Hey guys! I'm back from Paris, sorry about the long wait, apparently I can't write while on a plane. Well here is the next chapter, more crazyness with Maureen. Angel and Collins will be back inthe next chapter, don't worry. Please read and review! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 11
The Life Café was filled with the usual lunch-time crowd, some lined the bar while others parked themselves around the small tables. Maureen managed to get herself a table in the corner, after flirting with the Maitre'd of course. Once she sat down , Maureen turned the stroller so that Evangeline was now facing her. Evangeline was sleeping again, laying on her back with her little fist under her cheek. The waiter came over and took her order, a beer what else. Maureen then turned her gaze upon the other people in the café. Hoping to find someone to flirt with, so she could get them to pick up her check. To her disappointment no such person could be found at the moment. Maureen bent over to inform Evangeline of her findings or lack there of.
"You're not missing anything honey. All the hot ones must have stayed in today." The waiter brought over her beer, and she drank it slowly. Maureen just started humming to herself while she continued drinking, clearly bored out of her mind. Then a deep male voice pulled her back to reality.
"Excuse me, I don't mean to bother you but your beer's empty. Can I buy you another?" She looked up to see the face that belonged to that voice. He was young probably around 24 years old, he had on a business suit. Maureen found him to be quite attractive, she figured she'd let him sit down.
"Yes, thank you." She pointed to the seat next to her, and he sat down. He signed to the waiter to bring over two more beers. "I'm Sean by the way." He said to her while extending his hand.
"Maureen." She shook his hand before turning back to her empty beer bottle.
"You have a beautiful daughter. How old is she?" Maureen didn't know what he was talking about at first, what daughter?
"Oh, thank you but she's not… She's a month old"
"You look good for a woman you had a baby a month ago." Sean's faced turned a little red after saying this. "Thanks, taking care of her all day is more than enough exercise"
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to her father"
"Bastard left me three months before I had her. Can you believe?" Maureen knew damn well that Evangeline wasn't her daughter, but hey she needed to practice her acting skills on someone.
"That's unbelievable. How could he do that to you?" Sean sounded pretty heated about the whole situation, which gave Maureen an idea.
"I know I was devastated. But actually I'm going to be holding a protest, for single mothers who have been left to raise their children on their own"
"That sounds like a great idea, bring attention to this travesty"
"You should attend and tell as many people as you can. The more people the better. I think I'll hold it next Tuesday at nine, at the lot between avenues A and B"
"Sounds good, I'll be there. Maybe we can get together afterwards?" Before Maureen could answer Evangeline began to cry, she must have woken up sometime during their conversation. Maureen bent over to pick her up, slightly annoyed the baby had interrupted her conversation. She placed Evangeline on her shoulder and turned back to Sean.
"Sorry about this. Come on Eva, mommy's trying to have a conversation." She rubbed Eva's back and bounced her a few times, trying to act as motherly as possible in front of Sean. Evangeline's crying was getting the attention of the other people in the café, while Maureen did love attention she didn't want it to be because she had a crying baby in her arms. Maureen flung her hand into her purse looking for a pacifier. Once Maureen found it she shoved it into Evangeline's mouth. Her crying didn't stop but it was muffled. Sean watched with a look of intrigue on his face, which was mixed with a bit of sympathy.
"Sure, I'd love to. I haven't had a night to myself in God knows how long"
"Sounds great. I'd love to stay here and continue this but I have to get back to work. I'll see you next Tuesday ." Sean got up flashed Maureen a smile and walked to the door, paying the bill on his way. Maureen watched him walk out the door, not realizing that Evangeline had dropped her pacifier onto the floor and was beginning to cry loudly again. Maureen let out a long sigh and bent over to pick up the discarded pacifier.
"Come on Eva, why are you being so difficult ?" Maureen shoved the dirty pacifier into her purse, then placed the wailing baby back into the stroller. She left the café in a hurry, ignoring all the looks being sent her way from the other people.
Once outside and a little down the block, Maureen stopped and looked down at Evangeline, who was still crying. "What do you want from me huh? I took you out, bought you some outfits. What do you need?"
Maureen stared at Evangeline as if waiting for a responds. Then after a few minutes of nothing but crying, Maureen threw up her hands in defeat. "That's it I can't take this anymore. You're going back to Roger"
She took off down the block making a beeline for the loft. Maureen just wanted to be rid of the crying, her heels clicked as she picked up her pace. Evangeline's crying had gotten so loud that it was becoming ear piercing, Maureen thought she was going to run out of air.
Finally she reached the loft. She picked up the stroller and carried it up the stairs, she didn't care about how heavy it was. Maureen reached the door and was immediately met but a concerned looking Roger.
"Jesus Maureen what did you do to her? I heard her crying the whole way up here"
"And you couldn't come down and help me carry this crap up the stairs." Maureen pushed her way into the loft, leaving Evangeline on the threshold , and threw herself on to the couch. Roger pulled the stroller in and lifted up Evangeline.
"One o'clock, I must say Maureen you lasted longer than I thought you would"
Maureen shot him a nasty look before replying "Shove it Davis. Ah, I can't stand that sound! I don't know how I put up with it during lunch. I'm getting out of here"
With that she shoved her way passed Roger again, throwing Evangeline's pacifier at him on the way.
"Oh Eva, what did she do to you?" He placed Eva over his shoulder, and walked towards the couch. "It's ok you're out of that witch's hands. Shh, come on baby."
He placed his hand on the back of her neck and realized she as burning up. Thinking it was from the weather he went over to the kitchen sink and put some cold water on her neck. It didn't do much, she continued crying and clawing at his shoulder. He couldn't think of anything else to do but take her to the hospital. Roger was a little hesitate about going to the hospital, seeing as the last time he was there Angel almost died. But he had no choice, something was wrong with Evangeline.
"Don't worry sweetheart, everything's going to be fine." Roger took her to the county hospital, knowing that they took care of those who didn't have health insurance. He rushed threw the ER door and ran to the nurse who was at triage.
"I have a very sick baby, I need to see a doctor right away"
"Ok sir, if you would just take a seat I'll try to get hold of one of the doctors." She got up and headed back to the exam rooms. Roger was still trying to get Evangeline to stop crying. The ER was surprisingly empty, so the nurse come right back and signed for him to follow her. She lead him to exam room three.
"The doctor will be right with you. But if you could fill out these papers that would be great." He took the forms from her and began filling them out. After what felt like forever the doctor finally walked in. He took the papers from Roger and then addressed him in a dull tone.
"Alright Mr. Davis, what seems to be the problem." Ok so he didn't get an A in bedside manner, but Roger didn't care.
"Well she has a fever and she won't stop crying"
"It's probably just a cold, but let me check her out." He looked at her ears, and throat, then turned back to Roger. "Yeah just a simple cold, there's nothing you can really do but keep her cool and give her fluids. If her fever doesn't break in the next few days bring her back and well see what we can do then."
Roger dismissed the fact that this guy could have cared less about the whole ordeal. He just wanted Evangeline to get better, then the nurse from early come in carrying a bottle.
"Here give her this, it will calm her down a little so she will stop crying." Roger gave Evangeline the bottle, at least this stopped the crying. The nurse walked him back out, informing him on the way about how he could care for Evangeline. He thanked her for everything and headed back towards to loft, hoping Evangeline would be better before her parents got home the next day.