TWO DAYS LATER

"You sure you don't need anything?" Mark asked Jan softly as he opened the door to her apartment.

"I'm fine," Jan said in an eerily calm voice.

"Are you sure? Because if you need me to I can…"

"Mark-stop. I'm fine," Jan said again, through gritted teeth.

Mark sighed and lowered himself into a chair as they entered the kitchen. "Jan? Did you know?"

"Know what?"

"About the baby?"

Jan was silent for a moment. Uncomfortably she drummed her bitten fingernails across the kitchen cower.

"Jan?"

"I heard you," she said, snappishly, taking her hand off the counter. "Yeah…I knew," she said, looking down at her feet.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Mark asked, softly.

Jan sighed. "I didn't know how to," she whispered. "I was planning on telling you. I swear I was. I just didn't know how to come out and say it. And I didn't know how you would react…whether or not you'd want me to keep the baby."

"Jan, of course I would have wanted to keep the baby," Mark exclaimed. "Why would you think otherwise?"

"I don't know, okay?" Jan said, beginning to tear up. "When I found out a hundred thoughts leapt into my head. Whether or not you'd be happy…or angry, or if you'd want me to have an abortion. There were lots of times that I wanted to tell you, but then chickened out. I just didn't know how to give you the news."

"When did you find out?" Mark asked, quietly.

Jan picked at her lower lip nervously. "A couple of weeks ago."

"Did you go to the hospital?"

"No…I used one of those pregnancy tests you get from the drugstore. I'd been feeling really nauseated lately and I hadn't gotten my period…so I just bought one just to be safe. And then I found out I was."

"You should have told me," Mark whispered.

"I know," Jan said, her eyes slowly filling up with tears. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," he said, coming over to embrace her with a hug.

"It's just that I saw how happy Mimi and Roger are right now…having two babies and getting married soon…I'd just have felt so awful if you weren't as happy as Roger…I just don't know what I would have done."

"Are you upset about losing the baby?"

Jan gave him a look. "What the hell kind of question is that? Of course I'm upset! You think I don't care about the fact that I just lost my baby?"

"No, no…I didn't mean it like that," Mark said quickly, rubbing her shaking shoulders. "I just…I don't know. I don't really know what to say about any of this."

"Alright," Jan sniffed, grabbing a tissue from the center of the table and dabbing at her eyes.

"You want me to stay here with you?" Mark asked, softly.

Jan blew her nose. "Actually, I think it would be better if you left," she said, quietly. "I'd like to be alone for a little while.

"Um…okay," Mark said, in an odd surprised voice. He hadn't expected that. "Do you want me to come by tomorrow?"

"I don't know. If you want to. I'm not going to be able to go anywhere for a couple of days…the doctor told me to take it easy and rest."

"Alright," Mark said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his khaki pants. "I'll see you soon, then?"

Jan nodded.

"I'll call you," he added, as he walked backwards toward the door.

"Okay," she said, in a small voice.

Mark felt a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he closed the door behind him.

***

"Rog?"

"Yep?" Roger answered, keeping his eyes glued to the TV screen.

"Am I showing?"

"You're beautiful, babe," he said, still fixated on the football game playing.

"Roger, you're not looking," Mimi complained, stomping over to the couch.

Roger snapped out of it. "Sorry," he apologized. "What?"

"Am I showing?" Mimi asked, sitting down beside him.

"Huh?"

"Am I showing? Am I getting…you know, fatter?" Mimi asked, with a worried expression as she lifted her T-shirt to show her midriff.

Roger stared. "I don't know, um. I guess so." He placed a hand gently against the small of Mimi's stomach. "What do you want me to say?"

Mimi rolled her eyes. "Just be honest. Am I getting bigger?"

"Hmmm. You're getting a bit flabbier," he teased, poking her in the middle.

Mimi frowned. "Am I really?"

"Let me check," Roger said, placing both hands on her stomach. "Yup, definitely," he said, beginning to tickle her stomach with his fingers.

"Stop!" Mimi shrieked, pulling away from him.

Roger laughed. "Sorry. You're having a baby, Meems. You're going to swell up whether you like it or not."

"Thanks for being considerate," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Why are you asking, anyway?" he asked.

Mimi shrugged. "I don't know. It's not that I just know I'm pregnant…I feel pregnant. I think I even felt one of them kick this morning."

Roger frowned. "Is that possible this early?"

"I have no idea."

"Let me see," he said, tugging at Mimi's shirt.

"If you start tickling me again I'll kick the shit out of you," she warned. "I have zero tolerance right now."

"Okay, okay," Roger laughed, pressing his palm against Mimi's belly. "Uhh…I feel something. I can't be sure of whether it's the babies or if you're just gassy."

"Shut up," Mimi snapped, kicking her foot out of him.

"Jeez, sorry. You really are getting more mood swings."

"Fuck you," Mimi grumbled, curling up on her side.

"How're you feeling in general?"

"Pregnant."

"Other than that."

"Um. Shitty. Nauseated. Disgusting. Whatever you want to call it."

"Did you take any aspirin?"

"Yeah. It hasn't kicked in yet," Mimi said, stretching out more so that her legs lay across Roger's lap.

"It should soon," he assured her.

"Massage my feet," Mimi commanded, raising her foot up toward his face.

"What?" Roger laughed, pushing her foot back down.

"Massage my feet. My back hurts and my feet are swelling up and I feel like I'm gonna hurl."

Roger shook his head. "Talk about dramatic. You shouldn't be having back pain until another month or two at least."

Mimi didn't answer and instead began to obnoxiously nudge at his side with her heel.

"Okay, okay," Roger said, taking her foot in his hand.

"Thank you," she murmured, closing her eyes. "Mmm, that feels good."

At that moment, Mark walked into the Loft.

"Hello, stranger," Roger greeted him.

Mark gave him a small smile. "Hi."

"How's Jan doing?" Mimi asked, opening her eyes.

Mark shrugged. "Weird. I mean it's understandable, after what she's been through. She told me she wanted to be alone. So I came back here."

"I'm sorry, Mark," Roger said. "She should be a little less stonier in a few days."

"I hope so," Mark said, sadly, walking further into the Living Room. He stopped. "What the hell are you doing?"

"He's massaging my feet," Mimi said, her eyes closed once again.

Mark gave Roger a weird look.

"Mimi's being a drama queen and has decided to use the fact that she's pregnant to her advantage. She was bitching to me about whether or not she's gotten any fatter."

Mark couldn't help but smile. "Has she?" he asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"Oh, yes. She's just a regular Jabba the Hut now. Ow!" he exclaimed, as Mimi kicked him in the side.

"You deserved it. Asshole," she growled.

Roger gave Mark a you see what I mean?-look.

Mark shrugged. "Whatever. I think I'm going to go get something to eat. I feel like I haven't eaten since…you know. When it happened."

"Okay," Roger said, in a sympathetic voice. "You need to borrow any money?"

Mark shook his head. "That's alright. Thanks anyway."

Roger gave him a knowing smile. "Okay. Take is easy, okay?"

Mark nodded. "Alright. Thanks."

"I feel so bad," Roger said quietly, once Mark had left.

Mimi was silent for a moment. "Rog?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever get worried that…it could happen to us?"

"What do you mean?"

"That maybe…I might have a miscarriage."

"Has that been bothering you?"

"Well, the thought's entered my mind…but not until Jan had one did I start to really worry about it." She paused. "Do you?"

"Of course I do, Meems. All parents worry about that. Especially when having their first kid. Or two, in this case."

"I just don't know what I would do if that happened to us," Mimi said, slowly.

Roger placed his hand on her growing stomach. "Let's just take it one day at a time, okay?"

"Okay," Mimi said, still seeming unconvinced.

Roger her kissed her on the forehead. "I love you, babe," he smiled. "And I love you two too," he said, patting her stomach gently.

Mimi laughed. "I don't think they can hear you."

Roger shrugged and smiled. "They can."

***

Maureen concentrated carefully on the huge canvas displayed out in front of her. Ever since her niche for painting had been discovered, Maureen and Joanne had cleared out the dining room, which was rarely used, and was now used as Maureen's 'Studio Room.'

Her hair was tied back by an old bandanna tying back her curly strawberry blonde hair, and she was wearing a pair of old ripped jeans and an oversized smock. She'd been working on this one particular painting for about a month now. The canvas was smaller than that of which she was used to painting on, therefore she was almost finished. She didn't allow Joanne to enter the room. Not unless she was there to accompany her. She claimed she wanted to be present to 'Present the painting' to her.

Maureen stuck the tip of her tongue out of the corner of her mouth, and her brow furrowed. "Why do you have to have such an odd-shaped head?" she murmured as she struggled to make her current portrait as lifelike as possible. About half an hour later, she got up to take a break and take a shower. A few moments later, Joanne approached the closed door, and knocked on it gently.

"Honey?" she called, tapping on the door gently. "I brought you something to drink." She paused. There was no answer.

"Mo?" she asked softly, pushing the door open slightly. Once she was a few steps in, she couldn't help herself but enter the room completely. Curiously, she unmasked the canvas that had a heavy sheet over it. She raised her eyebrows. It was a portrait of…Mark. Joanne scrutinized the painting, chewing at her lower lip in confusion. "That's weird," she said, frowning. Why would Maureen be painting a picture of Mark?

Without an answer, Joanne placed the glass of water she's brought with her on the windowsill, where Maureen would see it. Taking one last odd look at the painting before throwing the sheet back over it, she shook her head and quietly exited the room.

***

A/N: Whoooot. Reviews, por favor! As a b-day present! I'm gonna be 15 tomorrow! Hollerrrrrr.