Chapter 10:
"WHAT time is it?!"
"We've got five minutes!"
"Alex, we're gonna lose him!" The minute he stopped the car, Elizabeth opened the door and went flying towards the doors.
"Liz, wait for me!"
"HURRY UP!" She stopped in the fully populated room and looked around for the flight board.
"It's already boarding!" She grabbed Alex's hand and began running in the direction of the arrows.
"Liz... ah! Hold on...." They stopped in front of the boarding station as she watched the airplane take off through the window.
"I'm too late...." She let go of Alex's hand and he could see the despair in her face.
"I'm sorry Liz."
"No... no! I won't let it end like this! I should've believed him. I should've... I don't know. I should've told him I loved him regardless." She wiped away her tears in anger and pulled out her change purse.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going after him." Alex stared at his friend to make sure she was serious, and not just losing her mind.
"You CAN'T just go after this guy. You don't know where he lives, you don't know where he works, you can end up on the street over there."
"I have some money saved up. I can stay in a hotel until I find him."
"This is CRAZY. NO! I won't let you do this. You have to plan and prepare for things like this. You're acting like a nutcase. So stop and think! Be the rational Liz Parker I know."
"Alex... I'm in love with an alien. He saved my life the day I met him and since then has swept me off my feet. NONE of that is rational! LOVE is NOT rational. So I don't have to be." He could feel his heart break for her and realized reagardless what he said, she wasn't going to listen.
"Do you have the cash you need?"
"No." She smiled shyly, obviously expecting him to pay.
"Fine. But I better get the money back in a few weeks. This isn't lunch money you know!" Elizabeth smiled widely and threw herself on Alex to hug him with all her might. She ran to the desk and smiled at the startled attendant.
"Hi! Can I get one ticket to the next flight out to Washington D.C.?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You think she made it in time?"
"I sure hope so." Michael sipped the soup and looked down at Isabel sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I don't know. It's been too long. I get the feeling that they missed him." Maria handed Michael some crackers and sat on the bed next to him.
"Missed who?" The three heads looked over to the door and were faced with Max.
"MAX!? What are you doing here?"
"I came to check in on Michael. What else? Maria... it's nice to see you here. You really don't have to... I mean, only if you...."
"Oh please Max. It's fine."
"Have you spoken to Liz?"
"LIZ!" Maria ran up and headed out the door to the phone.
"What's wrong with her?"
"Who knows... she's Maria. There can be a lot wrong with her." Michael laughed and Max stopped short, his eyes focused on him.
"You're better."
"Hmm... yes I am. Thanks to your little doctor lady."
"Liz?" Max felt his heart fall into his stomach. What did Liz have anything to do with this?
"Yup. She came and she helped me out. Made me feel a lot better. And now I got Maria feeding me... which is not bad either."
"You're a real pig." Maria stood at the door, looking angrily at Michael.
"Oh... I'm sick, so sick. Maria poo... get me something to drink."
"Get it yourself. I'm not your maid."
"Oh, but you'd look so good in that little French maid outfit!"
"SHUT UP!" She picked up a pillow from the small recliner in the corner of the room and threw it at him, almost falling in his soup.
"If this sh*t would've fallen on me...."
"WHAT!? What would you do!"
"You're such a pain in my frickin' a**."
"Ok! Just stop it!" They looked at Isabel, her face absolutely grossed out as she stood up.
"Isabel... what's going on? What happened? Why was Liz here? Where is she?"
"Liz came because she was worried about Michael's health. I don't know where she is."
"When she left here, she never went back to her apartment. I think she's gone on vacation or something. I don't know if she'll be back."
"What?" Max turned to face Maria.
"Yea. She asked for a transfer and I haven't seen her since she ran out on us." Max sat down and grabbed his face in his hands.
"It's my fault. Maria... I'm sorry." Maria smiled, and turned quickly before he could see her face. This might just work better than they thought.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex waved goodbye to Elizabeth and smiled. He looked down at his ringing cell phone and picked it up with a smile.
"HE'S HERE! HE NEVER LEFT!" He knew he recognized the insane pitch but couldn't quite make out the words.
"Wait, what? Maria... slow down."
"MAX IS HERE! Come on over!"
"Wait, Max is... THERE." Alex pointed into the phone in shock and looked back out to the window where Elizabeth's plane was boarding.
"YES! Tell Liz! She'll be psyched!"
"Oh, I doubt that."
"What? Why?"
"SHE JUST BOARDED A PLANE TO D.C.!" Alex hung up the phone and ran to the gate.
"Excuse me sir... I'm sorry, you can't go through here."
"Wait... please. There's been a huge misunderstanding. My friend is on that plane. But she shouldn't be. She should be here. Oh God... forget it." He grabbed his cell phone and watched in horror as the plane took off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hi. Can I speak to Dr. Elizabeth Parker please?"
"Detective Evans?"
"Yes."
"Hi! This is Jennifer, the intern. We met on the night of you and Liz's first date."
"Of course. How are you?"
"Fine thanks, you?"
"Well, I've been quite a mess. Have you spoken to Liz? Have you seen her?"
"I've been calling her house, and all I get are Alex and Maria. I tried her cell phone and that didn't work either. Please, Jennifer, if you know where she is.... I HAVE to speak with her."
"Oh.... you don't know?"
"Know? Know what?"
"She quit. She isn't working here anymore. Last I heard she was gone. Moved out of her house and is out of the state. Something about needing room to think and be herself. She hasn't called me, but if I hear from her, I'll tell her to call you."
"No... no, don't worry about it. Thanks."
"Sure detective. I'm sorry."
"No problem. I'll... uh... I'll talk to you later." Jennifer hung up the phone and smiled. He sounded as if he would cry. She reached for the address book on her desk and dialed the number.
"Hello?"
"Hey. He just called. Took him longer than you thought, but he sounds desperate. I think you've broken his heart."
"He'll be fine. Once he sees what I have in store for him."
"Don't make him wait too long. He may choose to forget you."
"DON'T SAY THAT! I've done TOO much!"
"So how's the job going?"
"Well, I'm almost in. I've got great credentials and unmistakable connections. I think I'll be in by the end of the week."
"I spoke to Maria, she said he'll be there by Friday."
"So I'll see him by Monday."
"Great. Keep in touch!"
"I will. Thanks Jen."
"No problem!" She hung up the phone and sighed loudly. What a love story. Strange as it were.
"WHAT time is it?!"
"We've got five minutes!"
"Alex, we're gonna lose him!" The minute he stopped the car, Elizabeth opened the door and went flying towards the doors.
"Liz, wait for me!"
"HURRY UP!" She stopped in the fully populated room and looked around for the flight board.
"It's already boarding!" She grabbed Alex's hand and began running in the direction of the arrows.
"Liz... ah! Hold on...." They stopped in front of the boarding station as she watched the airplane take off through the window.
"I'm too late...." She let go of Alex's hand and he could see the despair in her face.
"I'm sorry Liz."
"No... no! I won't let it end like this! I should've believed him. I should've... I don't know. I should've told him I loved him regardless." She wiped away her tears in anger and pulled out her change purse.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going after him." Alex stared at his friend to make sure she was serious, and not just losing her mind.
"You CAN'T just go after this guy. You don't know where he lives, you don't know where he works, you can end up on the street over there."
"I have some money saved up. I can stay in a hotel until I find him."
"This is CRAZY. NO! I won't let you do this. You have to plan and prepare for things like this. You're acting like a nutcase. So stop and think! Be the rational Liz Parker I know."
"Alex... I'm in love with an alien. He saved my life the day I met him and since then has swept me off my feet. NONE of that is rational! LOVE is NOT rational. So I don't have to be." He could feel his heart break for her and realized reagardless what he said, she wasn't going to listen.
"Do you have the cash you need?"
"No." She smiled shyly, obviously expecting him to pay.
"Fine. But I better get the money back in a few weeks. This isn't lunch money you know!" Elizabeth smiled widely and threw herself on Alex to hug him with all her might. She ran to the desk and smiled at the startled attendant.
"Hi! Can I get one ticket to the next flight out to Washington D.C.?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You think she made it in time?"
"I sure hope so." Michael sipped the soup and looked down at Isabel sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I don't know. It's been too long. I get the feeling that they missed him." Maria handed Michael some crackers and sat on the bed next to him.
"Missed who?" The three heads looked over to the door and were faced with Max.
"MAX!? What are you doing here?"
"I came to check in on Michael. What else? Maria... it's nice to see you here. You really don't have to... I mean, only if you...."
"Oh please Max. It's fine."
"Have you spoken to Liz?"
"LIZ!" Maria ran up and headed out the door to the phone.
"What's wrong with her?"
"Who knows... she's Maria. There can be a lot wrong with her." Michael laughed and Max stopped short, his eyes focused on him.
"You're better."
"Hmm... yes I am. Thanks to your little doctor lady."
"Liz?" Max felt his heart fall into his stomach. What did Liz have anything to do with this?
"Yup. She came and she helped me out. Made me feel a lot better. And now I got Maria feeding me... which is not bad either."
"You're a real pig." Maria stood at the door, looking angrily at Michael.
"Oh... I'm sick, so sick. Maria poo... get me something to drink."
"Get it yourself. I'm not your maid."
"Oh, but you'd look so good in that little French maid outfit!"
"SHUT UP!" She picked up a pillow from the small recliner in the corner of the room and threw it at him, almost falling in his soup.
"If this sh*t would've fallen on me...."
"WHAT!? What would you do!"
"You're such a pain in my frickin' a**."
"Ok! Just stop it!" They looked at Isabel, her face absolutely grossed out as she stood up.
"Isabel... what's going on? What happened? Why was Liz here? Where is she?"
"Liz came because she was worried about Michael's health. I don't know where she is."
"When she left here, she never went back to her apartment. I think she's gone on vacation or something. I don't know if she'll be back."
"What?" Max turned to face Maria.
"Yea. She asked for a transfer and I haven't seen her since she ran out on us." Max sat down and grabbed his face in his hands.
"It's my fault. Maria... I'm sorry." Maria smiled, and turned quickly before he could see her face. This might just work better than they thought.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex waved goodbye to Elizabeth and smiled. He looked down at his ringing cell phone and picked it up with a smile.
"HE'S HERE! HE NEVER LEFT!" He knew he recognized the insane pitch but couldn't quite make out the words.
"Wait, what? Maria... slow down."
"MAX IS HERE! Come on over!"
"Wait, Max is... THERE." Alex pointed into the phone in shock and looked back out to the window where Elizabeth's plane was boarding.
"YES! Tell Liz! She'll be psyched!"
"Oh, I doubt that."
"What? Why?"
"SHE JUST BOARDED A PLANE TO D.C.!" Alex hung up the phone and ran to the gate.
"Excuse me sir... I'm sorry, you can't go through here."
"Wait... please. There's been a huge misunderstanding. My friend is on that plane. But she shouldn't be. She should be here. Oh God... forget it." He grabbed his cell phone and watched in horror as the plane took off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hi. Can I speak to Dr. Elizabeth Parker please?"
"Detective Evans?"
"Yes."
"Hi! This is Jennifer, the intern. We met on the night of you and Liz's first date."
"Of course. How are you?"
"Fine thanks, you?"
"Well, I've been quite a mess. Have you spoken to Liz? Have you seen her?"
"I've been calling her house, and all I get are Alex and Maria. I tried her cell phone and that didn't work either. Please, Jennifer, if you know where she is.... I HAVE to speak with her."
"Oh.... you don't know?"
"Know? Know what?"
"She quit. She isn't working here anymore. Last I heard she was gone. Moved out of her house and is out of the state. Something about needing room to think and be herself. She hasn't called me, but if I hear from her, I'll tell her to call you."
"No... no, don't worry about it. Thanks."
"Sure detective. I'm sorry."
"No problem. I'll... uh... I'll talk to you later." Jennifer hung up the phone and smiled. He sounded as if he would cry. She reached for the address book on her desk and dialed the number.
"Hello?"
"Hey. He just called. Took him longer than you thought, but he sounds desperate. I think you've broken his heart."
"He'll be fine. Once he sees what I have in store for him."
"Don't make him wait too long. He may choose to forget you."
"DON'T SAY THAT! I've done TOO much!"
"So how's the job going?"
"Well, I'm almost in. I've got great credentials and unmistakable connections. I think I'll be in by the end of the week."
"I spoke to Maria, she said he'll be there by Friday."
"So I'll see him by Monday."
"Great. Keep in touch!"
"I will. Thanks Jen."
"No problem!" She hung up the phone and sighed loudly. What a love story. Strange as it were.