Liz sighed and shook her head. She was thinking way too much into this. Who cares if he's 18? Me, she thought miserably. Liz was only 16. Granted, her birthday was coming up, but it's still a difference in age.

"You ok?"

Liz looked back up and saw Max's eyes were on her face. She felt her face get red and cleared her throat. "Yeah…just a little hot."

Max got up. "You want me to get you a cold drink?" he asked.

Liz shook her head. "No, that's ok. I'm fine."

Max nodded and sat back down. He glanced at her hand and asked, "does it still hurt?"

Liz shrugged and looked down also. Her right hand was now wrapped up and had 11 stitches in it. "Not really…just stings a little," she said finally.

Max nodded again and blew out his breath. Liz wondered if he was bored and said, "you can go back out front if you want. I'm not much company right now." She knew he would probably agree to go, but she begged him not to in her head.

Max looked at her shocked for a second then said, "I'll stay. I mean, if you want me to," he added softer.

Liz was now a little shocked. It was if he was asking if she liked him. Well, duh! "Sure…I just thought you were bored back here."

Max smiled and shrugged. "No…just wondering if Michael and Maria have killed each other yet."

Liz smiled and gave a little laugh. "We might be seeing Michael come back in a minute with a massive head injury," she joked.

"If Maria gets a hold of him? Throw in a couple of broken bones."

"Was it as good idea to leave them two alone?" Liz asked. "They probably would've let me back eventually without someone over 18."

"Technically, they did."

Liz gave Max a pointed look and felt her heart flutter. "What?"

Max smiled at her and replied, "I just turned 17 last month. I'm praying they don't ask for my id."

Liz wanted to jump off of the gurney and hug him. He lied for her? How sweet is that?! But instead she just smiled.

Max suddenly looked into her eyes and Liz felt her breath catch in her throat. His eyes were boring into hers and Liz couldn't break the contact. She dimly noticed the sirens from an ambulance in the background. All that mattered was his eyes.

Max finally opened his mouth and began to speak. "I…I was thinking…remember the night I tried to ask you something, but we got interrupted."

Liz nodded and thought back to the sleepover. Her stomach did flip-flops as her dream came into play too.

Max smiled for a second, also thinking of the dream then continued. "I wanted to know if-"

"Ok, miss Parker, we have good news."

Liz and Max both jerked their heads up to see the doctor walk into the room, not noticing she had just interrupted a very important conversation. Liz wanted to tell her to leave, but she looked over at Max's face and felt calmer.

He gave her a lopsided grin and shrugged. Maybe it's s sign, he thought miserably. He shook his head and let the voice of the doctor filter in.

"You'll only have to wear it about 4 weeks."

"4 weeks?" Liz asked. "That's a month!"

Dr. Alger smiled and put her chart down. "I understand that's a very long time for a teenager, but you got quite lucky. The glass shattered a vein and that's what caused all the bleeding. In doing so, your hand might have lost all it's feeling, but surpassingly it didn't."

Liz and Max both took all of this in and nodded.

"We put dissolving stitches in. Until they go away, I'd recommend you don't use that hand very much. Keep it dry and change the dressing everyday to keep infections out. And have your mom make an appt. with my office."

"Ok," Liz said.

"And by the way," the doctor said, handing Liz a prescription for pain killers, "next time make sure your accomplice is over 18." She shot Max a look and smiled.

Liz took the paper and froze, wondering what she was gonna do. She noticed Max stiffened also.

Dr. Alger smiled again and walked away. "Get better soon," she added.

***

Michael looked at the door again. Liz and Max had walked through it over an hour ago. Michael nearly jumped as he heard a ringing.

Maria put down her magazine and looked toward Liz's purse. She opened it up and pulled out a cell phone. "She always forgets," she mumbled as she picked up. "Hello?"

Michael sat down and listened to the conversation.

"No, she's still back…Max went back with her…excuse me? Like I wouldn't have!…Alex, you need have your brain fixed cause I'm gonna smash it-"

Michael scoffed and grabbed the phone away from Maria. "Alex?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Ignore Maria. Is Isabel still there?"

"Don't tell him to ignore me!" Maria cried from beside him. Michael ignored her and focused on Alex.

"Yeah, hold on a sec. I'll put her on," Alex said.

"Give me back my phone!"

Michael threw Maria a glance. "It's Liz's."

"Well, gimme back her phone!" she said.

"Michael?" Isabel asked over the phone.

"Iz, we need to talk-"

"I know," she interrupted. "I need to tell you something…"

"Tell me what?" Michael asked.

"Later," she promised.

Michael listened as Alex said something in the background and Isabel agreed. "Alex said to tell Maria he didn't mean what he said."

Michael looked at Maria. "Alex's sorry."

Maria shrugged and said, "I'm not."

Michael rolled his eyes and said into the phone, "she's over it." He felt her fist connect with his back and turned to face her. "What's your problem?"

Maria gave him a look and sneered. "My problem? You wanna know? Well here it is! My best friend was just bleeding all over me, not to mention you're an asshole!"

"I'm an asshole?"

Maria nodded. "Big one. Total big, Jack ass, jerk who's a two faced dick-"

"Maria?!"

Michael looked up to see a young dark haired woman looking at Maria with raised eyebrows. Maria's face reddened and she took a deep breath. "Mom…"

Michael looked at both women with shock then said into the phone; "I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, you got your hands full over there," Isabel said.

Michael winced, knowing she heard Maria's outburst.

"Some advice? Maria's juts letting off some steam," Alex said, taking over the phone.

"Thanks," Michael said hanging up.

"Mom…" Maria said again. "Um…what are you doing here?"

Ms. DeLuca looked at Michael then back at her daughter. "I was giving some blood. What about you; other then telling this poor boy off."

Michael smiled up at Maria who just sneered. "He deserved it," she mumbled. Maria looked back at her mother then sighed. "Mom, this is Michael Guerin. Michael, this is my mother," she said dully.

Ms. DeLuca walked over and offered her hand. Michael stood up and shook it. "Nice to meet you Michael.

"You too, Ms. DeLuca."

"So, Maria, why are you here? Is everything ok?"

"Oh, Liz cut her hand pretty bad, she's gonna need stitches."

Ms. DeLuca gasped. "Is she ok? How did it happen?"

"She slipped and went to catch her self, only to catch a cup instead," Maria explained.

Her mother shook her head. "Poor girl…I bet Nancy is frantic."

Maria looked at Michael then said, "um, her mother's not here."

"Why not?"

"She's over in Clovis."

"Is she back there alone? Maybe I should go back," Ms. DeLuca said.

"Mom, Liz is fine. She's not back there alone." Michael noticed how Maria didn't exactly offer up who was back there with her.

"She's not? Is Alex there?"

Maria shifted. "No…"

"Then who?" her mother asked.

"Um…" Maria sucked on her tongue and tried to stall.

Michael rolled his eyes and said suddenly, "Max is."

4 eyes glanced at him and Michael meet both looks from the DeLuca women. Her mother's was questioning, but Maria's was hard and angered.

"Max? Max who?"

Maria took a sharp breath and looked her mother square in the eye. "Mom…leave it be."

"What? I didn't say anything!" her mother exclaimed. "You know…I saw the sheriff in the lobby-"

"Mom! Please…"

Michael knew this was a personal conversation and quietly walked over to the soda machines, letting the DeLuca women talk in private. Michael thought back to the scene in the Crashdown and rubbed his head. Liz's hand was covered in blood within seconds. It was deep red and thick.

Michael didn't know what to think when he heard Liz's scream. It sounded, and then Max was off. Michael didn't even see him get up, he was just by Liz's side even before she had finished screaming. He had watched with a lonely look as Max scooped Liz up into his arms and sat her on the counter, worry etched all over his face.