Part 9
[A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this part posted. I was going through some emotional and personal issues this week, and I wasn't feeling up to writing or posting anything. I'm feeling much better now, so I'll be posting again without a problem. Just a note: I used an online translator for the Spanish translations, since I only speak a little Spanish. I don't know how good the translator was, so if it's screwed up a bit, it's the translator's fault and not mine lol. 3 Mari]
*//
The phone started ringing exactly at 8 o'clock that Friday morning. Mark groggily shifted on the beaten couch and groped for his glasses, then for the phone itself. Not wanting to wake Jackie up, he answered it on the second ring, a very rare task that was completed at the loft.
"Hello?"
"Roger? Is that you sweetheart?" Mark groaned at Mrs. Davis' terms of endearment.
"Sorry Mrs. Davis, it's me, Mark," he yawned, ruffling his hair a bit.
"How are you dear? Do you happen to know where my delinquent son is?"
"I'm fine. Roger went out to get some groceries," he lied. Sure Mark, tell Roger's mother that he's in the hospital with his girlfriend. Do you really want her to show up at your door too?
"Oh. Okay. Well when he gets in, can you pass along the message that I called? I mean it, Mark. He knows how to use a phone," she laughed.
"Sure thing, Mrs. Davis."
"Bye now."
"Bye," Mark put the phone back on the coffee table and flipped over on his side. It had taken him forever to fall asleep last night, so he figured that he could at least try to get in another two hours before anyone else started calling or pounding on the loft door. Not even five minutes later, the phone started ringing again. Mark groaned and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey lame ass, it's your favorite roommate," Roger joked on the other end.
"Great."
"Uh, okay. Mimi's still sleeping, but I just called to let you know that the doctors are gonna discharge her within the hour, so we should be home by eleven latest. I called Benny and he said he'd pick us up, so it's better than taking a cab across town. What's eating you?"
"Nothing. It's just a little early for a warm and fuzzy conversation," Mark grumped. "I'll see you then. Tell Mimi I said hi."
"Later." Roger voiced. Mark poked the screen button on the answering machine and turned the ringer off on the phone. He was definitely going back to sleep now, hopefully without any extra interruptions.
*//
"Hey, good morning." Lisa smiled and drew her arms closer to herself as she walked towards the kitchen. Benny was poised over the stove, having some difficulty flipping what appeared to be pancakes.
"Hey, that smells really great," she replied, kissing him on the cheek. Benny laughed and shrugged.
"I didn't know what you would want, because I couldn't remember if you were still going through the morning sickness and everything, but hell, I was hungry, and I figured that no one could resist my mother's pancake recipe, not even someone who happens to be four months pregnant," Lisa smiled and took a seat at the small kitchen table, starting to pick at the plate in front of her.
"This is really good. Wow," Lisa said. She couldn't help but feel attracted to him at the moment, even though she realized that Mark, then Roger, would kill her if they found out what happened last night. Or kill Benny.
"You're okay with this—us, I mean? If you're not, that's okay—I just wanted to…" he struggled
"Yeah, as long as you're okay with everything. All things happen for a reason, right?" Lisa shrugged. "Let's just not tell anyone yet, I guess. At least not until I turn eighteen in two months. I need to figure out a way to tell Mark without him having a heart attack."
"Good luck with that," Benny laughed. "But I'm fine with everyone not knowing for now. We'll work around it. I'll still be able to see you though, right?"
"Definitely. Mark doesn't have as much control over me as he thinks," she added, rolling her eyes. Benny kissed the top of her forehead and pocketed his keys.
"Okay, well Roger called before and told me that they're releasing Mimi, so I'm going to be the dutiful landlord and pick them both up from the hospital before Roger kicks my ass," he joked dramatically.
Benny left a few minutes later, leaving Lisa to decide whether or not she wanted to go back upstairs or not. She finally figured that she'd be better off taking a shower in Benny's apartment compared to Mark's, and that she would go upstairs after she was done and pray that Mark didn't pick up on anything suspicious.
There was just one problem—thin walls, and the fact that Maureen lived next door.
*//
Roger slammed down the payphone and continued back down the hall towards Mimi's room, staring at the tiling of the floor. He had spent the majority of the night watching Mimi drift in and out of sleep and had barely fallen asleep himself when the doctors informed him at seven AM that Mimi could be released. He hurried down the corridor, unknowingly ramming his shoulder into someone blocking the admit desk.
"Jesus Christ, if it isn't Roger Davis!" Roger looked up and stared at the person walking towards him. "Never expected to meet up with you in a place like this. A bar, maybe, but damn, you look different." Roger laughed when he finally realized who it was.
"Hey Wes, how have you been?"
"I think the question is, how have you been? I haven't seen you around my place for over a year now," Wes said, ruffling his spiky black hair. It was still the same Wes Marcaly that Roger used to know years ago when The Well Hungarians were still together. Wes had introduced Roger to the other band members—Travis, Vinnie, and Evan, but had also hooked up Roger with April and drugs. Roger hadn't seen or heard from any of the former band members since April died.
"I've been okay. Coping, I guess. I don't go out as much as I used to," Roger shrugged. "Not my thing anymore I guess."
"Yeah, I understand. We were all pretty fucked up back then."
"Yeah, we were. Does your uncle still own the bar on 14th street?" Roger asked, trying to make idle conversation. He really wanted to get back to Mimi and see if she was awake yet, but he hadn't seen Wes in a hell of a long time.
"Yep. He had it renovated a few months ago and it's off the hook now. It's a real party place—great for band practice and everything. You should stop by sometime, if you get a chance. Travis and Evan practically live there," he laughed.
"I'll see. Have you heard from Vinnie?" Roger asked. Wes looked down and away for a second before looking back at Roger.
"Vinnie died last year. AIDS. I thought you knew," Wes answered.
"No, I didn't. I'm sorry to hear that." Roger didn't know what to say, so he resorted to staring at the clock on the wall. 'Just like I will,' Roger thought to himself.
"But speaking of Travis and Evan, we've been looking to reform the band for awhile now. We'd have you on vocals and guitar, Travis on backup vocals, and Evan on electric. I'd be the drummer like usual. It would be like old times, I guess. They're supposed to stop by tonight at the club around 10, and it would be great if you could meet up with us. You don't have to give us an answer or anything right away, but it would sure beat the hell out of auditioning for two spots instead of one," Wes practically begged. Roger laughed and rolled his eyes slightly.
"I'll see what I'm up to. I need to bring Mimi—my girlfriend, home from here first and make sure she's okay. Do you need me to bring my Fender?" Roger asked. As much as he hated to leave Mimi, he knew that he needed to get out on his own, away from everybody.
"Yeah, that'd be great. Listen, I need to get back upstairs to Lori anyway—"
"What's Lori doing upstairs?" Lori was Wes' girlfriend from back in the day and had been April's best friend. Roger was almost surprised to hear that they were still together after all the years that had gone by.
"Dude, you really have missed a lot. She had our baby a few hours ago. A girl, Gwen Amber. 7 lbs, 2 oz. I came down here to sign the insurance forms. I'm telling you now, it feels pretty damn good when you bring a child into the world."
'Yeah, you have no idea,' Roger thought to himself. In a little less than eight months he and Mimi would have their own baby. "She's letting you go out tonight?"
"Yeah, especially after I spent 28 hours in labor and delivery with her. I don't think my hand will ever recover enough for me to play the drums," Wes smirked.
"Congratulations, man. Listen, I have to go and see if Mimi was discharged yet, but I'll try to make it for tonight," Roger said quickly. Wes nodded and resumed filling out the forms.
"Yeah, I'll see you then. It was good seeing you, Roger. I mean that." Wes gave Roger a half smile and walked away in the opposite direction.
*//
Roger paused outside the trauma room door, noting how Benny and Mimi were chatting it up like old friends. Benny must have arrived sometime during the twenty minutes that Roger had gone to the payphone, to get coffee, and bumped into Wes. Roger had to admit that every time he saw Benny, there was this pang of jealousy that ran through him, and he could never shake it aside.
"Hey," Roger said, ignoring his feelings and walking over to the other side of Mimi's bed. He kissed her right in front of Benny, hoping that he would take the hint and leave.
"Well, I'm going to get the car. I'll see you out front." Roger smirked. He did.
"Hey. I missed you. Where'd you go?" Mimi asked, her voice still a little raspy from the night before. She was fully dressed and perched on the edge of the bed.
"I went to the payphone to call Mark and to get some coffee. Then I bumped into one of my old friends from the band, Wes. He wants me to drop by his bar tonight," Roger replied. "If that's okay with you, I mean."
"Roger. Jesus, you don't have to ask me if you can go out everywhere. It's fine. Go, have a good time. I'll still be here when you get back," she giggled. "God, I really want to get out of here. I hate hospitals. It reminds me of Angel and…ew, I even smell like it," she pouted. Roger sighed and lifted her chin, kissing her softly. "Mmm, aren't we the Romeo tonight," she moaned softly into his mouth.
"Don't do that," Roger laughed, pretending to push her away.
"Don't do what?"
"That—thing you do with my mouth!"
"Aww, I'm sorry. I don't exactly want to get it on in a hospital either," she giggled. "But um, you better take care of that. Down boy," she poked him in his ribs. Roger looked down and blushed. At the very next moment, a nurse entered the room, wheeling an empty wheelchair in front of her.
"Shit! Great timing, Mimi!" Roger said, blushing an even deeper shade of red.
"Mimi Marquez? The doctor suggested that you be wheeled out when you were discharged, so I'll—oh dear, I hope I didn't interrupt anything. I'll—um, leave this with you then." The nurse smiled and exited as fast as she came in.
"Mimi—" Roger whined, now fully embarrassed.
"If you just calm down, it'll go away. I'm sure they've seen it all," Mimi comforted him, cracking up. She was laughing so hard that tears were starting to form in her eyes. She then walked over to the wheelchair and plopped herself down in it, winking at Roger seductively.
"Great, I have a girlfriend that laughs at me," Roger sulked.
"You have to admit, that was pretty hilarious," she laughed as Roger pushed her out through the doors. "Just wait until I tell Mark."
"You wouldn't."
"I so would," Mimi teased.
"You can forget about that shower then."
"Your loss, not mine…" she smiled, reaching back behind her and brushing her hand against his leg.
"MIMI!"
*//
Around 10 AM, Mark had finally decided that it was completely useless to attempt to try and sleep anymore. He started the coffeemaker and slumped back down on the couch, shuffling through some scattered scripts left on the table. He heard a key turn in the door and looked up suddenly to find Lisa shuffling through the door and past him almost as if he was invisible.
"Hey, where were you last night?" Mark questioned, concerned by the way she walked in the loft.
"Downstairs. I fell asleep at Benny's. Sorry," she responded, heading towards her room.
"Whoa, you okay?" Mark stood up and walked over to her.
"Yes. No…I feel like I have to puke. My back is killing me, I have cramps, I'm fat, and I don't want to be pregnant anymore," she said. "I think I'm just going to lay down for awhile."
"Do you need anything?"
"Just a heating pad for my back and a glass of water. It would be really great if the fucking heat would actual work in this place for once," she snapped. Mark ignored her and went off to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. He returned with it and her vitamins and handed it to her.
"You need to take these," he sighed.
"Did I not just say I felt like I needed to throw up? Sure, I'll just take something that will surely make me lose today's breakfast," Rolling her eyes, she passed Mark's room and noticed Jackie asleep inside. "Who the fuck is that?"
"Jesus Lisa, what's with the attitude?" Mark shot back. "That's Jackie, she works with me now. She needed a place to stay for the night so I let her sleep here. Keep it down, okay? She didn't fall asleep until late last night."
"I wonder why," Lisa smirked. Mark shook his head as Lisa's bedroom door closed. Seconds later, Roger entered the loft, his arm wrapped around Mimi's waist.
"Are you sure you can make it?"
"Roger, I think I'm capable of walking to the couch," she replied.
"Hey Meems. How do you feel?" Mark greeted her, noting how concerned Roger looked as Mimi took a seat on the couch.
"I feel like normal. Much better, just a little tired," she smiled, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ears.
"Yeah, let's just hope we don't have to make any more hospital stops for awhile," Roger added, kissing the top of her head before taking his pills in the kitchen.
"That poor nurse—"
"Don't tell him!" Roger shouted from the sink.
"Don't tell me what?" Mark laughed. "Roger's in a panic, it must be something good."
"It is. He got a hard on right when the nurse brought the wheelchair in for me and she noticed. The look on her face was classic. So was the look on Roger's face," Mimi giggled. Mark stifled a laugh, but stopped when he noticed Roger glaring at them. "Oh, c'mon Rog, you know it's funny."
"Yeah, whatever.
"Aw, baby…" Mimi stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist. "How about that shower?" she winked again. Mimi took his hand and led him towards the bathroom.
"Not too loud, you guys. Jackie's trying to sleep in my room." Mark interrupted.
"Jackie…?" Roger asked.
"She's one of my coworkers. She needed a place to stay for the night and no one was home, so I told her she could stay here."
"Coworkers? So that's what you call them now? Mark scored last night," Roger laughed.
"Shut up. Go enjoy your shower," Mark teased.
"Oh I will."
*//
A few hours later, Roger and Mimi were curled up on the couch together, Mimi's head in Roger's lap. They both had two blankets wrapped around them, considering that the temperature in the loft had dropped about ten degrees in the last hour. Mark had gone downstairs to see if he could borrow Maureen's space heater, and Jackie was still asleep in Mark's bed.
"I seriously the fucking heat is broken," Roger grumped bitterly. "It's freezing in here," he said, pulling Mimi closer to him.
"I know something we could do to warm us up," she giggled.
"Let's go then," Roger replied, eagerly sitting up on the couch.
"In a minute. I want to do something first," Mimi added, shifting down towards the phone. "I'm going to call my mom. Give me ten minutes and we'll go, okay?"
"Yeah, do whatever you need to do."
Mimi stared at the phone before dialing the familiar number she hadn't called in five years. She didn't know why, but she had a strange desire to talk to her mother and let her know she was still alive. After all, her mother made a habit of calling everyone once in awhile and it was Mimi who refused to speak to her. Three rings later, Mimi was contemplating hanging up, but then a voice clicked on the other end of the line.
"Hello?
"Um, Isabel? Is that you? Is Mama there?
"¿Quién es éste? Who is this?" [Who is this?]
"Its Mimi, Is."
"Mierda santa. Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" [Holy shit.]
"No, I'm fine. I'm actually doing pretty good," Mimi replied, smiling at Roger, who was transfixed with the TV and didn't notice.
"When are you coming home? Le falto." [I miss you.]
"I miss you too. ¿Puedo hablar con el mama?" [Can I talk to mama?]
"Yeah, she's right here. Hold on."
"¿Mimi, es que realmente usted? [Mimi, is that really you?]
"Sí, mama."
"¿Dios querido, es usted aceptable? Le falto, amor. ¿Cuándo usted está viniendo a casa? [Dear God, are you okay? I miss you, sweetheart. When are you coming home?]
"No sé. Pronto, prometo. [I don't know. Soon, I promise.]
"Nosotros todos falta usted, sus hermanas y su hermano e i." [We all miss you, your sisters and brother and I.]
"Sé." [I know.]
"¿Usted necesita cualquier cosa? ¿Dinero, alimento? [Do you need anything? Money, food?]
"No, mama. Roger y Mark están tomando el cuidado de mí. Soy aceptable." [No, mama. Roger and Mark are taking care of me. I'm okay.]
"¿Quién tiene Roger y Mark?" [Who are Roger and Mark?]
"Mi novio y su mejor amigo." [My boyfriend and his best friend.]
"Mimi, por favor me dice que usted no esté tomando las drogas más." [Mimi, please tell me you aren't taking drugs anymore.]
"No, mama. Paré. Quisiera que usted supiera algo. [No, mama. I stopped. I want you to know something.]
"¿Qué?" [What?]
"Soy embarazado. Voy a tener un bebé." [I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby.]
"Roger's?"
"Sí—le diré todo cuando le veo." [Yes, I'll tell you everything when I see you.]
"Cuando? Soy feliz para usted." [When? I'm happy for you.]
"Pronto. Cuando me siento mejor. Tengo que ir, mama. [Soon. When I feel better. I have to go, mama.]
"Te amo, Mimi. Nunca paré el amar de usted." [I love you, Mimi. I never stopped loving you.]
"Sé, mama. Te amo también. [I know, mama. I love you too.]
"Déjeme saber cuándo usted está viniendo a casa." [Let me know when you're coming home.]
"Prometo. Adiós." [I promise. Goodbye.]
Mimi hung up the phone and rested her head against Roger's shoulder.
"Everything okay?" he asked, rubbing her arm softly.
"Yeah. I feel a lot better now. You should try calling your mother," she said, kissing him.
"I will. Mark already told me that she called today. Do you want to go lay down? It's probably warmer in there anyway."
"Yeah. I'm tired anyway. I think there's too much excitement going on for me," she laughed. Roger shrugged and picked her up.
"That's why you have me for," he added, resting her on the bed.
"My knight in shining armor," she said, dramatically fanning herself.
"I don't know about that part, but okay," he agreed, kissing her neck.
"Before we get carried away, I really want you to call your mother. Please?" Mimi asked, giving him a pouty look. Roger groaned and walked back to the living room and picked up the phone.
"Thank you, baby." Mimi curled up under the sheets and watched him from a distance.
"Mom? It's Roger…"
*//