Chapter 11
"Hey cousins. Sorry I'm late I had something to do before I got here."
They looked at the bottom of the steps to see Maria coming up them. She gave Elaina a kiss on the cheek.
"Maria I'm surprised to see you. I thought you were going out of town?" Elaina chose her words carefully trying to see if Maria was acting or having a sane moment.
"I postponed it until after the wedding. I can't be out of town when you get hitched again." Maria sat down in front of them. "I want to apologize for the things I have said and done lately. I hope you'll forgive me. I've done a lot of thinking and I want us to be close again."
"If you're sincere, I'll accept the apology," Elaina told her, watching her closely.
Frank saw Cody and Sab approaching and gave them a look that told them not to say anything. Maria turned to see them, too.
"Cody, Sabrina. I really have a big apology for the two of you. I know that what I did was very wrong and I want you to know, Sab, that I'll never do anything to hurt your relationship again. Do you forgive me?"
Elaina shook her head yes to them.
"Sure, Maria, we forgive you," Cody said and then he turned Sab around to walk away.
"She was very quiet. Maybe she has to think about it. I don't blame her," Maria said. "Well, now where is Jake? I need to apologize to him." Maria looked around the room for him.
"I see him over by Allison." Elaina pointed and saw that Allison was speaking to Jake.
"Oh, I see him." Maria went over to him. "Jake! I know I'm late. I hope we can still have a dance or two."
"Sure. I'd like that Maria. Hey Cody, turn the tunes back on, we want to dance." Jake smiled at Maria.
"I'm sorry for the way I reacted to you the other morning, I just wasn't myself."
"It's ok. I was being a jerk then, too." Jake said as they started to dance.
"I pray that this last, maybe she did get help," Elaina said to Frank as he held her watching Maria.
Allison came over with Monica to talk to them. "I can't tell if she is faking or not," Allison told them.
"Maria is a good actress when she wants to be," Monica said.
"Or up to something," Elaina added, "Just to be on the safe side, I think we should get the young ones out of here."
Maria seemed to be fine until she overheard Frank tell Derek to take Benny and Sarah home. Maria saw Benny and her demeanor seemed to change. "Who does that belong too?" Maria snapped.
"This is your cousin, Benjamin my son," Miranda told her. "Want to hold him?"
"Hell no! Why would I want to hold a baby? Didn't hold mine much sure as hell ain't gonna hold yours," Maria stunned everyone by saying it.
"Maria, honey. When did you have a baby?" Liz asked.
"Let's see. I guess it would've been about a year or so."
"Who's the father?" Elaina asked.
"Some target I slept with to get him to talk more freely to me. Didn't think I'd get pregnant. Guess I was wrong." Maria laughed.
Elaina motioned for Derek and Miranda to leave. Becky was waiting with Sarah. "Maria, did you give the baby up for adoption?"
"I guess you could say that. I left him at a church with a note saying, I didn't want it after all." What Maria was saying disturbed Jake and he walked away from her.
"Well Maria, why didn't you just tell social services to take the baby?" Allison asked.
"Listen! I don't need all your questions. I came here to have a good time and now all of you, are ganging up on me. Just stay away from me. Where did Jake go we need to finish our dance?" She saw Jake standing by the gym doorway. "Hey! Don't you want to dance with me anymore?"
"I'm not feeling well. Why don't you, ask someone else. I want to stand this one out?"
"You two faced bastard! You're still pretending with me. I don't deserve this treatment from you or anyone else." Maria had a knife and stabbed Jake before he could defend himself. Elaina grabbed the knife from her hand before she could lash out again. Maria turned to run but Reese caught her.
"Let me go, damn you." Maria fought with Reese but he kept a strong grip on her.
"You're not getting away this time," Reese told her. Frank came up to them and handcuffed Maria.
"Thanks but that's not going to keep her from running, so I'll just hold her." Reese sat her in a chair and held her down in it.
******
Dr. Nathan tended to Jake's wound. Maria had caught him in the shoulder. The wound wasn't very deep thankfully. "How's Jake?" Frank asked.
"He'll be okay, luckily she didn't have a very big knife," Dr. Nathan said as he got a bandage for Jake's shoulder.
"Still hurts like hell, though." Jake winced as the doctor applied the bandage.
"I'll drive him to the hospital and get some stitches in it," the doctor said.
"Jake, I'm going to go with Elaina to take Maria to the psych ward, then I'll pick you up and take you home," Allison informed Jake, giving him a hug.
"Allison, I can take Jake home," Alex offered.
"Thank you. I'll take you up on that." Allison walked back over to Reese and Maria.
Maria was still fighting Reese's hold on her. Elaina was trying to get her to calm down. "Maria stop fighting with him. We're not taking you to jail. We're going to take you to a hospital." Elaina tried touching her but Maria spit at her.
"I should've killed you at the stables, instead of trying for her." Maria looked directly at Sab.
"You don't mean that, honey, we love you. We're just wanting to help you," Liz said to her niece.
"No one wants to help me. They just want to put me away. Out of sight out of mind!" Maria shouted.
"Maria, that isn't true. I do want you to get help. I promise you, I'll visit as often as you want," Elaina said.
"I don't need you to come see me, because I'm not going to stay there," Maria insisted.
"Maria, if you stay and the doctors say you're fine, I'll personally see that you're released. I'll take you anywhere you want to have the surgery to change your face. I'll even get you a whole new wardrobe to go with the new, Maria Andrews." Elaina hoped that this would work to calm her.
"You really mean that? You'd do all that for me? You won't talk me out of it?" Maria asked, changing a little.
"If you still want the surgery, then yes, I'll help you."
"What hospital will I be going to? Temporarily, you'll be going to the psych ward at Cook County," Elaina told her.
"I'm not going to no psych ward. I'm not crazy!" Maria shouted again.
"You have no choice in the matter, Maria, you're going," Frank stated. He pulled Elaina over away from Maria. "Daniel is taking Jake to the hospital for stitches. I'll drive you to the hospital, Reese and Allison will go with Maria."
"That's fine with me. I'm glad we're finally able to get her help. I feel as if a weight has been lifted off me," Elaina said, even though she was still worried about her cousin.
"I think Sab and Cody feel the same way," Frank said as Sab and Cody sat holding each other.
"Well, everyone. Sorry the party ended like this. We thank you for being her with us. We'll see you day after tomorrow for the wedding."
"Hey cousins. Sorry I'm late I had something to do before I got here."
They looked at the bottom of the steps to see Maria coming up them. She gave Elaina a kiss on the cheek.
"Maria I'm surprised to see you. I thought you were going out of town?" Elaina chose her words carefully trying to see if Maria was acting or having a sane moment.
"I postponed it until after the wedding. I can't be out of town when you get hitched again." Maria sat down in front of them. "I want to apologize for the things I have said and done lately. I hope you'll forgive me. I've done a lot of thinking and I want us to be close again."
"If you're sincere, I'll accept the apology," Elaina told her, watching her closely.
Frank saw Cody and Sab approaching and gave them a look that told them not to say anything. Maria turned to see them, too.
"Cody, Sabrina. I really have a big apology for the two of you. I know that what I did was very wrong and I want you to know, Sab, that I'll never do anything to hurt your relationship again. Do you forgive me?"
Elaina shook her head yes to them.
"Sure, Maria, we forgive you," Cody said and then he turned Sab around to walk away.
"She was very quiet. Maybe she has to think about it. I don't blame her," Maria said. "Well, now where is Jake? I need to apologize to him." Maria looked around the room for him.
"I see him over by Allison." Elaina pointed and saw that Allison was speaking to Jake.
"Oh, I see him." Maria went over to him. "Jake! I know I'm late. I hope we can still have a dance or two."
"Sure. I'd like that Maria. Hey Cody, turn the tunes back on, we want to dance." Jake smiled at Maria.
"I'm sorry for the way I reacted to you the other morning, I just wasn't myself."
"It's ok. I was being a jerk then, too." Jake said as they started to dance.
"I pray that this last, maybe she did get help," Elaina said to Frank as he held her watching Maria.
Allison came over with Monica to talk to them. "I can't tell if she is faking or not," Allison told them.
"Maria is a good actress when she wants to be," Monica said.
"Or up to something," Elaina added, "Just to be on the safe side, I think we should get the young ones out of here."
Maria seemed to be fine until she overheard Frank tell Derek to take Benny and Sarah home. Maria saw Benny and her demeanor seemed to change. "Who does that belong too?" Maria snapped.
"This is your cousin, Benjamin my son," Miranda told her. "Want to hold him?"
"Hell no! Why would I want to hold a baby? Didn't hold mine much sure as hell ain't gonna hold yours," Maria stunned everyone by saying it.
"Maria, honey. When did you have a baby?" Liz asked.
"Let's see. I guess it would've been about a year or so."
"Who's the father?" Elaina asked.
"Some target I slept with to get him to talk more freely to me. Didn't think I'd get pregnant. Guess I was wrong." Maria laughed.
Elaina motioned for Derek and Miranda to leave. Becky was waiting with Sarah. "Maria, did you give the baby up for adoption?"
"I guess you could say that. I left him at a church with a note saying, I didn't want it after all." What Maria was saying disturbed Jake and he walked away from her.
"Well Maria, why didn't you just tell social services to take the baby?" Allison asked.
"Listen! I don't need all your questions. I came here to have a good time and now all of you, are ganging up on me. Just stay away from me. Where did Jake go we need to finish our dance?" She saw Jake standing by the gym doorway. "Hey! Don't you want to dance with me anymore?"
"I'm not feeling well. Why don't you, ask someone else. I want to stand this one out?"
"You two faced bastard! You're still pretending with me. I don't deserve this treatment from you or anyone else." Maria had a knife and stabbed Jake before he could defend himself. Elaina grabbed the knife from her hand before she could lash out again. Maria turned to run but Reese caught her.
"Let me go, damn you." Maria fought with Reese but he kept a strong grip on her.
"You're not getting away this time," Reese told her. Frank came up to them and handcuffed Maria.
"Thanks but that's not going to keep her from running, so I'll just hold her." Reese sat her in a chair and held her down in it.
******
Dr. Nathan tended to Jake's wound. Maria had caught him in the shoulder. The wound wasn't very deep thankfully. "How's Jake?" Frank asked.
"He'll be okay, luckily she didn't have a very big knife," Dr. Nathan said as he got a bandage for Jake's shoulder.
"Still hurts like hell, though." Jake winced as the doctor applied the bandage.
"I'll drive him to the hospital and get some stitches in it," the doctor said.
"Jake, I'm going to go with Elaina to take Maria to the psych ward, then I'll pick you up and take you home," Allison informed Jake, giving him a hug.
"Allison, I can take Jake home," Alex offered.
"Thank you. I'll take you up on that." Allison walked back over to Reese and Maria.
Maria was still fighting Reese's hold on her. Elaina was trying to get her to calm down. "Maria stop fighting with him. We're not taking you to jail. We're going to take you to a hospital." Elaina tried touching her but Maria spit at her.
"I should've killed you at the stables, instead of trying for her." Maria looked directly at Sab.
"You don't mean that, honey, we love you. We're just wanting to help you," Liz said to her niece.
"No one wants to help me. They just want to put me away. Out of sight out of mind!" Maria shouted.
"Maria, that isn't true. I do want you to get help. I promise you, I'll visit as often as you want," Elaina said.
"I don't need you to come see me, because I'm not going to stay there," Maria insisted.
"Maria, if you stay and the doctors say you're fine, I'll personally see that you're released. I'll take you anywhere you want to have the surgery to change your face. I'll even get you a whole new wardrobe to go with the new, Maria Andrews." Elaina hoped that this would work to calm her.
"You really mean that? You'd do all that for me? You won't talk me out of it?" Maria asked, changing a little.
"If you still want the surgery, then yes, I'll help you."
"What hospital will I be going to? Temporarily, you'll be going to the psych ward at Cook County," Elaina told her.
"I'm not going to no psych ward. I'm not crazy!" Maria shouted again.
"You have no choice in the matter, Maria, you're going," Frank stated. He pulled Elaina over away from Maria. "Daniel is taking Jake to the hospital for stitches. I'll drive you to the hospital, Reese and Allison will go with Maria."
"That's fine with me. I'm glad we're finally able to get her help. I feel as if a weight has been lifted off me," Elaina said, even though she was still worried about her cousin.
"I think Sab and Cody feel the same way," Frank said as Sab and Cody sat holding each other.
"Well, everyone. Sorry the party ended like this. We thank you for being her with us. We'll see you day after tomorrow for the wedding."
