Notes: Thank you to all of the reviewers! I do have something to say though. If you don't like slash, please do not read this. It isn't as if I forced anyone but Chris to read it!
Thank you again to my wonderful Beta Empath and BohemiaLMM for letting me use the plot.
Disclaimer: the usual. I don't own, so don't sue.
By the time we got to Angel's car, Mark had my arm in a vise grip. I had to move it quickly or it was going to fall asleep, so I inched my arm out slowly. Once I had that done, I shook it out, getting the feeling back.
Mark had a little freak out when he wasn't touching me, so he plastered himself to my side. I now had feeling back in my arm, so I placed it over his shoulder. He brought his other side into my chest, and slid his arms around my waist. He was extremely tense, but he wasn't hyperventilating or anything.
Once we got to the front entrance of the Life CafŽ, Mark stopped dead. It wasn't very crowed, but Angel had told me he didn't do very well with people around him. I stood in front of him and brought out foreheads together.
"You okay?" Mark nodded slowly and looked over my shoulder.
A waiter brought us to our table (Apparently we still sat at our old table) and we sat down. I sat at one end with Mark next to me, and Angel, who sat next to Collins as usual, sat next to Mark. Maureen sat down in front of Mark, and the rest of the seats were empty.
We had just ordered our drinks (Angel ordered for Mark), when a little girl with curly brown hair ran up to Maureen's chair.
"Reeny!" The little girl squealed as she climbed up into the chair, flopped down in Maureen's lap and kissed her cheek.
"Hey Britt! Where is your Mama?"
"She's talking to daddy. He didn't have to work cause it's SATURDAY!" The little girl laughed and yelled. She threw her arms to the sides as she said Saturday. She acted a little too much like Maureen. We really shouldn't let her around little children, even if the sight of the two of them was pretty cute.
The waiter returned and took our food orders. Mark inched into me again as the waiter turned his attention to him. He buried his face in my shoulder, and I ordered for him. Once the waiter left, Angel gave Mark a pill to calm him down.
Joanne showed up right before the waiter left to place our order.
"Sorry I'm late! The meeting ran later then I expected." Joanne sat down next to Maureen and gave her a kiss. Maureen pointed me out and Joanne reached over the table. I shook hands with her as she welcomed me back. She politely ignored Mark noticing his position against my shoulder.
The little girl finally noticed I was there. "Who are you?" she asked out of the blue.
"Hi, I am Roger Davis"
"Oh. You're a singer! Mama listens to you a lot!" Maureen was practically pulling her off the table because she was so excited.
Just as I was about to answer, our food arrived. The man set a few plates down and grabbed the little girl.
"Daddy!" She laughed as he sat her in a high chair at the other end of the table.
"Hey Jonathan" A chorus of voices rang out at our table. I assumed this was Mimi's husband. He was an apparent nice guy, just the kind Mimi needed.
"Okay, I have a plate of spaghetti for Collins, a Caesar Salad for Angel, one Turkey sandwich for Mark and a soy burger for... Roger!" Mimi sat my food down and I stood up to give her a hug. Mimi looked good. She has a new softness about her, like she had found her inner peace. I couldn't be happier for her.
I sat back down and Mimi grabbed a chair from the table next to us and pulled it up to the end of the table. Mark latched on to my arm again, so I pulled him into my lap. He rested his head on my collarbone and let go of my arm.
"So, how have you been Mimi?"
"I have been wonderful!" She looked down to the other end of the table and a soft smile appeared on her face. "I got married two years ago to Jonathan." She showed me her ring and I gave an appropriate whistle. "The little girl down there is Brittany, my daughter... well not mine biologically, but I helped raise her."
I looked over to Brittany, who was eating her food and she was an apparently important discussion with Maureen, so she had more food on her then in her mouth.
"She really looks like you Mimi." They did look alike. It was almost hard to believe they were not related.
"Just wait until summer! She tans so much, even I think she looks like she could be mine!"
We talked and laughed together for a while until I noticed Mark had not eaten anything.
I stopped talking to Mimi and placed my hand on Mark's upper thigh. It startled him a bit, but as I went to pull my hand away, Mark put his on top of mine.
I went back to eating as Mimi tried to strike up a conversation with Mark. He just looked into his lap and leaned against my chest. I was almost done when I noticed Mark still hadn't eaten anything. The pills Angel gave him must have ruined his appetite, but it still wasn't healthy to go with out eating. I still had fries on my plate, so I lifted one to marks mouth. He looked at me, and then back to the fry, then he opened his mouth. I stuck the fry in and he ate it.
Mark had gotten a sandwich, so I tore off the end and held it up to his mouth. Yet again he ate it, so I continued to feed him by hand.
Even though Mark had not talked since we left the hospital that did not stop me from talking to him. He would smile at me and laugh silently a lot, so I knew my one sided conversation was not just wasted effort.
I wasn't paying attention to anyone but Mark until some one came up to me and tapped on my shoulder.
A teenaged girl was standing behind me when I looked up.
"Excuse me, but are you Roger Davis?" The girl said with a blush on her cheeks,
Couldn't anyone tell I was busy? Mark and I were having a great time until some one just had to come up and put that fun on hold. I really wanted to tell her no, but I smiled anyway. "Yes." I answered.
"Oh, my God. I love your music! Umm... Would you sigh my CD?"
Great. Just what I wanted to do! Stop paying attention to some one I love to sigh a teenybopper's CD. But as always, I agreed. She held out the case to my second CD and a sharpie. At least she came prepared.
I quickly scribbled out my signature and handed it back to the girl, then, I went back to ignoring her. A few seconds later, she bothered me again.
"Ummm... can I take your picture?"
I sighed and mouthed an apology to Mark before giving her a reluctant "sure".
She took out a digital camera and snapped a picture (not so quickly) and I yet again turned my attention back to Mark. But of course, she didn't leave me alone.
"Mr. Davis... Could you come over and say hello to my friends. We are all huge fans of yours."
I gave her a 'are you serious' look.
That didn't stop her though. She gave me the shittiest puppy eyed dog look and forced her lip to tremble.
Some people are just pathetic.
"I am sorry, but I just got back into town and I am spending time with MY friends right now."
The girl did not look happy at that. He face actually turned an unattractive shade of purple.
"You're mean!" She yelled. Everyone in the Life looked in on us. I could feel the stares on us.
Apparently Mark could to because he whimpered and franticly straddled my lap and buried his head into the center of my chest. I turned all of my attention to Mark, not caring that the girl was still behind me. I stroked his neck and whispered softly to him.
Angel stood up to the girl and said a few things. I really wasn't listening. I knew she stomped off when Angel sat back down.
It was around two when we decided to go to the park and do nothing around there. Mimi was officially off work so she came too.
The walk over to the park was tough. Mark didn't seem to want to have anything to do with people, so I ended up half carrying him when ever people would walk by us, but we made it to the park in one piece.
It was weird not seeing Mark with his camera. He looked so lost without the camera I joked and said was attached to his face and I wanted to give him one right then.
I ended up chasing birds with Brittany. She was a fun kid. She acted a lot older then three, but she still knew how to be a kid. I started thinking up a happy riff for her.
Once we got tired of birds that 'didn't want to play' every one sat under the Willow tree that was in the center of the park.
It was so peaceful here. It felt wonderful to have Mark leaning up against my chest.
We sat around for a few hours and I fell asleep at one point. Brittany started tickling me, so I tickled her back, which started an all out tickle war. Even Mark participated more then anyone expected. Once we were all laughed out we fell into a big pile.
I had Mark's head on my chest, my feet here propped up on Maureen's back and my head was in Angel's lap.
I watched as a lady came past us speed walking and slowed her steps to scowl at us. I pointed it out to Joanne who was next to me. It cracked her up and her laughing caused all of us to start again.
Once the sun started to fall, so did out happiness. Mark had to go back. Once the clock struck eight, he had to be in his room. We tried to put it off as long as possible, but eventually Angel, Collins, Mark and I got into Angel's car (which was still parked at the Life) and headed back to the hospital.
Mark wouldn't sit in his own seat so he sat on my lap again. He was almost asleep when we got to the parking lot, so I carried him into the hospital. I held on to him as Angel went through a routine of checking his arms and putting him back in the issued clothes. I hated being forced to watch as Mark's eyes dimmed as he went through the procedure.
Another nurse came around to make sure Mark was in his room and told us all visitors needed to go. Mark dug his fingers into my arm and held on as tight as he possibly could.
"No no no no no! You can't leave me again! Please don't go!" I looked Mark straight in the eyes and all I could see was pain. "Don't go away from me again!"
The nurse clicked her heel. "Sir, it is time to leave, please exit the room"
Angel came over and tried to get Mark to let go of my arm, but she had no success. "Come on Mark. Let go. He will be back when you wake up. Please Mark, do this peacefully. You know what I will have to do if you don't" Angel looked spooked at what was going on.
I did some quick thinking and came up with a solution that wouldn't hurt Mark.
I pulled his face up to mine and pressed my lips to his. He was shocked, but responded back quickly. He loosened his grip on my arm and because he was still leaning on me, I carefully laid him down, my lips still on his.
I gently broke the kiss and stood up, stroking his hair.
"I love you Mark. I promise I will be here as early as I can in the morning." I kissed him again and he let his hands fall from my arms. I tucked him in under the blankets and kissed his forehead. "Goodnight"
I backed out of the room and I heard a soft "I love you too Roger" before I shut the door.
I turned around and saw Angel trying to keep her tears back. She noticed I was out of the room and came over and gave me a hug.
"Thank you Honey. I was really scared back there. Mark is never like this. I am not blaming you for anything, I actually think he is better then he has been in three years, but I have only had to give him tranquilizers once before. I think it scared me more then him.
Collins came back from putting Mark's stuff in Angel' office and took Angel from my arms. Collins just nodded to me in understanding and cuddled Angel to his chest.
"What time can I come tomorrow?"
"Doors open to visitors at nine, but you can come with me at seven."
"What time does Mark wake up?"
Angel thought for a moment before answering, "It depends if he actually goes to sleep tonight. If he does, then he will be up around eight, but if not then he will be up all night. But, I have a feeling he will sleep tonight."
"Okay, I will be up at six"
"Where are you going to stay?"
"A hotel or somethi-"
"No your not! You still have a room at the loft, so you will be sleeping there."
I smiled and Angel linked arms with me, leading me out to the cars. I drove Collins' and parked it by my car. At that moment, I realized that this trip was more worth it then I expected.
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