A/N:
Kristy: I'm sorry for the mistake. I mistook my mother's explanation. They cannot put the father's name on the birth certificate unless he's married to her, or he signs a pop form, the man says he will support the child until he/she turns 18. But, that one, complicates my story, two, makes it easier. But thanks for making me check up on that!
Chapter 22
"You ready, Hannah bean?" Liz brushed her hair up and grabbed the bag full of potato chips, towels, fresh clothes and everything else needed for a Fourth of July picnic.
"Yes." She pulled at the straps on her swimsuit, which was concealed, under her spiffy new 'Old Navy' patriotic shirt. "Swimming, yes?"
"Yes." Liz smiled and looked around the apartment for anything she had left behind. "Let's go find Aunt Maria and Uncle Alex and be on our way."
Hannah nodded excitedly. "We can tell them about, all about yesterday."
"Yes, you can." Liz nodded sadly. She walked across the hall and opened the door. "Knock knock." She called.
"Come in, Liz." Maria called from the back.
"Isabel?" Liz asked.
Isabel glanced up she was sitting on a barstool.
"Morning." She blushed furiously.
"Aunt Isabel!" Hannah said excitedly. "Are you going too?"
"Yes." Isabel smiled but didn't look up at Liz. "Alex invited me along." Isabel lifted her up onto her lap.
"You like my shirt?" Hannah pointed at it. "It's just like Mommy's."
"Very cute." Isabel agreed.
"Morning, my beautiful." Alex walked out. He looked at everyone in the room, "well more like my beautifuls." He grinned.
"So, how did the date go last night?" Liz looked between two of her best friends.
"Wonderful!"
"Great!"
Both had responded at the same time.
Liz smiled and headed for the door. "Are you ready to go, Alex?"
"Yes, Isabel is coming with us." He stood.
"That's great!" Liz said enthusiastically. Who would have ever guessed Isabel and Alex would end up together?
Hannah kept everyone occupied with stories of Max and everything she had told him all while refraining from calling him anything.
"Does she know I'm his sister?" Isabel asked quietly from the front seat?
"No." Liz shook her head. "I'll tell her though, she won't find out on her own." Liz assured her.
****
Liz walked into the Valenti's house with Hannah tagging along behind her carrying her beach bag, a smaller version of Liz's. Her sunglasses were identical as well.
And her flip-flops. Hannah's mission in life was to be just as pretty as her mama. Her father's compliment the day before about how she looked like her had been the greatest compliment he could have paid her.
"Who is this?" Liz asked walking into the backyard to join the party.
"Kailyn." Amy said holding shifting so as not to wake the tiny baby in her arms. "She's two weeks old."
Liz looked at the tiny baby and her heart went out for her. "May I hold her?"
"Of course. We went in this morning to get her." Amy informed her. "It's been a while since they used us as an ESH home." She explained. They were also licensed to house young children under extreme emergencies. ESH stood for Emergency Shelter Home.
"How long?" Liz only had eyes for the baby. She knew Hannah was in capable hands with Kyle and the rest of the gang.
"We don't know. We think until Mom shapes up." Amy said, her voice dripping with doubt.
"Dear Lord that could be a while." Liz said looking at the precious bundle. She wanted another child. She didn't want Hannah to be her only one. But as things were going it would be a very long time till she had one.
"Yeah. She was born early, due to drugs, and her mom has had that amount of time to shape up, she hasn't. Kailyn was in the hospital recovering, they needed a home for her and fast."
"Poor baby." Liz cooed. The baby grunted before going back to sleep.
"Mommy!" Hannah shrieked as Kyle picked her up and dropped her in the pool.
Liz smiled and was grateful she was in the dry zone of the backyard. "Are you going to foster her?"
"Yes, they don't want to move her if she has a chance of going back to Mom." Liz shook her head. The chances of that happening were slim. If she didn't care enough to stop drugs while she was pregnant with Kailyn, she wasn't planning on stopping ever.
****
Kyle sauntered over some hours later and looked down at Liz. He bent down and smoothed his hand over hers.
It was his first sign of affection since Max had returned, and it was the first since the arguments she had walked in on. "I see you've met the new one."
"Yeah." Liz said tentatively. She didn't know quite how to address them. She hadn't talked to Serena the night before either. She planned to tonight; she didn't want to let things go.
"Here, let me take her from you." Kyle leaned down and placed a kiss on Liz's head as he slipped the baby from her arms.
"Here, Mom, hold her." Kyle turned and handed the baby over.
"Kyle, now why would you do that?" Liz asked puzzled, her eyebrows drew together.
"Because." He smiled. He turned back towards Liz and picked her up.
"Kyle, what are you doing?" Liz asked tightening her grip on him as he walked towards the pool. "No. Kyle, do not." Liz shook her head.
"Don't do what?" He kept walking. Liz held on tight as he neared the edge.
"Do it Kyle, do it!" Hannah chanted.
"Kyle!" She shrieked as she fell. Her grip was nothing as Kyle expertly twisted out of it.
She surfaced red faced and angry.
"You will pay for that, Kyle James Valenti." She seethed.
"Kyle's in trouble!" Hannah chanted, happy to be out of her mother's wrath.
"You know what, mon papillon." Kyle turned to Hannah.
"What?" She started to back up to hide behind Liz.
"Oh, no you don't." Liz slid out of the way. "You deserve it."
"I think you're the one in trouble."
"Mommy!" Hannah stomped her foot as Kyle continued towards her.
Kyle picked up Hannah as effortlessly as he had Liz and walked to the water's edge. "Mommy!"
Liz followed along and right when he got to the edge, gave him a tiny shove and he fell straight into the water.
A heavy water fight ensued.
****
Hannah wandered over with a yawn and frowned at the baby in Liz's lap. Sure she had seen other babies at daycare but they had never directly affected her.
This one was taking her space in her mother's lap.
"Come on, Hannah." Liz smiled encouragingly at Hannah's hesitation. "She's awake right now, come look at her.
Hannah looked down at the other little girl in her Mother's arms. "What's her name."
"Kailyn." Liz told her.
"I have a friend named Kaitlyn."
"There isn't a T its just Kailyn."
"Oh. Never mind." Hannah shook her head as she patted the soft hair on her head. It was jet black but the eyes that stared up at her in wide fascination were blue. "She has blue eyes."
"They might not stay that color. Babies are usually born with blue eyes."
"Did I have blue eyes?"
"Not for very long." Liz shook her head.
"Now they look like his." Hannah said and stared at the baby. "Does Kailyn have a mommy and daddy?"
"Well, not really."
"Why not?"
"Sometimes Mommies and daddies aren't always ready to have babies. Kailyn's were not. So now Grandma Amy and Grandpa Jim are keeping her while they get ready."
"Oh." She snuggled down into her mother's warmth. "I love you, Mommy." She whispered.
"I love you too, sweetheart."
****
"Maria, you never told me about your date last night." Liz grinned.
"Ugh." Maria plopped down with a smile. "It was ok."
"Maria, that look says it was more than ok."
"Well, it was great." Maria kept her head as well as her voice down. Hannah was still curled up in Liz's lap.
"Tell me about him."
"Well, he was tall, well you saw him so you know his appearance." Maria started. "He was polite in a rude way."
"What?" Liz raised her eyebrows in confusion.
"Well, he opened doors and such, roughly, like he didn't really want to. He got a few glares from Isabel so I think she was sort of forced into it. Alex and Isabel seemed rather cozy, although Isabel seemed a little more reserved." Maria observed.
"Isabel's always been shy." Liz thought out loud. "She seems freer when she's with Alex." Liz observed. "I haven't seen them together but twice, and she always seemed to be comfortable enough around him."
"Yes, she was very comfortable with him. After dinner they went on their own for a while, and I was left with Michael."
"Where'd they go?"
"Alex is on a don't ask don't tell policy." Maria smiled. "Which means I'll pry it out of him tonight."
"I know you will."
"How was Max?" Maria asked more delicately.
"It went well." Liz nodded. She hadn't exactly sorted out her feelings for herself. "Hannah got along well enough."
"He wants to see her again?"
"Yeah." Liz nodded. She looked down at her baby. She reminded Liz so much of Max. Her smile, and her eyes.
Tomorrow, Liz would tell Max, she had to.
"Next weekend?"
"Yeah." There was no reason for anyone to know about their meeting tomorrow that was between her and Max. Max's interest had seemed sincere enough to convince her, they would go from there.
Tomorrow she was planning on telling him. It wasn't going to be easy. What a nice surprise for him. Two days after meeting his daughter he gets told that she has a congenital heart defect.
When she really thought on it, it had been the same for her except it had been hours after birth that she had learned of the extent of Hannah's heart problems.
"Be careful, Liz." Maria said.
"I will be." Liz assured her.
****
"Serena, I have a question to ask." Liz joined Serena at the table.
"Shoot." Serena said, her heart already filled with dread.
"What exactly did I walk in on yesterday evening?" Liz said outright. "In the four years I've been here, you two can't stand being in the same room together, let alone in the apartment by yourselves."
"I told you, Liz, we were just arguing over a mishap at the hospital." She smiled a bit uneasily.
"Serena, please don't lie to me." Liz asked desperately. "My feelings are already so mixed up about Kyle right now." Liz continued when Serena raised an eyebrow. "Your accent grows thicker when you're lying. Don't worry, I can't lie for anything either."
"Liz." Serena started.
"Serena, Hannah's father just came back. I won't lie to you; I loved him at one point in time. I thought I was close to being over it. But, evidently I'm not. Seeing him again makes my heart beat 800 times a minute. I love Kyle, but not with the same intensity and that's very unsettling to know, Serena. Now please tell me what I walked in on yesterday."
Serena was silent for a time. "Liz."
"I would ask Kyle, but I'd rather ask you first."
"We were together." Serena blurted out. "Before you came, we had just broken up."
Liz sat stunned.
"I thought it would be ok, I thought that going away to college would do me some good and I would grow out of it. What do you think it felt like for me when I discovered how close you two were when I returned?"
"I tried to push my feelings down, but they bubbled to the surface. We didn't part as friends and so, it made it worse." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Liz. I promise you nothing is going to happen between us. All Kyle wanted to know was if we could be friends. It's an question I'm not ready to answer. Not even to myself." She stood from the table and took her plate to the sink. Taking a quick breath she turned and looked Liz in the eye. "Yes, I think I still have feelings for him, but I promise nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever be between us again." She said it with such fervor and such pain, Liz wondered what could have gone so horribly in her friend's life.
With those last words, Serena turned and exited the room.
****
"Where did you spend your day?" Max asked his sister.
"With Alex." She snuggled next to him. She would never be too old to do so.
"Were Liz and Hannah there?"
"Yeah. Maria's mother, Amy Valenti, just got a new foster baby. Liz fell head over heels for her. It was so adorable to see." Isabel said.
Max's heart clenched.
"Hannah was hesitant around her but warmed quickly. We had fun." Isabel said tiredly.
"Isabel, you didn't come home last night." Max stated.
"And?" She smiled. She had never before given any reason for her brother to get extremely protective and watch her every move, it was a new and thrilling sensation.
"Am I going to need to have a.talk.with Alex?" Max asked, his arm wrapping tightly around her.
"No. Not yet." Isabel decided she'd better keep him waiting.
"Isabel."
"Yes?"
"I love Liz."
"Max." She froze. My God, she'd never heard him say that before. "Have you told her?"
"Haven't gotten around to it yet."
"Max, that's not something you just get around to."
"I know."
"It will make a difference, when will you tell her?"
"I don't know yet." Max said. "This is the first time I've said it aloud."
"Oh, Max, just tell her." Isabel was speechless.
"I will, when the timing's right."
Kristy: I'm sorry for the mistake. I mistook my mother's explanation. They cannot put the father's name on the birth certificate unless he's married to her, or he signs a pop form, the man says he will support the child until he/she turns 18. But, that one, complicates my story, two, makes it easier. But thanks for making me check up on that!
Chapter 22
"You ready, Hannah bean?" Liz brushed her hair up and grabbed the bag full of potato chips, towels, fresh clothes and everything else needed for a Fourth of July picnic.
"Yes." She pulled at the straps on her swimsuit, which was concealed, under her spiffy new 'Old Navy' patriotic shirt. "Swimming, yes?"
"Yes." Liz smiled and looked around the apartment for anything she had left behind. "Let's go find Aunt Maria and Uncle Alex and be on our way."
Hannah nodded excitedly. "We can tell them about, all about yesterday."
"Yes, you can." Liz nodded sadly. She walked across the hall and opened the door. "Knock knock." She called.
"Come in, Liz." Maria called from the back.
"Isabel?" Liz asked.
Isabel glanced up she was sitting on a barstool.
"Morning." She blushed furiously.
"Aunt Isabel!" Hannah said excitedly. "Are you going too?"
"Yes." Isabel smiled but didn't look up at Liz. "Alex invited me along." Isabel lifted her up onto her lap.
"You like my shirt?" Hannah pointed at it. "It's just like Mommy's."
"Very cute." Isabel agreed.
"Morning, my beautiful." Alex walked out. He looked at everyone in the room, "well more like my beautifuls." He grinned.
"So, how did the date go last night?" Liz looked between two of her best friends.
"Wonderful!"
"Great!"
Both had responded at the same time.
Liz smiled and headed for the door. "Are you ready to go, Alex?"
"Yes, Isabel is coming with us." He stood.
"That's great!" Liz said enthusiastically. Who would have ever guessed Isabel and Alex would end up together?
Hannah kept everyone occupied with stories of Max and everything she had told him all while refraining from calling him anything.
"Does she know I'm his sister?" Isabel asked quietly from the front seat?
"No." Liz shook her head. "I'll tell her though, she won't find out on her own." Liz assured her.
****
Liz walked into the Valenti's house with Hannah tagging along behind her carrying her beach bag, a smaller version of Liz's. Her sunglasses were identical as well.
And her flip-flops. Hannah's mission in life was to be just as pretty as her mama. Her father's compliment the day before about how she looked like her had been the greatest compliment he could have paid her.
"Who is this?" Liz asked walking into the backyard to join the party.
"Kailyn." Amy said holding shifting so as not to wake the tiny baby in her arms. "She's two weeks old."
Liz looked at the tiny baby and her heart went out for her. "May I hold her?"
"Of course. We went in this morning to get her." Amy informed her. "It's been a while since they used us as an ESH home." She explained. They were also licensed to house young children under extreme emergencies. ESH stood for Emergency Shelter Home.
"How long?" Liz only had eyes for the baby. She knew Hannah was in capable hands with Kyle and the rest of the gang.
"We don't know. We think until Mom shapes up." Amy said, her voice dripping with doubt.
"Dear Lord that could be a while." Liz said looking at the precious bundle. She wanted another child. She didn't want Hannah to be her only one. But as things were going it would be a very long time till she had one.
"Yeah. She was born early, due to drugs, and her mom has had that amount of time to shape up, she hasn't. Kailyn was in the hospital recovering, they needed a home for her and fast."
"Poor baby." Liz cooed. The baby grunted before going back to sleep.
"Mommy!" Hannah shrieked as Kyle picked her up and dropped her in the pool.
Liz smiled and was grateful she was in the dry zone of the backyard. "Are you going to foster her?"
"Yes, they don't want to move her if she has a chance of going back to Mom." Liz shook her head. The chances of that happening were slim. If she didn't care enough to stop drugs while she was pregnant with Kailyn, she wasn't planning on stopping ever.
****
Kyle sauntered over some hours later and looked down at Liz. He bent down and smoothed his hand over hers.
It was his first sign of affection since Max had returned, and it was the first since the arguments she had walked in on. "I see you've met the new one."
"Yeah." Liz said tentatively. She didn't know quite how to address them. She hadn't talked to Serena the night before either. She planned to tonight; she didn't want to let things go.
"Here, let me take her from you." Kyle leaned down and placed a kiss on Liz's head as he slipped the baby from her arms.
"Here, Mom, hold her." Kyle turned and handed the baby over.
"Kyle, now why would you do that?" Liz asked puzzled, her eyebrows drew together.
"Because." He smiled. He turned back towards Liz and picked her up.
"Kyle, what are you doing?" Liz asked tightening her grip on him as he walked towards the pool. "No. Kyle, do not." Liz shook her head.
"Don't do what?" He kept walking. Liz held on tight as he neared the edge.
"Do it Kyle, do it!" Hannah chanted.
"Kyle!" She shrieked as she fell. Her grip was nothing as Kyle expertly twisted out of it.
She surfaced red faced and angry.
"You will pay for that, Kyle James Valenti." She seethed.
"Kyle's in trouble!" Hannah chanted, happy to be out of her mother's wrath.
"You know what, mon papillon." Kyle turned to Hannah.
"What?" She started to back up to hide behind Liz.
"Oh, no you don't." Liz slid out of the way. "You deserve it."
"I think you're the one in trouble."
"Mommy!" Hannah stomped her foot as Kyle continued towards her.
Kyle picked up Hannah as effortlessly as he had Liz and walked to the water's edge. "Mommy!"
Liz followed along and right when he got to the edge, gave him a tiny shove and he fell straight into the water.
A heavy water fight ensued.
****
Hannah wandered over with a yawn and frowned at the baby in Liz's lap. Sure she had seen other babies at daycare but they had never directly affected her.
This one was taking her space in her mother's lap.
"Come on, Hannah." Liz smiled encouragingly at Hannah's hesitation. "She's awake right now, come look at her.
Hannah looked down at the other little girl in her Mother's arms. "What's her name."
"Kailyn." Liz told her.
"I have a friend named Kaitlyn."
"There isn't a T its just Kailyn."
"Oh. Never mind." Hannah shook her head as she patted the soft hair on her head. It was jet black but the eyes that stared up at her in wide fascination were blue. "She has blue eyes."
"They might not stay that color. Babies are usually born with blue eyes."
"Did I have blue eyes?"
"Not for very long." Liz shook her head.
"Now they look like his." Hannah said and stared at the baby. "Does Kailyn have a mommy and daddy?"
"Well, not really."
"Why not?"
"Sometimes Mommies and daddies aren't always ready to have babies. Kailyn's were not. So now Grandma Amy and Grandpa Jim are keeping her while they get ready."
"Oh." She snuggled down into her mother's warmth. "I love you, Mommy." She whispered.
"I love you too, sweetheart."
****
"Maria, you never told me about your date last night." Liz grinned.
"Ugh." Maria plopped down with a smile. "It was ok."
"Maria, that look says it was more than ok."
"Well, it was great." Maria kept her head as well as her voice down. Hannah was still curled up in Liz's lap.
"Tell me about him."
"Well, he was tall, well you saw him so you know his appearance." Maria started. "He was polite in a rude way."
"What?" Liz raised her eyebrows in confusion.
"Well, he opened doors and such, roughly, like he didn't really want to. He got a few glares from Isabel so I think she was sort of forced into it. Alex and Isabel seemed rather cozy, although Isabel seemed a little more reserved." Maria observed.
"Isabel's always been shy." Liz thought out loud. "She seems freer when she's with Alex." Liz observed. "I haven't seen them together but twice, and she always seemed to be comfortable enough around him."
"Yes, she was very comfortable with him. After dinner they went on their own for a while, and I was left with Michael."
"Where'd they go?"
"Alex is on a don't ask don't tell policy." Maria smiled. "Which means I'll pry it out of him tonight."
"I know you will."
"How was Max?" Maria asked more delicately.
"It went well." Liz nodded. She hadn't exactly sorted out her feelings for herself. "Hannah got along well enough."
"He wants to see her again?"
"Yeah." Liz nodded. She looked down at her baby. She reminded Liz so much of Max. Her smile, and her eyes.
Tomorrow, Liz would tell Max, she had to.
"Next weekend?"
"Yeah." There was no reason for anyone to know about their meeting tomorrow that was between her and Max. Max's interest had seemed sincere enough to convince her, they would go from there.
Tomorrow she was planning on telling him. It wasn't going to be easy. What a nice surprise for him. Two days after meeting his daughter he gets told that she has a congenital heart defect.
When she really thought on it, it had been the same for her except it had been hours after birth that she had learned of the extent of Hannah's heart problems.
"Be careful, Liz." Maria said.
"I will be." Liz assured her.
****
"Serena, I have a question to ask." Liz joined Serena at the table.
"Shoot." Serena said, her heart already filled with dread.
"What exactly did I walk in on yesterday evening?" Liz said outright. "In the four years I've been here, you two can't stand being in the same room together, let alone in the apartment by yourselves."
"I told you, Liz, we were just arguing over a mishap at the hospital." She smiled a bit uneasily.
"Serena, please don't lie to me." Liz asked desperately. "My feelings are already so mixed up about Kyle right now." Liz continued when Serena raised an eyebrow. "Your accent grows thicker when you're lying. Don't worry, I can't lie for anything either."
"Liz." Serena started.
"Serena, Hannah's father just came back. I won't lie to you; I loved him at one point in time. I thought I was close to being over it. But, evidently I'm not. Seeing him again makes my heart beat 800 times a minute. I love Kyle, but not with the same intensity and that's very unsettling to know, Serena. Now please tell me what I walked in on yesterday."
Serena was silent for a time. "Liz."
"I would ask Kyle, but I'd rather ask you first."
"We were together." Serena blurted out. "Before you came, we had just broken up."
Liz sat stunned.
"I thought it would be ok, I thought that going away to college would do me some good and I would grow out of it. What do you think it felt like for me when I discovered how close you two were when I returned?"
"I tried to push my feelings down, but they bubbled to the surface. We didn't part as friends and so, it made it worse." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Liz. I promise you nothing is going to happen between us. All Kyle wanted to know was if we could be friends. It's an question I'm not ready to answer. Not even to myself." She stood from the table and took her plate to the sink. Taking a quick breath she turned and looked Liz in the eye. "Yes, I think I still have feelings for him, but I promise nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever be between us again." She said it with such fervor and such pain, Liz wondered what could have gone so horribly in her friend's life.
With those last words, Serena turned and exited the room.
****
"Where did you spend your day?" Max asked his sister.
"With Alex." She snuggled next to him. She would never be too old to do so.
"Were Liz and Hannah there?"
"Yeah. Maria's mother, Amy Valenti, just got a new foster baby. Liz fell head over heels for her. It was so adorable to see." Isabel said.
Max's heart clenched.
"Hannah was hesitant around her but warmed quickly. We had fun." Isabel said tiredly.
"Isabel, you didn't come home last night." Max stated.
"And?" She smiled. She had never before given any reason for her brother to get extremely protective and watch her every move, it was a new and thrilling sensation.
"Am I going to need to have a.talk.with Alex?" Max asked, his arm wrapping tightly around her.
"No. Not yet." Isabel decided she'd better keep him waiting.
"Isabel."
"Yes?"
"I love Liz."
"Max." She froze. My God, she'd never heard him say that before. "Have you told her?"
"Haven't gotten around to it yet."
"Max, that's not something you just get around to."
"I know."
"It will make a difference, when will you tell her?"
"I don't know yet." Max said. "This is the first time I've said it aloud."
"Oh, Max, just tell her." Isabel was speechless.
"I will, when the timing's right."