"HELP ME! HELP! PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP!"

She was wrapped in a blood soaked blanket, rolled up in his arms. She had fainted from the sight of her blood, and the strong pain surging throughout her body. When he screamed to take her to the hospital, Isabel gave him a strange look, knowing it was a bad idea. Kyle had opened his mouth to say something, to disagree, to explain how a public place was the least safe hideout, but he thought better of it as he saw the look in Max's eye. He knew that if no one would help him, Max would carry her all the way to safety, he would give up his own happiness just to make sure Liz was safe. He always had, and he would never stop.

He was holding her tightly, screaming at the top of his lungs for some one to help her. The people sitting along the wall of the emergency room looked at the crazy man holding the red blanket. The silence of the room was broken by the sound of running feet, as three nurses rolled a stretcher in front of the man, and he placed the pile of blankets on top of it.

"What happened?"

"She got shot!" Panic was evident in his voice as the doctor checked her pulse and breathing.

"Are you family?"

"I'm her husband!"

"You better come with us!"

They ran down the hallway of the hospital doors hitting their bodies as they ran through them, him never letting go of her hand. Doctors and nurses were everywhere, filling out forms and plugging in tubes to the frail figure lying on the stretcher. He wanted to keep running, but a hand tugged on his arm, strong and steady. He tried to run after the stretcher disappearing down the corridor, but the arm held onto him tightly.

"I'm sorry sir, but you can't go any further!"

"But I…Liz… I…please…I…"

"I'm sorry sir! I know your worried, but there's nothing you can do right now. You can see her as soon as she's come out of operating, but in the mean time, is there anyone you can call?"

"I…um…" He took a step back, falling against the wall for support. Four people walked down the corridor towards him. One of the females put her arms around her brother's neck, and he wept into her shirt. Michael was holding Maria as she tightened her grip on his shirt. There were no tears from her, she had already cried too much as they were speeding towards the city hospital.

The male nurse turned to Kyle who was chewing on his fingernails as a nervous reaction.

"There are a few forms that need to be filled out, just basic information."

Kyle nodded, showing that he understood, but still looking past the nurse, into the distance, like he wasn't paying attention, he was looking at Max and Isabel, so hurt, so alone, so scared from Liz's life.

"She'll be okay Max! She'll be fine!"

Isabel voice was soothing, but it didn't help, it only made the tears worse.



"Max? Do you want a coffee?"

Isabel stood at the door of the room, watching him holding her hand. He was so weak; he hadn't had any sleep for the past four days. Since she came out of the operating room two days ago, he hadn't left her side, except to go to the bathroom, and even then he didn't leave her room as she had her own private bathroom. Maria was almost as bad, only leaving when visiting hours were well and truly over.

She had watched her brother yesterday, as his tears hit the fabric on the bed. Holding her hand, whispering into her ear.

"Liz, please! Oh my God, Liz please wake up! Baby please! Liz, please come back to me!"

She hated seeing him like this. After she called their parents yesterday when Liz was still in operating, she had tried to talk to him, but he just stared at the wall, not taking any notice of the world around him.

Isabel left for the coffee machine, knowing that he would want one. It made her miss Jesse, a moment like this. It was the time when you wanted to be near those who you loved, those who could comfort you in your time of grief. She lifted her hand to put the quarters into the slot when she jumped from a sudden noise behind her.

"Hey? How is she? Any change?"

Isabel turned around to see Kyle. He had just come back from the motel they were staying at. He looked tired, like he needed sleep.

"No…"

"And Max?"

She shook her head and looked at the ground, tears started to roll down her cheeks. She felt his warm arms wrap around her waist as he held her there in the passageway, as she wept for her brother and Liz.



Their faces were expressionless as he looked at them, sitting in the waiting room, anticipating any change in Liz's condition. He looked over at Isabel, pacing the room.

"Isabel…?"

"Michael, I'm worried about Max! He hasn't said anything since she came out of surgery! He hasn't left her room in two days! What if something happens to Liz and she doesn't make it? I'll never get him back Michael, I'll loose my brother forever!"

He held her close, comforting her as much as he could. A thought came into his mind, and he acted on impulse. Michael through open the closed door to her room and walked and stood right in front of Max. He looked up from her bed and met his eyes.

"Maxwell, get out!"

"Wh…?"

"NOW!"

"Michael, i…"

Without waiting for his answer, he grabbed onto Max's collar and dragged him out of her room, closing the door behind him.

"Maxwell, you listen to me! You can't just sit in there all day and mope! Yeah, she got shot, yeah, she's not awake, but she's going to live! I promise you that if she wakes up, you'll be the first person she want's to see but since that doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon, you need to get out of that room! Go for a walk, have something to eat, get some sun, get some sleep for all I care, but you can't just sit in there!"

His voice was loud and angry, and the family and friends of other patients were drawn to the yelling and commotion coming from the corridor. Max's voice was just as loud, making it clear that he wouldn't let anyone tell him what to do when it came to Liz.

"She was taken away from me Michael, and they hurt her, they almost killed her, and they left her cold and alone in that small room, without any food. She was so scared! I promised her that I would never let anything ever happen to her, and I broke that promise! Now try and tell me that if that was Maria in there, you wouldn't you want to be by her side every minute that you had?"

He stood there silent, waiting for his answer. "Yeah, that's what I thought!" He walked back through the doorway of her room, slamming the door behind him.

Michael stood there, stunned. He wanted to answer, but the words never came out. Max was right.