Chapter 16
[A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Love you all! 33]
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"So that's the last of the forms then?"
Jackie sighed and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, signing Harvey's name on the bottom line, since his arm was casted.
"Yeah. Thanks," Harvey answered.
Mimi and Mark were still sitting in chairs, Mark standing up every few seconds to see what Jackie was doing. It was after 1 AM, and still she hadn't returned.
"Stop it. Leave her alone for two seconds," Mimi scolded gently. "She's been through a lot."
"Yeah. I know. I just don't know what to say to her." Mark slumped down into the seat some more and Mimi stood up. Natalie flat lined about forty-five minutes ago, and ever since then Jackie had been stuck in admit filling out forms.
"Look, if you don't mind, I'm really going to head back to the loft. Roger's probably worried, and I'm feeling kind of sick," Mimi said, pulling her coat back on. "Tell Jackie…tell her that I'm sorry? I don't know, what are you supposed to tell people when someone dies. I'm not very good at it…"
"Yeah. I don't know either, but I'll think of something. Just be careful, okay?"
"I will." Mimi bent over and kissed Mark lightly on the cheek before strolling out of the emergency room.
"Hey Jac?"
"Yep?" Jackie looked up and noticed Harvey cradling something in his free hand. She put down the pen and handed the forms to the nurse.
"This was uh…she wanted you to, you know, have this." He dropped the silver bracelet into her hand. Jackie fingered it lightly before putting it into her pocket.
"Thank you."
"I got a hold of the funeral home and everything. I don't know who exactly is gonna come, but I requested a closed casket and everything. The um, the funeral is Wednesday…well tomorrow morning now. I hope this doesn't sound selfish, but I just want to get it over with." Harvey cleared his throat and looked down at his feet.
"I know," Jackie answered, kissing his forehead. "What about flowers and everything? And the gravestone?"
"The funeral home said they'd take care of the flowers, but I gotta tell them what I want on the tombstone. They said they'll put a temporary one up for now, but I want a nice one for her."
"Of course." Jackie glanced around the waiting room, which was practically deserted in their section.
"I want her buried near April, okay? I mean, I do. I think it would be right. But um, I'm just going to talk to the doctor again about my painkillers and then finish up around here, but if you want, you can go home…"
"I don't mind staying," she answered.
"I know that, but I'd rather I spend some time alone."
"That's fine. I'll put into a call to Bertrand and let her know, about everything. Rehearsal should be off for awhile."
"Thanks Jac. I'll call you tomorrow morning." He turned away from her and hobbled down the hall and out of sight. Jackie pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and shoved her hands in her pockets, taking a final glance at the ward she was standing in before entering the waiting room. Mark practically jumped at her when she came walking in.
"Where's Mimi?"
Mark looked at her curiously. She was acting as if nothing had happened—like it was just a routine visit to the hospital. Understandable in a way, but strange all the same. He'd probably be acting the same way—mad at the world.
"She uh, wasn't feeling too good so she went home. She didn't want Roger too worry. How are you?"
"How would you be?" Jackie phrased back at him, walking ahead of him.
"I don't know how I would be," Mark answered honestly.
"The funeral's Wednesday. I'd appreciate it if you could get everyone together and have them come, for moral support I guess. I don't mean to be blowing you off or anything, but I'm going to head back to my apartment and clear my head a little bit. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Jackie it's storming out," Mark replied logically.
"I know. I need to go," she said, kissing him on his cheek.
She was gone.
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Jackie stepped off of the subway, wrapping her arms around herself. She trudged through the eight inches of snow that had fallen before reaching her apartment building complex. This couldn't be happening. Everything had started out as a perfectly routine Monday. Their daily emails, Mark's crazy ransom joke, Josh following her home. The accident. Now Natalie was dead. It all seemed so fucking final. Jackie angrily dug around in her coat for a few seconds before realizing that she had left her purse at Mark's place. Great.
"God fucking dammit," she yelled out, digging her spare key out from underneath the flowerpot. She roughly shoved the key in the door before kicking it open. Flinging her coat onto the couch, she bolted the door behind her and ran into her bedroom. She took a seat on the edge of the bed and started rummaging through her nightstand drawer, pulling out the packet of papers she was looking for ten minutes later. She picked up the cordless phone and dialed the numbers listed on the paper, and before long, a voice came over the line.
"Newark International Airport, how may I help you?"
"Hi, um, I need a one way ticket to Sydney, Australia for a Thursday departure. I don't care what airline."
"We can put you on American Airlines Flight 1001, departing from Newark at 5:40 PM and arriving in Los Angeles, California at 8:40 PM PST. There would be an approximate 1 hour, 50 minute layover, with the next flight departing from Los Angeles at 10:30 PM and arriving in Sydney, Australia at 6:10 AM…"
"That's fine. Book it please." Jackie dug through the drawer some more and pulled out her credit card, prepared to read the number to the operator.
"The total cost comes to $1630. How would you like to pay for this?"
"By credit."
"All right, your name first."
"Jacqueline Ferrell."
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Roger coughed softly, the freezing air burning his lungs. 'Great, just what I need, to get sick.' He practically ran the rest of the way down the block, just because he knew that a decently warm loft was better than freezing out on the street. It was 5:30 when he left Wes and Lori's, meaning it was probably pretty close to 6 o'clock right now. He took the stairs two at a time, which was a task in itself, since he was beyond exhausted and had a few drinks which impaired him even more. He removed the key from his pocket and gently creaked the door open, hoping that he could sneak in quietly enough and play everything off. He realized that he was very wrong when he was greeted by just about everyone, minus Benny, in the loft. The lights were on, causing him to wince a little.
"Guys? What's going on? It's 6 AM. Either I missed out on one great party, or I missed something," he joked.
No one responded right away. Collins and Dan were sitting side by side on the couch, their hands entwined. Mimi had her head in Collins lap and her feet in Maureen's and she was sniffling softly. Mark's head was rested on the kitchen table, his feet curled up underneath him.
"Hello?" Roger walked over and knelt in front of Mimi, brushing a few curls out of her face.
"Where were you?" she asked angrily.
"I went out with Wes after work. I'm sorry I didn't call," Roger apologized.
"I thought you said you wouldn't! Goddammit Roger." Mimi cursed under her breath. Mark shot his head up and sighed.
"Can we please not witness this right now?" he asked calmly. Maureen stood up and wrapped her arm around his shoulders and kissed the top of his forehead.
"Collins?" Roger asked. "What's going on?"
"Jackie's friend Natalie died in a car accident last night. Her boyfriend was taking the car for a quick run down the street, they hit some ice and they were broadsided by an SUV on the passenger's side. She flat lined about an hour later. They couldn't save her. Jackie isn't picking up her phone, and she hasn't come back for her purse either. We're just worried about her," Collins answered. That's Collins for you. Knows how and when to say it to get it through your head.
"I didn't know." He propped himself up next to Mimi and she reached out for his hand. Roger took her hand into his and rub back and forth, and soon enough she's laying in his lap and not Collins.
"It's not your fault sweetie. No one could have prevented what happened last night," Maureen smiles in my direction.
"I'm going to call in to work and tell them what happened if they don't already know. Maybe I can take some time off to be with Jackie, or go out on assignment leave."
Assignment leave was basically where Mark was assigned a shooting assignment and given a certain amount of time to complete it in, usually anywhere from a week to two months. At the short lived jobs he's worked at before, he used to be out on leave frequently. The job suited him well and was much better than being cooped up in an office all day.
"Yeah, okay."
"Are you tired?" Mimi whispered, her brown eyes searching my face in concern.
"A little. You?"
"Very. Come with me? I've been up all night." Roger nodded in agreement and Mimi wrapped her arm around his waist, leading him toward their bedroom. Roger shut the door and stripped down to his boxers as Mimi took off her own shirt, climbing into bed with her bra and sweatpants on. Roger noticed that her stomach was definitely starting to pooch out now, and the prospect of him becoming a father was starting to hit him.
"What?" Mimi laughed, noticing him staring at her stomach. She reached over and took his hand, placing it on her belly. "I know you can't feel much of anything until I get farther along…" She shifted closer to him and rested her head on his chest as he wrapped his other hand around her back, kicking the blankets up over them.
"It's incredible."
"I know. I'm sorry I yelled out you before." She sighed and traced the tattoos along his arm before kissing them gently.
"I deserved it. I stayed out too late. I didn't know…"
"I know. There's nothing we can do now. Mark's going to try and convince Jackie to move in with us," Mimi added. "He thinks it would be good for her."
"It probably would. I have to tell you something later, about the reason I stayed over Wes' so long last night." He could feel her tense up underneath him and laughed. "It's nothing like that baby. You know I never would."
"I know. It's nothing bad, is it?"
"No. I'll tell you about it some other time." He kissed her and shut his eyes.
"Love you Roger," she yawned, before curling up against him.
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"Well," Maureen sighed picking at a strand of her hair. "I guess there goes Roger's and Mimi's surprise."
Collins rolled his eyes and had to laugh at Maureen's pouty expression. "We can still surprise them, just after they wake up. You don't mind, right Mark? I mean, the reservations are already made…but if you want to put it off because of everything that happened last night, I understand."
Mark stood up from the kitchen counter and threw his coat on. "No, it's fine. Just wait until I come back in a few hours. I'm gonna go and see if Jackie's okay. I should be back by 10 latest." Mark slipped out the door, and Collins walked into the kitchen and returned with two cups of coffee.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? I thought pregnant women weren't supposed to travel anywhere by plane," Dan added cautiously.
"It's fine. I checked it out with Mimi's doctor too. They said that as long as she's past the first trimester, which she will be by the time they leave, and if she feels up to it, she's perfectly fine to travel." Maureen gloated.
"Here we go. Somebody get out the balloons," Collins joked.
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"Hello?" Jackie said, groggily answering the phone. She had fallen asleep on the couch, the travel papers still in her lap.
"Hey," Harvey answered. "Did I wake you?"
"Kind of, but I didn't get more than an hour or two of sleep anyway. How are you?"
"I'm dealing. I just wanted to let you know that the mass is scheduled for 9 AM tomorrow morning, and the burial follows around 11. Jac…this is really hard."
"I know sweetheart. Um, I got a hold of Bertrand last night after I got home. She went as far to reschedule the spring productions for August."
"That's a relief. I um, want you to know something."
"Okay."
"After the funeral I'm going to stay in Los Angeles for awhile with my sister…probably for a month or two. I booked it about ten minutes ago."
"That's weird. If I tell you this, you have to promise not to tell Mark or anything," Jackie said to him.
"Okay. Promise."
"I'm leaving for Sydney Thursday night and I don't really know when I'm coming back, if I come back."
"Jac. You're kidding, right?"
"No, I'm serious. That's why I don't want Mark to know."
"So you're going to sneak out of the country and leave this guy who's crazy about you and never see him again? Are you insane? Jackie."
She sighed and placed the phone on her other ear. "I know, but I don't know what else to do. I don't want to be here right now."
"So take him with you. Tell him you're going and ask him. I saw the way he looked at you when I met him that one day. He'd do anything for you. All you have to do is ask."
"I don't know…I guess I could, but I already booked the flight. Plus, his friend Maureen is leaving for California on the 1st. I don't think he'd want to leave without seeing her off."
"Just ask him and see what he says. Try to get some sleep, okay? Natalie wouldn't want us sitting around on our asses moping."
Jackie hung up with Harvey a few minutes later, standing up to stretch. She was still wearing the jeans and sweater she had on last night, and was in desperate need of a good shower. Before she could move down the hall, her doorbell rang.
"Excellent timing," she muttered, unlocking and opening it.
"Hey…I um, know you need some time alone, but I figured you might be hungry, so I uh, brought you something to eat," Mark stuttered, handing her the bag of bagels.
"Thanks. Come in, you look like you're freezing," she smiled. "I didn't know you knew where I lived."
"Your address was listed on my copy of the resume, so I figured…"
"Mark stop. I'm glad you came," she said quietly. "I'm sorry I ran out on you last night." Mark took off his coat and then placed his arms around her waist, pulling him closer to her.
"I understand. You look like you didn't get much sleep," he added, kissing her forehead.
"Neither do you. Did you stay up all night?"
"Yeah. I was worried about you. I couldn't sleep," he grinned sheepishly.
"I'm sorry. I was just about to take a shower and change, so if you want you could get a head start with breakfast or you could join me," she suggested. Mark shrugged and followed her down the hall.
"I could really use one anyway. Not like I'd pass up the offer to be with you. It's every little boy's fantasy," he joked.
"Uh huh. Well how about I make that fantasy a reality?" she laughed, throwing a towel at him. She paused for a minute and stared off into space.
"It's okay to laugh Jac."
"I know. It just feels wrong. C'mon," she said, taking his hand and leading him into the bathroom with her. "I guarantee that my water stays warm for more than ten minutes."
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"God, he's out like last year's Prada shoes," Dan laughed, pointing to Roger's bedroom door. It was true—Roger was snoring pretty loudly, and Collins knew well enough that he'd be out for several more hours. It was close to 9:30, and Maureen had taken over the role of breakfast maker, flipping pancakes and frying bacon in the kitchen.
"Well, if the smell of food doesn't wake him up, then I don't know what will." Collins chuckled to himself before throwing more paper into the wood burning stove, which was rarely used anymore.
"Mimi won't like that. She says smoke makes her sick now," Maureen called over. Collins shrugged and lit it anyway.
"We can always put it out. Besides, she's sleeping and it's cold."
"Don't say I didn't warn you. Come and get it boys!" she shouted, running her hands under water.
"Mo aren't you leaving for California soon?" Dan asked, shoveling pancakes into his mouth.
"Yeah. I started packing yesterday. I still have to talk to Benny about my apartment. I don't know if I want to keep it or not. Chad kind of likes it," she smiled.
"So keep it. It's not like we get new tenants frequently," Collins chided, taking a sip of his orange juice. He folded down a section of the paper and scanned it briefly.
"I'm going to get a blanket. Get the door someone!"
Collins kicked back his seat and walked over quickly and opened it, surprised at who was standing on the doormat.
"Hi."
"Lisa? Oh god. Dan, I need some help over here!" Collins shouted over, grabbing Lisa's elbow and steadying her. She was visibly shivering from head to toe, her arms wrapped around her body in an attempt to warm herself. Her lips were tainted blue, and she had the appearance of someone that had been living on the street for weeks. In fact, Collins was sure she had been living on the streets. "Maureen!" Maureen ran out, blanket shoved under her arm.
"Lisa?! Oh my god! Honey what happened to you?" Maureen cried out. Collins picked her up and placed her on the couch. He tried to take her coat off but she shook her head.
"No. Cold…don't tell Mark, he'll kill me. I've been lying to him this whole time, he'll kill me," she whispered softly. "Don't tell him." Collins placed his hand against her forehead.
"She's burning up," he verified. Maureen looked up at him in shock.
"You and Dan stay on the other side of the room and open the windows. We don't know what she has and get Roger and Mimi up…shit…then…wait a minute, Dan do me a favor and run some hot water in the tub right now…shit I can't think!" Maureen screamed out. "My mother's a nurse and I can't remember what to do!"
"Calm down Mo. I'll get Roger and Mimi up. Then Maureen, go grab as much ice as possible out of the freezer from up here, then go down to my place and your place and get more from there. Use the snow outside if you have to, but stick it in the freezer up here. We'll put her in the ice first to bring her fever down, and then we'll run the hot water to help stop her shivering. It makes more sense that way, since the fever will be down a little and the warm water will keep her muscles warm." Collins ran into Roger and Mimi's bedroom, and Maureen and Dan lifted Lisa onto their shoulders and helped her into the bathroom. Mimi started pulling off her coat and scarf when Dan returned with the ice and dumped three ice cube trays into the tub.
"Lisa sweetie, look at me," Maureen said gently. Lisa was starting to close her eyes and Maureen had to keep shaking her to keep her awake. "We're going to put you in the tub now, okay honey?" It wasn't working. She was still drifting in and out of consciousness. "Lisa. How many months pregnant are you?"
"Lisa looked up slowly and stepped into the tub with Maureen's help. "Six…" Maureen helped her into a sitting position and placed a towel over body from the chest down, just in case Collins, Dan, or Roger happened to barge in.
"Do you know what you're having?" Maureen asked. Collins poked his head in and set a bucket of steaming water in front of the tub.
"I got this from my place downstairs. I figured you might need it. I brought the thermometer too." Roger peeked over Collins' shoulder and tried to push his way in.
"Lisa?!" he shouted through the door.
"Roger I don't want you getting sick!" Maureen shouted at him. Roger barged in anyway.
"I don't give a fuck!" He knelt next to the tub and reached into it, grabbing her hand in his and rubbing it softly.
"Roger…I don't want you sick," she said, trying to pull her arm away from him. Roger held his grip and flipped it over, noticing bruises track marks up and down her arm. Lisa pulled away and started sobbing quietly in the tub, rubbing her wrist.
"The fuck is that Lisa! How could you do that to Mark! Jesus Christ," Roger shouted. Collins pulled him up and towards the door as Maureen got in his face.
"You go and fucking sit out there and cool off! She doesn't need you yelling at her right now!" Maureen yelled. "We've gotta figure something out!" She pushed Roger out and shut the door in his face. "Oh sweetie don't cry. Nobody's mad at you right now."
"Roger is!" she sobbed. "And when Mark finds out he's going to kill me! Then he'll tell Mark and he'll kill me!"
"Nobody's going to kill anyone. Here, let me take your temperature," She stuck the thermometer under Lisa's tongue. "102.1. You should start to feel better soon, once your temperature comes down."
"Uh huh." Lisa was shivering again and now rubbing her hand over her stomach.
"Lisa? What's wrong?" Maureen asked, smoothing down her hair.
"Maureen, I think…I just had a contraction. I don't know, but it really hurts. I remember when Cindy had her baby…" Lisa shivered again, and Maureen figured that now would be the best time to get her out of the tub.
"Collins! Can you do me a favor and grab one of Roger's t shirts and hand it to me, and then maybe bring me a pair of his sweatpants?" she asked. She could hear Roger and Mimi arguing in the background and at the same time the loft door opening and Mark's voice interrupting anyone. "Shit."
"What's going on guys? Why does everyone look so panicked?" Mark asked, taking off his coat. Jackie was clinging onto his hand, and her eyes were red rimmed and puffy.
Lisa started sobbing again and grabbed onto Maureen's sleeve. "Please don't let him in here. I don't want him to see me like this. He'll hate me," she cried.
"Whose Maureen talking to in the bathroom?" he asked curiously. Roger stood up and beat him to it, throwing his body against it to block the door.
"Uh, no one?" Roger said unconvincingly.
"Move it." Mark attempted to slip under Roger's arms. Jackie was sitting on the couch with Mimi, eyeing the scene in front of her, while Collins had handed the shirt and sweatpants to Roger.
"Mark you can't freak out, okay sweetie?" Maureen said through the door.
"Okay."
"Lisa's here."
"She is? Let me see her," Mark said, a tone of excitement in his voice.
"You might want to call 911 first. She's in labor."
"WHAT? She's only six and a half months pregnant!" he shouted. "Maureen lemme in!"
"Can you let her get dressed first? Roger?" Roger sighed and moved Mark out of the way so Collins could get the clothes to Maureen.
"I'll get on the phone right now," Collins added.
"Here. Let me help you out and we'll get you to the hospital, okay? Then you can tell everyone what happened later on." Maureen wrapped her arm around Lisa's back and helped her out of the tub. She pulled the sweatshirt over her head and helped her step into the sweatpants before tying her hair back with a rubber band.
"I don't want to tell him Maureen," Lisa said. Maureen smiled quickly before placing Lisa's arm around her neck.
"I'm on hold!" Collins shouted, slamming down the phone in frustration.
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Maureen opened the bathroom door and helped Lisa out, who was practically falling asleep on her. Mark immediately rushed over and grabbed her other arm and put it around his neck, leading her to the couch.
Lisa sat down and winced. "Mark it hurts. It shouldn't hurt, it's too soon." Mark sighed and started rubbing her stomach for her.
"I know it's a shitty time for introductions, but Lisa, this is my girlfriend Jackie," Mark said. Jackie smiled politely, looking as if she didn't know what she was doing with these people. "I know it hurts. You don't have to tell me anything right now, but I want to know later, okay? You can tell me anything."
Lisa started shaking her head and crying again. "I can't, I can't tell you this. You'll hate me," she cried.
"Okay, here's what we're doing. Mark, you and Lisa are getting in the back of my Acura so she can stretch out. I don't know; act like you're her Lamaze coach or something. I'll drive, and Roger and Mimi can squeeze in the front seat together. Somebody either get on the phone with the yuppie landlord or Collins, Dan, and Jackie are going to have to take the subway to the hospital."
"Subway." Collins and Dan said simultaneously. Jackie shrugged, and Mark looked over and rubbed her hand.
"I think that's a better idea. I don't want him involved," Mark added.
"Okay. We'll all meet at NYU admit in half an hour. Whoever gets there first makes sure the doctors know that Lisa's coming and tell her that she's in preterm labor and has a fever of 102.1. Got it?" Everyone nodded. When Maureen took charge, you either followed or suffered the consequences. "Okay, and regroup! I'm going to get some towels!"
Mark pulled Jackie aside as Roger held her hand through the next contraction. "You're okay?"
"I'm fine. I want to be there for you now." Mark kissed her before she ran out the door with Collins and Dan.
"Mark, catch!" Maureen stated, throwing a stack of four towels at him. "Roger, do me a favor and carry her down the stairs, can you manage that, or do you still have a stick shoved up your ass?"
"Yes M'am," Roger saluted. "Okay, put your arm around my neck and just lean back when I pick you up, okay?"
"Okay." Roger picked Lisa up effortlessly and started down the stairs with her, Maureen handing him a towel in case. Mimi slipped on her coat and followed after Mark, shutting the door to the loft. Maureen was already at the bottom and had started up the car and was now shoving snow off the windshield with Mimi's help.
Roger put her down and with Mark's help on the other side, he placed her into the car. Lisa situated herself so that her head was in Mark's lap and her feet were pulled up a bit. Maureen came in back and handed Mark a few towels "just in case". Roger took a seat in the passenger side and pulled Mimi onto his lap, his arms wrapped protectively around her stomach.
"You okay baby?" he asked, kissing her on the cheek.
Mimi nodded slowly and rested her head against his. "Yeah. It's just so scary. That could be me, you know?"
"I know."
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"Just work on your breathing, okay sweetie? Breathe with me," Maureen said, imitating the breathing technique for her. She was speeding down the slushy roads and had volunteered Roger as her driving partner.
"I'm trying," Lisa said, gripping Mark's hand. Mark wiped at her forehead with the towel, and minutes later it was drenched with sweat again. He was rubbing her stomach for her again with the opposite hand, hoping it helped her relax some.
"Fuck," Mark cursed under his breath. "Hey Rog, how about you hold her hand for awhile."
"Nope, my hands are definitely more valuable than yours." Roger turned around and winked at him.
"I'm sorry Mark," Lisa said quietly, bracing herself for another contraction.
"No, no, I was just kidding. Trying to lighten the mood. How are you feeling?" he asked, helping her sit up a bit.
"I really wish I was born with a penis right now," she said, causing Roger to cough, and then laugh out loud. "Stuff it Davis."
Maureen pulled in front of the emergency room five minutes later. Just as the car screeched to a halt, Mark was out the door and helping Lisa out and into a wheelchair that Roger had claimed in the 60 seconds since they had arrived. Maureen ran in front of them and smacked the admit desk to get the head nurse's attention. Unfortunately, she also got the whole waiting room's attention too.
"Lisa, you can't go to sleep," Mark said, trying to keep her awake. "Do something Roger."
"Can we help you?" the nurse asked, glancing down at them all.
"My friend Lisa is six and a half months pregnant and is in labor. She has a fever of 102.1 last time we checked," Maureen blurted out. The nurse nodded and took over the wheelchair, taking her straight to the elevators.
"Someone informed us she would be arriving. We have a delivery room ready upstairs. Which one of you is the father?" she asked, scanning all of them, her gaze landing on Roger.
"Oh no, sorry. I'm just a friend." Mimi linked her hand through his and sighed softly.
"I'm her brother and her legal guardian," Mark said, lying about the legal guardian part. He knew that if he didn't say that, the hospital would be on the phone with their parents in no time.
"Can I have the ages of yourself and your sister then?"
"I'm 24, Lisa's 17." The elevator stopped at the 8th floor, and everyone got out to find Collins, Dan, and Jackie sitting in chairs directly in front of them. They all rushed over, but the nurse shooed them away with her hand. "I know you all may be friends with her, but I can only have a total of two other people in the delivery prep room. So pick and choose amongst yourselves if you must." She wheeled Lisa into the room and helped her get changed into the hospital gown while everyone waited outside.
"Mark, you and Maureen go. She'll need another female in there. No offense Mimi," Collins said.
"None taken."
"Okay. Yeah. Do not, under any circumstances, call my parents. I mean it Roger."
"And why would I do that?"
"I actually don't know, but just don't, okay?" Mark said.
"We'll be in the waiting room Mark," Collins said, attempting to usher everyone away down the hall. Jackie stayed behind and gave Mark a quick hug.
"You'll do great. She's going to be fine," she reassured. Mark kissed her and smiled before letting her go. Her rejoined Lisa, who was already sitting up in bed and had an IV in her arm. Maureen was sitting on the edge of her bed, rubbing her hand back in forth.
"Hello, I'm Doctor Tyler, and I'll be in charge of…Lisa Cohen today," a female voice said brightly. Mark stood up to shake her hand. "From what your friends told me, you say you're six and a half months pregnant and have a fever. I'm going to ask you both to step out so I can examine Lisa and draw some blood, then we'll go from there."
A few minutes later, Dr. Tyler stepped out and closed the door behind herself. "Okay, Mr. Cohen, your sister is definitely in active labor. We can try and start her on drugs to stop the labor, but she's already five centimeters dilated and 100% effaced. We'd like to do an ultrasound, and possibly prep her for the epidural if that's what you'd like. She's just short of 28 weeks, which is farther along than I assumed when she came in. It looks like she's been in progressive labor for at least a full 24 hours or so, which isn't that uncommon in teen mothers. We do have a full NICU facility at this hospital, and a team of specialists will be waiting to take the baby once it is born. I'm going to run these tests down to the lab, and then send the anesthesiologist this way. I'll be back in half an hour to check on her progress, and until then, a nurse will be on call to attend to your needs".
"The epidural is fine!" Lisa called through the door. The doctor laughed and walked down the hall. Mark turned to Maureen and sighed, taking her hand in his.
"Here we go…"
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