“Michael Guerin, you promise me we won’t return to town tonight to find you being arrested for murder. I want you to be careful around that boy you hear me?” Maria asked sternly into the phone as she watched her son pack his bag in the motel room as they waited for Max to bring Grace back, so they could start the drive to Hartford to catch their flight to New Mexico. “I promised Grace nothing would be done regardless of what was done to her by this young man.”
“I don’t know why she is so protective of him,” Jake muttered as she heard his parents fight on the phone. His mother had called his father to report on what had happened and fingering of Tommy Ellis as the potential father of Grace’s baby had come out in the conversation and as predicted; Michael took the news as any former alien soldier and royal second in command would and swore death on the boy that had hurt his goddaughter.
Maria shook her head as she overheard her son’s mutterings but returned to her call. “Leave it to Grace and Max to deal with. Promise me Michael that you won’t do anything rash. Promise me,” she repeated and sighed. “Thank you.” she said softly. “I’ll call when we land in Santa Fe. No, don’t drive and meet us. It’s a long trip” she protested. “Okay. I guess I can’t stop you. I’ll call from the airport in Hartford and tell you the flight information once we’re checked in. I love you,” she smiled as she hung up and turned to her son. “Your father will be picking us up in Santa Fe.” he said.
“I figured but I do have my car, so I guess I’ll drive it home” Jake said. “And I am sure you gave in, so you don’t have to worry he would be arrested for doing something to Ellis.”
“But it’s a worry,” Maria sighed as Jake knew that when everyone was back in Roswell that the Ellis kid had better be on the lookout as the alien hit squad would be on the case and it wouldn’t be pretty. She just prayed this wouldn’t get out of control because it wouldn’t be something Grace needed as she recovered emotionally as well as physically.
“Tell me about it,” Jake said as the only normal one in his clan besides his mother. The burden was always on him to keep a level head despite his reported wild ways. “Do you think Grace’s recent hospitalization raised any red flags with her blood?”
“I doubt it. I am sure the FBI would have been here by now,” Maria smirked. “But seriously. Grace might be special, but she is very much like her mother. Liz looked human despite her capabilities. Blood wise; no one could tell anything from Liz. So, I am sure the same even more so as it went down one more generation to Grace.”
“Let’s hope,” Jake said. “But I think you might have someone else to worry about with Tommy.”
“What?” Maria asked warily.
“Dad might tend be level headed when all is said and done at the end of the day, especially with our family secret at stake and wouldn’t risk the wrath of dealing with Tommy and his family without reinforcements but there is someone else we both love who is very more of a risk taker in our house and she believes she’s invincible,” Jake remarked.
“Elizabeth?” Maria asked.
“Yes,” Jake said. “And if she knows how everything has come to light. There is no telling the damage she could do.”
“That would be the last thing we all need” Maria muttered as she picked up her cell phone again. “Jake, you are right.”
*****
“Elizabeth, where are you?” Michael called upstairs from the stairs ways of the house. He had just gotten off the phone with Maria. And he worried about his eldest daughter. But his call only elicited his son Colin, “Where is your sister?”
“She went out. Said she had to study with Sue for a test tomorrow. She plans to be home by nine.” Colin said as he came downstairs. “Are we ordering out tonight?” he asked. “Mom won’t be home until late, right?”
“That is the plan,” Michael said as he took of his jacket. “I have to head to the airport to pick her and Jake up in a few hours,” he said. “Is your brother and sister home?” he asked.
“Belle is coming home soon,” Colin said. “Liam is playing next door at Jack’s,” he said.
“He probably is staying for dinner unless you object.”
“I don’t,” Michael said as they walked into the kitchen and opened the drawer fill with take-out menu’s. He usually made dinner. But on occasion they were known to call out for food. “Do you want Chinese or Mexican?”
“I vote Chinese,” Colin said. “But we should ask Belle when she gets home,” he said as the phone rang. Michael reached for the cordless and picked it up. “That was quick. Hi sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
*****
“We have to do something?” Elizabeth was saying as she sat on Sue’s bed as they combed over their assigned homework for English. Almost finished; they were about to quiz each other on the book they were being tested on the following day. But Elizabeth kept going back to what was happening with Grace and her brother.
“I don’t know what we can do. I say leave it to the adults. It’s now out in your little family circle, isn’t it?” Sue asked amazed to this day after years of being friends with Grace and Elizabeth at how close the Guerin and Evan families were. It was one big extended family.
“It is,” Elizabeth conceded. “But Tommy is trouble. We should do something.”
“I say it again, leave it to the adults” Sue warned as she looked at her friend. “Let’s get back to the books. You have to get home soon.”
Grumbling, Elizabeth nodded, and they went back to their homework and studying. But getting back at Tommy didn’t leave her mind. In fact, her mind was spinning with creative ways she could get even in the name of Grace without their secret being found out. She felt she needed to find something. Anything at all. But sighed as she realized she would need to wait for another day to come up with a master plan.
******
“She’s asleep,” Maria said as she looked across the aisle at Grace and Jake who were sitting on the other side of the plan, together. While their parents sat on the left side keeping a look out… Jake was reading a magazine while not so subtly keeping an eye on his sleeping friend. “She looks so content when she’s sleeping.”
“I know,” Max said as he looked at his daughter. She had been dealing with a lot of emotion but keeping it all in. He wondered if she would ever let it all out. But for now, he was just grateful she was getting some sleep. “This was supposed to be her big week.”
“It will be,” Maria smiled. “But it won’t be what she was expecting it to be for sure.” she said as she looked a part of a manuscript she had been writing. She still has six months before her next deadline. She was trying to figure out where to take the story next. All she had was a title,
“Home” and the basic subplot of the main characters out of high school and on the road, fleeing for their lives from the big bad FBI. Sighing as she looked at her own kid and godchild and wished that real life could be as easily as on the written page.
“Should I even have the party?” Max asked.
“Yes,” Maria said adamantly. “Sure, the kids took a risk. But it’s Grace’s day. Let her have it. She’s going through too much to lose out on her occasion,” she said. “Plus, it will be a diversion from all she’s going through. You can still ground her if you want to but allow her to have her happiness on her big day. You only turn sixteen once.”
Max nodded as he stared at some legal papers he had brought along with him on the trip. “I am not going to be having to court tomorrow to defend Michael on murder charges, am I?” he asked.
Maria burst out laughing. “No” she smiled. “Michael’s agreed to lay off Tommy until we get home. I think he wanted to go over there be his inner soldier, but he thought better of it. I think he is going to allow you at him if you want him.”
“I don’t know,” Max said with a sigh. “I want to kill him for putting my little girl into this situation. But what is the right move? That little punk thinks he is getting a free ride because of who his parents are” he remarked. “But how can we take him down without hurting my daughter even more or at the very least exposing our secret to the public at large.” he asked.
“I have no idea,” Maria said. “But as my eldest wisely reminded me we do have to be careful. Not all members of our little coven are as level headed.” she said. “We may have to worry about rogue warriors among the younger set.”
“Whom?” Max asked as he knew Grace wasn’t going to do anything since she had been keeping it such a state secret and Jake wouldn’t do anything if Grace could prevent it. Michael may be rash, but a little more level headed than his earlier days. “Or do I want to know?”
“It is just that we need to be careful as I guess Elizabeth has taken it on as a mission or could be if we’re not keeping an eye on her.”
“Hell,” Max said.
“I know.” Maria said as she wondered what mess her eldest daughter would get into and if the adults could prevent the teenagers from a major incident that seemed to be colliding their way.
******
“You might want to wake up,” Jake said softly across the plane as he sat next to what it had seemed like for most of the flight, a sleeping Grace. “I know you’re awake.” he remarked as he watched his friend.
“How did you know,” Grace asked as her eyes opened and she looked at him. “Where are we?”
“About ninety minutes from New Mexico,” Jake said. “How did you sleep?”
“Okay I guess,” Grace said as she sat up straighter in her seat. For the last thirty minutes, she had been trying to pressure herself to sleep but she found she couldn’t, so she just sat and kept her eyes shut so that no one would pester her. She had been dealing with a lot of conflicting emotions regarding the events of what happened in Connecticut. She still didn’t know how she was to feel.
“Your dad has been looking over here, same with my mother.” Jake muttered.
“Well they have a reason to wonder what is going on with us. We did kind of go overboard with teen rebellion.” Grace smiled.
“There that is what I want to see,” Jake smiled. “A smile and this weekend was nothing in terms of teen rebellion. I have given my parents worse to worry about. But yeah, this weekend was a little crazy. How are you feeling truly Grace? Don’t lie to me,” he asked.
“Tired,” Grace said. “Other than that, fine, Dad helped with the rest before we left the hospital.”
“I am sorry,” Jake said. “If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have landed into the hospital. I kind of made a mess out of your special birthday present, didn’t I?” he asked.
“No, you didn’t,” Grace said. “I could have said no. I knew this would blow up. I just didn’t figure out that it would blow up as spectacularly as it did so it’s on my shoulders just as much as it is on yours” she reasoned. “And plus, I likely would have ended up in the hospital whether it was in New Haven or Roswell. So, it’s not your fault I landed in the hospital. It was likely going to be my destination eventually anyway.”
“I am sorry,” Jake tried again.
“I know you are,” Grace nodded as put on her ear phones, making it clear she wanted some peace. Moments later she was asleep for real this time and Jake could only keep an eye on his friend.
Grace had scared Jake all weekend and even going home to New Mexico and Roswell; Jake wasn’t sure what the future held for his friend. They had been best friends for years. So, close, and Jake wanted to be there for her, but he also wanted to go straight from the airport and kill Tommy Ellis for putting his friend into this position. But knew that wasn’t what Grace needed now. But it would feel nice.
Dreams of beating Tommy to a pulp kept Jake occupied for the remainder of the flight to New Mexico.
*****
Meanwhile back in Connecticut; Beth was still at the hospital dealing with an emergency case that had come in that needed her attention. So, Serena had stepped in to stay at the house with the twins until Beth could get away from her patient. It was past time for bed and the twins were talking in Alexandra’s bedroom. “We won’t Alex,” Carrie was insisting.
“We will,” Alexandra predicted. “We’re going to get busted if Mom gets wind of that report.”
“If she does, it will only help her…”
“If it leads to something,” Alexandra warned. “What if it doesn’t?” she asked. “We’ll be back at square one and grounded forever and I don’t want to really see that in my future Carrie.”
“You’re a worry wart sis,” Carrie smiled.
“And you like to take too many risks,” Alexandra grumbled. “But I admit that this could help Mom and who knows it might lead to something.”
“You never know,” Carrie smiled as the door to Alexandra’s room opened and they both looked and saw their babysitter staring at them. “Hi Serena.”
“Girls, its’ past time for bed, isn’t it?” Serena asked as she could see the mischief sign on both girls faces. “You both have school in the morning, right?”
“Yes,” both answered in unison.
“So, you better both get to bed, shouldn’t you?” Serena said. “I just talked your mother and she won’t be home until close to midnight. So, you both should get to bed immediately.”
“Okay,” Carrie said. “I’ll go to bed,” the teenager smiled as she said good-night to her sister and headed next door to her bedroom. While Serena watched it all with amusement as not raising daughters herself; she though back to her own childhood and could sympathized with her friend in the chore of raising two teenage girls at the same time. She was grateful at times to only deal with boys unless she had a patient. “Lights off in ten minutes.” she warned both girls as she closed the door to Alexandra’s room and indeed ten minutes later both lights were off.
*****
It was two minutes after midnight when Beth had finally signed out satisfied that their patient; little Allie Minor would okay. Allie and her mother had been in a terrible car crash in which both almost died. Allie had broken both legs and nearly lost her arm because it had taken so long to get the little girl out of the wreckage of the car. The mother was better off but it had been touch and go so Beth had wanted to stay until the father could get in from New York. Days like this made Beth happy she didn’t go into surgery. She didn’t think she could handle operating on small kids. She was happy when the little girl had opened her eyes after surgery.
Now she was going home to her own kids. She wondered what kind of mischief Alexandra and Carrie had gotten into given they had the day off from school and free reign. She shuttered at the idea’s that floated through her mind as she carefully walked down the garage below the hospital and walked to her car; making sure she was safe and sound. She hated the late nights. Some were better than others even though she never felt her personal safety was at risk. Opening the door to the car; she got in. Pulling out of the garage; she headed home.
On her mind was the memory of what she had seen that morning in the runaway teenager’s room. A white light.
Why does that seem so familiar she asked herself as she made way to the highway,
because it is she told herself? She had seen it once before; when the twins had been eight years old.
Playing in the backyard of their old home, it had been a weekend; she had been home from work at the hospital while she was making cookies in the kitchen as the girls were playing in the backyard. She heard yells, then screams. By the time, she got to the girls… She saw blood on both Alexandra and Carrie and a glow of lights from Alexandra to Carrie as she approached the girls. But by the time she had examined the girls; only the blood on their t-shirts remained. The cut on Carrie’s hand didn’t exist anymore. The girls couldn’t explain what happened, so she was forced to forget about it. But it never did leave her mind. Even though it didn’t seem to have had a repeat incident and now she saw the same glow light in the patient’s room.
I am crazy. I am an amnesia patient; nothing is as it seems with an amnesia patient she tried to tell herself.
It was a freak incident she further told herself. When she had gone back to the room an hour later she learned that Grace had been discharged from the hospital and was heading home with her father.
It’s nothing, she told herself as she pulled onto her street and headed towards her home. Parking in the driveway, she got out and headed to her door.
Opening it, she was relieved to be... home.