On the Razor's Edge - Chapter 2 - 06/15/2019
Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2019 10:40 am
"Out everyone, out." Dr. Cook said as she came into the room to check her patient and found the room crowded. "The patient needs rest, and we have to do more testing. You can all see her later." she said as she directed everyone to leave the room, which had happened moments after discovery of Carrie and so everyone was now forced into the hallway to face the fallout of the revelations.
"Come on, son." Maria said to her son as she didn’t feel like they were needed for the bigger gathering as she looked at her watch and realized time was dwindling down. "We need to get you registered for your own operation, and then get you ready. Your father should be meeting us anytime, and I am not taking no for an answer young man. As you could see for yourself, Grace is better than she was, and if anything changes, well, I'll let you know about it."
"Can't we wait," Jake asked and almost pleaded. He really didn’t want to go.
"No," Maria demanded as she gave her son a glare he knew very well. "I suspect we should leave everyone alone and for you to go and deal with you own life."
"Fine," Jake sighed. "Uncle Max, tell me everything."
"Yes, I will Jake, good luck yourself" Max said as he saw how the grandparents were reacting to the presence of Carrie and knew he had to put some control into the situation. "Mom please give Carrie some space."
"Your name is Carrie?" Diane asked as she tried to figure how to deal with the bizarre situation her son was now in, and what it all meant for her family and of course she couldn’t help but butt into the situation and seek information.
"Yes, Caroline but I go by Carrie most of the time." Caroline said as she still felt wary of the prying eyes, and all the glares on her as the grandparents all focused on the younger teenager. Jeff and Nancy were struck at the resemblance to their daughter, and Diane was startled by the similarities to her son. “It’s usually when Mom is angry with me, or my teachers that I go by Caroline.”
"Then well hello, since my son isn’t doing the honors, well, my name is Diane Evans. I am Max's mother. So, it is an honor to meet you.” Diane smiled as she glanced over at her worried son, who was concerned about how much to put on the young girl since his mother was known to be unpredictable. “I suspect I might know where you got your name…"
"It's nice to meet you too," Carrie said as she took the sight of the woman who was very likely her grandmother. “You do?”
“Yes,” Diane smiled in a way, so she could be reassuring to the teenager. “Before Max and his sister came into the house I share with my husband. We tried to adopt a little girl a few years before we found our kids, and it didn’t go through. Her name was Caroline. But we always remembered her and told the kids about her and I am sure your father told your mother about Caroline.”
“I did,” Max smiled.
"And we are Jeff and Nancy Parker. Our daughter was, or is, Elizabeth Parker Evans." Jeff smiled as he came into the conversation.”
"You would be Mom's parents, right?" Carrie asked as she took in the adults and could see the apprehension in Max's eyes, and the wariness of not knowing where this was going. "Cool."
"Where is your mother?" Jeff asked as he looked around and didn’t see Beth, or the other girl he knew there was…
"Back at the motel," Carrie admitted.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Max said as he saw Beth coming down the hallway with Alexandra steps behind her as he smirked and smiled at his daughter. "It looks like you have been busted."
"Damn," Carrie muttered as Beth approached and saw from the anger on her mother’s face, that this wouldn’t be good. "Mom!"
"Don't Mom me Caroline," Beth said as she focused on her daughter in the crowd and ignored the others as she saw her daughter. "What on earth made you decide to come here without telling me or your sister."
"She was passed out, and you didn't look like you were awake, and I was unable to sleep so I decided to take a walk."
"Carrie, after what I went through with your sister, I expected more of you than this. If you're going somewhere, tell me, tell your sister or please at least leave a note telling us where you would be if you can’t stay put."
"I didn't know where I was going. I headed to the Crashdown, but it was closed so I came here instead."
"God, how am I going to deal with you two." Beth muttered not comprehending that they were being watched and even then, she focused on her daughter. "But I guess I should ask; did you see Grace. How she is doing?"
"She's awake and talking. The doctor forced us out while they let her rest and do any testing, but Mom, I promise you that I wasn't trying to hurt you" Carrie said as she did her best supportive daughter number. "I am fine."
"You better be," Beth muttered as she then started to notice that they had a crowd and suddenly felt overwhelmed. "Max, hello, I am sorry for intruding."
"You are more than welcome, as you know that" Max smiled while Diane, Jeff and Nancy looked in awed silence as Max interacted with this woman who is believed to be their daughter and daughter-in law. "Beth, I know this will a lot for you to deal with, but I should introduce you to my mother, Diane Evans. And Liz's parents, Jeff and Nancy Parker. Mom, Jeff and Nancy, this is Beth Evans."
"God," the adults whispered as thy hadn't even begun to deal with the reveal about Carrie.
"And Mom, Dad; Jeff and Nancy, well, this is her other daughter, Alexandra Evans."
"Damn," Jeff thought as she saw the twins together and next to their mother. It was all the evidence he needed to know his daughter was truly alive and back in their lives. "My god!"
"Hello," Beth timidly as she became aware of what this encounter did mean. "I am sure this wasn’t what you were expecting…."
"It’s certainly a surprise," Diane admitted as she faced her daughter-in-law, who looked at her as if she was a stranger. "You go by Beth?” she asked of the name.
"It’s the only name I know,” Beth admitted as she sighed because of the uncomfortableness of the unknown. “I know it’s not the name you would know me as but it’s identity that I took as I recovered so many years ago.”
“Of course, it odd, but it would be natural for you and totally understandable. So, how has it been here in Roswell?” Diane asked, and Jeff and Nancy stayed silent as they watched the girl with no recognition of her family.
“It's definitely been a learning experience.” Beth sighed as she thought of what she’s experienced since landing in Roswell and it was very surreal and almost unbelievable as she knew her girls were relishing in it. “I do remember you two from last night,” Beth asked as she focused on Jeff and Nancy. "So, I know this has got to be jarring for you?"
“It is,” Nancy acknowledged.
"Has being in Roswell brought back any memories?" Jeff asked cautiously as he prayed, they would one day get their daughter back, and that she could stop looking at them like they were strangers.
"A few, but not as much as I would like." Beth said honestly. "Although I am starting to see what Liz meant to you all, but the feeling isn't there yet... and that I know has got to hurt you” she asked as she knew from experience back in Madison when she had to deal with patients who were strangers to their families, and how much it ached at the loss of memories and to now experience it first hand was gut-wrenching in so many ways.
"You're alive, and here in Roswell. That is all that matters. Anything else is gravy." Nancy smiled as she tried to change from the uncomfortable situation and focused on something positive and smiled as she looked at Alexandra and Carrie and was truly amazed at how the twins resembled both of their parents and Grace. "Can I ask, who is older?"
"I am," Alexandra smiled as she glanced over at her sister. “Five minutes. We may look the same, but we're very different."
"Most days," Beth murmured as she was struck by how much a surprise her girls were turning out to be as they got older.
"How is Grace?" Max asked immediately as he noticed a door open and saw his daughter's doctor come out into the crowded hallway. "Dr. Cook, how is my daughter?"
"She is being prepped now to go for some scans, so I'll know more in a few hours. So far there isn't much improvement in terms of her movement, but as the swelling is reduced than we will know more."
"Thank you again Dr. Cook for all you have done for my daughter. I do appreciate it," Max acknowledged as the door open to Grace’s room, and out came some medical staff.
"Here she comes," Dr. Cook announced as Grace was wheeled out of the room, as she moved towards the gurney, "Grace, I'll meet you up there."
Grace nodded as she looked around, “Where is Jake?” she asked the collection of grandparents and even Beth.
“He had to leave,” Max said.
“Oh,” Grace nodded as she sighed. “Get me any updates, okay?” she asked as she was wheeled away towards the elevator
“She seems to have gotten a lot closer to Jake lately,” Beth commented.
“Yeah,” Max nodded as he sighed. “But if it keeps her company as she gets better, I guess I can’t stop her. Michael, Maria and I can worry about that later.”
“I wish you good luck at that,” Jeff nodded as he knew from experience that it was very hard to stop something that is rolling down the mountain.
Amy had gone ahead, and Jim had parked in the parking lot but was now entering the hospital “Where is Jake?” Jim inquired of Michael as he saw him near the entrance on his cell phone. “I figured you would up there?”
“They were doing an x-ray before they begin the operation,” Michael nodded. “I needed to check on a case I had pending. Amy went upstairs to be with Maria.”
“I figured,” Jim nodded. “It’s good that I saw you. We need to talk. And I further need to talk with Max, but given Grace’s situation… I figured I can save that discussion for now, at least.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Tommy is awake,” Jim said simply.
“Fu&k” Michael swore as he put his phone away and focused on the Sheriff. “When?”
“Sometime overnight, I got the news when I got to work this morning.” Jim said.
“Damn it, I knew Elizabeth paying that visit and openings up the gods wasn’t going to be good for us. Do you know what kind of recall he has?” Michael asked as he thought of his rule breaker of a daughter, and the fact he was looking at himself in her eyes was not exactly good for his soul.
“No, I’m supposed to see him while I am here at the hospital… I don’t know what the situation is as I haven’t talked to his doctors yet.”
“I guess it would be too good to be true if the whack on the head causes him amnesia about the incident in the park?” Michael asked as he thought of the numerous ways this could go badly for the gang, and they were too numerous to count. “It’s one hit after another” he asked of all the disasters that have come their way in only a few weeks.
“We would be too damn lucky,” Jim nodded as they walked to the elevator. “Which isn’t where the fates are leading us right now, as seriously Michael, it is going to open a huge hornet’s nest if he does have any recall of the incident, or at the most, who actually was present. Currently we have left Jake and Grace out of it, but given who we are talking about… I am not sure how we can for much longer… And add Elizabeth’s actions on top of it.”
“She’s convinced she did it for the right reason.”
“And she probably did,” Jim reasoned. “Tommy is not someone you want to mess with given his connections in this town, and Grace has woken up to that with lasting ramifications, and some of it we can prevent.”
“It’s still he said/she said.”
“Yup, and that makes it very tricky,” Jim said. “I love the career I have chosen but even I know how the law treats this kind of thing. She didn’t report it, for numerous reasons, and only later did she see that there were consequences.”
“And said consequences can’t even corroborate her story because of the circumstances,” Michael admitted as he hated how the fact they were alien, and in Grace’s case; half alien and how her heritage was complicating her human side, and the ability to prove she was attacked.
“Nope,” Jim nodded as they talked in the elevator. “It’s going to give Tommy cause to say she’s lying.”
“And finger my son?” Michael asked as he knew just who Tommy would finger if he Grace could prove her side, and it would lead right to his doorstep.
“Unfortunately,” Jim admitted as he could tell how it weighed on Michael and Maria, and even Jake to some extent. “Their little getaway leads to a mucky trail…”
“I hate this,” Michael groaned. “Maxwell and Grace do not need this added onto their latest challenges.”
“NO, they don’t,” as they reached the Intensive Care Unit and got off the elevator and went and sought out Grace’s hospital room.
“Okay, you two…I figure you’re hungry?” Beth asked. “Or I am so I think we should go down to the cafeteria and have some breakfast so that I can lecture you one more time about leaving without warning.”
“Mom,” Carrie whined.
“Well it obviously didn’t stick the first time, so, come on” she said to her kids and turned to face the others and tried to ignore the awkwardness of the encounter. “If you need me Max, I’ll be down in the cafeteria and if not, I will be checking in with the hospital back home, or with Serena but I don’t plan to leave the hospital, so you can probably find me if these two are roaming the hospital again without me keeping an eye on them...”
“Sure,” Max nodded as they watched Beth and the twins walk off. Jeff sighed, and turned to his son-law as they all watched the trio of brunettes walk down the hall towards the elevator. “Max?”
“Yes,” Max asked as he looked at the conflicting faces of his in-laws. “I know that had to be hard for you.”
“What about you?” Jeff asked. “How can you stand there, and interact with her without it showing that it kills you that it’s not the Liz we knew, and loved?
“Because pushing will drive her away. It kills me alright but given for the last nearly fourteen years we have been living under the assumption she was dead. I will take having her alive, even the current circumstances. It hurts that she doesn’t remember us, but that is a situation that can only improve while having her dead, then there is no chance of her coming back.”
“It hurts,” Nancy sighed as it killed her to see deadness in those eyes and know she didn’t have any memories.
“I know,” Max sighed. “And it does hurt me too, but all you can do is try” he asked. “And that goes for all of us. If we give her time, maybe can get to know the woman she is today, and we do have that chance, and I am not going to give that up… not without a fight”
Jeff and Nancy nodded and as they both knew they needed a break, so they walked away in the direction of the elevator. Sighing, it hurt Max deeply to see how confused and painful it was for his in-laws to be dealing with all this. On one side, their daughter was alive and, yet she didn’t know them. She had more memories of him than of her own parents, and it was painful because he knew how close Liz had been to her parents.
Michael and Jim hadn’t gone to Grace’s room – they had ended up at Tommy’s Ellis hospital room, with Michael watching through the glass window as Jim took in the room. Talking to the doctor had not given them a lot to go with as Tommy was now asleep and while the doctors were confident about Tommy’s survival. They didn’t know how much he knew. Like Grace; he knew where he was and who he was. But didn’t show his hand yet so it left Michael hopeful, and Jim worried.
The whispers had made it through the halls of West Roswell High. On numerous topics, but on this day as Elizabeth and Sue walked out of one of their joint classes was on the nature of Tommy Ellis. It stopped Elizabeth dead when she heard a classmate talking as she passed on the way to her locker. Did you hear the Tommy is awake?”
“What?” Elizabeth stopped and asked Julie Simmons.
“Tommy Ellis has been in the hospital all week, and apparently he’s now awake and there is hope he will be back at school soon.”
“How do you know?” Elizabeth asked with her breath held.
“Maya Thomas is doing work study at the hospital this semester and she knew he had been admitted, and she told her boyfriend Douglas that Tommy who was unconscious just woke up sometime last night.”
“Damn it,” Elizabeth said silently and under her breath and Sue knew something was troubling her friend and was wondering if it was part of the big family secret. “Thank you, Julie, although I can’t say I miss him.”
“Most don’t, but he knows where the bodies are buried” Maisie sighed.
“What?” Sue asked.
“Ellis is not someone to mess with, and a lot people have gotten burned along the way” Maisie reflected as she left for her class, while Elizabeth and Sue walked into the bathroom before they were separating for their final class of the morning and Elizabeth let out a violent curse.
“Damn it, damn it, Damn it!” Elizabeth swore, and kicked her bookbag against the wall in frustration.
“What’s going on?” Sue asked.
“This is the end of the world,” Elizabeth muttered as she checked each stall in the bathroom to see if they were alone. Thankfully for once, they were, and there was no surveillance camera in the bathroom. “Tommy should never have woken up?”
“Why?” Sue asked.
“Grace is the reason Tommy got injured?” Elizabeth said carefully. “I am screwed,” she muttered.
“What did Grace do?”
“We can’t talk here,” Elizabeth said as went into a stall. “We don’t know if the walls have ears, so let us just say it does no one any good if Tommy is awake and has the capacity to talk and leave it at that.”
“We have class,” Sue said.
“Let us go,” Elizabeth nodded as they walked out of the bathroom and separated to go their own classes and while Sue was headed to her drama elective, she saw that Elizabeth wasn’t headed to her creative writing elective. She was headed to the front doors and was soon out of the building all together with Sue deciding to follow her friend.
Max realized he needed to check in with his office, so while Grace was off undergoing her testing, he went to make some phone calls after walking his mother to her a taxi because he had driven, and Diane had wanted her son to stay at the hospital, and after he did so, he saw his father walk through the main door. “Hey”
“Hello son,” Phillip smiled as he approached his son. “How is my granddaughter?”
“She had been undergoing testing so I thought I would check in with Cassandra to see if she was successful in pushing off my more urgent cases.”
“Was she?” Phillip asked as he didn’t realize how much he was appreciating his lessen work load as he prepared to head into retirement but didn’t like how much of the burden would fall onto his son as he was now facing a very complicated home life. “If you need me to help out, I could…”
“Yes fortunately,” Max nodded as he appreciated the offer. “She said she was doing so for you also, so I don’t want you to think you need to pick up any of my layaways, as most of my cases are not at the critical point yet so I have a little leeway.”
“With the grandkids spending the night, I decided to spend the morning at home and coming over here. But I plan to head to the office later if you want me to check into anything for you and I am willing to pick up the slack for you if you need me Max, all you need to do is ask. I have the time, and not as many complications as you right.”
“I do appreciate the offer, but you don’t have to, but I might take you up on it later but right now everything is handled” Max sighed as he didn’t relish having to give the responsibilities on his aging father because he knew Phillip was enjoying the lessen work load, and he knew his mother appreciated having more access to her husband after so many years focused on his legal career… “Mom was here earlier” he commented as he changed the subject.
“I know,” Phillip nodded. “She phoned me before she left for home. She mentioned she met the woman who goes by Beth?”
“She did,” Max said. “I know it had to be an uncomfortable situation for her, but she did well. She also met Beth’s twin daughters, Alexandra and Carrie.”
“It is a wild situation son, how are you handling it?” Phillip whistled at the complexities of his son’s life after so many years of being a single father to Grace, and alone, and now to face so many challenges.
“I haven’t even begun to deal with it. So much is happening. Each day it’s a new thing, and it hasn’t even allowed me to sit and deal with what it all means for myself, and for Grace. There will be a lot of time for that after we know how Grace deals with this latest setback?”
“How is she, son?” Phillip asked. “Seriously Max, how is my granddaughter?”
“Seriously, it’s as serious as it gets. She hasn’t regained her movement yet when she off for her testing, but it’s still new so time is on our side. The wound was very close to the spine, so it’s possible something was nicked or it’s the matter of the swelling. We won’t know until the results come back or even days from now.”
“Well Grace is an Evans, and we’re fighters.”
“Same with the Parkers. Liz was a fighter, or shall I say still is one…”
“I am going to up to see Grace,” Phillip said.
“I have to make one more call, and I’ll join you up there.” Max nodded as he watched his father head for the elevator. Sighing about how complicated his life had turned into, he turned on his phone and saw that his phone was ringing. “Damn, now what?”
“Hello?” he asked tentatively as he adjusted his voice when he didn’t recognize the name on his phone. “This is Max Evans; how can I help you?”
“Mr. Evans?” came the voice as she was tentative in the tone, she gave him. “This is Sue Adams, and I am a friend of your daughter and Elizabeth Guerin…”
“Right Sue, I remember you, sorry about my brusque tone. So, what is the issue?”
“I am worried about Elizabeth. I am across the street from your home, and I just saw her enter it a few minutes ago. I am afraid of what she’s going to do?” Sue asked as she stared at the empty house from across the street, next to her car as she watched Elizabeth steamroll herself into Evans without even having to use a key, which confused Sue What is it with my friends she wondered to herself.
“I didn’t give her permission, but she might be there to pick up some homework for Grace to hand in,” Max asked as he tried to come up with a plausible reason for how his god-daughter would be entering his home when she knew he and Grace were at the hospital. “How did she get in?”
“I don’t know, I am not that close to see” she lied because she didn’t believe what she had seen, so to explain it didn’t make any sense. “Anyway, the reason why I am concerned is that she was reacting irrationally at school and then she showed up at your house, and I don’t know what she could be thinking…”
“How so,” Max asked.
“It all started when we found out that Tommy is awake!”
“Shit!” Max said out loud at the stunning revelation and then realized who he was speaking to, and he was chastened. “Sorry!”
“I have heard worse,” Sue assured her friend’s father as she tried to get a sense of what she should be doing to ward off disaster she figured was on the way. “So, what should I do?”
“Go back to school,” Max smiled as he also frowned at the worry on why his goddaughter would need to break into his house. “You should let me deal with it okay because it doesn’t matter to you.”
“If you say so” Sue asked although she didn’t sound too convinced.
Max disconnected the call, and text a string of messages to Michael, Why, would your daughter want to break into my house? And a second “Is Tommy awake? and a third, “Meet me at my house!” and he vanished from the hospital.
Michael was no longer watching Jim with Tommy. Given the boy was still asleep, he went in search of his wife, and own son who was now in the operating room. Apparently, the scan was as they thought the situation was, and nothing more complicated so at least that was comforting, so now he went in search when he heard his phone go. Wondering if it was Mary at the office, he saw three texts from Max in quick succession. Uh oh, he whispered when he saw the first one. Damn it.
He saw his wife in the waiting room with the outer of eye as he was looking down at his phone, why? he asked himself. “We have trouble,” he said to his wife, and he sought her out and hugged her.
“What?” Maria asked.
“Elizabeth is at Max’s house. Apparently, she broke in. Max wants to know what she wants?”
“She is going after the gun!” Maria whispered frantically. “Why?”
“Yup!” Michael grimly acknowledged. “I didn’t want to have to tell you this way but also, Tommy is awake!”
“F&ck!” Maria swore…
"Come on, son." Maria said to her son as she didn’t feel like they were needed for the bigger gathering as she looked at her watch and realized time was dwindling down. "We need to get you registered for your own operation, and then get you ready. Your father should be meeting us anytime, and I am not taking no for an answer young man. As you could see for yourself, Grace is better than she was, and if anything changes, well, I'll let you know about it."
"Can't we wait," Jake asked and almost pleaded. He really didn’t want to go.
"No," Maria demanded as she gave her son a glare he knew very well. "I suspect we should leave everyone alone and for you to go and deal with you own life."
"Fine," Jake sighed. "Uncle Max, tell me everything."
"Yes, I will Jake, good luck yourself" Max said as he saw how the grandparents were reacting to the presence of Carrie and knew he had to put some control into the situation. "Mom please give Carrie some space."
"Your name is Carrie?" Diane asked as she tried to figure how to deal with the bizarre situation her son was now in, and what it all meant for her family and of course she couldn’t help but butt into the situation and seek information.
"Yes, Caroline but I go by Carrie most of the time." Caroline said as she still felt wary of the prying eyes, and all the glares on her as the grandparents all focused on the younger teenager. Jeff and Nancy were struck at the resemblance to their daughter, and Diane was startled by the similarities to her son. “It’s usually when Mom is angry with me, or my teachers that I go by Caroline.”
"Then well hello, since my son isn’t doing the honors, well, my name is Diane Evans. I am Max's mother. So, it is an honor to meet you.” Diane smiled as she glanced over at her worried son, who was concerned about how much to put on the young girl since his mother was known to be unpredictable. “I suspect I might know where you got your name…"
"It's nice to meet you too," Carrie said as she took the sight of the woman who was very likely her grandmother. “You do?”
“Yes,” Diane smiled in a way, so she could be reassuring to the teenager. “Before Max and his sister came into the house I share with my husband. We tried to adopt a little girl a few years before we found our kids, and it didn’t go through. Her name was Caroline. But we always remembered her and told the kids about her and I am sure your father told your mother about Caroline.”
“I did,” Max smiled.
"And we are Jeff and Nancy Parker. Our daughter was, or is, Elizabeth Parker Evans." Jeff smiled as he came into the conversation.”
"You would be Mom's parents, right?" Carrie asked as she took in the adults and could see the apprehension in Max's eyes, and the wariness of not knowing where this was going. "Cool."
"Where is your mother?" Jeff asked as he looked around and didn’t see Beth, or the other girl he knew there was…
"Back at the motel," Carrie admitted.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Max said as he saw Beth coming down the hallway with Alexandra steps behind her as he smirked and smiled at his daughter. "It looks like you have been busted."
"Damn," Carrie muttered as Beth approached and saw from the anger on her mother’s face, that this wouldn’t be good. "Mom!"
"Don't Mom me Caroline," Beth said as she focused on her daughter in the crowd and ignored the others as she saw her daughter. "What on earth made you decide to come here without telling me or your sister."
"She was passed out, and you didn't look like you were awake, and I was unable to sleep so I decided to take a walk."
"Carrie, after what I went through with your sister, I expected more of you than this. If you're going somewhere, tell me, tell your sister or please at least leave a note telling us where you would be if you can’t stay put."
"I didn't know where I was going. I headed to the Crashdown, but it was closed so I came here instead."
"God, how am I going to deal with you two." Beth muttered not comprehending that they were being watched and even then, she focused on her daughter. "But I guess I should ask; did you see Grace. How she is doing?"
"She's awake and talking. The doctor forced us out while they let her rest and do any testing, but Mom, I promise you that I wasn't trying to hurt you" Carrie said as she did her best supportive daughter number. "I am fine."
"You better be," Beth muttered as she then started to notice that they had a crowd and suddenly felt overwhelmed. "Max, hello, I am sorry for intruding."
"You are more than welcome, as you know that" Max smiled while Diane, Jeff and Nancy looked in awed silence as Max interacted with this woman who is believed to be their daughter and daughter-in law. "Beth, I know this will a lot for you to deal with, but I should introduce you to my mother, Diane Evans. And Liz's parents, Jeff and Nancy Parker. Mom, Jeff and Nancy, this is Beth Evans."
"God," the adults whispered as thy hadn't even begun to deal with the reveal about Carrie.
"And Mom, Dad; Jeff and Nancy, well, this is her other daughter, Alexandra Evans."
"Damn," Jeff thought as she saw the twins together and next to their mother. It was all the evidence he needed to know his daughter was truly alive and back in their lives. "My god!"
"Hello," Beth timidly as she became aware of what this encounter did mean. "I am sure this wasn’t what you were expecting…."
"It’s certainly a surprise," Diane admitted as she faced her daughter-in-law, who looked at her as if she was a stranger. "You go by Beth?” she asked of the name.
"It’s the only name I know,” Beth admitted as she sighed because of the uncomfortableness of the unknown. “I know it’s not the name you would know me as but it’s identity that I took as I recovered so many years ago.”
“Of course, it odd, but it would be natural for you and totally understandable. So, how has it been here in Roswell?” Diane asked, and Jeff and Nancy stayed silent as they watched the girl with no recognition of her family.
“It's definitely been a learning experience.” Beth sighed as she thought of what she’s experienced since landing in Roswell and it was very surreal and almost unbelievable as she knew her girls were relishing in it. “I do remember you two from last night,” Beth asked as she focused on Jeff and Nancy. "So, I know this has got to be jarring for you?"
“It is,” Nancy acknowledged.
"Has being in Roswell brought back any memories?" Jeff asked cautiously as he prayed, they would one day get their daughter back, and that she could stop looking at them like they were strangers.
"A few, but not as much as I would like." Beth said honestly. "Although I am starting to see what Liz meant to you all, but the feeling isn't there yet... and that I know has got to hurt you” she asked as she knew from experience back in Madison when she had to deal with patients who were strangers to their families, and how much it ached at the loss of memories and to now experience it first hand was gut-wrenching in so many ways.
"You're alive, and here in Roswell. That is all that matters. Anything else is gravy." Nancy smiled as she tried to change from the uncomfortable situation and focused on something positive and smiled as she looked at Alexandra and Carrie and was truly amazed at how the twins resembled both of their parents and Grace. "Can I ask, who is older?"
"I am," Alexandra smiled as she glanced over at her sister. “Five minutes. We may look the same, but we're very different."
"Most days," Beth murmured as she was struck by how much a surprise her girls were turning out to be as they got older.
"How is Grace?" Max asked immediately as he noticed a door open and saw his daughter's doctor come out into the crowded hallway. "Dr. Cook, how is my daughter?"
"She is being prepped now to go for some scans, so I'll know more in a few hours. So far there isn't much improvement in terms of her movement, but as the swelling is reduced than we will know more."
"Thank you again Dr. Cook for all you have done for my daughter. I do appreciate it," Max acknowledged as the door open to Grace’s room, and out came some medical staff.
"Here she comes," Dr. Cook announced as Grace was wheeled out of the room, as she moved towards the gurney, "Grace, I'll meet you up there."
Grace nodded as she looked around, “Where is Jake?” she asked the collection of grandparents and even Beth.
“He had to leave,” Max said.
“Oh,” Grace nodded as she sighed. “Get me any updates, okay?” she asked as she was wheeled away towards the elevator
“She seems to have gotten a lot closer to Jake lately,” Beth commented.
“Yeah,” Max nodded as he sighed. “But if it keeps her company as she gets better, I guess I can’t stop her. Michael, Maria and I can worry about that later.”
“I wish you good luck at that,” Jeff nodded as he knew from experience that it was very hard to stop something that is rolling down the mountain.
*
Amy had gone ahead, and Jim had parked in the parking lot but was now entering the hospital “Where is Jake?” Jim inquired of Michael as he saw him near the entrance on his cell phone. “I figured you would up there?”
“They were doing an x-ray before they begin the operation,” Michael nodded. “I needed to check on a case I had pending. Amy went upstairs to be with Maria.”
“I figured,” Jim nodded. “It’s good that I saw you. We need to talk. And I further need to talk with Max, but given Grace’s situation… I figured I can save that discussion for now, at least.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Tommy is awake,” Jim said simply.
“Fu&k” Michael swore as he put his phone away and focused on the Sheriff. “When?”
“Sometime overnight, I got the news when I got to work this morning.” Jim said.
“Damn it, I knew Elizabeth paying that visit and openings up the gods wasn’t going to be good for us. Do you know what kind of recall he has?” Michael asked as he thought of his rule breaker of a daughter, and the fact he was looking at himself in her eyes was not exactly good for his soul.
“No, I’m supposed to see him while I am here at the hospital… I don’t know what the situation is as I haven’t talked to his doctors yet.”
“I guess it would be too good to be true if the whack on the head causes him amnesia about the incident in the park?” Michael asked as he thought of the numerous ways this could go badly for the gang, and they were too numerous to count. “It’s one hit after another” he asked of all the disasters that have come their way in only a few weeks.
“We would be too damn lucky,” Jim nodded as they walked to the elevator. “Which isn’t where the fates are leading us right now, as seriously Michael, it is going to open a huge hornet’s nest if he does have any recall of the incident, or at the most, who actually was present. Currently we have left Jake and Grace out of it, but given who we are talking about… I am not sure how we can for much longer… And add Elizabeth’s actions on top of it.”
“She’s convinced she did it for the right reason.”
“And she probably did,” Jim reasoned. “Tommy is not someone you want to mess with given his connections in this town, and Grace has woken up to that with lasting ramifications, and some of it we can prevent.”
“It’s still he said/she said.”
“Yup, and that makes it very tricky,” Jim said. “I love the career I have chosen but even I know how the law treats this kind of thing. She didn’t report it, for numerous reasons, and only later did she see that there were consequences.”
“And said consequences can’t even corroborate her story because of the circumstances,” Michael admitted as he hated how the fact they were alien, and in Grace’s case; half alien and how her heritage was complicating her human side, and the ability to prove she was attacked.
“Nope,” Jim nodded as they talked in the elevator. “It’s going to give Tommy cause to say she’s lying.”
“And finger my son?” Michael asked as he knew just who Tommy would finger if he Grace could prove her side, and it would lead right to his doorstep.
“Unfortunately,” Jim admitted as he could tell how it weighed on Michael and Maria, and even Jake to some extent. “Their little getaway leads to a mucky trail…”
“I hate this,” Michael groaned. “Maxwell and Grace do not need this added onto their latest challenges.”
“NO, they don’t,” as they reached the Intensive Care Unit and got off the elevator and went and sought out Grace’s hospital room.
*
“Okay, you two…I figure you’re hungry?” Beth asked. “Or I am so I think we should go down to the cafeteria and have some breakfast so that I can lecture you one more time about leaving without warning.”
“Mom,” Carrie whined.
“Well it obviously didn’t stick the first time, so, come on” she said to her kids and turned to face the others and tried to ignore the awkwardness of the encounter. “If you need me Max, I’ll be down in the cafeteria and if not, I will be checking in with the hospital back home, or with Serena but I don’t plan to leave the hospital, so you can probably find me if these two are roaming the hospital again without me keeping an eye on them...”
“Sure,” Max nodded as they watched Beth and the twins walk off. Jeff sighed, and turned to his son-law as they all watched the trio of brunettes walk down the hall towards the elevator. “Max?”
“Yes,” Max asked as he looked at the conflicting faces of his in-laws. “I know that had to be hard for you.”
“What about you?” Jeff asked. “How can you stand there, and interact with her without it showing that it kills you that it’s not the Liz we knew, and loved?
“Because pushing will drive her away. It kills me alright but given for the last nearly fourteen years we have been living under the assumption she was dead. I will take having her alive, even the current circumstances. It hurts that she doesn’t remember us, but that is a situation that can only improve while having her dead, then there is no chance of her coming back.”
“It hurts,” Nancy sighed as it killed her to see deadness in those eyes and know she didn’t have any memories.
“I know,” Max sighed. “And it does hurt me too, but all you can do is try” he asked. “And that goes for all of us. If we give her time, maybe can get to know the woman she is today, and we do have that chance, and I am not going to give that up… not without a fight”
Jeff and Nancy nodded and as they both knew they needed a break, so they walked away in the direction of the elevator. Sighing, it hurt Max deeply to see how confused and painful it was for his in-laws to be dealing with all this. On one side, their daughter was alive and, yet she didn’t know them. She had more memories of him than of her own parents, and it was painful because he knew how close Liz had been to her parents.
*
Michael and Jim hadn’t gone to Grace’s room – they had ended up at Tommy’s Ellis hospital room, with Michael watching through the glass window as Jim took in the room. Talking to the doctor had not given them a lot to go with as Tommy was now asleep and while the doctors were confident about Tommy’s survival. They didn’t know how much he knew. Like Grace; he knew where he was and who he was. But didn’t show his hand yet so it left Michael hopeful, and Jim worried.
*
The whispers had made it through the halls of West Roswell High. On numerous topics, but on this day as Elizabeth and Sue walked out of one of their joint classes was on the nature of Tommy Ellis. It stopped Elizabeth dead when she heard a classmate talking as she passed on the way to her locker. Did you hear the Tommy is awake?”
“What?” Elizabeth stopped and asked Julie Simmons.
“Tommy Ellis has been in the hospital all week, and apparently he’s now awake and there is hope he will be back at school soon.”
“How do you know?” Elizabeth asked with her breath held.
“Maya Thomas is doing work study at the hospital this semester and she knew he had been admitted, and she told her boyfriend Douglas that Tommy who was unconscious just woke up sometime last night.”
“Damn it,” Elizabeth said silently and under her breath and Sue knew something was troubling her friend and was wondering if it was part of the big family secret. “Thank you, Julie, although I can’t say I miss him.”
“Most don’t, but he knows where the bodies are buried” Maisie sighed.
“What?” Sue asked.
“Ellis is not someone to mess with, and a lot people have gotten burned along the way” Maisie reflected as she left for her class, while Elizabeth and Sue walked into the bathroom before they were separating for their final class of the morning and Elizabeth let out a violent curse.
“Damn it, damn it, Damn it!” Elizabeth swore, and kicked her bookbag against the wall in frustration.
“What’s going on?” Sue asked.
“This is the end of the world,” Elizabeth muttered as she checked each stall in the bathroom to see if they were alone. Thankfully for once, they were, and there was no surveillance camera in the bathroom. “Tommy should never have woken up?”
“Why?” Sue asked.
“Grace is the reason Tommy got injured?” Elizabeth said carefully. “I am screwed,” she muttered.
“What did Grace do?”
“We can’t talk here,” Elizabeth said as went into a stall. “We don’t know if the walls have ears, so let us just say it does no one any good if Tommy is awake and has the capacity to talk and leave it at that.”
“We have class,” Sue said.
“Let us go,” Elizabeth nodded as they walked out of the bathroom and separated to go their own classes and while Sue was headed to her drama elective, she saw that Elizabeth wasn’t headed to her creative writing elective. She was headed to the front doors and was soon out of the building all together with Sue deciding to follow her friend.
*
Max realized he needed to check in with his office, so while Grace was off undergoing her testing, he went to make some phone calls after walking his mother to her a taxi because he had driven, and Diane had wanted her son to stay at the hospital, and after he did so, he saw his father walk through the main door. “Hey”
“Hello son,” Phillip smiled as he approached his son. “How is my granddaughter?”
“She had been undergoing testing so I thought I would check in with Cassandra to see if she was successful in pushing off my more urgent cases.”
“Was she?” Phillip asked as he didn’t realize how much he was appreciating his lessen work load as he prepared to head into retirement but didn’t like how much of the burden would fall onto his son as he was now facing a very complicated home life. “If you need me to help out, I could…”
“Yes fortunately,” Max nodded as he appreciated the offer. “She said she was doing so for you also, so I don’t want you to think you need to pick up any of my layaways, as most of my cases are not at the critical point yet so I have a little leeway.”
“With the grandkids spending the night, I decided to spend the morning at home and coming over here. But I plan to head to the office later if you want me to check into anything for you and I am willing to pick up the slack for you if you need me Max, all you need to do is ask. I have the time, and not as many complications as you right.”
“I do appreciate the offer, but you don’t have to, but I might take you up on it later but right now everything is handled” Max sighed as he didn’t relish having to give the responsibilities on his aging father because he knew Phillip was enjoying the lessen work load, and he knew his mother appreciated having more access to her husband after so many years focused on his legal career… “Mom was here earlier” he commented as he changed the subject.
“I know,” Phillip nodded. “She phoned me before she left for home. She mentioned she met the woman who goes by Beth?”
“She did,” Max said. “I know it had to be an uncomfortable situation for her, but she did well. She also met Beth’s twin daughters, Alexandra and Carrie.”
“It is a wild situation son, how are you handling it?” Phillip whistled at the complexities of his son’s life after so many years of being a single father to Grace, and alone, and now to face so many challenges.
“I haven’t even begun to deal with it. So much is happening. Each day it’s a new thing, and it hasn’t even allowed me to sit and deal with what it all means for myself, and for Grace. There will be a lot of time for that after we know how Grace deals with this latest setback?”
“How is she, son?” Phillip asked. “Seriously Max, how is my granddaughter?”
“Seriously, it’s as serious as it gets. She hasn’t regained her movement yet when she off for her testing, but it’s still new so time is on our side. The wound was very close to the spine, so it’s possible something was nicked or it’s the matter of the swelling. We won’t know until the results come back or even days from now.”
“Well Grace is an Evans, and we’re fighters.”
“Same with the Parkers. Liz was a fighter, or shall I say still is one…”
“I am going to up to see Grace,” Phillip said.
“I have to make one more call, and I’ll join you up there.” Max nodded as he watched his father head for the elevator. Sighing about how complicated his life had turned into, he turned on his phone and saw that his phone was ringing. “Damn, now what?”
“Hello?” he asked tentatively as he adjusted his voice when he didn’t recognize the name on his phone. “This is Max Evans; how can I help you?”
“Mr. Evans?” came the voice as she was tentative in the tone, she gave him. “This is Sue Adams, and I am a friend of your daughter and Elizabeth Guerin…”
“Right Sue, I remember you, sorry about my brusque tone. So, what is the issue?”
“I am worried about Elizabeth. I am across the street from your home, and I just saw her enter it a few minutes ago. I am afraid of what she’s going to do?” Sue asked as she stared at the empty house from across the street, next to her car as she watched Elizabeth steamroll herself into Evans without even having to use a key, which confused Sue What is it with my friends she wondered to herself.
“I didn’t give her permission, but she might be there to pick up some homework for Grace to hand in,” Max asked as he tried to come up with a plausible reason for how his god-daughter would be entering his home when she knew he and Grace were at the hospital. “How did she get in?”
“I don’t know, I am not that close to see” she lied because she didn’t believe what she had seen, so to explain it didn’t make any sense. “Anyway, the reason why I am concerned is that she was reacting irrationally at school and then she showed up at your house, and I don’t know what she could be thinking…”
“How so,” Max asked.
“It all started when we found out that Tommy is awake!”
“Shit!” Max said out loud at the stunning revelation and then realized who he was speaking to, and he was chastened. “Sorry!”
“I have heard worse,” Sue assured her friend’s father as she tried to get a sense of what she should be doing to ward off disaster she figured was on the way. “So, what should I do?”
“Go back to school,” Max smiled as he also frowned at the worry on why his goddaughter would need to break into his house. “You should let me deal with it okay because it doesn’t matter to you.”
“If you say so” Sue asked although she didn’t sound too convinced.
Max disconnected the call, and text a string of messages to Michael, Why, would your daughter want to break into my house? And a second “Is Tommy awake? and a third, “Meet me at my house!” and he vanished from the hospital.
*
Michael was no longer watching Jim with Tommy. Given the boy was still asleep, he went in search of his wife, and own son who was now in the operating room. Apparently, the scan was as they thought the situation was, and nothing more complicated so at least that was comforting, so now he went in search when he heard his phone go. Wondering if it was Mary at the office, he saw three texts from Max in quick succession. Uh oh, he whispered when he saw the first one. Damn it.
He saw his wife in the waiting room with the outer of eye as he was looking down at his phone, why? he asked himself. “We have trouble,” he said to his wife, and he sought her out and hugged her.
“What?” Maria asked.
“Elizabeth is at Max’s house. Apparently, she broke in. Max wants to know what she wants?”
“She is going after the gun!” Maria whispered frantically. “Why?”
“Yup!” Michael grimly acknowledged. “I didn’t want to have to tell you this way but also, Tommy is awake!”
“F&ck!” Maria swore…