Chapter 72

"You guys, you need to get up." Mark said knocking on the bedroom door. "Or we'll be late."

"Yeah Mark I hear you." Roger said, rolling over next to Cass. "Baby you gotta wake up."

"I am awake. Since when are you two such morning people?" She pulled the blankets up higher.

"Well never." He laughed. "Except for maybe today."

"You're never this willing or excited to got to the doctor Roger."

"Yeah well, for me, but today's different."

"Different huh?" She grinned at him.

"Yep! Now get up."

"Okay." She grinned. "But then no complaining when we get to your doctor's."

He thought about that for a second. "Okay. Deal." He jumped out of bed. "Now get up!" He laughed.

They got up and got ready. After bagels for breakfast the three of them headed out. Mark, camera in hand filming and narrating as they went.

When they reached the doctor's office, Roger signed her in. When the nurse called Cass' name she gave the strange look they had grown accustom to as Mark, Roger, Cass and Mark's camera followed her down the hall.

"So did you work it out with Mo?" Cass asked Mark as they sat in the little room waiting.

"Yeah, we talked. For a long time. I guess we worked some stuff out. You were right through, there was a lot of stuff I didn't know about. I guess I just stopped paying attention to her." He shrugged. "How did last night go?"


"Great!" Roger grinned hugging Cass. "She sounded incredible. Did all three sets. The last two by herself."

"Against my will!" Cass teased. "They let Krystal go home, but I get held hostage!"

"Yeah but you did a great job!" He kissed the top of her head.

"Uh huh." She grinned turning to look at him. "Hey what were you and Izzy doing in the back last night for so long?"

Roger's head popped up. "Um, nothing. We were just, you know, talking. About stuff." Oh good Davis, sound guilty as hell why don't you? You might as well tell her what Izzy's loaning you money for.

Mark just looked at Roger when he said that. He had thought all his worries that followed the funeral and the coke incident had faded, but watching Roger just then, they started to resurface. Here he was, acting weird again. Like he was hiding something. Just like when things started getting bad the first time around, so many years ago.

"Just talking huh?" Cass teased him.

Roger was about to protest when the door opened and Cass' doctor walked in. "So, how's everybody doing today? Got the whole crowd as usual I see Cass." She laughed.


"Yes well, Mark and his camera are kind of like my American Express card. You don't leave home without them." Cass joked as all three of them laughed.

"Well," her doctor said, looking up from Cass' chart. "Looks like today should be right up Mark's alley, playing with cameras of sort." She smiled. "So now you need to tell me. Are we just talking pictures or am I pointing out the important parts today?"

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

Collins rubbed his hands together trying to warm them. "I thought we were going to dinner."

"We were. All I know is Mark called, said we were eating at the loft and to meet him at 7th and Avenue C." They walked on a few more minutes. "There he is." Jason pointed to Mark, waiting on the corner.

"Hey!" Mark grinned.

"What's going on Mark?" Collins started coughing.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked, looking from Collins to Jason who had a strange look on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just cold." He answered rubbing his hands together. "Now what's going on? Did they go to the doctor today?"

They started walking as a huge grin crossed Mark's face. "Yeah they did."

"Oh my God, you know what it is don't you?" Jason asked.

"Yes I do. And I'm not allowed to tell you." Mark grinned. "I'm also not allowed to talk to you without Collins, just in case. Roger figures Collins won't let you beat the information out of me." He laughed, joined by both Collins and Jason. "Of course I'm also not allowed anywhere near your sister or Maureen. I mean you'd think he doesn't trust me or something."

"No," Collins said, blowing on his hands. "You he trusts, it's them he doesn't trust. Especially Mo or Jen. I mean let's face it, Jen needs to know everything so she let's Mo do her dirty work. Mo knows she can get anything out of you."

"That's not true." Mark protested.

Collins and Jason just looked at each other and laughed. "Right Mark."

"Oh whatever!" Mark shook his head. "Here." He pulled off his gloves, handing them to Collins. "We're here."

"A Christmas tree lot?" Jason asked.

"Uh huh. Cass picked it out earlier. We just need to pick it up." He went over and talked to the guy running the lot, handing him a claim receipt.

"Oh my God! That thing is huge!" Jason exclaimed when he brought it over.

"Um, yeah." Mark said, a little amazed. "I'm thinking Cass picked it out."

"What was Roger thinking?" Jason asked as the three of them picked it up and started walking.

Collins laughed at that. "I doubt he was thinking anything. In case you haven't noticed, he's in love."

At that Mark laughed too. "Your right. God help us the day Cass makes a comment about getting a piano. I can see it now, the four of us pushing a piano up three flights of stairs!"

"No way. I draw the line way before that." Jason told them.

"Right." Mark and Collins said at the same time, causing all three to laugh again. They carried it back to the loft and up the stairs. Mark kicked on the door to get someone to open it.

"Ewww! Roger they're here!" Cass squealed from inside the loft.

"What happen Cass, you couldn't get the one at Rockefeller Center so you had to take the runner up?" Jason huffed as they dropped the tree on the ground.

"Oh it's not that big." She laughed.

"You didn't just haul it over four blocks and up three flights of stairs." Mark said turning to Roger. "Which reminds me, why exactly did we just get a ten foot Christmas tree?"

Roger just grinned and shrugged. "Cass wanted a tree."

"So let me get this straight. Your girlfriend wants a tree, so you let her pick one out from the giant woods, but then you leave. And for some reason, the little Jewish guy and two of our friends have to carry it all the way home. Without any help from you."

Trying hard to look innocent, Roger gave him his best grin. "I had to go buy the thing to put the tree in."

"Right."

They joked around about the tree for another ten minutes before Joanne, Maureen and Jen got there. "Okay we're here, so tell us!" Mo gushed.

"Tell you you're here? Okay, you're here." Cass teased.

"Ha ha very funny. So?" Jen demanded.

"So what?" Roger grinned, moving behind Cass and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"So what did the doctor say?" Jen was almost bursting. Jason and Collins were laughing at her.

"The doctor said Cass was definitely, 100% pregnant." Roger laughed, obviously enjoying tormenting Jen and Maureen.

"See why I wasn't allowed anywhere near those two." Mark whispered to Jason.

"Oh! Roger you're impossible!" Maureen pouted. "Are you going to tell us what it is or not?"

"Maybe. Okay, yes." Roger grinned. "Eventually."

"Fine Roger, be difficult." Jen said, rolling her eyes before they landed on a stupidly grinning Mark. Jen nudged Maureen, motioning towards Mark. Maureen caught on immediately and they casually started to move towards Mark.

"So this place really looks good." Jen said to Mark.

"Yeah Mark, why don't you show us your new office?"

"Yeah!"

"Um, okay." He looked at the two of them skeptically. "If you really want." He was still leaning against the back of the couch.

"Mark." Roger yelled at him, causing him to look up.

"Plan B!" Maureen yelled suddenly when she realized Roger knew what they were up to. She started to tickle Mark in his side in the spot she knew he was most ticklish. When he leaned sideways to protect himself, Jen started on his other side. She pushed him just right, knocking him over the back of the couch, on to the cushions. As soon as he was down, Maureen hopped over the back of the couch on top of him, still tickling him.

Mark was squirming and laughing and yelling for help from Roger, whose only response was to crack up.

"Come on Marky, you gonna tell us?" Maureen kept tickling.

"Yeah Mark? Or do we keep tickling you?"

"Mo! Cut it out! Get off me! Stop it! Roger!"

"You two are gonna hurt him." Joanna yelled at them through her own laughter.

"Roger make them stop." Cass laughed. "His face is turning purple!"

"Okay, okay." He laughed. "Let him go. Even though he's actually loving it."

"Oh your so funny!" Mark told him, catching his breath as the girls let him up. "Thanks so much for all your help."

"No problem." Roger grinned.

"Okay so you gonna tell us? Or does Camera Boy get it again?" Jen joked at Roger.

"Show them the picture." He told Cass grinning.

She pulled the sonogram pictures out of the drawer and handed them to Jen and Maureen as everybody crowded around.

"It's a girl!" Jen said.

"No it's a boy." Maureen said.

"It's an alien!" Jason joked.

"Sort of looks more alien like than anything else." Collins agreed as he and Jason laughed.

"Hush you two. I think Jen's right, it's a girl." Joanne told them.

"No it's a boy." Maureen said. "See, look." She pointed at the picture she held.

"Um, that's an elbow Mo." Roger told her.

"Oh."

"Don't worry about it." Cass laughed. "He only knows that because he thought the same thing."

"So if it's not a boy, a girl or an alien, what is it?" Jason asked.

Roger looked at Cass who was grinning. "It's a boy."

"Really?" Jen asked.

"Yep! See!" Mark said grabbing the picture and pointing.

"That looks like the elbow I saw before."

"Well that one's not an elbow." Mark grinned.

"This is so cool!" Jen bubbled, hugging onto Cass. "We know what it is. Now we have to go shopping for boy stuff!"

"Wow! We're going to have a boy! I can't believe it! We're going to have a boy!" Maureen gushed, bouncing around the room and digging in her purse, pulling out her cell phone.

Cass had gone back into the kitchen and was taking the pan of ziti she had ordered form the deli out of the oven. Roger followed her in and started kissing her on the neck. "Mo's a little excited." He told her.

"Kind of like you and Mark earlier today." She grinned at him.

"I guess."

"Who is she calling? Everybody is here." Cass asked him.

"I think it's here mother." He smiled at her as his arms went around her waist. He laughed, listening to everyone else in by the couch.

"I still don't see it."

"That's because your holding it upside down Jason."

"Are you sure that's not an elbow?"

"Trust me." Mark laughed. "That's not an elbow.

"Well at least we gave them something to talk about." Roger said popping a piece of bread into his mouth.

"Are you going to call your mom?" She wanted you to after we went today."

"Yeah, I'll call her later." He pulled the paper plates out of the cupboard. "Are you ever going to tell our dad?"

"Yes, someday. Maybe." Her eyes went to the floor. "I don't know."

He pulled her close again, kissing the top of her head. "It's okay Baby. Don't worry about any of them. You don't need them, you got all of us. And I love you." He hated seeing her upset. Especially over her family. Especially after everything they did to her.

"I know." She hugged him back. "Come on, let's eat."