"OK do we have everything?" Gina asked rushing around the loft.
"Yeah Baby, we have everything. Our flight leaves in 2 hours. We need to go. Now." Roger told her as everyone sat in the loft helping them get ready.
"OK. Remember Lynda, be good for everyone. And don't try to hustle grandma into taking you shopping. The last thing you need miss are more shoes." Gina said kissing Lynda's head.
"I'll be fine mom. Don't worry mom. Just go." she said hugging her.
"OK sweetie. I love you." she said hugging her back.
"I love you too mommy, now go." she said smiling at her breaking free to run over to Roger.
"Come here my girl. I'm gonna miss you." he said hugging her.
"I'm gonna miss you too daddy. Take care of mom, OK." she told him smiling at him.
"I will. Be good. I love you." he said hugging her tight.
"I love you too daddy." she said hugging him back.
"You guys have to go. You have to pass through security and stuff." Mimi said rushing them out the door.
"OK we love you guys. We'll try to call from the hotel." Gina said picking up her carry on bag.
"We love you too. Just take care of yourself chica, OK?" Mimi said hugging Gina.
"I will. You too." she said as she rushed out the door.
"Are you OK Baby?" Roger asked as they got into the cab.
"Yeah, I'm OK. I just want to get them home and bury them." she said looking up at him.
"I know Baby." he said as the cab began to drive to Laguardia Airport. They boarded their plane and the plane took off. Gina couldn't sleep the whole flight. It had been 2 weeks since she got the phone call telling her that her parents were dead. She set everything up with the help of Mrs. Davis and her parents attorneys.
"Roger, we're here." she whispered nudging him.
"Oh Baby, I'm sorry. I must have fallen asleep. Did you sleep any?" he asked looking up at her.
"No, I couldn't." she told him standing up.
"Baby, I'm worried about you. You haven't been dealing with this." he said getting up too.
"Roger, can we talk about this another time. Please. There's a lot that needs to be done and I think I'm under enough stress, don't you?" she told him taking her carry on out of the compartment above her.
"OK, but Gina, we need to talk about this." he told her taking the bag from her.
"I will, just not now, OK? Please." she begged as she began towards the front of the plane.
"OK." he said quietly as he followed her. They hailed a cab and managed to get to the American embassy despite their lack of knowledge of the french language.
"Hi, I'm Gina Davis. I need to speak to a Martin Carter. It's about my parents, Elizabeth and Steven Darrien. They were killed in a car accident a couple of weeks ago." she said as she approached the reception desk.
"One moment Ms. Davis." the french woman at the desk told her picking up the phone.
"It's Mrs. Davis." Gina told her not realizing it.
"Pardon." the woman asked politely.
"Nothing. Sorry." she said as Roger reached out for her hand.
"Mrs. Davis, you can go up to the 3rd floor. Mr. Carter is expecting you." the woman told her looking up at her.
"Thank you." Roger said picking up the suitcase his mother loaned him as he followed Gina to the elevator. As they arrived upstairs, Mr. Carter was waiting for them outside the elevators.
"Mrs. Davis, I'm Martin Carter. We spoke on the phone. I'm sorry we're meeting under these circumstance." he said holding his hand out to her. He was tall, with dark brown hair and he was wearing a dark blue suit.
"Gina Davis, this is my husband Roger. I apologize for bringing our bags. We came straight from the airport." she told him as Roger held her hand
"Would you two like to get settled in before we do this?" he asked looking down at her.
"No, please. I would just like to see my parents and get the paper work rolling, please. We have an 11 year old to get home to." she said squeezing Roger's hand.
"Very well. You can put your bags in my office if you'd like and I can take you to identify their bodies and we can go on from there." he said looking at them.
"Thank you Mr. Carter." Roger said as they followed him to his office.
"OK my car is in the basement. If you can follow me, please." he said leading them out of the building.
"Are you OK Baby?" Roger asked putting is arms around her shoulders.
"Yeah, I'm OK." she said looking up at him. She was getting sick of him asking her that. She knew he meant well, but the last thing she needed to be at a time like this was not OK.
"I love you Gina." he whispered before they got to the car.
"I love you too Roger." she said looking up at him as he leaned down to kiss her head as he held the car door open for her. As they drove to the morgue, no one spoke. Roger held her hand tight as if not to let her fall. He understood what she was feeling. She was anxious and fearful. When they pulled in the parking lot, Roger tried to help her out of the car, but she resisted.
"Baby, are you OK?" he asked kneeling next to the car.
"I can't do this. I don't want to do this." she said as tears fell from her eyes.
"I know Baby. You're not alone. I'm right here." he told her reaching out for her face.
"Is everything OK, Mrs. Davis?" Mr. Carter asked looking down at them.
"Can you give us a minute please?" Roger asked looking up at him.
"Sure. Take your time." he said stepping around the corner to give them privacy.
"Gina what is it?" he asked holding her hand.
"I can't do this. See my parents dead like that? I mean, the last time I saw them, was at my dad's retirement party and they were so excited to be traveling. And now they're dead. All at once, they're both gone." she cried as Roger leaned up to hold her.
"Baby, I know. It was sudden, but we have to get them back home. They deserve to be laid to rest together at home." he told her caressing her hair.
"I know. I'm sorry. I need to do this. I have to be the adult now." she said pulling away from him wiping her eyes.
"So that's what's going on?" he asked looking down at her.
"What?" she asked looking up at him.
"This. You shutting down. Baby, you don't have to hide your feelings to be an adult. They're your parents. You're allowed to mourn for them." he told her caressing her face.
"Roger, I'm an only child. If I fall apart, who's gonna plan the funeral, who's gonna identify their bodies, who's gonna be there for Lynda?" she told him as he caressed her shoulder.
"Gina, you're not going through this all alone. I can help with all of it. I'm here for you and Lynda. I'm just worried about you. You're holding everything in and it's not healthy." he told her as she looked up at him.
"Roger, I'm sorry if I'm not mourning the way you think I should. But you know better than anyone that my relationship with my parents was complicated at best. I mean all the stuff they put us through when we were in high school, used your love for me to manipulate you into breaking up with me so I'd go to Ohio, Glenn. Do you know what my father said the day after I lost the baby?" she asked yelling at him.
"No Baby. What?" he asked listening to her.
"He told me, thank God, now you're not gonna be stuck with that boy's bastard child. Roger, I was 17 and had just lost our baby. The worst thing that could ever happen to me in my whole life and he's celebrating like he won the lottery or something. And my mother just told me that maybe it was a sign that you and I weren't meant to be. And then when he found me and wanted me to go home with him and have our marriage annulled because I couldn't possibly have been sober to marry you. I mean, sure things have been nice these last 12 years, but that's only because I kept them at arms length. I didn't want them to get close enough to destroy us again. But Lynda deserved to know her grandparents and now they're gone. Just like that. Off the hook." she yelled at him beginning to cry.
"I know Baby, but they're still your parents and I know you're still angry with them. I also know you love them. I just don't want you to have a breakdown all of a sudden because you held everything in." he told her taking her in his arms.
"Roger, I'm sad and angry at the same time. They would have rathered travel to Paris than to spend time with their granddaughter." she said looking up at him.
"And their daughter?" he asked as she sat up straight.
"No. Too much has happened for me to forget everything they've done to us. I may have forgiven them, but I can't forget. I won't. We lost 7 years. 7 years that would have changed everything for both of us. We both wouldn't be recovering drug addicts, you wouldn't be..." she started when he cut her off.
"Gina, no. You can't lay that on them. That was my own doing." he told her told her sternly.
"You mean to tell me, had we still been together, you would have still got with that April girl and contracted HIV? No, you wouldn't have. And now, your wife and daughter are being robbed of who knows how many years with you because they thought they knew what was best for me." she yelled at him forcefully wiping her eyes.
"Gina, listen to me. I was ass. It was me. I put the needle in my arm. Sure April waved it in front of me, but I'm the one who injected the poison into my veins." he said taking her face in his hands.
"Roger, I can't do this right now. I have to go identify my parent's bodies and try to get them home." she told him getting out of the car on the other side.
"Gina, where are you going?" he asked getting out of the car.
"Roger, I need to do this alone. Please. Can we talk about this later?" she asked turning to look at him.
"You don't need to do this alone Gina." he called out walking closer to her.
"Yes I do." she said turning to walk away from him. He stood there for a minute waiting for her to come back, but she didn't. He went into the building and was directed to the morgue. When he got down there, she was standing over her parents bodies alone emotionless. He wanted so badly to go in there and wrap his arms around her, he knew she wasn't ready. Her feelings for her parents were complicated. He needed to give her space. She was going through a tough time.
A/N: Sorry, emotional chapter. I dedicate this to my friend and Renthead partner in crime BohemianGirl06. Thank you so much for your help with this story and your friendship outside of fanfic. You are awesome.