No Day But Today
DISCLAIMER: I do not own RENT or anything affiliated with it.
A/n: Sorry about forgetting the spacers in the last chapter. I'll try to fix that ASAP!
Roger walked into the hospital room and sighed. He'd been there for the past three days, hoping for Mark to get better. He still looked like shit, and nothing seemed to be working at all. Roger shook his head and sat down in a chair next to the bed.
"Maybe you should go home for a while… get some sleep," Maureen suggested from across the room. "I'll stay with him. Besides, it would be really bad for you to end up in here, too."
"I'm fine," Roger said. Maureen shook her head.
"Roger, you look like hell warmed over. At least go home and take a shower," she replied. Roger ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.
"Fine," he said, standing up. "Call me if anything changes."
Mimi sat on Mark and Roger's couch, with Roger's head in her lap. "I'm scared," he said. "Mark's supposed to outlive all of us… he's not supposed to get this sick."
"I know. He'll be okay, Rog. It's pneumonia, and he's strong," Mimi replied, running her fingers through Roger's wet hair. She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "I need to go get ready for work."
"I wish you'd find somewhere else," Roger said. She smiled.
"I've looked, babe. The Cat Scratch is it for now," she replied. She thought it was cute that he worried about her. "You should get some sleep."
"I need to get back," Roger relied. "They'll lock me out for the night if I'm not there."
"Roger, you need to take care of yourself too. Mark'll be okay for one night without you," Mimi said. "Besides, Maureen's with him."
"It's just… he was always there for me, during withdrawals and everything. Now he needs me," Roger replied.
"But you aren't going to be any help to him if you get sick," Mimi reasoned. Roger just nodded.
"Okay." Roger sat up and turned to kiss her. She returned the favor and got up to change. Roger went into his bedroom and lay down on the bed. Surprisingly, he was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.
"Hey Pookie," Maureen said, brushing the hair out of Mark's face. "How're you feeling?"
"Like shit," he muttered. She smiled and held his hand.
"You'll start feeling better soon. Your fever's breaking," she said. He just nodded and closed his eyes again.
"Where's Roger?" he asked.
"I made him go home and get some sleep. He's been here for three days straight," Maureen said. Mark nodded.
"Good." He opened his eyes. "You didn't call Cindy, did you?"
"No, Marky. We weren't sure you'd want her to come," Maureen said. Mark just nodded.
"Thanks."
Roger slid the door of the loft open, expecting to see Benny. Instead, Cindy glared back at him. "Where's my brother, Davis?"
"Not here. I don't think he really wants to see you, either," Roger replied. Cindy just shook her head.
"Tell me where he is, or I'm going to stay here until he shows up," Cindy said, pushing her way into the apartment.
"You'll be here a while," Roger said, crossing his arms and standing by the door. "He won't be home for a few days at least."
"Roger, tell me where he is."
"The hospital. But like I said, he doesn't want to see you," Roger told her.
"Why the hell is he in the hospital?" she asked.
"He has pneumonia. Has since he got back from Scarsdale," Roger told her. "In case you didn't realize, he had to walk here from the bus depot. Twenty blocks. In the middle of December."
"If he wasn't being such an ass, that wouldn't have happened," Cindy said. Roger just shook his head.
"God, Cindy, do you not get it! There's a reason Mark doesn't go home for Christmas, and it isn't because of money or anything else he might have told you. He can't stand you! Hell, the only person in your whole family he could stand was your mom, and now she's gone!" Roger yelled. He and Cindy had never gotten along well.
Cindy looked taken aback. "He never…"
"You never let him. You've never listened to him, Cindy," Roger replied.