Chant Down
Michael and Isabel were still searching for Max and Jim. As
they ran down the hall, the alarms went off. Michael headed towards a special
wall with a security monitor and relay. He quickly checked the information.
“What?” Isabel demanded.
Michael read the information from the security display
embedded in the wall.
“We got a fire in section C-Charlie.”
“That must be where they are.” Isabel concluded.
“Let's go. This way.” Michael took off with Isabel
following until he came to a section. He opened the locks that engaged
immediately at the first alarm of fire shutting fire doors. “Here!”
They ran to the area, stopping in front of a door with a flashing red
light next to it. “That's it!”
Michael and Isabel held out their hands in tandem, blasting
the door open. A wall of flame poured out. They tried to shield their eyes from
the heat while still holding hands up towards the door.
“I can’t put it out!” Michael yelled at Isabel.
“Valenti! Max! Are you in there?” Isabel screamed into
the engulfed room where Michael doubted anyone could survive. Suddenly, a figure
came into view leaping through the flames. It was Jim who had been trapped
inside until Michael and Isabel blew the door saving him … giving him a way
out.
Jim screamed as he stumbled forward and dropped at Michael
and Isabel's feet, coughing and choking from the heat and smoke.
Isabel dropped next to him. “Where's Max? Jim, where's my
brother?!”
Valenti gasped for breath. “Dead.”
Isabel mouthed, “What?” and then a disbelieving, “No
– No!” Isabel started to run towards the flame-choked doorway. Valenti put
an arm out to catch her, holding her back. He struggled to restrain her from
going to the burning room.
“Come on, this whole place is going to go up!” Jim
yelled to the frantic girl, pulling her away
“No! I'm not going without him!” Isabel screamed.
Valenti held her firmly. “He's dead - I saw it with my
own eyes. He's dead!”
Isabel screamed, “No! No!” She pleaded, “Michael …
No!”
Valenti started to drags her away towards escape as she
struggled against him, still screaming. Michael stood staring at the wall of
flame, unwilling to leave. “Michael!” Jim yelled at the young man.
“We’ve got to go! Come on!”
“Michael, no!” Isabel screamed not wanting him to give
up on Max, not wanting to leave without her brother.
“Let's go!!” Valenti pulled Isabel away down the hall.
Michael remained for a few moments longer, kept looking at the wall of flame
until finally he followed.
Outside the smoke-filled building, Michael came out the
door, coughing and choking, removing his tie and security belt. He joined
Valenti and Isabel. Jim examined his own burned hand as he related what happened
with Max.
Valenti gulped in the fresh air, “… hit the floor.
Flames poured out from his body … started the fire.”
Isabel held onto Michael as he was bent over coughing
trying to catch his breath, she looked up at Jim. “No, he can’t be dead. He
can’t be dead!”
Valenti didn’t know how else to convince the girl.
“Look, I tried to get to him … but his body collapsed into dust.”
Michael looked up, and at the same time he and Isabel
noticed Merris Wheeler leaving the building with a hunched Clayton, flanked by
the gunmen in suits. They were about to get into a black limousine and drive
away.
Michael saw them, standing in anger. “There they are.”
Isabel turned to Valenti. “Is that them?”
Jim nodded. “Yeah, but they're armed …” The two
aliens both walked towards the limousine. “Wait! Dammit!”
Enraged, Isabel and Michael bolted off to confront Max's
killers. Merris stood at the door of the limo after Clayton was inside, seeing
them approach she coolly directed her men before getting into the limousine.
“Take care of them.”
The men lifted their guns to start firing. Isabel screamed
in fury as she and Michael lifted their hands to blast the gunmen. The gunmen
opened fire. A shot hit Isabel in the abdomen and she reflexively clutched at
Michael, falling to the street, even as the gunmen were blasted into the air.
They flew over top the car, and fell dead as the limo sped off into the night.
Michael dropped to the ground with Isabel, holding her as Jim rushed to them.
Jim quickly examined Isabel, who was gasping in pain.
“What?” Michael begged, his hands covered in Isabel’s
blood, it was too soon after Monk for his brain to comprehend the trauma, to
make any sense of it.
“It's bad. Give me your shirt.” Michael quickly removed
his security shirt for Valenti to press against the wound. He glanced at the
burning building. He would never need it again. Standing for a moment, he
reached out his hand and pushed power into the fire, causing it to accelerate
exploding in the night. He would come back later and salt the very earth that
housed evil.
“… shirt … Max … Max …” gasped Isabel in pain.
Michael knelt down to talk to Isabel. “You're gonna to be
all right.”
“Just hang on.” Jim begged as he held the shirt tight
to Isabel. Jesse, who had been trying to get in the building came out from where
he had been hiding when the Wheelers and the gunned men had exited, came
yelling, rushing out of hiding towards his fallen wife.
“Isabel!”
“Max …” said Isabel weakly as she was slowly losing
conscious from blood loss.
“Stay awake …” Jim ordered the young woman.
“Isabel!” Jesse came up close enough to see Isabel.
“Oh, my God …”
Valenti glanced up at Jesse. “She's been shot. I don't
know how bad it is.”
Isabel saw Jesse and she weakly tried to reassure him,
“… it's all right … it's all right.”
“Oh, my God,” said Jesse again as he pulled out his
cell phone and began to dial. “Have you called an ambulance?”
Michael took the phone from Jesse disconnecting it. “No
... no, no-no, no!” Michael said as Jesse tried to take his phone back.
“Well, what's wrong with you?!” Jesse demanded glancing
down at his dying wife.
“Hey, no ambulance! No hospital!”
“She'll die, you idiot!” Jesse punched Michael. The
cell phone fell from Michael’s hand as he hit the ground and Jesse grabbed for
it. Michael wrestled with Jesse to keep him from using the phone. “What the
hell is wrong with you?!”
Michael held Jesse shaking him hard. “Hey, you can’t
take her to the hospital - you can’t!”
“Why?! Tell me why?!”
“Because your wife isn't human!” Stunned, Jesse stopped
fighting and stared at Michael. “Okay, understand that? Your wife is not human.”
Jesse wrenched away from Michael, started to stand. “Stop
that crock of crap!”
“Ramirez!” Jim called and Jesse looked over at him.
“Look!” Jim gestured to Isabel who was partially on Jim’s lap. Jesse stood
slowly to his full height staring, stunned to see crackling energy sparks flying
from his wife's blood-covered, trembling hand. “It's true, Jesse. I know you
don't want to accept it, but it's true. She's not human.”
What …?” Jesse ran a shaking hand through his hair in
disbelief.
“She's alien.” Michael told the distraught man. “We
both are.”
~~~
Maria left another message for Michael as she and Kyle
finally made
“Michael, it's Maria - please pick up the phone, 'cause
Liz called and she has this completely wrong idea that something's happened to
Max, and I - I just I really need to hear your voice right now!. Maria hung up.
She glanced at Kyle. “Maybe they’re back? I should maybe try Isabel and
Jesse’s place, and …”
Kyle jaw clenched. Max dead. What about his father? “We
go to my home. My dad will contact me there. I know he will.” Kyle glanced at
the pale Maria clenching her phone. “Maria … Michael, he wanted me to tell
you that he …”
“Don’t!” Maria said breathing hard. “He … he’ll
tell me himself.” A tear ran down Maria’s face as she punched Michael’s
number in again. “Oh, Michael, Michael, Michael! ...come on ... please ...!”
Kyle finally drove up to the Valenti house.
~~~
Jim’s SUV was weaving through traffic in the night,
honking its horn and speeding down the road. A car horn blared as they barely
missed the other car. Jesse was in the front seat trying to use his cell phone,
and Michael was in the back seat holding the gravely wounded Isabel, pressing
his shirt against her gunshot wound. Michael's cell phone was ringing
incessantly.
“Paul?” Jesse said getting hold of someone. “Yeah,
it's me, Jesse. Can you hear me? Paul!” Jesse turned to shout at Michael,
“Look, can you turn that thing off?! I …” Michael found the phone and
turned it off tossing it over his shoulder. “Paul, yeah, it's Jesse. Can you
hear me? I- I can barely hear you … Can you hear me?”
Isabel faintly called to her husband. “Jesse …”
Jesse glanced at Isabel, fear and worry etched on his face.
“Just hang on, okay? Honey, … just hang on …” He went back to his
conversation on the phone. “Look, yeah, I got an emergency … and my wife's
been shot … If I could go to the hospital I wouldn't be calling you!!
… He - hello?? Yeah …”
Michael glanced at the cloth that was once his shirt. The
blood was pooling between his fingers. “Hey, the shirt's soaked through, what
do I do?”
“You keep the pressure on - we can’t do anything about
it now!” Jim ordered swerving to miss another car.
Isabel seemed delirious. “No … Max …” Isabel said
needing Max to heal her.
“No, Max isn't here …” Michael said choking on the
words. “We're gonna take care of this. Wake up … wake up. Don't leave us …
just …” Michael asked Jesse, “Are - are you sure about this doctor?”
“He's not a doctor anymore, he's - he's an old friend
from the neighborhood …”
“What the hell does that mean?!” Michael demanded. Not
a doctor?
“Just - it means just shut up and let me just …”
Jesse stopped talking to Michael when Paul came back. “Paul! Yes - one shot
through the abdomen - !- a - a handgun, possibly …”
“Big.” Jim told Jesse. “Nine millimeter.”
“Nine Millimeter!” Jesse repeated. “Look, just - just
meet me at my apartment - okay? The address is
“We're going to my house!” Jim told Jesse. “It's
closer!” Jesse quickly repeated Jim address to Paul.
~~~
Jim rushed into his house with Jesse carrying Isabel in his
arms, followed closely by Michael. Blood was on everyone's hands as Michael kept
up with Jesse holding the soaked shirt against the wound.
“Get her on the sofa …” Michael said.
Jim rushed to the sofa and cleared things off it making
room. He reached up to help Jesse. “Got her, got her …”
They work together to lay Isabel down as the commotion
brought Kyle and Maria rushing into the room from Kyle’s room where Maria was
calling Michael again.
“What's going on?” Kyle demanded stopping when he saw
Isabel. “Oh, my God, what happened?”
“She's been shot.” Jim told his son as he kept applying
pressure to the wound.
“Michael!” Maria rushed to Michael’s side. He turned
and picked her up in a strong hug, turning her away from the sight of Isabel
dying.
“She - what?” Kyle couldn’t comprehend the words.
“Kyle, there's a trauma kit in the garage. Get it.
Go!!” Jim ordered. Kyle ran out to the garage.
Maria glanced at the pale Isabel, noting the soaked shirt.
“I’ll get some towels!” She left Michael’s side and rushed to the linen
closet.
Jesse was holding Isabel's head. He continued to speak
reassuring to her throughout all the commotion. “Everything's going to be okay
… everything's going to be okay … everything's going to be okay.”
“I don't wanna die … please …” Isabel begged her
husband, “please … I don't wanna die …”
“You won't. You won't, I promise, okay?” Jesse looked
at Jim, nearly hysterical. “Look, j-just do something!! Please.”
“I'm doing everything I can …” Jim told him as Maria
came back with towels. Jim replaced Michael’s shirt with a towel.
“Where's the doctor?!” Michael demanded pacing, frantic
for someone … anyone that could help.
“Kyle!!” Jim yelled for his son, needing the trauma kit
and the sterilized bandages.
“He'll be here!” Jesse told Michael. Maria went to
Michael, and he pulled her close, hugging her in comfort.
“Kyle!!” Jim yelled again.
Kyle ran in with the kit and handed it to his father.
“She needs Max … Where's Max?”
“Max is dead.” Michael told Kyle as Maria pulled back
from him, she glanced up at his face, and tears filled her eyes and she hugged
Michael again.
Delirious Isabel heard that one name. “Max … no …”
“What?!” Kyle shook his head. He knew that Liz thought
… Liz said, but he … no.
“Max is dead, alright?!” Michael yelled at Kyle trying
to wake the other man up. There was going to be no miraculous save this time.
Max was gone, and they had nothing to heal Isabel with.
“Max … no …” Isabel kept weakly repeating.
There was loud knocking at the door. Michael quickly kissed
Maria on the forehead, and went to answer the door. Jim tossed a soaked towel
and applied a large sterilized pad to the wound.
“You the doctor?” Michael inquired to the man on the
doorstep.
“Yeah.”
Michael moved out of the way and gestured towards the
living room and sofa. “There.”
Paul went directly to the couch, medical bag in hand. He
knelt next to the patient. “Clear out - clear out - give me some room.”
“Paul … thank God …” Jesse said relieved to see his
friend.
“I got it. Take a look here.” Paul pulled out a pen
light to examine Isabel's wound.
Jesse talked in a comforting tone to Isabel. “The
doctor's here, okay? The doctor's here …”
“I'm going to have to go in and find the bleeders -
there's damage to the liver - Clear that table,” Paul said to Kyle and Jim
before looking at Michael, “you - in my car there's a tank, a monitor, a
ventilator bag, and a, ah, blanket tied up with chord, okay?” Michael rushed
off. “I can’t make any promises, Jesse - she's lost an awful lot of
blood.”
“Do everything you can, gonna alright.”
Paul quickly gave Isabel a shot as Maria and Kyle cleared
the table. “Alright, let's get her on the table, alright? Brace, brace, brace
… get her back - one, two, three, ready - lift!” Jesse, Valenti and Paul
picked Isabel off the sofa and took her to the table. “Easy does it … get
her middle … let her down easy, let her down easy … let her down easy.”
Michael returned with the equipment. Paul nodded. “Tank right here - monitor
there, bag on the counter, give me the blanket over here.” Paul ordered as
Maria quickly helped Michael. “Alright, she's gonna need a transfusion. Anyone
know her blood type?”
They all went still, and Maria shared a look with Michael.
He nodded. “Uh, yeah, I'm her type.”
“Okay, who can tap this kid's vein?” Paul asked.
“I can.” Jim offered, grabbing supplies and Maria to
help him.
Paul spread out his surgical instruments telling Kyle and
Jesse to scrub. They were going to have to assist him. “Alright, let's get to
work, guys.”
~~~
In Clayton and Merris' bedroom that same night, Merris was
dressed in a negligee, sitting by her husband, who was lying on their canopy bed
with the sheets pulled completely over himself. He was shivering and gasping as
Merris tried to talk to him. Taken aback, Clayton’s voice had an eerie
vibration to it. Concerned, Merris removed the sheet to find that Clayton now
looked like Max. Shocked, Merris let Clayton look at his reflection. Clayton
scrambled out of bed, shocked to be another man, but Merris came up behind him.
She held his shoulders and told him how Max tried to rejuvenate him.
Clayton wanted to talk to Max, to know why Max made him
look like him, but it was too late. Max was a pile of ash as Merris assumed the
rest of Max’s alien friends were. Clayton slowly adjusted to the idea that
this was his body, getting used to the idea of being young and strong. Merris
knowingly suggested that he being young and energetic wasn’t such a bad thing.
Clayton/Max picked up his wife and took her to bed.
~~~
Maria sat with Michael, her hand in his as his blood was
removed for Isabel. His eyes were heavy and he watched Maria through hooded
eyes, feeling sleepy.
“Thanks for coming home,” he said quietly.
Maria’s eyes met his, and there were tears in hers. She
nodded, and leaned over him, hugging him, her head going to his. “I’m sorry
it took so long.”
“I left you messages not to come.”
“I know. I ignored them.”
“So that was why you weren’t answering your phone?”
Michael said suspiciously.
“When do I ever take orders?” Maria sniffed. She buried
her head against him for a moment sobbing, catching it back in her throat. “It
could be you on that table right now!”
“I wish it was.”
“Michael …” Maria shook her head. “Isabel is hard
enough, but you … Please, don’t say that.”
“I’m going to be here all alone, Maria. If Isabel
…”
“She’s not.” Maria said glancing over at the dining
room table, the quiet men working fast trying to save Isabel. “She can’t.”
Maria reached over for a glass of juice and a straw. “Here, drink some juice.
You’re losing too much.”
“She can have it all.” Michael said. “I can’t take
much more, Maria. Alex, Monk, Max, and now Isabel? I can’t …”
Maria forced the juice on him. “Yes, you can. You’re
strong. I swear, Michael Guerin, I’m so sick of you always being so willing to
leave me.”
Michael stared at her. “I’m not.”
“Then drink the damn juice!” Maria left Michael too
upset to talk to him at that moment. She found Jim watching the surgery.
“Michael’s too tired. I think he gave too much blood. I have him drinking
juice, but …”
Jim nodded. “I’ll start an IV and give him some volume
back. Let me see what Paul has on hand.” Jim squeezed Maria’s arm leaving
her to go see about Michael.
Maria took a short walk into the kitchen to get herself
something to drink. Sinking to the floor behind the counter, she pulled her
knees to her chest and laid her head on her knees to cry. She let the tears fall
and the sobs shake her body for a short while before wiping away the tears and
clearing her throat. Taking a deep breath, she made the call she was dreading.
The phone was answered almost immediately. “I finally
caught up with Michael.” Maria began after Liz demanded to know what she knew.
“I'm so sorry.” Maria told her friend.
“I knew it.” Liz said quietly more to herself.
“How?”
Maria sniffed trying not to cry again. “Um... He died um
… in a fire trying to save Valenti's life … an-
… Michael said that he was really heroic.” Maria hugged her knees
tighter. “I'm so sorry …” Maria broke down and cried while Liz just sat
there silently on the other end listening, her own eyes brimming with tears.
~~~
Clayton/Max and Merris were lying in bed together,
enthralled in passionate embrace sharing the benefits of alien sex given to
Clayton from Max. Merris was taken aback when Clayton rolled away as he was hit
by strong flashes of Max and Liz together. The flashes were painful. Clayton
cried out Liz’s name loudly as the excruciating pain radiated through his
body. Merris, not happy to have her husband calling out a young eighteen year
old girl’s name, sat up and listened to her husband.
Clayton/Max got up from the bed leaving Merris tangled in
the sheets. “This is serious.” Clayton told Merris. “She's somebody Max
Evans knows … someone from his life.”
“You
must've gotten some of his memories.” Merris concluded. “Clayton, come back
to bed.”
Clayton/Max shook his head. “He's in there. He's inside
my head.”
“Who?”
“Max Evans. He's still alive. He's in my head. This head
… This head …” Clayton stared at his reflection, seeing only Max Evans.
“I know you're in there, Max. I know you are. You want something, don't you?
What is it you want?” Clayton flashed on a face. “Liz.”
“What was that?” Merris asked wrapping herself in a
sheet to go stand beside her husband. “Clayton, are you all right?”
“Is the Gulfstream fueled and ready to go?”
“Always. Where're we going?”
“
~~~
Daylight brought no comfort to the Valenti house as the
group of people waited for Isabel to regain consciousness. Valenti and Michael
were sitting on the sofa as Paul sat on the coffee table in front of Jim,
bandaging his burned arm and hand. Kyle cleaned the table where Paul had just
done surgery on Isabel. Maria was gone. She walked out before Michael could stop
her. He sat on the sofa in a daze watching Jim’s hands be bandage, his stomach
hollow from worry about where Maria went.
“She's far from okay.” Paul told Jim and Michael as he
worked on Jim’s hands. “I removed her spleen and tried to repair the liver,
but … it's meatball surgery at
best. The real question is whether infection sets in. If that happens …”
Paul finished and got up to get a beer.
“What?” Michael asked.
“Well, to have a fighting chance, she'll need a lot more
than I can do in your dining room.” Paul explained. “She'll need a
hospital.”
Michael shook his head. “That's not an option.”
“Neither is letting her die.” Kyle said quietly, having
not said much since he dad got home.
“No one's dying yet.” Jim told Michael and Kyle trying
to head off an argument. “We don't have to face that decision right now. Let's
just wait and see what happens, okay?”
Maria came into the house carrying a small bag of things.
Jim lifted a brow in inquiry. “Isabel’s stuff. I went to her and Jesse’s
place. I … she’ll feel better if she has clothes … her clothes.”
Maria’s face was pale, and Michael could see the tears in her eyes. He stood
to go to her, but she quickly avoided him.
Jesse came out of the room where Isabel was. He stopped and
talked low to Maria who nodded. She gave Jesse back his keys and went into the
room to be with Isabel. Jesse watched until Maria shut the door before walking
into the living room pulling on his coat.
“She's uh … she's still sleeping.” Jesse told the
others. Jesse addressed Michael, “You and me. Outside.” Michael sighed
knowing that he wasn’t going to get to talk to Maria in the immediate future.
Jesse and Michael walked outside into the back yard.
Paul frowned as Michael and Jesse left wondering what that
was about, but instead shrugged it off as none of his business. He asked Jim,
“You mind if I smoke?”
“No …” Jim paused as the man pulled out a joint. Oh,
what he hell. He wasn’t a cop any longer, and it wasn’t like he didn’t
have a long list of illegal activity to his own sheet now since knowing the
aliens. “Go ahead.”
Kyle watched Paul lit up and he said sarcastically, “I
can’t imagine why you lost your license.”
Valenti gave his son a hard look. They needed the man. This
wasn’t the time.
~~~
Maria sat with Isabel watching her closely. Isabel looked
bad. She was sweaty and pale, and Maria didn’t think she was sleeping. She
looked to be in pain. Wiping a tear, she held Iz’s hand.
“Please, please don’t die.” Maria sniffed. “I … I
… Michael needs you. If you leave us, he’ll be alone. All alone on this
planet with no one like him. He can’t lose you too, just after Max.” Maria
stumbled over Max’s name. Putting her head down on the bed, she cried. She had
been mad at Max, but she never stopped loving him. He was a friend. Someone she
had believed in, looked up to and admired for a time. Despite everything, she
never stopped believing that he belonged with Liz. Never. Not even in their
darkest hours.
“Isabel, I know it’s hard to fight, but I know you. I
know you. You fought so hard to love Jesse, to find a real place in this world.
I can’t … just don’t go. Jesse needs you. Michael needs you. I need you.
Your parents … what do we tell them? Max … oh god!”
Maria fumbled with her phone for a moment, and called Liz.
Liz answered but said nothing.
“Liz. Talk to me.” Maria met the silence wiping her
tears. “Isabel is dying. She was shot, and … she doesn’t look good and
there is no Max to … heal her.” Maria talked in the phone knowing Liz could
hear. “Please … please come home.”
“I can’t,” said Liz quietly. “There is nothing
there anymore. Nothing except memories, and I … I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“How can this be good? Liz, we have no body to bury, no
way to say goodbye, but you should be here! You can’t be out there all alone.
Please …”
“It’s spring break,” Liz said.
“Good. Come home. I’ll send you an airline ticket.”
“No. I’m staying here … alone.” Liz hung up.
“Liz?” Maria redialed. The phone rang and rang until
finally it was answered. “Liz … do not hang up! I need to …”
“Hello?” Maria frowned at the unfamiliar voice.
“I … is this Liz’s phone?”
“Yes. She just took off, so I answered.” The girl on
the other end paused. “I’m Eileen, the roommate.”
“Hi, I’m Maria, the best friend. Where did Liz go?”
“I don’t know. I tried to get her to come with me for
spring break, but she refused. Something’s wrong. What's going on with Liz?
Did something happen with her ex?”
“Yeah. He's …
um … he's dead.” Maria choked out.
~~~
“Do it again,” Jesse demanded as he and Michael stood
in the backyard.
“Jesse …”
“Look, just do it again!” Michael waved his hand over a
sharp-leaved plant, turning it into a flowering bush, then back again. “Son of
a …”
“How many times do I have to do this?” Michael asked.
“I dunno…” Jesse admitted. “You know, you tell me
this crazy story about … another planet, and
… and kings … and Shapeshifters … uh- pod chambers … and every
time I come close to believing it I start worrying that I'm strapped down in a
room somewhere because I've lost my mind!!” Jesse said his voice raising as he
struggled to calm down. “Okay? So just keep doing it until I can accept that I
am seeing it and that I am really …
here …”
Paul came through a gate in the fence to join them.
“Okay, okay, what the hell's going on here?” he demanded.
“What are you talking about?” Jesse asked naturally
going into the same mode that Michael and the others lived in for years …
deniability.
“Isabel has a temperature of a hundred and twelve.”
“
“And rising.” Paul confirmed.
“How high can it get before it gets dangerous?” Michael
asked remembering Maria’s temperature, and how at one hundred and three, it
was considered too high.
“Dangerous?” Paul scoffed. “Hah. Let me tell you
something. A hundred and seven is considered fatal in most cases. I've never
even heard of a temperature of a hundred and eight.” Paul rubbed his forehead.
“Now, obviously I'm not supposed to ask any questions, but if there's
something about Isabel that I should know - there's something that could help
me, you might want to consider telling me. Now.”
Michael looked directly at Jesse. “There's nothing we can
tell you that would be of any use.”
“Okay …” Paul looked between Michael and Jesse for a
moment, he gave up. Paul walked back through the gate. Jesse and Michael stared
at each other for a moment, then Jesse walked away, too.
~~~
Inside, Kyle was sitting by Isabel's side, holding her hand
while Maria went to get ice, and a few other things. She was still unconscious.
“You know, I was, uh … I was thinkin' … uh, heh …
see, you're supposed to say, there's a first time for everything,” Kyle gave a
slight dry laugh. “… Anyway, I was thinking that, um … since Liz got some
alien powers … when Max saved her
life … that … you know, maybe I've got some alien juice too.” Jesse came
into the room behind Kyle, but stopped to listen and watch Kyle unobserved.
“Maybe I've got the power to heal …” Kyle shook his head as his eyes
filled with tears. “So let's just give it a … a try. Kyle held Isabel's hand
tightly, and put his other hand against her, concentrating for a moment. But
nothing happened. Kyle cried, then tried to smile at Isabel. Jesse walked off.
“It was worth a shot. You know me -- I'll try anything once.”
~~~
Michael found Maria in the kitchen cracking ice out of the
trays into a bowl. She had towels and alcohol next to her. “What are you
doing?”
“I’m going to give Isabel an alcohol rub and an ice
bath.” She said quietly.
“Maria …” Michael looked up at the ceiling.
“Don’t.” Maria warned him. “I have … I have no
control over how I’m feeling, so just don’t push me over.” Maria went to
leave the room, but Michael stopped her, his arm holding her pulling her tight
to his body. He looked down into her stormy eyes.
“I should send you to your mom,” he said.
Maria slapped him. “I hate you!” Maria struggled to get
free of him, punching him, but he held on. Suddenly all the fight left her, and
her arms went up around his neck, and he picked her up in a tight hug. Michael
closed his eyes letting her weep on him. He deserved it. He spent months trying
to convince her he wasn’t leaving, and today, he admitted he would gladly die.
“Don’t send me away from you,” she said softly against him.
Michael bent his head to talk to her equally soft. “I
won’t. I can’t. I need you.”
Maria sniffed looking at him. “I lied. I don’t hate
you.”
“I know. I love you too.” Jesse walked into the
kitchen, but backed out seeing them together. He unashamedly watched them.
Maria’s hand went to touch Michael’s face where she had slapped him, the
horror entering her eyes. “Oh god! I hit you! I’m so sorry. That was …”
“I deserved it.”
“No.” Maria kissed his cheek shaking her head. “No,
you didn’t. I … I’m out of control. I can’t settle myself. Max … gone.
Liz, she might as well be. I think she hasn’t been sober since she found out
… or maybe her problem is that even when drunk, she’s still too sober. And
now, Isabel?” Maria let out a gasp. “I don’t deal well with loss, and
…”
Michael nodded. “I know you don’t, and then I implied I
would gladly die.” Maria looked away, but Michael made her look at him. “I
would, Maria. I would exchange places with Isabel. She’s my…” Michael
laughed shaking his head. It was so damn confusing. “She’s my sister.
We’re the same blood.”
“I know, you love her, and she’s going to make it. She
has to, and …”
“Maria …” Michael stopped her flow of words. “I
would exchange places with Isabel, if she could live. It’s easy to offer when
there’s no chance, and I can go on if she doesn’t survive. It’ll be hard,
but I’ll live. If it was you … if they had shot you instead of Monk, and I
hadn’t been able to heal you …” Michael shook his head. “I wouldn’t
want to live either. That would’ve been something I couldn’t survive.”
“Ditto,” Maria said hugging him hard. “Please never
suggest dying to me again, Spaceboy, or I will kick your alien tush across
Michael laughed. “I knew you didn’t mean it. You hit me
like a girl.”
“I did not! I hit hard!” Maria pushed him away
indignant. “Remember that time I hit you with a right cross? I put you on the
ground, buddy!”
Michael laughed remembering their self-defense training
when he tried to teach Maria how to defend herself if he wasn’t there, and she
needed to protect herself. “You did. You broke your hand.”
“It wasn’t broken. It was a little … smashed.”
Maria reminded him. “It was okay because you healed it just like Max would
have, and …” Maria went quiet as did Michael at the mention of Max’s name.
Michael pulled Maria into his arms hugging her hard as they shared each
other’s pain.
“Michael,” said Maria as she hugged him tight,
“can’t we use the healing stones? She has a fever, and maybe if we enter the
Balance … give her our life force … our energies, she’ll heal. Can’t we
…”
Michael framed Maria’s face forcing her to look at him.
“The healing stones are gone. Max cracked them on Liz … trying to heal her.
We … I’m alone, and I don’t have that power, not the amount needed to do
what needs to be done. I’m … I can’t.”
“Try?” Maria begged him.
Jesse cleared his throat from the doorway. “Please
try,” he begged.
~~~
“Michael?” Maria inquired from the doorway from where
she stood watching Michael beside Isabel’s bed. The alien girl was still
unconscious looking even grayer than before, and Maria bit back a cry. She was
dying.
“It didn’t work. I tried, more than once. Nothing.”
Michael buried his head in his hands. “I can’t do this. I never could, and
I’m worse when I’m upset.”
Maria came to kneel beside him. “You healed me.”
Michael’s eyes moved over her face. “I know I did, but
you were never close to dying, Maria. A broken limb here, a small cut or bruise
there. This is big. Bigger than I ever tried before.”
Maria decided not to push him, to let him calm down from
his anxiety. “Liz called. She’s very messed up. Drunk. All the things she
dreamed about for three years are now gone, and I don’t think she’ll be
consoled any time soon. Also, she said her powers are back with a vengeance and
she saw Max.”
“What?”
“She said that he came up to her, and she kissed him,
touched his face and the green energy from her hands went into him … made him
fall down, and he ran away.”
“You believe her?”
“I don’t know. I just know that if it was you … I
wouldn’t want you to be dead either. She said she woke up on the grass. I
guess she passed out.”
“Drunk?”
“Yeah.”
“She was seeing pink elephants … pink Max elephants,
Maria. He’s gone. Dust.”
“I know.”
Michael stared at Isabel seeing what little life there was
left in her leaving as well as Maria came up behind him, hugging him from behind
his chair. “When Isabel goes, there will only be me.”
“No. There won’t.” Maria promised kissing his head.
She took his hand and put it over Isabel’s. “Try again.”
“I did.”
“For me. You can do this. I know you can.” Maria told
him. “I believe.” Maria moved around and sat on the side of the bed facing
Michael putting her hand over his, over Isabel’s. “Talk to her. Tell her why
she can’t leave us. Tell her, Michael.”
Michael started off first telling Maria, because it was
easier that way, but soon he was telling Isabel, hoping she would hear … that
she would remember, and come back. Fight. “First day of school, third grade.
I'm standing by the lunch line, arguing with that ass, Mr. Trevors. He tells me
that the cafeteria won't take my food stamps. I say, "They're for food,
aren't they?" And he looks down on me … and he says, with that scraggly
moustache and that stupid comb-over, says, uh, "I don't take lip from …
welfare punks." I'm about to kick his balls up into his throat … but then
I feel someone watching me. It feels like a heat lamp … turned on the back of
my neck, and … I turned around and uh … there you are. And you're sitting at
a table all by yourself, and you're just staring right at me. So, I walk over, I
sit down. You're still staring at me, with those big eyes. And, ah … you
pushed your tray of food over to me and you say, "You can have my
lunch." Right then I knew you were different. I thought you were different
like I was different … only people liked you … they wanted you around.”
Michael said admitting how hard it had been for him to be like Isabel … like
Max, but to not be wanted or accepted, and despite that, at least he hadn’t
been alone … all alone. “...I want you around … I want you around, so,
please don't go …”
Michael put his head down on the bed next to Isabel. Maria
removed her hand from his, and it went up to move over his bent head as she
leaned down, her head against him. Michael free arm came up to wrap around
Maria’s center as Michael continued to hold Isabel’s hand, and a healing
white energy flowed from him into her. Feeling her unexpectedly wake, he raised
his head to look at her as did Maria, shock on both of their faces.
“You still owe me for that lunch,” Isabel said weakly.
Michael made a choking noise as he immediately called into
the other room for the others. “Hey, guys! Guys! Come on, get in here,
quick!!”
Maria’s hand went to Isabel’s and the two girls shared
a look that was long, as Maria smiled through tears exhaling her held breath.
She leaned over and kissed Isabel on the forehead. “Thank you,” she
whispered to Isabel.
“No … thank you, Maria. You make him stronger.”
Isabel whispered, truly believing it. This was the second time she knew of that
Maria helped Michael use his powers.
“Did you …?” Maria glanced at the door hearing the
rushing feet of large men. “You know, when Michael healed you, did you …”
Isabel laughed weakly. “No. I think that’s something he
only shares with you.” Maria wiped her tears as the men arrived and after a
quick squeeze of Isabel’s hand, she stood up and away.
Paul, Jesse, Kyle and Valenti rushed in, all of them
pushing through the door staring at Isabel in amazement. Michael moved out of
the way taking Maria with him. They stood over by the window, with Michael’s
arms around Maria holding her close from behind, as she held onto his arms.
Paul checked Isabel over quickly, taking her temperature.
“Vitals are steady … temperature's down to … one-o-two.” Paul sat back
as if dazed. “God, I need a cigarette.” He left the room before anyone could
stop him.
Isabel smiled weakly at everyone hovering over her
deathbed. “I heard, Michael.” Isabel explained glancing at Michael. “I
heard you. I was somewhere else, but I followed your voice back.” Isabel gazed
up at a troubled Jesse, trying to smile.
~~~
Jesse found Paul in the kitchen. Going to the refrigerator,
he took out a beer passing one to Paul as he opened his own. He also passed Paul
an envelope.
“There you go. You can count it if you want.”
“You're the last person I'm worried is gonna stiff me,
Jesse. You're the guy Diogenes was lookin' for. Huh. You know, Diogenes. Walks
around
“Yeah - lookin' for an honest man. Yeah, I went to
college.” Jesse stared into his beer. He didn’t know if he would still see
that honest man if he looked into the mirror. In less than twenty-four hours,
everything had changed, and he couldn’t … he couldn’t say. The world was
no longer the world, not the once he once naively understood. What was honest?
Paul laughed. “So did I. Now look at me. Unlicensed,
unwanted, and unloved. And all because I wrote some prescriptions for a few
friends …”
“They weren't your friends, Paul. Especially not the one
that turned out to be a Fed.” Jesse pointed out, needing there to be a
distinction, some discernible rules.
“True. But you know what the truth is? Ultimately I lost
my license because … because I'm not an honest guy.” Paul nodded towards the
other room. “Neither are your friends in there.”
“Goodbye, Paul.”
“You're involved in something here. I don't know what it
is, and I don't wanna know, but it's wrapped up in lies within lies … and
that's not what you're about. You're one of the good guys, Jesse.”
“So are my friends.”
“They're liars. You can’t trust them. Not when it
counts,” said Paul finishing his beer. “Not when it comes time to ‘Chant
down
“Yeah. I got the reference.”
“Good luck, Jesse.”
“Thanks.” They shook hands, Paul took his leave, and
Jesse was left to his troubled thoughts. Staring at nothing, the partially empty
beer hung from his hand. He stood there unmoving until Maria moved into the room
from the shadows.
She walked over to Jesse and took the beer from him
drinking the rest of it, tossing the bottle in the trash. “This won’t help
it … it won’t change what you know. You’re in it now, and no matter what,
you will change.”
“Are you?”
“Alien? Would it matter?” Maria took a knife off the
countertop. She sliced her hand on the palm wincing in pain. Showing it to
Jesse, she clenched her bleeding hand. “My blood is red. So is theirs. I feel
the cut … the pain. So do they. I mourn the lost of a friend … they mourn
the loss of a brother. What makes us so different? They love. We love.” Maria
stared into Jesse’s stormy brown eyes. “They love us. I don’t know about
you, but for me … it means everything.”
Maria started to walk away. She had had years to come to
terms with the truth, and it would take him time to do the same. She stopped at
the door and spoke to him without turning around, “For what it’s worth, she
wanted to tell you from the beginning. It was why she almost didn’t marry you
… why she said no at first. It was never about not loving you, but loving you
too much. None of them asked to be left on this planet … they were deserted,
and this is the only home they’ve ever known. They spent their lives different
and alone. Maybe we can never really understand that.” She left Jesse standing
in the middle of the kitchen alone.
~~~
Michael looked at the cut on Maria’s hand. He glanced up
at her. “Why did you do this?”
“A point. I was making a point.”
“Uh-huh. Literally.” Michael took her hand in his and
their eyes met as he healed her. Maria blinked rapidly as her mouth opened, and
she seemed dazed. Her head went to rest against his as she breathed in an ‘Oh
god’. Michael licked his lips and leaned forward to kiss her quickly,
groaning. “Next time … use a diagram,” he suggested hoarsely.
Maria’s hand went to his cheek, and she couldn’t help
it. Moaning his name softly, her mouth went to touch his, to kiss him. Their
mouths touched, and Michael’s tongue touched her lip, when her phone rang.
Michael swore and answered it for her. “What?!” Maria
watched as Michael’s face changed, and first disbelief and confusion moved
over his face, quickly to be replaced by shock. He looked at Maria. “It’s
Liz. She and Max are coming home.”
~~~
Jesse sat with the recovering Isabel, careful not to touch
her. Neither one knew what to say as Isabel kept rubbing worriedly at her
wedding ring.
“Are we okay?” she asked quietly.
“I don't know. I mean, I look at you … and I - I know
that I love you …”
“But I lied to you.” Isabel said as Jesse looked down,
nodding. “I always knew in my heart that you would never forgive me for
that.”
“That's not it.” Jesse told her, finally meeting her
eyes with his. “I mean, I - yeah, I'm hurt that you lied to me … but I can
get past that …”
Isabel felt a moment of hope. “You can?”
“Yeah. Yeah, eventually … and I - look, I - I'm not
perfect. I've told a lie or two. And you, hell, you had to grow up lying to
everyone around you … just became second nature.”
“Hey, it was never … never about you. It's just that
lying about who I am is a given.”
Jesse nodded understanding that, and maybe that was the
problem. “And you were really good at it. Isabel, you were
… really good.”
“That's what the real problem is, isn't it? Not that I
lied … but that I'm good at it.”
“I believed you, completely.” Jesse confessed. “I
mean, strange things would happen and I … never doubted that I knew you …
that I knew who my wife really was … I mean, I - I married Isabel Evans.”
Jesse stared at the woman who was his wife, someone he loved, and she was a
complete stranger to him. “There is
no Isabel Evans. Isabel is - is this person you hide behind. I - I just …”
“You're right, you're right about everything. And even
though I'm a … a really good liar … I want you to know that I'm telling the
truth when I say I love you … and I love being your wife.”
“Okay …” said Jesse unsure where that left them.
“Where do we go from here?” A tear glistened in her
eye.
“I have no idea …”
