Once the tears stopped, Liz got off the floor and pulled herself together. Walking into her bedroom she almost burst into tears once again when she saw the bed that had been full of intense passion only hours before, and now she was alone again. Trying to pull herself together, she changed into her red sun dress and she went into the closet and get out the black dress Maria had picked for her to wear, with a white beaded belt that would tie at the waist. She felt like she did back in the beginning when she first lost Max from her life and didn’t know how she could last the day without sinking into the despair that was calling her name. It was almost as if the dress selection was just calling out to her despite it being unrelated and totally in Maria’s wish for unconventional…
She knew this was Maria’s special day. She was marrying a man she loved, and she deserved a special occasion, so Liz summoned up all the energy she could muster, and she picked up her purse and bag and then left and got into her car and drove over the Deluca’s. The ceremony was at 2 p.m., and she knew Maria had a salon appointment at 10:45 before she got herself dressed and went over to the park for the ceremony.
The sun was blaring which made Liz’s mood even darker
Hell, why does it have to be sunny today when my life isn’t worth living, she muttered but she knew she had to live, for herself and for Claudia. She also knew Maria deserved a great day and great weather given it was an outside ceremony, and she knew she had to pull herself out of her misery.
Stopping off by the Crashdown to pick up her daughter; as she saw her daughter for the first time since Max came back into her life. She suddenly saw her in a new light. A light that made all the sense. She had known Isabel had seen the little girl as a dead ringer for her brother, but Liz just felt she was a mini version of her and didn’t want to see the memories of Max in her but now she saw memories of Max all over Claudia.
Nancy noticed her daughter was tense. She also knew that Liz hadn’t made it to Amy’s at all the previous night and wondered what it was. A thought of maybe her daughter relapsing went through her mind as she knew that memories of Max were on display as Maria was getting married, but then she also knew her daughter had worked for her sobriety, so she wouldn’t relapse. “Are you okay, honey?”
“I am fine Mom,” Liz said quietly as she hugged Claudia tightly and was now grateful for the fact, she had one last memory of Max. She prayed Max could come back to her but if he couldn’t than she had Claudia.
“Are you sure?” Nancy asked as she knew she had seen this kind of behavior before when her daughter was tense about something.
“I promise Mom I am okay,” Liz said as she knew her mother was rightfully concerned but she had a reason to want to stay on the straight and narrow; her daughter and the knowledge Max was counting on her to take care of their daughter and to carry on. “It was just a swerve that prevented me from going to Maria’s last night, unfortunately. Maria understands…”
Nancy nodded. “Tell Maria we will see her at the park.”
“Thank you, Mom,” Liz said as just having Claudia in her arms was doing wonders for her blood pressure as she reached for her daughter’s bag and headed for the Deluca house, as Nancy wondered just was going on with her daughter but was busy preparing for the reception, they were catering.
*
“Girlfriend where on the earth have you been” a bewildered and stressed Maria asked as she came running to the front door as she spotted Amy helping Liz bring all the stuff into the house. Isabel also approached as her eyes lit up at the sight of Claudia. “Let me,” Isabel said of the baby.
“Thanks Isabel,” Liz said softly although she knew she was keeping something lifechanging from her friend. Isabel missed her brother as much as Liz did most days, and her life also hadn’t been the same since her brother left it and then her marriage died. “I had to stop by my parents to pick up Claudia.”
“What happened to you last night?” Maria asked as she got the vibe that something big time had happened to her friend. “I tried calling but you wouldn’t answer…”
“I was busy,” Liz murmured
which was an understatement she told herself. “I wish I could have been here, but something happened at the house and I couldn’t leave it until I was forced to this morning. I wanted to be here, but I am sure Isabel was able to keep your nerves in check.”
“But it’s not the same as having you here…” Maria asked. “What happened?” the nervous bride asked of her best friend. “You look different…”
I am different Liz thought as she saw her daughter in Isabel’s arms. “I am here now, and I promise you won’t be losing me. So, what do we have to do before the salon appointment?” she asked as she tried to move on from the earth changing news she was operating under.
It didn’t take being an alien to know something was off with Liz Isabel knew as she held the baby. She sensed something was different with Liz and she knew it wasn’t that she relapsed because she knew that her friend was keeping firm to no drinking, but it was something else. “What’s up with your Mommy?” Isabel muttered to the young girl as she carried the girl to the kitchen as they followed Liz and Maria.
Everything Liz murmured to herself as she tried to concentrate on the day at hand; her best friend’s wedding day.
*
As the girls were arriving for their salon appointment with Claudia staying back with Amy as she had her own salon appointment the day before, and so it was the bridal appointment getting ready for the ceremony and any touch-ups would take place before the ceremony by a friend who was a hairdresser. As they were getting treated to the full works, Jim was driving Max to the meeting with his handler.
“I wish this was different,” Jim murmured as they drove and was pulling up into the desert which was the meeting place.
“I wish a lot of things,” Max admitted. “I wish I hadn’t agreed to this plan, but then I didn’t want to put my family and Liz through the pain the government would give me due to my activities as Clayton Wheeler.”
“I know,” Jim said. “I am alive because of you and I know what it brought to have saved me.”
“You deserve to be alive,” Max sighed. “I don’t regret anything except agreeing to the plan. If I had known how far things would drift…”
“I know,” Jim nodded as hoped that Max would be able to come back for Liz’s sake, and for his daughter’s sake.
“Take care of Liz for me Jim,” Max said softly. “And make sure Claudia knows to take care of herself because being who we are can get messy, and it’s not easy to grow up in this environment knowing what we know.”
“I will,” Jim nodded as another car drove their way. “I guess we have company.”
“The one time they are on time,” Max muttered as he took a deep breath and got out of the car… and started to walk.
A sudden sensation came to Jim that something was wrong with this meet up, and he was just about to open his door to warn Max when he was interrupted by gunshots…
Directed at Max…
“Max, down” he yelled as he whipped open his door and shouted out to Max who heard the first shot which missed him as he ducked to the ground as Jim climbed out of his vehicle and ran to defend Max with his own gun. Giving Max his spare gun, they waited for the new shot to come at Max.
And it did come mere seconds later as Jim told Max to stay down. Getting up, Jim looked out to scout the shot.
“Jim don’t…” Max warned.
“Stay down…” Jim warned. “I am trained for this…” he muttered as he returned fire and soon there was a shootout in the desert.
“Evans get out here,” came a voice. “We know who you are, so there is no use trying to hide because you’re dying here tonight” as they continued to shoot, while Jim returned fire… and then suddenly there was an explosion of gunfire…
And bodies laid on the ground, dead or wounded…