On the edge of sorrow.
Liz and Max walked back into the Crashdown carrying four sodas.
"Maria's still not back yet?" Max asked concern obvious in his voice.
"No she's not. She's been up there fifteen minutes now." Michael commented glancing at his watch.
Liz set the drinks down on the table.
"Maybe I should go and check on her." Michael started getting up.
"Maybe Liz should." Max told him putting a gentle hand on Michael's arm.
"Max what...?" Michael started.
"Maybe she just needs some female company Michael. It can happen you know." Isabel told him looking at Max and recognising, from the years she had spent living with him, that he was definitely worried about something.
"Yeah, she's probably fine. I'll be back in a minute okay." Liz told them making her way upstairs.
Maria walked into Liz's kitchen, everything in a daze. She was glad Liz's parents were away for the night. From the way she was walking around they would probably think she was drunk or something.
She walked over to the sink and ran the tap, filling a glass with water. Then she put a hand gently on her stomach and looked out of the window.
Suddenly she began to shake, the glass dropped on the floor and everything went black.
~*~
"Michael, oh my god, Michael...it's Maria...there's blood and she's...Max we need your help and Isabel's. Something's wrong! Something's really wrong! I think she's...please!" Liz cried shaking, having seen her friend on the floor and immediately running downstairs to her friends.
Michael immediately ran up the stairs, Isabel, Max and Liz right behind him. The sight that confronted him scared him to death. The woman he loved, a woman who was so strong and so full of spirit was lying on the floor, barely conscious, blood over her trousers, her hand clutching her stomach.
He ran up to her.
"Maria? Maria can you hear me?" He asked stroking her face.
"Michael..." she whispered weakly.
"I'm here. I'm right here okay?" He told her sitting on the floor and resting her head on his lap.
"I'm going to call an ambulance." Liz told them worriedly.
"Liz you can't." Max told her sternly.
"She's bleeding Max. She needs help." Liz cried, worried for her friend.
"So we'll help her." Max told Liz. "But we can't call an ambulance. There's too much at risk."
Liz glared at Max, then ran over to Maria and sat down next to her, stroking her hair.
"Max and Izzy are going to help you okay sweetie. You're going to be fine." She told the petrified young woman. "Please Max...she's my best friend. Help her." Liz whispered tearfully.
Max nodded.
With all the strength she could muster Maria reached up and grabbed Max's hand. Her eyes, which were filled with tears, looked straight into his and with so much clarity and determination Maria said words that would change hers and Michaels lives. Her decision was made.
"You have to help the baby. Max please don't let me lose my child" Maria whispered pained as Michael fell to his knees.
"Baby?" Isabel asked. "Oh my god."
"There's a baby?" Michael asked Maria softly and tearfully moving so her head was resting on his lap.
"I'm sorry Michael. I'm so sorry." She told him crying.
"Why are you sorry?" He asked her quietly stroking her hair off her face trying to be strong for the woman he loved.
"Because we didn't plan this Michael...because I don't want to wreck things. They're always so complicated and this can only mess things up more for you...for all of you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I suspected...I only just found out. I'm just sorry." She told him crying harder when she saw all the blood she had lost.
"Maria listen to me this is our child you're talking about. How could our baby mess things up for me? It's my child you're carrying and I love you...Maria I love both of you." He reassured her kissing her.
"How can you love me when I'm losing our baby Michael? How can you love a baby you've only just found out exists."
"Because that's what fathers do Maria. We love our children unconditionally." Max told her softly, Liz gently squeezing his shoulder.
"You want this baby so much Maria, I can see it in your eyes, and yeah I can be a hardass but I want this too. Granted it's a shock but I'll get over that. Maria you are the only woman I've ever really loved and this baby makes it perfect so I want you to keep fighting okay. Let Max and Iz help you."
Max and Isabel knelt down on either side of Maria.
"We have to help her Max." Isabel told him.
"I know." He replied the both of them putting a hand over her stomach and closing their eyes.
Michael lent over and kissed Maria on the forehead.
"I had to know for sure before I told you. I was so scared you would run." She whispered. "Then I got this pain and I started to bleed and I was so scared. I was scared for our baby Michael. I didn't even know if I wanted it. But now I want nothing more than for our baby to be safe."
"Listen to me, I would never run. Not now. I love you too much to leave you or our child. You're the reason I'm here Maria. You're what's home to me. And now our child's a part of that"
"I'm so scared." Maria told him crying, a glow beginning to radiate through her body, looks of intense concentration on Max and Isabel's faces.
"Don't be. We're all here." Liz told her best friend holding her hand tightly.
"I'm sorry Michael." She told him crying harder. "I'm losing our baby. Our baby's dying and I can't do anything to help...I can't..."
"Max?" Michael called softly. "Max please...don't let our baby die...you can't let it die." He told the man he thought of as his brother, before breaking down in tears and resting his forehead on Maria's.
"I never knew I wanted it this much." Maria whispered.
"Me either." Michael replied. "But Max and Izzy are doing their best okay. Our baby's going to be fine."
"Promise?" Maria whispered.
"Promise." Michael and Liz both told her.
Maria closed her eyes and once again all went black.
Liz and Max walked back into the Crashdown carrying four sodas.
"Maria's still not back yet?" Max asked concern obvious in his voice.
"No she's not. She's been up there fifteen minutes now." Michael commented glancing at his watch.
Liz set the drinks down on the table.
"Maybe I should go and check on her." Michael started getting up.
"Maybe Liz should." Max told him putting a gentle hand on Michael's arm.
"Max what...?" Michael started.
"Maybe she just needs some female company Michael. It can happen you know." Isabel told him looking at Max and recognising, from the years she had spent living with him, that he was definitely worried about something.
"Yeah, she's probably fine. I'll be back in a minute okay." Liz told them making her way upstairs.
Maria walked into Liz's kitchen, everything in a daze. She was glad Liz's parents were away for the night. From the way she was walking around they would probably think she was drunk or something.
She walked over to the sink and ran the tap, filling a glass with water. Then she put a hand gently on her stomach and looked out of the window.
Suddenly she began to shake, the glass dropped on the floor and everything went black.
~*~
"Michael, oh my god, Michael...it's Maria...there's blood and she's...Max we need your help and Isabel's. Something's wrong! Something's really wrong! I think she's...please!" Liz cried shaking, having seen her friend on the floor and immediately running downstairs to her friends.
Michael immediately ran up the stairs, Isabel, Max and Liz right behind him. The sight that confronted him scared him to death. The woman he loved, a woman who was so strong and so full of spirit was lying on the floor, barely conscious, blood over her trousers, her hand clutching her stomach.
He ran up to her.
"Maria? Maria can you hear me?" He asked stroking her face.
"Michael..." she whispered weakly.
"I'm here. I'm right here okay?" He told her sitting on the floor and resting her head on his lap.
"I'm going to call an ambulance." Liz told them worriedly.
"Liz you can't." Max told her sternly.
"She's bleeding Max. She needs help." Liz cried, worried for her friend.
"So we'll help her." Max told Liz. "But we can't call an ambulance. There's too much at risk."
Liz glared at Max, then ran over to Maria and sat down next to her, stroking her hair.
"Max and Izzy are going to help you okay sweetie. You're going to be fine." She told the petrified young woman. "Please Max...she's my best friend. Help her." Liz whispered tearfully.
Max nodded.
With all the strength she could muster Maria reached up and grabbed Max's hand. Her eyes, which were filled with tears, looked straight into his and with so much clarity and determination Maria said words that would change hers and Michaels lives. Her decision was made.
"You have to help the baby. Max please don't let me lose my child" Maria whispered pained as Michael fell to his knees.
"Baby?" Isabel asked. "Oh my god."
"There's a baby?" Michael asked Maria softly and tearfully moving so her head was resting on his lap.
"I'm sorry Michael. I'm so sorry." She told him crying.
"Why are you sorry?" He asked her quietly stroking her hair off her face trying to be strong for the woman he loved.
"Because we didn't plan this Michael...because I don't want to wreck things. They're always so complicated and this can only mess things up more for you...for all of you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I suspected...I only just found out. I'm just sorry." She told him crying harder when she saw all the blood she had lost.
"Maria listen to me this is our child you're talking about. How could our baby mess things up for me? It's my child you're carrying and I love you...Maria I love both of you." He reassured her kissing her.
"How can you love me when I'm losing our baby Michael? How can you love a baby you've only just found out exists."
"Because that's what fathers do Maria. We love our children unconditionally." Max told her softly, Liz gently squeezing his shoulder.
"You want this baby so much Maria, I can see it in your eyes, and yeah I can be a hardass but I want this too. Granted it's a shock but I'll get over that. Maria you are the only woman I've ever really loved and this baby makes it perfect so I want you to keep fighting okay. Let Max and Iz help you."
Max and Isabel knelt down on either side of Maria.
"We have to help her Max." Isabel told him.
"I know." He replied the both of them putting a hand over her stomach and closing their eyes.
Michael lent over and kissed Maria on the forehead.
"I had to know for sure before I told you. I was so scared you would run." She whispered. "Then I got this pain and I started to bleed and I was so scared. I was scared for our baby Michael. I didn't even know if I wanted it. But now I want nothing more than for our baby to be safe."
"Listen to me, I would never run. Not now. I love you too much to leave you or our child. You're the reason I'm here Maria. You're what's home to me. And now our child's a part of that"
"I'm so scared." Maria told him crying, a glow beginning to radiate through her body, looks of intense concentration on Max and Isabel's faces.
"Don't be. We're all here." Liz told her best friend holding her hand tightly.
"I'm sorry Michael." She told him crying harder. "I'm losing our baby. Our baby's dying and I can't do anything to help...I can't..."
"Max?" Michael called softly. "Max please...don't let our baby die...you can't let it die." He told the man he thought of as his brother, before breaking down in tears and resting his forehead on Maria's.
"I never knew I wanted it this much." Maria whispered.
"Me either." Michael replied. "But Max and Izzy are doing their best okay. Our baby's going to be fine."
"Promise?" Maria whispered.
"Promise." Michael and Liz both told her.
Maria closed her eyes and once again all went black.
