Chapter 51

"Max, where are we going?"
Max glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, a smile warming his face. He was amazed every time she did or said something that made him fall so much harder. How was it possible to fall more in love with someone with every passing second?

She had asked him the same question four times now, but he wouldn't give her a definite answer, which was obviously driving her inquisitive mind insane.
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?"
He didn't have to look at her to know the pout that was already shaping those beautiful soft lips of hers.
"I hate surprises," she mumbled.
"You'll love this one," Max answered and reached across the gear stick to grab her hand. His hand brushed against her stomach in the process, causing a familiar flutter in his heart. Two months had passed since he had rushed her to the hospital because she was bleeding. She had been bleeding for three days after she had come home from the hospital, but the bleeding had not returned since. Max felt like he was constantly holding his breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. He wouldn't allow himself to relax, to get his hopes up, but as more time passed he couldn't help but get more optimistic. Feeling the warmth seep from her hand into his, he wondered, for not the first time, what was going on in that beautiful head of hers. He knew that she was worried, because she had told him so. But how worried? He knew that some nights failed to grant her sleep as she turned from side to side next to him. He knew that she didn't want to make any plans for the future or buy any baby clothes out of fear that it would jinx the baby. He knew that the fear of jinxing the baby stemmed from an irrational idea that her looking at baby clothes with Maria just days before she had started bleeding and the connection made between the two events.

"Why won't you tell me?"
Her question interrupted his train of thoughts and he cast her a look, alternating his attention between the road and her demanding gaze.
Then there were the hormones. During the time that had passed since he was last in close proximity with a pregnant woman, he had happily repressed what a rollercoaster it could be. From months of practice at reading her signals, he knew that he was now threading dangerous ground and he needed to choose his words carefully to avert a possible emotional overload.
"Sweetie, just humor me, okay? We'll be there any minute now."
"Fine," Liz said indifferently, turning her head to gaze out the window, suddenly feeling mellow. She didn't like surprises. He knew that. Why was he insisting on forcing her to do something she didn't like? Her mood was instantaneously transformed in the next second, when her interest was piqued as Max turned off the main road they've been traveling down the last fifteen minutes. Out of his peripheral vision, Max saw Liz straighten in her seat and he smiled inwardly. He was positive that she was going to like what he had to show her. As the house came into view, he felt a chill of anticipation run down his spine and he maneuvered the car into the driveway. Liz turned to him with a mixture of wonderment and confusion written all over her face when he turned off the engine.

"What's this?" she asked, her voice tentative, wanting to believe her suspicions but not really daring to.
"I think you know," Max said, leaning over to brush his lips over hers. She sighed in his mouth, already leaning into him and her sigh turned from contentment into disappointment as he pulled away far too soon. She missed him so much. After the doctor had told them that sex could've been a contributing factor to her bleeding, they had decided to stay away from each other. According to the doctor, it was most probably the immunosuppressive drugs Liz was taking that were causing the bleeding, but she didn't want to risk it. She could practice abstinence. Looking up at his tanned face as he opened the car door for her, the shadows created by the tree looming over him playing over his face and bringing out his sharp chiseled masculine features, she had to inhale deeply. Abstinence had seemed an easy task in the beginning – the first three hours. After that, the ache had started. It wasn't only sex for her. Being with him in that most intimate way made her feel safe and loved. Falling apart in his arms and seeing her pleasure mirrored on his face made her feel like she belonged somewhere. How he looked at her when he gently stroked her naked skin with his fingers, his tongue, his body, made her feel cherished and worshipped.
"You okay?"
His eyes, shifting into a color of rich honey with concern, took in her sudden lack of movement. She swallowed, feeling tears burn her eyes at the gentleness in his voice. Dropping her eyes to regain control over her emotions, she cursed the hormones.
His finger under her chin tenderly forced her to look at him. "Baby?"
She swallowed, nodding as she mustered up a smile. "I'm fine."

"Is it because I didn't tell you?" he wondered, and when his barely contained guilt flooded his eyes she felt like crying all over again.
"No," she said quickly and cradled his cheek against her palm. With a soft smile she continued, "Surprise me."
Taking a hold of her hand and turning his head to place a kiss against her palm, he smiled in relief before helping her out of the car. He brought her hand up between them and she looked down with curiosity when she felt cold metal against her skin.
"Lead the way, Ms. Parker," Max whispered, the warm timbre of his voice causing shivers to roll down her spine with an intensity that would've forced her to her knees if he hadn't still been holding onto her hand. She closed her eyes, already scolding herself for her weak self-control. She looked up at the Victorian house in front of her, her eyes devouring the eggshell whiteness of the walls, the dark shimmering ebony of the roof, the small tower raising from the second floor, just above the veranda that was leading up to the front door. With trembling legs, Liz took her first steps towards what she already knew was going to be her new home. She was already falling in love with the large windows facing the street, which she knew were hiding a roomy and bright kitchen, and the chimney on the side of the house which told her that there was a large old-fashioned fireplace on that side of the house.

Max was looking at her with nervous anticipation. Michael had tipped him off about the house two weeks ago and since Liz and Maria had been on a weekend trip in New York at the time, he had decided to check out the house on his own. He had taken one look at it and had known that it was their house. Everything had felt right. He'd had this weird moment when he felt like he was watching a movie, where he could see Liz and he lying together in the wooden hammock on the veranda, where their children would play hide and seek among the bushes and where Liz and he would grow old together. The days following his tour of the house, he had been waiting anxiously to see if his bid would be the highest. He had found out two days ago that he was the new owner of the small Victorian house in a very nice neighborhood where he could see perfect childhoods being formed.

Her hand was shaking when she put the key into the keyhole and turned. This was one of those defining moments of your life, she realized as the door opened before her, revealing a large open area, the wooden floor spreading out all around her as she slowly took a step over the threshold.

"Max…" she breathed, not believing her eyes. Voicing her disbelief, she whispered, "How did you find this?"
"Let's just say this; we are indebted to Michael for a lifetime," Max answered behind her.
"Michael? Michael did this?" Liz wondered quietly, her eyes scanning the area, her mind already furnishing the room.
"The person living here before is one of his work colleagues and Michael knew that the house was going to be put up for sale before it was made official to the public."
"Why would anyone want to move away from here?" Liz questioned, her eyes large as she slowly continued into the next room.
"So that we could move in," Max replied.
Liz shook her head slowly, falling in love with the old staircase in front of her.
"Are you saying…?"
She couldn't believe it. Had he really bought it? Was it theirs?
"They are waiting for my final confirmation…" He looked at her in expectancy, letting her know that she had the final say in this.

Her hand brushed against the wooden railing as she walked up the stairs. She didn't feel the pain in the small of her back from the pregnancy as her complete focus was on the second floor. Turning her head into the direction of the round room first, which from the outside had looked like a tower, her eyes started glistering with tears of happiness. It was perfect. And she was about to tell him just that when a movement in her uterus stopped her.
"Max," she gasped and she realized how close he was standing when he was by her side in nanoseconds. The tone of her voice alerted him to that she wasn't concentrating on the house any longer; something that alarmed him. But before he had the chance of opening his mouth, she grabbed his hand, pressing it against her stomach.
"The baby… it kicked," she whispered.
Max eyes traveled from her face to her stomach, staring at it in silent awe. Just as he was about to ask her if she was sure, he felt the movement himself. His cry of surprise mingled with her words, "There it is again!"

Excitement enveloped them, making Max stepped even closer. The made a enchanting image, their foreheads resting against each other, their hands covering her stomach, and the bright smiles on their faces. The light shone in from the windows lining the rounded wall, illuminating their bodies, being enhanced by the intensity of the happiness, relief and hope radiating off them.
"This is her room," Liz murmured.
"Her?" Max question, his eyes drifting to hers.
"I have a feeling it's a girl," Liz answered, meeting his eyes.
He looked down at her lips, feeling the sudden urge to taste her. To show her how much she meant to him. How she had saved him from a life of eternal darkness. Grasping her lower lip between his, his eyes drifted close when he felt her respond to him. His fingers fluttered across her check, to nestle in her dark hair.
"It's perfect, Max," Liz mumbled against his lips, causing his eyes to open and he slightly pulled back to look at her.
"Really? I did good?"
She smiled brightly at his imitation of a little boy who had done something well, pulling him closer again and before fusing their lips together, she answered, "Yes, you did really good."

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Liz's hand tightened around Max's as her smile grew bigger, her thoughts still on the conversation in the examination room they just left behind them.

Everything seems really good. The baby's heart rate is normal and sounds perfect.

Liz looked up at Max, feeling his responding squeeze around her hand. She wanted to cry out in ecstasy, jump around with joy, run up and down the hallway laughing loudly, but it was strange how foreign she was to the emotion. What was she supposed to do? She knew what her giddy heart was telling her, but at the same time she didn't want to get her hopes up to later have them crushed. Meeting Max's eyes, she knew that it was inevitable. They already had their hopes up. Their steps slowed down and came to a halt simultaneously as they in unison turned to face each other. She could see the nuances of different degrees of happiness play over his face, as he tried to contain the enormous smile on the inside by squeezing his lips together. She was biting her lower lip, her eyes sparkling as she watched his face. Then, as if their seconds had been counting down to that exact moment, they cried out, a sound of euphoria, and he picked her up, swirling her around as they laughed. They felt invincible. Immersed in giddy happiness.

Elizabeth. Max. I haven't dared to say this before, and there are still risks, but if you have gotten this far I think most of the potential risks are behind you. I would suggest you go home and celebrate. Makes some plans for the future. Relax. The baby seems perfectly healthy.

They had taken the doctor's tentative and sober tone seriously, knowing that anything could still happen. But at least they were through the rough times. They had reached the other side and the baby was still healthy. Feeling her hair billow around her, the air playing with the dark tresses, Liz felt like the luckiest woman on earth. They came to a stop and she buried her face in his chest, his unique smell enveloped her and suddenly she could only think of one way they should celebrate this. Feeling the familiar tingles spread over her body, she looked up at him, but was taken aback to see him staring over her shoulder, his brows furrowed in confusion. She frowned as well, turning in his arms to see what had captured his attention.
Her eyes landed on the tall blonde woman in the same second as the woman spotted them. The woman's pace slowed down, the look of a reindeer caught in the headlights on her face.
"Isabel?" Liz voiced in confusion. What was she doing here? At the hospital?
Max's hands slid over Liz's stomach as she turned more fully in his arms, her back now pressing up against his broad chest. "Is everything okay, Is? What are you doing here?"
Isabel stepped up to the couple, cautiously, tucking a strand of hair nervously behind her ear.
"I'm…uhm… Michelle wasn't feeling too well so I just wanted to consult with a pediatrician," she answered, somewhat evasively, avoiding her brother's eyes by keeping her gaze on Liz's pregnant shape. Her features softened some; her gaze sliding from Liz's stomach to Liz's questioning face. "How's the baby?"
Liz could almost feel Max's heartbeat picking up where she was pressed with her head against his chest and she was hit with the same wave of unexplainable happiness. "The baby is fine."
Isabel couldn't help but smile at them, knowing from the energy she could nearly see radiating off them that it was really good news.

"What are you doing in the obstetrician section?"
Liz's smile fell at Max's question, realizing why Isabel's answer to why being there had irked her. The pediatrician section of the hospital was on another floor.
"Oh… I… I got lost," Isabel answered fleetingly.
"Isabel," and Liz could easily pick out the warning in Max's voice.
Isabel took a deep breath, her eyes resting on Liz's protruding stomach for a couple of seconds, before she straightened her shoulders, pulling herself back together; transforming into the confident woman they were used to see.
"I was going to tell you later. It felt like I would be rubbing it in if something happened to your baby."
"You're pregnant." It was more of a statement than a question as Liz voiced what Max already suspected. She felt Max's arms loosen around her and she watched with a new smile as Max pulled his sister into a tight hug.
"You should have told me," Max whispered in Isabel's ear.
Isabel felt tears well up in her eyes, relieved and happy to be able to tell him; to tell someone. Only Alex knew. They hadn't even told Michelle, knowing that she would without a doubt tell Max.
"Oh, Isabel, congratulations," Liz smiled, hugging Isabel as Max took a step back. The two women gave a teary giggle as their stomachs bumped into each other.
"You're okay with this?" Isabel asked, and Liz realized that it was the first time she had seen the fear of rejection in Isabel's eyes.
"Are you kidding me?" Liz implored, her eyes growing bigger with excitement. "This is the best day of my life! Just imagine, they are going to grow up together!"
Isabel laughed, relieved, and just had to hug Liz again.

TBC….