Part 7
Confessions

Stirring the next morning, Maria smiled at the memory of Michael's arms locked around her as she slept.  His touch had proven as sensitive as his manner, caressing her body delicately as he lay beside her in awe of her pregnant state.  Rolling over, she reached out a desperate hand towards his side of the bed, frowning when she felt the now cold surface, wondering if his presence had been merely a dream.  It was then that the smell of sizzling bacon and puffing pancakes reached her nose and she grinned broadly—no dream, just bliss.

Moving to put on her robe, she was halfway across the bedroom when the phone rang and she turned back to answer it.

"Hello," she said lightly.

"Maria?  It's me."

"Tess!  Oh girl, you are not going to believe…"

"Something happened to Liz, she's in the hospital."

"Wha…" Maria mumbled, stunned by Tess's abrupt confession.

"I don't know much, I just called her work and they said she collapsed a couple of hours ago.  They took her to St. Mike's."

"Okay, okay, oh God… umm…"

"Kyle's coming over to get you, okay?  I'll meet you there."

"Okay… no wait.  You go with Kyle, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes, does Max know?"

"Oh, no, well… I don't know…"

"Okay, I'll call him and meet you there; 30 minutes."

Receiving an affirmative reply from Tess, Maria hung up the phone and hurried to the kitchen where she could hear Michael working on breakfast.  Looking up, she was shaken from her determined path for a moment as she observed him standing over the stove clad in only his jeans, his back rippling with muscles her fingers had reveled in exploring last night.  Along his left shoulder blade ran the evidence that he had indeed pleased her, the mark her fingernails had branded into his skin still a bright red in the early light.

"Hey sleepyhead," he tossed lightly, smiling as he turned to see her approach.  Reaching for the kettle of boiling water, he poured it in a prepared mug, her favorite tea being brewed at home on this morning.

"Something's happened," she said quietly, laying a hand on his arm as she approached.  "Put the tea in a thermos and call your brother.  It's Liz."

The seriousness in her eyes was immediately understood by him as urgent and he obeyed her orders robotically.  Five minutes later she led him from the apartment building, one hand holding her tea tightly, the other clutched onto his.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Rushing into the hospital, Maria saw Kyle and Tess standing helplessly at the emergency room entrance.  Hurrying up to them, she breathlessly asked, "How is she?"

"I don't know, they won't tell us anything," Tess replied helplessly.

"What?  Why?"

"Family only."

"Well did you tell them you were her sister?"

"What?  No!"

"Come on," Maria said with heavy exasperation, tugging forcefully on Tess's arm as she led her to the administration desk.

Watching them leave, Kyle shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and nodded slightly at Michael.  "So, you came by and picked her up, hey?  It's pretty early."

"Uh…" Michael struggled briefly, eyeing the protective brother warily as he wondered what the correct response was.  "Uh… no, I didn't pick her up."

"What… she dropped by your place?"

Knowing that Maria would probably throw a conniption fit if she heard the bullheaded questions Kyle was asking, Michael decided that a straight-forward approach was called for.  "No, I was cooking your 27-year-old sister breakfast after I spent the night.  And this time I'm not joking," he stated evenly.

"So your intentions now would be?" Kyle prodded.

"Man you got balls," Michael murmured, shaking his head at the stubborn, if uncalled for, need to protect a sister that was obviously capable of caring for herself.  "They're honorable, okay?"

"Maybe but she's not just a regular girl, she's pregnant you know."

"Really?  I hadn't noticed!" Michael remarked snidely.

"I just want to make sure…"

"We're… let's just leave it with I'm not going to hurt her."

"If you do, I'll…"

"You know, that'd carry a lot more weight if you were about a foot taller."

"Well if you'd cut your hair out of your eyes, maybe you'd have a chance…"

"Are you two serious?" Maria screeched in a high-pitched whisper.  "Jesus, you I expect it from," she said to her younger brother.  "But you?" she asked, turning to Michael.

"No, I was just…" Michael hurried to explain.

"Save it.  Liz is upstairs and the 'Parker' sisters," she said, pointing to herself and Tess.  "Have been granted visitation.  Wait for Max and meet us on 6 South."

"Okay but…" Michael started again.

"Later," she mumbled, thoroughly pissed at the childish behavior exhibited by the pair.  Turning on her heel, she led Tess away towards the bank of elevators as Michael shot poison tipped darts into Kyle's eye sockets.

"Maria wait," Kyle suddenly called, running after her as Michael felt a mix of stupidity and helplessness wash over him.

Catching her as she was repeatedly punching the up button, Kyle grabbed her arm lightly and maneuvered himself into her line of vision.  "It was me, okay?" he confessed.  "I was giving him a hard time but I just… I just don't want you to do something stupid."

"Like what?" she hissed.  "Like go out and get myself pregnant while I'm not married?  Sorry if I'm not regular enough for you bro."

"What?  No!  I didn't…"

"Chill, I know you didn't mean it, no one means it…"  Working her jaw tightly, she blinked back tears as she stared at the one family member she relied on completely and sighed.  "I'm just a little sensitive about this, okay?  I need him Kyle, and he loves me.  I'm really happy and whether he's the father or not, I intend on letting him be the Dad… if he wants to."

"If…"

"Well I didn't actually extend an invitation."

"Somehow I don't think that's a problem," he murmured.

"What?"

"Nothing.  Just go upstairs and I'll apologize to him, good?"

Nodding, Maria pounded the elevator call button another three times as Tess stood by solemnly.  When the door opened, Maria entered, followed by Tess who, without so much as a frown crossing her face, pinched her husband hard on the arm as she passed.

Kyle sighed as the door slid shut in front of him, knowing that he had two difficult tasks ahead of him—apologize to the new man in his sister's life and face a week of wife-imposed celibacy… great.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Darkness swathed Liz in a protective cover as she lay still in her hospital bed.  Her mind had fallen from utter denial to complete numbness an immeasurable amount of time ago and now the only force keeping her body churning was the intravenous line pumping life-sustaining fluids into her hand.  A break in the cocoon of nothingness encompassing her world went unnoticed by her mind, the approaching footsteps of her worried 'sisters' unheard by a brain that refused to process any further information.

"Liz… Lizzie?"

A soft voice was calling to her from somewhere far away and she wondered briefly if maybe she hadn't hidden herself somewhere out of sight, if maybe the voice wasn't searching for her without result.

"Hey babe, it's us."

Another voice joined in with the first, this one softer, more tentative, and she suddenly felt sad for ignoring them, for hiding from them.

"I… I'm here," she murmured, unaware that the words came out like incomprehensible mumblings.

"Sweetie," Maria urged lightly, laying her hand gently on Liz's arm as she pleaded with her to awaken.

"Mar… Maria?"

"Hey girl," she said softly as she peered into the dark pools of her girlfriend's eyes.  "How are you?"

"I… I… I'm so sorry."

"What?"

Liz swallowed thickly through the fog still shrouding her throat.  "I said… I'm sorry," she repeated.

"You don't…"

"Help me," Liz asked, fighting to move into a sitting position.  Both girls moved in to raise her bed, supporting her with pillows behind her back.

"Easy," Tess cautioned as she settled back into place.  "Tell us what happened?"

"The doctor said hem… hemorrhaging."

"What?  How?" Maria gasped.

"I didn't… I didn't want to tell you because I was embarrassed," she mumbled beneath her breath.

"Hey you," Maria said sternly, reaching out with her hand to raise Liz's chin towards her.  Meeting her eyes squarely, she promised, "A stupid little fight is not going to come between us okay?  I should have called you a week ago."

"No really, I was a bitch," Liz said earnestly, strength seeping back into her voice as she slid her arm along the bed to clasp Maria's hand tightly.  "Tess agrees, don't you?"

"Well…" the blonde girl mumbled, shrugging her shoulders from the opposite side of the bed.

Letting the faintest of smiles flit across her face, Liz turned her gaze back to Maria and stared into her eyes purposefully.  "I just couldn't deal with it, when I had…" her voice faded as she struggled with the words.  "I had a miscarriage."

"What?" Tess shrieked.

"What?" Maria asked a little more calmly.

"When we fought… I had just found out I was pregnant a couple of days before that.  I was so freaked," she said softly.  "I wanted to tell you, I did, but then I started spotting…. a day later and I had miscarried.  When we were in the shop… I… I had just found out."

"Oh sweetie," Maria cried softly, leaning into envelop her friend in her arms.  "You could have told me."

"I know, I know," the brunette mumbled, wiping her eyes furiously as she struggled to keep her emotions in check.  "I just… I was just so angry at you, just for being so happy… I never should have said those things."

"Forget it, I mean it," Maria said firmly, straightening her body as she eyed Liz evenly.  "The most important thing is you, are you okay?"

"The doctor said I could leave tomorrow.  I just lost a lot of blood."

"Good, and you're coming home with me," Maria vowed.  Stopping Liz's objection before it was even raised, she lifted her hand in the air in protest.  "I don't even want to hear it, didn't you know I could be a bitch too?"

Laughing lightly, Liz bowed her head as she smiled at Maria's words.  "Thank you," she whispered, unable to meet the blonde's gaze.

"Anytime, you know that.  But how are you… you know, how are you dealing?"

"Oh God," Liz breathed.  "Relieved in a way I guess.  I mean I want kids, for sure, and I thought they'd be here by now, but Max and I… well things are good, but it's just so early."

"I know, it's still hard though."

"Oh hey!" Tess exclaimed suddenly, sitting on the bed to pat Liz's leg excitedly.  "You boinked the goody-two-shoes!  How was he?"

"Tess!" Liz groaned, shaking her head in mock anger as she fought to keep the smile from her face.

"Honestly," Maria muttered, her own voice tinged with laughter as she chastised her forward friend.

"What?  Just because you're not getting any…"

"Well…" Maria drawled.

"No shit… with the stud?  Ah!" Tess shrieked, clamping her hand over her mouth as she recognized the inappropriateness of her behavior.  "How was he?" she whispered.  "I bet he's a stallion!"

"Tess!  Oh my Lord!"

"What?" the blonde cried indignantly.  "It gets boring with the same person over and over; there are only so many positions that I can force Kyle into."

"Ugh, that's it!" Maria said loudly, laughing as she stood from her seat by Liz's bed.  "You get some rest," she directed to the patient, leaning in to plant a kiss on her cheek.  "And you come with me, let's see if I can find some soap."

"Hands dirty?"

"No, your mouth is!"

Dragging Tess behind her, Maria walked purposefully towards the door as it opened to see Max bursting in.

"Over there Romeo," Tess said lightly, half running as Maria pulled her the rest of the way outside.

Looking up, Maria saw Michael and Kyle standing in the hallway, her boyfriend looking decidedly more nervous than her brother.

"She's gonna be okay," she offered quietly, releasing Tess's arm as she shot her a warning glance.  "This one I'm not so sure of."

"And you…" Kyle prompted, nodding his head towards Michael as he did.

Sighing, Maria shook her head as she met the soulful eyes of the man she loved.  "You weren't saying anything before, were you?  I mean, it was all numb nuts over there?" she said as she gestured at Kyle.

"They are not numb," he objected.

"They will be," Tess growled, earning an appreciative glance from Maria as she stepped in to twist his ear lightly.  "What's wrong with you?  Can't you see they're perfect for each other?  If Ria wants him to be the baby's Daddy then who are you to…"

A moment too late, Tess suddenly knew why her friends always teased her about her big mouth and abruptly stopped talking.  "Oh God," she whispered, her face paling.  "I'm sorry."

Maria was too shocked to stay anything while Michael only stared at her in a stunned silence.

"You want?" he murmured.

"Come here," Kyle hissed, dragging his wife away from the pair as they stared at each other helplessly.

"I, uh… well, I…" Maria stammered, swallowing heavily as she kept her gaze locked with his.  Inhaling deeply, she blinked once, slowly, and admitted, "Yes, I want."

"You want," he repeated slowly.

"Look, I know this might be a little fast," she breathed quickly.  "But this feels good, no?"

Catching a slow nod from Michael, she hurried to finish her admission.  "I don't want to push things, but I feel like I've known you forever, it's just… right, somehow, and honestly?  I used to think that the only way to raise this baby was on my own.  Now I can't imagine doing it without you.  Only you."

"Oh God, I…" he mumbled dumbly.

"I'm sorry, it's too much… too soon."

"No," he silenced her, raising his finger to place it across her rushing lips.  Leaning in to whisper against their cherry stained surface, he breathed slowly, "It's perfect."