One Week
Part ThreeA/N: Okay, so before I get this started, I'd like to apologize for the delay. I was in Richmond for the weekend, but I'm back and definitely have time to update as much as I want. Right now I'm just going to break down how I'm going about with the story. I haven't really decided how I want to break up the story, but the next few chapters will take place in the past, where you will start learning how Jaylynn came to be (heh, okay well that's kind of obvious, but you KNOW what I mean, and if anyone doesn't know how or where a baby comes from, you can always ask me and I'll clear that right up for you! Moving on…). With that said, any chapters set in the past will take place after the finale of RENT, meaning that this chapter is set close to three weeks after Mimi comes back to life. I decided not to incorporate the actual play into my story because I know I'd probably get bored with writing all the events that most, if not all of us know already because we've seen the show. Again, if you need any clarification, don't hesitate to comment or email me and let me know. I'll be introducing a few new characters, including someone from Mark's past and also Roger's. I will be stopping to jump back to Jaylynn, because the story ultimately revolves around her. I'd suggest that you read the author's note before each chapter just to know what time period we're set in to avoid any confusion, even if you desperately want to skip over it to get to the good stuff. =) I have Mark set at around the age of 23-24, and Roger at 25. Okay, and FINALLY I'd like to thank all my awesome reviewers for their compliments and for wanting to see more of my story. You guys rock. 3 Mari
*//
January, 1997"Christ, Mimi, what the hell do you have in here?" Mark groaned, leaning against the doorway of the dusty loft, currently a bad spot to be standing in. He dropped a heavy cardboard box marked 'Mimi's shit' at his feet and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.
Mimi looked up from the coffee table, where she was unpacking another smaller box filled with photos and photo albums. Her normally curly hair was straight today, and tied back with a pale blue bandanna. She raised an eyebrow at Mark and shrugged.
"What's it say?"
"Mimi's shit," Mark read, pointing to the words scrawled in black sharpie. Collins could be heard laughing from the kitchen, where he was in charge of reorganizing the pots and pans that were never used. Mark slumped against the wall, starting to regret Mimi moving in, but Roger insisted, and he'd rather carry up boxes than argue with Roger again.
"This is the last of it," Roger said, entering the loft and automatically dropping the box before collapsing on the floor. Unfortunately for Mark, that box happened to land on his foot.
"Fuck! ROGER!" he shouted, attempting to move his foot from under the box. Instead of running over to help, Mimi had collapsed onto the couch in a fit of giggles. Roger stood up and picked up the box again, visibly smirking at Mark.
"Sorry," Roger added, before running over to sit down next to Mimi. Mark rolled his eyes before limping over to the kitchen. He found Collins scrubbing away at a frying pan. Mark heard giggles and then the slam of Roger's bedroom door before he started complaining.
"This is really going to suck," he whined to Collins, who was shaking his head and now leaning against the island.
"I don't really think it'll be that bad Mark. I mean, Maureen and Joanne are downstairs, and I'm down the hall—"
"But you don't have to listen to them all night. It wouldn't be half bad if they would just take a fucking break from half of the shit they do, and you know what I mean by that so don't give me that look!" Mark yelled, opening the refrigerator door to be greeted with nothing. "And he was supposed to do the shopping this week, but did he do it? NO. Of course not. I'm so sick and tired of acting like his mother all the time, Collins. I had to pull him through withdrawal one time, and if he fucks up with Mimi again I'm not doing it. Not because I don't want to, but because I physically can not do it again," he added, pressing his head into the cool surface of the island. Collins rested a hand on his shoulder and the pair sat in silence before Roger's bedroom door flung open again and Mimi ran out, still pulling on her sweater, straight into the bathroom. Roger walked out and followed her.
"Serves him right—"
"Stop it," Collins reprimanded. "I'll talk to them if you want," he soothed. Mark shrugged and plopped down onto the couch.
"I guess. Thanks Collins—"
"Don't worry about it. I'm just trying to figure out what the hell they're doing in that bathroom," Collins stated, motioning towards the door. Mark scowled and pulled a pillow over his face, shaking his head. "I didn't mean it like that!" he laughed. "You might want to check your messages one of these days. You only have about 15 of them," he teased, stealing the remote off the coffee table and flipping through the channels. Mark smacked the play button on the answering machine next to the couch and half listened, half ignored them.
"Mark, this is your mother again. Aren't you ever home these days—" Mark poked the erase button.
"Hey, it's Benny. It's almost the 31st, and you know what that means! Money in my pocket—" Mark slammed the erase button a little bit harder that time.
"Easy there, Mark, you don't want to break it. Stop worrying, it's only the 25th anyway. You know how Benny is," Collins said, never tearing his eyes away from the television screen. The rest of the messages were either telemarketers or people Mark completely wanted to avoid. Resting his head against the sofa, he heard the bathroom door creak open and looked over. He saw Mimi shuffle out, followed by Roger.
"Whoa, you guys okay? What'd he do to piss you off Mimi," Collins joked. Mimi shrugged and walked back into Roger's room, softly closing the door behind her. Roger opened his mouth to say something, and then shut it, and then sat down between Collins and Mark.
"Okay then," Mark retorted sarcastically. A few minutes passed by. Collins was watching ER, Roger was drumming his fingers against his knees, and Mark was dozing with his mouth open.
"She threw up—"
"Who threw up? The girl on TV? Yeah, I know. This show is awesome," Collins said, completely engrossed in the wonder that is ER. Mark was still dozing, now emitting soft snores.
"No, Mimi did," Roger stated, with a blank look on his face. Collins broke out of his trance and glanced at Roger.
"What do you mean? Did she take her AZT on an empty stomach again?" Collins questioned, his attention fully directed towards Roger.
"No, she ate something. We both did. She threw up this morning too," he replied, still drumming his fingers on his knees.
"Did they change her dosage? Sometimes it makes you sick. I know it made Angel sick," Collins suggested. Roger winced slightly at Angel's name, but shook his head.
"Nope,"
"There's that weird stomach virus going around now. Maureen had it last week and so did Joanne. I know Maur's been around here lately, so maybe she passed it along to Mimi," Collins reassured, his eyes passing from ER to Roger.
"Yeah, you're probably right, I'm sure it's nothing. She went to lie down, anyway. So what's up for tomorrow?" he prodded.
"I've got a class tomorrow at 10. Then I'll probably go out to lunch with the usual crowd, grade papers. I was thinking about putting some fresh flowers on Angel's grave uptown. I haven't done that lately," Collins replied, looking lost in thought for a few seconds before gazing back at the TV.
"Mimi has her appointment at the clinic tomorrow, so I'll probably go with her," Roger said. He now was captivated by the TV with Collins.
"Well, when you're there, just make sure she mentions the fact that she's been feeling under the weather. I'm sure they can give you something for it that won't interfere with the AZT," he answered. Collins was definitely the backbone of their group. He was always there for advice, especially on HIV. He had been offered a job at the Life Support meetings but hadn't found the time to sit for a meeting lately, let alone lead one.
"Yeah, I will. I just worry about her sometimes. I'm afraid that she'll start using behind my back or something," Roger added, running a hand through his hair.
"She won't. I know her. I think she's too afraid to lose you," Collins replied. He turned off the TV and leaned back against the couch.
"Yeah, I know—Where's that knocking noise coming from? Roger added, now standing up and heading towards his room. "I better check on Mimi—"
"I think it's the door. Doesn't everyone we know have a key?" Collins added. He pulled on his coat. Roger mumbled something from inside his room. Collins then leaned over Mark and elbowed him in the ribs.
"What the fu—Collins, don't do that!" he growled, rubbing his side.
"Sorry buddy, you were sleeping and someone's banging at the door," Collins laughed.
"You're telling me you couldn't open the door? That I have to do it?"
"Pretty much, yeah—" Mark rubbed the sleep from his eyes and checked the clock. 9 PM. This better be worth it. He flung the door open so hard that he was surprised it didn't break off its hinges.
"Yea?"
"Hi Mark—" Mark glanced out into the hallway. A girl with shoulder length, layered, light brown hair stood in front of him. She was dressed in jeans and an extra large sweatshirt, which swallowed her petite frame. She also appeared to have been crying, judging from the mascara streaks left on her cheeks.
"Lisa? What are you doing here? Are you okay?" Mark started questioning. He grabbed her arm and escorted her in, automatically enveloping her in a hug.
"Yes…No…I don't know," Lisa replied, kicking her bags to the side. Mark pulled her over to the couch and sat her down.
"What happened? Why aren't you in Scarsdale?" Mark repeated.
"Mark, I'm leaving!" Collins shouted. "Who's your friend?" He paused at the door, glancing at the two on the couch.
"Um, I'll tell you later. Bye," Mark replied. The door slammed shut and he could hear Collins' footsteps echoing down the hall.
"Mom and Dad kicked me out. Well, Dad did actually, but Mom didn't stop him either. It was so horrible, and of course they did it in front of Cindy, who didn't say a damn word to stop them—"
"Why? Why did they kick you out?" Mark interrupted. He shifted slightly on the couch, holding Lisa's hand in his.
"Please don't get mad or threaten to kick the shit out of someone, okay?" Mark raised his eyebrows slightly. This couldn't be good.
"O-ok…"
"Well, you remember David,?" Lisa said, dropping her voice a few levels.
"Yeah, of course I do. He's the asshole who left you for that slut Mandy…what about him?"
"Well, there was this party and—well you know—and I'm…pregnant?" Lisa finished in one sentence. Mark's mouth dropped open. Did she just say pregnant? His seventeen-year-old sister was pregnant? Mom and Dad must have had a field day with her.
"What? How? I mean, how far along are you—but you're 17?" Mark questioned. Lisa shrugged and wiped at her eyes.
"Fifteen weeks, I think…" she swallowed, resting her head on the top of her knees. Mark let out a long breath and briefly closed his eyes. He couldn't believe it.
"Okay. Okay. We'll get through this. Okay. Wow—" Mark had started pacing the room, talking to himself and very obviously was on the verge of a panic attack.
"Mark, sit down," Lisa moaned. Mark ignored her and still continued to pace the room. "Look, I don't want to burden you with my problems. I just—well I don't have anywhere else to go. MARK ELIJAH COHEN WILL YOU SIT YOUR ASS DOWN!" she shouted. Roger jerked his door open and stuck his head out, Mimi glancing over his shoulder. Mark stopped in his tracks.
"What the fuck is all the screaming about?" Roger yelled out. Mimi whacked him on his shoulder.
"Roger, shut up!" Mimi whispered.
"What the fuck are you screaming about Roger Davis? And what the fuck did you do to your hair?" Lisa shouted, louder this time. Roger touched the tips of his bleach blonde hair, looking hurt.
"CAN WE ALL PLEASE STOP SHOUTING?" Mark interrupted. He shook his head and dropped face down into the couch, covering his head with pillows.
"Lisa Cohen, what in the hell are you doing here?" Roger said, toning down his voice.
Lisa pulled her hair back and grinned slightly. "It's nice to see you too, Roger," she muttered. Falling on top of Mark, she started whacking him with pillows. "Mark, stop it okay? I don't want you to worry about me—I'll leave if you want," she added, collapsing at the other end.
"Don't do that—"
"Do what?" Lisa questioned. Mark sat up and fixed his glasses.
"You're not supposed to move around like that—and stuff," he blurted out, pointing at Lisa who was posed with a pillow in her hand, ready to either fling it at Mark or Roger.
"It won't hurt the baby, Mark. Maybe I shouldn't have even come here. It looks like you already have a full house," Lisa paused, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ears. Roger, who had went in the kitchen with Mimi to take his pills, spat his water all over her at the mention of the word 'baby'. Mimi grabbed some paper towels in disgust and started wiping her shirt.
"Roger! That's gross!" Mimi scowled. Roger ignored this and instead walked back into the living room, where Mark was staring off into space and Julia was staring down at the floor.
"What baby?" When he didn't get an answer, he walked over in front of Mark and Julia, waving his hands. "Hello? What baby?" Lisa sighed and opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.
"Lisa's," Mark whispered, noticing Mimi's expression from the kitchen. There was definitely something weird going on with Mimi lately, and he made a mental note to ask her about it later.
"Since when--?" Roger added, but stopped when he noticed Julia pointing to her stomach. "Oooh…"he froze.
"Oooh…"Mark repeated sarcastically. Roger glared at him and smacked him on the back of the head. Mimi walked over and sat down on Roger's lap. Roger draped an arm around her waist and pulled the shabby blanket resting on the edge of the couch over them. A long silence followed. Mark sighed every few seconds, but Roger, Mimi, and Lisa said nothing.
"I'm Mimi, by the way," Mimi said. She had forgotten to introduce herself earlier before, and figured that it would probably be good if she said something to break the silence.
"Lisa, Mark's younger sister," Lisa replied. Mimi nodded, adjusting herself on Roger's lap.
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen, eighteen in April. Yourself?" Lisa replied. Mark and Roger were still lost in thought.
"Twenty—"
*//
The group sat in silence for a good twenty minutes, until Mark finally perked up.
"Are you gonna go through with it?" he questioned, now turning his attention from the wall to Lisa. She nodded slowly, almost as if it pained her to do so.
"I don't really have a choice now. I mean, I did before, but I didn't know then. I didn't really know until a few weeks ago. I had to tell Mom and Dad, and they freaked out on me. Basically calling me a whore and saying that they weren't paying for a thing. Then they kicked me out," she finished. Mimi nodded and patted Lisa's hand.
"I know how you feel. My parents kicked me out when I was fifteen, because of drugs," Mimi added. Lisa looked a little reassured to have someone to relate to. Mimi seemed like an easy person to talk to. Roger didn't say anything, but moved his head a little bit.
"Does David know?" Mark asked. Lisa nodded again, but this time more slowly, almost as if she was embarrassed to be having this conversation with her brother.
"Yeah. I told him before I left. He actually apologized for it and gave me this," Lisa said. She pulled out an envelope out of the back of her pocket and tossed it to Mark. Curious, Mark ripped it open. Inside of it sat a check for two thousand dollars. Mark passed it to Roger, who passed it to Mimi, who then passed it back to Lisa. "His family said it's for "my utmost cooperation in this very disturbing matter", meaning that they'll give me money each month to shut me up and make sure I don't ruin the family name. Makes you feel loved, doesn't it? I was thinking about using the money he sends me for the baby—clothes, formula, bottles, diapers—you know. Hopefully my insurance will cover the doctor's visits and the hospital costs when I deliver and anything else," she finished. Mark nodded, still having a hard time taking in all this information. His sister was having a baby, and she sounded fully prepared to take on the task of being a mother. I mean, she just sat there and rattled off a whole list of baby shit. He was starting to get a splitting headache over his left eye.
"Okay. Wow, okay. So basically he doesn't want anything to do with you or his baby?" Mark added. He was trying desperately to sound supportive, even if he wanted to scream at everyone to leave him the hell alone. He had just gotten used to the idea of Mimi moving in, and now his sister shows up on his doorstep, pregnant, and looking for a place to stay? Where was he supposed to put all these people?
"No. His idea of parenting is sending fat checks each month. He can't have anything to stand in his way of going to Harvard Medical School, can he?" Lisa mocked, resting a hand on her stomach.
"Is this guy loaded?" Roger piped up.
"Rog, you know David Sergio—"
"That geek? Man, I hated that kid. I wanted to run him over with my car like—" Lisa half smiled, half frowned. "Oh, sorry Lisa—" he added quickly.
"Well, that geek's family is loaded," Lisa finished. Mark looked thoughtful, and then a minute later stood up.
"Well isn't this all types of fucked up," Roger responded.
"Well aren't we just Mr. Sunshine lately—" Mark cut him off.
"Cut it out, both of you. You're not helping Lisa by arguing," Mimi shot back. "I'm sorry you have to be influenced by the moron's who live here—"
"Well, this moron just so happens to be her brother," Mark spat.
"Don't make me call Maureen," Roger taunted. Mark rolled his eyes at him and Mimi grinned.
"What kind of threat is that?" Mark questioned.
"She's got you whipped. W-H-I-P-P—"
"I think we can all spell whipped, Roger, but thanks for that little grammar lesson," Mark yelled out. "She's got Joanne whipped, not me, dumbfuck-"
"Who's Maureen and Joanne?" Roger opened his mouth to say something about Maureen, but shut it quickly when Mark shot him a look.
"Be nice, Roger—" he warned.
"Maureen's a performer. She wants to be an actress and is always putting on some type of crazy show in the lots on the corner. Benny hates it, and Maureen hates Benny, so it works out perfectly," Mimi laughed. Roger scowled at the mention of Benny's name. Mimi looked over and sighed. "Anyway, Joanne is Maureen's girlfriend, who happens to be a lawyer in uptown Manhattan. She basically covers public interest cases, I think. You'd have to ask her though," Mimi added quickly. Roger was still scowling about Benny.
"So who's Benny then?" Lisa asked. Roger coughed loudly and Mimi nudged him in the ribs. Mark shot him another look with 'behave' written all over it.
"Benny's the landlord. He can be a selfish, prick, asshole, but he can be a good guy. Sometimes," Mark added, just because Roger looked like he was about to rocket out of his seat in anger. "And Collins—" Mark was cut off by Mimi.
"You'll love Collins. Collins is the best," Mimi smiled. Lisa laughed.
"Okay," she agreed.
"So where are we gonna put everyone?" Roger asked. "I mean, Mimi stays in my room, and Mark has his room, and then there's the spare room. I guess you could have that one, Lisa—"
"Yeah, that sounds good. I didn't even think about that yet. I'm sorry, Lisa," Mark apologized, grabbing her bags and starting to drag them to her room. Lisa followed him, leaving Roger and Mimi behind.
"Don't apologize, Mark. I shouldn't have sprung all of this on you right away. It was really stupid of me," Lisa added. Mark shook his head.
"No, it's not stupid of you. I'm glad you came to me instead of trying to live on your own. At least here there's people that can and want to help you. Don't worry about Mom and Dad, either. They'll come around on their own eventually. You're not alone, okay?" he comforted, giving her a hug.
"Thanks Mark, I appreciate this. You don't know how much I appreciate it," she smiled, starting to unpack her one duffel bag and her suitcase. Mark shrugged and started helping her, surprised at how little she had taken.
"I think you need to go out shopping—I mean you're eventually gonna need larger clothes—I mean—" Mark stuttered. Lisa laughed.
"It's okay, Mark. I know I'm getting fat," she agreed.
"I probably could hook you up with Maureen and Mimi. I'm sure they'd want to take you out shopping. Mimi's good with the clothes, and Maureen would be great for the baby stuff. She has a niece who's about a year old, so I'm sure she could point you in the right direction," Mark added. Lisa nodded, yawning suddenly. Mark noticed and moved the duffel bag and suitcase off the bed. He then patted the bed and motioned for her to sit down. Lisa obliged and immediately curled up in a ball, shutting her eyes.
"Lisa, have you been to the doctor? The only reason I'm asking is—well—Cindy had those prenatal vitamins and the whole nine yards on what to expect, so I was hoping we could find you a doctor around here?"
"No, not really. I took one of those home pregnancy tests, but I've only been guessing from there," she replied, her eyes still shut.
"Okay. I'll find out for you and try to get you an appointment somewhere for tomorrow," Mark replied. Lisa mumbled something that sounded like an 'okay'. Mark took this as his cue to leave, and shut the door behind him.
Mark spent the rest of the night flipping through the yellow pages and making lists for what Lisa would need for the baby. By midnight, he had decided that tomorrow morning he would take her to Mount Sinai in downtown Manhattan. He figured that would be his best bet, since most of the others were available by appointment only and he had no idea how long that would take. Mark took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes in frustration. He couldn't believe how much things had changed in a day, and now his loft was looking smaller than ever. Mimi was sick, Lisa was pregnant, Roger was grumpy, and Mark was upset with all of them. He could probably convert the office into a nursery and move his junk into Benny's old room, leaving all the rooms occupied but not cramped. Mark sighed and shuffled off to his room, hoping that a good night's sleep would clear his clouded head.
*//
The next morning, Mimi was up exactly at 7 AM and off to the bathroom. Mark had been sitting up since 6, writing down ideas for his next film. He winced as the door slammed and could hear Mimi violently puking her guts out. Roger walked out sleepily not long after, poured himself a cup of coffee and slumped down onto the couch.
"She doesn't sound good," Mark said. He flung his legal pad onto the coffee table and took a sip of his tea.
"She's really miserable. She was tossing and turning all last night. I don't know what to do about it. She has her appointment at the clinic at 3, but I really wish I could get her somewhere sooner," Roger added, staring into his coffee cup.
"I'm taking Lisa to Mount Sinai around 9, but if you want to go earlier I can get Lisa up and we'll go sooner," Mark suggested.
"Yeah, I'll take Mimi. Do you think you could get Lisa up?" he questioned. Roger stood up and ran into his bedroom and changed into pants and his famous green sweater and exited the room about a minute later. Mark shook his head at him and laughed.
"Don't you ever get tired of wearing that sweater?"
"Don't start with me, Mark. Just get Lisa up, okay?" Roger barked. Mark glared at him. Roger was being a complete asshole lately.
"Roger—" Mimi's voice croaked from the bathroom. Roger stalked off, and Mark headed off to Lisa's room. He opened the door to find Lisa in a dead sleep, her one arm hanging off the bed and the other on her stomach. He automatically felt bad about waking her, but then his brotherly instincts took over and he jumped on the bed. Lisa shot up automatically and glared at him.
"You're such a dork, Mark. Don't do that, it'll make me sick you ass," she spat. Mark jumped down and handed her a shirt and pair of sweatpants.
"What, is it hate on Mark day today? Did I miss that memo? Watch out, Roger's being a real dick," Lisa motioned for him to turn around as she quickly changed.
"I'll take care of him. Unless he wants to be bitched out by me, he better watch himself," Lisa snarled.
"I'm glad I'm not Roger," he laughed. Lisa shot him a glare from the bed.
"You damn well better be thankful," she shot back. Mark backed up in mock horror, but was silenced when he saw how serious she looked.
"Look, Mimi's really sick. She's been throwing up since yesterday, and Roger doesn't want to wait until her 3 PM appointment at the clinic for her AZT refill. I was going to take you to Mount Sinai around 9 anyway to try and get you to see an obstetrician, but he wants to bring Mimi to the ER sooner," Mark replied, hoping he wouldn't get his head bit off.
"Okay—wait? AZT? Isn't that a medication for HIV? Mimi's HIV positive?" Lisa questioned. Mark paused. He swore he told her Roger was HIV positive when he came home briefly last summer, and Mimi had taken her pills in front of Lisa last night, so he automatically thought she knew.
"Shit, you mean I didn't tell you? Roger and Mimi are both HIV positive. I thought you picked up on it," Mark finished. Lisa was just staring at him. She shook her head.
"No, I had no idea. Okay—well I'm ready so, let's go?" she said. Mark noticed the change in her personality once she mentioned HIV, but didn't mention think anything of it. Lisa followed him out of the room into the living room. Mimi, who was very pale, was wrapped up in a blanket and was leaning against Roger, her eyes shut. Mark decided to just throw on a jacket over his pajama pants. The minute he did so, Roger was already up and supporting Mimi out the door.
*//
The subway ride took about twenty minutes, followed by a short two block walk. Mark held the door open for Roger, who was now holding Mimi in his arms, and Lisa. Mark approached the reception desk and smiled at the elderly secretary poised behind it.
"Welcome to Mount Sinai, can I help you with something sir?" she questioned, noting all of their shabby appearances. Roger sighed loudly, looking irritated with all the waiting, but Lisa stepped on his foot.
"Stop it, you're acting like a child," Lisa whispered through gritted teeth.
"Hello? Mimi's sick, I think I'm entitled to act like an asshole," he replied, moving away from her.
"ACT like one? You are one—"
"Bitch—"
Mark shushed them both. "I'm looking for the emergency room and the obstetrics floor," he replied. The woman cleared her throat before speaking.
"The emergency room is right down to your left—" Before she could finish, Roger was half walking, half sprinting down the linoleum hallway. "—And the obstetrics and gynecology ward is located on the fifth floor. Take the elevators down to your right and follow the signs," she added with a warm smile.
"Thanks," Mark replied. Lisa led the way down the hall and pressed the elevator button. The doors opened automatically.
"I hate the smell of hospitals. It's so gross," she muttered, making a face. Mark laughed.
"I hate the smell of hospitals, it's so gross—" Mark mimicked her in a girly voice. Lisa slapped him on the arm.
"Ow," Mark whined, rubbing his arm. "It's clean—"
"Yeah, well you deserve it," Lisa said. "It's still gross," she added as the bell dinged for the fifth floor. They followed the signs to a large, over decorated waiting room.
"Sit down and I'll get the paperwork," Mark ordered. Lisa shrugged and sat herself down in a nearby chair. She picked up the latest edition of 'People' and started flipping through it before glancing around the room. It was far from full. The only people in the chairs were a young couple with a toddler. Mark came back a few minutes later and handed her a clipboard and a pen.
"It's just preliminary insurance information. Your insurance should cover all the expenses—doctor's visits and hospital stays. I told them that you're fifteen weeks and haven't seen a doctor yet. The nurse said someone would be with you right away," he finished before stealing her magazine.
"Hey!" Lisa protested.
"Fill it out," he bossed. Lisa rolled her eyes and started filling out all the information and turned it in. When she sat back down, she looked grumpy.
"What's up?" Mark asked, noting her moodiness.
"They wanted to know who the father was on the forms," she answered.
"What did you put down?" Mark asked. He hoped she hadn't put that poor excuse for a human being down, but he couldn't make her decisions for her.
"I put down David Sergio, but skipped the contact information for him. The last thing I need is for them to be calling him and asking him a million and one questions. I mean, I'm planning on listing him on the birth certificate as well because I'm not going to stop my child from finding him when he or she gets older," Lisa said. She shrugged. She hated trying to explain herself.
"It's up to you. You could always take it off," Mark suggested. He grew bored with the 'People' magazine and put it back on the table.
"Lisa Cohen?" A blonde nurse called out from reception. Lisa looked back and gave him a small smile before following the nurse out of the room.
*//
Lisa followed the nurse down the hall into a small but appealing exam room.
"Here, change into this, and Dr. Wilson will be right in to see you," she smiled, closing the door to give Lisa her privacy. Lisa quickly changed and sat down on the cold exam bed, chattering softly. She hated hospitals—absolutely everything about them. A few minutes later, a knock at the door sounded and the door opened. A woman in her mid thirties approached her, her bleach blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun. She smiled warmly at Lisa and placed her chart and stethoscope onto the counter.
"Hi Lisa, I'm Dr. Wilson, but feel free to call me Heather. I understand that this is your first time seeing an obstetrician?"
"Yeah. I didn't really have time before," Lisa answered. Dr. Wilson nodded.
"You don't have to explain. I'm just glad you finally came to see on. It's extremely important that we monitor the baby's progress throughout the pregnancy," she added, motioning for Lisa to lie back on the exam bed. "You're seventeen, correct?
"Yep—"
"Okay. So let's start with an ultrasound and we can figure out how far along you are," Heather said. She rolled the ultrasound machine over to Lisa and lifted her shirt, spreading some of the gel on her small belly. She flipped off the lights and moved it around, trying to get a good picture.
"That right there—Is your fetus," She said, pointing to a blob about 3 ½ inches long. Lisa looked up and smiled.
"Wow, it's so small," she replied, blinking a few times at the screen. Heather nodded and continued moving around for a bit. "Everything looks excellent, and I'd say judging from this ultrasound that you're about 16 weeks along, or roughly four months. I'm estimating July 14 as your due date, even though you could go sooner or later," She pointed out a few things on the ultrasound for Lisa before printing out the pictures. She wiped the gel off of Lisa's belly and allowed her to sit up before grabbing her chart off the counter.
"Okay, the pictures will be waiting for you at reception, so don't forget to pick them up before you leave. You're now in your second trimester, so morning sickness should subside greatly if it hasn't already. You'll probably feel achier, especially near your abdomen, because the uterus and your ligaments will be stretching to allow more room for the baby. You'll also probably feel the baby start to become more active, so look out for that as well. I'm going to prescribe you prenatal vitamins too. You might feel nauseous with them, but if you eat something before you take them you shouldn't feel too bad. I'd like to see you next month, and please don't hesitate to call if you have any questions, no matter how stupid you may think they seem, Lisa," Dr. Wilson smiled and collected her clipboard before exiting the room. Lisa quickly dressed back in her clothes and walked down the hall and back into the waiting room. Mark practically jumped out of his seat when he saw her at reception and immediately ran up to her.
"You're okay? The baby's okay?" he asked quickly, practically stuttering over his words.
"I'm fine, the baby's fine, can we just go back to the loft?" Lisa sighed. She pocketed her ultrasound photos and prescription and threw her jacket on, brushing past Mark and out the door.
She was so far down the hallway by the time Mark left the waiting room that he had to run to catch up with her. He grabbed her arm and tried to stop her.
"You are NOT fine, so stop pretending like you are," he shouted. Lisa whipped around and glared at him.
"Fine, maybe I'm not fine! I'm pregnant, I'm cold, I'm hungry, and our parents hate me. You never told me Roger was dying, you barely came back to Scarsdale, and who do I run to? You, of all people. YOU. Mark Cohen, the legitimate worrier, dreamer, and aspiring filmmaker. Everybody turns to you with everything, and I feel like I'm this huge burden—that maybe I shouldn't be bothering you with all of my shit, my problems. In six months I'm going to be stuck with a baby—a baby that shouldn't be brought up in a world as fucked up as today's is—without a father or a real family. Guess what? In a few years Roger will be gone too. Who's next Mark? You? Are you going to walk out on me too when everything becomes too much to handle like you walked out of Scarsdale?" Lisa said. She hadn't realized that she was shouting until a few people poked their heads out of the adjacent doors and exam rooms. Her eyes had started to water and she started to rub furiously at them. When Mark didn't say anything, she turned the corner and angrily punched the elevator button. Mark followed her in silence. He had never seen Lisa act this way before, not even when they were growing up as kids. Roger and her had been close, but he never realized that him being sick would have this effect on her. He followed her into the elevator, and when it reached the ground floor he attempted to say something, but Lisa shrugged him off.
Mark was going to wait around and see what was up with Roger and Mimi, but when Lisa blew up at him again he decided otherwise.
"I was thinking we could wait around for Mimi and Roger—"
"You can. I'll take the subway by myself," she spat, not looking back at him. Mark debated whether or not to follow her, but then decided that it probably wasn't safe for her to stalk off by herself.
*//
The subway ride back to Avenue B was completely silent, and it wasn't until Mark stuck his key in the lock that he attempted to say anything else.
"Are you hungry?" he tried, but then remembered he didn't have much more that bread and milk in the loft.
"Nope," Lisa replied, tracing the patterns sewn into the couch.
"Thirsty?"
"Nope—" Mark sighed and started making a grocery list. He was about halfway done when he remembered that he probably didn't have half the money to pay for all of the food. He looked up from the counter and noticed Lisa watching him.
"Did you put pickles on there?" she questioned, looking over his shoulder.
"No—"
"Add it," she prompted. Mark shrugged and scribbled down 'pickles' under 'Tylenol'. Lisa sighed and sat down at the bar stool across from him.
"I'm sorry I went off on you before. I just don't want to lose anyone else, you know?" she said. Grabbing a piece of bread, she popped it into the toaster. Mark nodded.
"I'm not leaving, Lisa," he reassured her. She nodded slowly, before bursting into tears. Mark stood back for a second, contemplating how to handle this situation. He had two options: he could run and stick his head in the nearest hole, or he could stay and try to calm her down. Somehow, running was starting to sound like the best option, but instead he grabbed a few tissues and handed them to her.
"Thanks," she sobbed. Mark shifted uncomfortably on his feet. This was going to be a really long six months.
*//
[A/N: I would have had this up last night, but FanFiction.net wasn't working last night and refused to let me post anything. I have no idea where my idea for Mark's sister came from, but it just popped into my head a few days ago and I decided to just go with it and see what turns out from it. I have a feeling this is going to turn into one crazy story.]