Mark's POV
Roger slept for the rest of the day; the withdrawal was taking so much energy out of him. I locked his door and went to me and Maureen's room but not before saying good night to Collins and Benny- who had just gotten home an hour ago.
I lay down in my bed facing the ceiling; Maureen was in a small ball next to me. I couldn't fall asleep. I was desperately trying to remember what I saw when I was knocked out. All I remember was that I was horrible, and just reminded again why I am putting my best friend through all of this, why I'm putting my self through all of this. When I opened my eyes again it was still dark out. I groaned slightly as the pain from Roger's beating started to come. I heard my name being faintly called from Rogers's room. I quickly got up and went to his room. I unlocked the door and walked in to see Roger under a pile of blankets shivering and sweating. I couldn't tell if he was awake or asleep. His eye where shut tightly and he was tossing and turning.
"Mark?" He called out weakly. I walked over to his bed and sat on the edge of it. I placed my cold hand on his forehead and was not surprised when I found it burning. I ran my hand through his bleach blonde hair.
"Yeah it's me buddy. I'll be right back." I stood up but he grabbed my hand, his eyes now open.
"N-No Marky, don't leave me alone." I sighed.
"I'll be right back; I have to get something to bring your fever down." He gave a slight nod and shut his eyes again. I left the room and went into the bathroom. I rummaged through the medicine until I found some Advil, there where only three pills left and I took out two of them. I also grabbed rag and put it under the freezing faucet water. I made my way back to Rogers's room to find him in the same position as before. I gently placed the wet rag on his forehead and handed him the pills. "You have to take these."
I told him. He took the Advil from me and took them dry. "Do you need anything else?" I asked rubbing my eyes, trying to wake my self up more.
"It's cold." I pulled the two blankets up higher over his shaking shoulders.
"Try and go to sleep Rog." He nodded and shut his eyes. As I stood up silently, he must have felt the weight of the bed shift because his eyes shot open.
"Don't leave mark! I-I'm sorry, just please don't leave me. I'm so sorry for hurting you and everyone, I swear I-I'll be better!" Tears where starting to come down his cheeks. "Please don't go! Stay here with me." He begged. I gave him a sad smiled and nodded sitting down, my back against the head bored.
"I won't leave you." I whispered to him. He smiled and shut his eyes again. I pressed on the rag on his forehead, hoping it was working to cool him down. He suddenly kicked off the blankets.
"Hot." He muttered out, turning over on his side. Soon I saw his shoulders start moving up and down at an even pase and I was sure he was asleep. I pulled the blankets over him and took the rag off of his head. I shut my eyes and tried to go to sleep. Of course I wanted to go back next to Maureen but Roger needed me. And that is where I wa
s going to be. I soon couldn't control it anym
ore and gave into a deep sleep.
I woke up to roger not sleeping next to me. "Fuck!" I yelled jumping out of bed. I looked at the clock; it was only 6:20. I ran to Benny's door and banged on it, which woke Collins up, who was sleeping on the couch.
"Mark what the hell?" Benny muttered sleepy.
"Roger's gone!" I frantically ran into me and Maureen's room to see Maureen turning in her sleep. I shut the door and went back out to meet a now fully awake Benny and Collins.
"Shit! When?" Collins asked.
"I don't know, when I woke up he wasn't next to me!"
"Wait… why where you in Roger's bed…" Benny questioned me. I rolled my eyes.
"Shut up Benny he could be shooting up right now!" I was in no mood for games; I couldn't start Roger's withdrawal all over again. "I knew I should have locked the door, I should have stayed awake!" I said, throwing on my scarf and grabbing my bike.
"Mark, calm down, freaking out wont help. I'll go down to the park, Benny you check the bars, Mark the streets. Okay?" I didn't know how Collins could be so calm right now, but I nodded and started down the stairs. I jumped on my bike and began going as fast as I can, at every street and ally way for any sign of Roger. I soon saw The Man hanging in an ally way leaning against a wall, waiting for a costumer. I didn't want to do this but I had to for Roger. I got off my bike and walked towards him.
"Roger Davis, you've seen him?" I asked, getting straight to the point, my voice determined but worried.
"I don't know, if I tell you where he is will you keep taking away his business from me?" He smirked at me, playing with something in his pocket.
"Fuck you! Just tell me where the hell he is!" I yelled. I had no time for this. The Man sighed.
"Here, because I have a heart I'll tell you that he did buy just about five munities ago, but I don't know where he went." I ran a hand though my hair. "You know, it's a shame about April, she was one of my best costumers."
"I don't have time for this." I kept on my bike and I continued down the street. I saw a figure in the ally way next to the life café and I went down that way, figuring I would take my chances for Roger. I leapt off my bike when I saw that it was the Rocker. Holding a needle in his hand, forearm wrapped with a piece of fabric.
"Roger!" I yelled running over to him. I knelt down in front of him; he was clutching the needle tightly in his fist so I couldn't tell if there was anything left in it. "Rog did you…" He opened his hand and I saw that the liquid was still in there, I took a breath of relief.
"No, I was going to, but you showed up." I put my hand out.
"Roger, give me the needle." I asked. He shook his head holding it tighter.
"No! I'm going to fucking shoot up here right now and you can't do anything about it." I shook my head.
"Rog, no… please, you're stronger then this."
"No, I'm not strong." He argued with me.
"Are you kidding me? Look how far you have gotten, look how much you have gotten through. Please Rog, for me, give me the needle. You don't need it." My best friend shook his head, not letting the tears in his eyes fall.
"It-It hurts Mark… I need it" He said locking eye with me.
"I know it hurts, but this will just set you back, it will erase all the struggle you have gone through in the past weak, all the struggle we ha been through. You're my brother Rog, and I love you, I can't let you go down like this, not if I can help it." I finally realized that tears where coming down from my eyes. He let his own tears fall and he handed me the needle, taking off the fabric on his arm. I smiled wide and hugged him tightly. "That my strong Roger." We both stood up and we made our way back to the loft. When we got in we where bombarded by Maureen.
"Where the hell where you? I was ready to call the fucking cops!" she yelled. Roger turned to me.
"Go to you room, I'll be there in a second" He silently walked in there and shut his door. I turned my attention back to the angered Maureen.
"Well? Do you have anything to say?"
"Roger got out, I found him in an ally with a needle ready to shoot up, but he gave it to me." I explained.
"Well thank God you didn't get stabbed like I thought you did!" I smiled at her. Just then the phone rang, of course we screened it. Maureen voice came out of the machine.
"Hey you have reached, Collins, Benny, Maureen, Mark and Roger! Leave a message, bye!"
…we really need to change that message. Collins voice came on the phone.
"Hey if your there we haven't found Roger, me and Benny are at a payphone near the park." I raced to the phone and picked it up.
"Hey Col, Yeah I got him… No, everything's fine he didn't… I'll tell you when you get here." I hung up the phone and tuned to my girlfriend. "I need to go talk to Roger, I'll be back." She nodded and kissed me randomly.
"Okay Marky." I smiled at her and went into Roger's room. I peaked inside and saw him sitting on his bed staring at his guitar, not recognizing my presence. I went and sat next to him.
"I'm really proud of you Roger." I told him truthfully. He looked up at me and nodded.
"Yeah… I still wish I hadn't listened." I couldn't help but smirk. "You should take a nap, you look tired."
"Alright." He agreed and lay down. I shut off his light and walked out the door. Just the Collins and Benny came in.
"What happened?" Benny immediately questioned.
"Saw him in an alley ready to shoot up, I got him to hand over the needle." Collins smiled.
"It's a steep. A very good steep." I nodded.
"Yeah I know, I'm proud of him." I said.
"You should take a nap mark, you look tired." I laughed lightly. "What?"
"I just said that exact same thing to Roger." I didn't wait for a response as I got up and went to my room. Falling asleep the moment my head hit the pillows.
I woke up and got out of bed, wanting to know what time it was, stupid broken clocks. I walked out and saw Roger sitting on the couch next to Collins who was unwrapping the bandages around Roger's wrists, where he made the cuts. Roger looked up at me with a blank expression on his face. He then went back down to looking at his wrist. I winced when I saw the cuts on his wrist. Collins tried not to show emotion but I could tell he was still sad that roger would do that to himself. Roger thou seemed emotionless. He just stared at the cuts. I wished I could know what he was thinking, if he would do it again, if he felt bad about it. Collins quickly rewrapped the cuts in a new bandage and stood up.
"Alright, you're free from me." He said going into the kitchen. "Either of yall hungry?" he asked.
"No." we said in unison, I glared at Roger. "You need to eat." I told him. He shook his head in protest.
"No, I'll just throw it up anyway." He mumbled. I sighed.
"Just have something. Collins what do we have?" I asked. I looked in the fridge.
"Soup?" he offered.
"Perfect." He then began to heat it up. I sat down next to roger. "How are you feeling?" I asked, he shrugged.
"Pretty achy." He answered. I put my hand on his forehead and felt a slight fever but nothing to worry about.
"Where are Maureen and Benny?" I asked to no one unparticular.
"Maureen said something about dinner, and where the hell do you think Benny is?" Collins replied not looking up from the soup he was heating up. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Roger with a smile on my face. I was still extremely proud of him.
"What?" Roger snapped at me I shrugged as Collins came over with Roger's soup.
"Cool it man, he's just smiling." Collins said coming to my rescue. Roger just glared at the both of us and took a sip of the soup. There was randomly a beeping sound that I recognized at Collin's AZT beeper. Collins got up to get the medicine.
"Hey Rog, do you want to try taking the AZT?" I tried.
"No." He said flatly continuing to eat his soup. I sighed; I guess we would just have to wait to see the doctors… Collins came back over after taking his AZT. Roger ate half his soup before jumping up and running to the bathroom slamming the door. I ran a hand through my hair.
"Damn it! I thought he would actually keep something down." I looked over at the door. "He's lousing some weight." I said my eyes not leaving the door.
"I'll get better Mark. And by the way, I'm proud of you, for taking such good care of him." He stood up and up a hand on my shoulder. "You're a great friend." He said softly and walked away.
Hey everyone! sorry this chapter tooklonger then i would like to get out! but i had finals and now it's SUMMER! I do work at a singing icecream shop and apretice at a theatre so dont excpect my updates to be sooner (Sorry) but they wont be later! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! So Just to make this story hopefully better for you i was wonder what you wanted to see more of-
1) Hurt Mark
2) Sick Roger
3) Violent/angry Roger
4) More April death refrences!
If you guys want to see more of something speak up! You dont even have to choose from these options! Thanks so much for R&R!