~~~Ch 10~~~

"So…" Maria said, turning her attention back to Max.

"So what?" he asked, curious as to what his friend was already plotting.

"It seems to me that there is something more going on between you and our new friend Liz than either of you are letting on…"

"Maria, seriously we just met today.  I swear there isn't anything going on."

"Yet," she said with a somewhat devious smile on her face.  "But you would like there to be wouldn't you?"

"Well…"

"Ah ha.  I knew it," she said excitedly.

"I barely know her Maria…"

"Maxwell, in the many years I have known you, I have never seen you look at any girl the way you were staring at Liz."

"I was staring?"

"Yep and you had this look of absolute intensity in your eyes like you had forgotten that the rest of us even existed."

"No way…" he denied, shaking his head.

"Sorry man, I saw it too.  Absolutely disgusting," Michael said, a note of teasing in his voice.  Maria elbowed him in the ribs.  "Ow…'Ria!  Come 'on I was just joking."

Just then, Ryan started squirming in Michael's arms.  He lifted his head and looked around.  "Liz?" he queried, still scanning the room for the person who had been his only companion since the accident.

"Hey buddy…it's okay.  We're here," Michael said, nodding towards Maria.  "Liz had to go home and get some rest.  But guess what?  Your dad's awake."

"Daddy?" he said, turning and noticing Max sitting up in bed.

"Hey there…" Max said casually.

Ryan quickly began struggling to get down and climbed up onto the hospital bed.  He lay down next to his father and wrapped his small arms around Max.  "I'm glad you're 'wake now daddy.  I was scared when you were sleeping.  But Liz said it was okay and that the doctors were making you all better and you would wake up and then you did."

"Well I'm glad she was there to take care of you for me."

"Me too daddy.  I like her a lot.  Is she going to come back?" Ryan asked, picking his head up to look at Max.

"Of course buddy, she said she was just going to go home and take a little nap and that she would visit again later to make sure everything was okay," he said reassuringly.  He leaned closer and whispered in Ryan's ear.  "And just between you and me…I like her a lot too."

Ryan sat up on the bed and smiled at his dad, excited not only to have a secret, but to have such a good one too.

Maria noticed the exchange and put her hands on her hips.  "Are you two keeping secrets from me?  You know I'll get it out of you eventually Ryan…" she said as she reached out and began tickling him.  Max smiled, glad for the break from all the seriousness for a moment.  He leaned back and stared out the window…his thoughts effortlessly drifting to a certain brunette 'angel.'

~~~

Liz stood in the ambulance bay, nervously tapping her fingers on her purse.  She checked her watch again, wondering what could be taking Trevor so long.  A moment later, headlights approached and the familiar car stopped in front of her.  She opened the rear door and stepped inside.

"Ready?" Trevor asked, turning around to face her.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she sighed.  "Mother's not very happy about all this is she?"

"Well you know you're mother.  She's just…worried."

"Yeah worried about me doing something else to tarnish her reputation at the country club…" Liz mumbled.

Trevor pretended not to hear the last comment and proceeded to pull out of the hospital parking lot.  It was a short drive to the Parker residence, which was good considering Liz looked as if she might pass out from exhaustion in the backseat.  The time passed uneventfully this time, and soon enough they turned into the long driveway that led to the house.  Most of Liz's friends from the team were always very impressed with her home, saying it was beautiful and looked like a mansion.  But to Liz it always seemed more like a prison.  One she likely wouldn't ever escape.

"We're here Miss Elizabeth," Trevor said, not sure if she was indeed asleep or had just closed her eyes for a moment.

"I know I know," she said, opening the car door and walking slowly to the side door that most of the family used to get into the house—the front door was for guests, her mother always reminded her.  She entered the house and was walking past the room her mother usually used for entertaining when she heard her name called.

"Elizabeth?  Is that you darling?"

Liz stopped and turned to see her mother sitting on a large armchair and drinking a cup of tea.  She noticed another woman, around her mother's age, and a young blonde girl, most likely the same age as herself, sitting on the couch next to her mother.  The blonde looked as if she were incredibly bored but trying to look very proper for her mother's friend.  She did, however, look surprised and a little put off by Liz's appearance.

"Yes mother it's me."

"Darling I'd like you to meet my friend Diane and her daughter Isabel.  Diane and I attended boarding school together and she was my roommates for several years.  She and her husband, Phillip, and Isabel recently moved into the area and stopped by to catch up on old times.  Why don't you take Isabel up to your room with you so she needn't be so bored by our reminiscing?"

"Mother, I'm really very tired and I was just going to go lie down for a while…" Liz began, but stopped after the look she received from her mother, "…but of course I wouldn't mind some company.  Isabel would you care to join me upstairs?"

Isabel received a similar no-nonsense look from her mother and smiled at the petite brunette standing in the doorway.  "Of course.  Lead the way…" she said, standing up and walking towards where Liz was standing.

As they walked up the large staircase, Liz struggled to keep her eyes open and make it the rest of the way to her room.  When they finally reached Liz's room, she turned to the other girl and motioned for her to sit down on the small couch she usually crashed on to watch TV.  Isabel sat down and looked up at her curiously.

"Look Isabel, I've had a really long and exhausting day or two and I would like nothing more than to crash on my bed and loose consciousness.  However, my mother wants me to entertain you…  Now you seem like a nice girl and I would be more than willing to let you hang out here on my couch and watch TV instead of listening to our mothers go on and on about 'the good ole days' if as long as you don't rat me out to her."

Isabel smiled genuinely now, and laughed a little.  "You know, when you first walked in, I couldn't believe you were possibly Nancy Parker's daughter.  No offense… but you look like crap, and as I understand our mothers are a lot alike—including their high standards for their daughters.  But now I'm kinda glad you aren't what I was expecting."

Liz looked surprised and allowed herself to laugh at how similar the two of them must be.  "Well for the record I'm glad you aren't what I was expecting either.  Now if you don't mind I am going to pass out now…"

Isabel laughed and turned on the TV, making sure to keep the volume low.  "Be my guest.  I'm sure I can find something to watch on cable.  And I'll be sure to alert you if they come looking for us…" she said, noticing after a moment or two that she received no response from the other girl.  She turned around and saw that indeed Liz was already fast asleep on her bed.  Shrugging her shoulders, she went back to the task of flipping through the channels.

TBC…