Liz fought to pull herself from the darkness. She heard the voices around
her but couldn't quite place them.
"Liz, wake up." Someone was calling her.
She tried to move her head but it was so heavy. "Max?" She said the first name that entered her mind.
"I'm here." He said quickly.
"Good." She went back under.
Max cursed silently noticing her loss of consciousness.
"Max, will you leave her be for a while?" The doctor asked.
"No." He sat down in a chair. "Will she and the baby be ok?" He asked again.
"We don't know, Max. She probably will be, it's up in the air about the baby." The doctor told him honestly.
Max nodded and looked back at Liz.
"Max, the bleeding has to stop on it's own we've done everything we can now." The doctor said and left the room.
Max dropped his head into his hands.
Liz woke up a few minutes later and Max was shooed out of the room into the waiting room.
Their eyes all turned to him.
He tried to smile but it faltered.
"Max, we've been thinking." Diane said. "Why don't you sit." She directed him to a chair.
He looked skeptically up at his mother.
"Max, it would be best for everyone, all around if this baby were to be put up for adoption." Phillip filled in.
"Dad! How could you be thinking of this right now?" Max asked appalled. "We don't even know if there's going to be a baby. She's in there right now, being examined. I may not have a baby anymore." He said angrily. He stood up and began to pace.
"Max, calm down, Sweetheart."
"Calm down, Mom?" He looked at her. "I'll be back."
He left the hospital room he needed to get out, to think.
****
Max walked through the gardens quietly. He was thinking.
"Max." He turned towards his mother's voice.
"Hi, Mom." He said. "Sorry about earlier." He immediately apologized as he had always been taught.
"No, it's alright." She said. "Why don't we sit and talk?" She nodded toward a bench.
He sat and looked at her waiting for whatever was coming next.
"Max, I know you're young and this is an odd question for a teenage boy your age but, do you love her?"
"Not like she loves me." He said after a pause.
"So you don't love her."
"As a friend." He said.
She sighed. "Max what have you gotten yourself into?" She looked at her son. "If you marry her, like you say you will, Max, it would be the end of both of you. Marriage is a huge step, given, so is having a child. But Max, you can't do the things you will want to do in college. Your life isn't yours once you have a child. And, Max, a loveless marriage is hell." She told him. "It's a struggle to keep it together when you love your spouse, but when there's no love, there's no chance of it surviving." She rested her hand on his arm.
"What are you getting at."
"Max, look at it this way. Say you and Elizabeth get married, you go to college, but you don't make it. As I said before, your life is not yours. Everything will have to go towards that child's welfare." She looked at him seriously. "I'm not saying it's guarantee, but it's a huge possibility, Max. Think about it for me." She said.
"But I thought you wanted the families joined." Max spat.
"I do, Max, we all do, but not so young, never so young." She shook her head. "We thought after college." She explained.
"I wanna be alone now, Mom." He stood and left her sitting there on the bench.
****
Liz was even more tired now she had just had another round with her mother.
She glanced up when Max entered the room. She saw it in his eyes, she'd lost the baby wasn't hers anymore.
"Max." She barely could say his name before the tears poured.
"Liz, we have to, we can't keep this baby. It wouldn't be good for us, any of us." He told her holding back his own tears. "There's no way, we have college."
"I won't go to college." She demanded.
"You're going, Liz, we're young, we're not ready for this type of responsibility. This way the baby will go to a Mommy and Daddy who have been waiting years for this to happen."
Tears streamed down her face, leaving streaks and each one was burning the same streaked pattern on his heart. He sat on the bed and pulled her head onto his lap.
"Our baby will be loved very much." He said. "We'll make sure of it. Some adoption homes even allow some kind of contact between birthparents. We can find one." He said.
She didn't say anything. Her hand slid down to her baby. How could they be thinking about this.
"The doctor said the baby is ok." She choked out.
"It will be a beautiful baby, Liz, like you." He whispered.
She let out a sob.
She had a choice. She had to choose between the two people she loved most. Her boyfriend or her baby.
The choice was quick and with very little hesitation.
"Get out, Max." She said and moved her head off his lap.
"Liz."
"I said get out!" She screamed.
Looking lost, he stood up from the bed and left the room.
He heard her sobs through the door.
****
Isabel walked cautiously into the hospital room. "Liz?"
"Izzy." She turned towards her. "What am I going to do?" She asked.
"I don't know." Isabel said honestly ready to come to her best friends defense.
"I want this baby. She's not going anywhere."
"She?" Isabel smiled.
"It's too early to tell gender but I have a feeling I have a baby girl in here." She smiled briefly then it faded.
"Are you done talking to Max? He's out there distressed right now." Isabel stroked her hair.
"I know." Liz turned toward the wall. "I'll speak to him when you leave."
"Liz, whatever decision you make, not Max, you, I'll stick by you. I just wanted you to know that." She whispered.
"Thanks, Isabel, that means everything to me." She let out a smile. "I think I'll talk to him now." Liz said taking a breath.
"Alright." Isabel stood and went to retrieve her brother.
****
"Hey." He said quietly. "I'm sorry-" He started.
"No, Max, you're right." She said slowly barely able to get the words out. "We can't take care of this baby. We can't married. We'll give her up for adoption." She shrugged.
"Just like that?" He asked walking slowly towards her.
"You did it." She accused.
Max winced at the full truth of that statement.
"Alright. I think we can do this." Max sat slowly on her bed once again. She automatically moved her head to his lap and he stroked her hair.
She let the tears run freely now.
In one month she would turn eighteen, in two, she's be a high school graduate. In three, she would be gone.
"Liz, wake up." Someone was calling her.
She tried to move her head but it was so heavy. "Max?" She said the first name that entered her mind.
"I'm here." He said quickly.
"Good." She went back under.
Max cursed silently noticing her loss of consciousness.
"Max, will you leave her be for a while?" The doctor asked.
"No." He sat down in a chair. "Will she and the baby be ok?" He asked again.
"We don't know, Max. She probably will be, it's up in the air about the baby." The doctor told him honestly.
Max nodded and looked back at Liz.
"Max, the bleeding has to stop on it's own we've done everything we can now." The doctor said and left the room.
Max dropped his head into his hands.
Liz woke up a few minutes later and Max was shooed out of the room into the waiting room.
Their eyes all turned to him.
He tried to smile but it faltered.
"Max, we've been thinking." Diane said. "Why don't you sit." She directed him to a chair.
He looked skeptically up at his mother.
"Max, it would be best for everyone, all around if this baby were to be put up for adoption." Phillip filled in.
"Dad! How could you be thinking of this right now?" Max asked appalled. "We don't even know if there's going to be a baby. She's in there right now, being examined. I may not have a baby anymore." He said angrily. He stood up and began to pace.
"Max, calm down, Sweetheart."
"Calm down, Mom?" He looked at her. "I'll be back."
He left the hospital room he needed to get out, to think.
****
Max walked through the gardens quietly. He was thinking.
"Max." He turned towards his mother's voice.
"Hi, Mom." He said. "Sorry about earlier." He immediately apologized as he had always been taught.
"No, it's alright." She said. "Why don't we sit and talk?" She nodded toward a bench.
He sat and looked at her waiting for whatever was coming next.
"Max, I know you're young and this is an odd question for a teenage boy your age but, do you love her?"
"Not like she loves me." He said after a pause.
"So you don't love her."
"As a friend." He said.
She sighed. "Max what have you gotten yourself into?" She looked at her son. "If you marry her, like you say you will, Max, it would be the end of both of you. Marriage is a huge step, given, so is having a child. But Max, you can't do the things you will want to do in college. Your life isn't yours once you have a child. And, Max, a loveless marriage is hell." She told him. "It's a struggle to keep it together when you love your spouse, but when there's no love, there's no chance of it surviving." She rested her hand on his arm.
"What are you getting at."
"Max, look at it this way. Say you and Elizabeth get married, you go to college, but you don't make it. As I said before, your life is not yours. Everything will have to go towards that child's welfare." She looked at him seriously. "I'm not saying it's guarantee, but it's a huge possibility, Max. Think about it for me." She said.
"But I thought you wanted the families joined." Max spat.
"I do, Max, we all do, but not so young, never so young." She shook her head. "We thought after college." She explained.
"I wanna be alone now, Mom." He stood and left her sitting there on the bench.
****
Liz was even more tired now she had just had another round with her mother.
She glanced up when Max entered the room. She saw it in his eyes, she'd lost the baby wasn't hers anymore.
"Max." She barely could say his name before the tears poured.
"Liz, we have to, we can't keep this baby. It wouldn't be good for us, any of us." He told her holding back his own tears. "There's no way, we have college."
"I won't go to college." She demanded.
"You're going, Liz, we're young, we're not ready for this type of responsibility. This way the baby will go to a Mommy and Daddy who have been waiting years for this to happen."
Tears streamed down her face, leaving streaks and each one was burning the same streaked pattern on his heart. He sat on the bed and pulled her head onto his lap.
"Our baby will be loved very much." He said. "We'll make sure of it. Some adoption homes even allow some kind of contact between birthparents. We can find one." He said.
She didn't say anything. Her hand slid down to her baby. How could they be thinking about this.
"The doctor said the baby is ok." She choked out.
"It will be a beautiful baby, Liz, like you." He whispered.
She let out a sob.
She had a choice. She had to choose between the two people she loved most. Her boyfriend or her baby.
The choice was quick and with very little hesitation.
"Get out, Max." She said and moved her head off his lap.
"Liz."
"I said get out!" She screamed.
Looking lost, he stood up from the bed and left the room.
He heard her sobs through the door.
****
Isabel walked cautiously into the hospital room. "Liz?"
"Izzy." She turned towards her. "What am I going to do?" She asked.
"I don't know." Isabel said honestly ready to come to her best friends defense.
"I want this baby. She's not going anywhere."
"She?" Isabel smiled.
"It's too early to tell gender but I have a feeling I have a baby girl in here." She smiled briefly then it faded.
"Are you done talking to Max? He's out there distressed right now." Isabel stroked her hair.
"I know." Liz turned toward the wall. "I'll speak to him when you leave."
"Liz, whatever decision you make, not Max, you, I'll stick by you. I just wanted you to know that." She whispered.
"Thanks, Isabel, that means everything to me." She let out a smile. "I think I'll talk to him now." Liz said taking a breath.
"Alright." Isabel stood and went to retrieve her brother.
****
"Hey." He said quietly. "I'm sorry-" He started.
"No, Max, you're right." She said slowly barely able to get the words out. "We can't take care of this baby. We can't married. We'll give her up for adoption." She shrugged.
"Just like that?" He asked walking slowly towards her.
"You did it." She accused.
Max winced at the full truth of that statement.
"Alright. I think we can do this." Max sat slowly on her bed once again. She automatically moved her head to his lap and he stroked her hair.
She let the tears run freely now.
In one month she would turn eighteen, in two, she's be a high school graduate. In three, she would be gone.