To answer some questions:

Yes, Max and Liz do end up together, I'm too much of a dreamer to do anything else, I've tried.

No Sean, has good intentions, I'm just trying to put Max and Liz together, and introduce something else.

Thanks for asking and reading!

Chapter 13

"This way, Elizabeth." Sean hurried up the narrow stairs. Being in the neighborhood brought back memories. Happy ones as well as the sad ones.

He knocked on a door then opened it. "Maggie?" He called.

There was a small yelp from near the back. "Sarah?"

"We're in here." A woman called. "Thank heavens you're back, we were getting worried."

"It's alright." He said and gripped the older woman's hand. "Maggie, this is Miss Parker, she's a nurse."

The old woman gave her a once over. "You're sure you know what you're doing?"

"Yes, ma'am. Take me to her." Liz slid her shawl off, delivered a command to Lady and went to the back.

There was so much blood. "Dear Lord." Liz whispered and knew she would need help. The doctor didn't make calls down here as much as she had pleaded him to he was adamant that she was on her own when she came here. Thinking quickly she looked around.

"You, Maggie, can you read?" she asked.

"Yes, Miss." The woman came forward.

"Good, take this back up town." She said quickly. "Tell the butler that Elizabeth Parker-Valenti sent you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss." She quickly left the room.

"Sean, do you have anymore towels?" Liz turned to him.

"Yes, of course." He said.

"Bring them please, she can't lose much more." Liz rolled up her sleeves and went to the young woman.

"Does she speak Gaelic?" Liz asked him.

"Yes." He nodded.

"Good, it will make her more comfortable." She whispered something to the girl.

"Are you due now?" Liz asked as she ran a cool cloth over the girl's head.

"Yes." Sarah managed to get out.

"Excellent." Liz breathed a sigh of relief that was one problem down. She whispered something to Sarah again.

Sarah muttered something back before she was taken over by another pain.

Liz checked to see how everything was going. "You're doing fine." There was so much blood; Liz knew the girl would not make it. Something hitched in her throat as she looked at Sean, so expectant.

"Looking forward to your first?" Liz asked trying to sound cheerful, as she tried to feel for the baby. It was breached. Feeling the girl's hardened tummy Liz prayed hard.

"Well, we sort of already have one. It's out first together."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"We have Sarah's niece." Sean explained. Liz focused on how to turn the baby. It was large and the girl was small, narrow-hipped. "Sarah came over with her Da and her niece."

"Oh, what's her name?" Liz asked to keep him distracted.

"Katie." He smiled. "She calls me Da." He said proudly. "We were going to raise her like she was ours."

"That's wonderful. Sean, how long has she been laboring?"

"This is the thirtieth hour." Sean said, seeing the uncertainty in her eyes.

Liz cursed under her breath. The girl was pale, barely able to speak. "Will you keep her niece?" Liz asked looking down.

"Yes." He said. "Of course." And then he knew. There was nothing Liz could do.

The front door opened and there was a flurry of motion in the front of the house.

"Liz?" She turned and let out a sigh of relief.

"We're in the back, Nellie." She called.

"Oh, what's going on?" Nellie knelt next to Liz. Cornelia Brighton had secretly joined Liz throughout her years of college. If Nellie had to miss class because of a social engagement, Liz would fill her in.

Liz just shook her head and took her hand and pushed it to the belly. "Thirtieth hour."

Nellie's gaze flew to Liz's and then fell. "We can save the baby."

"Yes we can." Liz said and looked at Sean. "Would you like to think about it?"

Sean looked shocked.

Liz rose and went to him and left Cornelia to work with Sarah. "Sean, we can save your baby, we need your permission. There is no sense in losing both mother and child." She explained gently.

"I guess I'm not meant to be fully happy?" Sean said and looked at his delicate wife.

"Sean." She called softly. Sean went to his wife's side with tears in his eyes.

"Do it." She said. "Please, for the baby."

"Sarah." He took her hand.

"Please, Sean." She pleaded with him and fought with every breath the pain that was wracking her body.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Sean said to his wife and then looked at Liz and nodded.

"Did you bring it?" Liz turned to Nellie.

"Yes." Going to her bag Cornelia brought back the bottle and handkerchief.

"We can make the pain go away." Liz said softly.

Sean nodded and broke down in sobs. He let go of his wife's hand exited the room.

A half hour later, he heard the squawk of a baby. A seemingly healthy baby.

Nellie walked out of the room and held the child to him. "Here is your daughter, Mr. Malloy."

Sean looked up smiled at the beautiful girl in his arms. "She looks like her mother."

"She does. What are you going to name her?" Nellie asked, and tried not to notice Sean's deep blue eyes.

"Mary." He said and rocked when the baby fussed. "Mary Sarah Malloy."

"That's a grand name, Mr. Malloy." She turned and went back to help Liz clean up the room.

A few hours later, Liz exited the small room. They had found a woman to nurse the baby for the first three months, from there the baby would hopefully survive on regular milk. Nellie was in the apartment finishing up and comforting the other daughter, Katie. Liz leaned against the outer door and slid down to the floor. She finally lead her tears come. She had lost patients before but never in such a way.

Lady hurried over to her and cuddled up to her. Liz let the sobs consume her. She didn't hear anyone around her.

"Liz?" She heard the voice and froze.

"Max, what are you doing here?" She asked, surprised and tried to wipe away the tears.

"I was waiting for you when Sean found you." He said and stepped closer, his heart hurting at her distress. "You did what you could. How long have you and Cornelia Brighton been sneaking around together?"

"Two years." Liz said, not caring who heard. "Two years and we've never lost one like this." Liz threw her hands down and shoved herself up. "You know, that woman didn't have to die?" She said.

"What?" Max said astonished.

"If she could have had a doctor early on, or even if Nellie and I would have gotten here sooner, we could have stopped it."

"Liz, don't do this."

"It's true. But because the doctors are too good to come down here, and because medical aid is so hard to get, mothers die here all the time. Needlessly. If that would have been Isabel's pregnancy she would have been saved."

A pain slid through Max. "Liz don't speak like that."

"That's reality, Max! This is what I grew up in. It's not fair is it?"

"No, it's not fair." Max took a step closer. "It shouldn't have happened."

"No, it shouldn't. I couldn't help her." Liz said. "I couldn't help her, Max."

"You tried, Love." Max took her into his arms. "You can't help everybody." He stroked her hair as she sobbed into his chest.
"Nice of you to join us, Elizabeth." Nancy Parker exclaimed when Liz made her way into the ballroom.

"You are only saved since Miss Brighton just got here as well."

Liz glared at her mother.

"You are not to go down there again, Elizabeth."

Liz turned to her father. "How did you know?"

"I always know." He gave her a grin.

"But…"

"There will be no buts." He said quietly, sternly. "Understood?"

"Yes." She looked down and glanced around the room. She caught sight of Cornelia they eyed each other carefully. Liz turned away before her eyes filled with tears. She saw Cornelia dab at her eye before smiling up at an admirer. Cornelia was a year older than Liz and as much sought after. Nellie had confided to her that it was only for a connection to her family, not her they wanted.

"Miss Parker." Liz turned and stared at Max. "May I speak with you?"

"Yes." She turned to him, and let him escort out to the terrace. "Thank you for bringing me out here."

"You're welcome." He studied her. He had seen her in her rags, and the day dress she had been wearing earlier, but the ball gown she had dawned made her look stunning. "You look beautiful." He told her.

She flushed. "Thank you."

"Are you adjusting to your new life?"

"As much as I can, it's been two years." She looked across the way. There was a garden below and the skyline of the other roofs surrounding the house. "I still don't know how I'm supposed to feel."

"You seem to be doing fine." Max said. Her hair was caught up from her face. He knew if she would have had more time, she would have had fancier. "Lots of admirers."

"Unfortunately." She answered. "They don't understand I don't want to be married."

"Liz," He said and stepped toward her. He took both of her hands and looked earnestly at her. "Give me a chance to explain before you reject me again."

"Max." She stepped back, but he wouldn't let her.

"No, Liz listen." He said and pulled her close and into the shadows. "Remember what happened today?"

"Please don't remind me of it, Mr. Evans." She felt trapped and so she used his formal name.

"Answer the question."

"I can't forget it!" She almost screamed at him. "You held me while I sobbed, and while I thank you, I don't want to remember right now."

"Liz, that sort of thing happens all the time out west." He took a firmer grip on her arms, adding pressure but not hurting her.

She froze. "What?"

"There aren't enough doctors." He said. "The ones there are stretched thin. There are no nurses."

He could see he had her attention.

"The other day, I heard of a woman dying in childbirth. I heard that if she could have had medical help, she would have survived. Unlike Mary Sarah, the baby wasn't saved either."

"No." She shook her head.

"Yes, Liz. There is now a man out there left to raise four children on his own because he couldn't get help." Max held her eye and said every word carefully. "Liz, we need help out there. The situation is getting out of control."

"I-I can't go out there by myself." She said. "I would. I can't Jim…my father, wouldn't let me." She said breathlessly. All those people she could help.

"I'm not asking you to go alone." He said.

"Nellie's parent's don't even know."

"No, not Nellie. Me." He said. "As my wife."

She stopped. She took a step back and he let her. "I couldn't just be a nurse, could I, Max?"

"No." He shook his head. "I'm offering you the chance to fulfill your dream without limits. I just want you to be your wife."

"And have your children."

"When the time comes." He dreamed of children. If she was honest with herself, she did too. Max's.

She searched his gaze, and her heart begged her to say yes. Those last two years, she knew that he would come back, she had been fighting off her love for him but it was difficult. Knowing that Max loved her, how could she deny her feelings?

"Fine." She nodded.

"Fine?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, Max, I will marry you."

Smiling, Max looked down at her. "You're sure?"

"Yes." She said.

"Are you doing it for the people or for us?" Max asked as he took her hand.

"I haven't figured it out yet." She told him honestly.

"That's good enough." He took another step towards her and framed her face with his hardened hands. "For now." And he kissed her.

When they went back into the party, Max nodded at Jim.

Within the hour, the engagement was announced.

Liz caught Cornelia's glance and instead of the betrayal that she had been expecting, there was a burst of excitement.

Disregarding society's standards, Cornelia crossed the room to her friend. "Liz, this is exciting!"

"You're not upset?"

"No." She hugged her. "You're to go west then?"

"Yes." She nodded. "There are people who need help."

"I know." Nellie looked over at her sister who was on her husband's arm. "Aaron is going west too. He just told the family tonight. Ella knows about my nursing and convinced him to take me with. I'm going too!" The Brighton's were the Evans' bankers and needed a branch out west with them.

"That's so exciting, Nellie, I would have missed you dreadfully, and we make a good team."

"Yes."

"You're not upset, about Max?"

"No. He never would have loved me." She smiled at Liz. "I'll find someone else."

"I hope he makes you happy." Liz answered.

"I'll make sure of it."

TBC (No we're not almost done)