[AN: Oh my goshness! So sorry it took sooo long. It's short, but
hopefully the drama will satisfy all my faithful reviewers! Mwah!]
Maureen sat rigidly in her chair in the waiting room. All she could think of was order. Cleanliness and order. That's all that surrounded her. The green carpet and stiff, pink chairs reeked of Pine Sol.
She leaned over towards Mimi who was casually flipping through a magazine."Why are doctors' offices so clean? It makes me nervous," she whispered. Mimi giggled quietly.
"You'd think you'd be used to it after living with Joanne." Maureen cringed at the mention of her ex-girlfriend. "Oh. . .sorry. I didn't want to. . ."
"That's ok." Maureen was distracted by a woman who just entered. Her stomach was enormous, and she looked ready to explode within seconds. "Damn. . .am I gonna look like that?"
Mimi glanced up. "If you go through with this. . .then, yeah."
"If I go through with this. . ." Maureen repeated the words to herself and stared off into space. Mimi put a hand on her arm to bring Maureen back to reality.
"Just calm down, ok?"
"I'm nervous. I can't help it. I hate doctors. . .they give me the creeps." She shuddered for effect.
Mimi leaned back in her chair and sighed. "You look tired."
"You'd be tired too if you were up having a visit from last night's dinner at 2 am."
"Ewww," Mimi squealed just as a nurse with a clipboard entered.
"Maureen Johnson," she called.
"That would be me." Maureen stood and started walked to the doorway. She whirled around towards Mimi. "Aren't you coming with me?!"
"Well, I didn't think. . ."
"Please!" Maureen pleaded with her puppy dog eyes. Mimi gave in and followed her.
--------------------------------------------------
Mark and Roger raided the cupboards of the apartment.
"Jesus. There's nothing here," Roger groaned.
"So what will it be? Crackers or Jello?" Mark held up a box. Roger grabbed the crackers from him.
"Mark! These expired two years ago!"
"Well, crackers are crackers. It can't be that bad." He opened up the box and peered in. "Ugh. Never mind." Mark turned on his camera and directed the lens into the box of crackers. "Zoom in on old crackers. . .or what used to be crackers." Roger made a disgusted face. He was getting ready to throw a handful of marshmallows in Mark's face when the door flew open revealing Mimi and Maureen with grocery bags.
"I can go through with this! That's it! I'm getting an abortion!" Maureen dropped her paper bag and it ripped. Soup cans rolled all over the kitchen floor. She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door.
Mimi set the grocery bags she was holding onto the counter. "Mo. . .you haven't even thought about this. . ."
"I don't care! And who are you to tell me what I think about?! It's my body, and it's my baby! I can do what I want!" Maureen's voice was muffled through the bathroom door.
"I just don't want you to do something you'll regret. . ." There was silence from the other side of the door. Mimi let out an exasperated sigh and sank onto the kitchen floor next to Mark and Roger. They stared at her blankly for a moment.
"Guess it didn't go so well," Roger said as he pulled Mimi into his lap. She let her head drop onto his shoulder.
"It went fine actually. She's just. . .confused now."
"I thought the mood swings didn't start until next month," Mark commented which resulted in a punch from Mimi.
"Ow," he whined as he pretended that it actually hurt.
Roger kissed Mimi's head. "Thanks for bringing us some food." He motioned to the soup cans spread all around the room. They all laughed.
"Well. . .let's just say that our food has been arranged. . .artistically," Mark grinned. "We almost resulted to eating moldy crackers. Mimi peered into the old cracker box and grimaced.
She rolled her eyes. "The things men eat. . ."
---------------------------------------------------------
Everyone was silent. It felt like a funeral. Technically, it was.
"Why are we letting her do this? Please remind me," Mimi whispered to Roger. He shrugged and turned to Mark who avoided his gaze. Even Collins was there with the pathetic group.
"God, you all look like it's a fucking funeral," Maureen groaned. "You're making things worse."
They all cleared their throats awkwardly. She was right. All of them had gathered in the loft before Maureen left for the hospital for her abortion. Roger and Mark had decided when Maureen announced her decision that it wasn't really that bad. It would avoid the inconveniences of a baby. Mimi shuddered just thinking about that conversation. Inconveniences. It sounded like something unwanted you'd find in your soup. . .not a baby. But Mimi had to support Maureen. . .no matter how crazy or spontaneous her decision was. Collins just seemed all together neutral.
"Well, we should get going. I have to be there by 3:00. Bye." Maureen seemed as though she wanted to make a quick exit from this depressing group. No one could blame her.
Mark made a move to give her a hug, but decided on a handshake instead. Roger and Collins mumbled their departing words, and Mimi walked Maureen out the door.
--------------------------------------------
The phone rang at 4:30. Mimi put down her toe nail polish and walked on her heels to the phone to avoid smudging.
"Hello?"
"Oh, Mimi. Thank god it's you."
"Mo?"
"Mimi. . .oh my god. . .Mimi. . ."
"What's wrong? Did something happen? Did something go wrong?"
"No." There was a pause on the other line. Mimi could hear Maureen sniffling.
"Honey. . ."
"I need you to come get me."
"Sure. Um, why? What's going on?"
"Just come, ok?" She hung up.
Mimi left a note for Roger and left for the hospital.
------------------------------------------
Maureen was sitting outside on a bench.
"Jesus. Mo, it's freezing. You could have waited inside." Maureen shook her head and climbed into the car next to Mimi. She didn't say anything for several minutes, until Mimi worked of the courage to get her talking.
"So how did it go?" Maureen avoided the question at first, then her bottom lip began to tremble, and soon the tears were pouring from her eyes.
"I couldn't do it. I just couldn't, Mimi. I can't."
Mimi swallowed and nodded without taking her eyes off the road. "Ok." It was the only thing she could think of to say.
"I'm sorry that I'm screwing up your life, Meems."
Mimi turned to her friend. "Don't say that."
"It's true. God, Mimi, you let me move in with you guys. And I know Roger hates me. . .don't deny it. And now I'm just making things worse for everyone by having this baby. . .I'm sorry. I just couldn't." She buried her face in her hands. "I was scared."
Mimi pulled up in front of the apartment building and rested her head on Maureen's shoulder. "Don't do this to yourself. Everything is gonna be fine. And they're all going to support you no matter what."
"I hope so."
Mimi hated giving people false hope.
Maureen sat rigidly in her chair in the waiting room. All she could think of was order. Cleanliness and order. That's all that surrounded her. The green carpet and stiff, pink chairs reeked of Pine Sol.
She leaned over towards Mimi who was casually flipping through a magazine."Why are doctors' offices so clean? It makes me nervous," she whispered. Mimi giggled quietly.
"You'd think you'd be used to it after living with Joanne." Maureen cringed at the mention of her ex-girlfriend. "Oh. . .sorry. I didn't want to. . ."
"That's ok." Maureen was distracted by a woman who just entered. Her stomach was enormous, and she looked ready to explode within seconds. "Damn. . .am I gonna look like that?"
Mimi glanced up. "If you go through with this. . .then, yeah."
"If I go through with this. . ." Maureen repeated the words to herself and stared off into space. Mimi put a hand on her arm to bring Maureen back to reality.
"Just calm down, ok?"
"I'm nervous. I can't help it. I hate doctors. . .they give me the creeps." She shuddered for effect.
Mimi leaned back in her chair and sighed. "You look tired."
"You'd be tired too if you were up having a visit from last night's dinner at 2 am."
"Ewww," Mimi squealed just as a nurse with a clipboard entered.
"Maureen Johnson," she called.
"That would be me." Maureen stood and started walked to the doorway. She whirled around towards Mimi. "Aren't you coming with me?!"
"Well, I didn't think. . ."
"Please!" Maureen pleaded with her puppy dog eyes. Mimi gave in and followed her.
--------------------------------------------------
Mark and Roger raided the cupboards of the apartment.
"Jesus. There's nothing here," Roger groaned.
"So what will it be? Crackers or Jello?" Mark held up a box. Roger grabbed the crackers from him.
"Mark! These expired two years ago!"
"Well, crackers are crackers. It can't be that bad." He opened up the box and peered in. "Ugh. Never mind." Mark turned on his camera and directed the lens into the box of crackers. "Zoom in on old crackers. . .or what used to be crackers." Roger made a disgusted face. He was getting ready to throw a handful of marshmallows in Mark's face when the door flew open revealing Mimi and Maureen with grocery bags.
"I can go through with this! That's it! I'm getting an abortion!" Maureen dropped her paper bag and it ripped. Soup cans rolled all over the kitchen floor. She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door.
Mimi set the grocery bags she was holding onto the counter. "Mo. . .you haven't even thought about this. . ."
"I don't care! And who are you to tell me what I think about?! It's my body, and it's my baby! I can do what I want!" Maureen's voice was muffled through the bathroom door.
"I just don't want you to do something you'll regret. . ." There was silence from the other side of the door. Mimi let out an exasperated sigh and sank onto the kitchen floor next to Mark and Roger. They stared at her blankly for a moment.
"Guess it didn't go so well," Roger said as he pulled Mimi into his lap. She let her head drop onto his shoulder.
"It went fine actually. She's just. . .confused now."
"I thought the mood swings didn't start until next month," Mark commented which resulted in a punch from Mimi.
"Ow," he whined as he pretended that it actually hurt.
Roger kissed Mimi's head. "Thanks for bringing us some food." He motioned to the soup cans spread all around the room. They all laughed.
"Well. . .let's just say that our food has been arranged. . .artistically," Mark grinned. "We almost resulted to eating moldy crackers. Mimi peered into the old cracker box and grimaced.
She rolled her eyes. "The things men eat. . ."
---------------------------------------------------------
Everyone was silent. It felt like a funeral. Technically, it was.
"Why are we letting her do this? Please remind me," Mimi whispered to Roger. He shrugged and turned to Mark who avoided his gaze. Even Collins was there with the pathetic group.
"God, you all look like it's a fucking funeral," Maureen groaned. "You're making things worse."
They all cleared their throats awkwardly. She was right. All of them had gathered in the loft before Maureen left for the hospital for her abortion. Roger and Mark had decided when Maureen announced her decision that it wasn't really that bad. It would avoid the inconveniences of a baby. Mimi shuddered just thinking about that conversation. Inconveniences. It sounded like something unwanted you'd find in your soup. . .not a baby. But Mimi had to support Maureen. . .no matter how crazy or spontaneous her decision was. Collins just seemed all together neutral.
"Well, we should get going. I have to be there by 3:00. Bye." Maureen seemed as though she wanted to make a quick exit from this depressing group. No one could blame her.
Mark made a move to give her a hug, but decided on a handshake instead. Roger and Collins mumbled their departing words, and Mimi walked Maureen out the door.
--------------------------------------------
The phone rang at 4:30. Mimi put down her toe nail polish and walked on her heels to the phone to avoid smudging.
"Hello?"
"Oh, Mimi. Thank god it's you."
"Mo?"
"Mimi. . .oh my god. . .Mimi. . ."
"What's wrong? Did something happen? Did something go wrong?"
"No." There was a pause on the other line. Mimi could hear Maureen sniffling.
"Honey. . ."
"I need you to come get me."
"Sure. Um, why? What's going on?"
"Just come, ok?" She hung up.
Mimi left a note for Roger and left for the hospital.
------------------------------------------
Maureen was sitting outside on a bench.
"Jesus. Mo, it's freezing. You could have waited inside." Maureen shook her head and climbed into the car next to Mimi. She didn't say anything for several minutes, until Mimi worked of the courage to get her talking.
"So how did it go?" Maureen avoided the question at first, then her bottom lip began to tremble, and soon the tears were pouring from her eyes.
"I couldn't do it. I just couldn't, Mimi. I can't."
Mimi swallowed and nodded without taking her eyes off the road. "Ok." It was the only thing she could think of to say.
"I'm sorry that I'm screwing up your life, Meems."
Mimi turned to her friend. "Don't say that."
"It's true. God, Mimi, you let me move in with you guys. And I know Roger hates me. . .don't deny it. And now I'm just making things worse for everyone by having this baby. . .I'm sorry. I just couldn't." She buried her face in her hands. "I was scared."
Mimi pulled up in front of the apartment building and rested her head on Maureen's shoulder. "Don't do this to yourself. Everything is gonna be fine. And they're all going to support you no matter what."
"I hope so."
Mimi hated giving people false hope.