Chapter 19

Liz paused outside her parents' room. She heard her mother ranting to Jim Valenti and her poor maid.

Lifting a hand she formed a fist and knocked on the door.

A very composed looking maid opened the door.

"It's your daughter, ma'am." She called.

"Now, she decides to see me." Nancy called. "Let her in."

"Mrs. Evans." The maid stepped aside.

"Will you please give us a moment?" Liz asked, looking at both her father and her mother's maid.

The maid left the room immediately, eager to be out. Jim took his time, giving a warning look before leaving.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't dismiss people without my permission." Nancy started.

"Stop." Liz said before her mother could say anything more. "This is my house and you will listen to me." Liz looked her mother in the face and took her handkerchief from her so her mother had her full attention.

"Look at me." Liz said gently. "I have something I want to talk to you about."

"Now's a fine time, now that you've kicked me out of your house, out of your life and out of my grandchildren's lives."

"Oh, stop." Liz rolled her eyes. "Stop being so dramatic. I'm not kicking you out of anyone's life. I just want to live mine, Mama. I'm married now, so is Kyle we'll be ok by ourselves."

"I just want…"

"My turn." Liz held up a hand for quiet. "I don't understand why you don't want us to be happy. Why you hurt Serena when you know it makes Kyle unhappy, why you tried to keep me from marrying Max, when you knew that would have made me the happiest girl in the world."

"Liz I…"

"Do you have any good reasons, Mama?" She asked desperately.

Nancy moved her mouth, trying to get something out.

"See you don't even have a reason for acting like you do." Liz sat on the bed next to her mother. "I know at first you were worried for me, and when we were poor, and living in the slums of the city, I could understand why you would want me to stay away from Max. But once you introduced us to Jim…Father…you changed the rules. You began to hate Serena, when she had been perfectly good enough for Kyle four years before. Why?"

"Liz our position in society…"

"That doesn't matter." Liz interrupted. "Mama, have you realized something, where are you from? What high born father sired you?" Liz said harshly.

Nancy stopped, and studied. "I didn't come from anywhere, Elizabeth." She spoke slowly. "Unlike you and your brother I have no claim to anybody."

"Then why do you insist on being above those who are just like you?" Liz grew impatient. "That's they only question I have is why. Why are you the way you are and why do you insist on hurting your own family?"

"Because, Elizabeth, they didn't need to be a part of your family, they could have been so much better. You could have had so much better. I should have come down on you harder as a child, I should have told you about your father before and never let you and your brother fall for such common people."

"Mama, look at this house, is Max Evans common?"

"I was talking about Serena!"

"She's no less than you are." Liz raised her voice to match her mother. "She's no less than I am." She said after a moment, when her voice was calm again.

"Why couldn't I have a daughter like the Troys or the Whitmans? They have such wonderful daughters. Obedient."

"Because that's not who I am." Liz ground out through her teeth.

"Oh no, I had to have a daughter who dirties her hands being a nurse, a daughter who gives up on everything she's been handed. A daughter who throws everything in her mother's face for. All I've ever done is try to help me and you act ungrateful and want to hurt me. It's like you don't even love me." She finished. "Sometimes I have to remind myself why I give so much up for you, why I continue to love you."

Liz drew back as if she'd been slapped. Everything in her system revolted and the room spun. Closing her eyes she opened them a moment later, looking at her mother, her expression glassy.

"Liz, I…" Nancy started.

"No." Liz stood she laid her hand on the bedpost to steady herself, she ordered her stomach to stop swirling.

"Elizabeth, I didn't…"

"If that is the way you feel." Liz spoke quietly. But to Nancy's astonishment her daughter's voice wasn't full of anger or frustration. It was defeat. And something in that stirred Nancy to her inner soul. "I'm going to go lie down."

"Wait." Nancy stood.

Liz shook her head and quietly shut the door behind her with a soft click.

Max had been in the bedroom when Liz had entered pale and drawn. He had immediately ushered her into bed and was only able to get that she had been to see her mother. Nervous he had sent for the doctor. Now he was standing in his wife's sitting room outside their bedroom while the doctor was examining her.

He looked up and had to keep from shouting when Nancy Valenti walked in.

"What do you want?" He ground out, his hand forming a fist at her side.

"Is she going to be alright?" She asked ignoring the question.

"Maybe." He looked at her.

"Why do you do it?" He asked. "Why do you make her sick, why do you make her feel guilty, why do you not let her alone?"

"I…" She started, then stopped. "I don't know why I do it. I wasn't happy I don't expect them to be happy. You know, Jim Valenti asked me to marry him right there, after our first time together. I wasn't married yet; I could have gone with him." She gave a mirthless laugh. "Now, I don't know why I went back to Jeff Parker. He was a good man then, but once I told him neither of the children were his, he just lost it."

"So you're ruining your daughter's life because of a mistake you made?"

"No. I'm trying to make her see the correct way. I gave up my life, my happiness, for what I thought was right. I don't want her, or Kyle to give up forever chasing a dream that's not there."

"If you would have followed yours you would have gone to New York with Jim Valenti." Max said. "Let them follow their dreams, you gave up yours, don't make them give up theirs."

The doctor came out looking frazzled but with a smile. "She's fine, just don't let her stress herself."

"What about the trip next week?"

"She'll be fine." The doctor smiled. "I've patients to see. Don't let her come down today or tomorrow I already told her I'd send her right back, but I thought it would be best to tell you because she only listens to what she wants."

"I know."

"Do you think I could see her?"

"No." Both the doctor and Max said.

"Ok." Nancy said accepting she'd lost her chance. "Tell her…" She paused looking at the closed door. "Tell her I said goodbye, and that I love her."

Max nodded. "We look forward to seeing you this summer. Here." Max said making it clear that whatever was going on between them would be solved by then.

"I'm not making this trip twice a year." Nancy protested.

"If you wish to see you daughter and new grandchildren you will. Liz will not travel with the babies." He said folding his arms. "You do wish to meet them don't you?"

"Yes. Goodbye, Max."

"Goodbye." He turned and entered his wife's chamber.

Three weeks later

"Matthew, love how did you manage to break your arm?"

"He fell off the fence." His worried mother, Maria, told Liz as she hovered by his side. "Even though his father told him countless times to stay off it."

Liz was in the back of the house setting his broken arm when she heard a great commotion in the front. Finishing up and handing Matthew Guerin a mint she went to find out what was going on.

"Nellie!" She squealed.

"Liz!" They embraced and began chattering. Nellie commenting on Liz's condition caused Liz to flush. "How are you and little one doing?"

"Good." Liz said. "How are you?"

"Oh fine, fine." She breathed as she looked around. "Looks like Max has quite the little set up here doesn't he?"

"Yes." Liz said looking around. "Come back here; let me show you what Max has done." She said. They wound their way through the house.

"Maria, this is my friend from New York. She's also a nurse." Liz introduced. Matthew was still on the table.

"Oh, my, what happened to you, sweetheart?" Nellie asked examining the arm.

Finding another woman to fawn over him he promptly broke into tears as he explained his situation.

"So this is the Nellie, you've been telling me about?" Maria eyed the woman with obvious dislike. Someone who had been friends with Liz before her, she didn't want anything to do with her.

"Yes." Liz tried to fight back her smile, she could hear the wheels turning in her head already. "No, Maria, she's not going to take your place but I will need your help showing her around and things. Like for me."

"Where is she going to stay?"

"I don't know." Liz was suddenly puzzled what was Nellie doing here so early in the year?"

"Nellie." Liz asked.

"Hmm?" She held the arm up and inspected it. "You did a fine job, here, Elizabeth."

"Nellie, you don't need to inspect my work, I've been doing fine for the past months." Liz said. "What are you doing here?"

"I can see I'm wanted." Nellie smiled as she studied Maria. So this was the Maria who had become friends with Liz. "Max wanted a nurse out here to help you sooner than a year." She glanced at Maria one more time before she turned to Liz. "And I thought I would accommodate him, and now, I see why."

"Nellie." Liz said and batted her hand away when the other woman put her hand to her belly. "Have you been settled in?"

"I'm staying with Kyle and Serena." Nellie explained. "I'm to come to the clinic in the morning and stay till the afternoon."

"My husband needs to stay out of my work." Liz gritted out.

"He only wants you to be safe." Nellie said.

"We're going to head home." Maria said and picked Matthew up.

"Bye Aunt Liz! Bye Miss Nellie." Matthew waved his good arm. His blue eyes adoring.

"Bye." The women called.

Walking away Maria still wasn't sure how she felt about Miss Cornelia Brighton coming west.