WOW! Been SO busy...definitely not going to update a lot. Thanks for the reviews everyone! Keep on reviewing!
Mark and Maureen spent the better part of an hour just sitting and talking at the Life Café. Mark was having a good time, relishing in the relief of being able to sit and talk with his ex-girlfriend as friends without feeling awkward.
But he was also concerned. Maureen started coughing more frequently, and her shivering had not stopped. Her eyelids started drooping mid-conversation.
"Hey Maureen?" Mark asked. "Maybe we should start heading back now." Maureen merely nodded and stood up to go. Mike threw money down on the table and followed her out.
He was glad to see that the rain had let up a little bit, but knew it was still going to be a wet walk back to the loft. Maureen nudged his arm and held his coat up.
"Mark, take your coat back…" she was broken off by two sneezes to the side.
Mark was already shaking his head. "Maureen, no. Keep it on. You need it a lot more than I do right now." He adjusted it around her shoulders again and put his arm around with it. "C'mon...let's try and beat the rain."
They ran on the late-night New York sidewalk, trying to take as much cover from the rain as possible, which wasn't much. As they reached the street sign reading "Avenue A," Mark heard, "Mark?" from his side.
His head turned to find Maureen with her eyes shut and her hand clutching her forehead. "I'm dizzy...can we just..."
Mark guided her over softly to the wall of a building and had her lean up against it, then put the hood of his jacket over her head so she would stay as dry as possible. He waited a minute before cautiously inquiring, "Maureen? Are you alright?" He pulled her hand away from her face, trying to get her to look at him. His fingers grazed her skin and he gasped. Mark placed his hand on Maureen's forehead and exclaimed, "Maureen! You have a fever...oh, you're really not well, are you?"
Maureen slowly lifted her head up and opened her eyes. "Mark, please...I feel like crap, but I can always find someplace else to stay if-"
"No! Maureen, I'm your friend, and I hate seeing you like this." Mark pulled her into a hug and said, "Let's get you back to the loft and dried off. Then you're staying there till you're better." Maureen pulled away, her face full of concern now.
"But Mark," she broke off into a fit of coughs before continuing. "What about Collins? I can't expose him to this!"
"Maureen, don't worry about it," Mark tried to assure her. "Mimi left us a key to her apartment if we needed it. I'll call Collins, explain, and I'm sure he'll be fine staying there, along with Roger and Mimi when they get back, okay?"
Maureen, not totally comfortable with putting her friends out like that, reluctantly nodded and continued down the avenue to the building they both knew so well.
Mark managed to support Maureen up the stairs to the loft, despite her coughing fits and occasional sneezes. He was concerned. She looked so pale...
Mark was finally able to slide open the door to the loft. He led Maureen in and sat her on the couch. "I'm going to get you some clothes, and then you are going to take a nice, warm shower and go to bed."
Maureen giggled. "M-ark...I'm not five you know."
Mark smiled. "No, but you are going to come down with pneumonia if you don't listen to me right now, and I'll have to take care of you. Understand? Scoot!" Maureen didn't move. "Maureen?"
The smile was gone from Maureen's face. "Maybe...I don't need a shower. I'll be fine, promise." But there was something more than defiance in her face. Something was wrong, and Mark knew it. Maureen avoided his eyes, and coughed a few times before Mark said, "Maureen?" He made his way over to the other side of the couch and put a hand on Maureen's shoulder. "Please, what's wrong? Tell me."
Maureen looked at him with tear-filled eyes and said, "Mark, I got there first."
And in an instant, Mark understood.