"Parker! I need you here, not in dreamland."

"Sorry sir, it's just..."

"I know, but he needs you to help him. I need his b.p taken and see if you can bandage that left leg to keep him as comfortable as you can until we get an E.R. room empty."

"Yes Doctor." Without any further hesitation, Liz got to work.

Meanwhile, back at home. Max is walking into the apartment, just in time to answer the ringing telephone.

"Hello!" he answered, slightly out of breath.

"Hey Maximillian," came Michael's familiar voice over the phone.

"Michael, how are you man?"

"Fine, Maria and I are in town. We thought we'd call and see if we could drop by."

"Yea, I want to see my best friend Max!" came Maria's voice somewhere behind Michael.

"Hey, why don't you just pick up the other line!" Michael replied, slightly annoyed.

"Don't be smart with me, spaceboy..."

Max laughed lightly as he listened to two of his closest friends do their usual banter.

"Hey Max." Maria said excitedly into the second phone.

"Hey Maria, good to hear your voice. I wish Liz was here to talk to you."

"She's still at the hospital isn't she."

"Yea, but she should be home in the next hour." he replied, trying to set the table with the cordless phone squashed between his head and shoulder, "Michael, you know how much Liz and I would love to see you guys... but not tonight. I have something special planned.

"Ah, the romantic. Why can't you be more like that?" Maria directed at Michael,

"Can you give me a break for at least five minutes Maria." Michael pleaded, "Yea Max, so what's the special date?"

"Today is the anniversary of the shooting at the Crashdown. Liz and I celebrate it every year as the day our lives changed for the better."

"You're celebrating the day your girlfriend got shot...and you say I'm weird Maria."

Max smiled again, "Guys, I have to go, but I'll see you both tomorrow."

A sudden tremor in the floor of the apartment caused both sides of the conversation to go silent. After about two minutes, Maria screamed nervously into the phone, "Was that an earthquake? New York can't have earthquakes! It's not logical! Earthquakes only happen in California, not New York. The first time I decide to travel to New York and there's and earthquake!" by this time Maria is out in the living room, pacing in front of Michael with the phone in her hands.

"Calm down Maria, it was just a little tremor." Turning his attention back to the phone, "Max, you still there?"

"Yea, has Maria calmed down yet? Tell her it's okay, even if New York has an earthquake, it doesn't get bigger than that."

"Thanks for understanding Max! Tell Liz we'll pass by tomorrow."

"Okay." with that, Max hung up the phone and rushed into the kitchen. Something about that tremor bugged him. It was like something deep within him was trying to give a warning...but of what?

Back at the hospital, things are starting to calm down after everything that happened, including the mild earthquake. Filing the last patient report onto Dr. Stephen's desk Liz glanced up at the wall clock that was saying 5:45pm. 'Great!' she thought, 'that leaves me 15minutes to get home before Max has a fit.'

"Dr. Stephens, can I sign out? Things are calming down around here and..."

"Sure, you can leave. I hope you have a good night."

"I plan to." she replied with a smile and quickly headed out to her parked black classic convertible. If she took the back streets, she could just make it home in time. Facing the clear streets ahead of her, Liz sped up the car.

'I should call Max.' she thought, reaching down into her purse. Just then, a low grumble drew Liz's attention as the car began to swerve slightly. The noise grew louder and a feeling in the pit of her stomach was saying that something terrible was going to happen in the next few minutes.

Maria screamed at the top of her lungs as she felt the vibrations in the room increased, causing the plates and glasses on the kitchen shelf fall, shattering on the ground. Michael rushed in from the living room to her side.

"Are you okay?!" he half shouted over the noise, as he struggled to get to them to the doorway of the bathroom.

"Oh my God Michael, we're going to die!" Maria cried, feeling herself shake from fear.

"No we're not." he replied determined, but Maria didn't seem to hear a word he said. She babbled on nervously in fear.

"I'm not ready to die. I have so many things I want to do. Why is this happening now?!" She suddenly made a move back towards the bed, but Michael quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back to the doorway.

"What are you doing. Are you crazy?!" he screamed, then looked down at her now tear streaked face.

"I just wanted to get my Cedar Oil," she replied and burst into tears again. Michael wrapped her in his arms and leaned back against the wall.

"I'm sorry." he replied, gently stroking her hair to calm her down.

Liz could feel the car become more difficult to control, as the quake became more violent, but she fought to keep it moving straight ahead. 'Just two more blocks and I'll be home. Safe in Max's arms.' she thought.

The two bright headlights on the opposite side of the road caught her attention. It was a truck, swerving uncontrolled down the road. Everything from then on seemed to happen in slow motion. The rocking of the car...the loud, menacing sound of the mack truck's blaring horn...the long, sweaking of the trucks' tyres braking against the road...the headlights directly in front of her.