Part Thirteen

Liz called into work the next day and took advantage her three weeks vacation starting that day. They were a little angry at her for the short notice she'd given but since she'd been there a good while, was a reliable worker and had never before taken advantage of the companies 3week paid leave, they cut her some slack and wished her luck.

The next two weeks were as close to a dream as she'd ever had.

Max had to be at school for 9 A.M and so they would get up at 7:30 and while he showered and dressed, she would make him breakfast and kiss him goodbye at the door. While he was gone she enjoyed her newfound solitude. Liz had never really had time in her up until this point to just sit and think, watch T.V, learn new dishes to cook, or just laze the day away.

She always had some sort of activity to do in high school. "It'll flesh out your résumé for college," her mother said resolutely when she had objected to joining another after school group.

But she had time now.

He would come home around sixish and she would have dinner ready. They would talk and smile and flirt and after they ate they would sit on the couch together while she watched T.V or read a book. Sometimes she'd even help him with his homework. They'd go and squeeze into his tiny master bathroom, combing their hair and knocking their elbows as they brushed her teeth.

Then they would go into his…their bedroom and she would make him groan using nothing but her hands and her mouth and her body. Sometimes, afterward, she'd look at the ceiling with a smile and hope to die before she ever tired of his touch.

Liz gazed at the clock and got up from her seated position on the couch. Every now and then she went to NYU to eat lunch with him but today she decided to stay and start dinner early. She was happy, the happiest she'd been in a long time but something was niggling at the back of her mind. Something that was making the longest uninterrupted time that'd ever spent together less enjoyable then it should have been but she couldn't put her finger on what it was exactly.

Then the phone rang but she knee deep into the side salad she was making decided to let it ring. She smiled as Max's voice filled the room telling whoever it was calling to leave their name and number and he would get back to them. They would have to record a new one now that she was there full time.

That thought made her smile brighter until the callers voice filled the room.

"Hello Maxwell. This is Dr. Culling and I was just calling to make sure everything was alright. You've missed all your appointments for the last three weeks and I think we need to talk about what was said at our last meeting. As you know, my cell phone number is…"

Liz almost dropped the salad bowl before righting it and placing it on the table. This was it, she'd been waiting for the other shoe to drop and it just had. She selfishly considered erasing it for a moment before vetoing the thought. She didn't even know who this Dr. Culling was but she felt threatened by him none the less.

"I'll just play it by ear," she said to herself lowly, turning to set the table.

"I'll see what he wants to do and we'll go from there."

She nodded her head, happy that was resolved, and got back to work. He'd be back soon.

-0-

Liz heard the door open but didn't move to greet him as she usually did, just sat at the table and chewed the side if her fingernail with nervousness. She couldn't see what he was doing but she knew anyway. He sat his bag down as soon as he entered, tired after hauling it around all day. He'd glance around for her and then he would see the flashing light on the voicemail. Then she heard it…

"Hello Maxwell…"

It was stopped almost as soon as he began to play it and she heard the tell tale beep every one of those things made when it was erasing. He came into the kitchen and leaned down to nuzzle the side of her neck.

"How has your day been?"

"Good," she smiled up at him, not sure how she felt about his erasing that message even though she'd been tempted to do the same thing. "I made us chicken spaghetti and salad."

He backed away from her, studying the look on her face before saying, "That sounds good."

She got up and they each served themselves a healthy portion before sitting back down again. They chatted over dinner about their respective jobs, when he was going to apply to the academy, his school and she felt herself relaxing a little until he spoke up.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes," she said too quickly, sitting up straight, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," he replied quietly, looking at her closely. "When I came in you looked strange."

"Who's Dr. Culling? Is he the therapist you told me you were seeing," the question popped out without her consent and she immediately wished she could push the words back into her mouth and have him not hear them but he was already looking all wide eyed and leaning back, away from her, into his chair.

"I wasn't sure if you'd heard that or not."

"I did," she stated plainly, waiting for him to say…something. She wasn't sure what.

He looked down and picked at his plate before answering. "He's my therapist."

"He said you haven't been going to your appointments."

"I haven't."

"Why? When you spoke of him before I got the feeling he was helping you out."

"He's not good for us," he said, voice oddly detached.

"What does that mean?"

"He didn't want me to start seeing you again."

"Huh!"

"He said he didn't want us to be anything more than friends but that was after I went to your apartment that day…"

It was really silly, considering the things they'd done since, but bringing that day up at the kitchen table made her blush.

"…too late to try and stop being with you at that point. Even if he'd told me that the first day I saw you again, it would have been too late," he reached across the table and grabbed her hand. "I can't be in the same city with you and not be with you."

"Why would he not want you with me?"

"I don't know," he replied angrily. "So I'd keep going to see him three days a week."

"He doesn't even know me."

"Liz," he waited until she was looking at him to continue. "I don't need him anymore so it doesn't even matter. I have you now and you're all that matters."

She swallowed and smiled, letting him hold her hand tight, before they got up, washed their dishes and put the food away. They took their bathes, brushed their teeth and she slipped into bed beside him later that evening.

"Good night," he whispered, already half out of it, spooning himself to her back.

"Good night Max," she murmured back, not feeling sleepy at all.

-0-

They started the morning the same way they did every day. Up at 7:30, breakfast, a kiss goodbye at the door. The only difference was that, as soon as he left, she went and called information to find the address of Dr. Cullings' office. She walked down the street hurriedly, afraid she would run into him even though his school was clear across town and sighed with relief when she found the building and was able to duck inside unseen. She hesitated before opening the door to his office and patiently waited at his receptionists' desk until the older woman was free to speak.

"Welcome to Dr. Cullings' office, how may I help you."

Liz opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out. She suddenly wanted to run from this place as fast as she'd come in. She was simply fighting a case of cold feet. She and Max were finally happy after fighting and fussing and running from one another their whole life and she was just looking for a way to continue the cycle.

To keep the drama coming, because that was all they'd ever really had before

"Nevermind," she said quickly, already moving to the door when someone behind her spoke.

"Elizabeth Parker?"

She stopped cold thinking, irrationally, that maybe he wouldn't be able to see her anymore. She'd be free to walk back out onto the street and forget she'd ever been here in the first place. Laugh at her ridiculous impulse to come and see what this person, who didn't know her at all, had to say about her and Max's relationship.

The man she assumed was Dr. Culling had moved while she thinking. Close enough that he was touching her elbow, "You're Max's Elizabeth right?"

"That's right," she said, turning toward him, feeling defensive.

"Is Max with you?"

"No," she replied and he raised his eyebrows, "how did you know what I looked like?"

"He showed me a picture once."

"Yeah well," she went on pulling out of his grasp. "I'm leaving now so…"

"Well let's talk first. I'm guessing that's why you came here in the first place right?"

She hesitated, looking for a way out. "What about your patients?"

"It's my lunch break," he replied, never breaking eye contact, "You wouldn't mind if I ate a sandwich while we spoke would you?"

"No," responded without thought, reflexively polite.

"Well come in," he touched her elbow again and ushered her into his small but tidy office.

"I'm not sitting on that chaise," she stated firmly.

"I would never think to talk to you there; you're not one of patients. We'll talk at my desk," he motioned to a dark mahogany piece of furniture and she made her way over to it.

He pulled out her chair and after a moment she took a seat.

"Well," he said with a soft smile, rifling through a lower drawer and pulling out a little baggie containing a slightly squished sandwich and a bag of baked Lays. "What did you come to speak to me about today?"

"I heard the message you left for Max the other day and I…

"You were curious."

"I guess so."

"Why?"

She shrugged and they lapsed into a sort of awkward silence.

"Did he talk about me a lot?"

"I can't say what a patient tells me while in session."

She nodded, "of course."

"But I can say that I've wanted to meet you for a long time."

"So you could tell me to stay away from him," she seethed, angry that this man would have the guts to say that about her then sit and smile in her face.

"I would never tell him not to be with you."

"He wouldn't listen anyway."

"No he wouldn't," Dr. Culling said, looking lose limbed and totally at ease. "He's too dependent on you."

"No. He just loves me too much," she corrected him getting to her feet, "and this was a terrible idea so I'm going to leave now."

"I never meant to imply that he didn't love you. I'm sorry if you got that impression."

She crossed her arms over chest and looked down at him.

"Will you stay and sit?"

"I'll stay and stand," that get a small grin out of him.

"Whatever makes you comfortable."

"Do you know I live with him now?"

That little piece of information seemed to throw him for a loop and she rejoiced at gaining the upper hand.

"You had a live-in boyfriend though right?"

"That's over."

"Was it a hard break-up?"

"That's none of you goddamn business."

"You're right, I'm sorry," he said, not perturbed at all by her outburst. "I didn't know about your arrangements but it doesn't surprise me. Tell me one thing though, when's the last time you spoke to your friends or family?"

The question came from out of left field and, just like that, she was playing defense again, "excuse me?"

"When's the last time you spoke to some friends or family? Have you called them since you moved in with Max?"

Liz opened her mouth to say yes but stopped and thought first. She distinctly remembered looking at the ID on her cell phone while she and Max watched T.V, seeing Maria's name and pressing ignore.

"Can't remember?"

"I'm thinking," she replied sharply.

The phone had rung many times while she was there but, more often than not, they ignored it. They didn't have parties or invite anyone over. They went to dinner, clubs and community functions but stuck together.

"Can't come up with anything can you?"

She looked away, "we've just been busy."

"No. It's just that, now you have each other, everyone else is expendable."

"We love each other," she said lowly, frightened by the truth she was seeing in his words.

"I know, but love doesn't mean possession. You can want to be with someone and still have a life of your own. Your relationship has a lot of the elements that are unheal …"

"I have to go," she interrupted while turning and making her way to the door.

He stood and met her there, "I would really like it if you came back here. We have things to talk about."

"I don't think that's going to happen," she said, looking straight ahead.

"Here's my card then," he sighed, "if you change your mind."

She took it and without glancing at it, placed the little square of paper into her purse and exited the building.

-0-

Liz was washing some dishes when she heard him unlocking the door. She stalled for a second before starting up again. She considered telling where she'd been today but decided against it, what did that guy know anyway? But then she thought about that night on the couch when she'd ignored Maria's phone call. She thought about how they never spoke to anyone in the building, how Dr. Culling said love didn't mean ownership.

Maybe he was right. Having friends and doing things separately didn't mean that they loved each other any less; it didn't mean they were any less devoted to one another. Perhaps she would go back, and bring Max with her. Have Dr. Culling help them work their way through whatever it was that made them cling to one another so much.

She turned to tell Max just that when she saw him kneeling before her with a little velvet black box and all her good intentions flew out the window.

"What are you doing?"

He smiled brightly, "asking the girl of my dreams to marry me."

"Max…"

"Just say yes."

She stood there for a second, covered her mouth with her hands, tears in her eyes, and said yes before letting him put the ring on her finger and pull her to the ground. Pull her jeans, t-shirt and everything else off of her, let him slip into her body then carry her to their bed and do it all over again.

She lay there later that night, Max's head resting on her bare breast, and admired the way the light from the neon sign that shown through their window looked caught in her small diamond solitaire. This was truly the happiest she'd ever been but there was that little niggle again, in the back of her mind, telling her to beware.

She shook it off angrily and let herself drift into sleep.