"Gina, can we talk?" Roger asked while they were packing to go home.
"Roger please, I just want to get home. I'm exhausted and I really need to see Lynda right now." she told him folding the clothes and putting them in the suitcase.
"Gina we can't leave Paris like this." he told her sitting on the bed next to the suitcase.
"Like what? You think I'm a cold hearted bitch and I just choose to deal with things in my own way." she said turning her back on him to get more clothes.
"That's the point Gina, you're not dealing with things. You're holding things in. I'm worried about you." said reaching out for her arm.
"Roger, we've been over this. If I need to breakdown, I'll let you know. But right now I really want to get packed and get out of this country." she told him taking her arm away from him.
"Are you looking to start using again? Because that's exactly what's gonna happen if you keep doing this to yourself." he said standing up to get away from her.
"Screw you Roger. I haven't used in over 12 years and you know that. What's that got to do with anything?" she yelled angrily throwing the clothes she was holding into the suitcase.
"So then stop acting like an addict? You think you can handle everything yourself and you can't. This you can't handle yourself. When are you gonna see that?" he yelled back going into the bathroom to get the toiletries.
"My feelings for my parents were complicated. How does that make me an addict?" she asked chasing after him.
"You're not asking for help when you obviously need it. I mean, look at you Gina, your parents just died and you're acting like they got a case of the damn hiccups. If you're still pissed at them over what they put you through all those years ago, be pissed. Throw things. Scream. But don't just walk around like everything is fine. Because you're not fine. Remember me? I've known you for 22 years. You can't fool me. But until you can admit that you need help, I can't help you." she yelled at her as she looked down.
"The only think I need right now is get out of this god forsaken country and get home. I have to finish packing." she said turning her back on him again.
"Fine Gina. You wanna shut me out? Great. But whether you remember this or not, they put me through the same shit, and I'm not their kid. So that only means that I'm still here because I love you." he yelled at her as he threw things in the carry on bag frustratingly. He didn't know what to do to get through to his wife. She was pushing him away when she needed him the most. It made him worry about her. She was gonna snap one of these days and he didn't know how to help her.
"We have to go." she told him coldly as they left the hotel and headed to the airport. They didn't speak a word to each other the whole ride home. Roger fell asleep on the plane and Gina didn't. She sat up thinking about her life. She loved Roger and Lynda, but had her parents not interfered to begin with, she and Roger could have had more children. Getting pregnant with Lynda was a wonderful, unexpected surprise. She wanted to give Roger a son. He was such a wonderful father to their little girl and he never mentioned wanting a son, but every man wanted a son. But her parents had to play with their lives and now with Roger being HIV positive, the chances of having another child would be slim. She hated fighting with Roger, but he just didn't understand her feelings. He thought it was so easy. You define your feelings and let them out. But he was a songwriter, he was good at that. She hadn't written a word in 10 years. Expressing her fellings for her friends and Roger and Lynda was easy. But her relationship with her parents wasn't that simple. As the plane landed Roger woke up. He looked over at her and she just sat emotionless.
"Gina." he started before she cut him off.
"I'm fine Roger. I just want to get home, OK?" she said without looking at him.
"Fine." he said getting up to get the carry ons before they got off of the plane. He went to the baggage claim to get the suitcase and they went outside, where Mark was picking them up in their car, without speaking a word to one another.
"Hey guys, how is everything?" Mark asked trying to be cheerful.
"Great. Just great." Roger said getting in the drivers seat as Gina got in the back silently.
"Is everything OK?" he asked quietly looking over at Roger.
"Not now Mark, OK? It's been a long few days." Roger answered as he continued driving home. When they pulled up to the building Roger and Mark got the bags out of the trunk as Gina entered the building and headed straight upstairs. As she opened the door to the loft, Lynda ran to her.
"Mommy, you're home." she yelled wrapping her arms around Gina's waist.
"Hi sweetheart. I missed you so much." she said hugging her tight.
"How did it go, sweetie?" Mrs. Davis asked approaching them.
"They're at the funeral home in Loudenville. I have to call their lawyer and arrange everything. I'm gonna go lay down for a little while." she told her as Roger entered the loft with Mark.
"Do you want company, chica?" Mimi asked getting up to hug her.
"No thanks. I just need to be alone." she said going into hers and Roger's bedroom and shutting the door.
"Hi daddy." Lynda said rushing over to hug Roger.
"Hey my girl. Were you good for everyone?" he asked kissing her head.
"Yeah she was. She only conned Mrs. D out of 2 pairs of shoes and a denim jacket." Mimi said laughing.
"Lynda Marianna." he said looking down at her.
"Gramma wanted to. Do you wanna see them?" she asked excitedly.
"Not now baby. Why don't you go in your room and read a little OK? I need to relax and talk to grandma, Aunt Mimi and Uncle Mark for a little bit." he told her kissing her head.
"OK daddy. I love you. I'm glad you guys are home." she said as she smiled up at him.
"I love you too my girl." he said smiling at her as she went into her room.
"What's going on Roger?" Mark asked sitting next to Mimi on the couch.
"Gina is in really bad shape." he said sitting on the coffee table putting his head in his hand.
"Roger, she just had to identify her parents bodies in another country. Of course she's in bad shape. She's in mourning." Mrs. Davis told him sitting next to Mimi.
"No mom, you don't understand. We had a huge fight in Paris." he told her quietly so Gina wouldn't hear him.
"What do you mean a huge fight? Over what?" Mimi asked sitting up.
"I was trying to get her to stop bottling up her feelings and she exploded at me. We haven't said more than 2 words to each other since we left Paris." he told them getting up to pace the loft.
"What do you mean exploded?" Mrs Davis asked getting up to follow him.
"Started screaming at me in the hotel room about how I don't undertand and she was going on about how if it wasn't for them we wouldn't be recovering addicts and I wouldn't have HIV. She's just avoiding dealing with her feelings towards them. I'm worried about her. She's gonna have a breakdown and there's nothing I can do to help her. She's my wife, mom. I've loved her 22 years of my life mom and this is the first time she's ever shut me out like this." he said breaking down in his mother's arms.
"Roger, you listen to me. She needs time. You know how hard her parents were to deal with back then. And now here she is 36 years old and they're dead. She has been avoiding them her whole life without ever getting the chance to deal with everything. When you kids were in high school, they made her life hell. You remember that, don't you? Just the mention of your name would set Steve off. And then when Gina got pregnant and you two were so determined to keep the baby and raise it, it made him crazy that your father and I were willing to help you. But you were so much in love and when you told us that that was what you wanted to do, your father and I saw how devoted and commited to each other you were. Losing that baby was devastating to both of you. I remember for months, hearing you cry in your bed all hours of the night. It made me so sad. But Steve and Ellie were relieved. I almost punched Steve numerous times after that. Your father had to physically hold me back from punching him right in the face. Imagine Gina having to listen to that right after losing her baby. She has a lot of mixed feelings about her parents and she's gonna need time to sort those feelings out. You just do what you've always done and that's love her and be there to pick her up when she's ready." Mrs Davis told him comfortingly.
"Mom you should have heard her in Paris. She was so angry. I've never seen her like that and I know her. This is scary mom." he told her sniffling as Mimi got up.
"Do you think she would talk to anyone else? Me, your mom? Maybe she just thinks you're being too over protective of her right now." Mimi suggested quietly.
"I'm only over protective because I love her so much Mimi. I don't want to see her suffer." he told her sitting on the window seat.
"I know Roger. And she loves you too. She is just feeling a lot of rage over what you two had to endure and not much relief since she didn't get to confront them about it. You're just too close Roger. You're a reminder of what they screwed up for you two." Mimi said rubbing his arm.
"She's right Rog. The drugs, that Glenn guy, your HIV. All of it is a reminder of what her parents cost you guys. Just give her time. She loves you, you gotta know that. She'll come around." Mark said getting off of the couch.
"Yeah well whatever we do, I wanna do it fast. I'm not gonna have my wife deal with her parents funeral alone." Roger said getting up and going to the refrigerator for a beer.
"You can't rush her Roger. But we'll talk to her, OK?" Mrs. Davis asked as he took a huge sip.
"OK. Thanks guys. I'm gonna go inside and spend some time with my little girl. I haven't seen her in 3 days." he said taking another sip of the beer before setting it down on the counter and going into Lynda's room.