(continued from previous)

As Liz walked into the back of the church, random thoughts crossed her mind like: "Wow, the church looks so beautiful! I'll have to pay the flower people extra." and "Why in God's name did we invite Kyle?!"

But the minute she turned down the aisle, ready to start the long walk, and she saw Max, Alex, and Michael standing there waiting for her, her thinking functions kind of turned off. All Liz could do now was feel. And she felt quite a lot of things at this particular moment. A little nervousness and fear, but all that was overshadowed by an extrordinary feeling she couldn't quite describe. It was 2 parts calm, 3 parts serenity, and maybe about 10 parts total, all-consuming love.

For Max, for Alex and Michael; for she knew that Michael was planning on proposing after the ceremony. She smiled when she thought of Maria's reaction to that. She could almost hear her screaming now. Yes, she felt love for Alex and Michael, but what she had with Max couldn't be more different than that. It was deeper than affection, more soulful than lust, and better than anything she'd ever experienced before. When Max put his hand over her bullet wound, he not only healed her physically but mentally and spiritualy as well.

'I guess', she thought to herself as she began the long walk down the fateful aisle, 'that I should thank that bullet.'

After all, it was the the thing that had brought Max and her together.

What a long aisle this was! It seemed to go on forever, even though it had looked so short at the other end! It was like the whole world outside the church was going at normal speed, while inside the church everything was in slow-mo. She saw her parents looking both wistful and proud at the same time, all her family smiling and looking teary- eyed. She saw Max's parents as well, looking nostalgic. Max's mother looked at her significally, as if to communicate "I knew you were the one when I first met you at the hospital" to her in some way.

Finally Liz reached her destination, standing beside Maria on one side and Max on the other. They were ready to begin.

continued next page

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