Mary
by
Disclaimer: I don't claim. Talk to Jason Katims, UPN, WB, etc. Plus, I know next to nothing about childbirth, except the stuff you read in books, so forgive my ignorance.
Summary: When the aliens receive news that a little girl, who hasn't yet been born, will save the earth, what must they do?
Rating: By chapter.
CHAPTER FIVE--PG-13
Liz
Remember me telling you that I admired Isabel? Well, right now, I really would, except I don't have time to. Maria either can't or won't sit still, Michael is getting fed up with her wandering away every other second, Max is in almost as bad shape, and Isabel's keeping Kyle plenty busy. Sometimes it feels like I'm the last sane person in the house.
Mr. and Mrs. Evans went out a few minutes ago, promising to be home in half an hour. Plus, Isabel told them to stay out, I think because she doesn't want their doting. I know, from experience, that parents who only want the best for you are the hardest kind to deal with.
The ice chips are now disappearing more rapidly than the Evans' meager refrigerator can produce them, so Max is helping them a little with his powers. Maria says that with the right situation and concentration, Michael's powers are vastly improved, and might be up to the task, but I'm sure he's under too much stress right now. Anyway, it's good for Max to have something to do. He's getting under everyone's skin wearing tracks in the rug.
The doorbell rings just as Max finishes chipping the last block of ice he created with his powers, and Maria goes to answer it. I hope she doesn't scare the midwife away.
Apparently, she doesn't, because a moment later, an older woman with graying hair and a little bit on the plump side comes hurrying into the house. She's carrying a bag and Maria has a couple more, and everyone's rushing to her side at once, except for Kyle, who is still physically attached to Isabel by way of her iron grip. I bet he's thinking that alien powers really suck right about now.
The woman looks around at the crowd of teenagers, a confused look on her face. "Well, hello all," She greets us. We all nod back, and she walks over to Isabel, who's still on the couch, apparently determined to see the last minutes of a movie she already knows by heart, just because she feels like it. That's Iz for you.
It would be really hard for the general population of West Roswell High to believe, but Isabel can be a real sap when she's in the right mood. Realistic romanticist, that's what she likes to call herself. We all laugh, and call her a romantic dreamer.
Kyle looks up, and greets the woman. "I would shake your hand," He says, "But it's a little busy at the moment." The midwife smiles and laughs, replying that she's seen that before.
"Father to be?" She asks, and Kyle nods. The woman seems a little less... enthusiastic when she learns that the baby she is delivering belongs to parents not yet out of high school, but she maintains her demeanor pretty well. "Well, good luck."
The midwife tends to Isabel pretty much after that, telling her what to expect, and what's going to happen, and what she should do, and through it all, Isabel remains silent. I guess she's made some kind of pact with herself, because I've seen all the childbirth home videos, and school ed videos, and I've never seen a woman stay silent through the whole ordeal.
Max and Michael are getting nervous, obviously afraid that at any moment they're about to see more of their sister than they ever wanted to. They prance around, always staying 'out of the way'. Their words, by the way.
I always do that, calling Isabel Michael's sister, at least in my head. They're not related by blood, but they were raised so much together, and behave so much like siblings, that it's hard for me, who's known them two or three years now, not to think that way.
Moments pass by slowly, and Kyle looks like he's in serious pain from Isabel's grip. Still, I admire the fact that he doesn't tell her to let up. The midwife is checking all sorts of weird equipment, and some more normal looking stuff, like blankets and baby clothing, and Max and Michael have left. I'm not really sure where they went.
Isabel is glancing out of the side of her vision at Kyle, over and over again. I can tell that's she's unsure what to do, but I'm not going to help her. This is her decision, though it won't be if Maria gets there first.
"Maria!" I call from the kitchen, fully aware that nobody needs anything in the living room. She comes at a half-jog, barely keeping her balance in the heeled boots that would look so weird with her outfit if she were anyone but Maria.
"Yeah?"
"Could you go outside and watch the front door? Isabel wants you to tell Mr. and Mrs. Evans to go around the back way when they come home." Isabel wanted no such thing, and there was no reason for it, but I needed to get Maria out of Isabel's hair, and in the chaos of Mary's birth, when the Evans's really did get back, there'll be no questions, I'm pretty sure.
She nods, looking back at the living room, where people are talking in low voices, but nothing unusual, still. Except for maybe the silence. "Sure, Lizzy."
I smile, listening to her unconsciously call me the nickname that I haven't heard in months, maybe a year or more. She uses it when she's under pressure, so I guess it's a good indicator of how she's feeling. Not that it's ever hard to tell how Maria's feeling. She wears her heart, her head, and her entire thought process on her sleeve.
"Thanks, 'Ria."
Max
Isabel said that she was going to kick the men out of the house when she was ready for us to be gone, but it turns out she didn't need to. We left of our own volition. I'm wondering a little if I should have stayed, but the thought of seeing that much of my sister is just a little shivery-making. And not in a good way.
Michael came with me, but Kyle's still inside. I know he'll leave as soon as Isabel asks him to. Of all of us, and of the entire female population minus Liz and Maria, she's the only one he can still stand. Most women really cause him to clam up, because of Tess, I guess.
Right now, when Mary's about to be born, I can't help but think about my own child, my little boy who's now more than four months old. I can't help but wonder who's raising my son, whether my sworn enemy has taken my child as his own. If Tess is still alive.
I know that they all think I despise the sound of her name, but really, I just don't want to think about it. Tess. One simple word. But it scours up all of this confusion and other un-named, unwelcome feelings in my head, and what with all that's going on, I can't afford to be distracted at the moment.
It's hard, to live on this planet, and not be of this earth. It used to be harder, before I found out that not all humans are evil, that not all of them are out to get us. That some of them can even love me, when I'm not being a complete jerk. But it's still just a little more complicated than the average teenager's life.
My parents don't know that I have a child. All they know is that I was out late one night, and had to do a bunch of chores to make up for it. All they know is that I threw a fit about something, something which I wouldn't talk to anyone but Isabel about. Nothing new there.
It's scary, that they're so used to it. That my family has gotten so accustomed to my odd behavior that they no longer consider it anything even out of the ordinary.
We've all changed these past years. Learned to trust a few humans, learned that trust can never be given without repercussions. Did our best to watch each other's backs and keep all of ourselves, and later, Maria, Liz, Alex and Kyle, alive. It's actually pretty amazing, what with all the stunts that this little group pulls, that we haven't been killed by now.
I'm not the boy I used to be. The events of the past few years have been enough to turn me into a man, alien or not. And I don't mean the fact that I slept with Tess. That's just part of the saga. What I really mean is the emotional maturity that comes with fighting the battles I've fought, and seeing the things I've seen.
The people I know say that though I used to be quiet, I've never been like this. The people I don't know so well ask me what's wrong, and the people I count among my acquaintances at school, whisper about me behind my back. I know, I can hear them. Alien powers aren't just abused by Isabel, though I like her to think that.
The rest of them are different, too. Michael has mellowed a little, gentled with time. He's let Maria into his heart, surprising all of us, and shocking me and Isabel, who never thought we'd see someone get under his skin. He's learned to defy me without flaunting it, and he's learned to sit back a little, instead of insisting on a front row seat.
But most of all, he's learned that being in love can be the most amazing thing in the world. Caring for someone like that, it screws with your head. Mixes up your priorities, until the only thought left is to keep the one you love safe and happy.
And the last alien of our little group. This year has been triply hard on Isabel. So many things have happened that she felt she had no control over, and I've promised her that I'll try not to let that happen again.
She didn't want to leave our home, didn't want to part with the only family we've ever known. But she came, because she knew that she couldn't be happy here without me. And though for a moment it makes me feel warm inside, knowing that's how much she loves me, it chills me too. Because Isabel is a strong person, and she's survived too much already, but I imagine my loss will be among those suffered by her, eventually. And I need her to go on, even when I can't.
She lost Alex, only after she'd opened her heart to him for the first time, but she stayed strong, because she knew she had to. I'm supposed to be the backbone here, but really, if Isabel falls apart, everything does. She is the walls, the frame, the foundation of our little circle, and she has stayed as strong as she did many times for our sake.
And now... she's gone diving into this. I know I'm putting too much pressure on her, but I don't know how to lighten the load. This has to be done, and it's a little late to pin it on Maria or Liz.
Luckily, for her, I think that Kyle has been her backbone. They've really been holding each other up, which I admire. It's never a good thing for one person to be the spine of the relationship, because then, when they collapse, there's nothing left. Kyle and Isabel hold each other up, thereby sharing the weight.
Liz... Liz isn't a girl anymore. I'm sad to say it, but I don't really know the person she's become. We've grown apart this past year, and things have happened. I know now that she didn't sleep with Kyle, but it really doesn't change anything anymore. The feelings, the repercussions, the anger and hate and yelling and distrust, they're all over and done with. There's no way to un-do them, even if the act can be erased.
I don't want to even think it, but there may be no future left for us. I know we can still help each other, hold each other up like Kyle and Isabel do, but I don't know if we'll ever regain the trust necessary for a real relationship.
I guess, trite as it is, time will tell.
Maria is the last of us who's come through this fairly unscathed. I have no doubt that she's been affected profoundly, but for the moment, she has the fairytale. For the moment, she has Michael, and she has the love, and the care and the support that all of us crave. I think she knows that Liz, Iz, Alex and I have all been there before, because she basks in it, openly enjoying the calm waters while she can.
We're changed people. Too much has happened for us not to be. We try to maintain some semblance of our old lives, but we aren't those children anymore. We've all faced heartache, and we've all seen betrayal. We've all caused pain, and we've all received love.
For most of us, it didn't last. 'We're young, we have time to get it right'. That's what people tell us. But we're not blind, we can see Isabel, pining for a man who will never come back. We're not invincible, and we won't be around forever. We have to seize the day.
Still, we're all too scared.
Maria
The front porch is boring. Max and Michael are both contemplating their shoes, thinking about what that went wrong in the universe today is their fault. Honestly, I love these boys, but they're both bent on blaming themselves for everything from the invention of the nuclear bomb to the thinning of the ozone layer! Someday, they're gonna have to give it a break, right?
I can't stand still, and I know it. I'm hopping nervously from one foot to the other and back again, and every once in a while, Michael looks up and gives me that look that says 'You're-bugging-me-again-and-being-Maria-and-I-love-you-but-could-you-not-move-so-much!' I swear, that's what that face says.
I know why Lizzy sent me out here. I may be flaky and sort of superficial on a day-to-day basis, but I'm not dumb. I was bugging people. So, she won't mind if I go back inside... as long as I don't bother anybody, right?
Oh, who cares if Liz gets annoyed! I'm not missing this baby's birth for nothing!
I pull open the screen door and stride inside, momentarily catching the boys' attention as I remove myself from the brood-scene, both of them following me longingly with their eyes as I disappear into the house. They'd never admit it, but they're both big softies, and they'd love to be here when the baby wails her first discomfort.
Unfortunately, both Isabel and they agree that being there would be a serious case of TMI, and I'm reluctantly in agreement as well. It just isn't right for brothers to see that much of a sibling, at least not past the point of puberty.
Kyle is still at Iz's side, handing her ice chips and providing a hand which by now has white fingernails from her constant pressure. He looks up as I enter the room, and flashes a quick smile, already looking tired. Poor guy, he's got another couple of hours to go, I bet. The doctors said that first babies never arrive quickly.
I return Kyle's smile with a much more energetic one of my own, and head into the kitchen. I guess I'll have to forget so much as the idea of meddling, or Liz will send me off to do some nonsense job, again. She's just doing her best to let Isabel decide, I guess. But meddling is my own way of trying to make things go right, and I'm just trying to help her do what I think she should do.
Things go on this was for another hour, and then the first sound I've heard out of Isabel all day comes from the living room. Liz and I both rush in, and watch Isabel's face screw up in pain, a couple of small moans coming from her throat as she does so. Kyle's stroking her face with an ice-cold hand, dipping it in the melted ice chips to keep it cold, every once in a while.
The midwife checks on things, and looks up at Isabel, who's panting a little, and sweaty, but appears non the worse for wear, really. "Soon," She tells the young soon-to-be mother, and rises, heading for the kitchen to get ready for Mary's birth. Mr. and Mrs. Evans are waiting in the doorway, wanting to be there as much as possible, but unable to come any closer, per Isabel's instructions. They have to leave all the way when she goes into active labor, too.
I can see her looking at Kyle through glazed eyes, and I know that though he doesn't know it, she's sizing up his performance, wondering if he can handle himself through the delivery, and then wondering if she wants him there. I catch her eyes and smile, trying to hold back from telling her that I think Kyle should stay.
I know I would want Michael to stay, and I know Isabel would want Alex to stay, but this isn't Alex's baby, and Alex isn't, can't, be here. To be honest, I'm not sure I'd want Max around, either, nice guy though he is. It would just be too weird. Of course, Isabel is closer to Kyle than I am to Max, so I'm not really sure what she'll decide.
The midwife returns with Liz, carrying some stuff for her. Isabel is biting her lip and moaning a little again, her head moving back and forth, not quite thrashing. She catches her mother's eye, and Mrs. Evans ushers herself and her husband away, closing the door as she goes, reluctantly as she might. Isabel made this deal with her parents months ago.
The midwife checks on the baby's progress again, and Isabel takes one last look up at Kyle. When the midwife puts the blanket down again, she pushes it higher on Isabel's legs, and nods. "You're ready, Isabel. When the baby wants to come, push."
Isabel nods, and throws a final glance to Kyle, who smiles back. I never noticed, but he has a really sweet smile when he looks at Isabel. He really cares about her. Then, Isabel's body tenses, and I can see her muscles bear down. The midwife coaches her now, and she reaches out with her other hand to grab onto Kyle's.
I guess he's staying.
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