Part 5

Maria sat on Liz's bed in her room while Liz sat in her chair. "I still don't know what to do though Liz, I mean I know I have Michael's full support in anything I do, but I don't want him to have any setbacks if he needs to leave, and I don't want to ruin my future. I may not know exactly what I want to do what I get older, but I know I don't want to be a single mother of 7 living off of welfare, it just wouldn't be fair to me or them." Her and Liz were trying to think of their next course of action.

Liz was seeing what Maria was going through and thanked God that she didn't have to deal with this stuff, she just felt so horrible for her friend.

"Well, you know your options Maria, there is keeping it, which I know your not too keen on that idea, then there is adoption, and lastly there is having an abortion, but I know how you feel about that. You have to remember that the this decision has to be yours, and yours alone. Don't do something you will regret because of Michael or someone else. You have to plan your own future Maria, and only you can do that."

On the bed Maria brought her knees up to rest her chin on them. "Yeah I know I can't keep them, first off there is my mom who doesn't even know I have this baby yet. I can't go through what my mom went through, raising a baby so early in life. And I know I can't have my baby, see the baby Michael and I made and then give it to a stranger, I mean we don't even know if the baby will be...A Czech or not. It will be a hybrid, oh god, my baby's going to be a hybrid." Maria was beginning to get hysterical now.

"Ok, calm down. If you want my opinion." Liz waited a minute till she saw Maria nod her head. "You may not want to hear this, but it seems to me that you've kind of already made your decision."

Liz saw how Maria's gaze went from her and then drifted down towards her feet. "Your right." She said in a quiet, lonely voice. "I just don't know how I am going to do this. How am I going to get through this?" She was asking herself more than she was asking Liz.

Liz went over and sat next to her on the bed, she put an arm around her shoulder to comfort her, knowing right now she needed comfort more than anything. "Like I said before Maria, right now I think Michael is your biggest source of comfort now, he'll help you get through this, as will I. All of us, all your friends will help you through this. I promise you, that you will not have to deal with this by yourself."

Maria got up off the bed and walked towards the door. "You mind if I leave? I really just want to go, think things through with myself, make sure I'm making the right choice." She saw Liz nod her head and then Maria left to go think.

Somehow her car just ended up at Michael's apartment. Maria walked the familiar steps to his doorway and stood outside of it. She didn't knock for a few moments. She could already feel the tears dropping on her nose and cheeks. Finally she knocked and heard Michael's familiar footsteps scurry to the doorway.

"Maria." He said, sort of surprised to "What's the matter?" He asked.

Maria continued to stand there in one place, afraid that if she moved she would fall over. For some reason, all of her emotions, fears, pains, and all the reality had come crashing in on her brain and heart. She finally put her feet into motion and ran full speed into Michael.

He wrapped his arms around her, still confused as to why she was here, and why she was crying so badly in his arms. Not that he was upset that she had turned to him for comfort, just a little confused. "Maria, what's the matter?" He asked again.

After a few more moments of silence she answered, "Michael, I have to do it. I have to have to have an abortion. Michael it's the only way for me. I need to do this for myself." Her heart broke again when she said the jaded word 'abortion.' It was a word she had always hated, she hated the though of what would happen to her, and to their baby.

While Maria was still wrapped up in Michael's arms she felt so helpless and yet content to be there all at once. Then the next thing she knew, all she could see was black, and then nothing at all.

Michael felt her go lifeless in his arms, he pulled her away from him, but he had to hold her up or else her body would have gone to the floor. "Maria! Maria!" He began to shake her body a bit. "Oh my God, Maria!" Michael dragged her body to the couch and layed it down. "Oh God." Michael repeated to himself.

Part 6

- Live, run to the water

"Maria, Maria!" Michael continued to shake her body vigorously. He felt her neck and there he found a pulse, he thanked all higher powers for that small beating notion there.

After one last shake, he pinched her cheek and Maria's reaction was a very low grunt of pain. "Maria, you fainted." Michael said to her, trying to explain why he pinched her.

"I did?" She asked very weakly. "It felt just like I fell asleep or was daydreaming. Sorry I scared you." She apologized to him while she sat up on his couch and cracked her neck. "So like I was saying before, I have to do this, mostly for myself." Maria couldn't bear to say the "A" word again.

He knew what she was talking about though and he nodded his head. "If that's what you feel is best then I support you through it." Michael layed his head on Maria's lap. "I can't believe it's come to this though. It wasn't suppose to be like this Maria, you were the one who was supposed to have the normal life." Maria placed her hands in his hair and then gently kissed the top of his head.

He lifted his head to meet with her gaze, and he saw the tears that were forming in them, and yet she was smiling. "Michael, I don't think I was ever meant to have a normal life. But I wouldn't trade my life for anything, because it has you in it."

Michael smirked, "Yeah, your just saying that." he got a little laughter out of Maria, which was good because he had a feeling she wouldn't be smiling too often anymore, at least not for awhile anyways. "Are you sure your ready for what's going to happen though?" He knew his question was sort of random, but he needed to ask her and make sure she was going to be ok. He knew she was strong, but inside that hard shell she was as soft as a sponge and cracked easily.

She nodded at him, "Yeah, I mean I've got Liz and everyone else behind me, I've got a good amount of back-up. Most importantly is you though, knowing your not going to abandon me like my...like my father did." Maria's voice faltered as the thought of her father leaving entered her mind. Michael heard this and took her hands in his, as if saying he wasn't going to leave her.

"So when are going to have it done?" He asked her quietly.

Her nervousness showed through the way she was biting her lip. "Tomorrow." That was it, her final doom. "I never thought I would say this but I would rather have a test or midterm tomorrow than have...this done to me, and to them." For the first time she acknowledge her baby.

Michael placed one of his hands on her stomach where a hybrid baby was currently growing. "Someday I promise you Maria, you will have such a large family with children everywhere and you'll look back on this event as something that was just right to do." He gave her a lop-sided grin.

"Do you envision yourself in this picture also?" Michael had a dark feeling she would ask this question. Maria in a way dreaded the answer he would give her.

He looked her way and said "Maria, don't ask me that. Please don't ask me that. I don't know what the future may hold for me, I really don't. If things were to stay the same, I don't even know what I want in the future. I do know that if we are to stay here and not find home wherever it may be, then I can envision you in my vision, you're definitely there Maria."

This made Maria very happy, she liked the thought that Michael could see her in his future, it meant that she meant something to him, something that nobody else could do for him. "I don't know how I will get through tomorrow," she said plainly.

Reaching over Michael pulled her into another hug. "You'll get through it, we'll get through it together," was all he said before he leaned his head against her shoulder.

Part 7

-The Cure, Maybe Someday

Michael never thought waiting could be as painful as it was now, I mean what could be taking them so long. All he wanted to do was make sure Maria was ok, but instead he waiting.

After fidgeting for a long while in his chair he finally saw a doctor emerge from Maria's room and walk towards him. He couldn't quite read the expression that was on his face. "Mr. Guerin?" He asked.

Almost pushing the chair back, Michael stood up and nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah that's me." He said anxiously. "Quit the small talk and just tell me how she is doing?" He didn't want the doctor to talk about mindless things that he probably wouldn't understand anyways, he just wanted to know how Maria was doing.

"Whoa, calm down son, Maria is doing just fine. She's still sleeping in fact, but the procedure went over very nicely. We expect that she will wake up within a few minutes." He knew Michael was about to say something so he cut him off. "Yes, you can go see her now." Michael smiled at the doctor and rushed off to the room where Maria was so fragilely walked in awhile before.

When he entered the door he saw Maria lying there so peacefully. He walked over, pulled up a chair, and grabbed her hand. He wondered how she was going to deal with this now that it has been said and done. He was so deep in thought he didn't even feel her awakening.

"Michael." She mumbled softly under her breath. It wasn't until then that Michael's eyes shot up and came in contact with hers, which were just beginning to open. "Michael." She said again.

He moved his hands a bit to prove to her that he was there. "Yeah, I'm here Maria."

"Is it gone?" She asked, her eyes fully opening now.

Slowly Michael shook his head, "Yeah, Maria, it's over with. Everything went fine though, the doctor said things went great. So your going to be ok Maria." He needed her to know that little bit of info before he asked.

Right there in the clinic bed Maria began to start crying. Michael at first didn't know what to do, he'd never really seen her like this before. She was always do strong on the outside, he knew she wasn't as strong on the inside, but still, he wasn't expecting this. So he did the thing that came natural to him, he hugged her.

Later that day Michael drove her back to his place, where she knew she would feel the most comfortable. "What about your mother?" He asked as they both entered his apartment.

"Out of town, she'll be back on Sunday." Michael felt relieved that they wouldn't have to deal with Mrs. Deluca's questions and observations. "Michael, I think we need to talk." She stated as she sat down on his couch.

"Yeah, ok." He said as he sat down next to her. He noticed she looked a little nervous.

She squirmed a bit in her seat, and fiddled with her fingers. "Michael, I think we need some time apart. Just some time for a reflection, to think about what's happened. I need some time to let what has happened sink in. Because right now, I still feel as if it's some big dream I just had."

This completely caught Michael off guard. He did not expect her to just break up with him, and after all they had been through. He thought it just made them stronger as a couple, not push them farther apart. "Wait, let me get this straight, after all we just went through and what happened, you want us to break up? Maria, I don't understand." He noticed she was starting to cry.

"There's nothing to understand Michael, I need some alone time for myself, and I don't think it's a bad idea for you to have some also. You know I love you, but I can't do this right now. I can't pretend to be the normal teenage girl with her normal boyfriend, who just had a friggin' abortion, Michael it's not how I'm built. I feel so ashamed of what I just did back there today Michael, that I have to learn how to love myself again before I can be with you now and enjoy what we're going through. Don't take this the wrong way, but right now, your just a reminder of what happened to us. I'm sorry." Maria felt so horrible for what she was saying, she couldn't believe she actually was saying that to him. She knew she was hurting him terribly right now.

Michael just sat there, astounded by the words coming out of her mouth. "I can't believe your saying this." He pushed the tears that he knew were starting to surface back down in his eyes, the last thing he needed was to cry right now.

"I'm just going to let myself out, I am sorry Michael." She said one last time before exiting his home.

He waited till he knew she was out of his building before he got up and walked around. "Dammit!" He said as he slammed his fist down on his counter. 'How could she do this to me? I was the one who was there for her the entire time, I was there for her.' He still couldn't believe she had just left him like that.

Part 8

Michael sat at his couch still, he hadn't moved from his position in hours...maybe even longer. He hadn't moved since Maria had moved out of his life. How ironic, he had always thought that he would be the one to leave Maria, and here they were, he was wanting her back, and she didn't.

At her window, Maria sat with her knees pulled up to her chin. She hadn't heard her mother calling her from downstairs, she must have just gotten home, but Maria hadn't noticed.

Amy must have spent minutes on end knocking and knocking on her daughter's door. She had locked it, which she never did, so something big must be up. She could hear muffled sobs occasionally coming from her room. 'Probably that Michael boy.' She thought to herself. Amy shook her head and left to call Liz, to have her check on Maria.

She picked up the phone and dialed the Parker number. Thankfully Liz answered. "Liz, hi, it's Amy. Do me a favor and come over, Maria is going through something and I think you should her her through it, it seems pretty bad." Liz quickly agreed. Amy left then left the house so the girls could talk in private. She had been 16 once too and knew how hard it was at thatage.

Liz quickly left her house, thinking that Michael had did something to upset her. When she got to Maria's house she was relieved to see that Amy had left, now they wouldn't have to whisper.

"Maria, Maria it's Liz, open the door." She said while she knocked on the door. And with a simple 'click' she knew the door had been unlocked. She walked in to see Maria fall on her bed, she knew this was bad. "Ok, what happened?" She just wanted to put the question right out there.

"Liz, I think I made a mistake." The first thing that came to Liz's mind was the baby.

She walked over and sat next to Maria on the bed. "You mean the baby?"

"No, Liz I started loving that baby the second I knew about it, but I know it would have been wrong for me, and for it to have been born. I wouldn't have been ready and it would only have ended up hurting it. What I'm talking about is...Michael." Maria had to pause and push more tears back in her face when she said his name. The image of his face when she told him she wanted some space just kept creeping back up in her memory.

Liz sighed and nodded her head. "I knew it, what did he do to you?" She knew only one person could hurt Maria, she was usually strong and bold, but only Michael could make her weep like a baby.

Shaking her head 'no' Maria said "Michael didn't do anything this time, it's me. I broke it off this time, I...I don't know why either. I mean for the first few times in his life, he was there for me 100% and he was ready to take care of me and everything, and I pushed him away."

Liz was shocked "Maria, you must have had a reason for pushing him away, I mean what did you say to him, why did you do it in the first place?" Liz was so confused, she was ready for 'Michael pushed me away again' talk, but it seemed the tables had turned.

"Oh, I don't even remember. Something about him being a constant reminder to the baby we lost, and me needing space. Liz you should have seen the look on his face. He looked as if I had ripped his heart out, but the part I don't get it, I don't even know why I did it. He was being so nice, and caring, and concerned, and I threw it in the trash!" Now the tears started up again.

Liz felt so bad for her, she was in such a confused state right now, that she didn't know what she was doing. "Do you think you made the right decision?" She asked as she handed Maria a tissue.

Maria happily grabbed it and whined "No" while blowing her nose.

Michael had been walking around his apartment in a trance. Hoping that any minute Maria would come knocking on his door to see him. No such luck yet though. When he finally heard the door knocking he leaped to his, hurdled over a few objects and swung open the door, only to have his hopes crashed by seeing Max standing in the doorway. "Sorry to disappoint you." He said, half jokingly when he saw the look of disappointment on Michael's face. "What's wrong?" He asked knowing Michael was not usually this, melancholy. Sure he usually brooded a little, but he was a mixture of sad and depressed.

"Everything, anything." Was Michael's only answer.

Max knew right away what it must be. "Maria, right?"

"Well move over Einstein." Michael said it in a harsher tone than he meant it. "Sorry, I'm just--" He didn't know what was wrong with him actually.

He shrugged, "It's ok, now what's wrong?"

Michael dropped his eyes and sat on the couch. "Maria just ended it, our whole relationship, she just said she needed space and she wanted to be alone and she left, and now I don't know what to do." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

Max laughed a little bit. He couldn't help it, it was just so ironic it was funny. First Michael pushes Maria away for space and to be a loner, and now Maria does it to him.

Michael gave Max a glare "And the part of that story that is funny is...?" Michael didn't think this was any laughing matter.

Max tried to contain himself. "I'm sorry Michael, but think about it for a moment. First you push Maria away because you wanted to be the loner with no strings attached, and now the tables have been turned and Maria is pushing you away because she wants her space and to be alone, it's just funny--" He looked at Michael's serious expression "--to me anyways." Max knew Michael didn't find any of this funny.

Michael did however know how Maria must have felt when he pushed her away all those times, and he kicked himself mentally for even doing that to her, because now he knew how much frustration and pain it can cause. "I don't know what to do, I don't know whether to go talk to her, or see her, or leave her alone, I don't know, I'm confused."

"What do you feel you should do, that would be the right thing?" Good ole' Max, always thinking rationally. Michael thanked it for once.

He thought for a moment, "I want to see her and clear some things up. But I don't know what her reaction would be. But I guess any reaction, besides yelling at me and kicking me out, is a good reaction. Thanks Max." He said before getting up and going out the door to see Maria.

Go to part 9-10