Liz sat staring at the computer screen. The neighbors had been in a fight
and had kept her up. And when they were quiet, her baby wasn't. The baby
was beginning to make an appearance and was hard about it too.
"Liz, you ok?" Maria asked sitting down in one of her rare moments of free time.
"Yes." She yawned and went back to typing up her end of the day reports.
"You have a name for the baby yet?" She asked looking at her stomach. She was seven months along.
"No, I don't even know if it's a boy or girl. I just like to call it a she." She smiled and took her hand from the keyboard to smooth it over her tummy.
"I think Maria is a wonderful name." She said standing up again.
"I think not." She smirked back.
"Fine." She shrugged. "It defines a strong and smart woman." She said. "You sleeping at night?"
"Yes." She said a little too quickly.
"No you haven't. Liz I've known you for what, three months now?"
"Yes." Liz nodded.
"Where do you live?"
"On Crescent and Twelfth." She said.
Maria raised her eyebrows. "Down there?"
"Yeah, it's not the best place in the world to be pregnant but I really don't have a choice." Liz said defensively.
"Hey, calm down, it's alright, I wasn't accusing you." Maria answered soothingly calming her down.
"Sorry. Just tired."
"That contradicts your last statement."
"Hey, I'm pregnant, I'm allowed to be tired." Liz smiled.
"Yeah. I guess." She went back to assign more rooms to patients.
****
"When was Liz's due date?" Diane Evans asked while sitting at dinner late in October.
"December 3, earliest." Max said staring intently at his food.
"What do you suppose she is doing?"
"How should I know?" He shrugged.
Isabel watched with intense dislike at her brother and mother. Her father was as usual in Albuquerque.
"Can I be excused?" She pushed away from the table.
"Yes." Diane said staring at Max still.
He glared right back. Isabel marched from the room.
"Would you stop glaring at me?" Diane said bitterly. "It was her choice to leave."
"It was your choice to bring her up."
"I just thought it would be healthy for you to at least talk about it."
"Not at the table mother." He shook his head. "I'm going to finish a paper I have to write."
"You work too hard, Max." She looked concerned.
"I have to." He too walked from the room leaving Diane by herself.
[I] "Liz, how are you doing?" Isabel asked softly.
"Fine." Liz said through a yawn.
"Are you sure, you sound tired."
"I am."
"How's the baby?"
"We're almost sure it's a girl. It's harder to tell when they're a girl because we never know if we're just missing something, we never know for sure until they're born." Liz sat up in bed.
"And her heart?" "Not good." She said softly.
"What do you mean?"
"We're still not able to get a steady heartbeat. But it's beating, and she sure is moving." Liz laughed after her last comment.
"They say it could be that she's in a weird position that's harder to get a read. I'll keep you posted, Izzy."
"Do you want me to tell him?" Isabel asked softly.
"No, Isabel, please don't. I'm doing fine on my own. I have friends here who are willing to help." Liz pleaded.
"I won't until you want me too." Isabel promised solemnly.
Isabel looked up when she heard a knock on the door. "Isabel?" It was Max.
"Coming, Max. Liz, I gotta go, she said quietly."
"Yeah, I know, I'll talk to you soon." Liz said smiling sadly on the phone.
"Goodbye, love ya." Isabel hung up the phone." [/I]
"That was her wasn't it?" Max asked sadly at his sister.
She started to shake her no, but then turned into a quick nod.
"How is she?" He sat down on the bed.
"She's ok." She lied swiftly.
"And the baby?"
"Perfect." Isabel felt bad about lying to the child's father, but it was Liz's wish.
"Good." He turned to leave but then turned around quickly. "Thank you." And he shut the door.
****
"Alex, I found the perfect roommate." Maria hopped onto her best friend's bed.
"Who?" He asked looking up from his computer at the desk.
"She's a girl I work with."
"Name?"
"Liz Parker."
"The pregnant one?" He said skeptically.
"Yes, but, Alex, she lives down on Crescent and Twelfth." Maria started to plead her case.
"So."
"Alex, she's nice and sweet. She has no one to help her take care of the baby. And besides, we have to find someone quick before Serena moves out."
"Maria."
"The baby might even have a heart condition. Alex, please. I know she'll take care of her rent. She a nice girl, she'll stick to herself."
"Fine." Alex agreed. "But this better work.
Alex had a lot of faith in his best friend's trusting habits. She could judge character easily and knew when someone was going to make a good friend.
"Great." Maria hopped off the bed and went to work.
****
"Morning, Liz." Maria waltzed in later that morning.
"Morning, Maria." She said back.
"Bad night?"
"Yeah, on top of the neighbors, the baby was restless." Liz said.
"Well, you won't be bothered by neighbors."
"Hmm?" Liz said only half listening.
"Our, my best friend and I, just lost one of our roommates, and there's no way we could keep the apartment with just the two of us. You wanna move in?"
Liz looked up now from the computer. "Excuse me?"
"It'll be 500 a month plus groceries, but it's furnished and everything."
"I don't know? Where's it at?"
"Orange County."
"So far?"
"We can carpool to work. But, what do you say, you don't want your little Maria born down there do you, Liz?"
"It sounds alright, and no, I don't want [i]Hannah[/i] to be born down there."
"It's settled them. Can you move in next week?"
"Can I see the apartment?"
"No." Maria said. "you'll like."
Blindly trusting her new friend Liz accepted the new offer.
"Liz, you ok?" Maria asked sitting down in one of her rare moments of free time.
"Yes." She yawned and went back to typing up her end of the day reports.
"You have a name for the baby yet?" She asked looking at her stomach. She was seven months along.
"No, I don't even know if it's a boy or girl. I just like to call it a she." She smiled and took her hand from the keyboard to smooth it over her tummy.
"I think Maria is a wonderful name." She said standing up again.
"I think not." She smirked back.
"Fine." She shrugged. "It defines a strong and smart woman." She said. "You sleeping at night?"
"Yes." She said a little too quickly.
"No you haven't. Liz I've known you for what, three months now?"
"Yes." Liz nodded.
"Where do you live?"
"On Crescent and Twelfth." She said.
Maria raised her eyebrows. "Down there?"
"Yeah, it's not the best place in the world to be pregnant but I really don't have a choice." Liz said defensively.
"Hey, calm down, it's alright, I wasn't accusing you." Maria answered soothingly calming her down.
"Sorry. Just tired."
"That contradicts your last statement."
"Hey, I'm pregnant, I'm allowed to be tired." Liz smiled.
"Yeah. I guess." She went back to assign more rooms to patients.
****
"When was Liz's due date?" Diane Evans asked while sitting at dinner late in October.
"December 3, earliest." Max said staring intently at his food.
"What do you suppose she is doing?"
"How should I know?" He shrugged.
Isabel watched with intense dislike at her brother and mother. Her father was as usual in Albuquerque.
"Can I be excused?" She pushed away from the table.
"Yes." Diane said staring at Max still.
He glared right back. Isabel marched from the room.
"Would you stop glaring at me?" Diane said bitterly. "It was her choice to leave."
"It was your choice to bring her up."
"I just thought it would be healthy for you to at least talk about it."
"Not at the table mother." He shook his head. "I'm going to finish a paper I have to write."
"You work too hard, Max." She looked concerned.
"I have to." He too walked from the room leaving Diane by herself.
[I] "Liz, how are you doing?" Isabel asked softly.
"Fine." Liz said through a yawn.
"Are you sure, you sound tired."
"I am."
"How's the baby?"
"We're almost sure it's a girl. It's harder to tell when they're a girl because we never know if we're just missing something, we never know for sure until they're born." Liz sat up in bed.
"And her heart?" "Not good." She said softly.
"What do you mean?"
"We're still not able to get a steady heartbeat. But it's beating, and she sure is moving." Liz laughed after her last comment.
"They say it could be that she's in a weird position that's harder to get a read. I'll keep you posted, Izzy."
"Do you want me to tell him?" Isabel asked softly.
"No, Isabel, please don't. I'm doing fine on my own. I have friends here who are willing to help." Liz pleaded.
"I won't until you want me too." Isabel promised solemnly.
Isabel looked up when she heard a knock on the door. "Isabel?" It was Max.
"Coming, Max. Liz, I gotta go, she said quietly."
"Yeah, I know, I'll talk to you soon." Liz said smiling sadly on the phone.
"Goodbye, love ya." Isabel hung up the phone." [/I]
"That was her wasn't it?" Max asked sadly at his sister.
She started to shake her no, but then turned into a quick nod.
"How is she?" He sat down on the bed.
"She's ok." She lied swiftly.
"And the baby?"
"Perfect." Isabel felt bad about lying to the child's father, but it was Liz's wish.
"Good." He turned to leave but then turned around quickly. "Thank you." And he shut the door.
****
"Alex, I found the perfect roommate." Maria hopped onto her best friend's bed.
"Who?" He asked looking up from his computer at the desk.
"She's a girl I work with."
"Name?"
"Liz Parker."
"The pregnant one?" He said skeptically.
"Yes, but, Alex, she lives down on Crescent and Twelfth." Maria started to plead her case.
"So."
"Alex, she's nice and sweet. She has no one to help her take care of the baby. And besides, we have to find someone quick before Serena moves out."
"Maria."
"The baby might even have a heart condition. Alex, please. I know she'll take care of her rent. She a nice girl, she'll stick to herself."
"Fine." Alex agreed. "But this better work.
Alex had a lot of faith in his best friend's trusting habits. She could judge character easily and knew when someone was going to make a good friend.
"Great." Maria hopped off the bed and went to work.
****
"Morning, Liz." Maria waltzed in later that morning.
"Morning, Maria." She said back.
"Bad night?"
"Yeah, on top of the neighbors, the baby was restless." Liz said.
"Well, you won't be bothered by neighbors."
"Hmm?" Liz said only half listening.
"Our, my best friend and I, just lost one of our roommates, and there's no way we could keep the apartment with just the two of us. You wanna move in?"
Liz looked up now from the computer. "Excuse me?"
"It'll be 500 a month plus groceries, but it's furnished and everything."
"I don't know? Where's it at?"
"Orange County."
"So far?"
"We can carpool to work. But, what do you say, you don't want your little Maria born down there do you, Liz?"
"It sounds alright, and no, I don't want [i]Hannah[/i] to be born down there."
"It's settled them. Can you move in next week?"
"Can I see the apartment?"
"No." Maria said. "you'll like."
Blindly trusting her new friend Liz accepted the new offer.