“They’re here,” Liz sang out.

Maria made a face.

“Do you want to get their table, or should I?” Liz asked.

“You go ahead,” Maria answered. “ ’Bout time I took that garbage out that you asked me to do like, forever ago.”

Liz laughed. “Thanks,”

Maria disappeared behind the counter.

Liz slowly made her way over to the guys’ table as Maria walked past them and out the door, carrying a garbage bag.

Michael watched her go out the door and then looked at Liz. She was smiling down at Max. Of course. “Pissed?” he asked.

Liz shook her head and then moved her gaze over to Michael. “What? No, no. She’s just taking out the--”

There was a loud crash. Tires squealing. A scream.

Liz’s heart jumped up into her throat. “What was that?” she whispered.

A small, bald headed man ran into the cafe. “Someone call an ambulance!” he cried. “There’s been an accident!”

Michael vaulted over the booth and out the door before Max or Liz could get their bearings straight.

Max got up and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Call an ambulance,” he whispered. “I’ll go and try to see what’s going on.” he exited out the door.

Liz stood there a minute longer before running to the phone. She hurriedly pushed 911. Where was Maria? Was she helping the poor victim? Or could it have been her who was the victim?

Stop it, Liz. She ordered herself. Maria’s fine. Don’t think like that.

With the call to 911 put in and the ambulance on its way, Liz slammed down the phone. As she walked outside, people were gathered around a person on the ground. As Liz got closer, she could make out a light blue uniform... then the alien apron, then finally the rest of Maria herself.

Max knelt beside her as Michael sat on the ground, holding her head in his arms.

Maria’s eyes were closed and her face was smudged with dirt. She lay on her back, motionless.

“No...”  Liz whispered.

Max looked up at her, as if finally realizing she had come outside. He ran over to her and held her in his arms. Liz buried her face into his shoulder. It couldn’t be Maria. It just couldn’t.

But it was.

Michael looked up after a long while and into

Max’s face. “There’s... there’s nothing I can do for her,” he said solemnly.

******************************

Michael squeezed Maria’s lifeless hand as he sat by her bedside in the hospital room. Maria was in a coma. He tried effortlessly to revive her, and failed each time. He knew he was not God, but couldn’t wish that he had his power. He and Maria were once together, and he knew he couldn’t get attached to these humans, but sitting beside Maria now made him feel so inferior. He knew he shouldn’t get attached, but if there was something Michael could have done for her, he would have done it. She was there for him when he needed her and by God, was he not leaving her side.

Max stood into the doorway to Maria’s room.

Michael felt his pressence. “Garbage,” he recalled. “Such a stupid accident,”

“Michael, you should go on home, you need some sleep,” Max answered. “I just dropped Liz off. Why don’t I give you a ride? The doctors are going to phone her parents in case she wakes up.”

Michael shook his head. “I’m not leaving,”

Max sighed. “I know you wish there was, but there’s nothing you can do. It’s out of our hands,” he walked into the room and took Maria’s other hand. “she’ll be okay here, Michael.”

“Garbage. What kind of a girl takes out garbage, anyway? Isn’t that a man’s job?” Michael sighed. “I should have done it. It should have been me.”

“Don’t say that!” Max whispered. “If that was you, we couldn’t have brought you here. We couldn’t have the best doctors to help you.”

Michael didn’t answer.

“The best thing you can do now is to... hope and...pray that Maria will come out of this,” Max said. “Like we’re all doing.”

Michael slowly stood up. “The best thing for me to do,” he replied. “Is to find the bastard that did it,” he kissed Maria’s hand and strolled out of the room.

Max ran a hand through her hair. “Get better soon,” he told her. “Michael needs you.” he followed him out of the room.

******************************************

“Think about it, Maxwell,” Michael said as Max drove the Jeep back to Michael’s apartment.

“Whoever did this has got to be feeling guilty,”

“You don’t know that,” Max answered. “It was a hit and run.”

“No.” he replied. “It wasn’t. I was the first one out of the CrashDown. The guy stopped. He looked down at Maria, and then sped off. I saw a license plate. That license plate is forever tatooed on my brain.”

Max arched an eyebrow and nodded.

Michael looked glumly to the floor. “And then, the car sped away and... I saw Maria.” he gulped. “She looked at me. She looked right at me. And then she just closed her eyes. It felt like someone had grabbed my heart and stuck a knife through it.”

Max glumly nodded. “I felt the same way when Liz got shot.”

Michael still avoided his eyes. “I think now I finally understand why you couldn’t let  Liz die.”

“You do?”

Michael nodded. “Because if you let her die, you’re life wouldn’t be worth living without her.”

Max nodded. “That’s right,”

Michael continued. “No one to get on my nerves or... talk too, or...you know.”

“I know.”

“If Maria doens’t come out of this, Maxwell, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

Max half smiled. “She will,”

*************************

“Please, Michael, let the authorities handle it,” Isabel groaned as he sat on her bed, dscussing his plan.

“I can’t do that,” he said.

“We never use our powers to hurt,” she told him.

“Well, this time will be an exception.” he said. “I’m going to the sherrif’s station. I need to find out his owns this car.”

“You’re going to ask Valenti???” she asked breathlessly.

“Of cource not,” he replied. “I’m going to steal.”

Isabel rolled her eyes. “That’s much more comforting.”

“Don’t tell Max,” he said.

Isabel rolled her eyes. “Then why did you tell me??”

“In case something happens,”

“Well, I’m not l’m not letting you go off by yourself,” Isabel said with a sigh.

Michael grinned. “Hurry, then. there’s not much time.”

*****************************

Michael placed his hand over the lock on the Sherriff’s office door. There was a click and Michael opened the door easily and walked in. Isabel was right behind him. “How do you know where to look?” she asked.

“I don’t,” he replied flatly.

Isabel rolled her eyes. “Oh, great!”

Michael pointed to the sherrif’s office. “You check in there,”

Isabel vanished into the office.

Michael strolled behind the desk and over to a filing cabinet. He opened a drawer marked “Roswell License and Registration”.

“Izzy!” he cried. “Jackpot!”

Isabel ran over to him and observed the sontainments f the drawer. Hundereds of file folders.

“Michael, this is going to take awhile,” she said.

“Maria’s worth it,” he said, sitting down on the floor and pulling out a stack of file folders.

Isabel sat beside him. “What’s the plate number?”

Michael closed his eyes. “IDY 456.”

*****************

Three hours later, Isabel saw the number. “Michael!” she cried. “Here, here it is!”

Michael grabbed the file from her. Inside was a a name address and picture of Maria’s attacker.

“That’s him, alright.” he replied. “Herman Bullingsworth. 456 Piper Ave. Roswell.” he got up to leave. “Izzy...”

“You’re welcome.”

Michael walked over to her and gave her a heart felt hug. “I’d be lost without you.” Isabel returned the hug. “I know.”

He helped her to her feet. “I’ll drop you off, then I’m headin out.”

“Michael, please...just tell Max...” she said.

“I can’t, Izzy. You’ve done enough already.”

“Michael, we love you. When you have a problem, we have a problem.”

“Please, Izzy, just let me handle it.”

Isabel avoided his eyes. “Let’s go,”

****

Liz and Max sat by Maria’s bedside. Her condition hadn’t changed. She lay there, her eyes closed.

“I can’t stand to see her like this, Max,” Liz said softly.

Max squeezed her hand. “I know,”

Isabel ran through the door and into Maria’s room. “Max, thank God you’re here!”

“What? What is it?”

“It’s Michael,” Isabel said.

Max was out of the hospital and tearing down the road in his jeep less than three minutes flat.

He loved Michael as a brother. How could he consider doing something this stupid without telling him? He just hoped to God that he got there in time...

******** Michael knocked on the door of 456 Piper Ave. A short while later, Herman Bullingsworth came to the door.

Michael sneered at him. “Hi,” Michael called. “Can I see you for a minute?”

Herman rubbed his bald head. He grabbed a bulging suitcase. “I’m sorry, I’m leaving town,” he said as he stepped by Michael.

“And why is that?” Michael asked. “Not like you ran down a poor, defenseless girl.”

Herman stopped dead in his tracks. “I... didn’t see her,” his voice quivered. “I didn’t.”

“You didn’t even see if she was okay. You didn’t know who she was, she didn’t matter to you. Not to think maybe she had a family, friends that cared about her.”

“Is...she okay?...” Herman asked weakly.

“She’s in a coma,” Michael said angrily.

Herman let out a cry. He ran to his little Toyota. “NO!” he cried. “I’m sorry, I have to go!”

Michael grabbed his arm. He glared into his eyes. “She was just another speed bump to you.”

“LET GO OF ME!” Herman yelled. “I don’t have time for this!”

But it was too late. Michael already made the connection and picked a big fat vein in his head. He began to squeeze.

Herman slumped to the ground. “I-- I don’t feel so good,” he said weakly.

“Maybe you’ll drive safer next time,” Michael replied.

“What are you? her boyfriend?” Herman asked.

Michael was stunned by that question. “Worse than that,” he said. “I love her.”

****

In the hospital room, Maria weakly opened her eyes. She observed her surroundings.   She lay in a bed, monitors hooked up to her, Liz holding her hand.

“Liz?” she asked breathlessly.

Liz’s eyes grew wide as she turned to Maria. “Maria!” she cried. She jumped up and hugged her best friend. “You’re okay!”

“Where am I? What happened? Liz, I had a dream Michael told me he loved me.”

Liz hugged her again. “Rest now. I’ll explain everything later. I’m going to go get a doctor.”

She exited the room.

**************

Max threw his jeep in park and jumped out of it. He could hear arguing, yelling. He saw Michael, his arm grasped to a man who was crumpled on the ground in pain. “MICHAEL!” Max yelled.

Michael turned to him. “Don’t try to stop me, Max. He has to pay.”

“Michael, there are ways to deal with this. This isn’t one!” he yelled.

Just then, his cell phone rang. Max answered it breathlessly. “Hello?! Liz?! Oh my God! I knew it! Ok, ok!” he cupped the phone and turned to Michael. “Maria woke up,” he stated. “She wants to talk to you.”

Michael finally loosened his grip on Herman’s arm and let it fall to the ground. He took the cell phone from Max. “Maria?” he asked.

“Hi,” her voice said.

Michael breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought I’d never hear your voice again,”

Max walked over and knelt down to Herman.

“You were the first person I thought of to call,” she said. “I want to see you, Michael.”

“I’ll be right there,” he said. He hung up and turned to Max.

Max looked up at him. “He’ll be okay. You go to Maria, I’ll deal with him.”

Michael ran a hand through his spiked hair. “Thank you, Maxwell,” he said before climbling into his car and driving away.

***************

Maria crumpled into Michael’s arms as soon as he stepped into the room. Michael held onto her closely. She buried her face into his shoulder and before she knew it, she was crying.