Part 13A ************** A week later. Courtney looked around at the disheveled state of her house, her eyes welling up with tears as she heard the twins cry. It had been like this everyday since she and Kyle had taken the boys home. They had yet to adjust to their new home, and new surroundings. More often than not, they would run to Courtney, wrapping their arms around her, refusing to let her go. They would scramble up her body, vying for attentions, their tears dying down. But once they caught a glimpse of her face and realized that she wasn’t Carrie, the tears would start up again. There was nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night, than hearing the twins call out mommie. It tore through her heart like a dagger, slicing it into a million pieces. Wiping away at her tears, she picked up Damian, trying to soothe him. He continued to bawl, not at all feeling any comfort in her arms. She put him back down, pacing the length of the living room floor. She ran her hands through her hair, as she sobbed uncontrollably. What possessed her to think that she could step in and raise her sister’s children? She had been naive to think that she could handle an instant family. She pressed the heels of her hands to her closed eyes, trying to keep her harsh breathing under control. It was all she could do to keep from pulling out her hair, and scream out about the injustices of the world. She couldn’t take much more of this. Making a decision, she picked up the phone, her hands trembling as she dialed the number. She waited impatiently for someone to pick up, her teeth gnawing on her cropped nails. “Hello?” “Liz?......It’s Courtney....” her voice caught in her throat as she spoke. “I’m sorry for calling, but I didn’t know who else to call.” ”Oh honey. Don’t even worry about it. What’s wrong?” Courtney bit her bottom lip as she looked at the twins. “I need help Liz.....I can’t do this....” Her voice turned into an inaudible whisper. “Please, help me.” ”Courtney, I’ll be right over, honey. Don’t worry. I’ll be right there.” Courtney nodded as she was met with a click on the other end of the line. ************* Max sat on the side of his desk as he watched Alex fiddle with the new computer he had installed for him. “Why is it that I had to get this new computer?” Alex looked up from the computer monitor, smiling at Max. “Max, my man. The old computer you had was obsolete.” He patted Max on the shoulder. “You can thank me later.” Max laughed, scratching behind his ear. “If you say so.” Liz breezed into the room, clutching her keys in one hand, her purse in the other. “I’m leaving. Be back later.” Just as quickly as she had entered, she was out the door again. “Hey, wait!” Max jogged behind her, grabbing her arm before she could get out the front door. “Where are you going?” Liz bit her lip, reluctant to tell Max about Courtney’s disturbing phone call. “Liz.” His tone was leading, his eyebrows rising as he noticed the wheels turning in her head. Liz let out a breath. “It’s nothing.” His eyebrows raised to greater proportions as he continued to wait for an explanation. “Do you trust me?” Max nodded. “Of course I do.” Liz kissed his cheek. “Then trust me that this isn’t something you should worry about.” Max opened his mouth to protest, but Liz shook her head. “I thought you said you trusted me?” “I do.” He pulled her to him, laying a kiss above her brow. “Be careful ok. You know how I worry about the two of you.” He tickled her tummy, eliciting a small smile from her. She gave him a tender kiss, beaming at him. “We love you.” She waved at him, heading out the door and into her car. Max headed back into his office to see Alex hunched over the cpu. “How’s it going?” Alex’s voice came out mumbled as he spoke. “It’s going.” The phone rang, the irritating jingle reverberating in the small room. After the tenth ring, Alex looked at the phone, then at Max. “Want me to get that?” Max was staring at the phone, shaking his head in the negative. “The machine will pick it up.” “Since when did you start screening your calls?” Alex waited for a response, but the prerecorded message on the machine sounded. “You’ve reached the Evanses. We’re not home right now, so please leave a message.” The beep went off loudly, with Diane’s voice following it. “Max, it’s mom again. I know you’re there, so please pick up.” When no one picked up, Diane let out a heavy sigh. “Well, I guess you’re not there......Max, honey, I know you’re upset with your dad right now, but you guys can’t keep this up.......this no talking thing......” Her voice trailed off. “I know that you’re hurt, but if you could just put your pride aside.” Her voice sounded defeated as she continued. “I’ll let you go now. I love you honey.” Max wiped his hand down his face wearily, as he sank into his desk chair. “So, it’s safe to assume that you and your dad still aren’t speaking?” Max nodded, his chin touching his chest. He ground his teeth, trying to keep from saying something in anger. “It just pisses me off that he thinks he can still tell me what to do. Especially when it comes to raising my own son.” He crossed his arms, frowning at the keyboard. Alex sat on the edge of the table. “I think he’s just looking out for you.” “Yeah? Well he certainly has an interesting way of showing it.” He pouted, as he continued to sulk. Alex tilted his head to the side, as he studied his friend. “Look, I don’t mean to stick my nose where it isn’t wanted, but weren’t you a little skeptical when you first found out about Noah’s grandma coming to visit?” “What does that have to do with my dad not speaking to me?” “I’m just saying, maybe your dad will be a tougher critic to sell. I mean look at it from his point of view. He didn’t have to just deal with his son getting the brunt of the fire, but he had to watch his daughter and his grandson be on the receiving end of that too. He may not completely understand your motivations for changing your mind about letting Noah be a part of his grandmother, but you shouldn’t let this fester.” He paused as he stood up. “And even if you’re still mad at your dad, think about what this is doing to your mom.” He rubbed the pads of his hands across the back of his jeans as he let himself out. Max continued to glare at the phone, the red flashing lights of the numbers almost mocking him. Moving slowly, he pressed the play button on the machine. “You have six new messages.” Beep. “Max? Liz? Anyone home? It’s mom.....” Part 13B **************** Liz pushed open the door to Courtney’s house when no one answered the door. “Hello? Courtney, you in here?” She shut the door behind her, a gasp escaping her lips when she saw the mess that Courtney’s house was in. She walked into the living room, finding Courtney curled up in an arm chair, rocking back and forth. Liz dropped her purse, running towards Courtney. She hugged her tightly. “Honey are you ok?” Courtney shook her head, pointing to the twins who had yet to stop crying. “I can’t make them stop.” Liz nodded. She stood up, picking up Dexter. She took him into the bedroom, whispering in his ear gently as she tried to calm him down. After a few minutes, she came back into the living room, doing the same for Damian. Damian’s sobs quieted, as he listened to the angelic sound of Liz’s voice singing to him. He closed his eyes, laying his head to rest on Liz’s shoulder, falling asleep in exhaustion. Liz carried him to the bedroom, taking the baby monitor with her as she left the door slightly ajar. She came back out to see Courtney staring at her. “How did you do that?” She wiped at her tears as she sat up. Liz took a seat in front of her, tidying up the small space as much as she could. “It was nothing.” Courtney’s head bobbed up and down. “Yes it was.......I can’t do anything right.” Her lower lip trembled as she admitted to her feelings of inadequacy. “That’s not true. I know this is a lot to take in. Being sprung with a two year old is hard enough, but you’ve got two of them.” Liz touched her hand. “Where are your parents, honey?” “They’re still in Texas. They’re helping Chris’ parents clean out the house and deal with all of that other stuff.” She pulled her knees up to her chest. “You know, when Kyle first told me that he agreed to take on the boys, should Carrie pass away, I couldn’t be more happy. I thought that we were doing the right thing. I was stupid enough to think that I could handle this.” Liz moved closer, perching herself onto the coffee table. “You and Kyle can handle this. It just takes some time. For all of you.” Courtney swallowed a hiccup. “How did you do it, Liz? How did you, take on being an instant mother like it was a piece of cake?” “Well, I have to be honest with you. I was frightened at first. I hated the thought that I was stepping in and taking someone else’s life. Like it was something that didn’t really belong to me.” “Then how did you do it? How did you get over that feeling like you’re taking something that shouldn’t be yours?” Liz gave Courtney a sad smile. “I came to realize that things happen for reasons we never understand in this lifetime. I was lucky enough to have Max and Noah walk into my life......I know this sounds completely cheesy, but we loved each other so much that nothing else mattered, you know?” Courtney took a swipe at her nose. “It doesn’t sound cheesy.....You know, taking care of the boys isn’t really the problem. It’s the way they look at me when they realize that I’m not Carrie, is what’s killing me. That look of utter disappointment.......It’s like, no matter what I do, it’ll never be good enough because I’m not my sister.” “That’s not true. The boys are still missing their mom. It’s only been a week. I think all of you have the right to mourn Chris and Carrie. You’re only human.” Courtney nodded. “I know. Everything you’re saying is right, but I guess I just needed to hear someone else say it, you know? Kyle’s been bending over backwards to take care of all of us. I didn’t......I didn’t want him to know about this, and give him something else to worry about.” Liz patted Courtney’s knee. “Kyle loves, you. He only worries because he loves you so much.” She pulled Courtney into a hug. “And the two of you don’t have to do this alone. We’re all here for you......We’re family.” ******************* Max shoved his hands in his pockets as he waited for someone to answer the door. It felt weird to be ringing the bell at his house, but he had to remember that he had his own house, with his own family now. He had listened to his mother’s messages, playing them over and over again, until he could recite her exact words as the message played. He had dropped off Noah at Alex’s asking him to watch him as he took care of something. Alex had smiled at him, giving him a knowing look. So that’s why he was here at his parents’ house waiting for someone to open the door. Just as the thoughts flashed through his mind, Phillip opened the door. He was going to step away, when Max placed his hand on the door, pushing it open. “Can we talk?” Phillip looked reluctant to let Max inside, but he couldn’t turn him away. He stepped inside, leading the way to the kitchen. He took a seat at the table, waiting for Max to start speaking. Max took several deep breaths, trying to push aside all of his frustrations. “I came to apologize. I’m sorry that this turned out this way, the two of us, not speaking.” Phillip waited, waiting for Max to say more. For Max to utter the words that he wasn’t going to allow McKenzie to sink her claws into Noah. He crossed his arms. “So, you’re not going to let McKenzie see Noah anymore, right?” Max shook his head defeatedly. “No. I told you before that I didn’t want to stop Noah from having a relationship with her. He wants to know her, and I’m not going to stand in the way of that because I have a personal beef with her.” Phillip shook his head. “Fine. Then we have nothing to talk about Max. You know where the front door is.” Max gave his father a wounded look. He turned away, heading towards the door before changing his mind. He turned back around, his anger getting the better of him. “You know what, I’m not done talking. You can’t just push me away like Ed used to.” Phillip’s voice thundered in anger, as he clutched Max’s shirt collar. “DON’T YOU EVER COMPARE ME TO THAT MONSTER!” The look of utter shock on Max’s face, made Phillip realize what he was doing. He let go of Max as if he didn’t know how he had gotten there in the first place. His eyes welled with tears as he backed away. Unable to meet, Max’s gaze he whispered. “I’m sorry.....I’m sorry.....I don‘t know what came over me.” Max felt his face crumple as he watched his father. This isn’t how he pictured this to go. “Dad, it’s ok.” Phillip shook his head wildly, holding up his hands as if they were marked with blood. “No.....it’s not ok.....I almost- “But you didn’t.” Max tried to give his father a smile. “That’s the thing, you didn’t.” Phillip looked at his son, once again, astounded by his maturity. Max was always beyond his years, but Max always managed to surprise Phillip with the way his mind worked. “How can you just say that?” Max stepped closer to his dad. “Because I know you didn’t mean it. I know that you worry about me needlessly, but on top of that, you worry about my wife and my son too. You have a big heart, dad, and I know that emotions can be so consuming sometimes that your vision gets blurred, and things don‘t turn out how you meant them to.” Phillip let out a chuckle. “You sound more like my father, than I am yours.” Max shook his head. “You were the one that taught me to give people a second chance, that everyone deserved at least that.” Phillip leaned back against the counter. “Then you trust her?” “I trust that she loves Noah in her own way, and that she wants to be a part of him. Nothing more, nothing less.” Phillip’s head bobbed in response. “I promised myself that I wouldn’t let them hurt you guys again, but it kinda looks like I’m the one doing the hurting.” Max stepped forward, hugging his dad. “You were only looking out for us, and I appreciate that.” His voice was muffled against his dad’s shirt. “I love you, dad.” Phillip smiled. “I love you too, son.” He pulled away, ruffling Max’s hair as if he were still a little boy. Max welcomed the endearment, feeling as if a few more pounds were lifted off of his heavy load. They shared a smile, glad to have gotten through it. ********** Diane leaned against the wall, holding a hand to her chest, a smile on her lips as she witnessed the scene between her son and husband. She had cried with them, and smiled with them. She was glad they had gotten past their misunderstandings and let out all of their anger. Because of that, they were stronger. She closed her eyes, letting out a breath. “Thank you,” she whispered to no one in particular.