Sorry It took so long to update . . . I've been busy with last-minute school stuff . . . . I hope you all like this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own, I RENT. Except my characters and my story line. . . those are mine.

Wake Up

"Mark?" Mark's body started to shake and he blinked a few times before his eyes came into focus thanks to his (unknown of to Jo) contact lenses. He looked around; trying to find the one person he wanted to see.

"Jo?" he asked, his eyes searching.

"I'm right here, Mark." Jo took Mark's shaking hand and gently squeezed it. "I'm right here, it's okay/" Mark still shook as winter-blue eyes darted around the hospital room. "How do you feel, Mark?" Jo asked, trying to keep Mark occupied while she waited for the doctor to come.

"Hurts . . ." Mark whimpered in a strained voice.

Jo held onto Mark tighter, "I know, Mark." She cooed gently, "I know . . ."

Just then, the doctor came in.

"Good morning, Mark." He said, "How are you feeling?"

Mark's face was pained and he let out a small groan.

"He said he hurts," Jo provided, not wanting Mark to feel pressured. "He just woke up a few minutes ago."

"Alright," The doctor scribbled on his clipboard. "Mark," He caught Mark's attention. "I'm going to take your temperature, okay?" He held out a thermometer and Mark watched, almost frightened, as the doctor gingerly placed the thermometer in Mark's mouth. Jo still held Mark's hand as the doctor checked his other vitals. This helped Mark a great deal because if Jo had not been with him, he probably would have high-tailed it out of there and met up with his dealer for his long overdue hit. But Jo was there, with him; keeping him warm and calm in this stranger's presence.

The thermometer was taken out of Mark's mouth and the doctor scribbled on the clipboard again.

"How is he?" Jo asked.

"His temperature is almost normal but we need to keep him for a couple of days for observation and then I'll recommend a rehabilitation clinic for him."

Mark started to freak out at the words "rehabilitation clinic."

"No. No! Jo! Don't . . . don't send me away! I don't want . . . rehab . . . no! . . . Jo please . . . I . . . I . . ." Mark struggled to get out of the bed. He needed to run, he needed a hit. He didn't want o be sent away.

Jo tightly held on to Mark. "Mark! Mark! It's okay! We're not sending you away, Mark! We're not sending you away. You're coming home . . . with me. You're coming home, Mark, we're going to get you clean. Roger, Mimi, Collins, Benny, Reena, Joanne and me; we're all going to be there for you, okay? Just calm down; I'm not leaving you, Mark. I'm staying right here. You're going to be okay; because I'm going to be here for you, every step of the way. Okay?"

Mark, who was considerably calmer, nodded. "Okay . . ."

"Okay," Jo held Mark close to her, wishing this was all just a dream, "Doctor, could you call the rest of our family and tell them that Mark is awake and Jo needs a change of clothes so she doesn't have to leave Mark?"

The doctor nodded, "I'll get right on it." And with that, he left the room.

"Jo?" Mark was starting to sweat a bit.

"I'm here, Mark," Jo said.

"I'm sorry . . . for everything . . ."

"Don't worry about it, Mark. It's not your fault; it's Ray and heroin's fault. You didn't do anything . . ."

"But, I hurt you. I pushed you out of anger and I ran . . . I didn't mean to hurt you . . ." Mark was on the brink of tears now. "I'm sorry . . . I'm so sorry . . ."

"Shh . . . calm down," Jo rubbed small circles on Mark's arm. "None of that matters anymore. Okay? Forget regret; no day but today." Mark shook some more before squeezing Jo's hand.

"No day but today,"

RENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENT

Twenty minutes later . . .

The Bohemians rushed down the hall towards Mark's room, eager to see their friend. After many tears, Jo had convinced them all to go home with the promise that she'd call them if Mark woke up. Jo kept her promise. Everyone was in the loft, resting, when they got the fateful call from Mark's doctor calling them to the hospital to be with Mark and Jo.

"Jo?" the six friends entered Mark's hospital room to find it empty.

"Mark?"

A loud bang was heard in the bathroom, followed by a stream of obscenities spoken in Jo's Spanish tongue.

"Let go!" They heard Mark yell, "I just need one more and that's it! Jut one more hit, Jo, please!"

"No! Mark, you don't need it anymore! That shit's not worth it!" Jo yelled right back.

Collins knocked on the door. "Jo? Do you need help?"

Another loud bang was heard, "Ow! Fuck! Collins! Catch him!" Mark burst out of the bathroom not more than a second later, running right into Collins who stopped him in his tracks. He was followed by a soaking wet Jo who sighed in relief. "So much for trying to clean him up,"

"You tried to give him a bath?" Joanne asked incredulously.

"Something like that . . ." She was interrupted by Mark struggling against Collins.

"Oh, no you don't!" Collins picked up a kicking and flailing Mark.

"Collins! Let me go! Put me down!" Mark cried out.

"Not a chance Mark. I let you go and you're going to run."

"No'm not! Just let me go Tom! I won't run!"

"Mhmm, that's what you said last time."

"Collins, I locked the door." Benny said, "You can put him down now."

Collins nodded and plopped Mark down on the hospital bed. "Stay here." He instructed the shaking form who nodded. The rest of the Bohos approached Mark while Collins went and stood by Jo.

"How do ya feel Pookie?" Maureen asked, trying to start a conversation.

"How do you think?" Mark snapped irritably, glaring at Maureen until he realized her hurt expression. He sighed, "My body aches, I'm sweating up a storm but I keep getting cold flashes and I feel like I'm gonna throw up. Other than that, I'm fine."

The Bohos sat in silence for a while. They knew Mark was going through withdrawal but to see Mark like this was . . . scary. To see the usually passive, closed off filmmaker shaking from heroin withdrawal and irritable as hell just seemed wrong on so many levels. What happened to their filmmaker? What happened to 'the one to survive'? Was he still in this shaking body in front of them? Or was he lost forever? Taken by a madman whose aim was to make them suffer? They were suffering. Over the past few months, Jo had become the new rock; the shoulder to cry on, the ever-present since the original was lost. Lost to a drug that seemed to be laughing at their family; laughing and causing destruction to each member it touched. April killed herself because it gave her and Roger HIV. Roger was haunted with scattered memories of his withdrawal from it; most involving him hurting Mark in some way. And Mimi was forever reminded of her near-death experience partially due to it. And now, it plagued the one person who should never have been touched by it in the first place . . .

"Where were you?" Roger broke the silence, his voice and expression hard.

Mark looked at Roger, winter-blue eyes peeking out behind dyed brown tresses.

"Same place you were when you were in my position." Mark was referring to the incident where Roger disappeared before being found after three weeks. "I was on the street, doing the same thing you did." Suddenly, Mark stood and ran to the bathroom. The Bohos cringed at the sound of Mark dry-heaving into the bowl of the toilet. When had Mark last eaten? Knowing Mark, he didn't eat much to begin with . . . not to mention he was too thin and too pale.

The dry-heaving had stopped and all there was was silence.

"Mark?" Mimi asked, untangling herself from Roger's protective arms and tentatively approaching the bathroom. "Mark? Are you okay?" She pushed open the bathroom door and stopped. Her eyes got wide. On the bathroom floor laid Mark who had passed out. "Roger, call the nurse." She said before moving to Mark's side.

Oh No!! I did it again! REVIEW IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO MARK!!!!