Chapter Fourteen

With Maureen

Maureen couldn't believe what was happening. Joanne and her were actually going to be okay!

The performance artist got onto the subway and sat down close to the door. As the subway car shifted on it's way, Maureen thought of all the naughty things she and Joanne would probably be doing when she got there. Maureen crossed her legs, proud of herself for apologizing and for setting things right.

She arrived at her stop and got off the subway heading toward her apartment. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks.

"What the hell happened to Sunday!"

Where did Sunday go? What happened to her? She had Maureen's coat.

"Dammit!" she said.

There was clearly no way of contacting that girl or getting her coat back. She certainly didn't want to wear Roger's old coat forever. As soon as she thought of it, she really missed her coat.

"I looked so hot in it too! That's what I get for being so nice."

Maureen looked about her but still continuing to walk.

Where did she say she lived? She never told me! She avoided every single question I asked her. Fuck! Oh wait a minute what did she say her ex's name was? Samuel something. Samuel, Samuel Stevens! Damn I have a good memory.

The performance artist finally spotted the apartment complex that her and Joanne shared.

I'll look him up in the phone book and get my coat back. But now to more important things.

She smiled and sighed. "Here I come pookie."

Maureen walked up the few flights to their apartment and opened the door.

"Pookie!" she called out but no answer.

The apartment wasn't in array, it was exactly how they left it. She closed the door behind her, locking it. She threw her coat off, keys following behind it.

"Pookie I'm home! Where are you?"

Maureen noticed the alcohol cupboard that they had was open. She walked over to it, shutting the door.

"What the hell happened here? A party without me?"

She continued looking around, slightly beginning to worry.

"Joanne!" she called out still no answer. She checked in the bathroom and saw that it had been used recently. In fact when she walked in there it smelled immediately like vomit. Maureen put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from doing the same. She quickly walked out trying to catch some fresh air. Now she definitely worried.

"Joanne! Joanne where are you? Answer me!" a hint of panic in her voice. Finally she reached the bedroom with Joanne sprawled out on the bed.

"Pookie!" Maureen ran over to her girlfriend with a worried look upon her face. "Baby are you all right!" She shook the lawyer, but no answer. Panic had set in and she began to scream at her. "Joanne! Joanne! Oh my God please help me! Wake up Joanne!"

After Maureen had turned her on her back, Joanne's eyes rose open slowly. She spoke in a whisper. "Honeybear?"

Maureen smiled from ear to ear wiping the sweat from Joanne's brow. "Hi pookie."

Joanne smiled slightly. "You're here."

"Yes my love. I'm here."

The lawyer tried to shake the hang over so that she could register Maureen better but to no avail. She laid her head back down. "Maureen, I have a problem."

Maureen looked at her sadly. "How are you feeling? You don't look good my love. Come on, let's get you properly into bed."

"Maureen listen to me." It was now or never that she was going to tell her.

The performance artist ignored Joanne's pleading and fixed the bed for her. She patted the pillow. "Come on pookie."

Joanne screamed at her with all her might. "GOD DAMMIT MAUREEN LISTEN TO ME!"

Maureen stopped in her tracks.

"Listen to me. I have a problem that you need to know about." Joanne held her head, still feeling completely like shit. "I have, a drinking problem that I need you to help me get over."

"What drinking problem, I mean sure we all get drunk sometimes but-"

"No Maureen this is different. I've got to do something about it before it gets too bad. Before I don't realize what I'm doing anymore. Please Maureen."

Maureen sensed the sadness and the cry for help her girlfriend was giving her. She sat next to her and grabbed her face. "Joanne. I love you and I will help you with whatever is going on. I promise."

Joanne let out a sigh of relief, thankful that Maureen seem to completely understand. "Thank you Maureen."

Maureen kissed her on her forehead. "That's what I'm here for my love. I really want to make up us work. And if you say that you have a problem-"

"Maureen I'm serious, I do."

"Well if you know you have a problem then we'll work on it. Together." Maureen got up holding Joanne in the process. "Come on let's get you some sleep, and we'll talk about it when you get better."

The performance artist laid Joanne into bed, tucking her in. She then grabbed a trash can and sat it next to the bed. "Just in case." She said winking to her.

Joanne weakly smiled. "Thank you Honeybear."

Maureen nodded her head. "You're welcome pookie. Are you thirsty or hungry? Can I get you something?"

Joanne weakly shook her head. "No thank you."

"Okay. Call for me okay? I'm going to clean this place up." Maureen leaned over, kissed her foreheadand squeezed her hand. "I love you Joanne. I really do. Nothing will ever change that."

Joanne lifted her head looking straight into Maureen's eyes. "I love you too. I believe you."

With that Maureen left the room and Joanne quickly fell asleep, hoping later to enjoy Maureen without the hangover.

With Mimi, Mark and Roger

Mimi was finally up and about, getting ready to go see Angel. She walked around the loft trying to get the guys together. "Come on guys! Angel's waiting!"

Roger called from the bathroom. "Alright, alright Mimi we're coming!" He continued to brush his teeth.

Mark sat out on the fire escape trying to escape his anger and sadness. The New York air always seemed to calm him down. Mimi opened the door. "Come on Mark, we're going to see Angel."

The film maker didn't even look toward her. "I'm not going."

"What?" This was not like Mark. He was always there for everything never wanting to miss a thing. "Mark what's the matter? What do you mean you're not going? We're going to see Angel. Come on let's go."

Mark's voice grew stern. "I said I'm not going."

"That's not answering my questions. What's the matter with you? You know Angel's going to be pissed if she doesn't see you."

Mark shook his head. "Mimi, I need some time to myself all right. Angel will understand."

Mimi was really beginning to worry about her friend. "Is this about Maureen?

Mark got up and began to pace. "No Mimi, this isn't about Maureen. I'm just tired of being alone, so fucking tired of it."

"I'm really sorry Mark. I didn't know how much this was bothering you. You know I would have hooked you up with someone."

"No one stops for one second to think of me at all. Everyone is so God damn busy with themselves to fucking think of me for once."

Mimi was hurt when he said this. She certainly cared a lot about Mark. "Well Mark if that's how you feel-"

"Hell fucking yeah that's how I feel." He turned away bitterly. "Just go and leave me alone."

The dancer wiped away a tear that fell, looking at him one last time. "Did you even consider me? I care about you Mark." She closed the door behind her and went to get Roger. Mark looked into the loft watching Mimi wipe her face before Roger came out grabbing her into an embrace. She shook his head at himself. Of course Mimi cared about him. Even though her and Roger were together a lot, Mimi and Roger always had fun together. They loved to be around one another. They fed off of one another's energy. Mimi had so much to learn from Mark and he the same for her. Mark could honestly say that Mimi was a very dear friend. Why did he talk to her like that when he knew he could talk to her?

"Fucked up again." He said to himself. "Fucked up again."

Mark ran out of the fire escape. "Mimi! Mimi wait!"

Mimi turned around wiping her face still. "Yeah?"

The film maker grabbed the dancer into a deep embrace. "I'm so sorry. You're such a great friend to me and I love you."

They let go of one another and Mimi's electrifying smile came again. "It's cool. I love you too. What would I do without my Mark?"

Mark looked down blushing. "Not be on film I guess."

She hit his arm playfully. "I'd be clueless. I'd be lost." Mimi kissed Mark on the cheek and whispered into his ear. "I'll get you someone, I promise."

Mark looked at her with disbelief, but shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so Meems."

Roger walked in seeing the two so close, and he gave Mark a look. "Hey Cohen, get your own girl."

Mark threw his hands up laughing. "Sorry, she's just so amazing."

The guitarist gave him a more serious look, but Mimi nudged him. "Babe, he's just playing. Lighten up."

Roger looked back at Mark as he began to get his things together. "Better be." The guitarist then walked over to Mark giving him a nookie. "I'm just kidding man, come on let's go before Angel kicks our ass."

With Collins and Aaron

Collins walked from the kitchen handing Aaron a glass of water.

"Thanks."

"Sure." He sat down in an old arm chair. "So, how do you know Angel?"

Aaron took a sip out of his glass and cleared his throat. "Well like I said I dated David's older brother Danny for about five ½ years before we broke up a few weeks ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Aaron held his hand up in protest. "It's quite all right. Anyway, when David died, he left everything to Danny and Angel which I must say wasn't much. But when Danny tried to commit suicide for the 3rd time I couldn't take it anymore and I ended it. Danny just couldn't take it David dying at all, and he still hasn't gotten over it. I feel really horrible for leaving him, but I just can't deal with it right now. I still call him to see if he's all right, alive but I can't be with someone like that."

"I see."

"I have all of these things that Danny and I found one day going through his things. I'd like to give them to Angel."

Collins looked down at the floor. "I don't know how Angel will feel about having his things."

Aaron sighed. "I know. I just don't know what to do with him. They're all at my apartment and I don't want to throw them away. But I always checked on Angel to see how she's doing. I mean what David did was just, unbelievable. He never did forgive himself for hurting Angel. In all of his things he has a letter that he wrote before he died."

"What does it say?"

"We never opened it. But we thought that Angel should have since it is addressed to her."

"Sure."

Aaron placed the glass down onto the coffee table. "Look, I'm sorry if I'm bringing you problems."

"No you're not, it's just . . . Angel, she's been thinking of David a lot lately and it's beginning to become a problem . . . for us."

"Yeah I could see that. The anniversary of David's death is coming up in a few days."

Right then Collins felt like the biggest asshole ever. He broke up with Angel because of jealousy.

"Collins?"

He never even considered Angel's feelings of the matter.

"Collins, are you all right?"

But still, Angel was thinking of someone else that clearly didn't love and care about him like he did.

"Collins!"

"Wh, what!"

"Hey man are you all right? I lost you for a minute there."

The professor shook his head. "I, I don't know. There is just so much shit going on right now. I'm sorry."

"I understand." Aaron looked at his watch. "Well, please tell Angel I came by. If it's all right, I'll be back later to visit her when she gets out of the hospital."

Collins got and walked Aaron to the door. "Thanks for coming by, I'll tell her."

Aaron began walking out the door, but before he reached the stairs he turned around. "Collins?"

"Yeah?"

"Take care of Angel. Love her. Don't treat her like David did. She's special, and she truly is her namesake."

Collins looked away and then back to Aaron. "I know and I will."

Aaron warmly smiled and walked down the stairs.

Collins felt horrible, there was no way Angel would forgive him now he was in too deep.

The professor weakly stumbled toward the bedroom, shedding his clothes off as he went until he was just in his boxers. There was no way he could face his friends not after they would find out. He'd lost everything all because of his insecurities. Why couldn't he have just talked to Angel about it? Why couldn't he have known that Angel would love him no matter what? Collins climbed into bed covering his entire body with blankets, wanting to shut out the world that was certainly crumbling as he laid there.