Liz was no longer feeling like she was floating. She also did not feel like she was flying, although she did not know what kind of state she was or why she was not willing to open her eyes yet. All she was doing was feeling, and she was liking what she was indeed feeling. She could feel as the sensation of warmth fill her being. Her exhausted body. The sensation was something she had felt once before, and she did not even know what she had been feeling at the time. All she knew at that tine was that life was quickly slipping away from her and this brown hair mystery man out of his dreams was leaning down and prodding her to stay awake, and to come back and she had done just that and willed herself to come back into a very extremely complicated journey that was started on that day and would become filled with drama with every passing day.
Yet she also felt this warmth was the answer to all her prayers. It was something she had not felt like in years, even though she had found love again, and been happy. But that level of happiness had existed in an existence of compromise because she had not been able to have the life she wanted.
The boy she wanted.
Because she had been able to accept the responsibilities with losing that life. So, she went away, and found herself in a different life.
And now she felt the life that had once again slowly draining out of her come back to her, and she wanted to grab onto it, and onto whatever more that was coming her way. And yet her eyes were not opening.
As if she was not ready.
And it did not matter what Max was doing, and what he was doing with all his might to bring her back to him, and to the world.
And to her children.
Who were watching the scene, silently and unsure of what to say because for Mariah this was not completely new to her,
but to see her biological father trying with so much effort to bring back her mother to her was a sight to be hold but for her younger brother, well, this was completely new for him, and he was not sure what he was seeing or if he could believe it?
“What am I seeing?” Lex asked once again. As he was slowly gaining the energy that was so recently denied to him.
But no one could tell him, so it was an awe like experience. As he could see what was happening, but it did not make sense. “That cannot be happening, can it?” he asked and when he did not get an answer from River, he chose to ask his sister.
But she was just as mystified as he was.
“It is something that my father can do, that none of us can really do” River muttered.
Although most of us have some ability but nothing like dear old Dad.
“It cannot work, can it?” Lex asked. How can it work? “Can it?”
“It did before,” River muttered. “When my father saved your mother’s life.”
“He did that?” Lex asked and River nodded. As he now had a different impression of River’s father than he did before, but he was not sure whether he wanted to have this new impression. Mariah did not know what she was thinking.
“You might be awake, but you need to be seen by someone. We have to go up and see if the paramedics are finally here,” River muttered as if he was giving the two a out if they wanted to take it.
And they did take it, as both decided to follow River up the hill while Max was left with an ailing Liz.
“Liz, come back, please come back
to me” was what Mariah could hear as she and her brother followed River up the hill towards the others, who had not come down to the wreck. As she was not sure what was going to happen next, or what she was prepared to accept.
But all she knew was that she needed her mother to survive.
*
While up the hill, by the road, no one had come down to the wreck because the ambulance had just arrived, and Jim was being gruff with the driver, “Finally,” he muttered to the driver of the vehicle. “We might have a dying woman you know, could you not have been quicker?” although he sensed their patient was probably on the road to recovery by now,
because we have Max but then he also knew from personal experience,
not everyone can be saved by an alien hybrid he thought as he thought of Alex Whitman, and how that shocking experience had shocked the group.
“Sorry,” said the driver as the paramedics on board came off the vehicle. “But we are a small town, and only have so many ambulances.”
“I know, I know” Jim muttered because he did man a small town and knew the inefficiency of dealing with city services that were supposed to be serving the needed population, and that was the towns ambulance services, and unfortunately the accident had not even been that close to his jurisdiction.
The driver nodded, “So, what do we have here?”
“Car went off the cliff. Mother and son in the car. Looks like a senseless accident. Caught a pothole in the road or something. We were waiting for you people to show up so we could go down and see what we have…”
“You have not tried to go down?” the paramedic asked of Sheriff.
Not one of ours the paramedic thought.
“Too treacherous,” was all Jim said even though he would look at Michael as they both knew the truth.
It was not treacherous to go down for Max, so Jim knew he had to be
somewhat truthful. “Although a few have gone down, but it’s hard to get word up here.”
“One is fine,” came a voice and they turned and saw that it was River who was coming up with both Mariah and Lex. “Although Lex needs to be checked out,” he said as he looked at the brother and sister pair. “To make sure.”
“What went is going on, down there?”
“You do not want to know,” was all River said as if it was code to be quiet,
and to not ask too many questions as a car was quick to show up, along with the others, as it carried a man and his daughter, who was insistent on coming even though her father had wanted to stay home for reports.
“Lex,” came Jaime as she rushed out of the car and towards her friend. “You are okay.”
“I am not sure I am okay, but I am alive” Lex said softly as he smiled at Jaime because it was good to actually know someone who was happy to see him, and it was more than just having his sister to greet him. “You did not have to come.”
“Dad wanted to see Isabel,” Jaime lied.
Isabel looked amused by scene as the two friends hugged and could not help but look over at the groans coming from her soon to be husband. Because this was the last thing they needed, was another child with a crush. As it was a reminder to Kyle that his daughter was growing up.
And that things could in change only a minute.
A split second more like it.
And there was nothing anyone could do about it.
“Grab the gear,” came the driver to the other paramedics as they began down the hill.
“What happened down there,” Jim was asking Lex as the one remaining paramedic stayed up and was taking the boy to the back of the ambulance and had him sit down and was accessing him for his injuries. And of course, Jaime was trailing nearby, and Kyle was trailing his daughter…
The innocence of it allowed Isabel to smile.
It is still so innocent, but it is good that there is something innocent left in this world.
Until of course, she heard the recounting of the accident, and all she could do was pray.
*
Roswell
Jessica and Mac were not in the mayhem outside of town because they had elected to not go with River and Jessica and instead, they stayed home. But instead of staying at home as the night wore on, they were now taking up at the Crashdown. But they were being supervised,
albeit not very closely because Mac’s mother Maria was nearby because she was talking to Jeff and Nancy who petrified about what was going on, and since there had been no information coming for them. All they knew is when their granddaughter did not show up, well, they started making calls and called Maria to see whether she knew anything. Maria did, and of course she had not wanted to have the conversation by phone, so she and Mac had come to the Crashdown. It was now closed. So, no food was being served, but Mac was sitting waiting for his mother when Jessica walked by because she was restless because she had heard what was going on, so Mac unlocked the door, and they were now talking
albeit reluctantly because they were both awkward with each other.
While upstairs, Maria was talking to Jeff and Nancy. “I promise that I will let you know what is going on,” she murmured as she left the apartment, and headed down the stairs, and into the main part of the restaurant. It had been years since she had been in the restaurant this late at night, and not having to work it. She sometimes missed it, but she was happy with the life she had now as she turned the corner and headed out the front, and almost did not want too because she saw her son and Jessica in their awkward dance together.
She remembered that time, and no matter how many reservations she had in regard to her son and Jessica. Still, she did not want this for her son. She knew how close of a friend he and Jessica were. Sometimes, friendship does make it better.
It can build a foundation that makes whatever you make of it a lot more stable. But it does not always work like that, and if you stir things up, how can you go back? And she knew their group was too close and incestuous for there to be a fracture between her son and Jessica one day if they were not to work out. So, she watched the scene unsure of what to do. And because she did not know what she wanted to say, as she heard Nancy come out from the back. “I did not think you would come on down here? she asked of the surreal circumstances of this night.
“Someone has to close things up,” Nancy said softly as she knew this was the last thing, she wanted to be doing but given they had no information, it was something she could do until they knew what was going to happen “I did not want that to be Jeff because he’s already overwhelmed because we do not know what is happening.”
Maria sighed as they both looked at Mac and Jessica, and how they were trying to talk. “I do not know if you know?”
“We know a bit, because our granddaughter told us” Nancy said softly of the many tidbits of gossip their granddaughter was sprouting to her and Jeff since she came to stay with them, and one of the things she would miss when her granddaughter went on back home.
We will miss her, but everything will work out she told herself.
It has too. “We understand it is a complicated time,” she said with a smile
young love she thought as she spotted Jessica and Mac and knew how this was a time that should be cherished. “We still do not know everything.”
None of you do Maria thought of all the complications.
Only my mother and Phillip and Diane know. “I guess I am being a mother in not wanting my son to fall…” she said with a smile. “Which is hypocritical of me because of I remember my own time as a teenager with Michael,” she thought. “I ignored my own mother’s concerns, and I have no regrets that I went there with him.”
“I might not know everything is going on,” Nancy murmured.
Sometimes I am happy I do not “But I would not be that down on your son. Because once upon a time I was the one who fell for a perceived bad boy, and there was a reason I should have thought twice about it, but I did not, and I am grateful for it. Because Jeff for all he had done at one time, he is a good man.” she thought even though she knew Jeff had a rough patch, and any parent, including her own was worried about her getting involved with Jeff.
I was only a friend, and then it all changed for us.
“Did you not want Liz to stay away from Max, a perceived bad boy?” Maria asked with a smile and a frown because she had lived through that time. “I distinctly remember how you had a problem with her choice.”
A big problem.
“That is a different situation,” Nancy muttered. “I doubt your son has gotten Jessica thrown in jail, with prison a very real possibility.”
Not yet Maria muttered to herself.
Give him time.
But that time did not seem to be now as Jessica did not want to talk to Mac, so she was prepared to walk home and wait for news from her mother and Kyle. “I am out of here,” she murmured and got up from the table, and Mac did not know what to do except of course to rush off after her, which was something his mother did see.
Nancy only laughed.
Young love she remarked.
“Yeah,” Maria sighed. “Young love,” and she knew that is something she wanted for her son, to be young and in love.
And not to deal with any of the intensity they had to when they were the kids age.
As she smiled. “I will let you know once I know more” Maria said softly and Nancy nodded and went around and turned off the lights as Maria walked out of the restaurant and Nancy locked the door, and Maria was on the outside, and she felt the cold air and wished that they would find whatever was going on. “Come on Liz, if you are waffling, you need to stop it and come back to us”
I want this over with she thought and thought it so more when she spotted her son and Jessica in a passionate kiss, yeah,
I so do not want to be dealing with this, nor did she want to know how it happened, so she did not stay to find out as she turned around and walked away.
*
Back at the crash site,
Down the hill,
Max was still in the zone. A zone that was all about him and Liz. Nothing else mattered. All he wanted was for her to live, and for her eyes to open and to show that they had some life to them. As he was almost out of willpower because from the earliest of his days healing, well, the ability did have a knack to take all his energy out of him, and he felt the power being drained from him now, and he did not have much more to spend, but he was prepared to spend every ounce of energy if it brought her back to him.
Please Liz, come on Max was willing as he was living in the love that they had shared, and that he still held for her, “Please open your eyes and make me believe I can help you again,” he whispered. “You do not have to even love me; all I need is for you to open your eyes” he murmured, as he continued to kneel down and pray,
I need a sign god he asked as he looked up,
I know I do not believe, but I need something to believe in and if you take her away from me…
Come on Liz he pleaded, as he felt her still slipping away from him, and then he felt it.
The sign.
A grab of his hand, and the subtle movement of his fingers, and she felt the breathing coming back
thank god he murmured, and he did not care if it was inappropriate for the occasion, he just acted, and he
kissed her, and planted a passionate kiss on her, determined to bring her back fully,
I love you Liz he thought, but did not dare speak
And he felt the kiss being responded too, and he did not know if he was imagining it or not, but he did not care, “Are we interrupting something?” came the paramedic as he walked down. “What do we have here?”
Knowing he was caught, still he was able to steel himself to the situation as he sat up and then stood up, “What took you so long?”
Even though those words could have described him to a tee.
What had taken him so long?
“We are here now,” came the paramedic, “Can we have the name of the woman?”
“Elizabeth
Parker,” he said instantly but knew he had said it wrong, “I mean,
Elizabeth Anthony,” he said as he corrected himself. “Was in the car with her son, and they were victims of a crash. Hit a pothole or something,” he said as he remembered how Liz’s son had been in the car, and River had been his hero. “The boy I believe went up to the road?”
“One of our paramedics is checking him out, now” the paramedic. “What is your name, and what is your relation to the victim?”
“Old friend,” Max lied even though he knew he was way more than that. “She was unconscious since the crash, but only since has started to open her eyes, and hopefully it is a sign.”
“Let us hope,” the paramedic murmured
old friend my ass…as he went to work on Liz.
“Mrs. Anthony?” the paramedic asked.
Parker Liz wanted to say, but she thought better of it as she heard Max call himself a
n old friend yeah, right, an old friend she muttered to herself. She knew she needed to answer so that the paramedic would not think the worst, so she nodded, barely, yes, she said weakly as she tried to t turn her head and felt pain,
awful pain. “Where am I?”
“On the bottom of a hill, ravine on the highway, 25 miles from Roswell.”
Oh God Liz thought as the flashes of the crash circled her brain and she thought of her son. “Lex, my son, Lex where is he?”
“He’s fine Liz,” Max said softly as he heartened to hear the concern in her weak voice for her son,
it means she is coming back to us. “He was the one who called for the help.”
“I need to see him, let me see him” Liz said softly as she tried to sit but only felt pain, and knew because of how attentive Max was being with her, that he must have done a little aiding in her health, but she felt pain, and stopped herself.
“Let us take care of you, and you can worry about your son later…” the paramedic said. “You are very fortunate to still be talking because of how bad that crash looked, and the fact from the looks of it that you were flung from the car.
Liz nodded as her eyes went directly to Max and wanted to say
thank you and Max nodded and took it without any words being said, the eye contact said enough and even more than probably the others would have known unless they knew them intimately, and of course they did not and the group at the bottom of the hill did not know what Max and Liz had gone through, and how this was the second time Max had kept her alive.
“Let us help you out,” the lead paramedic said as he and his partners worked to move Liz to a backboard, and prepare her for transport up the ravine, and never did her eyes leave Max nor did he leave her.
As she soon was carried up the hill, and placed in the ambulance, and headed back to a new world.
And a new life.
“So, what is going to happen now?” Michael asked his friend as they watched as the ambulance drive off, and all Max could think of was the kiss.
“Hell, if I know,” Max muttered.
But it was all concluding, so how…