Hi!
Sorry guys for taking so long to update, but RL went ballistic on me...
Jo, Alex and BethluvMax – thank you all so much for the feedback!!
Chapter 17
"Okay, are you sitting down, Max?" Valenti said in the other end of the line.
Max immediately knew that it had something to do with Liz. Only one day had elapse since their meeting, but finding a person when you had a surname and the name of the daughter was not really hard science. Especially not if you were a Sheriff, with resources.
Max took his advice and sank down on his bed.
"What's up?" Max asked, trying to sound very casual but failing miserably.
"We've found her," Valenti said.
Max exhaled the breath he wasn't aware that he had been holding. His hands were suddenly shaking, he felt like he was about to hyperventilate. That three such small words could cause such stir of emotions inside of him.
"Max, Max. Are you there?" Valenti asked, concern etching his voice.
"Yeah, yeah," Max said and tried to get his
emotions back under control and start to breathe. In and out. That's right.
That's how you breathe!
"Are you okay?" Valenti's concerned voice asked.
"Yeah," Max said slowly. "Have you seen her?"
"No. I don't know about Kira's men, maybe they have. Perhaps you should discuss it with him."
"I'll do that," Max said.
"So are we going there?" Valenti asked.
Tomorrow was Saturday, it would be perfect to go there.
"Yeah, I'll tell Isabel and Michael...and perhaps Maria as well - she was her best friend. Can you fix with the rides, we're going to need two cars."
"Consider it done," Valenti said.
Max stepped out of the car and looked up at the building complex in front of him. This was it. This was where Liz lived, with their daughter. This was where Liz was breathing, sleeping, eating... He felt Isabel's hand on his shoulder.
"Are you okay, Max?" she asked concerned.
Max nodded, although he was far from 'okay'. His emotions were running overload, he could not sort out one specific feeling. Name a feeling and he was experiencing it. He even found himself somewhat angry with Liz for hiding from them....from him. He couldn't understand why she hadn't contacted him, or told him that he had a child...or even why she just hadn't come home.
"Are you ready?" Isabel asked her brother.
Max nodded again, he did not trust his voice enough to talk. He was as ready as he ever could be. Maria was almost crawling out of her skin with anticipation. She too had very many emotions. As Max looked calm on the outside, Maria was showing exactly what she was feeling. She was practically jumping up and down, not able to contain herself. Michael, with a frim grip around her waist, was the only one who kept her from running down Liz's door.
"Let's go," Max said.
"About time," Maria said, and started walking...or running.
"Hey, slow down," Michael said sternly.
"For your information, I'm not slowing down," Maria half-shouted, but all stress she had experienced the last couple of hours were finally wearing her down and her anger was slowly turning into sobbing. "I just found out..where my best...best friend in the whole world is, so...no! I'm not slowing down! I love he-" She broke down sobbing and Michael took her in his arms, soothing her.
"Come on, let's go," Isabel said as Maria had calmed down somewhat. They climbed a flight of stairs and found themselves in a hallway that looked like a balcony, lined with several doors.
"Number 23," Isabel said. Max nodded. Like he would ever forget which number that led to his soulmate.
The seconds it took for them to reach door number 23 were the longest in Max's life. They all stood in front of the door, time standing still, only Maria's sobbing was heard.
"So is anybody going to knock, or what?" Michael said bluntly, being his normal self.
"Michael!" Isabel scolded. Michael just shrugged his shoulders.
"Max?" Isabel said dumbfounded, searching her brother's face. He was staring at the door, his face blank. To an outsider it might seem as if he didn't feel anything at all, but Isabel knew the turmoil of emotions that were right at this minute going on inside of him.
Max took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock.
"Mommy, wab aw we gwoing to dwo twoday?" Emma asked around a mouth full of cereals, covered in Tabasco sauce.
"Emma, don't talk with food in your mouth," Elizabeth said.
"Sworry," Emma said, still eating. Elizabeth gave her a stern look.
There was a knock on the door. Emma and Elizabeth looked at each other, the surprise evident in their faces. However, Elizabeth's expression was mixed with slight horror. Who was that? No one ever knocked on their door, no one even visited them. Only the baby-sitters, but they hadn't hired anyone for today. While thousands of thoughts ran through Elizabeth's head, Emma was already up - heading for the door.
"No, Emma! Don't op-"
But she was too late. She heard the sound of the lock being unlocked by her daughter and then she heard a voice.
"Hi Emma," the voice said.
"MOOOMMMYYY!" Emma yelled, overjoyed about the visit. "It's daddy and Maria and..."
"I'm Isabel," the same voice said again.
"And ISABEL!" Emma continued.
Elizabeth was still in the kitchen, unable to move. They had found them...what was she going to do?
"Is your mom home?" the voice belonging to the woman called Isabel asked.
"Yes," she heard Emma answer. "MOOOOOOOOMMMMMYYYYYY!"
She knew that she had to go out there, she couldn't just leave her daughter there with those strangers. She felt like she was moving in slow-motion. And then she found herself in the living room. There her daughter stood, looking up in admiration on a dark-haired man who stared intently at Elizabeth. Oh my God, it was him! But before she could react on it, a blonde-haired girl was running towards her, encircling Elizabeth in her arms.
Two minutes earlier
The door opened and there Emma was.
"Hi Emma," Isabel said to the girl who had excitement written all over her face.
"MOOOMMMYYY!" Emma yelled, obviously having forgotten to greet Isabel back in all the excitement. She was so excited to show her new friends to her mother. "It's daddy and Maria and..."
Isabel realized that she had never introduced herself.
"I'm Isabel," she said.
Emma turned around, yelling towards a room in the back which appeared to be the kitchen:
"And ISABEL!"
Max now had his eyes fixed on the doorway of the kitchen, waiting for Liz to appear. He knew that she was in there. He could feel her presence.
"Is your mom home?" Max heard his sister ask his daughter. She was the only one sane enough to speak. Maria was a bundle of nervous energy. Michael was busy holding Maria in place, and Max didn't know what to do. He had dreamt of this moment for so long - it was almost surreal to actually be here.
And then there she was. Max partly registered Isabel's gasp behind him. She looked so sick. She looked like...like one of those prisoners from the concentration camps in the Second World War that he had seen pictures of in history class. The clothes hung on her body, her cheek bones were extremely prominent and she had dark circles under her eyes. She looked like a ghost, a pale and washed-out version of the former Liz Parker. But Max still thought she was beautiful. It was her - it was really her. In those seconds as he stood there, watching her, he realized how much he had missed her - how much he still loved her, how much he would always love her. He didn't notice the tears that were running down his cheeks. All he could feel was his heart fluttering to life. Then Maria was out of Michael's grip and running towards Liz. Liz was staring at him, her eyes vacant and a little contemplating - like she tried to figure out who he was. Maria almost knocked Liz over as she took her long lost friend in her arms. Max saw how Liz closed her eyes, her forehead folded as if in deep concentration. But then Max saw how Liz winced and an expression of pain settled itself over her face.
The images were coming fast. Images of the girl who was hugging her. "She was my best friend," Elizabeth thought. The images started to come faster - too fast - and her head hurt. It felt like someone was trying to squeeze something inside her brain - there wasn't enough room for all the images, feelings and sensations.
"Maria," she heard his voice and tried to open her eyes. But the light was too bright - it stung her eyes.
Michael looked at Max as he heard him utter his girlfriend's name. His voice was a desperate plea and when Michael saw the agonized expression on Max's face, he stepped up to Maria and prized her off Liz.
"Maria, c'mere," he said. "Let's calm down a little."
As soon as Maria let go off Liz, Liz stumbled backwards ending up with her back against the wall, her eyes remaining closed.
"Liz?" Max whispered.
He could see tears starting to run down her cheeks and noticed that his vision was being blurred by his own tears.
She let go of her and the images stopped. She felt like she was falling and she stumbled backwards, soon feeling the wall push up against her back, supporting her slight weight.
"Liz?" It was his voice. It was so soft. So warm and gentle. So safe. And it was her name. She felt feelings of relief overwhelm her and for the first time in five years tears were filling her eyes, spilling over and running down her cheeks. She couldn't really place why she was feeling so secure, so relieved and so...loved. It was only instinct - natural.
Max didn't even know that he had moved his legs until he found himself in front of Liz. She was still keeping her eyes closed. He traced the journey of one of her tears with his eyes and lifted his hand to remove it. He hated seeing her cry. They both felt the jolt of electricty surge through their bodies at the touch, and then she was crying even harder.
"Liz..." Max breathed, mesmerized by the feeling of her skin under his fingertips. She brought up her hand and encircled it around his, which was now caressing her cheek.
"Max," she sobbed, and stepped into his arms. Max slipped his arms around her and held her tight, her sobs rippling through her whole body. She clenched the front of his shirt in her fists and her salty tears wet his shirt. She was standing so close to him that the next step would be to crawl inside of him. Max buried his face in her hair, his tears wetting her hair. She still smelled the same...a mixture of strawberries and Liz.
Michael held the crying Maria in his arms, while watching the interaction between Max and Liz. It really was Liz, a very much alive Liz. Even if she looked like a living dead. As soon as Liz had stepped into the room, there had only been her and Max - just like old times. The air around them seemed to sparkle, sizzle with electricity. They were now holding onto each other like the other would disappear if they let go. Michael closed his eyes and shook his head and then opened them again. Nope, it was no illusion, it still looked like they were one entity, not two separate individuals. He couldn't see where Max began and Liz ended. That's when Liz and Max were being surrounded by a silverish light.
"Michael..." Isabel said slowly.
"I think it's okay," Michael said, not wanting to interrupt.
She knew him. She knew his mind, his heart - his soul. She recognized his eyes, his voice, his smell, even the feel of him - his body - was so familiar to her. It felt like coming home. She had been lost for so long, but now she was finally safe. She wanted to stay there in his arms, forever. Images flashed by in her mind, but even though they were overwhelming, she welcomed them. She needed to feel all her old feelings, needed to go through all the old memories that had been kept hidden from her. She felt everything, she was in a sea of warmth and love. Her knees were starting to get weak, her tired body finally giving up. She knew that he wouldn't let her fall, she knew that her daughter was safe. She could give in. She could finally sleep.
Max felt her slump against him and the now familiar feeling of panic seized him.
"Liz?" He moved his right hand up to her neck, feeling after her pulse. It was there - weak, but there was a pulse. He let out the breath he had been holding. He couldn't lose her now, not now when he had finally found her again.
"Max, what's wrong?" he heard Michael ask.
"She fainted," Max said. "I guess this was all too much for her."
"Mommy?" Emma asked in a small voice.
"She's gonna be all right," Isabel said, "she has just fallen asleep. Your mommy was very tired."
Emma nodded, not really convinced because her mommy didn't feel asleep to her.
"Daddy will help her?" Emma asked. She had been watching how mommy hugged her daddy and her mommy had cried. But Emma knew that everything was all right. She felt that she had to leave them alone. She was a very smart and mature four-year-old.
Max held Liz close to his body with one of his arms, while he put his other arm in the hollows of her legs, lifting her slack legs off the floor and cradling her limb body against his strong chest.
"Emma," Max said.
"Yes, daddy," Emma said, immediately curious to what her daddy wanted.
"Where's your mommy's bedroom?" Max asked.
"Oh, oh," Emma said excitedly and started running into the direction of the kitchen. "I know, I know. I can show you!!"
"Great," Max said and smiled.
Emma opened the door at the end of the small hallway and entered with a proud expression on her face.
"Thank you, Emma," Max said and carried Liz over to the bed, carefully laying her down. She was sleeping so deeply that she didn't even move as Max reluctantly removed his arms from her body.
Max extended his hand towards Emma and Emma took it without hesitation.
"Let's leave mommy alone for a while and let her get some rest," Max said.
"She's weal twied, huh?" Emma asked.
"Yes, she was really tired," Max said as they walked out of the room. Max closed the bedroom door slowly, careful not to make a sound.
"Why was she sad?" Emma asked and looked up into her daddy's eyes, her inquisitive eyes big.
"Uhm..." Max didn't really know what to answer to that, "she has been missing all her friends and she was happy to see us again."
"So they were habby tears?" Emma asked.
"Exactly," Max said and smiled as Emma grinned because she had been correct. They came out into the living room hand in hand.
Isabel was still standing by the door. Michael was sitting on the couch, with one arm looped around Maria's shoulder. Maria's eyes were red and puffy, but she had stopped crying.
"How is she?" Isabel asked as soon as Max and Emma stepped in, straightening up a bit.
"She's sleeping," Max answered.
"Mommy was cwying habby tears," Emma informed them all matter-of-factly.
"She sure was," Isabel said and smiled.
"Did you daddy also cwy habby tears?" Emma asked and looked up at her father. Max squeezed her hand and nodded.
"What are we gonna do today, daddy?" Emma asked.
Isabel took one look at Max's worn appearance and decided that he did not have the energy to go anywhere.
"Emma, what do you say about going to the zoo?" Isabel said.
Emma uttered a shout of joy, released Max's hand and started bouncing her way to the door.
"Come on, daddy. We gonna see anibals!!" Emma said, excitement written all over her face.
Max opened his mouth to answer but Isabel beat him to it.
"Emma, daddy needs to rest too. He is also very tired," Isabel said and shot Max a warning look, warning him to say otherwise.
Emma's excitement disappeared and was replaced by disappointment.
"But can't you come, daddy? Pwwweeeeeeaaaaaaaasssseeeee," Emma begged, her beautiful small lips formed into a pout.
It was sure diffcult to resist her, but Isabel was too concerned about her brother's sanity to let herself be convinced by that little lady.
"I-" Max started, having great difficulties in refusing his daughter, alredy showing the typical signs of a daughter-and-father relationship.
"No, Emma. Daddy's very tired. But I will come with, and Maria and Michael. We can feed the monkeys and we can even buy you an ice-cream if you want to," Isabel said.
Emma squeled in excitement.
"Jay!" she exclaimed, starting her bouncing all over again. Her disappointment vanished in her babbling about everything they could do at the zoo.
"We'll be back in a couple of hours, Max," Isabel said. "Rest now, okay." It was no question, but an order.
Max nodded and smiled at the antics of his daughter as she was bouncing around, trying to make everyone hurry up, and with a 'bye, daddy' from his daughter, the door slammed shut and Max was alone - with Liz.
TBC...