Disclaimer: I do not own RENT, the songs or characters.
Mark's Gone
"Hey, Collins, you seen Mark?"
"Yeah, he just left a few minutes ago. He was heading out to get some shots of somewhere for his new film." Collins nose wrinkled at the thought of willingly going outside today. In the wet and cold. The place that wasn't warm. Mark was officially mad.
"He's started on another one already?! You can't say he's not committed..."
"That you can't. Feel like a drink Rog? There's still some Stoli left from Christmas."
"Nah, I'm fine."
There was a pause as Collins continued eating his bowl of cereal, while Roger moved over to the cupboard to get a bowl for himself. Roger decided to voice some thoughts that had been rolling about his head for a while. Still facing the cupboard door he started to talk:
"What do you think Mark will do when we're gone, Collins? I don't mean to be," Roger took a deep breath then exhaled on the next word, "morbid. But don't you worry about him too?" He finally turned round.
"Yeah of course I do... He'll have Maureen and Joanne though. Benny too if he's desperate." Collins failed to get the laugh from Roger he expected. His facial expression changed and he immediately started to freak out.
"Shit, Roger you're OK aren't you? You've been taking your AZT, right? Are you feeling sick? You haven't had a hospital appointment and not told us, have you?"
Roger gripped Collins by the shoulders to stop the questions and reassure him. "I. Am. Fine. It's just with Mimi... It's got me worrying about Mark." He looked out towards the window and the grey buildings surrounding their own.
"I know Rog. But Mark will be fine. He may look like a scrawny albino, but he can look after himself."
"Yeah, yeah. I must be hanging about him too much. I'm starting to worry as much as he does!" Roger laughed weakly.
Collins laughed along and punched Roger on the shoulder. "See, he'll worry so much he won't have time to miss us."
Momentarily appeased Roger went back to making his breakfast
o.O
Two hours later Maureen called the loft.
"Hey, Mark, Roger, Collins? Have you left yet, Mark? You were supposed to be here an hour ago! I don't particularly care if you've found a particular building that looked particularly picturesque in the morning light, late is late. Someone pick up please?!"
Collins dived for the receiver before Maureen hung up.
"Collins speaking. Whasup?" (can't you just imagine Collins going 'Whazzzzzzzaaaaaaaaaaaaaapppp!' ?)
"Mark's not arrived here yet, we were going to go over the plan for my next concert to help him film it. He was supposed to be here an hour ago."
"Oh, well he left here two hours ago, he planned to get some footage for his next film before he got to you. He probably forgot he was supposed to be heading to yours."
"Yeah, of course. Thanks Collins!"
"Any time!"
Maureen may have been reassured but Collins certainly wasn't. Mark could look after himself but in New York City there was a lot worse than irate traffic to deal with. He grabbed his coat then went up to the roof to tell Roger that he was going out.
o.O
"And he's still not reached Maureen and Joanne's?"
"Nope, I'm going out to look for him."
"I'm coming with you." Roger stated, as he head towards the stairwell.
"No, stay here in case he comes back, or Maureen phones to say he reached theirs."
Roger shook his head, but agreed.
o.O
"Hello, is that the residence of Mr. Mark Cohen?" The female voice was gentle, and there was noise in the background, not unlike a call centre.
"Uh, yeah? He's not in though, I can take a message?"
"This is the hospital. We have Mr. Cohen in our intensive care unit. We have this number as his next of kin..."
Roger didn't hear any more. "He's in ICU?" He asked quietly.
"Yes-" The phone slammed down and Maureen's phone was ringing within two breaths.
"Mark. Hospital. GO!"
o.O
Roger and Collins slammed through the hospital doors almost simultaneously, Roger slightly ahead. As soon as Maureen saw them she ran over tears streaking her face.
"They couldn't do anything! Stupid doctors! Stupid camera! Oh Mark!" Collins caught her as she fell down on to her knees.
"What do you mean?" Roger just stood staring at Maureen as Collins tried to make sense of her words.
Joanne reached them in time to hear Collin's question.
"Mark was stabbed by some junkie. He wanted his camera to sell for drug money." Her voice contained no emotion, simply stated the facts. She and Maureen had got to the hospital in time to see Mark for all of a second, a streak of blood down the side of his face and his stomach wide open, but they were staring through a window while doctors moved around him. A nurse had passed them, then asked them to leave before they could assess for themselves if the damage was as bad as it looked. It turned out to be much worse.
"Can we go in and see him yet?" Roger moved towards the ward door even as he spoke, but Joanne caught his arm, pulling him back round slightly so she could face him.
"No, Roger." She looked down at the sobbing Maureen. "Roger... Mark's gone."
"You mean he's in a different ward, or a different hospital?" Roger refused to see the obvious, the evidence that was clear in Joanne's face and Maureen's tears.
"No," she shook her head, then swallowed as if she was trying to force away the words that would hit Roger with more force than a tsunami. "Mark died."
And in an instant the world was a different, colder, Mark-less place.
The sound faded away from the room around him, as Joanne spoke on, Collins comforted Maureen and other lives were similarly mutilated, by similar words.
Mark was gone. Mark wasn't coming back. Mark wouldn't finish his second film.
Roger felt the tears start to make their way down his cheeks, setting a course that they would follow many times in the coming days.
He never thought this situation was possible. Suddenly there was a new question to be asked: not "what would Mark do without them?"; but "what would they do without Mark?"
o.O
A/N
Well, within 2 days this went from being 2 lines long to completion.
I didn't put too much in about the actual death of Mark, because this is more about the reactions to it.
Currently this is a one-shot, but if you think it should be longer, ie have more of collins/mo/jo/benny's reactions say in a review.
Also, I will try and update Goodbye Friend soon, im not happy with the next chapter at all.