The next morning, Roger got up early, so he ventured downstairs. Mrs. Barnett was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee, looking through a photo album. She felt his presence and turned around. "Good morning, Roger. I didn't expect you up so early." she smiled up at him.
"Yeah, I... I couldn't sleep. I didn't mean to disturb you." he stuttered looking over at the woman who was about to become his mother in law.
"It's OK. I was just thinking about when Jami was little." she smiled pulling the chair next to hers out inviting him to join her.
"Are those pictures of her?" he asked walking over to the kitchen table.
"Yeah, she was a shy little girl. She was never really happy. I'm afraid Stephan and I didn't appreciate her for who she was." she told him regretfully showing him the photo album.
"She was so pretty when she was little." he smiled down at the photographs.
"Yeah, she was. But we didn't know anything about raising a girl. We... we were used to boys. We dressed her in jeans and t-shirts all the time. Stephan didn't want her dressed in pink, frilly dresses. He didn't want her to be singled out, but she should have been. I'm afraid I wasn't a good mother to her back then." she said looking over at him.
"She's a great woman, Mrs. Barnett. You should be very proud of who she's become. I... I love her very much." he smiled looking over at her.
"I see that, Roger. I feel better knowing that you're taking care of her in the city." she smiled up at him.
"We take care of each other, but she's very capable of taking care of herself. She's been doing it for years." he pointed out looking over at her.
"I know. I... I'm very proud of my daughter for all she's accomplished." she said looking back down at the pictures of Jami when she was younger.
"When she came into my life she gave me a second chance. I thought I was out of them until she showed up and now I have a future." he smiled quietly as Mrs. Barnett looked up at him.
"Is everything all right with you, Roger?" she asked looking over at him.
"Yeah, everything's fine." he was evasive.
"You and Jami have been acting strange. Is... is there something I should know about your situation that I don't already know?" she asked looking over at him.
"Things are fine, Mrs. Barnett. I love James more than anything and she loves me. I treat her right. I… I would never hurt her. She's my life." he told her simply.
"You're wonderful with my grandsons and when I mentioned it to Jami she got very defensive about the subject." she said looking over at him.
"It's complicated." he said getting up from the table.
"Don't you want children, Roger?" she asked bluntly.
"Of course I do, Mrs. Barnett. Can you imagine what a great mom James would make? It's... it's just complicated." he stuttered looking over at her.
"You shouldn't let your careers..."
"I'm… I'm HIV positive, ma'am." he blurted out looking over at her.
"I… I don't understand. What is that?" she looked over at him confused.
"It's the virus that causes AIDS. Um… it's an auto immune disease." he told her, embarrassed.
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get it?" she asked looking over at him.
"Stupid mistakes when I was younger. James knows about it. She's known since before we started dating." he confessed looking over at her.
"Does that have anything to do with why she's not sure that you'll ever have children?" she asked looking over at him.
"Yes. I'm... I'm sorry. But I would never harm James in any way. You have to know that. I would never risk her life for anything in the world. We always use... protection for the HIV but it's not 100 percent for preventing pregnancy, so if we ever had kids, it would have to be an accident. Not... not that I would mind. I want to be the father of her children." he spoke quietly.
"I... I guess you just hope for an accident, huh?" she asked looking over at him.
"Yeah, I guess so." he smirked over at her. "I love James very much, Mrs. Barnett. She's my life." he looked over at her.
"Don't worry, Roger. Everybody can see that. Jami's happiness means everything to me and her brothers." she looked up at him from the table.
"I make her happy, ma'am. I know I do. And she's made me the luckiest man on the planet by agreeing to marry me. I'm not gonna do anything that will hurt her. Ever." he insisted looking over at her.
"You better not, Roger." she said getting up from the table.
"I could never hurt her, Mrs. Barnett. She… she's my everything in this world. Without her I have nothing. I… I am nothing." he smiled over at her before going over to get himself a cup of coffee.
"I know that, Roger. It's written all over your face." she smiled at the younger man.
"I'm gonna go bring a cup of coffee up to James."
"OK. I'll start breakfast." she smiled as Roger made Jami's coffee and started up the stairs towards her room. As he opened the door, Jami was sitting up on the bed. He could tell she was upset.
"You're up? I… I didn't expect you to be up yet." he looked over at her as he handed her the coffee mug.
"How could you tell her? I said I didn't want to. You said it was my call to make and you told her anyway." she looked up at him, tears stained her face.
"I'm sorry, James. I didn't set out to tell her, it just came out. I mean, we were..." he started as she set the coffee mug on the night table.
"Talking about us having kids, yeah I know. I heard. All of it. But I thought we agreed that no good could come out of telling her." she asked getting out of the bed.
"James, I thought she had a right to know. You are her daughter. I wanted her to know that you're safe with me." he said looking up at her.
"And that if I get pregnant, it'll be an accident." she said leaning on the dresser, not facing him.
"Well yeah, James. A wonderful accident, but it's an accident we both want to happen." he got up from the bed to go to her.
"Mama didn't hear that part. All she heard was that you have a disease and you need to be watched so you don't hurt me. Like we're stupid, irresponsible kids." she cried looking up at him.
"You're not a stupid, irresponsible kid, James. She knows that. You're a smart, independent woman, who despite the fact that I'm positive, you love me and want to spend your life with me." he lifted his hand to her face.
"Neither are you, you know? You would never hurt me." she said looking over at him.
"I wouldn't. I would never hurt you for anything in the world." he whispered holding her to him.
"She… she took it well, didn't she?" she asked looking up at him.
"She just wants to see you happy, James and she sees how happy I make you." he smiled down at her.
"You definitely make me happy, Roger."
After a long, exhausting weekend at the Barnett house, Roger and Jami returned home to Jami's apartment. She wasn't moving until the next day, so they decided to enjoy one last night alone together in the apartment. It was nearly 9 when they got back to the apartment. "Should we call Mark?" Roger asked putting their bags down by the door.
"Yeah, we better. Do you remember how he was last week?" she smiled up at him.
"Good point. What was with that anyway? He was so annoying." he said looking down at her.
"He just missed us. We were away all weekend and didn't have time to call him. I meant to call him this weekend, so he wouldn't worry, but..." she looked up at him.
"The craziness kind of made it impossible." he laughed looking down at her.
"Yeah, you can say that." she laughed as she made her way to the phone.
"I don't know, I like your family. TJ was attached to me all weekend." he laughed.
"Yeah, he's a good kid. It's just hard for him being an only child. Even with all those cousins so close to his age. It's nice to see him have such a connection with you." she told him as she dialed the phone. She stood waiting for someone to answer while Roger went into the bedroom to lay on the bed.
"Hello." a female voice answered.
"Um... do I have the wrong number? I'm looking for Mark Cohen." she said confused by the unknown voice.
"No, you have the right number. Mark's right here. Whom can I say is calling?"
"It's Jami." she said as Roger bolted up on the bed.
"I'll get him."
"Who's that?" he asked looking over at Jami.
"I... I don't know. It's some woman." she smiled over at him.
"Some woman? Go Mark." he called out laughing.
"Roger, shut up. She'll hear you." she covered the mouthpiece of the phone before holding it to her chest.
"Hey, you're back. I… I didn't expect to hear from you guys until the morning." Mark said taking the phone.
"Who was that and how long have you been keeping her from us?" Jami laughed as Roger jumped out of the bed to go to her in the living room.
"It's... it's Maureen. I... I was gonna tell you guys at breakfast tomorrow morning." he stammered as Roger grabbed the phone.
"She's back? What happened? Did Joanne break up with her and she needed her pet back?" Roger hissed as Jami looked up at him confused.
"Roger, it's not like that. Just... why don't you and Jami come over and we can all hang out." he suggested looking over at Maureen who was sitting on the couch.
"She bailed on us 2 and a half years ago, claiming that she couldn't stand to wait for me and Collins to die and now she's back? For what? To string you along again?" Roger was angry and concerned for Mark.
"Roger, stop it." Jami said reaching up to grab the phone. "We'll be over, Mark. I'll talk to him. Just give us a little while, OK?" she said before hanging up the phone.
"James, you don't know what she put him through. She cheated on him with Joanne and then when she finally broke up with him, she kept hanging around and rubbing his nose in it. It wasn't pretty. You weren't there, I was." Roger ranted walking around the apartment.
"And he still loves her, Roger. He never stopped." she said looking over at him.
"How... how do you..." he asked looking over at her.
"He told me. He and I were best friends before you and I got together, remember? We did a lot of talking. I mean, we did spend a lot of time together. That is, before you and I started dating and made Mark the lonely one. He's always loved her. He deserves to be happy, doesn't he?" she asked looking over at him.
"Of course he does, James. But Maureen? You don't know if she's the best person for him to..." he started when she interrupted him.
"She's the person he wants to be with. We have each other, why can't he have the someone he loves?" she asked walking towards him.
"I'm not saying he can't have anyone, but Maureen? She... she hurt him. You didn't see it." he said looking down at her.
"Yet he loves her anyway." she looked up at him.
"This is not gonna end well." he warned looking down at her.
"What if it does?" she asked wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Then it'll be a miracle." he chuckled leaning down to kiss her head.
"Miracles can happen, you know? Look at us." she smiled looking up at him.
"Yeah well... we're different." he smiled holding her to him.
"How do you figure?" she laughed looking up at him.
"Because you're amazing and trust me, Maureen is so not." he smiled down at her.
"Can I at least meet her before I decide to hate her?" she laughed looking up at him.
"Fine, but when you do, don't say I didn't warn you." he leaned down to kiss her.
"Deal." she laughed holding him tight before they decided to go over to the loft.
When they walked in, Maureen and Mark were sitting on the couch. They weren't in one another's arms, but they were talking and drinking beer. Mark looked really happy. Happier than Jami had ever seen him. "You guys are home. Hey." he smiled looking over at them.
"Hi Mark. Um... you must be Maureen. I've heard so much about you." Jami smiled.
"Hi Jami. Mark's told me a lot about you too. Um... hey Roger." she smiled faintly looking up at Roger.
"Hey Maureen." he said quietly holding Jami's hand.
"Mark... Mark tells me that you guys are engaged. That's great. Congratulations." she smiled up sensing Roger's discomfort.
"Yeah, we got engaged last weekend while we were at Roger's mom's house and we just got back from visiting my family this weekend." Jami smiled looking over at her as Roger stood silently.
"Maureen, can... can I talk to you alone for a minute?" Roger asked staring down at her.
"Roger, maybe you should..." Jami said looking up at him.
"It's OK, Jami. I... I expected this. It'll be fine." Maureen smiled looking over at her as she followed him towards his bedroom.
"Mark, I'm really sorry. I... I talked to him, but you know how Roger is. I don't even think he knows what he's gonna say to her." Jami said looking over at Mark.
"I know what he's gonna say. But then he's gonna hug her and welcome her home. Him and Maureen have always had this strange bond. He's the one who actually brought her around. He introduced us." Mark smirked looking over at Jami.
"He... you? Um... am I the only one who finds that really ironic?" she asked looking over at him.
"No. It is pretty ironic, isn't it?" he laughed looking over at her.
"Um… yeah, you think?" she laughed throwing her arm around him.
"Nice to see the Barnett's aren't cultists either." he smiled at her
"They loved him. I swear everyone's out to get me." she laughed looking over at him.
"How do you figure?" he laughed.
"I've been worrying for the last 2 weeks for nothing. His family loves me, my family loves him. Ugh, it's so frustrating." she flopped down on the couch.
"You're just frustrated that he's been right about everything so far." he laughed sitting next to her.
"Shut up. And don't you dare point it out to him. He'll get a big head." she laughed holding her head in her hands.
"Oh yeah, because he's so humble and modest now." he laughed putting his arm around her shoulders.
"He is a cocky fucker, isn't he?" she laughed leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Yep. And you're marrying him." he leaned over to kiss her head.
"I couldn't be happier." she smiled up at him, both wondering what was going on in the next room.
"Why are you back, Maureen? I thought it was too much heartache, waiting for me and Collins to die after watching Angel and Mimi?" Roger asked picking up the shirt that was on his bed, starting to fold it.
"It is, but Roger I love him. I always have." she said looking over at him.
"You loved him so much that you broke up with him to be with Joanne and then hung around to break his heart some more." he said tossing the shirt onto the bed again.
"I know, Roger. I... I made so many mistakes. I... I was young and stupid. I messed up." she pleaded looking over at him.
"What happened with Joanne? Did you cheat on her again and she kicked you out?" he asked angrily.
"No. Nothing like that. I... I broke up with her. I haven't been happy for a while and I missed Mark. I realized my feelings for him and I... I wanted to be with him." she said looking up at him.
"Maureen, if you break his heart again, so help me..." he started as he walked over to her.
"I love him, Roger. You know me better than anyone. I wouldn't be back here if I was only gonna break his heart again." she said looking up at him.
"He deserves to be happy, Maureen and according to James, he loves you too. He never stopped either." he said looking over at her.
"I'm glad to see you're moving on. Mark told me all about her. Talk about things coming full circle." she laughed looking up at him.
"Yeah, I know. And now I'm getting married. I'm gonna be someone's husband." he smiled down at her in disbelief.
"You're gonna make a great husband. Mark says she's really great." she smiled at him.
"She is totally great. My family loves her, her family loves me. Everything's a go."
"Why wouldn't her family love you? You're a great guy." she smiled wrapping her arms around him to hug him.
"I… I need you, Maureen. To… to take care of them. They couldn't handle it if you left when they need you the most." he looked down at her.
"I'm here, Roger. I'm not going anywhere." she looked up at him.
"Thanks Maureen. Welcome home." he smiled kissing her head.
"It's good to be home." she smiled up at him as they exited the bedroom.
"Nice to see you're still alive." Jami smiled getting up from the couch.
"Roger's a big teddy bear. He wouldn't hurt anyone." Maureen smiled looking down at her.
"I was talking to Roger. I figured you'd go all kung fu fighting on his ass after he was done yelling at you." Jami laughed walking over to Roger as Mark walked over to Maureen.
"Ha ha. Whose side are you on anyway?" Roger asked as he leaned down to kiss Jami.
"From what I've heard about Maureen's. Definitely Maureen's." she giggled wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Nah, I could never hurt Roger." Maureen smiled as Mark put his arms around her.
"You guys dated, didn't you?" Jami laughed looking over at them.
"Only like one or two dates. We figured out we were better off friends." Roger smiled down at her.
"And kissing Roger was awkward. There was no heat. No chemistry." Maureen told her as Jami buried her face in Roger's chest to hide her laughing.
"See, I'm not the only one who thinks it's funny." Mark laughed looking over at Jami.
"I don't understand why that's funny?" Roger asked confused.
"Um I... I've kissed you and I have to say, no heat or chemistry is not something I thought I would ever hear when hearing a woman describe what it's like to kiss you." she laughed looking up at him.
"She's a lesbian." he called out in his own defense.
"I'm bi, thank you very much." Maureen conceded as Mark and Jami laughed hysterically.
"Whatever. Anyway, Maureen's moving back in, OK?" Mark smiled up at them.
"Oh, I can see it now. All 4 of us living under the same roof is gonna be trouble for everyone." Jami laughed looking over at Mark.
"Stick with me. I know all of Roger's Achilles heels." Maureen smiled over at Jami.
"This is not gonna bode well for us, is it?" Roger laughed looking down at Mark.
"Speak for yourself. She didn't say anything about me." Mark laughed looking up at Roger as Jami buried her face in Roger's chest.
"I wonder how funny you're gonna think it is when Maureen's hogging the bathroom." Roger played with Jami's hair.
"We'll be fine. I think it'll be nice to have another girl around here. At least I won't be alone in disciplining you two." Jami smiled up at him.
"Yeah, it will be nice." Roger smiled down at her.