“They’re downstairs in the car with Alex. We’ve been waiting for you and Is to come relieve us.” For the past two days they had been switching out, first with the guys watching the kids then the girls. Only this time Isabel and Maria had never come home to switch over.

“Oh, well, the doctors decided to release Liz today.” Maria rubbed the sleep from her eyes and rose to her feet to stretch. “We called but I guess you guys had already left.”

Michael felt his heart contract seeing Maria so washed out and tired. Wordlessly, he pulled her into his arms, stroking the length of her tousled gold hair. “There are reporters crawling all around outside,” he told her softly.

Maria groaned, despising her high-profile lifestyle more than ever. What a time to have to fend off the press, when her best friend’s baby just died. Maria felt ashamed but more than that she felt angry. At first, all the media coverage she’d elicited had seemed great. She was famous. She couldn’t walk down the street or eat in a restaurant without someone stopping and asking for her autograph. But lately her fame was getting in the way of her life. In recent years Maria had come to covet her privacy, which was paramount considering her live in boyfriend was an alien. However, privacy was an impossible concept. There was nothing at all that could happen to her or to someone close to her that wouldn’t be splashed across the front page of tomorrow’s tabloids. As if Max and Liz didn’t have enough to contend with having lost their kid, did they really need for the whole world to commercialize in on their grief?

She pulled out of Michael’s arms, kissing his hands. “You didn’t punch anyone, did you? We certainly don’t need another scandal like last time.”

Michael just smirked but Maria didn’t find anything funny. The last time they had been bombarded by the press Maria had been in labor. The paparazzi had blocked the entrance of their eight-bedroom house and had refused to move before getting their fill of photographs. It didn’t take long for Michael to lose his temper and jump from the car. Before Maria could stop him he had sent three reporters flying. Because of all the pandemonium no one was really fully aware of what happened, yet despite that the three reporters pressed assault charges against Michael. They had even tried to press for police brutality because Michael was a cop. It had been a complete fiasco. And although, in the end, the judge threw out the case the tabloids had had a field day with the story for months.

When Michael saw that Maria was none too pleased with his nonchalant attitude he assured her, “Alex and I parked in the back. No one saw us. They were too busy trying to get into the hospital. By the way, where the hell is Ed?”

“I told him to take off. It had to be a drag for him hanging around here.”

Michael walked over to the coffee machine and punched in an order. While he waited for his coffee to finish he braced his back against the machine, folding his arms across his chest. “Max and Liz any better?”

“They’re not doing too much talking. Isabel and I went ahead and took care of the funeral arrangements.”

“They give him a name?” Michael asked as he retrieved his coffee from the machine.

“Jeffrey Maxwell Evans.”

Michael rubbed the tense muscles at the back of his neck. “It sucks that this happened, you know?”

“Yeah, I think so, too,” Maria said softly, “Listen, Michael, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to tell you, but things have been so…” Maria wrung her hands, feeling that now was not the best time to spring her news, but not wanting to keep it to herself any longer. “I’m pregnant…again.”

The coffee Michael had been sipping spewed from his mouth like a geyser. His reaction caused Maria to snap to attention, fixing him with hurt eyes. Michael pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped at his mouth. “You’re what?”

“I’m pregnant,” Maria repeated, but this time her voice had an edge to it.

“What about the pill?”

“I guess it didn’t work.” Maria folded her arms across her breasts in a mutinous fashion. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize you’re not happy about this, Michael.”

“Well, the last thing I was expecting was another kid especially when we agreed to have only one.”

“We have two now, so deal with it.”

“Maria-“

“Look, Michael, I was thinking that we should maybe….get married.”

Michael looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “What the hell’s the matter with you today? First the baby, now you’re talking about marriage.”

“Michael, this whole thing with Max and Liz really got to me,” Maria began imploringly, “I just realized how short life really is…you know…that nothing is guaranteed. I think we should take advantage of what we have when we have it.”

“And you think we can do that by getting married?”

“I do.”

“Well, I don’t,” Michael shot out a little angrily, “We’ve already talked about this a hundred times, Maria. I am not human, your lifestyle is not conducive to me keeping that a secret.”

“I’ll give it up then.”

“Maria, that’s not going to solve anything and you know it.”

“No, Michael, what I know is that you’re using my fame as a cop out. If you don’t want to marry just say you don’t!,” Maria shouted.

“Fine! I don’t want to marry you!” he shouted back.

The words echoed through the tiny room, devastating Maria with their harshness. Michael was instantly sorry that he had hurt her, but when he reached out his hand to touch her she yanked away. “Maria-“

“Don’t say anything,” she said hoarsely. She didn’t bother to hold back her tears, but held her head high as they trickled down her cheeks. “I just know how you really feel now.”

“Maria, we’re both emotional right now, saying things we don’t mean.”

“No, I meant everything I said and so did you. In view of that I think you should go home and pack your things. That South American, undercover thing you were considering…go on and take it, cause right now I don’t want to be anywhere near you.”