A/N: Thanks for the ongoing support! I'm taking this story kind of slow, not only with updates but with the actual pace of the story. The last story I did went really fast and I kind of lost my direction because I just didn't know where else to take it. Anyway, enjoy this new chapter. I know the title of the story hasn't played a role yet, but it will soon-ish.


A little while later, Mimi had agreed to start treatment. It would be administered in the morning and she would have to go for check-ups every week following that. Out in the waiting room, Carmen sat waiting for Benny to finish his visit. She looked around at the painfully clinical walls, and remembered suddenly how much she hated hospitals. The forced silence drove her crazy, and the idea of being in the same building where people died made her feel sick. Unconsciously, Carmen began to shake her foot and tap her fingers on the arm rest. To others she must've looked like a junkie hanging for a fix, but the truth was that she was just anxious to get out of there – and anxious to get her older sister out as well.

The group trudged back into the waiting room and began saying their goodbyes. Joanne, Maureen and Collins were going back to Joanne's place and Mark and Roger were going to their loft. Carmen assumed that she would go home with Benny, but Roger turned to her and said "You coming, Carmen?"
"Oh!" she exclaimed, eyes wide. "Um, yeah."
"It's up to you. We only have a couch, unless you want to sleep at your sister's place."
"It's empty, Mark."
"Oh, yeah… well we have the couch, if you're okay with that."
"Sure, I can sleep anywhere as long as I have something like a pillow."
"Will a rolled up jacket do?"
"It certainly will." Benny looked at Carmen, confused.
"Carmen, I have a bed for you."
"Yeah but Roger's place is closer to the hospital."
"Suit yourself. I'll get your stuff."
"Thanks, Benny."

Collins, Maureen and Joanne left as Benny headed out to his car to gather Carmen's things. Carmen poked her head into Mimi's room one last time – Mimi was sleeping – before loading herself up with her various possessions. The four friends started their walk to the building, and Mark took the opportunity to ask some questions that had been swirling around in his mind since Carmen walked in the door of the emergency room.
"So you're younger than Mimi?"
"Yes. I'm younger than her by a year."
"And you've been living with your father?"
"Yeah" she began walking backwards to face him as she talked, "my father left my mother after Mimi ran away. A whole heap of stuff happened that was pretty upsetting for him, so he up and left and took me with him."
"What kind of stuff?"
"Oh, it doesn't really matter." The truth was that it did matter very much, as the past was traumatizing for both of the sisters, but this wasn't the time nor the place to be talking about it. Besides, if Mimi hadn't told them by now, she in all likelihood didn't want them to know. Mark noticed her hesitation and took it as a cue to stop asking questions, but Carmen continued, not wanting to put him off. "It was just kind of hard to deal with at the time and I don't feel like talking about it right now. Maybe another time… when I know you for more than just a few hours." She smiled, and Mark relaxed with the knowledge that he hadn't offended her.
"How do you know Benny?" Carmen faced Benny with a devilish grin. His eyes widened in fear and he cautioned her about saying anything. Feeling a little rebellious, Carmen raised her eyebrow at him before speaking.
"Oh, Daisy Boy over here?" Benny let out a loud groan as Mark and Roger roared with laughter at Carmen's nickname for him. "He turned up at our doorstep with a bunch of daisies. I was ever so delighted, but had no idea who he was or why he was giving me flowers. It took me a while to realize he thought I was Mimi, and I had to break it to him that she didn't live with us. We've been friends ever since!" Carmen pinched Benny's cheek and he rolled his eyes. "The best thing was when he was chased off the porch by our neighbour. Turns out the daisies were from her garden!"

Mark and Roger roared with laughter once more and they passed a homeless man, who asked them for some money. Carmen reached into her purse and pulled out five dollars. A couple of other homeless people were heading over. "You share that," she instructed him and he practically fell over himself with gratitude.
"I'll polish your shoes!"
"What? No! Just…" she handed him fifty dollars, and his eyes bulged out of his head. She felt a pang of guilt that he probably hadn't seen that amount of money in a long time, if ever, and that she could produce and give it away so easily. "Look, just take your friends and get a hot meal."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Take care, okay?"

Mark and Roger looked just as amazed as the homeless man, who was now rushing away with his friends, but Benny frowned at her.
"Carmen, you can't do that." He scolded. "Now every time they see you they're gonna expect something."
"So what? I've got money."
"And you've just left home, so you need it to survive."
"I'll get another job." Roger snorted, though Carmen knew it wasn't because he had little faith in her – it was because he had little faith in the city.
"Good luck with that."
"Why thank you, Roger Davis that's very kind of you." Roger went to continue, but Mark spoke over him.
"You left home?" He looked concerned, and Carmen had the distinct feeling that he was worried about having yet another mouth to feed. She didn't blame him. Over the past year, it was Mark that she felt the worst for. The poor guy was supporting so many people other than himself, and had to feel as though he was selling his soul to do it. On top of that, he had to deal with his friends being ridden with disease and had to try to get over Maureen. She identified with his feelings of helplessness, and often at times felt like going over to the city just to give him a hug. She gave him a reassuring look.
"I left home to help look after Mimi. I have enough money to pay for her treatment and enough left over to live off until I find a job." Mark nodded slowly, skeptical, but not wanting to bring down the young girl's optimism.
"I'll take care of your rent for a while," said Benny. Carmen scoffed, earning her a glare.
"Can we get that in writing?"
"What is this 'we'?"
"Shut up, Roger."
"Right. Yeah can we get that in writing?" Benny rolled his eyes.
"If you must."
"Oh, we must." Roger nudged Mark.
"You hear this? 'We' again. It's like she thinks we're all roomies now."
Mark kept silent, but she saw the ghost of a smirk on his face so decided to poke him.
"Ow!"
"Oh, you pussy, it wasn't like I poked you hard." He frowned at her, rubbing the spot her finger had made contact. "Where the hell are we?" she asked, looking around curiously. Her question was answered when Mark lead the way into a run-down building. She let her eyes roam the place, soaking it in. So this is where my sister lives… this is where all the stories happened.

It was like stepping into a book. When the door to the loft slid open, she felt as though she had entered a world of make-believe. Her eyes fell on the table and she remembered that Angel had jumped up there and played a drum beat on the pipes. Her eyes slid upwards to the pipes and a smile crossed her face. Next, she looked at the window out to the fire escape, where her sister had climbed through begging Roger to take her out. The projector was still out. Carmen thought of Mark's film and what he had sacrificed to make it. She found the hotplate, and stifled a giggle at the thought of Mark's mom. Roger's guitar was propped up against the metal table. Tears sprang up in Carmen's eyes as she pictured her sister deathly ill on the table, Roger singing desperately to her. She grabbed the doorframe for support. In the background Mark, Roger and Benny were talking her through the loft and everything in it. She couldn't hear them, but it didn't matter. Mimi's descriptions over the phone were immaculate. A candle discarded on the floor caught Carmen's eye and she fought tears again.

She couldn't hold it any longer when she noticed a red shirt on the floor. She knew the shirt had belonged to Angel, whom Carmen had seen many pictures of and spoken to several times on the phone. Startled, Benny approached her. It was as though he were approaching a strange, wounded animal; he had never seen Carmen upset. Carmen rushed past him and picked up the shirt. She clutched it to her heart, sobbing for Angel and for her sister. She cried for Collins, Roger, Mark, Maureen and Joanne. For the first time in a year, she let herself cry for them.

After a stunned silence, Roger joined her on the floor and wrapped his jacket around her. Mark kept his distance, but looked concerned for Carmen all the same. As much as she tried, Carmen couldn't stop crying. She cried and cried until she finally fell asleep against Roger's shoulder. Benny helped Mark turn the couch into some sort of a bed for her so Roger could gently place her on it. Benny left for home, promising to come by the next day to check on both girls.

Mark watched Carmen sleep. She seemed restless and had the trace of a frown on her face. He wondered how long she had held onto the pain that she expressed earlier; how long she had kept those tears in and why she would do it. There was certainly more to her than met the eye, and he found himself determined to discover what lay beneath the surface. He pulled out his camera and filmed her until Roger scolded him.
"You're gonna wake her up."
"Right. Well, I'm going to bed."
"Yeah, me too. 'Night."
"'Night, Roger." He looked at his watch. It was 3am. "Merry Christmas."