"How's she doing?" Michael looked into Liz's eyes. They had become quite close in the past few months because of their relationships with Maria. He knew she could never lie to him.
"Well... um she really hasn't... she's pretty much..." Liz couldn't seem to get the words out.
"Liz? It's bad isn't it." Michael could tell from the look on her face that it was.
Liz got behind Michael's wheelchair and pushed him down the hallway to the elevator. The others stayed back to give them some time alone.
The elevator was empty and their silence added to the regular doom and gloom of a hospital.
Finally the quietness got to Liz, "She's really out of it Michael. I mean she's woken up a little but mostly she just sleeps and mutters nonsense. She asked about you."
Michael perked up at this but it was quickly ended as the elevator doors opened to the ICU. Liz pushed Michael over to the window in front of Maria's room. "You want me to come with you?" Michael nodded and she pushed him over beside the bed. Maria's face was all bruised and bloody. Of course there were some bandages but they couldn't hide everything. Michael leaned over and kissed her forehead. He couldn't contain it any longer, tears ran down his face and landed on Maria's arm which had also been wrapped.
"If I ever find out what jerk did this to her I'll kill him." His head was throbbing, he rubbed it but this wasn't some minor headache. Michael began to get very dizzy, he knew something was very wrong.
"Liz? How did the accident happen?"
