Maureen had decided that six and a half months into pregnancy was the perfect time to have a baby shower. And as she promised, it kicked some serious ass.

The first rule, Maureen had decided, was that there would be no boys allowed. Mark, Roger, and Collins were kicked out on the streets to fend for themselves for the afternoon. Since they still didn't know the sex of the baby, Maureen decorated everything in ugly bright orange, rather than pink or blue. She made copies of Mimi's sonogram and pinned them up everywhere. Everyone came.

They all drank (except Mimi) and blasted ACDC through the apartment in hopes of convincing the elderly couple below them to move out so that Mark and Collins could have their place. Mimi had strictly banned all baby-like games. So instead of pin the tail on the donkey (because donkeys were so last year, as Maureen had put it), it was pin the penis on the naked man. They'd even arranged for a male stripper dressed as a baby to come and disrobe to the tune of "It's Raining Men."

Chloe and Jen from Life Support and Michelle from downstairs were the only women there with kids. They fixed themselves in front of Mimi and unthinkingly started telling horror stories about their own birthing experiences.

"With me," said Chloe, "It was brutal. My husband didn't want me to take any of their drugs, so it was pure pane. My flesh literally ripped apart while Charlie was being born. To this day it still hurts when I have sex."

"Oh, God," Mimi said. "Okay, no more stories."

"Wait," said Michelle, "You have got to hear this one. When my twins were being born, Joel came out just fine. Hurt like hell, but it was normal. Then it was Sarah's turn and she was in my uterus all wrong! So my doctor had to reach inside me and pull her out! It was the most painful experience of my life. It hurt so bad that I threw up and passed out. When Sarah was finally out of me, the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck and fingers."

"Oh my God!"

"Yup. And since they took it off her neck first so she would be strangled, it cut of the circulation to her fingers and she lost two of them."

"Well with me," Jen began, "My heart stopped and…"

Maureen's eyes widened as she walked past and heard Jen talking.

"Oh my goodness," said Maureen. "I think it's time for the stripper, right?" Mimi mouthed, "Thank you!" and Maureen nodded. "Hit the lights!" She screamed.

"It's Raining Men" started to play and the stripper did his thing. Mimi wooted and shoved dollar bills into his diaper. Everything was so loud; she didn't even hear the phone ring.

Then she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. It was Joanne. "What's up, girlfriend?"

"Honey, I need to talk to you," Joanne said solemnly. Something was wrong. Mimi could tell.

"What is it?" She said flatly.

Joanne helped her stand and took her away from the stripping and the party. "Let's step outside, kay?"

"What is it? What's wrong?" she kept demanding. They walked into the empty hallway and Joanne closed the door behind them. They could still hear music from inside the flat.

"Sweety, I'm really sorry to be the one to tell you this…"

"Tell me what?"

"It's just, some of the girls overheard when I was on the phone, and I was scared you'd hear them talking about it or something, so I thought I should tell you."

"What is it?"

"Your mother," she said.

Mimi's heart started to race. "Is…she's okay, right! Right?"

"I'm sorry, sweetie. She's in the hospital. That was her doctor…she doesn't have much time. They said they thought you might want to be there with her when she…I don't know. They said she was asking for you."

"No!"

"It's her lung cancer. She'd been refusing treatment…it was just so hard on her. Her friend found her passed out in her apartment this morning…I'm sorry, honeybear. Let's get you to the hospital, okay?"

Tears fell down her cheeks. "I want Roger!" She cried.

Joanne nodded sadly. "I'll find him for you, okay babe? Maureen will go with you to the hospital." She left a shocked Mimi in the hall and left for a few minutes to find Maureen.

They came out and helped her down the stairs. Just as they were about to split up in opposite directions (Joanne to the Life Café to find the boys, Maureen and Mimi to the hospital), Mimi said, "Jo, is this the last time I'm going to talk to my mother?"

She gave a sad, confused shrug and then said. "I don't' know, sweetie. It….might be."

Mimi nodded and went off with Maureen. How could things change so quickly?

After what seemed like forever and a half, they arrived at the hospital. Mimi went to the nurse's station. "I'm looking for Maria Marquez."

"One sec." Said an overweight nurse with a bad crop haircut.

"I'm looking for Maria Marquez." Mimi repeated irritably.

"Room 105. Gosh."

She rushed down the hall and found the room. Maureen pulled her back before she went in. "I'll be in the waiting room," she said. "Want me to let you know when Rog gets here?" Mimi shrugged indifferently. "Okay," said Maureen, giving her a hug. "Stay strong."

Maureen walked slowly down the hall, looking over her shoulder sadly at her friend with great concern. Mimi stood outside the door for a moment. If she just didn't go in…if she didn't face this reality…then it wouldn't be a reality. How could she go in and face her mother? She'd been a terrible daughter. She'd lied about what her boyfriend was like, she'd lied about her life, she'd lied about having HIV. It didn't matter that she'd lied to protect her. It only mattered that she'd lied. Not to mention, she was pregnant and unwed. She could only imagine how ashamed her mother must be. She was such a shit daughter.

She must have stood by the door for a long time, because suddenly Roger was walking toward her.

"Mimi, what is it? Did you see her yet?" he asked, distressed for her.

"I can't do this," she whispered, running to him and weeping into his shirt.

He held her for a moment to comfort her and kissed her head, then held her out at an arms length and gently said, "Go." She knew he was right. She had to do this. "Do you want me to go in with you?"

She shook her head. "This is something I need to do alone."

He nodded. "I'll be right out here waiting."

"I might be a while," she warned.

"And I'll be here," he repeated. "Waiting."

They embraced and she slowly opened the door to her mother's room. Mimi pushed the door open. "Mama?" She too a small step inside. The walls were an ugly shade of mint green and the floor was light blue tiles, which really wasn't working for her. A curtain was drawn partly around one of the 2 beds, in which a very old woman lay snoring.

In the other one lay Mrs. Marquez. Mimi gasped when she saw her. She did not look like the Mama she'd grown up with. Her body, which had once been slightly plump and very strong, was now a thin skeletal-like frame…so fragile that Mimi thought she would break if she hugged her too hard. Her cheeks were pinched and her eyes were sunken, with dark circles underneath. Her hair had thinned from chemotherapy and radiation. It had once been beautiful thick black curls. Now it was gray except for at the very tips, where it was still black. She wasn't even 50. She shouldn't have looked so old.

Tears welled up in Mimi's eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks. Her arms were folded across her ample chest; one of her hands was clutching a pendant that hung around her neck. Mrs. Marquez coughed and her eyes fluttered open. "Mommy," Mimi whispered, lapsing into the informal. She ran forward and into her mother's embrace, which was feeble and weak.

"Hey, Beautiful," said Mrs. Marquez.

"I love you, Mommy," she said right away, knowing the end was very near.

"I love you, too." She patted Mimi's belly. "You're so big! Do you know yet…boy or girl?"

"Ma," she whimpered, "You told me not to find out. I have my sonogram in my purse…I could ask a doctor to tell you if you want."

"No," she said, shaking her head slightly upon the pillow. "I'll know soon enough."

"What do you mean?" Did she think she was going to live 3 more months? Would she? Mimi took her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, chica." That was just like Mrs. Marquez, never to let on how miserable she was. She coughed again. This time she coughed up blood. Mimi covered her own mouth the keep from crying out. This was too much to bear. She started to sob.

"I love you," she said again.

"Oh, I know. Don't be sad, my girl." Her voice was hoarse. "You've got so much to look forward to. So much to hope for."

"Like what?" She almost snapped. Of course her mother thought she had a full life ahead of her. She didn't know…

"My grandchild, honey."

"Your grandchild," she repeated, stroking her round tummy. Mimi grimaced. "I'm worried, though," she admitted. "About the baby. The doctors…they think there's a possibility that something's wrong with it." She couldn't tell her about the HIV, though.

Mrs. Marquez appeared unmoved. "Nothing's going to be wrong with your baby. I promise."

Mimi shook her head. "How could you possibly know?"

"Because," she said, as if it were fact, "I'll be in Heaven soon. And I'll be able to send you a strong healthy little baby. You just need to have Hope. Hope, Mimi. Hope is what keeps us strong, keeps us going. Hope for the best, and you will have the best."

"I just…can't seem to find that hope."

"Well you've got hope in your belly right now. Focus on that." She patted her daughter's stomach and grinned and then coughed.

Mrs. Marquez closed her eyes and Mimi noticed Roger standing in the doorway. "I love you," he mouthed. She offered him a sad smile and gripped her mother's hand harder. She had the two people she loved most near her, and yet she just wanted to lie down and die.

Mimi suddenly remembered something Angel had said to her a few days before she died: "Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end."

As Mimi sat there, stroking her dying mother's withered hand, she hoped hoped hoped with all her strength that Angel had been right.

A/N: Woot, my friends. Sorry this took so long. The birth shall be sooooooon. Don't worry, I won't keep you hanging much longer. But no new chapters until you review. As the most kick-ass writer on ff.n (Dragonwolf) says, "Teacher says that every time someone is polite and reviews, and Angel gets its wings." Dragonwolf knows all.