A/N As usual, I have to thank everyone for reviewing and for reading. My husband calls me a loser geek because I get so excited about reviews, but he just doesn't get it! So thank you! Thank you all!

As for this part of the story, I have to tell you, this is another one of my favorite parts of the story. It's filled with a lot of, what else, drama! But it's fun drama! And there is one or two little surprises that will be happening in the upcoming chapters! Plus we get a little background on Roger's family. Which by the way I love. Thanks again.

Chapter 64

"I can't believe it!" Joanie said, getting excited. "You're really going to have a baby? I'm going to be a grandma! I can't believe it!"


"Wow that's great you guys." Larry told them, obviously happy.

Joanie was out of her seat and hugging Roger and Cass at the same time. "I can't believe it! You finally come home! And now you're gonna have a baby! My baby's having a baby!" She was bouncing around the room, over joyed. "I'm gonna be a grandma! Your gonna be an uncle!" She kissed Patrick on the head.

"That's so cool!" Shelly told them excitedly.

"I can't believe it!" Grandma Oliva kept repeating to herself. "You're really having a baby?"

"Yeah we are." Roger told them. "Now pass the pie. Please."

"How did you know?" Cass asked.

"Aunt Cathy just asked Mark, out of the blue." Shelly explained.

Roger looked at Mark who was trying to disappear under the table. "Really?" He said to Mark.

"Cathy tricked me Roger really. She kept giving me food and asking me questions. It's not my fault! Do you remember your mom's pie?" He pointed at his plate, still covered in whip cream, ice cream and cookies.

Everyone started laughing. "Oh leave him alone Roger, it's not his fault." Shelly said, sliding two big slices of pie in front of him and Cass.

"But how did you know?" Cass asked again.

"Couple of things, but the brussel sprouts gave you away." Cathy laughed.

"So when are you do?"

"Do you know what it is?"

"What do you want?"


"So you want to find out what it is?"

"When were you going to tell us?"

Cass just smiled as the barrage of questions flew. She couldn't get over how excited everyone was. She hoped Roger realized it too. Even Patrick seemed excited for them. She hadn't expected any of this in the least, but now that she was sitting here, listening to it, it was about the most wonderful feeling. Roger's whole family was excited and happy about her baby. No, their baby. Roger and Cass' baby. It was going to be part of a real family. With grandparents even. She couldn't believe it.

"May 24th." Roger answered the question. "But how did you know?" He asked his aunt.

"Roger, I've been a nurse for over twenty five years. Please!" She laughed. "Not to mention pulling information out of the twins by way of food their whole lives. Compared to them, Mark was a breeze." She laughed again this time joined by everyone but Roger who looked at Mark.

"She tricked you with pie! You're pathetic Cohen!" Roger teased him. He actually wasn't mad, which really surprised him. Almost as much as everyone's reaction. He couldn't believe the whole day. How happy everyone was to see him. And now this. All of them actually excited to find out they were having a baby. Wow. His baby as far as he was concerned and his family not only cared, they seemed genuinely happy about it.

The rest of desert consisted of talk about the baby, with the occasional comment on the scariness of Roger as a daddy. Joanie was ready to run out and go shopping for a whole nursery set up the next day, but they managed to talk her out of it. For now.

After all the food was gone, Shelly turned to Cass. "So you still up for Pub Night?"

"Sure!" Cass told her excitedly. "But we didn't bring any club clothes. Is that all right?"

"Oh please! The place is actually a dive!"

"Yeah picture a larger, smellier, version of the Iguana." Mark joked. "It's worse than that."

"Then I guess we're okay." Cass laughed. They went upstairs to get ready while Patrick and Shelly went home to feed their cats.

Mark flopped on Mickey's old bed while Roger laid down on his, waiting for Cass to finish brushing out her hair.

"I'm really sorry Roger. It just slipped out. It didn't even slip really, she just sort of asked me, out of the blue, and I just sort of answered her. I'm really sorry Roger. Really. Are you mad?"

"No I'm not mad."

"You're not?" Mark sat up on the bed in surprise.

Roger laughed at him. "No but if hitting you a few times would me you feel better…"

"Oh funny."

"Behave you two." Cass told them sitting down on the bed as Roger's hand ran up her back under her shirt. "You really okay with all this Baby?"

"Actually, yeah. I'm surprised at how cool they were. Actually with all of today. It's all gone pretty good. Even Patrick." He pulled her down next to him on the bed and started running his fingers through her long, straight hair.

"So you're glad we came Baby?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I am." He started to kiss her.

"Oh please, get a room!" Mark threw a pillow at them.

"This is my room. Remember? Pie boy?" Roger teased. "Hey Cass, know what? Mark lost his virginity in that bed." He laughed.

"Really?" She looked over and saw the blood rushing into Mark's face.

"Yeah well, I, uh…"

"Yep. We had a party, got him trashed, and set him up with this girl from school. She made Marky a man in Mickey's bed!"


"How do you know it wasn't your bed?" Cass asked trying hard to sound serious.

"Yeah?" Mark added in.

"Ewww! It better not have been Mark!"

"Trust me, it wasn't." Mark laughed. "Daphne Oliver."

"What?"

"Daphne Oliver. That was her name. She was really cute too."

"She was really drunk too." Roger laughed.

"Hey! She was not."

"Right Mark!"

"Hey you guys ready?" Patrick stuck his head into the room.

"Yeah. We were just telling Cass about Daphne Oliver." Roger told him.

"I remember the name. She have red hair?"

"Yeah. You remember that party we had? You were a senior, we got Mark drunk?"

"Okay, let's go." Mark said trying to change the subject.

"Oh yeah! She was the one who de-virginized Marky in Mickey's bed!"

Mark fell back on the bed and pulled a pillow over his head. Roger broke into hysterical laughter with Patrick. "Why can't anyone remember any of the non-embarrassing things from when I was in high school?" He asked from under the pillow.

"I didn't think there were any of those." Roger laughed only to receive a slight whack on the leg from a smirking Cass. "Okay, okay. Sorry. Come on, let's go." He grinned. "Super stud." He teased one last time.

***********

Cass splashed water on her face and brushed her teeth before heading down stairs.

"Good morning sweetie." Joanie said from the kitchen. "You want some tea or some breakfast?"

"Sure thanks." Cass fixed a cup of tea as Joanie pulled a few boxes of cereal out of the cupboard.

"The boys still asleep?"

"Uh huh. They had a little too much to drink last night. I hope Patrick didn't have to work today." Cass laughed.

Joanie smiled. "No he didn't. He was supposed to come help Larry fix the garage roof later. I'm just glad they are getting along."

"So am I. They seemed to be okay last night. I know Roger was really worried about coming here." Cass told her, stirring her tea.

Joanie reached over and took Cass' hand. "So was I, but I'm so glad you all came up. I've really missed him. I'm so glad he's doing so well. And I think you've had a lot to do with that. You and Mark."

"Roger's wonderful. I couldn't imagine life without him."

"I can. For a number of years. And now I've got him back." She paused and squeezed Cass' hand. "I know I owe you and Mark for that. Thank you."

Cass didn't know what to say to that so she just smiled at Joanie.

"Now that I've got him back I don't ever want to lose him again. And not only did I get my Roger back, but I got Mark and you too. And now a grandbaby too!" She hugged Cass again. "I'm sorry I'm just so excited, about all of it, especially the baby."

"Roger's pretty excited too." Cass blushed. "Especially about you guys being excited about the baby. He was really worried about that too."

"Well everything's going to be okay now." Joanie beamed.

Cass heard the clock strike ten as Joanie said that. That's ironic she thought. Cass stood up with her tea. "I'm going to go see if they are awake yet." And make sure Roger takes his pills.

"Okay. Shelly and I are going shopping later, do you want to come with us?"

"Um, we'll see. I don't know when he wants to leave. Maybe." Cass took a step towards the doorway. "Joanie?" She watched her look up from her tea. "Thank you. For all this. And for letting Roger come home and everything. Thank you." She turned and walked upstairs before Joanie could answer.

She went into the bedroom. Both of them had pulled pillows over their heads, probably when the beeping started. Cass dug his pills out of the bag and poured out what he needed into her hand. She realized they forgot all the vitamins the nutritionist had put Roger on, but that's okay. He can go a day or two without those, as long as he's got his regular meds.

"Roger, Baby, wake up. Take your pills."

He opened his eyes up some, saw her and smiled. "Hey gorgeous." He leaned up and kissed her.

"Hey yourself. Here's your pills." She handed them and her tea to him.

"Thanks." He laid back down, closing his eyes.

"Go back to sleep." She kissed his forehead as she pulled the blanket up on him. Mark mumbled something incoherent from under the pillow. Cass pulled the pillow off his face. "You too." She told him, kissing his forehead as well.

She went back downstairs and Shelly was sitting in the dining room with Joanie. "Hey! You're going shopping with us?" Shelly asked. "I mean if those two are in the same condition as Patrick, you aren't leaving anytime soon." She laughed.

"This is true." Cass laughed. "I really do need some new jeans. Mine are getting tight."

"That settles it then!" Joanie proclaimed. "I'm taking my girls and my grandbaby shopping!"

"Oh God, we're doomed!" Shelly told Cass. "I learned long ago, it's easier to just give in to her when she gets like this."

"Yup! It's settled! We'll leave the boys a note. They have plenty of food here. We'll go to lunch. Cathy's going with us too."

"Okay, okay I'll go shopping!" Cass laughed pouring milk on the cereal she put in a bowl earlier.

"So did you guys have fun last night?" Joanie asked them.

"Yeah. We had a great time. I'm real proud of Patrick. He won't admit it," Shelly looked from Joanie to Cass, "but he's really glad to see Roger again. And he is excited about the baby too."

Joanie just smiled as she stirred her coffee.

"Joanie did Cass tell you we ran into Randy last night?"

"You're kidding? Is he still married to that girl?"

"Uh huh. Karla. And they have three kids now. He's a personal trainer at this big gym. Pat, Roger and Mark were just sitting there drinking when he walked by. I think he recognized Patrick first and then realized who Mark and Roger where." She laughed.

"Next thing you know the four of them are sitting there, downing shots, drinking to the old days and the fact that Roger's gonna be a daddy."

"Why does everyone always sound so surprised at that?" Cass asked her.

"Let's just say the fact that Roger has a kid is a lot less shocking sounding than the idea of Roger as a daddy." Shelly laughed.

"Roger will make a great daddy." Cass told them. "Look how good Mark turned out." They all laughed as she stood up to go upstairs to get ready.

**********

"Yo, loser, wake up!" Patrick kicked at the bed.

"Oh, yeah, I missed that." Roger said sitting up. "What time is it?"

"11:30. Where are my glasses?"

Roger picked them up off the far nightstand and tossed them to him. "Where's Cass?" He asked, looking around.

Patrick grinned. "She got shanghaied into going to the mall with Mom and Shelly."

"Cass shopping. That took a lot of convincing, I'm sure." Mark commented. "Hey at least we didn't have to go this time."

"Mom made coffee. I'll meet you downstairs."

"I'm gonna take a shower."

Roger got up and went downstairs with Patrick. He poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. Patrick passed him the cereal box.

"So last night was cool. Kinda like old times." Patrick told him pouring milk in his bowl.


"Yeah it was." Roger poured milk on his cereal and stirred it around in the bowl for a minute. "Listen Patrick, I'm really sorry. For everything."

Neither of them looked at the other. "Yeah, I'm sorry for a lot of stuff too."

"I kinda missed you, sort of." Roger said, playing with his cereal.


"I kinda missed you too. Even if you are a kind of weirdo with bad hair and no real job. You're still my little brother."

"Look about your wedding…"

"Forget about it. Shelly did. That's the important thing. I'm glad you're doing better. Aside from robbing me blind, you looked like hell. Strung out, half starved and pale as a ghost and all."

"We tried to get clean for it. Really. We just weren't doing real good then. I'm really sorry. Really. I feel really bad Patrick." He told him still staring at the world's most fascinating bowl of cereal.

"Look it was a long time ago. I'm glad you're clean thought. And back. Mom's really missed you. And the whole baby thing." He grinned. "Between you coming back and having a baby, you probably made her century."

"Yeah I kinda got that feeling." Roger smiled.

"Now that you're back, you ah, you are planning on sticking around right? I mean if you take off again, you'll break Mom's heart. Especially now that you're having a baby."

Roger finally looked Patrick I the eye. "Yeah, now that I'm back, I'm planning on sticking around. Especially with the baby. I promise."

"Good."

"So we're cool?"

"Yeah, we're cool. Little brother."

"Good. I'm glad. Speaking of that, how's Mickey?"

"Mickey is Mickey. He's working for a decent contractor. It's a decent job. Still brings his laundry home for Mom." He laughed. "For the most part he stayed out of trouble. Didn't give Mom too hard a time."

"I think I gave Mom a hard enough time for all three of us." He looked back at his cereal. "What's he doing with him?"

Patrick shrugged. "I don't know. He doesn't seem to mind him. I can't explain it."

"Do you ever see him?"

"Everyone's favorite wife beating, child abusing alcoholic? Once in a while. Usually because of Mickey. Sometimes he sobers up for a stretch and goes into that want to get to know my sons crap."

"He ever ask about me?"

Patrick studied his coffee. "Not really. I mean not with me. We don't really talk about much. He may with Mickey. They talk more."

"I doubt it. He probably forgot I existed. I don't care if I ever see him again."

Patrick twirled his coffee cup in his hands. "Listen Rog, you always got the worst of it and I'm sorry. I should have done something or at least something more to stop him." He paused. "I'm sorry."

Roger shrugged. "What could you do? What could any of us do? I mean there was three of us and we couldn't even keep him off Mom half the time."

"I know. I just feel like I let you down. Like maybe if I'd been able to do something way back then, then maybe you wouldn't of, you know, had so many problems."

"I didn't become a junkie because of him. I mean that may have helped, but that's not why it happened. It wasn't your fault Patrick."

"I still feel bad."

"Don't." Roger played with his spoon. After a silent minute, and without looking up he finally spoke again in a low voice. "Pat?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure anything."

"Do you think I'm anything like him?"

There was no hesitation in his answer. "No. Nothing at all like him. None of us are. We're all better than him. Way better than him. You'd never treat Cass the way he treated Mom. And there is no way in hell you'd ever treat your kid the way that bastard treated us. Especially you. So don't worry about it. Okay?"



**************

Patrick opened the back door to see Randy standing there. "Hey! Come on in."

"Hey." He came into the living room to see Roger playing his guitar. "Man I can't believe you've still got that thing!"

"Of course he's still got it." Mark teased. "He'd get rid of me before he'd get rid of that stupid guitar."

"Watch it pie boy! I've told you about talking about my guitar like that."

Mark just rolled his eyes at him.


"So where's your girlfriend?" Randy asked Roger looking around. "She's a little hottie."

Roger grinned. "Yeah she is."

"Her and Shelly went shopping with my mom." Patrick told him.

"Yeah Karla and her mom took the girls with them to the mall. What is it with women and malls?"

"Yeah, Cass can shop." Mark joked.

"Man, just you wait." Randy laughed at Roger as he held out his hand for his guitar. "You think she shops now, just wait till that kid gets here. Karla about put us in the poorhouse."

"Yeah Rog, you know how much a kid cost?" Patrick asked him.

"I know." He handed Randy the guitar.

Randy started to roughly pick out a few chords, turning them into a popular tune on the radio. "Dude, you got no idea!" He laughed. "I thought all we needed was a crib, a car seat, bottles, clothes and diapers. Man was I wrong. Babies cost a fortune too. You make enough money being a bartender and guitar player?"

"We got money." Roger said leaning back on the couch.

"Trust me, you never got enough." He said still picking at the guitar.

"Randy you are killing me! Don't you ever practice?" Roger asked, taking the guitar back.

Randy laughed. "Practice? Are you nuts? I work fifty hours a week. I drop two kids off at school, one at my mother in laws everyday. Karla picks them up feeds them and I got to put them to bed. Then I got to hear Karla bitch about work all day and how we never go out, have any money, I never help her, and crap like that. I spend Saturdays going to soccer games, tee ball games and dance classes. Not to mention mowing grass, raking leaves, painting crap, fixing crap and oh, getting to do all that at Karla's mom's too. And then I get to spend Sundays at Karla's moms when I'm off from work. So when would I have time to practice?"

"Wow." Mark said bluntly. "That's really depressing Randy."

Randy sighed. "Your right. Got a beer?"

Patrick laughed at him as he went to the fridge. "We only got three left." He handed one to Randy, one to Roger and one to Mark who shook his head.

"I mean don't get me wrong." Randy opened his beer. "I wouldn't trade my girls for anything. But I'll tell you, my life isn't what it used to be."

"What life? You knocked her up like the month before graduation." Mark said to him as Roger just kept playing his guitar.

"Yeah that's true. I guess I could have planned that first kid better." Randy laughed. "But I'll tell you this, as far as once you have a kid, you can kiss all them party days goodbye Davis."

"Whatever." Roger ignored him and kept playing but he did look up enough to see the amused look on Mark's face.

"And forget about sex." Randy added. "That's shot to hell till they are like six or seven. "Not that you get all that much from the time they find out they're pregnant."

"What are you talking about?" Roger asked him still playing his guitar.

"Dude, if she's three months pregnant, and your still having sex, consider yourself lucky."

"Trust me," Mark told them, "they are definitely still having sex. Most of our building can attest to that!" He laughed.

Roger looked up at him. "You know, you could always move into the little apartment downstairs. By yourself. Next door to Jen."

"Point taken, shutting up." Mark grinned as his phone rang. "Hello?" He paused to listen. "Hey Mo, what's up sweetie?"

Roger couldn't help but notice Mark light up some talking to her.

"Well she's not here Mo. She won't be back till later."

"Who's that?" Randy asked, finishing his beer.


"Maureen. Friend of ours. They went out for awhile but she dumped him to become a lesbian." Roger explained.

"You're kidding?" Patrick laughed.

"Only Mark would date a lesbian!" Randy was cracking up.

"Yeah well, that was a long time ago." Roger said, finishing his beer as well. It had been a long time. Nearly five years. After all that time he had forgotten how people found that whole story amusing. "They're good friends now, we all are." However the two of them seem to be awfully good friends lately he thought.

"Well what do you want me to do Mo? My options are limited, I mean it's not like Roger's gonna know…Okay hold on."

"What's wrong?"

"Mo's going to some big deal dinner with Joanne and her parents tonight. She wanted to talk to Cass, but since she's not here, and didn't take her phone, that leaves you and me."

"What's she need?"

"She wants to know how you eat escargot. Like which fork or something."

"She's asking us?" He wrinkled his brow.


"No, she wanted to ask Cass. She's settling for us." He went back to the phone. "Mo relax. You won't throw up… You won't throw up. I know they're snails, but you won't throw up." He got up and walked to the kitchen.

"So you wanna go pick up some more beers?" Randy asked.

"Sure." Roger put his guitar away. "What are you doing Pat?"

"I'm gonna go get started on the garage roof. Larry should be home soon. You guys go ahead."

Roger hollered to Mark who waved them on, still talking to Maureen.

**************

As they walked into the convenience store the cute girl with glasses behind the counter looked up at them. Roger had grabbed his old leather jacket as they had walked out of the house. He shoved his fists into the pockets as he walked down the aisles.

They walked over to the beer and Randy grabbed two twelve packs. "So I can't believe you and Mark still live together."

"Yep." Roger walked down another aisle, the counter girl watching him. "We live in a dump, but it's getting better. Our place is getting renovated right now." He picked up a bottle of ginger ale for Cass.

"That's cool. He gonna keep living with you? After the baby?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't he?" Roger went to the ice cream and got a small container of coffee chocolate chip. "What is with that girl?"

Randy looked up at the counter. "Maybe she's got the hots for you." He laughed. "So you know, hot young chicks find you a whole lot less interesting when you're holding a screaming kid."

"Funny." He set the ginger ale and ice cream down on the counter and slid it over with the beer.

The girl was still looking at him funny. "Do I know you?" She asked him.

"I don't think so kid." Roger laughed. What was she, like sixteen? He thought.

"Okay. Um, I gotta see your ID."

"You gotta be kidding."

She shrugged and looked up at him. "Sorry. Rules. If you're under thirty…"

"Yeah whatever." Now he was looking at her. There was something about the way she looked over her glasses when she shrugged her shoulders at him, but he didn't know what. He pulled out his wallet and dug through it, finally finding his expired driver's license. He never got ID'ed in the city, not for years. And it's not like he'd driven a car since, well since his trip to Santa Fe. Oh well, it did at least have the loft address on it. The girl took it, scanning the birth date, bending it in the light to make sure it was real. Doing all the things she'd done a thousand times before. Just like her boss had taught her. But this time she actually looked at the address and read the name. Closely. "Oh my God!" She looked up at him, eyes wide in surprise. "I do know you!"