Authors' Notes: Yay, finals are over and they wen't GREAT. So now I can have some more time devoted to my beloved stories! Wow! I honestly don't know how far I'm going to take this story, I have so many ideas for it and with all of the ideas that I do have it might be for a good while. Thanks to all of you that review and keep up with this, I really appreciate it. I hope I'm makin' you guys happy!
I OWN NOTHING (only add-ins)
Please read, review and enjoy!
Italics are thoughts and memories.
Chapter Twenty-Two
With Roger
Roger couldn't believe all of the things that were happening to their group, to their family. With all of the shit that was already going on in their lives, why this? The guitarist didn't know how to act; he didn't know what to do.
Collins. He could be dead right now.
Quickly Roger shook the thought out of his mind, there was no way that Angel could have killed him. Weren't they supposed to be in love? Roger stepped off the subway climbing the stairs and walking out onto the street. The hospital wasn't very far away. The thought of Collins dead caused him to shiver so he thrusted his hands into his pockets to keep himself warm.
"Why is it that I have to be at the fuckin' hospital again?" He muttered to himself as he walked into the hospital.
"How may I help you sir?" The receptionist said.
"I'm here to see Thomas Collins." Roger said looking around nervously, he hated hospitals.
The receptionist continued to type which made Roger slightly impatient.
"Look lady all I want to know is if he's alright!"
The woman jumped knocking her pen on the floor. "He's in ICU right now sir, room 201."
Roger snatched the tag from her and walked towards the elevator. She didn't want him coming back whoever the hell he is.
"Thanks." He said curtly.
Once Roger reached the first floor he took a deep breath. God he hated hospitals. Once he finally reached the area where Collins was, he spotted someone that was lying down on a few chairs completely knocked out. The guitarist would have walked back past him if he hadn't seen the scarf that Mark refuses to take off.
Shaking him slightly, Roger peered down at the filmmaker. "Mark?"
Once Mark began to come to, Roger rubbed his face in exhaustion. "Mark, what the hell happened? How's Collins?"
Mark sat up slowly fixing his glasses in the process; he must have been out for a while. "R, Roger?" He said stuttering.
"No shit Sherlock! Why the hell are you sleeping man? How is Collins?" This would be the last time Roger was to ask this question.
"I, I don't know. I passed out when Collins…" Mark trailed off staring at the floor.
"When Collins what man? Speak up!" Roger's impatient ness grew by the second.
"When he died." Mark said without emotion.
Roger froze. Collins was dead? "The bitch downstairs said that he was up here!"
Mark quickly got up to his feet and grabbed Roger by the wrist. "Wait! He's up here Rog! He's fine man!"
The guitarist shook his wrist away from the filmmaker. "Is he dead or not Mark?"
"He's not dead Rog, but he…he died…but he came back."
Roger threw his hands up in the air. "Fuck this! I want to see him where the fuck is he!"
Sure enough a few rooms down the hall was Collins' room. Roger peered into it seeing his best friend covered in tubes.
"Holy fuck." He said grabbing his mouth. "I'm gonna throw up."
Mark placed a hand on Roger's lower back. "It's alright Rog. You know Collins will get threw this."
"Mark what the hell happened?" Roger said as a tear fell out of his eye, which he quickly wiped away.
"They were fighting and…fuck!" Mark said beginning to sob. "I saw the whole thing; I saw the whole fucking thing. Angel wasn't Angel. He was someone else. That look in his eye…"
Roger looked questioningly at Mark. "What the fuck were they fighting about?"
"I don't fucking remember Roger! Who gives a shit why! Now we've got to face the consequences! I tell everyone that what one person does affects all of us! Why doesn't anyone listen to me!"
Roger held Mark up, cooing comforting words into his ear. "It's alright Mark. Just tell me when you get ready man alright?"
Mark wiped his face. "They arrested Angel. What the fuck is going on Roger? I'm so…so lost. What the fuck is going on with us?"
With Angel
"I feel so lost." Angel said rubbing his head.
Linda Lopez, the power lawyer looked at Angel. "That's alright Angel, we're here for you chico."
Chico?
Mimi was the only one since his mother to call him Chica. Angel missed and needed Mimi more than anything right now.
Where is she?
"I'm here to help you. Now can you tell me what hap-"The lawyer was cut off by a young girl who was running towards them.
"Angel!" Sunday shouted.
The street drummer looked up.
"Oh my God Angel! What happened are you alright?" Sunday said breathlessly.
"Excuse me miss, we're in the middle of an investigation and if my client doesn't know-"
"I know her." Angel said standing up. "What are you doing here Sunday?"
"I followed you here. I wanted to see if I could help you, the other day-"
Angel held his hand out shushing her. "Don't even worry about it." There was definitely something different about Angel now, there was a dark cast over his face and that light that came from him was gone.
Sunday took his hand. "I want to help you."
"No one can help me."
"I will." Linda Lopez said walking over to Angel and placing her arm around him. "I'll get you through this Chico."
Angel turned around to face the woman. "Look, I really appreciate you helping me, but I cannot afford your help."
The woman held Angel's face in her hands. "You remind me so much of my brother." Angel looked down at the floor and the woman grabbed him into an embrace. "It's on me." Hearing this, a faint smile came on Angel's face as he whispered a thank you into her ear.
"Sunday, I want you to go home."
"No Angel I want to help you." Sunday pleaded.
"Go!" Angel shouted at the girl.
The young woman looked at Angel and ran out of the police department. No sooner had Sunday left; reporters came rushing in towards Angel. Linda Lopez held her ground stepping in front of her young client.
A reporter shoved his way past the others who were shouting towards Angel and his lawyer. "Is it true that your boyfriend was a professor at NYU!"
Inside Angel screamed, Collins' reputation was sure to be destroyed by the time this all boiled over. How the hell do they know that? Why did that man say was?
"My client is not entailed to answer that." Linda Lopez said defiantly.
"Is it true that you like to dress as a woman?" A few of the reporters chucked as they wrote things down on pads of paper.
"Come on chico let's go." The lawyer said as she began guiding Angel towards the back of the police department.
"Miss Lopez! Is it true that you're taking this case to bring back your rep with the Hispanic community of New York City!" This time Linda turned around.
"Excuse me?" She said glaring at the reporter who looked around laughing nervously. Linda Lopez was a monster in the courtroom as well on the street and didn't like reporters one bit. "Listen here putho, I am one of the most powerful lawyers here in New York City and I want you to tell your little friends up there at Channel 8 that Linda Lopez doesn't need to bring her rep back! Linda Lopez has always been right under your shit ridden noses!"
She is fabulous.
Angel's mouth fell wide open as he watched his lawyer walk towards him, hips shaking in the process. "Let's go." She told the detective and police officer. The woman held Angel, her accent thick. "Don't worry chico, you'll be done with this before they can even begin to wipe away the years of shit they have on their noses!"
With Joanne and Maureen
After rehearsal for the show was finally over, the two lovers were about to walk out of the theatre until they spotted Miss Abram working tirelessly on a costume that was ripped from the last performance.
Joanne looked over at the woman. "Maureen, we should invite her to dinner." The performance artist smiled brightly and skipped over to the older woman.
"We're going to go get something to eat Miss Abram would you like to come with us?"
"Oh no darlin' I've got to get this done. Your friend who made this is amazing! I don't even know how she did this!"
Maureen smiled. Yeah that's Angel.
Joanne walked over to the two women, grabbing Maureen's hand. "Come on Miss Abram, you work to hard! Come with us."
The older woman looked around and sighed. "Alright, let's go!"
Maureen squealed. "I'll go get your purse and coat!"
"I'm going to put these costumes back and I'll be right back!" The woman said grabbing the costumes.
As Joanne watched them part, she heard her cell phone ringing. Sitting down in a seat in the audience the lawyer answered the phone contently. "Joanne Jefferson."
"Joanne!" Her mother's voice screamed into the phone.
"Hi mother. How are-"
"How am I! She's asking me how I am Harold do you hear this! No I'm not alright Joanne Anita Jefferson! I can't believe that you talked to the Mayor's wife that way! Are you out of your mind!"
"Mother, listen she called me a-"
"What! What did you say to her?" Her mother asked evilly.
"I said-" Again Joanne was cut off.
"You said the 'S' word to her didn't you Joanne!"
"MOTHER! I-"
"Be quiet when I'm talking to you girl. I want you to come home, we need to talk! Don't bring Maureen with you either!"
"Mother, Maureen goes where I go." Joanne sighed. "Anyway, I can't right now mother, maybe tomo-"
"NOT TOMORROW! TONIGHT!" A click was heard on the other end. Joanne's head fell back against the seat, what in the world was going to happen when she got home?
"Maureen, we need to see my parents." The lawyer said rubbing her temples.
The performance artist's bright smiled faded immediately. "Why Pookie?"
"They know about what I said to the Mayor's wife, now they want to have a talk."
"But what about dinner with Miss Abram?"
"Here I am darlins!" Miss Abram said wobbling over toward them.
"We're still going, just after we need to go see my parents." Joanne said getting up.
"Great." Maureen said sarcastically. "So where too Miss Abram?"
"Oh I know a nice little soul place we could go to." The woman said cheerfully.
"Ooooo Pookie! Doesn't that sound good! I want some Soul Food!" Maureen said as she excitedly pulled on Joanne's arm.
"Ow Maureen you're hurting me." The lawyer said as she rubbed her arm.
The performance artist looked at Joanne and stuck her tongue out as she held Miss Abram. "She's such a party pooper isn't she Miss Abram?"
Joanne trailed off behind them in deep thought. She already knew that her parents were certainly going to go off on her tonight which didn't bother her as much, but something else was bothering her and she couldn't figure out what it was. Someone was hurt, badly. There was already so much on her plate already. What else could be waiting for her? Joanne hated this feeling more than ever and knew that it would be eating at her all through dinner. It was something bad whatever it was. Who did it have to do with? Mark? No. Roger? No. Mimi? No. Benny? Hell no. The lawyer stopped walking for a second to figure it out.
"Pookie come on!" Maureen said waving. "I want some Soul Food!"
Joanne was broken from her thoughts as she saw Maureen waving, it would have to wait for now.
With Mimi and Aaron
Aaron looked over at the distraught dancer. "Hey, sweets are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm great! My best friend shot my other best friend who's like my brother and now my best friend is going to fucking prison while my best friend who's like my brother is dead or holding on to dear life! Yeah everything is fucking wonderful!" Mimi broke down in tears.
Aaron felt immensely stupid for asking that question. "God, I am so…sorry."
Mimi wiped her face with her sleeve. "It's cool. Just get me to Angel please."
The young man nodded. "I will."
The dancer looked down at the box that sat between them. "What's in the box?"
"I have no idea; I don't want to even look in there." Aaron said as he momentarily glanced over at it. "It could be anything knowing David."
"Can I look in it?" Mimi said as she held the box in her lap.
Aaron held the steering wheel nervously. "I don't know, it was for Angel's eyes only."
"I want to see. I want to understand why Angel fell in love with him."
"Go on." Aaron said.
Carefully, Angel opened the box which had tons of letters, papers, pictures and a few pieces of jewelry.
"Oh God, he gave her everything." Aaron mumbled.
Mimi opened up one letter and read it aloud…
June 17th – My Anniversary Note To You
Wow Angel, two months. Two months and we are so in love. I swear, when I think about it I continually ask myself. How can you fall in love with someone so quickly? But then I think back to you and I remember. I never thought that I would be able to find someone that understood and loved me so completely. It's something that everyone dreams about right? My dream has come true. I feel kind of silly writing this to you, seeing as you're sleeping beside me. Even though my parents and your parents would never approve of this at all, I can't help loving you. I will never stop loving you. Angel, you are my everything there is no one that is above you…and there will never be anyone before you.
Together forever. Only you and I.
I love you.
- David
Mimi sighed, a tear falling down her cheek. "Who wouldn't fall in love with someone who wrote like that?"
"I don't know. But from what I could remember, they were very serious right off the bat."
"Angel told me that they had had sex right before he wrote that letter."
Aaron's face fell into sadness. "From what David told his brother, he had been cheating on Angel from day one."
"Fucking asshole." Mimi muttered.
"What he did was fucked up, I agree. But I knew for a fact that he loved Angel, he really did."
Mimi stayed quiet, looking out the window.
"Well we're here. Do you want to go in?"
The dancer looked down at the box. "There's so much in here. Why would you want to bring this back to Angel after he's tried to let it go?"
"I didn't know what to do with it. I knew that David would turn over in his grave if Angel never got these, I still thought Angel was single." Aaron said as turned toward Mimi.
Mimi began to get angry. "But didn't you think that it would bring back old feelings for Angel? Feelings that he doesn't want to feel anymore?"
"Look, I care about Angel too. I just wanted to make sure she got these, even if she never read them."
Mimi's gaze fell from Aaron to a girl who walked out of the police station. She looked insanely familiar. "Is that that girl from the hospital?"
"What?" Aaron asked confused.
Mimi pointed at her. "That's the girl that Maureen had brought into the hospital." Immediately, Mimi jumped out of the car to flag the girl down. "Hey you! Stop!"
Sunday stopped in her tracks, pointing to herself. "Me?"
"Yes you!" Mimi said walking over to her. "Is Angel in there? Is that why you're here?"
"Yes! But he wouldn't let me help him! He's got this powerful lawyer lady with him."
"What lawyer? Is she black?" Mimi said grabbing the girls' shoulders.
"No, she was Hispanic. Kind of crazy if you ask me."
Aaron soon walked up the two young women.
"What was her name? Did she say it?" Mimi pressed on.
"Linda Lopez."
Both Aaron and Mimi said simultaneously. "Linda Lopez?"
"Yeah, she was crazy in brown pumps!"
Aaron chuckled. "Only Angel would be able to get this most powerful Hispanic lawyer in New York City."
"Was Angel still in there?"
"Yeah, they began to walk toward the back of the police station when some reporters came in. That lawyer lady told one of them off!"
Mimi's face lighted up. "Aaron come on! Angel's in there!" Aaron followed Mimi. "Thank you!" The dancer said as she ran into the police station.
"You're welcome." Sunday said sadly. Sunday knew that she didn't want to go home. Who did she know in New York City? A light bulb went over the girls' head as she jogged towards the phone booth. Looking through the phone book that was connected to it, Sunday found the number she had been looking for and dialed the number quickly into the telephone.
"Wesport Graves. How may I help you?"
"Hi, this is Sunday Meiers. I'd like to speak with my uncle John C. Graves please."
"And who may I say is calling?"
"His favorite niece from Jersey."