Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.
My Betas rocks! I love you, empath86!
And I slowly brought up the rear. Angel didn't see me at first; actually I doubt she saw anyone but Collins. She gave him a kiss and he pulled her to against his chest. They were still as sappy as ever.
Angel looked good. She was not pale or sickly as she was when I left. The new AZT must have been a blessing in disguise. Angel still moved with the liquid grace she always had possessed.
"Let me finish up here, then I will take you in. He didn't sleep last night, but I don't think anyone noticed because no one gave him anything. He has been really excited to go out today, for the past week he has wanted to go to the Life." Angel rambled on as she went back to the paperwork at her desk. Maureen followed and sat on the corner of Angel's desk, speaking so only Angel could hear. After a couple of minutes, Angel looked up at me and smiled.
"Hey Roger! Come over here!" I slowly made my way into the room and she met me with a smile and pulled me into a hug. "I've missed you Mark is going to be totally shocked to see you here!"
I pulled back and gave her a smile in return. "I've missed you a lot too, all of you guys. Did you listen to my second CD? Well if you did the song 'Undiscovered" is for you."
"I thought so! Thank you Roger, I really loved that CD. I sure have listened to it a lot! Mark has had me read every thing that says your name to him; he has been keeping completely up to date with everything you do. Sorry, I am babbling. Let's go see him, shall we? We get to take him out today."
Angel quickly walked to the door and ushered us all out.
We were back in the sterile hallways. We turned a corner, and the hallway we walked into had doors.
"Okay Roger, right now, because it is an hour before lunch, everyone is required to be in their rooms. Make sure you don't open any of the doors. The patients in here are insane, and some are violent. Most of the irrationally violent ones are on the next floor up, but some..."
"I wont, promise." I said letting her warning sink in. Mark was here with violent people; I hoped nothing had happened to him so far. Mark was such a calm guy.
And I had no intention of seeing other crazy people. Some of my fans were crazy enough for me, and I had to deal with those people all the time.
We stopped at room 67197 and Angel knocked three times before pushing the door open. She walked in after motioning to us to stay outside. She spoke into the room. I couldn't see anything, but I could hear Angel's sweet voice in a one sided conversation.
She must have motioned for us to come in because Maureen was pushing Collins in through the doorway.
"Marky! How are you baby?" Maureen said going over to the table to put the present and the clothes for Mark to wear latter down.
"Hi Maureen." Mark said looking down at the bed.
Mark didn't look much different at all. He was paler and he didn't have his glasses, but his body was still scrawny and his hair was still dirty blond and messy. His eyes probably had that sad, distant look he got every time I used to yell or I would push him away, but I couldn't see his face.
I moved into the room more and stood by the bed.
"Mark, look who came back to see you." Angel spoke softly to him. She was sitting on Collins' lap who was sitting on the bed.
Mark lifted his head and looked me in the eyes. His eyes wore a look I had never seen on my best friend before. His eyes looked surprised, happy, mad and disbelieving at the same time. At first his face was just blank, the he looked mad.
"YOU ARE NOT MY ROGER!" Mark yelled. Angel reached over to calm him down but Mark pulled away and curled up.
"What?" I responded dumbly, looking at his huddled form.
"MY Roger does not wear designer clothes! MY Roger doesn't care what he looks like!" Mark has tears streaming his face and swiped at them angrily. "My Roger would have come back sooner" He broke down crying and I went over to him.
"You Roger always sang a song for you at every gig. Your Roger always waited for you backstage, even when you didn't come. I never forgot Mark. Every CD has a song for you, every concert I sing one of the hundreds of songs I wrote for you. And, I came back Mark. I am here. I cam e back for you."
Mark's crying slowed and he looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes. I sat down and gathered him into my arms. I hugged his shoulders into my chest and he let his head rest on my collarbone and his eyes fall closed. I leaned back into the wall and pulled him into my lap. We just sat there, me stroking his back and placing small kisses into his hair for a few minutes.
Everyone else in the room was quiet. I wasn't paying attention to any one but Mark. They let us have our time.
BeepBeepBeep
Damn it. Of all times, my goddamned beeper just had to go off.
Mark lifted his head and looked around.
"What is it Mark?"
"Take your AZT."
I smiled at that. It had been so long since the real Mark had been able to nag at me about that.
I pulled my pill bottle out the front pocket of my pants and swallowed one dry.
"Have you been taking them like you are supposed to?" Mark asked, staring at the label of the bottle I still had in my hand. I smiled and rested the back of my head against the wall. I looked around at everyone else in the room. The look on Collins' face was priceless. He looked at Mark like he was an alien imposter... and the fact that I knew what that look looked like told me I watched too many alien imposter movies in my spare time.
I looked to Maureen and she looked mad again. I think it was because Mark has said more to me in a few minutes then he must say to her in a year. I could understand her disappointment this time.
Angel looked shocked, but beyond happy. It must have been hard to have one of your best friends not talking to anyone but you.
"Yah I have." My smile came back at remembering. "Every time my beeper went off, I could hear your voice in my head, telling me to take it."
Mark nodded and took the pill bottle out of my hand. He looked through the orange-ish clear bottle, counting the pills. Once he was done he reached down and placed the bottle back in my pocket. I chuckled and he let me pull his head back down onto my chest.
It felt so good to hold him. This is what I wanted. This is what I came back for.
"Hey guys, I think it is time to go. Lets get out of this place!" Angel jumped off the bed and held her hand out to Collins, helping him to stand.
I gave Mark and soft nudge and held his hips steady as he stood up off the bed. We started to make our way out until Maureen stopped us.
"Mark, you can't go out looking like that!" She went over to the small table where she had sat the present (that went unnoticed by everyone) and the Clothes for Mark to wear today. Mark's eyes brightened and he let Maureen place the articles in his hands.
"You guys go outside and we will be there in a minute. Collins, can you go to my office, and in the medicine cabinet on the back wall there is a box on the top shelf with Mark's name on it. His glasses are in there." Collins set off to follow the request and Maureen and I went to stand outside the door.
We just stood there for a couple of seconds before either of us got the guts to say something. This was the longest time we had been together alone for three years, and we couldn't find the right thing to say. Those few moments were awkward, but they passed as soon as Maureen started talking.
"Look Roger, I am sorry for the attitude I had earlier. I really have missed you."
Maureen... apologized?
"I missed you too Maureen. It was funny now that I look back on this, but when I first got to LA, I had this really bitchy manager, and every time I had to talk to him, I kept imagining what you would say."
Maureen laughed at this. It was good to have almost everyone laughing again. They must have not laughed a lot in the past three years.
"Just don't leave us again Roger"
"I never will." That was a promise I intended to keep. There was no way I would ever leave them again, the last time cost me too much and put too much stress on everyone in the process.
Collins came back down the hallway, cleaning Mark's glasses with a tissue. He stood by us in silence until Angel and Mark came out.
"Ready for this?" Angel asked. She had changed too, and was now in a dress. Maureen must have had clothes for Angel too, because she was wearing a nurses outfit.
Well all agreed it was time to go. Mark came over and slipped his hand into mine.
I just squeezed his hand and we followed the others outside into the daylight.
WOO HOO! Chapter 2! I love finishing Work early! I have more time to write!