with Daniel and I hated him right from the start.”
“You’ve hated all my boyfriends, Mike.” Liz rolled her eyes.
“Actually, that’s not true. I disliked them all, but I never hated one of them until Daniel. Though now I’m going to seriously rethink how I feel about Billy Finneran.”
“So I guess you’re bound to dislike Max now, huh?”
“Let me put it this way- if everything goes the way I’ve been hoping, then you’ll finally have a boyfriend I like. And hopefully one that knows exactly how to treat you.” Michael walked through the doors, leaving his words to float in the air behind him.
Phenomenon #4.
-:-:-:-
Michael passed Max on his way into the kitchen and said, “She’s on the deck off the family room” before Max even thought to ask. A bewildered Max watched as Michael grinned and walked through the kitchen door. Max stood there for a moment, trying to process exactly what Michael had just said to him.
Was he giving him permission?
He had to know.
Max followed Michael’s path into the kitchen and saw him standing outside with everyone else, huddled around the barbeque.
“Okay…so you’re going to have to help me out here. I’m pretty sure that you just gave me permission and that weirds me out a little.”
“Is that what you want Max? Permission?” Michael was smiling widely, his body angled away from Max as he talked over his own shoulder. “Let me ask you something. What would you do if I said you could never see her again? Hmm? What would you do?” Michael took a sip from the Corona in his right hand and watched at the emotions ran across his friend’s face.
“Well…first I’d probably call you a jackass. Then I’d tell you that nothing would stop me from seeing her again, even if you were my friend.”
“So why are you still standing here?” Michael raised his eyebrows and Max was halfway through the kitchen before the door shut behind him.
Michael turned his head around, shaking it slightly, and nearly missed Maria coming right up into his face. “Maria! Jeez…you startled me.”
If that had startled Michael, what happened next was bound to scare him half to death.
One second Maria was on the other side of the table, the next her lips were on his.
Phenomenon #5.
Michael dropped the half-full bottle of Corona onto the deck below him as his arms searched blindly for Maria’s waist. They encircled her and he deepened the kiss, his teeth nipping lightly at her bottom lip. His hands moved from her waist slowly upward, tracing the contours of her back before they settled on her neck and in her hair. Michael would have deepened the kiss even further except for the very loud throat clearing that startled him to a stop.
Amy was looking at the two of them, eyebrow raised and hands on hips.
“Uhhh…Amy, I…”
“Maria that was an excellent way to show initiative. Good for you! Way to not wait for a man to initiate the kiss. I’m so proud!” Michael was a bit taken aback but Maria was just embarrassed. Everyone else thought it was the funniest thing they’d ever seen.
Alex suddenly dropped the salad servers he was holding, the metal spoons clattering against the side of the bowl closest to him. His face was a rather unseemly shade of green. “Oh crap!”
“Al, what’s wrong?”
“Dad…” Alex whined a little and looked at his dad with the patented Parker Kid Puppy Eyes and Jeff laughed.
“Tomorrow, Al. I promise we’ll buy you a new mattress and sheets tomorrow. Okay?”
Alex let out a deep sigh in relief. “Oh thank god.”
Everyone laughed and Michael said, “Al, you can stay with me tonight.”
“Thanks Mike.”
“No problem.”
Kyle turned to his twin. “Hey Mike, I was wondering…”
“Why I didn’t…”
“Yeah.”
“That was the point.”
“All along?”
“Saw it early on.”
“Nice catch. Not sure I would have seen the same thing.”
“Eh…you would have.”
Isabel interrupted the twins, her hands up. “Does one of you want to tell the rest of us what you’re talking about?”
Kyle, Michael, Jeff and Alex looked at her with a mixture of amusement and amazement. Was this the same Isabel from just before Christmas who loved to stare at her own feet?
“What?”
“Uh…nothing, Isabel. We’re just pleasantly surprised that you interrupted them.” Jeff smiled at her, his eyes full of laughter and something else Isabel couldn’t place and Isabel shrugged lightly in response.
“I figure conversation to you guys is a contact sport. I’ve got my helmet on, so I’m good to go.”
Alex laughed. “I agree with Isabel. What’s going on?”
“Mike?”
“I’ve been trying to get Max to come home for Christmas since he became my roommate.”
“You set your sister and your friend up, Mike?” Jeff jumped right to the heart of the matter, his right eyebrow raised as he crossed his arms.
“More like gave them both a head start. Besides, why are you guys complaining? You like Max.”
“Actually son, I think it’d be safe to say we love Max.” Kyle and Alex nodded in confirmation. “But if that was your only motive for bringing Max to our home, that may be a bit unfair to him.”
“Even if they didn’t “like” each other dad, I knew they’d like each other. No harm no foul.”
“In that case Mike…I’m terribly proud of you and thank you for playing a part in driving Daniel away. I thought we’d never get rid of the Pompous Ass.” Jeff exhaled deeply.
“My pleasure. Now…who wants a burger and who wants chicken?”
-:-:-:-
Max stood there, just inside the doors, watching Liz for a few minutes. God…she was amazingly beautiful.
“You just going to stand there staring at a girl or are you going to come outside and say hello?” Max laughed lightly and stepped through the doorway, his eyes meeting hers. There was a new kind of light in them, one he had never seen before, and he liked it. It was intense, open and free. It was the kind of light that always belonged in her eyes.
Max took a seat right next to her, his body faced forward to match hers. They both looked forward for a moment before their heads turned to face one another and Liz laughed. He brought his left hand to her right cheek, his elbow rested on the back of the porch swing. His fingers traced their own pattern through Liz’s hair and the gentle caress made her close her eyes in pleasure.
He leaned forward and touched the tip of his nose to hers, resting it there while his fingers continued to trace their path. The breath from both their mouths mingled between them and Liz opened her eyes slowly to find Max looking at her, an expression of tenderness in his gaze.
“Are you going to kiss a girl or are you just going to stare at her all afternoon?” Max smiled and brought his mouth to hers, gently pulling her bottom lip into his mouth. Their kisses were sweet and full of the understanding that this would not be the last time they would kiss one another. They took their time, wanting to memorize the very feeling of such joy.
A few minutes later they pulled apart and Liz pouted. “You aren’t close enough.” Max laughed and picked her up gently, depositing her back in his lap. His left hand was gently laid over the stitches on her left side and his right was wrapped over her left hip, keeping her close and protecting her from pain.
Liz leaned into the warm shelter and her hair fell from her right shoulder to rest between them. “Better?”
“Much. Thank you.” Her words were a whisper as she leaned into his mouth again.
They had been kissing for a while when Kyle opened the French doors and cleared his throat, grinning. “Alright lovebirds, dinner’s on. Come on.” Kyle left and the two stood up from the porch swing, content.
Liz took Max’s left hand in her right and led him through three sets of doors and into the backyard, where a family awaited them.
“So Lizzy…let’s talk about Billy Finneran.”
Liz groaned.
-------
AN: Paolo's insults translated:
You shit and jumped in it.
& My personal favorite:
You are uglier than the butt of a monkey.
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
-
OrangeSky
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:04 pm
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Chapter 18: Time Makes You Bolder, Children Get Older
“You know, I was all ready to let that comment slide. I can’t believe you brought Billy Finneran up! Do you really think dad wants to know that?”
“Do you really think we wanted to know that?” Michael gestured between himself and Kyle, who was nodding.
“You’re the ones who brought it up! If you wanted to be in the dark about my virginity, why on earth did you ask?”
“Because we needed a name so we can track him down and kick his ass.” Kyle spoke so matter-of-factly that Liz had to take a moment to fully comprehend what he had just said.
“No! You will not track down poor Billy Finneran four years after the fact to kick his ass! No!”
“Besides, I talked to him four years ago. Amy, would you please pass the corn?” Amy obliged and passed Alex a platter with grilled ears of corn. “Thank you.” Amy smiled in response. He took an ear and handed the platter to Liz on his left.
“You talked to him four years ago? And you didn’t tell us?”
Alex paused in taking a burger off the plate in front of him to say, “When did you lose yours Mike?” At Michael’s open-mouthed empty response he said, “Thought so. Twin thing, Mike. You should have left well enough alone. Besides, you were in Chicago. Burger Lizzy?”
“Thank you Alex.” Liz held up her plate and Alex put a burger patty on the bottom half of her bun. “Would someone mind pouring me a glass of soda? I’m afraid it’ll be a little…” Liz trailed off and motioned to her casted arm and Jeff laughed a little.
“Sure, Lizzy. What kind would you like?”
“Sprite please.”
“Sprite it is then.”
Jeff started pouring into her orange plastic glass when Michael said, “What does that have to-”
“Michael Andrew.” Michael turned to his dad, who was looking at him sternly. The Parker kids had always lovingly referred to it as his ‘yelling face’, since this face was as close as he ever got to yelling at them. “Lizzy was right when she said I didn’t want to know. And even if I did, her Welcome Home dinner is hardly the appropriate place for this.”
“Sorry dad. Sorry Lizzy.”
“It’s okay.” Liz shrugged. “You can’t help that you love me.”
“So Mike…how did it feel to have Maria lay one on you like that?”
Liz turned to see Alex with a shit-eating grin and gasped lightly. “Shut up!”
“Now this is much more appropriate dinner conversation. Salad Jim?”
“Please.” Jeff handed the bowl over. “Thank you.” Jeff nodded.
“I missed that?” Liz laughed heartily. “Classic.”
“I have to admit…I am curious. Maria…why did you kiss him?”
Everyone turned to Maria, who looked as if she hadn’t been paying any attention at all. When she realized all eyes were on her she looked up and sighed, dropping her corn onto her plate. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to do that?”
“Eleven years.”
“Eleven years.”
Maria looked at Liz and Alex, mildly exasperated. “Okay, you guys…you know I love you and that whole ‘twin thing’ you have going on…” Maria gestured in a light circle with her right hand. “But that question was rhetorical.” Liz and Alex looked at one another, smirking slightly.
“We’re always doing that.”
“We’re always doing that.”
There was a long pause and then everyone spoke at once, almost as if they all had the same mental processing rate.
“I still don’t get-”
“I think I’m missing-”
“What I don’t und-”
“You know…I d-”
“Even if it has been el-”
“All this time? Wasn’t it-”
Maria jumped out of her seat. “BECAUSE HE WAS NEVER GOING TO!” Everyone quieted immediately, looking at Maria as if she had sprouted another head. She calmed down and sat back down, smoothing down her shirt. “Because he was never going to, and I had to know what it felt like. He still sees me as this scrawny thirteen year old.”
Kyle muttered under his breath. “Oh trust me; he doesn’t see you as a scrawny thirteen year old anymore.”
“Excuse me?”
“OW!” Kyle grimaced and reached under the table with his left hand to rub his shin.
Michael glared at his twin out of the corner of his eye, mumbling under his breath, “Kyle…shut…up.”
“What did you say?”
Kyle scowled as he rubbed his still smarting shin. “Apparently…nothing.”
“No…no…I want to know what you said.” Maria shook her head emphatically, giving Kyle the stare down.
Kyle looked at her for a moment, considering what to do. On one hand he could tell Maria exactly what Michael thought of her, but that would be breaking Sacred Rule #3 of the Twin Code of Conduct. On the other hand he could refuse to tell Maria anything at all, but somehow, that felt wrong. Kyle desperately wanted there to be some middle ground here, but there wasn’t any to be found.
So he just went with his gut and made a decision.
And hoped that Michael would forgive him for it.
“I said Mike doesn’t see you as a scrawny thirteen year old anymore. Actually, he’s never been tongue-tied around a girl before. You’re a first for him. Believe me; you have more of an effect on him than you know.”
No one said anything. Had Kyle actually just gone there?
It appeared that he had.
“Well…that was unexpected.”
Jeff looked at Liz. “Hmm…yes.”
It was a safe assumption that no one had expected Kyle to say anything, so when he did, it reduced the seldom quiet table into a library. Maria even, bless her heart, hadn’t been prepared for Kyle’s honesty, and so had no idea what to say to the sudden truth in front of her.
She tongue-tied Michael Parker? No…that couldn’t be right. Why would he argue with her then?
Maria chanced a glance at Michael, sitting at one end of the table, expecting him to be looking at Kyle with some sort of Death Ray instead of his own eyes. So when she looked up and right into light brown, she was in for another shock.
Michael supposed he could have been angry. Kyle had gone against a very important tenet of the Twin Code. But somehow, Michael couldn’t bring himself to be. Did he really have a right to be angry when Kyle had just done for him, albeit less gracefully, exactly what he had done for Max and Liz? Was what Kyle had done any different? Really?
“You are not thirteen.” Michael sighed. “When I’m staring you in the face I wish you were.”
Maria wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. She considered being insulted, but wasn’t sure if what Michael had just said could really be considered an insult. Luckily for her, she didn’t have time to make the decision at all, since as soon as she questioned his words, he had started to speak again.
“You frustrate me.”
“I frustrate you? Every time you’re near me you pick a fight!” Maria threw her hands up in the air.
Michael stood abruptly from his seat at the table, his hands clenching the edge. “I pick a fight? What about you?”
Maria stood too, her body language matching his. “Me? What about me?”
“Oh I don’t know, how about” Michael raised the register of his voice, over-exaggerating the feminine height of it. “He speaks. What did we do to deserve this honor? You don’t call that picking a fight? What did I do to you?”
By now Michael and Maria had left their respective places at the table and were standing just a foot apart, staring one another down. “What did you do to me? What did you do to me?”
“Yes Maria, tell me. What did I do that was so terrible to you?”
“You want to know? You really want to know what you did?” Michael nodded vehemently. “Fine. On one condition. I’ll tell you what you did to me if you tell me what I did to you.”
“Fine.”
They paused a moment before both opened their mouths and spoke, their dissident voices speaking full truths in front of a captive audience.
“You never noticed me.”
“You went and changed on me.”
Michael furrowed his brow, taken aback. “I always noticed you.”
Maria shook her head slowly. “I didn’t change. I’m the same.”
“No, you’re different. I don’t know how, but you are.”
“You think you noticed me, but you didn’t. To you I was just some stupid kid with a crush.”
Michael brought his hand up and covered Maria’s mouth. “Shut up for a second. You don’t think you’re different, but you are. Where did the Maria go who liked to laugh at all our jokes? Have you laughed once in the time you’ve been back in town?”
Maria shoved his hand away and quickly brought her hands to rest on her hips, standing right side hipshot. She pursed her lips, her anger evident. “You don’t get to just shut me up when you feel like it, Michael Parker. You know why I seem different to you? Because I’m not a doormat. You can’t just disregard me anymore.”
And with that Michael did what he had been dying to do since he saw Maria at Manassas Tree Farm. He kissed her.
Long. And deep.
When he pulled away he took advantage of the dazed look on Maria’s face to speak. He was betting that even though seven years had passed and Maria had indeed changed some that she hadn’t grown out of her tendency to take over a conversation.
“I’ve got news for you, Maria. You’ve never been a doormat. Remember Tommy Jenkins?”
Maria blushed. Of course she remembered Tommy Jenkins. All of Napa remembered Tommy Jenkins.
Maria was nine years old and she and Tommy Jenkins were in the same class. One day in PE Tommy was making no secret about how his dad told him that there was no way a girl could ever beat a boy in anything physical. Maria, raised by a single mother, took great exception to that and told Tommy so. When Tommy wouldn’t shut up about it, she challenged him to a footrace.
And won.
Then Tommy had pushed her. And since Maria had never been one to take anything lying down, she promptly punched him in the face.
A broken nose, a black eye and 6 stitches later, Maria was a legend.
And all at nine years old.
So it should go without saying that Michael knew exactly what he was talking about.
Liz picked up the bowl of tortilla chips and passed it to Max without taking her eyes away from the scene in front of her. Max took some and Liz passed the bowl to Alex. They made a comical group.
Alex spoke, his voice awed. “This is so much better than primetime.”
Liz and Max nodded in time. “Oh yeah.”
“Why do you want me to be thirteen?” This was one of those questions that only had one answer, and though it wasn’t an answer Michael particularly wanted to give, he didn’t see that he had much choice in the matter.
“You scare me.” Walking on hot coals was a lot less painful than he thought it would be. “I have no idea how to act around you. Because you’re Maria…just Maria…but you’re not. You’re this…jeez…I don’t know…whole new Maria. And I don’t really know what to do with that.
“Besides, I liked the thirteen year old Maria. She was annoying, but she had a sense of humor. She knew how to laugh at herself. She was different. Unique. Who convinced you you had to change, anyway?”
Maria’s lips, meet Michael’s.
Maria knew exactly why she was kissing Michael Parker at this moment, but she didn’t want to waste precious time thinking about it. After all, this was only the third time she had kissed him, and the kisses were getting better and better the more they did it. If Maria was right, their kisses were due to reach phenomenal very soon.
The kiss was getting heated when they broke apart at the sound of loud applause. Michael and Maria turned, still wrapped in the arms of one another, to see the bright faces of Michael’s siblings and the Evans siblings, all of them clapping.
“Thank god, Mike.”
Michael rolled his eyes and Maria joined him as they separated and moved back to sit down.
“You know Maria, you never answered my question. Why did you kiss him?” Alex looked at Maria questioningly.
“Well…because he’d just done something really sweet for his sister and his best friend and I couldn’t resist, okay? That’s why.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Al?” Alex looked at Michael. “Eat your burger.”
-:-:-:-
An hour later the table had been cleared, those with two good arms and legs kind enough to do most of the labor. They were now all seated around the fire pit, marshmallows on found sticks wavering gently in the heat above the flames.
Jim, Jeff and Amy sat in one cluster, Max, Isabel, Liz and Alex in another and Michael, Maria and Kyle in the third. If it seemed strange that those present had split up into almost natural groups, no one commented. After all, Alex and Liz naturally gravitated to one another no matter where they were and the same had always been true for Michael and Kyle as well.
Liz started humming a song low under her breath as she rotated her marshmallow, trying to get the optimal brownness. Alex joined in after that and soon Michael and Kyle started as well until finally Jeff joined in. By then the song had gone from humming to full on singing and the Parker family was belting out a favorite tune, their voices blending well. Even though Alex was the musician, they could all sing, and the proof was all around the fire pit.
I took my love, I took it down
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
till the landslide brought me down
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life
Well, I’ve been afraid of changing
cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I’m getting older too
Oh, take my love, take it down
Climb a mountain and turn around
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide will bring it down
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well maybe the landslide will bring it down
“I forgot you guys did this. I missed that.” Maria looked down at her marshmallow, turning it into the flame.
“Mike, I didn’t know you could sing.”
Michael shrugged. “We all can. Mom was great at it. Passed it on to all of us, I guess.”
“And I have always been simply fortunate enough that I could carry a tune.”
“Dad, come on…you’re much better than just average. Don’t sell yourself short.” Kyle turned to Max and Isabel. “He likes to joke, but dad was the one who always encouraged us to sing.”
Liz nudged her twin. “Al, you should get your guitar out. Play for us all.”
Isabel smiled. “I’d love to hear you play, Alex.”
Alex grinned and bowed lightly at the two girls to his left. “Well, how can one refuse such beautiful girls? I accept. Uh…would someone mind getting my guitar for me? It’s uh…not so easy with this thing.” He motioned to his leg.
Michael chuckled a little and handed his stick off to Maria. “I will. Kyle you want to help? We can get dad’s and mine too.”
“Sure.” Kyle stood, brushing his pants off and handed his stick to Maria.
Maria barely had time to adjust the sticks so that she could hold them more easily when Kyle’s marshmallow slid off and into the fire below.
“Too many sticks. Not enough hands.” Maria shrugged.
Kyle and Michael had to search through more than a few rooms but they found the three guitars they were searching for. As they were headed through the door from the family room into the kitchen, Michael stopped Kyle. He wanted to thank him, but didn’t quite know how to go about it, a first.
Kyle nudged Michael with his elbow and said, “I know Mike. You would have done the same for me.” And once again, Michael was thankful for the Twin Thing. There was an unspeakable comfort in the knowledge that there was another person on the planet who knew you so well that words were never necessary. Kyle understood him.
The two boys walked out onto the patio and Michael handed Alex his guitar before sitting down and placing his own over his right knee. Kyle handed his dad his guitar and went to sit next to Maria. He took his stick back, noticing at once that something whitish-tan and soft was missing off the end.
“Not enough hands.” Kyle shrugged in response and motioned for Max to throw him another marshmallow from the bag.
“What do you think, Al? What do you want to play?” Jeff looked at his youngest son, waiting for a response.
Alex thought for a moment, then said, “We need Lizzy to sing, so how about Happy?” Michael and Jeff nodded and waited for Alex to start. He did, starting the song off with some playful, quick string fingering. Kyle tapped a stick against the stones next to him, lightly keeping a beat.
Liz started singing.
Her voice wasn’t smoky and rich like Maria’s and it wasn’t classically beautiful, like her mother’s had been. But it had a sort of honest beauty all its own. And when Kyle joined in on harmony, their voices blending, no one wanted anything other than them.
I don't hang around that place no more
I'm tired of wearing circles in the floor
And I don't carry myself very well
I've gotten so much braver
Can you tell
I'm happy
Can't you see
I'm alright
But I miss you Amber Lee
And I line my secrets up all one by one
I put 'em all away when I was done
And I would really love to hear your voice sometime
To close a little distance in my mind
I'm happy
Can't you see
I'm alright
But I miss you Amber Lee
Amber Lee
Where have you been all these years
And how could you just disappear
And when did you stop
Missing me
I'm happy
Can't you see
I'm alright
But I miss you Amber Lee
I'm alright
But I miss you Amber Lee
-:-:-:-
The three older members of the Welcome Home party were now seated away from the younger, happily taking up space under a patio heater. Amy had a blanket on her lap and the two men had their legs stretched out in front of them and resting on two vacant chairs as they watched the young people laugh and sing together.
It was a sweet sight, the young adults in front of them, and it made the three of them smile in comfort.
“Jeff…I just want to tell you…your kids are amazing. You are an incredible father.”
Jeff smiled a little as he took a sip of his red wine. “Thank you Jim. But I have a feeling that whether I was their dad or not, they would have turned out just as well.”
“They would have turned out well, probably. But they owe much of who they are to you, Jeff. You should be proud of the father you’ve been to them since Nancy died. I know she’d agree.”
Amy sighed. “Oh I miss her. She was one amazing woman.”
“Yes she was, Amy. No equal around.”
“Do you remember that conversation we had after her funeral?” Amy looked at Jeff, the bowl of her wineglass held up close to her face.
Jeff laughed lightly, instantly knowing what she was getting at. “Yes Amy, I still miss her. Every moment of every day. But I have them” Jeff looked out at his four children. “And they have made my life so complete in the past eleven years. Sometimes I wonder what might have happened to me if I didn’t have them.”
The three lapsed once again into silence, the warmth of the entirety of the evening enveloping them as they watched the group of twentysomethings entertain one another.
“Jeff, this is excellent. What is it again?”
“Cabernet Sauvignon Two Thousand One.”
“Do you think you have an extra bottle?”
Jeff turned to look at Amy. “I think I might be able to scrounge one up.”
AN: Landslide is by Fleetwood Mac
Happy is by Brandi Carlile
“You know, I was all ready to let that comment slide. I can’t believe you brought Billy Finneran up! Do you really think dad wants to know that?”
“Do you really think we wanted to know that?” Michael gestured between himself and Kyle, who was nodding.
“You’re the ones who brought it up! If you wanted to be in the dark about my virginity, why on earth did you ask?”
“Because we needed a name so we can track him down and kick his ass.” Kyle spoke so matter-of-factly that Liz had to take a moment to fully comprehend what he had just said.
“No! You will not track down poor Billy Finneran four years after the fact to kick his ass! No!”
“Besides, I talked to him four years ago. Amy, would you please pass the corn?” Amy obliged and passed Alex a platter with grilled ears of corn. “Thank you.” Amy smiled in response. He took an ear and handed the platter to Liz on his left.
“You talked to him four years ago? And you didn’t tell us?”
Alex paused in taking a burger off the plate in front of him to say, “When did you lose yours Mike?” At Michael’s open-mouthed empty response he said, “Thought so. Twin thing, Mike. You should have left well enough alone. Besides, you were in Chicago. Burger Lizzy?”
“Thank you Alex.” Liz held up her plate and Alex put a burger patty on the bottom half of her bun. “Would someone mind pouring me a glass of soda? I’m afraid it’ll be a little…” Liz trailed off and motioned to her casted arm and Jeff laughed a little.
“Sure, Lizzy. What kind would you like?”
“Sprite please.”
“Sprite it is then.”
Jeff started pouring into her orange plastic glass when Michael said, “What does that have to-”
“Michael Andrew.” Michael turned to his dad, who was looking at him sternly. The Parker kids had always lovingly referred to it as his ‘yelling face’, since this face was as close as he ever got to yelling at them. “Lizzy was right when she said I didn’t want to know. And even if I did, her Welcome Home dinner is hardly the appropriate place for this.”
“Sorry dad. Sorry Lizzy.”
“It’s okay.” Liz shrugged. “You can’t help that you love me.”
“So Mike…how did it feel to have Maria lay one on you like that?”
Liz turned to see Alex with a shit-eating grin and gasped lightly. “Shut up!”
“Now this is much more appropriate dinner conversation. Salad Jim?”
“Please.” Jeff handed the bowl over. “Thank you.” Jeff nodded.
“I missed that?” Liz laughed heartily. “Classic.”
“I have to admit…I am curious. Maria…why did you kiss him?”
Everyone turned to Maria, who looked as if she hadn’t been paying any attention at all. When she realized all eyes were on her she looked up and sighed, dropping her corn onto her plate. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to do that?”
“Eleven years.”
“Eleven years.”
Maria looked at Liz and Alex, mildly exasperated. “Okay, you guys…you know I love you and that whole ‘twin thing’ you have going on…” Maria gestured in a light circle with her right hand. “But that question was rhetorical.” Liz and Alex looked at one another, smirking slightly.
“We’re always doing that.”
“We’re always doing that.”
There was a long pause and then everyone spoke at once, almost as if they all had the same mental processing rate.
“I still don’t get-”
“I think I’m missing-”
“What I don’t und-”
“You know…I d-”
“Even if it has been el-”
“All this time? Wasn’t it-”
Maria jumped out of her seat. “BECAUSE HE WAS NEVER GOING TO!” Everyone quieted immediately, looking at Maria as if she had sprouted another head. She calmed down and sat back down, smoothing down her shirt. “Because he was never going to, and I had to know what it felt like. He still sees me as this scrawny thirteen year old.”
Kyle muttered under his breath. “Oh trust me; he doesn’t see you as a scrawny thirteen year old anymore.”
“Excuse me?”
“OW!” Kyle grimaced and reached under the table with his left hand to rub his shin.
Michael glared at his twin out of the corner of his eye, mumbling under his breath, “Kyle…shut…up.”
“What did you say?”
Kyle scowled as he rubbed his still smarting shin. “Apparently…nothing.”
“No…no…I want to know what you said.” Maria shook her head emphatically, giving Kyle the stare down.
Kyle looked at her for a moment, considering what to do. On one hand he could tell Maria exactly what Michael thought of her, but that would be breaking Sacred Rule #3 of the Twin Code of Conduct. On the other hand he could refuse to tell Maria anything at all, but somehow, that felt wrong. Kyle desperately wanted there to be some middle ground here, but there wasn’t any to be found.
So he just went with his gut and made a decision.
And hoped that Michael would forgive him for it.
“I said Mike doesn’t see you as a scrawny thirteen year old anymore. Actually, he’s never been tongue-tied around a girl before. You’re a first for him. Believe me; you have more of an effect on him than you know.”
No one said anything. Had Kyle actually just gone there?
It appeared that he had.
“Well…that was unexpected.”
Jeff looked at Liz. “Hmm…yes.”
It was a safe assumption that no one had expected Kyle to say anything, so when he did, it reduced the seldom quiet table into a library. Maria even, bless her heart, hadn’t been prepared for Kyle’s honesty, and so had no idea what to say to the sudden truth in front of her.
She tongue-tied Michael Parker? No…that couldn’t be right. Why would he argue with her then?
Maria chanced a glance at Michael, sitting at one end of the table, expecting him to be looking at Kyle with some sort of Death Ray instead of his own eyes. So when she looked up and right into light brown, she was in for another shock.
Michael supposed he could have been angry. Kyle had gone against a very important tenet of the Twin Code. But somehow, Michael couldn’t bring himself to be. Did he really have a right to be angry when Kyle had just done for him, albeit less gracefully, exactly what he had done for Max and Liz? Was what Kyle had done any different? Really?
“You are not thirteen.” Michael sighed. “When I’m staring you in the face I wish you were.”
Maria wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. She considered being insulted, but wasn’t sure if what Michael had just said could really be considered an insult. Luckily for her, she didn’t have time to make the decision at all, since as soon as she questioned his words, he had started to speak again.
“You frustrate me.”
“I frustrate you? Every time you’re near me you pick a fight!” Maria threw her hands up in the air.
Michael stood abruptly from his seat at the table, his hands clenching the edge. “I pick a fight? What about you?”
Maria stood too, her body language matching his. “Me? What about me?”
“Oh I don’t know, how about” Michael raised the register of his voice, over-exaggerating the feminine height of it. “He speaks. What did we do to deserve this honor? You don’t call that picking a fight? What did I do to you?”
By now Michael and Maria had left their respective places at the table and were standing just a foot apart, staring one another down. “What did you do to me? What did you do to me?”
“Yes Maria, tell me. What did I do that was so terrible to you?”
“You want to know? You really want to know what you did?” Michael nodded vehemently. “Fine. On one condition. I’ll tell you what you did to me if you tell me what I did to you.”
“Fine.”
They paused a moment before both opened their mouths and spoke, their dissident voices speaking full truths in front of a captive audience.
“You never noticed me.”
“You went and changed on me.”
Michael furrowed his brow, taken aback. “I always noticed you.”
Maria shook her head slowly. “I didn’t change. I’m the same.”
“No, you’re different. I don’t know how, but you are.”
“You think you noticed me, but you didn’t. To you I was just some stupid kid with a crush.”
Michael brought his hand up and covered Maria’s mouth. “Shut up for a second. You don’t think you’re different, but you are. Where did the Maria go who liked to laugh at all our jokes? Have you laughed once in the time you’ve been back in town?”
Maria shoved his hand away and quickly brought her hands to rest on her hips, standing right side hipshot. She pursed her lips, her anger evident. “You don’t get to just shut me up when you feel like it, Michael Parker. You know why I seem different to you? Because I’m not a doormat. You can’t just disregard me anymore.”
And with that Michael did what he had been dying to do since he saw Maria at Manassas Tree Farm. He kissed her.
Long. And deep.
When he pulled away he took advantage of the dazed look on Maria’s face to speak. He was betting that even though seven years had passed and Maria had indeed changed some that she hadn’t grown out of her tendency to take over a conversation.
“I’ve got news for you, Maria. You’ve never been a doormat. Remember Tommy Jenkins?”
Maria blushed. Of course she remembered Tommy Jenkins. All of Napa remembered Tommy Jenkins.
Maria was nine years old and she and Tommy Jenkins were in the same class. One day in PE Tommy was making no secret about how his dad told him that there was no way a girl could ever beat a boy in anything physical. Maria, raised by a single mother, took great exception to that and told Tommy so. When Tommy wouldn’t shut up about it, she challenged him to a footrace.
And won.
Then Tommy had pushed her. And since Maria had never been one to take anything lying down, she promptly punched him in the face.
A broken nose, a black eye and 6 stitches later, Maria was a legend.
And all at nine years old.
So it should go without saying that Michael knew exactly what he was talking about.
Liz picked up the bowl of tortilla chips and passed it to Max without taking her eyes away from the scene in front of her. Max took some and Liz passed the bowl to Alex. They made a comical group.
Alex spoke, his voice awed. “This is so much better than primetime.”
Liz and Max nodded in time. “Oh yeah.”
“Why do you want me to be thirteen?” This was one of those questions that only had one answer, and though it wasn’t an answer Michael particularly wanted to give, he didn’t see that he had much choice in the matter.
“You scare me.” Walking on hot coals was a lot less painful than he thought it would be. “I have no idea how to act around you. Because you’re Maria…just Maria…but you’re not. You’re this…jeez…I don’t know…whole new Maria. And I don’t really know what to do with that.
“Besides, I liked the thirteen year old Maria. She was annoying, but she had a sense of humor. She knew how to laugh at herself. She was different. Unique. Who convinced you you had to change, anyway?”
Maria’s lips, meet Michael’s.
Maria knew exactly why she was kissing Michael Parker at this moment, but she didn’t want to waste precious time thinking about it. After all, this was only the third time she had kissed him, and the kisses were getting better and better the more they did it. If Maria was right, their kisses were due to reach phenomenal very soon.
The kiss was getting heated when they broke apart at the sound of loud applause. Michael and Maria turned, still wrapped in the arms of one another, to see the bright faces of Michael’s siblings and the Evans siblings, all of them clapping.
“Thank god, Mike.”
Michael rolled his eyes and Maria joined him as they separated and moved back to sit down.
“You know Maria, you never answered my question. Why did you kiss him?” Alex looked at Maria questioningly.
“Well…because he’d just done something really sweet for his sister and his best friend and I couldn’t resist, okay? That’s why.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Al?” Alex looked at Michael. “Eat your burger.”
-:-:-:-
An hour later the table had been cleared, those with two good arms and legs kind enough to do most of the labor. They were now all seated around the fire pit, marshmallows on found sticks wavering gently in the heat above the flames.
Jim, Jeff and Amy sat in one cluster, Max, Isabel, Liz and Alex in another and Michael, Maria and Kyle in the third. If it seemed strange that those present had split up into almost natural groups, no one commented. After all, Alex and Liz naturally gravitated to one another no matter where they were and the same had always been true for Michael and Kyle as well.
Liz started humming a song low under her breath as she rotated her marshmallow, trying to get the optimal brownness. Alex joined in after that and soon Michael and Kyle started as well until finally Jeff joined in. By then the song had gone from humming to full on singing and the Parker family was belting out a favorite tune, their voices blending well. Even though Alex was the musician, they could all sing, and the proof was all around the fire pit.
I took my love, I took it down
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
till the landslide brought me down
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life
Well, I’ve been afraid of changing
cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I’m getting older too
Oh, take my love, take it down
Climb a mountain and turn around
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide will bring it down
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well maybe the landslide will bring it down
“I forgot you guys did this. I missed that.” Maria looked down at her marshmallow, turning it into the flame.
“Mike, I didn’t know you could sing.”
Michael shrugged. “We all can. Mom was great at it. Passed it on to all of us, I guess.”
“And I have always been simply fortunate enough that I could carry a tune.”
“Dad, come on…you’re much better than just average. Don’t sell yourself short.” Kyle turned to Max and Isabel. “He likes to joke, but dad was the one who always encouraged us to sing.”
Liz nudged her twin. “Al, you should get your guitar out. Play for us all.”
Isabel smiled. “I’d love to hear you play, Alex.”
Alex grinned and bowed lightly at the two girls to his left. “Well, how can one refuse such beautiful girls? I accept. Uh…would someone mind getting my guitar for me? It’s uh…not so easy with this thing.” He motioned to his leg.
Michael chuckled a little and handed his stick off to Maria. “I will. Kyle you want to help? We can get dad’s and mine too.”
“Sure.” Kyle stood, brushing his pants off and handed his stick to Maria.
Maria barely had time to adjust the sticks so that she could hold them more easily when Kyle’s marshmallow slid off and into the fire below.
“Too many sticks. Not enough hands.” Maria shrugged.
Kyle and Michael had to search through more than a few rooms but they found the three guitars they were searching for. As they were headed through the door from the family room into the kitchen, Michael stopped Kyle. He wanted to thank him, but didn’t quite know how to go about it, a first.
Kyle nudged Michael with his elbow and said, “I know Mike. You would have done the same for me.” And once again, Michael was thankful for the Twin Thing. There was an unspeakable comfort in the knowledge that there was another person on the planet who knew you so well that words were never necessary. Kyle understood him.
The two boys walked out onto the patio and Michael handed Alex his guitar before sitting down and placing his own over his right knee. Kyle handed his dad his guitar and went to sit next to Maria. He took his stick back, noticing at once that something whitish-tan and soft was missing off the end.
“Not enough hands.” Kyle shrugged in response and motioned for Max to throw him another marshmallow from the bag.
“What do you think, Al? What do you want to play?” Jeff looked at his youngest son, waiting for a response.
Alex thought for a moment, then said, “We need Lizzy to sing, so how about Happy?” Michael and Jeff nodded and waited for Alex to start. He did, starting the song off with some playful, quick string fingering. Kyle tapped a stick against the stones next to him, lightly keeping a beat.
Liz started singing.
Her voice wasn’t smoky and rich like Maria’s and it wasn’t classically beautiful, like her mother’s had been. But it had a sort of honest beauty all its own. And when Kyle joined in on harmony, their voices blending, no one wanted anything other than them.
I don't hang around that place no more
I'm tired of wearing circles in the floor
And I don't carry myself very well
I've gotten so much braver
Can you tell
I'm happy
Can't you see
I'm alright
But I miss you Amber Lee
And I line my secrets up all one by one
I put 'em all away when I was done
And I would really love to hear your voice sometime
To close a little distance in my mind
I'm happy
Can't you see
I'm alright
But I miss you Amber Lee
Amber Lee
Where have you been all these years
And how could you just disappear
And when did you stop
Missing me
I'm happy
Can't you see
I'm alright
But I miss you Amber Lee
I'm alright
But I miss you Amber Lee
-:-:-:-
The three older members of the Welcome Home party were now seated away from the younger, happily taking up space under a patio heater. Amy had a blanket on her lap and the two men had their legs stretched out in front of them and resting on two vacant chairs as they watched the young people laugh and sing together.
It was a sweet sight, the young adults in front of them, and it made the three of them smile in comfort.
“Jeff…I just want to tell you…your kids are amazing. You are an incredible father.”
Jeff smiled a little as he took a sip of his red wine. “Thank you Jim. But I have a feeling that whether I was their dad or not, they would have turned out just as well.”
“They would have turned out well, probably. But they owe much of who they are to you, Jeff. You should be proud of the father you’ve been to them since Nancy died. I know she’d agree.”
Amy sighed. “Oh I miss her. She was one amazing woman.”
“Yes she was, Amy. No equal around.”
“Do you remember that conversation we had after her funeral?” Amy looked at Jeff, the bowl of her wineglass held up close to her face.
Jeff laughed lightly, instantly knowing what she was getting at. “Yes Amy, I still miss her. Every moment of every day. But I have them” Jeff looked out at his four children. “And they have made my life so complete in the past eleven years. Sometimes I wonder what might have happened to me if I didn’t have them.”
The three lapsed once again into silence, the warmth of the entirety of the evening enveloping them as they watched the group of twentysomethings entertain one another.
“Jeff, this is excellent. What is it again?”
“Cabernet Sauvignon Two Thousand One.”
“Do you think you have an extra bottle?”
Jeff turned to look at Amy. “I think I might be able to scrounge one up.”
AN: Landslide is by Fleetwood Mac
Happy is by Brandi Carlile
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
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OrangeSky
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- Posts: 221
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Chapter 19: Love Is All Around
“Stop laughing Lizzy, this is serious!” A frustrated Isabel was standing at the foot of Liz’s bed, watching her best friend clutch her side from laughter pains.
It was two days after the barbeque.
Date Night.
Alex and Isabel were due to leave for their date first, but Isabel couldn’t quite decide what to wear. Liz, for her part, wasn’t being a lot of help. Something Isabel had said about twenty minutes earlier had sent Liz into a giggle fit; one she couldn’t seem to find the end of.
“I’m sorry Isabel.” Liz spoke through laughs, though to her credit she was trying to make them stop. “Show me again.” Isabel didn’t know this, but Liz had gone to Alex to covertly find out where he was taking Isabel, just to ensure that she would be wearing the right outfit. Liz wanted Isabel to be as comfortable as possible on her date.
Isabel held the first outfit up to her body, raising her eyebrows questioningly at Liz. Liz scrunched her nose up and shook her head, ix-naying a skirt and blouse combo. Isabel set it aside and brought the second option up to her body.
When Liz said no to that too, Isabel sighed loudly and sank down onto Liz’s desk chair. “Liz, help!”
Liz giggled lightly and got off the bed, though it took her some effort to do so. Her side still bothered her a bit. Not enough to complain about, but still enough. She walked over to the pile of clothes Isabel had gathered and stood there a moment, taking a look with her hands on her hips, touching nothing. Then she grabbed a pair of brown corduroys from the top and a pink shirt that Isabel couldn’t figure out how Liz had seen, since it had been resting on the bottom of the pile. Liz handed them over to Isabel and motioned to the bathroom.
Isabel came out of the bathroom, her apprehension clear, and walked to stand in front of the bed where Liz was once again seated, cross-legged. Isabel bit her lip and Liz laughed. “What? It looks bad, doesn’t it? I knew it.”
“No Izzy, you look amazing. I was laughing because I do the same thing when I’m nervous. I bite my lip too. Honestly Iz, pink is your color. It suits you.”
“So this is good? I wish I knew where Alex was taking me. Then I’d-”
“Still be stressing out? Do you trust me Izzy?”
“You know I do.” Isabel sat down on the bed next to Liz and looked at the other girl earnestly.
“Then trust me. You look amazing. And what you have on is perfect. You are going to have a great time with Alex today.”
The girls just looked at one another for a minute, smiles on their faces before Isabel said, “I should probably change, huh? Especially since the date isn’t for another five hours.” Liz laughed and Isabel hopped off the bed and walked much more confidently into Liz’s adjoining bathroom.
-:-:-:-
“Stop laughing Max, this is serious!”
Max was straddling Alex’s wooden desk chair, his forearms resting along the back. He was also laughing quite loudly. “Alex, what do you want me to say? You’re acting like a girl.”
Alex shot him a look, his eyebrows raised. “Uh huh…and you won’t be going through this same thing this afternoon before you sit down to watch movies with my sister, huh?”
Max stopped laughing and thought a bit before he started scratching his jaw line near his right ear. “Yeah…okay…you have a point.”
“Thank you. So would you please help me? I have no idea what to wear.” Alex gestured to the large pile of clothes in front of him.
“Why don’t you just ask Liz? She knows you better than anyone. Plus, she knows where you’re taking Isabel.”
“You’re right. I should have just asked her from the beginning. So if Isa-” Alex paused. “Wait…I can’t ask you that.”
Max raised his right eyebrow and as if connected the corners of his lips rose at the same time. “Can’t ask me what?”
“You’re her brother. Does that answer your question?”
Max laughed. “Yeah…pretty much. Alex? Don’t hurt her, okay? That’s all I ask.”
“Done. Okay, I’m going to leave you alone now. Thanks for the advice, however little of it there was.” Alex walked out the door and almost immediately walked back in. “I just remembered this is my room. You leave.” Max laughed and stood from the desk chair, walking out Alex’s door.
-:-:-:-
“I’m serious, Michael. We need to fix that little problem of yours.”
“My not having a cast on one of my appendages is not a problem, Kyle. It’s normal.
When does yours come off by the way? Aren’t you due for a doctor’s appointment soon to check how your wrist is doing?”
Kyle nodded as he bit into a half-peeled banana, the four sections of the peel gracefully draped over his left hand. He spoke through a mouthful of fruit. “Too-mah-woah.”
“Eww Kyle. Manners.” Liz rolled her eyes good-naturedly from her seat at the island, where she was watching Michael flip pancakes on the stove griddle.
“I agree Kyle. Eww.” Kyle laughed and pulled the rest of the banana from its peel before tossing the peel at his younger brother. Alex laughed and deflected it. The peel landed just in front of the kitchen doorway. The doorway their father happened to be stepping through right at that moment.
“Daddy!” Liz stretched out her left hand, her eyes wide. Everyone else reacted in similar ways, Michael dropping his spatula, Max standing from his seat at the kitchen table and Isabel gasping.
Jeff looked at everyone and then calmly turned his gaze to the floor below him, the spot everyone seemed to be staring at. Spying the peel, he bent down and picked it up between his right thumb and forefinger, the rest of his fingers splayed out. He held the offending object in front of his eyes and looked at it for a moment before turning his eyes to the people in front of him. He scanned their faces and rested his eyes on Kyle’s, smiling widely.
“It’s a good thing I’ve always been conscious of my surroundings, hmm? Kyle…son…it’s usually a good idea for the peel to make a home in the garbage can, and not on the floor.” Jeff dropped the peel into Kyle’s outstretched hand and sat down at one end of the kitchen table, pulling the newspaper out from under his left arm. He unfolded the paper, immediately reaching for the business section and pushed the remainder of the paper into the center of the table, making it available for anyone to read. Max reached for the front page and Isabel for the Datebook.
Ten minutes later Michael was headed to the table, a plate stacked with pancakes in hand. Kyle and Liz had set the table a few minutes earlier, though more than a few protests had arisen when she tried to pull down a stack of plates. Kyle took the plates, leaving Liz the lighter fare, like glasses and silverware.
Kyle spoke, continuing a conversation that hadn’t really stopped. “Come on Mike, it’ll be fun. What do you say dad?”
“I say three children with marred appendages are enough for one father to stomach for the time being. Eat your pancakes, Kyle.”
-:-:-:-
“So, Paolo and I saw the funniest thing when we went into town last night on a lamppost. Can anyone guess what I’m talking about? Anyone?” Jeff looked around the table and was met with many confused faces until his eyes rested on Michael, who had his hand raised, a confident smile on his face.
“Guilty. Didn’t think you’d see it for another day at least.” He shrugged and Jeff shook his head lightly.
“When did you find the time?”
“Max and I snuck out after everyone fell asleep the night of the barbeque. It took us…what? Two hours to put them all up? That sound right to you?” Michael turned to look at Max, who was nodding.
“Sounds about right. Remember when you dropped the flashlight and it turned itself off and rolled down the street a little?”
“Took us twenty minutes to find it.” Michael shook his head wistfully. “Good times.”
“Boys…” Jeff looked at the two of them and they muttered their apologies, though Jeff knew they weren’t sorry at all.
“What did they do dad?” Alex had his arms crossed and he was leaning forward on the kitchen table. Jeff reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded out piece of paper, tossing it to his youngest son. “Mike?”
“Just a public notice, Alex.” Alex raised his right eyebrow and unfolded the paper in his hand. He took a moment to read it then laughed loudly, his shoulders shaking with the effort.
“This…is…a…piece of…genius.” Alex laughed through his words and Kyle reached for the paper.
He read it too and laughed. “Wow. How many of these did you put up?”
“Oh…only about four hundred or so.”
“Nice. Isabel and I only settled for an ad in the Napa Valley Register.” Everyone looked at Isabel, who simply smiled and shrugged.
“Is settled the proper word when something like fifty thousand people read that paper every day?”
“Well it was just a tiny, full-page ad…that’s all.” Kyle shrugged and smirked and Michael laughed loudly.
“At least I have one slightly sane son.”
“Uh dad…you may not want to be so hasty with that assertion.” Alex raised an index finger and bent down to grab his laptop from the floor, placing it in the place in front of him. “I mean, I am a computer genius. What use would I be if I didn’t use my powers for mild evil every once in a while?” Jeff sighed, though he couldn’t help but smile.
“You made a website.”
“Only took me about twenty minutes.”
“Al, we have to see this.” Michael gestured to the laptop and Alex opened it.
“Someone want to let me in on the inside joke?” Liz looked around at everyone at the table and none of them except Jeff dared to really look her in the eyes. It was one thing to do what they had done in secret, but telling Liz…well it was a safe assumption that no one wanted to do that.
They all looked at one another, each one silently begging the next to be the one to tell her. They had done it for her, not themselves, but somehow that didn’t seem to be enough of an explanation in this post-pancake haze. In the end Alex opted to tell her, knowing that she’d take it better from him than anyone.
“Uh…okay…now I want you to keep in mind that we all love you and that’s the main reason why we all did what we did.” Liz looked around the table and the other occupants were nodding their agreement, earnest eyes in all faces. “Here.” Alex laid out the previously folded piece of paper in front of his sister, who started reading it. While she was doing that, Kyle handed over the Napa Valley Register, folded so the ad was visible and Alex cued up the website.
Liz took every one of them in turn, taking time to really digest the information in front of her. Then she laughed.
And everyone else breathed a sigh of relief.
“I can’t believe you all were worried how I’d react. How did you find time to do this?”
“Max and I stayed up late. We know how to use a computer.” Michael shrugged.
“So do Izzy and I. Plus, it meant I got to use that picture of Daniel when he was accidentally hit by a line drive in the…uh…family jewels, so to speak.”
“Accidentally? Kyle…I taught you how to hit. There was nothing accidental about it.” Liz smiled and Kyle shrugged. “I can’t believe you remembered that childhood story he told you about being naked in front of his entire second grade class, though. I hadn’t even remembered that.”
“You can always count on older brothers to remember embarrassing stories and file them away for future use.” Liz nodded as she turned her attention to Alex’s website. “Are you sure this site took you only twenty minutes, Alex? You have video on here and everything.”
“I told you…I’m a genius. Why does everyone keep insisting I’m not?” Alex sighed in mock frustration and Jeff rolled his eyes.
“Yes, you are all a bunch of geniuses for making sure the entire town of Napa knows what an ass Daniel really is. I’m so proud of my geniuses slash miscreants slash ne’er-do-wells.”
“Hey, I thought in an even broader context. I want the world to know what an ass Daniel is.”
“And that, my boy, makes you my biggest scoundrel.”
“Arg.”
-:-:-:-
“What are we waiting for again?” Jeff turned to his sons. The Parker men and Max were standing at the foot of the staircase, waiting. For what, Jeff still wasn’t sure.
“I believe Lizzy said something about Isabel needing to make a grand entrance.” Jeff nodded at Michael and put his hands in his pockets. Liz appeared moments later and started down the steps slowly but still full of her own particular grace. Max started up the steps to help her but she waved him off.
“Please…I’m not an invalid.” She made it to the bottom without incident and stopped there at the edge of the foot of the stairs, near the banister. She cleared her throat. “Gentlemen…may I present…the beautiful…the amazing…Isabel Evans.” Liz gestured with her hand toward the top of the stairs.
Kyle leaned toward his twin and muttered under his breath. “Why does she sound like the ringleader at a circus?” Michael laughed softly but didn’t look at him. Isabel was finally making her “grand entrance”.
She looked beautiful; the way Isabel did just by breathing. Her hair was loose and wavy, falling over her shoulders. She stood there, hands clasped behind her back, and they could all tell she was nervous.
“Isabel…you look amazing.” Jeff smiled at her and that seemed to do the trick. She smiled back and started down the stairs, taking them much more quickly than Liz had. She stopped in front of Alex and smiled at him. He smiled back, all his teeth showing. It was difficult for Alex not to let out some sort of primal scream. Isabel was standing in front of him. And they were finally going to have that date.
“Are you ready milady?”
Isabel smiled. “I don’t mean to sound rude…but how are we going to get there? You do have a…” She trailed off and gestured to his broken leg and crutches.
“Follow me.” Alex smiled and headed toward the door, his crutches making his casted leg swing. They made it to the front door and Alex opened it with one hand, his other holding both aluminum crutches. He looked outside and smiled, gesturing in a wide arc with his hand just as a limo pulled up. “Only the best for a beautiful lady.”
Isabel giggled, her right hand covering her mouth. “Oh Alex…this is too much. You really didn’t need to do this.”
“Actually…I kinda did. I can’t drive and there was no way I was having my dad drive. That would just feel too much like we were in junior high.” Alex visibly shuddered. “Not going there. So yes…I did. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun to rent it.” Alex gestured to the limo door, currently being held open by a large man. “Now…are you ready to have fun?”
Isabel nodded and walked out the door, taking one last look at Liz, who smiled widely and mouthed “Have fun”. Alex hobbled out after her and Jeff shut the door behind him, turning to lean on the door when it was shut.
“Well everyone…what are the bets at? Lizzy?”
“I say they both know what we already do after one date.”
“Bold. Very bold. But it has paid off for you in the past. Kyle?”
“Alex knows in one date, Isabel three.”
“Interesting. Michael?”
“Hmm…tough…I say Alex in two…Isabel? Hmm…four.”
“Hmm…Max?”
“Uh…wow…I can’t believe I’m actually betting on when Isabel’s going to fall in love with Alex…uh…Isabel two and Alex…three.”
“Well you do know Isabel better than any of us. I say…Alex two…Isabel…three. Bets must be exact for the money to be won. If no one’s right, the money goes back to its owner and the bet is called a wash. Let’s set the bet at…oh…two hundred. Does that work for everyone?” Everyone nodded and Jeff said, “Alright then…bet on. Good luck all.”
“Our baby boy is growing up.” Kyle wiped away a fake tear, grinning.
“So what does everyone else have planned today?”
Kyle was still laughing. “Date with Tess.”
“Max and I are going to stay in and watch some movies.” Jeff nodded.
“I’mtakingMariaout.” They all turned to Michael.
“Sorry Mike…didn’t catch that. You’re doing that thing again where you slur all your words together in the hopes none of us will hear you. You know…it never works. You always have to repeat yourself. I have to wonder why you even bother anymore.” Liz looked at her oldest brother, her right hand on her hip and a small smirk on her lips.
“He said he was taking Maria out. Hey…should I take Tess to Thai or Italian?”
“Either’s fine. Why didn’t you tell us this earlier? This is a big deal!”
Michael squirmed a little, though he wasn’t uncomfortable talking about Maria. “It’s Alex’s big day…I didn’t want to…geez…just leave it alone, alright?”
“Well Kyle, I think you should take her out to Italian. It has the benefit of that whole “meet in the middle over one strand of pasta” thing.”
“Max…I hate to break it to you…but that only happened in Lady and the Tramp.” Liz patted Max’s upper arm and Max pouted a little.
“Really?”
“Come on…I’ll try to explain how one strand of pasta couldn’t possibly be that long while we set up the media room for our movie night.”
-:-:-:-
The limo stopped in front of a rather non-descript building and Isabel furrowed her brow. Alex had refused to give her even the smallest of details. Her door opened and Isabel stepped out onto the sidewalk, Alex awkwardly following her.
“Go ahead.” Alex smiled and motioned to the door in front of them. Isabel walked through a bit hesitantly and into what appeared to her to be an art studio of some kind.
She was about to ask what they were doing there, but was stopped by a man straight out of the sixties only years younger who asked, “Alex and Isabel?” Alex nodded. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please…come in further. I don’t bite. I promise.”
Alex and Isabel followed him further into the well-lit studio passing by rows of easels, just begging to be used. The man stopped in the front of the studio, in front of a few large stationary, round disks with stools next to them. “I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name’s Ari. Take a seat. Alex, can I take those for you?” Alex nodded and handed over the crutches. He was already used to them and wobbled a bit as he moved to sit.
Isabel followed but had no idea why. What were they here to do?
“I see you’re still wondering what you’re doing here, Isabel.” Ari smiled softly. “The contraption in front of you is a pottery wheel. I’m going to teach you how to throw pottery.”
-:-:-:-
Michael stood at Maria’s doorstep, his nerves making him fidget. Almost immediately Maria came to the door, closing it swiftly and grabbing Michael’s hand, pulling him to his car. Had she always been this much of a whirlwind?
Yes…yes she had.
About forty minutes later Michael and Maria had made it to the small club and Michael opened the door for Maria, holding it as she walked in to the dimly lit room. Though most clubs in California had been smokeless for years, they seemed to retain a certain mysterious smoky quality, as if the ghosts of former cigarettes and their owners refused to go away completely. This club was no different. Michael led the way, finding a table near the front, and sat down.
“Where are we Michael?” Maria sat down next to him at the small round table and a waitress approached them.
“Did you want something to drink?”
“Sure. I’ll have a Coke.”
“One Coke and a Sierra Nevada for me. Thanks.” The waitress nodded and walked away. “We’re at A Man Walks Into a Bar. It’s amateur night. There’s this great new comic I thought you’d like. I think he’s coming up next.”
True to his word, Travis Everhardt walked onto the stage then, jumping right into his routine. And Michael was right about one more thing. Maria did like him.
She was laughing loudly, inhibitions firmly stowed in the overhead compartment and Michael stopped watching the comic in front of him and started watching her. This was the Maria he had missed. This was the piece of her he had longed to see.
Smiling didn’t seem enough, but it was all Michael could do to keep the silly grin off his face.
It was good to see this side of Maria again.
-:-:-:-
Max threw the final pillow down in the nest he had created in the media room. He had everything perfectly situated within reach, intent on making Liz as comfy as possible. He hadn’t let her lift one finger to help, saying this was his “surprise”. She walked in a few moments later and laughed.
“Wow. Thought of everything, have we?” She was of course referring to the cooler with ice, so that her drinks wouldn’t get cold and the seven bowls of various candies waiting to be eaten. Not to mention three varieties of popcorn and two pizzas in takeout boxes. No, it seemed Max had thought of everything.
“Now…what do you want to watch? It’s up to you.” Liz walked over to the movie selections (ten choices) and made her choice, handing it to Max. He put it in the DVD player and settled down into the nest, pulling Liz into his lap. She snuggled down into him, resting her head under his chin. Max stroked her back lightly, his fingers tracing light circles along her spinal column.
Ten minutes into the movie, Liz stirred to get up. “Wait…stay. I can get it for you, whatever it is.”
“Uh Max? Unless you can help me pee, you can’t do everything for me.”
Okay…so Max hadn’t thought of everything.
-:-:-:-
Isabel drew her fingers into the grayish-tan clay, trying to form the stubborn material. She allowed her fingers to feel the clay moving between them, gently but firmly forming the substance into a familiar shape. In no time at all it seemed she had the makings of a rather shapely pot. Isabel had a knack for forming clay.
Alex on the other hand, was not doing so well. His musician’s hands would not allow him the proper depth of feeling, not allow them to take quite so easily to another art. He was a bit frustrated, but Alex by nature was a good sport and he laughed often as his pots fell over one after the other. It seemed he was not destined to be a great potter.
He watched Isabel’s hands move through the clay, her fingers gently forming it. She had a talent for it, he already saw that. She also seemed more patient than he, taking the time to let the clay develop a shape on its own. Alex’s heart fluttered a little.
Okay…a lot.
He was in trouble.
-:-:-:-
Tess and Kyle stepped hand in hand onto the smooth, glass-like surface of the skating rink. Their rental skates made a soft but sharp slicing sound as they moved over the surface. Kyle and Tess were both adequate skaters, neither too hesitant to worry about falling flat on their asses every minute or so like some of the other couples skating near them.
They picked up a little speed and skated in silence, enjoying the feeling of the forced wind on their faces. They had talked constantly at dinner and now neither felt the need to talk at all, the weight of the other’s hand in theirs enough to pacify them for the time being.
This moment reminded Kyle of so many sat in similar silence with his family, and Kyle was quickly coming to understand why that was. Tess was family, she had grown to be such, and she always would be. There was a certain indescribable something she held in her eyes and her walk that Kyle had recognized months ago, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he recognized her face from an old memory.
Kyle had recognized Tess because he would always recognize her, and he knew that now. He turned to look at her, her face full with rosy cheeks and bright eyes, and smiled. This was his moment.
For the first time in his life (and the last), Kyle Parker was in love.
-:-:-:-
Jeff Parker walked the long hallway leading from his study to the kitchen, pausing outside the slightly ajar media room door. He looked in on his daughter, sitting on the lap of a man Jeff was feeling very strongly for. Max had very quickly become quite dear to him, and if asked Jeff would say that he now felt as if he could claim Max as another son.
Liz shifted and Max brought his arms around her more tightly. Jeff smiled. His daughter was in very good hands. Jeff knew that Liz would love and be loved and after all, that was exactly what he had whispered in the lullabies he sang to all children as they lay asleep in their cribs.
Jeff took one last look in at Max and Liz before continuing down the hall to his final destination. He opened the large doors to Nancy’s favorite room, quietly closing the door behind him. He walked across the room and through the shadows splayed across the hardwood floor from the long windows on one end of the room. On the furthest couch from the door Jeff sat down, his right elbow resting on the arm of the sofa. He leaned into the side of the sofa, chin in hand, and stared at a picture of Nancy.
She was laughing, clutching on to a giggling, wriggling Michael and Alex. It was taken before Alex and Liz were born, the one year old Michael and Kyle trying desperately to escape their mother’s arms to run free in their diapers on the sandy beach. Jeff remembered that day as if it were yesterday, the images filtering through his mind like an old home movie.
They had been so happy that day, he and Nancy and their babies. There were many good days to follow, but eventually they would end. Nancy became relegated to a memory, the unique scent of her no longer lingering in her favorite room, her voice no longer echoing through the halls, calling their children to bed.
If Jeff wanted anything for his children, it was their own moment on the beach, their own frozen home movie. Any love, no matter how short, was worth having.
Jeff sighed. “Oh Nancy…I think our babies have found their happiness. I really think they have.”
“Stop laughing Lizzy, this is serious!” A frustrated Isabel was standing at the foot of Liz’s bed, watching her best friend clutch her side from laughter pains.
It was two days after the barbeque.
Date Night.
Alex and Isabel were due to leave for their date first, but Isabel couldn’t quite decide what to wear. Liz, for her part, wasn’t being a lot of help. Something Isabel had said about twenty minutes earlier had sent Liz into a giggle fit; one she couldn’t seem to find the end of.
“I’m sorry Isabel.” Liz spoke through laughs, though to her credit she was trying to make them stop. “Show me again.” Isabel didn’t know this, but Liz had gone to Alex to covertly find out where he was taking Isabel, just to ensure that she would be wearing the right outfit. Liz wanted Isabel to be as comfortable as possible on her date.
Isabel held the first outfit up to her body, raising her eyebrows questioningly at Liz. Liz scrunched her nose up and shook her head, ix-naying a skirt and blouse combo. Isabel set it aside and brought the second option up to her body.
When Liz said no to that too, Isabel sighed loudly and sank down onto Liz’s desk chair. “Liz, help!”
Liz giggled lightly and got off the bed, though it took her some effort to do so. Her side still bothered her a bit. Not enough to complain about, but still enough. She walked over to the pile of clothes Isabel had gathered and stood there a moment, taking a look with her hands on her hips, touching nothing. Then she grabbed a pair of brown corduroys from the top and a pink shirt that Isabel couldn’t figure out how Liz had seen, since it had been resting on the bottom of the pile. Liz handed them over to Isabel and motioned to the bathroom.
Isabel came out of the bathroom, her apprehension clear, and walked to stand in front of the bed where Liz was once again seated, cross-legged. Isabel bit her lip and Liz laughed. “What? It looks bad, doesn’t it? I knew it.”
“No Izzy, you look amazing. I was laughing because I do the same thing when I’m nervous. I bite my lip too. Honestly Iz, pink is your color. It suits you.”
“So this is good? I wish I knew where Alex was taking me. Then I’d-”
“Still be stressing out? Do you trust me Izzy?”
“You know I do.” Isabel sat down on the bed next to Liz and looked at the other girl earnestly.
“Then trust me. You look amazing. And what you have on is perfect. You are going to have a great time with Alex today.”
The girls just looked at one another for a minute, smiles on their faces before Isabel said, “I should probably change, huh? Especially since the date isn’t for another five hours.” Liz laughed and Isabel hopped off the bed and walked much more confidently into Liz’s adjoining bathroom.
-:-:-:-
“Stop laughing Max, this is serious!”
Max was straddling Alex’s wooden desk chair, his forearms resting along the back. He was also laughing quite loudly. “Alex, what do you want me to say? You’re acting like a girl.”
Alex shot him a look, his eyebrows raised. “Uh huh…and you won’t be going through this same thing this afternoon before you sit down to watch movies with my sister, huh?”
Max stopped laughing and thought a bit before he started scratching his jaw line near his right ear. “Yeah…okay…you have a point.”
“Thank you. So would you please help me? I have no idea what to wear.” Alex gestured to the large pile of clothes in front of him.
“Why don’t you just ask Liz? She knows you better than anyone. Plus, she knows where you’re taking Isabel.”
“You’re right. I should have just asked her from the beginning. So if Isa-” Alex paused. “Wait…I can’t ask you that.”
Max raised his right eyebrow and as if connected the corners of his lips rose at the same time. “Can’t ask me what?”
“You’re her brother. Does that answer your question?”
Max laughed. “Yeah…pretty much. Alex? Don’t hurt her, okay? That’s all I ask.”
“Done. Okay, I’m going to leave you alone now. Thanks for the advice, however little of it there was.” Alex walked out the door and almost immediately walked back in. “I just remembered this is my room. You leave.” Max laughed and stood from the desk chair, walking out Alex’s door.
-:-:-:-
“I’m serious, Michael. We need to fix that little problem of yours.”
“My not having a cast on one of my appendages is not a problem, Kyle. It’s normal.
When does yours come off by the way? Aren’t you due for a doctor’s appointment soon to check how your wrist is doing?”
Kyle nodded as he bit into a half-peeled banana, the four sections of the peel gracefully draped over his left hand. He spoke through a mouthful of fruit. “Too-mah-woah.”
“Eww Kyle. Manners.” Liz rolled her eyes good-naturedly from her seat at the island, where she was watching Michael flip pancakes on the stove griddle.
“I agree Kyle. Eww.” Kyle laughed and pulled the rest of the banana from its peel before tossing the peel at his younger brother. Alex laughed and deflected it. The peel landed just in front of the kitchen doorway. The doorway their father happened to be stepping through right at that moment.
“Daddy!” Liz stretched out her left hand, her eyes wide. Everyone else reacted in similar ways, Michael dropping his spatula, Max standing from his seat at the kitchen table and Isabel gasping.
Jeff looked at everyone and then calmly turned his gaze to the floor below him, the spot everyone seemed to be staring at. Spying the peel, he bent down and picked it up between his right thumb and forefinger, the rest of his fingers splayed out. He held the offending object in front of his eyes and looked at it for a moment before turning his eyes to the people in front of him. He scanned their faces and rested his eyes on Kyle’s, smiling widely.
“It’s a good thing I’ve always been conscious of my surroundings, hmm? Kyle…son…it’s usually a good idea for the peel to make a home in the garbage can, and not on the floor.” Jeff dropped the peel into Kyle’s outstretched hand and sat down at one end of the kitchen table, pulling the newspaper out from under his left arm. He unfolded the paper, immediately reaching for the business section and pushed the remainder of the paper into the center of the table, making it available for anyone to read. Max reached for the front page and Isabel for the Datebook.
Ten minutes later Michael was headed to the table, a plate stacked with pancakes in hand. Kyle and Liz had set the table a few minutes earlier, though more than a few protests had arisen when she tried to pull down a stack of plates. Kyle took the plates, leaving Liz the lighter fare, like glasses and silverware.
Kyle spoke, continuing a conversation that hadn’t really stopped. “Come on Mike, it’ll be fun. What do you say dad?”
“I say three children with marred appendages are enough for one father to stomach for the time being. Eat your pancakes, Kyle.”
-:-:-:-
“So, Paolo and I saw the funniest thing when we went into town last night on a lamppost. Can anyone guess what I’m talking about? Anyone?” Jeff looked around the table and was met with many confused faces until his eyes rested on Michael, who had his hand raised, a confident smile on his face.
“Guilty. Didn’t think you’d see it for another day at least.” He shrugged and Jeff shook his head lightly.
“When did you find the time?”
“Max and I snuck out after everyone fell asleep the night of the barbeque. It took us…what? Two hours to put them all up? That sound right to you?” Michael turned to look at Max, who was nodding.
“Sounds about right. Remember when you dropped the flashlight and it turned itself off and rolled down the street a little?”
“Took us twenty minutes to find it.” Michael shook his head wistfully. “Good times.”
“Boys…” Jeff looked at the two of them and they muttered their apologies, though Jeff knew they weren’t sorry at all.
“What did they do dad?” Alex had his arms crossed and he was leaning forward on the kitchen table. Jeff reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded out piece of paper, tossing it to his youngest son. “Mike?”
“Just a public notice, Alex.” Alex raised his right eyebrow and unfolded the paper in his hand. He took a moment to read it then laughed loudly, his shoulders shaking with the effort.
“This…is…a…piece of…genius.” Alex laughed through his words and Kyle reached for the paper.
He read it too and laughed. “Wow. How many of these did you put up?”
“Oh…only about four hundred or so.”
“Nice. Isabel and I only settled for an ad in the Napa Valley Register.” Everyone looked at Isabel, who simply smiled and shrugged.
“Is settled the proper word when something like fifty thousand people read that paper every day?”
“Well it was just a tiny, full-page ad…that’s all.” Kyle shrugged and smirked and Michael laughed loudly.
“At least I have one slightly sane son.”
“Uh dad…you may not want to be so hasty with that assertion.” Alex raised an index finger and bent down to grab his laptop from the floor, placing it in the place in front of him. “I mean, I am a computer genius. What use would I be if I didn’t use my powers for mild evil every once in a while?” Jeff sighed, though he couldn’t help but smile.
“You made a website.”
“Only took me about twenty minutes.”
“Al, we have to see this.” Michael gestured to the laptop and Alex opened it.
“Someone want to let me in on the inside joke?” Liz looked around at everyone at the table and none of them except Jeff dared to really look her in the eyes. It was one thing to do what they had done in secret, but telling Liz…well it was a safe assumption that no one wanted to do that.
They all looked at one another, each one silently begging the next to be the one to tell her. They had done it for her, not themselves, but somehow that didn’t seem to be enough of an explanation in this post-pancake haze. In the end Alex opted to tell her, knowing that she’d take it better from him than anyone.
“Uh…okay…now I want you to keep in mind that we all love you and that’s the main reason why we all did what we did.” Liz looked around the table and the other occupants were nodding their agreement, earnest eyes in all faces. “Here.” Alex laid out the previously folded piece of paper in front of his sister, who started reading it. While she was doing that, Kyle handed over the Napa Valley Register, folded so the ad was visible and Alex cued up the website.
Liz took every one of them in turn, taking time to really digest the information in front of her. Then she laughed.
And everyone else breathed a sigh of relief.
“I can’t believe you all were worried how I’d react. How did you find time to do this?”
“Max and I stayed up late. We know how to use a computer.” Michael shrugged.
“So do Izzy and I. Plus, it meant I got to use that picture of Daniel when he was accidentally hit by a line drive in the…uh…family jewels, so to speak.”
“Accidentally? Kyle…I taught you how to hit. There was nothing accidental about it.” Liz smiled and Kyle shrugged. “I can’t believe you remembered that childhood story he told you about being naked in front of his entire second grade class, though. I hadn’t even remembered that.”
“You can always count on older brothers to remember embarrassing stories and file them away for future use.” Liz nodded as she turned her attention to Alex’s website. “Are you sure this site took you only twenty minutes, Alex? You have video on here and everything.”
“I told you…I’m a genius. Why does everyone keep insisting I’m not?” Alex sighed in mock frustration and Jeff rolled his eyes.
“Yes, you are all a bunch of geniuses for making sure the entire town of Napa knows what an ass Daniel really is. I’m so proud of my geniuses slash miscreants slash ne’er-do-wells.”
“Hey, I thought in an even broader context. I want the world to know what an ass Daniel is.”
“And that, my boy, makes you my biggest scoundrel.”
“Arg.”
-:-:-:-
“What are we waiting for again?” Jeff turned to his sons. The Parker men and Max were standing at the foot of the staircase, waiting. For what, Jeff still wasn’t sure.
“I believe Lizzy said something about Isabel needing to make a grand entrance.” Jeff nodded at Michael and put his hands in his pockets. Liz appeared moments later and started down the steps slowly but still full of her own particular grace. Max started up the steps to help her but she waved him off.
“Please…I’m not an invalid.” She made it to the bottom without incident and stopped there at the edge of the foot of the stairs, near the banister. She cleared her throat. “Gentlemen…may I present…the beautiful…the amazing…Isabel Evans.” Liz gestured with her hand toward the top of the stairs.
Kyle leaned toward his twin and muttered under his breath. “Why does she sound like the ringleader at a circus?” Michael laughed softly but didn’t look at him. Isabel was finally making her “grand entrance”.
She looked beautiful; the way Isabel did just by breathing. Her hair was loose and wavy, falling over her shoulders. She stood there, hands clasped behind her back, and they could all tell she was nervous.
“Isabel…you look amazing.” Jeff smiled at her and that seemed to do the trick. She smiled back and started down the stairs, taking them much more quickly than Liz had. She stopped in front of Alex and smiled at him. He smiled back, all his teeth showing. It was difficult for Alex not to let out some sort of primal scream. Isabel was standing in front of him. And they were finally going to have that date.
“Are you ready milady?”
Isabel smiled. “I don’t mean to sound rude…but how are we going to get there? You do have a…” She trailed off and gestured to his broken leg and crutches.
“Follow me.” Alex smiled and headed toward the door, his crutches making his casted leg swing. They made it to the front door and Alex opened it with one hand, his other holding both aluminum crutches. He looked outside and smiled, gesturing in a wide arc with his hand just as a limo pulled up. “Only the best for a beautiful lady.”
Isabel giggled, her right hand covering her mouth. “Oh Alex…this is too much. You really didn’t need to do this.”
“Actually…I kinda did. I can’t drive and there was no way I was having my dad drive. That would just feel too much like we were in junior high.” Alex visibly shuddered. “Not going there. So yes…I did. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun to rent it.” Alex gestured to the limo door, currently being held open by a large man. “Now…are you ready to have fun?”
Isabel nodded and walked out the door, taking one last look at Liz, who smiled widely and mouthed “Have fun”. Alex hobbled out after her and Jeff shut the door behind him, turning to lean on the door when it was shut.
“Well everyone…what are the bets at? Lizzy?”
“I say they both know what we already do after one date.”
“Bold. Very bold. But it has paid off for you in the past. Kyle?”
“Alex knows in one date, Isabel three.”
“Interesting. Michael?”
“Hmm…tough…I say Alex in two…Isabel? Hmm…four.”
“Hmm…Max?”
“Uh…wow…I can’t believe I’m actually betting on when Isabel’s going to fall in love with Alex…uh…Isabel two and Alex…three.”
“Well you do know Isabel better than any of us. I say…Alex two…Isabel…three. Bets must be exact for the money to be won. If no one’s right, the money goes back to its owner and the bet is called a wash. Let’s set the bet at…oh…two hundred. Does that work for everyone?” Everyone nodded and Jeff said, “Alright then…bet on. Good luck all.”
“Our baby boy is growing up.” Kyle wiped away a fake tear, grinning.
“So what does everyone else have planned today?”
Kyle was still laughing. “Date with Tess.”
“Max and I are going to stay in and watch some movies.” Jeff nodded.
“I’mtakingMariaout.” They all turned to Michael.
“Sorry Mike…didn’t catch that. You’re doing that thing again where you slur all your words together in the hopes none of us will hear you. You know…it never works. You always have to repeat yourself. I have to wonder why you even bother anymore.” Liz looked at her oldest brother, her right hand on her hip and a small smirk on her lips.
“He said he was taking Maria out. Hey…should I take Tess to Thai or Italian?”
“Either’s fine. Why didn’t you tell us this earlier? This is a big deal!”
Michael squirmed a little, though he wasn’t uncomfortable talking about Maria. “It’s Alex’s big day…I didn’t want to…geez…just leave it alone, alright?”
“Well Kyle, I think you should take her out to Italian. It has the benefit of that whole “meet in the middle over one strand of pasta” thing.”
“Max…I hate to break it to you…but that only happened in Lady and the Tramp.” Liz patted Max’s upper arm and Max pouted a little.
“Really?”
“Come on…I’ll try to explain how one strand of pasta couldn’t possibly be that long while we set up the media room for our movie night.”
-:-:-:-
The limo stopped in front of a rather non-descript building and Isabel furrowed her brow. Alex had refused to give her even the smallest of details. Her door opened and Isabel stepped out onto the sidewalk, Alex awkwardly following her.
“Go ahead.” Alex smiled and motioned to the door in front of them. Isabel walked through a bit hesitantly and into what appeared to her to be an art studio of some kind.
She was about to ask what they were doing there, but was stopped by a man straight out of the sixties only years younger who asked, “Alex and Isabel?” Alex nodded. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please…come in further. I don’t bite. I promise.”
Alex and Isabel followed him further into the well-lit studio passing by rows of easels, just begging to be used. The man stopped in the front of the studio, in front of a few large stationary, round disks with stools next to them. “I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name’s Ari. Take a seat. Alex, can I take those for you?” Alex nodded and handed over the crutches. He was already used to them and wobbled a bit as he moved to sit.
Isabel followed but had no idea why. What were they here to do?
“I see you’re still wondering what you’re doing here, Isabel.” Ari smiled softly. “The contraption in front of you is a pottery wheel. I’m going to teach you how to throw pottery.”
-:-:-:-
Michael stood at Maria’s doorstep, his nerves making him fidget. Almost immediately Maria came to the door, closing it swiftly and grabbing Michael’s hand, pulling him to his car. Had she always been this much of a whirlwind?
Yes…yes she had.
About forty minutes later Michael and Maria had made it to the small club and Michael opened the door for Maria, holding it as she walked in to the dimly lit room. Though most clubs in California had been smokeless for years, they seemed to retain a certain mysterious smoky quality, as if the ghosts of former cigarettes and their owners refused to go away completely. This club was no different. Michael led the way, finding a table near the front, and sat down.
“Where are we Michael?” Maria sat down next to him at the small round table and a waitress approached them.
“Did you want something to drink?”
“Sure. I’ll have a Coke.”
“One Coke and a Sierra Nevada for me. Thanks.” The waitress nodded and walked away. “We’re at A Man Walks Into a Bar. It’s amateur night. There’s this great new comic I thought you’d like. I think he’s coming up next.”
True to his word, Travis Everhardt walked onto the stage then, jumping right into his routine. And Michael was right about one more thing. Maria did like him.
She was laughing loudly, inhibitions firmly stowed in the overhead compartment and Michael stopped watching the comic in front of him and started watching her. This was the Maria he had missed. This was the piece of her he had longed to see.
Smiling didn’t seem enough, but it was all Michael could do to keep the silly grin off his face.
It was good to see this side of Maria again.
-:-:-:-
Max threw the final pillow down in the nest he had created in the media room. He had everything perfectly situated within reach, intent on making Liz as comfy as possible. He hadn’t let her lift one finger to help, saying this was his “surprise”. She walked in a few moments later and laughed.
“Wow. Thought of everything, have we?” She was of course referring to the cooler with ice, so that her drinks wouldn’t get cold and the seven bowls of various candies waiting to be eaten. Not to mention three varieties of popcorn and two pizzas in takeout boxes. No, it seemed Max had thought of everything.
“Now…what do you want to watch? It’s up to you.” Liz walked over to the movie selections (ten choices) and made her choice, handing it to Max. He put it in the DVD player and settled down into the nest, pulling Liz into his lap. She snuggled down into him, resting her head under his chin. Max stroked her back lightly, his fingers tracing light circles along her spinal column.
Ten minutes into the movie, Liz stirred to get up. “Wait…stay. I can get it for you, whatever it is.”
“Uh Max? Unless you can help me pee, you can’t do everything for me.”
Okay…so Max hadn’t thought of everything.
-:-:-:-
Isabel drew her fingers into the grayish-tan clay, trying to form the stubborn material. She allowed her fingers to feel the clay moving between them, gently but firmly forming the substance into a familiar shape. In no time at all it seemed she had the makings of a rather shapely pot. Isabel had a knack for forming clay.
Alex on the other hand, was not doing so well. His musician’s hands would not allow him the proper depth of feeling, not allow them to take quite so easily to another art. He was a bit frustrated, but Alex by nature was a good sport and he laughed often as his pots fell over one after the other. It seemed he was not destined to be a great potter.
He watched Isabel’s hands move through the clay, her fingers gently forming it. She had a talent for it, he already saw that. She also seemed more patient than he, taking the time to let the clay develop a shape on its own. Alex’s heart fluttered a little.
Okay…a lot.
He was in trouble.
-:-:-:-
Tess and Kyle stepped hand in hand onto the smooth, glass-like surface of the skating rink. Their rental skates made a soft but sharp slicing sound as they moved over the surface. Kyle and Tess were both adequate skaters, neither too hesitant to worry about falling flat on their asses every minute or so like some of the other couples skating near them.
They picked up a little speed and skated in silence, enjoying the feeling of the forced wind on their faces. They had talked constantly at dinner and now neither felt the need to talk at all, the weight of the other’s hand in theirs enough to pacify them for the time being.
This moment reminded Kyle of so many sat in similar silence with his family, and Kyle was quickly coming to understand why that was. Tess was family, she had grown to be such, and she always would be. There was a certain indescribable something she held in her eyes and her walk that Kyle had recognized months ago, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he recognized her face from an old memory.
Kyle had recognized Tess because he would always recognize her, and he knew that now. He turned to look at her, her face full with rosy cheeks and bright eyes, and smiled. This was his moment.
For the first time in his life (and the last), Kyle Parker was in love.
-:-:-:-
Jeff Parker walked the long hallway leading from his study to the kitchen, pausing outside the slightly ajar media room door. He looked in on his daughter, sitting on the lap of a man Jeff was feeling very strongly for. Max had very quickly become quite dear to him, and if asked Jeff would say that he now felt as if he could claim Max as another son.
Liz shifted and Max brought his arms around her more tightly. Jeff smiled. His daughter was in very good hands. Jeff knew that Liz would love and be loved and after all, that was exactly what he had whispered in the lullabies he sang to all children as they lay asleep in their cribs.
Jeff took one last look in at Max and Liz before continuing down the hall to his final destination. He opened the large doors to Nancy’s favorite room, quietly closing the door behind him. He walked across the room and through the shadows splayed across the hardwood floor from the long windows on one end of the room. On the furthest couch from the door Jeff sat down, his right elbow resting on the arm of the sofa. He leaned into the side of the sofa, chin in hand, and stared at a picture of Nancy.
She was laughing, clutching on to a giggling, wriggling Michael and Alex. It was taken before Alex and Liz were born, the one year old Michael and Kyle trying desperately to escape their mother’s arms to run free in their diapers on the sandy beach. Jeff remembered that day as if it were yesterday, the images filtering through his mind like an old home movie.
They had been so happy that day, he and Nancy and their babies. There were many good days to follow, but eventually they would end. Nancy became relegated to a memory, the unique scent of her no longer lingering in her favorite room, her voice no longer echoing through the halls, calling their children to bed.
If Jeff wanted anything for his children, it was their own moment on the beach, their own frozen home movie. Any love, no matter how short, was worth having.
Jeff sighed. “Oh Nancy…I think our babies have found their happiness. I really think they have.”
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
-
OrangeSky
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Chapter 20: Psychiatric Help…5¢
A large…something…flopped down on the mattress next to Liz, who was half-asleep. If Liz hadn’t been expecting it, it was the sort of thing that would have scared the living crap out of her.
The something sighed deeply and Liz cracked one eye open, spotting Isabel lying on her side, facing her. She was smiling widely.
“So I take it the date went well then.”
“It was amazing. Alex was perfect. He’s funny and charming…but not the oily kind of charming, you know?” Liz nodded, smiling. “We went to this studio and learned how to throw pottery and then we went out to dinner at Sosie…amazing food, by the way…and then he dropped me off in front of my door just like it was our apartment. And he kissed me, Liz. He kissed me.”
“And…” Liz trailed off, positively sure there was more to Isabel’s words than that.
“And I wanted him to do it again as soon as he stopped. Liz…I think I’m in trouble.”
“Trouble?” Liz laughed. “Why?” Isabel sighed and scrunched her face up. “Izzy…what’s wrong?”
“Did I ever tell you about Gary Berg?” It was a rhetorical question, but Liz answered anyway with a shake of her head, waiting for Isabel’s expansion. Isabel was grateful for the pause. She was about to share something she had never even thought to share with another human being before. But this was Liz, her best friend, and she deserved her honesty. This is what best friends were for, right? They were there to share your burden.
So Isabel told her best friend what Gary Berg had done to her. She spoke in a whisper, the pain still so raw after a few years, but even as she said the words, Isabel knew they were only a half-truth. And though they may always own some semblance of truth, they would never keep the same hold on her they once had. “He broke my heart, Liz.”
“Oh Izzy.” Liz reached her right hand in between their bodies and grabbed Isabel’s hand, scooting her body closer to the taller girl.
“He was my boyfriend in high school. He had this way that drew everyone to him. People kept telling me that he had cheated on every girl he had dated, but I never listened. I guess I just wanted them to be wrong.” Liz nodded and squeezed Isabel’s hand.
“Then I caught him at his house one day. He hadn’t been at school because he was sick. Or so I thought. He was kissing Pam Troy on his couch.”
“And that was the day you got quiet.”
Isabel furrowed her brow. “How did you know that?”
Liz shrugged. “Lucky guess. All that stuff with your parents started it, but I figured there might have been something that put a nail in the coffin, so to speak. I’m guessing you never told Max about this.”
“No. Another lucky guess?”
“Izzy…I have three older brothers. Max would have killed Gary, and you didn’t mention that.”
“Even if I’d had someone to tell it to then, I wouldn’t have. I wasn’t ready.”
Liz was touched. What Isabel was essentially saying was that she had chosen to tell her. It wasn’t the sort of compliment you heard every day, especially not from someone as closed off as Isabel.
“Then Alex…he came along…and he reminds me so much of Gary…but he doesn’t at the same time. You know the first time I met Alex…in the airport…I liked him. It was the same way with Gary. I think it’s in Alex’s nature for people to be drawn to him.
“But they’re different too. I realized that as I got to know Alex better. He has a sweetness to him that Gary didn’t have. Plus, he’d never hurt me. I know that already.”
“That’s true. Alex couldn’t hurt a fly.”
“Oh Liz…” Isabel exhaled deeply. “I’m in so much trouble. I’m already head over heels.”
“Izzy…is that really such a bad thing?”
Isabel had no idea how to answer that question. Was falling for Alex really such a bad thing? Liz lay there in silence with Isabel for a minute.
Their joined hands must have had some effect on Isabel, because it took her less time to come back with her answer than both she and Liz expected.
“No…it isn’t.”
-:-:-:-
Isabel had only been gone from Liz’s bed twenty minutes, a whispered thank you on her lips, when someone else jumped in.
I’ll take Family Members for two hundred, Alex.
Okay Liz…this twin has no qualms about personal space and a knack for both computers and music.
“Isabel is amazing.”
Who is Alex?
“Incredible. Amazing and incredible. And beautiful. Did I say she was incredible?”
Correct! Well done Liz!
“Yes, you did. And she is. So I’m guessing you had fun, huh?” Even the darkness of the room wasn’t enough to snuff out the pure white of Alex’s smile, and Liz smiled back. “I’m taking that smile as a yes.”
“She’s interesting and beautiful and sweet and Liz?” Liz raised her eyebrows in question, waiting for him to continue. “I’m pretty sure I’m already madly in love with her.”
“Wow…high praise.”
“Does she deserve any less? No…no…she deserves everything. Oh…did I wake you up?”
Liz laughed brightly. “I was already half awake. Don’t worry about it. Besides, you know I was waiting for you to give me the breakdown on your date. So when are you going to ask her out again?”
“Do you think now’s too soon?”
“Uh…yeah…just a bit.”
“Okay I’ll ask tomorrow. Ahhh!” Alex started bouncing up and down on Liz’s bed, his natural excess of energy spilling over. The fact that he was lying down didn’t seem to discourage the bouncing. “Lizzy…I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight. I’m way too…I don’t know…effervescent.”
Liz raised her right eyebrow. “Effervescent?”
“Word of the day calendar. There’s no way I’m going to be able to sleep tonight.”
“That explains your recent use of ten cent words. Al, if you don’t sleep tonight, how are you going to be at your best tomorrow when you ask her out?”
“Excellent point.” Alex hopped out of his twin sister’s bed and was about halfway across the room when he suddenly turned around and jogged back to the bed. He leaned toward Liz and kissed her on the forehead. “Thanks for being Isabel’s best friend.”
“Thank Michael. He started all of this by being friends with Max.”
“You’re right! I should thank Michael.”
Alex was almost out Liz’s door before she said, “Uh Alex? I’d wait until the morning to do that too.”
Alex grinned in response, shutting the door gently behind him.
-:-:-:-
If Liz had any designs on getting uninterrupted sleep that night, she would have been considered a fool. But Liz was not a fool, especially when it came to her family, and so she was unsurprised when the third body of the night hit her bed.
“Lizzy?” Kyle’s unmistakable baritone hit her ears and Liz turned her head to regard the younger of her older brothers. “I’m in love.” Though his voice was only a whisper, Kyle’s words were as heavy as an anvil.
“Wow.” Liz’s voice was a whisper too, and her smile made Kyle smile right back.
“Yeah.”
“You know what this means, Kyle.”
“Yeah, Lizzy…I do. I know exactly what this means.” Kyle reached for Liz’s hand, holding it tightly in his.
“My anam cara.”
“Your anam cara.”
“Just like mom and dad.”
Kyle sighed. “Just like mom and dad.”
“I’m so happy for you, Kyle. Have you told Mike yet?”
“No. You know how he gets when he doesn’t get enough sleep. I knew you’d be up, waiting for Alex.”
“Good to know I’m that predictable. But I’m glad you told me.”
“Me too. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep tonight otherwise. Thanks Lizzy.” Kyle kissed the back of his sister’s hand before letting it go. “I should get to bed. I need my beauty sleep.” Kyle sat up and then stood from the bed, walking toward the door.
“Kyle?” Kyle turned. “You should tell dad too. He’d want to know. And he doesn’t have the benefit of the twin thing like some of us do.”
“I will. Goodnight Lizzy.”
“Night.”
-:-:-:-
“Liz? You asleep?”
“Nope. My bedroom is Grand Central Station tonight. Hop in.” Liz pulled the covers off the other side of the bed, inviting Michael in. He accepted them gratefully, sliding in the bed and pulling the covers over his body.
Kyle had left just minutes before, and Liz had a feeling that Michael knew that. Somehow she got the sense from him that whatever it was he wanted to talk about, it would take a while. That he had been biding his time until he was sure there was no one left who had something they needed to talk through.
Michael didn’t say anything, so Liz searched for something to break the ice and used the first thing that came to her. “So…you owe me two hundred bucks.”
“No shit? Already? Good call.”
“Hey…who knows your brother?” Michael laughed softly. “So what’s up Mike?”
“I took Maria out tonight.”
When he didn’t elaborate, Liz said, “Okaaaaayyyy…not news.”
“I know that.” Michael was looking up at the ceiling, not at her, so it was difficult to tell exactly what he was thinking right at the moment or what it was specifically that was stuck under his skin.
“Why doesn’t she laugh like she used to Lizzy? She smiles, but she doesn’t laugh. She used to laugh all the time. I took her to A Man Walks Into a Bar tonight, just so I could hear her laugh again.” Michael turned his head and looked at his sister.
“I don’t know. Maybe she just got older. We all change as we get older.”
“Not us.”
“Are you kidding? Of course we did.” Michael turned onto his side, fully facing Liz now.
“No we didn’t.”
“We did, it just happened earlier for us than it does for most kids. We didn’t have to wait for puberty.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Mom died and we changed.” Michael grimaced. “It’s okay to say that, Mike.”
“How did we change?”
“How did we not change? I started taking everyone’s problems on myself, hoping that fixing whatever was wrong with them would fix me too. Alex holed himself up for hours in his room, intent on teaching himself to play that guitar dad bought him. Kyle wanted to quit a sport…Kyle, Michael, think about that…and you stopped wanting to do anything you liked doing before. We changed. Even if we didn’t intend to, we changed.”
“I wish I knew why she stopped laughing.”
“Have you ever thought of asking her, instead of fighting with her?”
“I have a feeling that Maria and I will always fight.”
“Okay, well have you ever thought of asking her anyway, even though you know it may cause a fight? Maybe she’s fighting with you because you’re getting too close. Maria doesn’t seem to fight with anyone else.”
“You think?”
Liz shrugged. “She’s Jericho, Mike.”
“Jericho?”
“The biblical city. Poorly and hastily built walls can’t stand. Eventually…they fall. It just takes the right amount of pressure in the right spot to do it. Maria’s just waiting for someone to make those walls fall.”
“How did you get so smart?”
“I must get it from you.”
“Yeah…that’s it. So what do I do?”
“Make her feel like she’s not alone, that you’re there for her. And when those walls are ready to come down, you’ll know.”
The two of them lay there in silence for a minute or two and Michael wondered how many more times he’d have the opportunity to do this with her.
“Lizzy?”
“Hmm?”
“What do you do when you have a problem?”
Liz furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”
“We come to you with our problems…who do you go to?”
“Oh…no one.”
“No one? That’s not healthy.”
Liz laughed. “You don’t get it. I don’t really need to. Most of the problems I’ve had one of you has too, and helping you out with your problem has always helped with mine. But if I really have a problem I can’t solve, then I talk to one of you. If anything, mom dying made me a much better listener. More patient.”
“Hmm…I never thought of it that way. Anything you need to get off your chest?”
Liz laughed. “Not that I can think of…no.”
Michael climbed out of the bed, but not before he kissed Liz on the top of her head. “Okay…I’m going to leave and let you get some sleep. I’m pretty sure no one else is going to come climbing into your bed tonight. Wait a minute…”
Liz laughed again, much louder this time. “He knows you’d kill him, Mike.”
“He’d better know that.”
“Goodnight Michael Andrew.”
“Goodnight Elizabeth Katherine.”
-:-:-:-
Thankfully no one else needed the services of Dr. Parker that night, so Liz was allowed a near six hours of uninterrupted sleep. When she woke the sun was shining and the whole world seemed to have a smile on its face. Something good was going to happen today, she could feel it.
Liz flipped the covers off herself and stood, noticing for the first time that her side didn’t seem to hurt nearly as much as it had since the accident. It almost seemed a mere annoyance now, instead of the dull ache she had become used to.
She walked down the stairs, her feet making a soft noise. The house was still quiet, indicating that nearly all its occupants were still asleep. So when Liz walked into the kitchen and found only her father sitting at the island, she wasn’t surprised in the least bit.
Liz yawned. “Morning dad.” She walked over to the fridge and pulled out a plastic, gallon-sized jug of orange juice.
Jeff looked up from the paper laid out in front of him. “Morning squirt. Sleep well?”
“When I finally got to sleep, yes.”
Jeff laughed under his breath. “How many visitors last night?”
“Four.” At her father’s raised eyebrows, she added, “None of them Max.”
“I’m surprised Mike isn’t up with you.”
“I thought I’d let him sleep in a little longer.”
“So he was your last patient, huh?”
“Something like that.” Liz pulled the Datebook section from the stack under her father’s open front page and flipped to the New York Times crossword puzzle. It was a Wednesday, meaning the puzzle wouldn’t be too difficult. She pulled a pencil from the cup at the end of the island and got to work.
Fifteen minutes later Kyle walked in the kitchen just as Jeff was asking, “Wrinkled fruit…four letters.”
“Ugli. Oh and fourteen down is ‘on me’.”
“Are you both doing the Times crossword puzzle?”
“How do you spell that? And yes…I found one in the Register and we thought it would be fun to do it together.”
“You…gee…el…eye.”
“Really?” Liz nodded. “Hmm…” Jeff filled in the four letters and extended his arms in front of himself, surveying the puzzle as a whole. “We’re still missing twenty-four across. We get that and it could open a lot more opportunities.”
“Still working on that one.” They lapsed into silence and Kyle reached for the Sporting Green. The kitchen was filled with the sound of rustling paper when Michael walked in a few minutes later.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Liz could feel Michael looking at her, and she looked up.
“I thought you’d like to sleep a little longer.”
He nodded, scratching the back of his neck as he walked to the cupboard to get a glass. He sat in the seat next to his father and said, “So dad, what’s the news?”
“Well, I have some news.” Everyone looked at Kyle. And though Liz was pretty sure she knew exactly what he was about to say, she was still a bit shocked. She hadn’t expected him to say it to Michael and their dad over juice and the Chronicle. “I’m in love. I found my anam cara.” Jeff smiled and Michael nodded.
“I knew there was something different about you today. Congrats little brother.”
“I’m very happy for you Kyle.”
“Thanks Mike. Thanks dad.”
Jeff looked at his daughter, who had said nothing and was looking back down at the crossword puzzle. “I’m guessing from your silence you already knew.”
“Number three. And speaking of number three, I think the answer is ‘Liotta’. Wasn’t he in that movie?”
Michael leaned over his father’s puzzle. “Ray Liotta? Yeah…he was.”
“Killer.” The three Parker men laughed.
-:-:-:-
Alex swung into the large kitchen, the last to wake. Had he known what he was about to walk into, he may have just stayed in bed.
“He wasn’t able to walk straight for a week!”
As soon as the words hit Alex, he groaned. “Oh…Lizzy! Did you have to tell that story?”
Liz turned to look at him, an evil smile on her face. “When you least expect it my friend…when you least expect it.”
“You got me there.” Alex shook his head and came further into the room, stopping at the edge of the island.
“Good of you to join us Rip Van Winkle.”
“Hey…it’s my pleasure.” Alex took a bow, keeping in mind that his leg was broken. He couldn’t bend nearly so far as was normal, but the effect was still there. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as used to the cast as he thought, and he started to tip over. Kyle caught him by the arm, leaning over to prevent his complete collapse.
The quick action made a necklace slide out from under his shirt, the simple silver-colored band swaying gently on a silver-colored ball chain.
“Probably shouldn’t make such abrupt movements for the time being, Al. I won’t be in Boston to catch you once school starts again.”
“Hey Kyle…what’s that?” Isabel pointed to the ring on its chain, now resting against Kyle’s chest over his t-shirt.
Kyle looked down out of instinct, though he knew what she was talking about. “My mom’s wedding ring. Dad gave it to me after she died. Michael has her engagement ring.”
“Can I…no…never mind.” Isabel shook her head quickly.
“No, it’s okay Isabel. You can see it.” Kyle unhooked the necklace, holding it by the clasp before lowering it into Isabel’s outstretched hand. She examined the platinum ring, delicately turning it over in her hand. There were words written inside, and Isabel pulled the ring closer to read them.
“Ah-nahm car-uh. Anam cara? What does that mean?” Isabel looked at Kyle, who in turn looked at his dad, waiting for him to answer.
“Anam cara is Irish Gaelic, Isabel. It means ‘soul friend’. It’s the Gaelic way of saying soul mate. Nancy was my soul mate. My ring says the same.” Jeff pulled off his ring, handing it to Isabel. “See?”
Isabel looked inside Jeff’s band. “That’s beautiful.” She handed each ring back to its owner.
“It’s a Parker family curse of sorts. We Parkers are destined to have one love all our lives.” Max looked around at all the Parkers, who were nodding.
“Is it really a curse to love just one person all your life?”
Jeff shook his head. “Of course not Max, but it can on occasion feel like one when your love is taken from you before you’re ready. Although I suppose you’re never really ready to say goodbye to the love of your life.”
The phone rang, breaking them all from familiar trains of thought. Liz reached behind her for the cordless phone. “Good morning, Liz the psychiatrist speaking. What’s your stigma?”
The humor was clear in the response on the other line. “My parents loved me too much.”
“Grandma!”
“Grandma’s on the phone?”
“Grandma! Grandma! Can you hear me?”
“Hi Grandma!”
“Grandma, I’m putting you on speakerphone.” Liz pushed the button and set the handset down in the center of the island.
“Hi Grand-”
“Grandma, did-”
“Where are you ca-”
“Mom, have-”
“Did you have-”
A loud whistle came from the phone and the Parkers stopped mid-sentence. “That’s better. Can’t let an old lady get a word in edgewise, can you? Tell you what, why don’t you all walk to the front door?” They looked at one another quizzically but did as they were told. Jeff took the phone, leading the group to the front door.
He pushed down on the handle and opened the door.
“Hi everyone. Did you miss us?”
A large…something…flopped down on the mattress next to Liz, who was half-asleep. If Liz hadn’t been expecting it, it was the sort of thing that would have scared the living crap out of her.
The something sighed deeply and Liz cracked one eye open, spotting Isabel lying on her side, facing her. She was smiling widely.
“So I take it the date went well then.”
“It was amazing. Alex was perfect. He’s funny and charming…but not the oily kind of charming, you know?” Liz nodded, smiling. “We went to this studio and learned how to throw pottery and then we went out to dinner at Sosie…amazing food, by the way…and then he dropped me off in front of my door just like it was our apartment. And he kissed me, Liz. He kissed me.”
“And…” Liz trailed off, positively sure there was more to Isabel’s words than that.
“And I wanted him to do it again as soon as he stopped. Liz…I think I’m in trouble.”
“Trouble?” Liz laughed. “Why?” Isabel sighed and scrunched her face up. “Izzy…what’s wrong?”
“Did I ever tell you about Gary Berg?” It was a rhetorical question, but Liz answered anyway with a shake of her head, waiting for Isabel’s expansion. Isabel was grateful for the pause. She was about to share something she had never even thought to share with another human being before. But this was Liz, her best friend, and she deserved her honesty. This is what best friends were for, right? They were there to share your burden.
So Isabel told her best friend what Gary Berg had done to her. She spoke in a whisper, the pain still so raw after a few years, but even as she said the words, Isabel knew they were only a half-truth. And though they may always own some semblance of truth, they would never keep the same hold on her they once had. “He broke my heart, Liz.”
“Oh Izzy.” Liz reached her right hand in between their bodies and grabbed Isabel’s hand, scooting her body closer to the taller girl.
“He was my boyfriend in high school. He had this way that drew everyone to him. People kept telling me that he had cheated on every girl he had dated, but I never listened. I guess I just wanted them to be wrong.” Liz nodded and squeezed Isabel’s hand.
“Then I caught him at his house one day. He hadn’t been at school because he was sick. Or so I thought. He was kissing Pam Troy on his couch.”
“And that was the day you got quiet.”
Isabel furrowed her brow. “How did you know that?”
Liz shrugged. “Lucky guess. All that stuff with your parents started it, but I figured there might have been something that put a nail in the coffin, so to speak. I’m guessing you never told Max about this.”
“No. Another lucky guess?”
“Izzy…I have three older brothers. Max would have killed Gary, and you didn’t mention that.”
“Even if I’d had someone to tell it to then, I wouldn’t have. I wasn’t ready.”
Liz was touched. What Isabel was essentially saying was that she had chosen to tell her. It wasn’t the sort of compliment you heard every day, especially not from someone as closed off as Isabel.
“Then Alex…he came along…and he reminds me so much of Gary…but he doesn’t at the same time. You know the first time I met Alex…in the airport…I liked him. It was the same way with Gary. I think it’s in Alex’s nature for people to be drawn to him.
“But they’re different too. I realized that as I got to know Alex better. He has a sweetness to him that Gary didn’t have. Plus, he’d never hurt me. I know that already.”
“That’s true. Alex couldn’t hurt a fly.”
“Oh Liz…” Isabel exhaled deeply. “I’m in so much trouble. I’m already head over heels.”
“Izzy…is that really such a bad thing?”
Isabel had no idea how to answer that question. Was falling for Alex really such a bad thing? Liz lay there in silence with Isabel for a minute.
Their joined hands must have had some effect on Isabel, because it took her less time to come back with her answer than both she and Liz expected.
“No…it isn’t.”
-:-:-:-
Isabel had only been gone from Liz’s bed twenty minutes, a whispered thank you on her lips, when someone else jumped in.
I’ll take Family Members for two hundred, Alex.
Okay Liz…this twin has no qualms about personal space and a knack for both computers and music.
“Isabel is amazing.”
Who is Alex?
“Incredible. Amazing and incredible. And beautiful. Did I say she was incredible?”
Correct! Well done Liz!
“Yes, you did. And she is. So I’m guessing you had fun, huh?” Even the darkness of the room wasn’t enough to snuff out the pure white of Alex’s smile, and Liz smiled back. “I’m taking that smile as a yes.”
“She’s interesting and beautiful and sweet and Liz?” Liz raised her eyebrows in question, waiting for him to continue. “I’m pretty sure I’m already madly in love with her.”
“Wow…high praise.”
“Does she deserve any less? No…no…she deserves everything. Oh…did I wake you up?”
Liz laughed brightly. “I was already half awake. Don’t worry about it. Besides, you know I was waiting for you to give me the breakdown on your date. So when are you going to ask her out again?”
“Do you think now’s too soon?”
“Uh…yeah…just a bit.”
“Okay I’ll ask tomorrow. Ahhh!” Alex started bouncing up and down on Liz’s bed, his natural excess of energy spilling over. The fact that he was lying down didn’t seem to discourage the bouncing. “Lizzy…I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight. I’m way too…I don’t know…effervescent.”
Liz raised her right eyebrow. “Effervescent?”
“Word of the day calendar. There’s no way I’m going to be able to sleep tonight.”
“That explains your recent use of ten cent words. Al, if you don’t sleep tonight, how are you going to be at your best tomorrow when you ask her out?”
“Excellent point.” Alex hopped out of his twin sister’s bed and was about halfway across the room when he suddenly turned around and jogged back to the bed. He leaned toward Liz and kissed her on the forehead. “Thanks for being Isabel’s best friend.”
“Thank Michael. He started all of this by being friends with Max.”
“You’re right! I should thank Michael.”
Alex was almost out Liz’s door before she said, “Uh Alex? I’d wait until the morning to do that too.”
Alex grinned in response, shutting the door gently behind him.
-:-:-:-
If Liz had any designs on getting uninterrupted sleep that night, she would have been considered a fool. But Liz was not a fool, especially when it came to her family, and so she was unsurprised when the third body of the night hit her bed.
“Lizzy?” Kyle’s unmistakable baritone hit her ears and Liz turned her head to regard the younger of her older brothers. “I’m in love.” Though his voice was only a whisper, Kyle’s words were as heavy as an anvil.
“Wow.” Liz’s voice was a whisper too, and her smile made Kyle smile right back.
“Yeah.”
“You know what this means, Kyle.”
“Yeah, Lizzy…I do. I know exactly what this means.” Kyle reached for Liz’s hand, holding it tightly in his.
“My anam cara.”
“Your anam cara.”
“Just like mom and dad.”
Kyle sighed. “Just like mom and dad.”
“I’m so happy for you, Kyle. Have you told Mike yet?”
“No. You know how he gets when he doesn’t get enough sleep. I knew you’d be up, waiting for Alex.”
“Good to know I’m that predictable. But I’m glad you told me.”
“Me too. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep tonight otherwise. Thanks Lizzy.” Kyle kissed the back of his sister’s hand before letting it go. “I should get to bed. I need my beauty sleep.” Kyle sat up and then stood from the bed, walking toward the door.
“Kyle?” Kyle turned. “You should tell dad too. He’d want to know. And he doesn’t have the benefit of the twin thing like some of us do.”
“I will. Goodnight Lizzy.”
“Night.”
-:-:-:-
“Liz? You asleep?”
“Nope. My bedroom is Grand Central Station tonight. Hop in.” Liz pulled the covers off the other side of the bed, inviting Michael in. He accepted them gratefully, sliding in the bed and pulling the covers over his body.
Kyle had left just minutes before, and Liz had a feeling that Michael knew that. Somehow she got the sense from him that whatever it was he wanted to talk about, it would take a while. That he had been biding his time until he was sure there was no one left who had something they needed to talk through.
Michael didn’t say anything, so Liz searched for something to break the ice and used the first thing that came to her. “So…you owe me two hundred bucks.”
“No shit? Already? Good call.”
“Hey…who knows your brother?” Michael laughed softly. “So what’s up Mike?”
“I took Maria out tonight.”
When he didn’t elaborate, Liz said, “Okaaaaayyyy…not news.”
“I know that.” Michael was looking up at the ceiling, not at her, so it was difficult to tell exactly what he was thinking right at the moment or what it was specifically that was stuck under his skin.
“Why doesn’t she laugh like she used to Lizzy? She smiles, but she doesn’t laugh. She used to laugh all the time. I took her to A Man Walks Into a Bar tonight, just so I could hear her laugh again.” Michael turned his head and looked at his sister.
“I don’t know. Maybe she just got older. We all change as we get older.”
“Not us.”
“Are you kidding? Of course we did.” Michael turned onto his side, fully facing Liz now.
“No we didn’t.”
“We did, it just happened earlier for us than it does for most kids. We didn’t have to wait for puberty.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Mom died and we changed.” Michael grimaced. “It’s okay to say that, Mike.”
“How did we change?”
“How did we not change? I started taking everyone’s problems on myself, hoping that fixing whatever was wrong with them would fix me too. Alex holed himself up for hours in his room, intent on teaching himself to play that guitar dad bought him. Kyle wanted to quit a sport…Kyle, Michael, think about that…and you stopped wanting to do anything you liked doing before. We changed. Even if we didn’t intend to, we changed.”
“I wish I knew why she stopped laughing.”
“Have you ever thought of asking her, instead of fighting with her?”
“I have a feeling that Maria and I will always fight.”
“Okay, well have you ever thought of asking her anyway, even though you know it may cause a fight? Maybe she’s fighting with you because you’re getting too close. Maria doesn’t seem to fight with anyone else.”
“You think?”
Liz shrugged. “She’s Jericho, Mike.”
“Jericho?”
“The biblical city. Poorly and hastily built walls can’t stand. Eventually…they fall. It just takes the right amount of pressure in the right spot to do it. Maria’s just waiting for someone to make those walls fall.”
“How did you get so smart?”
“I must get it from you.”
“Yeah…that’s it. So what do I do?”
“Make her feel like she’s not alone, that you’re there for her. And when those walls are ready to come down, you’ll know.”
The two of them lay there in silence for a minute or two and Michael wondered how many more times he’d have the opportunity to do this with her.
“Lizzy?”
“Hmm?”
“What do you do when you have a problem?”
Liz furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”
“We come to you with our problems…who do you go to?”
“Oh…no one.”
“No one? That’s not healthy.”
Liz laughed. “You don’t get it. I don’t really need to. Most of the problems I’ve had one of you has too, and helping you out with your problem has always helped with mine. But if I really have a problem I can’t solve, then I talk to one of you. If anything, mom dying made me a much better listener. More patient.”
“Hmm…I never thought of it that way. Anything you need to get off your chest?”
Liz laughed. “Not that I can think of…no.”
Michael climbed out of the bed, but not before he kissed Liz on the top of her head. “Okay…I’m going to leave and let you get some sleep. I’m pretty sure no one else is going to come climbing into your bed tonight. Wait a minute…”
Liz laughed again, much louder this time. “He knows you’d kill him, Mike.”
“He’d better know that.”
“Goodnight Michael Andrew.”
“Goodnight Elizabeth Katherine.”
-:-:-:-
Thankfully no one else needed the services of Dr. Parker that night, so Liz was allowed a near six hours of uninterrupted sleep. When she woke the sun was shining and the whole world seemed to have a smile on its face. Something good was going to happen today, she could feel it.
Liz flipped the covers off herself and stood, noticing for the first time that her side didn’t seem to hurt nearly as much as it had since the accident. It almost seemed a mere annoyance now, instead of the dull ache she had become used to.
She walked down the stairs, her feet making a soft noise. The house was still quiet, indicating that nearly all its occupants were still asleep. So when Liz walked into the kitchen and found only her father sitting at the island, she wasn’t surprised in the least bit.
Liz yawned. “Morning dad.” She walked over to the fridge and pulled out a plastic, gallon-sized jug of orange juice.
Jeff looked up from the paper laid out in front of him. “Morning squirt. Sleep well?”
“When I finally got to sleep, yes.”
Jeff laughed under his breath. “How many visitors last night?”
“Four.” At her father’s raised eyebrows, she added, “None of them Max.”
“I’m surprised Mike isn’t up with you.”
“I thought I’d let him sleep in a little longer.”
“So he was your last patient, huh?”
“Something like that.” Liz pulled the Datebook section from the stack under her father’s open front page and flipped to the New York Times crossword puzzle. It was a Wednesday, meaning the puzzle wouldn’t be too difficult. She pulled a pencil from the cup at the end of the island and got to work.
Fifteen minutes later Kyle walked in the kitchen just as Jeff was asking, “Wrinkled fruit…four letters.”
“Ugli. Oh and fourteen down is ‘on me’.”
“Are you both doing the Times crossword puzzle?”
“How do you spell that? And yes…I found one in the Register and we thought it would be fun to do it together.”
“You…gee…el…eye.”
“Really?” Liz nodded. “Hmm…” Jeff filled in the four letters and extended his arms in front of himself, surveying the puzzle as a whole. “We’re still missing twenty-four across. We get that and it could open a lot more opportunities.”
“Still working on that one.” They lapsed into silence and Kyle reached for the Sporting Green. The kitchen was filled with the sound of rustling paper when Michael walked in a few minutes later.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Liz could feel Michael looking at her, and she looked up.
“I thought you’d like to sleep a little longer.”
He nodded, scratching the back of his neck as he walked to the cupboard to get a glass. He sat in the seat next to his father and said, “So dad, what’s the news?”
“Well, I have some news.” Everyone looked at Kyle. And though Liz was pretty sure she knew exactly what he was about to say, she was still a bit shocked. She hadn’t expected him to say it to Michael and their dad over juice and the Chronicle. “I’m in love. I found my anam cara.” Jeff smiled and Michael nodded.
“I knew there was something different about you today. Congrats little brother.”
“I’m very happy for you Kyle.”
“Thanks Mike. Thanks dad.”
Jeff looked at his daughter, who had said nothing and was looking back down at the crossword puzzle. “I’m guessing from your silence you already knew.”
“Number three. And speaking of number three, I think the answer is ‘Liotta’. Wasn’t he in that movie?”
Michael leaned over his father’s puzzle. “Ray Liotta? Yeah…he was.”
“Killer.” The three Parker men laughed.
-:-:-:-
Alex swung into the large kitchen, the last to wake. Had he known what he was about to walk into, he may have just stayed in bed.
“He wasn’t able to walk straight for a week!”
As soon as the words hit Alex, he groaned. “Oh…Lizzy! Did you have to tell that story?”
Liz turned to look at him, an evil smile on her face. “When you least expect it my friend…when you least expect it.”
“You got me there.” Alex shook his head and came further into the room, stopping at the edge of the island.
“Good of you to join us Rip Van Winkle.”
“Hey…it’s my pleasure.” Alex took a bow, keeping in mind that his leg was broken. He couldn’t bend nearly so far as was normal, but the effect was still there. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as used to the cast as he thought, and he started to tip over. Kyle caught him by the arm, leaning over to prevent his complete collapse.
The quick action made a necklace slide out from under his shirt, the simple silver-colored band swaying gently on a silver-colored ball chain.
“Probably shouldn’t make such abrupt movements for the time being, Al. I won’t be in Boston to catch you once school starts again.”
“Hey Kyle…what’s that?” Isabel pointed to the ring on its chain, now resting against Kyle’s chest over his t-shirt.
Kyle looked down out of instinct, though he knew what she was talking about. “My mom’s wedding ring. Dad gave it to me after she died. Michael has her engagement ring.”
“Can I…no…never mind.” Isabel shook her head quickly.
“No, it’s okay Isabel. You can see it.” Kyle unhooked the necklace, holding it by the clasp before lowering it into Isabel’s outstretched hand. She examined the platinum ring, delicately turning it over in her hand. There were words written inside, and Isabel pulled the ring closer to read them.
“Ah-nahm car-uh. Anam cara? What does that mean?” Isabel looked at Kyle, who in turn looked at his dad, waiting for him to answer.
“Anam cara is Irish Gaelic, Isabel. It means ‘soul friend’. It’s the Gaelic way of saying soul mate. Nancy was my soul mate. My ring says the same.” Jeff pulled off his ring, handing it to Isabel. “See?”
Isabel looked inside Jeff’s band. “That’s beautiful.” She handed each ring back to its owner.
“It’s a Parker family curse of sorts. We Parkers are destined to have one love all our lives.” Max looked around at all the Parkers, who were nodding.
“Is it really a curse to love just one person all your life?”
Jeff shook his head. “Of course not Max, but it can on occasion feel like one when your love is taken from you before you’re ready. Although I suppose you’re never really ready to say goodbye to the love of your life.”
The phone rang, breaking them all from familiar trains of thought. Liz reached behind her for the cordless phone. “Good morning, Liz the psychiatrist speaking. What’s your stigma?”
The humor was clear in the response on the other line. “My parents loved me too much.”
“Grandma!”
“Grandma’s on the phone?”
“Grandma! Grandma! Can you hear me?”
“Hi Grandma!”
“Grandma, I’m putting you on speakerphone.” Liz pushed the button and set the handset down in the center of the island.
“Hi Grand-”
“Grandma, did-”
“Where are you ca-”
“Mom, have-”
“Did you have-”
A loud whistle came from the phone and the Parkers stopped mid-sentence. “That’s better. Can’t let an old lady get a word in edgewise, can you? Tell you what, why don’t you all walk to the front door?” They looked at one another quizzically but did as they were told. Jeff took the phone, leading the group to the front door.
He pushed down on the handle and opened the door.
“Hi everyone. Did you miss us?”
Last edited by OrangeSky on Mon Jan 29, 2007 10:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
Alli
Dean: Damn cops.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
Sam: They were just doing their job.
Dean: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.