I told you guys I would have this chapter up today. Chapter 5 might take a while, but I promise not to abandon this one! I have finals coming up and all that, so it could be a while before I get back to writing. Anyway, here is the next chappy! ENJOY! Please review.
Disclaimer: I don't own RENT! Never have, never will!

Chapter 4 – A surprise visit

Maureen suddenly awoke to her cell phone ringing beside her head. Stumbling to answer it before it stopped ringing; she finally was able to press the green talk button.

"Hello?" her voice sounding harsh as she spoke into the phone.

She covered her eyes from the sunlight that peeked its way into her room. Sleep and sickness still found a home in her body and she just wanted to go back to bed.

"Hey, how ya feeling?" the voice on the other end asked her.

A smile formed on her face in response to the sound of the person's voice, but soon vanished as she gave him an answer.

"I'm not gonna lie, I feel like I have been hit by a bus," she said, hearing a knock at her door.

Groaning, she reluctantly got up from her bed and trotted her way to the door. Unlocking the door, still talking on the phone, she opening it revealing Benny with a phone pressed to his ear. They both shut their phones off and smiled at one another.

"What's this?" Maureen asked, looking at the many things Benny held on a tray in front of him.

"Well," he started, "I knew by the way you were acting last night that you weren't going to feel better in the morning, in fact you were probably going to feel worse. This is stuff that my mom used to give me when I didn't feel good when I was little, so I thought that I would bring them to you since you don't feel good. Let's see, we have Chicken Noodle soup, Ginger Ale, Orange Juice, Aspirin, Kleenex, and Cough Medicine."

"Aww…thanks," Maureen whispered, her voice not cooperating at all.

Benny just smiled and led Maureen to the living room. Making her lie down on the couch, he grabbed the nearest blanket and covered her with it.

"Benny, you really don't have to do this," she said, being babied made her feel useless.

"I know, but I want to. You don't need to worry about it," he replied, handing her the remote to the television set that sat across from her.

He bent down and kissed her on the forehead, the feeling of her elevated temperature touched his lips.

"Mo, you're burning up," he said as he pressed the back of his hand to her forehead to assure what his lips had felt. "Here take these." He went over to the tray of items and grabbed the aspirin. "I'll go get you something to drink," he told her as he handed her two of the pills and went to the kitchen, grabbing the Ginger Ale as he walked past it. He came back a few minutes later with a cup in hand and motioned for Maureen to drink it.

"Thanks," she said to him, putting the cup on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Not a problem," he replied, taking the opportunity to sit down when Maureen got up to go to the restroom.

She walked back with gray lounge pants and an oversized NYU sweatshirt on. She smiled at Benny watching TV, and the fact that he didn't even hear her enter the room.

"Watcha watching?" she asked him, shaking him from his trance.

She trotted back toward the couch and laid down, using Benny's lap as a pillow.

"The Real World, I think," he answered, laughing.

"I love this show," she told him, making herself comfortable on her newly found pillow.

Benny smiled at the head that lay on his legs as he put an arm around her waist, making her lean into him more. Using his free hand, he absentmindedly played with her curls.

Benny noticed her breathing getting deeper, which told him that she was asleep. He gently grabbed the remote in her hand, trying not to wake her. She stirred as she felt the item being removed, but she did not wake. He surfed the channels until he came upon a Knicks game. They were playing the Lakers and we ahead by two in the second quarter. Getting bored with the basketball game, Benny decided to go to the store to make something for Maureen when she woke up. He slowly and gently got up from the couch, trying not to wake her. Again, she stirred, but her eyes remained closed. Maureen had been known to be a heavy sleeper. Benny walked to the kitchen to see what she already had in her cupboards. He found them to be pretty bare and the only thing he found he needed were egg noodles and chicken breasts in the fridge. Leaving a note on the coffee table, he grabbed her keys from the bowl and walked out the door.

While walking to the nearest store, Benny hoped that Maureen wouldn't wake up while he was gone, because that would ruin all the fun for him. He got to the store and picked up celery, carrots, and chicken broth. He rushed back to the apartment, still hoping that Maureen was asleep. He took the stairs two at a time and finally got to her door. Unlocking it, Benny slowly pushed open the door, wincing when it made a slight creek. The apartment was silent and Benny noticed Maureen still in the position he left her. He put the keys back in the bowl as he smiled at how peaceful and beautiful she looked at this very moment. He tiptoed his way to the kitchen and began preparing his meal.

An hour and a half later, the soup was ready, and Benny's plan was panning out nicely. Maureen was still asleep on the couch and she barely moved when Benny accidentally dropped a bunch of silverware on the floor. He grabbed two bowls from the mahogany cupboard and filled them with his homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. He walked toward the couch and set the bowls on the coffee table. Benny sat down on the plush cushion by Maureen small waist, and he started putting stray pieces of hair behind her ear.

"Maureen, baby wake up," he whispered as he stroked her soft porcelain cheek.

A soft by deep exhale escaped her lips as she brought her hand up to meet his ebony one. Her eyes fluttered open as she smiled at the man that was gazing down at her. She pulled his hand down, but continued to hold on to it.

"Mmm…what smells good?" she asked, her voice still a little hoarse.

"Soup," Benny simply answered.

"Stuff out of a can never smells this good," she stated still staring up at Benny's miraculous dark eyes.

"Well perhaps that's because it's not from a can," he told her, watching her sit up and look at the two bowls that sat on the coffee table.

"Did you make that for me?"

Benny just smiled at her as she threw her arms around him.

"Thank you," she told him, releasing him from the embrace and stole a glance into his eyes before quickly turning back to the soup.

She picked up the bowl and relaxed on the couch, grabbing the remote as she sank down in the cushions. The brunette beauty flipped through the channels until she found one of her favorite movies Funny Girl flash on the screen. Setting the remote down, she watched Benny follow suit and relax on the couch next to her. Maureen took the first bite of the soup, amazed at how good it tasted.

"Wow Benny this is really good."

"Yeah, my mom taught me a thing or two when I was young," he told her.

Maureen smiled as she continued eating and watching the movie. Finishing the Chicken Noodle soup, she offered to take Benny's bowl, but hers was already being taken out of her hands.

"You're sick," he simply told her as he lightly pushed her head, making her fall back into the couch.

Maureen just rolled her eyes at how much Benny was babying her, but she figure she could just indulge him this once.

Benny came back from the kitchen with two glasses of orange juice, handing one to Maureen. Receiving a smile from her was all the thanks he really needed. He would rather take care of her than do anything else in the world; it just felt right to him. Sitting back down, Maureen slid herself over to form to his side. She put her head on his chest as he wrapped an arm around her tiny waist. Benny smiled as Maureen moved her arm to be underneath his on her waist, just so their fingers could interlock. Watching the movie, both Benny and Maureen had never felt so content in their lives. Maureen thought that maybe this was what she had been missing in all her relationships. Love was always there, but longing, happiness, and contentment had been missing. Both silent in thought, it wasn't long before they both fell asleep dreaming of only each other.