Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: [email protected]
Disclaimer: They belong to Melinda Metz and Jason Katims, whom I bow to graciously for not suing me for borrowing their wonderful characters. :)
Rating: R for language, content, and situations
Spoilers: Up through "The UFO Convention" and possibly for the first five books of Roswell High by Melinda Metz.
In the Presence of Evil (Part 6)
Liz was sitting in her room on the floor, flipping through her history notes when there was a knock at her door. "Come in," she called, not looking up.
"Hey, honey," she heard her dad say as he stepped into the room.
"Hey, Dad," she said back, glancing at him. "What's up?"
"I was just wondering if you were okay. You seemed kind of upset when I saw you earlier this afternoon," he said, sitting down on her bed.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Dad. Just stressed out. You know, school and stuff." She stared down at her history book, none of the words sinking into her brain.
"Right." There was a moment of silence. "I was just thinking that maybe you were upset because of that Max fellow."
"Max?" she repeated, swallowing hard before she met his eyes.
"Yeah. I kind of sensed that...Well, that the two of you were pretty, um...close?" her dad asked uncomfortably.
Liz bit her lip. "Not anymore."
"Did something happen?" he asked gently. "Because I want you to know that you can talk to me."
She looked down at her book again. "Um...I know. It's just, um...It's complicated."
"I see. Well, if you change your mind..." He didn't finish his sentence as he stood up and headed for the door.
"Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks," Liz said softly.
His eyes softened. "Anytime." He left the room.
Liz sighed and pushed her book away. No way was she going to be able to focus on homework now. She stared at the picture of Max that was in the frame on her desk.
Her thoughts were interupted by the ringing of the telephone. When it was still ringing by the third time, she realized her dad must have left, and she pushed herself to her feet and picked up the reciever. "Hello?"
"Lizzie?" a voice choked out.
"Mrs. DeLuca?" she asked, alarmed at the sound of her voice.
"Something's happened to Maria. I'm at the hospital. I thought you'd like to know..."
Liz's eyes widened. "I'll be there in five minutes."
Alex was lying on his bed, staring at the cieling. He wondered what Liz and Maria were up to. He was bored and lonely. He thought back to what Isabel had said that afternoon.
"Alex, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't mean what I said before...About you suffocating me."
She was lying. She just wanted to make sure that they wouldn't turn them into the FBI or Sheriff Valenti. Alex knew it. He'd thought maybe he could reach her, make her open up to him and make her see that she wasn't that much different from him, that none of them were. That he and Isabel could be happy, that Max and Liz, and Michael and Maria could be, too. But it wasn't going to happen.
A sudden pounding on his bedroom door startled him and he sat up. "Come in!" he called, frowning.
The door flew open and Isabel Evans stood there, her eyes red from crying, her hair in tangles, and she stared at him.
Alex stared back. "Isabel?"
She started to cry and he jumped off his bed immediatly and was at her side in less than a second, forgetting all the promises he'd made to himself to avoid her. "I was so afraid..." Isabel cried, burying her face in her hands.
Alex swallowed hard and then wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry for a moment. She laid her face on his shoulder and he felt her trembling. "Isabel? What is it?"
"I thought...when I saw the car...I was so afraid...you were there..."
He frowned in confusion and then pulled away from her slightly, looking her in the eyes. "What?"
"There was an accident...Maria's car...I thought...I thought you were in it."
Alex's eyes widened. "Maria was in an accident? Is she okay?"
"I don't know. I drove straight here," she answered, wiping her eyes and trying to calm down.
Alex just nodded, and ran to his phone, quickly dialing a number. When it reached the seventh ring, he realized no one was going to answer it. "Liz isn't picking up," he said, with a growing sense of alarm.
Isabel's eyes widened. "Do you think Liz was with her?"
He grabbed his car keys off his desk. "I don't know but I'm going to the hospital," he said quickly, rushing past her out the door.
"Alex, can I--?"
Alex turned to her, met her eyes for a brief second, then without hesitation, reached out and took her hand as they hurried out of his house and to his car.
"Something's wrong, Max," Michael said as he paced the floor of his friend's bedroom.
Max swallowed hard and nodded. "I feel it, too."
"I keep getting flashes of Maria. I can't stop thinking about her. Something's happened." He picked up Max's phone and dialed her phone number. Max watched him. Michael sighed in frustration and slammed the phone down. "Machine," he told Max.
Just then, the phone rang. "Hello?" Max said, picking it up.
"Max, it's me," he heard Isabel say. It sounded as though she'd been crying. He could hear the wind in the background and he frowned.
"Where are you?"
"I'm with Alex. We're on our way to the hospital, Max."
"Hospital?" he repeated in shock. Michael's eyes widened in horror as he waited for Max to explain.
"There's been an accident. Maria's car...I think she's hurt. Liz might have been with her. Alex tried to call her, but--"
"How bad is it?"
"The car looked pretty bad, Max," she said, her voice breaking. His heart nearly stopped and he struggled to breath. "Max, you have to get Michael and--"
"He's here. We'll meet you there, Is." He hung up the phone and rose to his feet.
"Maxwell?"
Max dreaded the words that he had to say. "There's been an accident. Maria...maybe Liz, too," he managed to choke out.
Michael stared at him for a moment, then he rushed past him and grabbed Max's mother's car keys off the kitchen table. Max followed him, passing his mom as he went. "We're going to the hospital, Mom," he said, barely able to speak.
"What?" Diane Evans said, staring at him.
"Some friends of ours were in an accident."
"Okay." She kissed him on the cheek. Max hurried to the car as Michael started it and he had barely gotten in the passenger seat as Michael threw the car into gear and backed out of the driveway.
Liz rushed up to the nurse's station. The receptionist there was talking on the telephone. "Excuse me," Liz said politely, her voice strained.
The woman ignored her. "Right, June. I know. And so he said that I was out of line and I said--"
"Excuse me, I'm looking for Maria DeLuca," Liz interupted.
"I am on the phone," the woman told her, glaring at her. "So, anyway, I said--"
"My friend was in an accident, and I really need to--"
"I said, 'I am on the phone!'" the receptionist said.
"I don't care if you're on the goddamned phone!" Liz exploded, her eyes blazing with anger. "My friend was in an accident and if you don't tell me where I can find her right now, I will personally contact the hospital board of trustees and have you fired for not doing your goddamned job!"
The receptionist's eyes widened. "I have to go, June." She hung up the phone. "What's your friend's name?"
"Maria DeLuca," Liz said evenly.
"She's in I.C.U. right now."
Liz didn't bother to thank her, she stalked away from the counter and headed towards the I.C.U. waiting room, when she heard someone call her name. She spun around, only to be engulfed in Alex's arms. "Thank God," he said, hugging her tightly. "How is she?" he asked after he let her go.
She shook her head. "I don't know. She's in intensive care." Liz glanced past him to Isabel, who looked like she'd been crying. Without warning, the girl stepped forward and gave her a hug. Liz stared at Alex for a moment, but then hugged her back. "Thanks," she said softly.
Isabel just nodded.
Liz turned and hurried to the east wing of the hospital, towards the waiting room. Alex and Isabel followed her closely. She pushed the door open, searching the room for Maria's mother, but she wasn't there. The person at the desk wasn't in, either. Liz sighed in frustration.
"We may as well sit down," Alex said gently, touching her shoulder. Liz nodded and the three of them sat down in a row of chairs, Alex sitting in between the two girls.
Mere moments later, the door flew open and Michael and Max rushed inside. "How is she?" Michael demanded.
"There hasn't been any word yet," Isabel said quietly, standing up to hug him and Max. Max looked past her to Liz, who was standing beside Alex. He let go of Isabel and started to walk towards Liz when the door swung open again.
They all turned to see a doctor step inside with a pale Amy DeLuca. She met Liz's eyes across the room. "It's really bad, Lizzie," she whispered.
Liz moved past the group and to Maria's mom's side. She hugged her tightly. "She'll be okay, Mrs. DeLuca. She's a fighter."
"I hope you're right," Amy whispered back, crying. Alex moved forward and wrapped his arms around Liz and Maria's mom. "I'm glad you're here, Alex," Amy said.
"I wouldn't be anywhere else," he assured her. "But Liz's right. She'll be all right."
Max and Isabel turned to Michael, who was staring into space. "Michael?" Isabel asked softly. She knew he had to be scared to death. When she thought Alex might have been in that car...she was terrified. She touched Michael's arm.
He shoved her hand away. "Don't," he said harshly. Then he stalked past her and out into the hallway.
Max and Isabel exchanged a look. "He needs to be alone right now," Max told her softly. He watched Liz as she sat down next to Amy and tried to comfort her. For right now, all he could do was sit there with everyone else and wait to see what would happen.