Mark ran to the hospital as fast as he could. He had just gotten the phone call, a very cryptic one, but an urgent one no less. And he couldn't believe this was happening.

When he got to the small hospital he found that Roger, Mimi and Joanne were there, all looking somber and upset.

"I got here as fast as I could," Mark said, "What happened?"

"Collins attempted suicide," Mimi said softly.

"Oh god." Mark's knees buckled, and he sat down in one of the lobby chairs and put his head in his hands.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"The doctors don't know. They say that, if he survives, he'll have extensive brain damage," Joanne said.

Mark sighed with frustration. If only he had been there…he could've stopped him.

But that was useless to think. No one knew Collins would go that far. And no one was to blame.

-Tell Us-

MARK: No one knew it would come to this…

JOANNE: How on earth could it come to this?

ROGER: Why did it have to come to this?

MIMI: Was it supposed to come to this?

MARK: We should've recognized it, guys. We should've seen the signs.
He was quiet and somber all the time, ignoring mail, bills and fines.
Angel, where are you? Why didn't you come?
We need your help now, don't let him succumb.

JOANNE: Why didn't we see it? This is just wrong.
The despair in his voice, the sadness in song.
Please, pull through, and stay here still.
If we lose you, the hole can not be filled.

ROGER & MIMI: The times we live in are unpredictable
There's so much that could go right or wrong, so
Be sure to cherish the time that you've got
Don't let your spirit burn away or rot.

Learn to love, and learn to let go
Learn to move on, learn to let pain show.

ALL: Secrets bottled up inside
That shouldn't be kept, that shouldn't hide
Will only lead to hurt and pain;
They'll eventually make you go insane.

Share with friends, please, don't leave now
We're so confused; where, why, and how?
Open up, and with us you'll stay,
Tell us your fears, and they will go away.

GIRLS: Secrets bottled up inside
That shouldn't be kept, that shouldn't hide
Will only lead to hurt and pain;
They'll eventually make you go insane.

GUYS: Share with friends, please, don't leave now
We're so confused; where, why, and how?
Open up, and with us you'll stay,
Tell us your fears, and they will go away.

ALL: Wake up, and with us you'll stay…
Tell us your fears, and they will…go…away.

There was a long time of silence after a while, when finally Mark asked "Joanne, where's Maureen?"

"Oh!" Joanne gasped, as if she just remembered something, "I left her with Angelina!"

"Who?" Roger asked.

"It's a long story," Joanne said, and grabbed her purse and coat.

"What's going on?" Mimi asked, confused.

"To be brief, Maureen and I have a kid."

"What!" The others asked incredulously.

"C'mon. I've gotta get to our house, I'll explain on the way."

When Joanne had told everything that happened and they all arrived at her house, they found Maureen sitting on the living room floor playing with blocks and a little girl was fast asleep on a rug beside her.

"Maureen!" Joanne asked, "How're you doing? Is everything okay?"

"She's fine!" Maureen said, not looking away from the magnificent block tower she was building, "She went to sleep about fifteen minutes ago."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So stop worrying." Maureen then realized that the others were there with Joanne.

"How's Collins?" She asked in a more serious tone.

"Not good," Joanne said simply, and sat down next to the sleeping child.

"So…you guys really got a baby?" Mark asked, still in disbelief. He had never thought of Maureen as the motherly type.

"Yes. Don't make it sound so…materialistic. We didn't "get" her, we took her in to raise and love and cherish!" Maureen said.

"Well, congratulations," Mimi said, "I'm sure she'll be very happy here."

"She's cute," Roger said, "Nice choice."

"We liked her name," Joanne replied, picking the little girl up and putting her in a nearby crib. Everyone smiled after Joanne said this, each remembering Angel.

Mark walked into Heavenly Delights and took the same table he always did. This time, he looked around to see if Amy was here. He had forgotten to take her number out of his jeans pocket before he washed it, and so now this was his only hope of meeting her again.

After ordering a coffee and drinking about half of it, he heard the door open, its little bell tinkling cheerfully. Mark looked up, and Amy had just come in – her eyes scanned the café, and when she saw Mark, she smiled.

"Amy! Hey!" Mark said, bolting out of his chair and heading to her, "Sorry I haven't called! I kinda…washed your number." Amy laughed.

"I was afraid I'd scared you off," She said, brushing her hair out of her face, "It's good to see you again."

"Good to see you too."

…

Awkward silence.

"So!" Mark said, after the two stood there uncomfortably by the doorway, "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to have…dinner…some…time."

"Sure!" Amy replied quickly. They both smiled.

"Er, I don't have that much cash, but we could have dinner at my place," Mark said helpfully.

"Sounds wonderful."

"How about tonight? Say, seven?"

"I'll be there," Amy said, and Mark gave her his address. He said goodbye and quickly left the café, flustered and blissful.

A/N: I certainly hope no one gets mad or upset, should anything or anyone die in the story...but that's how it works out, what I figured was best for the plot.

As the Billy Joel song says, "And So It Goes."