Chapter 11

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A/N: Here's a short, but pivotal chapter.

And to Kelby, Mark and Roger's relationship is still on the rocks after what happened/didn't happen with the heroine and with Maureen. They kind of talked it through in chapter 7, but they're still not on the best of terms with each other. Their friendship is currently in that awkward phase after a fight when you don't really want to talk to them for fear of sparking another, where you're all, "Well, if he won't talk to me then I won't talk to him". Thanks for the feedback, though! =)

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April hugged Roger tightly around his waist. Roger pulled the covers up around them more noticing that April was shivering, but he figured it probably wasn't because she was cold.

"Mrs. April Davis. I like that," Roger smiled.

"Mrs. April Maria Cecilia Francesca Davis. Ugh, just April Davis."

Roger laughed. "So many names."

"Yeah, well, my parents wanted to fit it all in in case they didn't have another baby. Leave it to them to give me four names and not even let me be a 'third'," she giggled. "Love you."

"Love you too," Roger replied, kissing the top of her head.

April gave a big shiver and sat up. She scooped her clothes up from the floor and changed into them quickly under the covers. Roger followed her cue and did the same, and April settled herself on his shoulder again.

"Cold?"

"Mmm," she replied groggily.

"I guess we need to find you a ring, Mrs. Davis."

"Nah. I just need a you."

Roger laughed silently. "Dork. I think the Hungarians are gonna hate me."

"Why?" She looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't go to any practices for the whole week," he laughed. "Ah well." He rested his head against April's. "I bet your parents think you're dead or something."

April cleared her throat and Roger realized the probably wasn't the smartest thing he could have said at that moment. He quickly tried to change the subject.

"What about work?"

"I called Seth and told him what happened. I figured he understand."

"You told your boss?" Roger was taken aback by this. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"Well, I can't get fired, Roger. I need the money. We need the money," she quickly corrected herself.

Roger suddenly felt very useless. April was providing for the both of them. He didn't like that. He wanted to be able to pull his own weight, not have to rely on his wife.

"You're right. Sorry baby," he replied distractedly. "Wanna get some lunch?"

"Yeah, sure." She sat up, brushing her blonde hair out of her eyes. She slumped over and yawned.

"Or go back to sleep. . ?" Roger laughed, pulling he back down to him. He pulled her close and kissed her temple. She grimaced slightly and wiggled out of his grasp, moving over a bit to leave a fair amount of space between the two.

"You okay?" Roger asked.

April sighed and put the palms of her hands over her eyes. "What are we going to do, Rog?"

"What do you mean?" He turned onto his side to face her and draped his arm over her stomach.

April removed her hands from her eyes, and her arms flopped down to her sides.

"What are we gonna do? Where are we gonna live? I mean, you could move into my place so we don't have to share a house with Mark and everyone, but when my parents find out about us, that means they'll probably stop paying my rent. And I can't afford that kind of apartment! Especially if you're not working. I guess I could go back to school for teacher's college, but I doubt I could even afford that with my pay at work!"

Roger stared at April as she ranted. He wanted to laugh. Just a day earlier she refused to discuss their future, now it was weighing heavily on her mind. He tugged gently on the ends of her hair and smiled.

"Hey, we'll be okay. We'll figure something out, right? We always do. I'll find a better job and we'll be okay."

April turned her head to Roger. "But you love playing. I don't want you to just. . .quit because we're poor."

"I'll do both. We'll be okay, I promise." Roger leaned over and kissed April gently. She welcomed it, but when Roger attempted to deepen the kiss, she pulled away, turning her head away from him.

"You're really worried about this, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am. . .We can't just live in your bedroom for the rest of our lives." Her eyes drifted up to the ceiling and she rested both of her hands over her stomach.

"Sure we can!" he teased, wrapping an arm around her waist. She shrugged him off.

"Roger. . ."

Roger immediately fell silent and pinched at the seams on the sides of his jeans.

"We can't do this," April quietly spoke up. Roger was about to say something when she cut him off.

"No, we can't and you know it. We need to. . .un-fuck up our lives." Her eyes welled up with tears, but she blinked them back profusely. She was so sick of crying.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?"

April took a deep breath and dabbed her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt.

"I want to go to rehab."

Roger repeated her, trying to comprehend what she said. "You want to go—"

"To rehab. I'm sick of this. I feel like crap. It's been like, two days since we last shot up, and I'm dying. I'm shivering, I'm sweating, I feel like I need to throw up all the time. I—I can't live like this." April stopped before a sob escaped her lips and her hands moved back up to her eyes to stop her tears.

Roger lay there, frozen. He didn't make a move to comfort his now sobbing wife. He couldn't look at her.

"I want you to come with me," she half whispered, as if she was afraid of his response.

Roger shot up into a sitting position and blinked several times.

"No," he said sternly. April sat up, too, watching his eyes blaze with sudden emotion and force. She reached for his hand and spoke gently.

"Please, Roger, we'll do it together. You said—"

"No!" Roger yelled again, louder this time. He tore his hand out of April's grasp and jumped out of the bed. April watched him as he exited the room in a fury.

"Roger, please!" she tried to call him, but her voice was hoarse from the tears and her sudden fright. She crawled across the bed to the door as Roger left, swinging the door open so hard that it slammed shut after him.

"Please. . ." She shut her eyes tightly and curled up into a ball at the foot of the bed. She heard a deep voice trying to talk to Roger in the other room, but didn't even try to make out what it was saying. The front door slammed and she heard footsteps coming towards the bedroom.

Collins knocked lightly on the door and opened it slowly.

"Everything okay in here?" he asked carefully.

April shook her head. Collins sat down on the edge on the bed.

"What happened?"

April burst up from her spot on the bed and stood up on it.

"God, I hate him. I hate him! We're supposed to be married, but he won't do anything!"

"Whoa-whoa-whoa, what? You're married?!" Collins asked, wide-eyed. He patted the space next to him, hoping April would sit back down, but she didn't. Collins looked nervous, so she stepped down from the bed and paced in the small space between the bed and the window.

"Yeah, yesterday, he proposed and we got married. I told him I want to go to rehab so my life isn't completely screwed up for the rest of my life or anything, and he just leaves! What the hell am I supposed to do?! My husband is an asshole who can't stay put unless he's high or getting laid!" she stood facing Collins, her arms limply at her sides. She was still crying, but anger overwhelmed her.

Collins stared at her and pulled her down next to him, resting a gentle hand on her back.

"Don't worry, April. He'll be home soon. He'll realize he doesn't have any money or anything, and I'm pretty sure he wasn't wearing socks when he left," he laughed.

April looked skeptical, but forced a smile. She crawled over to the headboard and hugged her knees to her chest. Collins noticed her sudden placidity and moved to sit beside her. He wrapped an arm around her, and she practically collapsed into him, crying softly.

"I hate my life," she breathed.

"Don't say that. Things may seem shitty now, but that means things can only get better." Collins stroked April's hair and rocked her back and forth.

"I want to go."

"Then go."

"I can't do it, not without Roger. He promised we'd get through it all together," she sniffed.

"Roger will probably take a longer time to warm up to the idea. He's stubborn, he won't accept the fact that he needs help."

April silently deliberated Collins' words.

"No, I won't do it without him. I won't."

"Then don't. Take your time, sweetie. I'm not going to preach to you. You have to make the decision for yourself."

"You're like a cuddlier version of my dad," April laughed through her tears.

"I get that a lot." Collins smiled and kissed the top of her head.

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