CHAPTER SEVEN
(chapter title - Is There Someone For Roger?)
Mark was back at work for the first time in three weeks. Jason had had a high fever and was in the hospital for three days. Both he and Destiny were scared to death, but the tiny baby had pulled through. It was a true miracle as to how his fever had lowered in the second day he was at the hospital. Destiny and Mark had stayed by their son's bedside everyday he was in the hospital. Roger had volunteered to watch Caitlyn while Mark and Destiny were with Jason.
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"Mark? How's it coming with those copies?" Alexi asked, startling Mark out of his daydream.
"What? Oh, fine, Alexi. Almost done." Mark said quickly. She rolled her eyes and headed back to her office just as a young intern came into the copy room. She looked to be about twenty or twenty-one with a slender build. She had long curly strawberry blond hair and hazel eyes. She was wearing a nice three-piece business suit and high heels.
"Hi." She greeted Mark.
"Hi. I don't think I've seen you here before."
"Oh, that's because I'm new. I'm Crystal. Crystal Michelle Stewarts." She stuck out a manicured hand for Mark to shake.
"Mark. Mark David Cohen. Nice to meet you, Crystal." Mark shook her hand and turned his attention back to the copy machine.
"So, how long have you been here?" Crystal asked.
"Too long to remember." Mark told her, smiling slightly. She smiled at him and tossed her long hair over her shoulder.
"Well, I'm almost done here. What about you?" Crystal inquired.
"I have to work another hour - Alexi needs me to make copies and stuff like that." Mark said, getting the papers out of the copier and walked by Crystal to Alexi's office. Crystal went into an office covered in pictures of giraffes, cats, otters, horses and chimps.
"Here you go, Alexi." Mark handed her the copies that he had made while talking with Crystal.
"Thank you, Mark. You know what, you can go home early today." Alexi told him, waving him out with a hand.
"O-kay. Are you sure?"
"Positive. You did some really nice work here today." Alexi smiled at him as Mark exited her office and back to his office. Whistling a happy tune, he entered his office and retrieved some things he needed to take home. He noticed Crystal on her office phone, talking to someone. Shrugging his shoulders, he exited the building and went to get on his bike to ride back to the loft.
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As he carried his bike up the three flights of stairs to the loft, he thought about Crystal. She looked so familiar - like Mimi…nah. It couldn't be - could it? Shaking his head, he opened the door to the loft to see Destiny, Roger, Joanne and Maureen playing with Jason and Sophia. Mark smiled as he put his bike in a corner.
"Hey baby." Destiny greeted him, standing up and walking over to Mark. He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close to him. He took in her scent - she always smelled of peppermint and freshly sliced apples. She kissed him on the lips and pulled away.
"Where are you going?" Mark asked teasingly.
"To the kitchen. I'm gonna order us Chinese. Is that okay with everyone?" Destiny asked. Roger, Joanne, Mark and Maureen nodded as Destiny dialed the number of a local Chinese place.
"Any word from John or Jules?" Maureen asked as she held little Sophia in her arms.
"Yeah. I heard from John yesterday. He and Jules went to see a movie after rehearsing scenes for class." Mark informed the group.
"Jules is doing good. She misses everyone and sends her love." Roger chimed in, excusing himself so that he could walk Lightening before she got restless. As Roger walked Lightening, Mark told the girls about the new intern at work.
"She sounds really nice, Mark." Joanne said as Mark finished. Maureen nodded and went to sit on the couch so that she could nurse Sophia. Joanne smiled and followed Maureen to the couch just as Destiny came out from the kitchen, smiling.
"I ordered Chinese from Jin Su's. The food'll be here between fifteen and twenty minutes…where's Rog?"
"He's out walking Lightening, sweetheart." Mark told her, kissing her cheek as she sat down next to him. She smiled as she laced her hands behind his neck and kissed him.
"Aww. Isn't that cute." Roger said, coming in with Lightening a few minutes later. Joanne and Maureen scooped Sophia and Jason in their arms to get them out of Lightening's way. Roger just kept Lightening on her leash and sat in the armchair next to the couch. Lightening instantly jumped onto Roger's lap and started licking his face.
"Lightening! Quit it!" Roger laughed, pushing her muzzle out of his face. She nudged his hand and whined a bit. Roger scratched her ears as he talked with Mark, Destiny, Joanne and Maureen.
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Back in Michigan, John and Adam were getting ready to go out with Eileen and Jules. The four of them were getting ready to see a movie - The Break-Up.
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"Does this look okay?" Jules asked April, who was flipping through a magazine. Rachael and Melanie were at the library studying and April was waiting for her boyfriend to call so that they could make plans to go out to dinner.
"Hm?" April looked up to see Jules dressed in a long white skirt and a rainbow colored shirt. On her feet, were brown sandals.
"No, Jules. Let me lay out some outfits for you." April got off of her bed and walked to Jules' closet. Looking at the clothes on the hangers, she put a green sleeveless top and a pair of blue jeans on the bed along with a purple and white striped top with blue jeans.
"Take your pick." April said, walking back to her bed and picking up her magazine as Jules went into the bathroom to change.
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An hour later, John, Jules, Eileen and Adam were outside NCG movie theatre in the Eastwood Towne Centre. Adam took Eileen's hand in his just as John wrapped an arm around Jules' waist. This time, she didn't pull away - she only moved closer to him.
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Back in New York, after Maureen, Joanne and Sophia left, Mark walked over to the phone and dialed Crystal's number.
"Hello?" she croaked.
"Hey Crystal - you okay?" Mark asked.
"Yeah - I was just taking a nap. What's up?"
"My wife, my son, my best friend and I were gonna out for ice cream. Wanna come?"
"Sure. I'll come. What time?"
"We're leaving in half an hour."
"I'll be there in twenty minutes."
"We live on the corner of Avenue A and Queens Streets."
"I know where that is. See ya soon, Mark."
"Bye, Crystal."
He hung up the phone and turned back to Destiny and Roger.
"She's coming - she'll be here in twenty minutes." Mark told them.
"Great. I can't wait to meet her." Roger said, frowning slightly. Destiny put a comforting hand on Roger's shoulder and smiled slightly.
"Wait, what about Caitlyn?" Roger inquired.
"She's at a weekend dance camp. She'll be home tomorrow." Mark told his best friend, grabbing his jacket and heading out the door, Destiny and Roger right behind him.
