Roger had just gotten back from his morning jog. It was a beautiful day in mid August and he was sweating buckets. "Mimi!" He called. No answer. That's when he saw the light glow under the bathroom door. "Mimi." He said cautiously moving towards the bathroom. Still no response. He could hear the water running. No. This wasn't happening again. That's when Roger realized that it was a year ago today. April. 525,600 minutes. Roger felt dizzy, light headed, and then it all went black as his body hit the floor.
Mimi was in the shower when she heard a big thump. She jumped and turned the water off, wrapping herself in her bathrobe to go check it out. She opened the bathroom door just as Mark entered the loft. They both saw at the same time. Roger. Lying on the ground, unconscious. His skin looked pale and sickly. "Roger!" Mimi wailed jumping to his side while Mark ran and called 911. "Roger, baby. I, I, love, you. Rog!" She cried, tears starting to brim. Mark ran by her side as they both tried to wake him up until the paramedics arrived. Mimi and Mark both got in the ambulance and drove off with him. That's when Mark realized it. Had it really been a year ago that he had needed to hold Roger down in a headlock as he wrestled him to his room, sobbing, barely able to breathe as he groaned and screamed her name? Had it been a year ago the Mark watched one of his best friends covered in a white sheet and taken away? Had it been a year ago that Mark cleaned up the bloody bathroom, and forced Roger down to the clinic to get tested for HIV? It had, hadn't it?
"Meems." She was softly crying into her hands. Mark placed a hand on her back and held her close. "Mimi, w, wh, what happened?" He asked trying to hold back his own tears.
"I was t,t,t,taking a sh,sh,shower and I heard a th,th,thump so I came out, and, and, he, he…"
"Okay, its okay Mimi, he'll be fine." Mark tried reassuring her.
"The shower." He thought to himself. "April had been taking a bath." Oh God.
At the hospital:
"Hello, is anyone here for Mr. Davis?" A male doctor in his 40's dressed in a white coat asked the waiting room. Although by now the whole crew had arrived only Mimi and Mark stood up. "Come with me please." The doctor led them to a clean cut white room where they found Roger, awake, flipping channels on the TV in bed. The doctor then left them alone.
"Hey." Roger said smiling.
"Rog!" Mimi cried running to him. He held her tightly. "I was so scared."She whispered.
"I know baby, I'm sorry."
"What happened?" She asked.
"I just got a little dizzy, I just got back from my run, I guess I'm not as fit as I thought!" he said chuckling. Mimi gave him a weak smile and kissed his cheek.
"Are you sure? The doctor didn't say anything?"
"Nope, he agrees that I was probably just out of breathe or something, I can come home in 3 hours. Say, why don't you and the gang head back to the loft, you get dressed, and then I'll take you out for dinner tonight."
"Roger, I think you should re-."
"No, Meems, please. I wanna take you ow-oooo tonight." He pathetically sung. She gave him a big bright smile and a sweet kiss on the lips.
"Okay, I love you." She said.
"Love you." Mimi walked out, giving one last wave. Mark was still standing there, watching Roger. "I'm fine, Mark, you can go too." Roger told him.
"Rog, I'm not buying it. This is about April."
"What about April?" Roger asked angrily, looking down at the floor.
"Please Rog, you owe Mimi the truth."
"It'll just make her upset."
"She deserves to know!"
"You don't know anything Mark; I walked in the house calling her name and she didn't respond! I heard the water running, I saw the bathroom light on okay! It was like it was happening again but it didn't so I'm fine so just drop it!"
"It's okay to still love her. If you cancel your plans with Mimi we can go to her grave and talk to her. Maybe Mimi would even want to come with us." Mark said calmly. Roger snorted.
"Me still caring about April would hurt Mimi. She's a good person, but. I, it, sh, she just wouldn't like it. And I don't want to visit April. I want to go on a god damn date with my girlfriend, and don't you try to get in my way."
"Roger, we both know what this is about. I think after your date tonight you should tell Mimi about April. She'll like it that you're being honest with her. Please Roger; it's what's best for you, letting all of those feeling loose for once." Roger ignored him and Mark walked out the door.
Meanwhile the gang was hanging out in the loft living room, playing an intense game of battleship. Mark, and Collins were on one team and Angel and Maureen were on the other, while Joanne played for both teams. Mimi was in her and Roger's room getting ready. She and Roger barely ever went on dates alone, and they were usually just walks around central park and she could tell by the gleam in Roger's eye that he wanted this one to be special. Mimi scrunched the gel into her black curls, and put on some eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara, and lipstick. She added some flower scented perfume and cherry chapstick. She was wearing a navy blue and white floral patterned tank dress, with a 2 inch brown belt and brown necklaces. She looked perfect.
"Hey sweetie, how ya feeling?" Maureen asked as Roger walked in the door.
"Fine, thanks, Mimi's in our room?" Mark nodded not making eye contact with Roger. He sighed and opened the door. "Hey." He said softly closing the door behind him. "You look beautiful."
"Thanks." Mimi said, biting her lip and blushing. Roger tore off his shirt and replaced it with a black button down and put on some jeans.
"Ready?" Mimi nodded and grabbed Roger's hand. She waved goodbye to everyone as they skipped out the door. Roger put his arm around Mimi as they walked down the street. He led her "La Puccini's"- a new Italian restaurant on Avenue A.
"Roger, are you sure you can afford this?" Roger rolled his eyes and pulled her inside. They sat down and ordered some wine. Neither of them spoke. Something was up. "Roger?"
"Hm?" He looked up from his menu to look at her.
"Are you alright? You just seem a little off…"
"Yeah just a little worn out." He said smiling gently.
"We can go back to the loft, you can sle-."
"No! I want to be here with you. I love you so much Mimi. More than anything. Never forget that." Mimi grabbed his hand from across the table and rubbed it
"I love you too Roger. Don't scare me like that again."
"I'm sorry." Mimi smiled as they shared a quick kiss. The rest of the date went smoothly, both eating up their pasta and downing expensive wine. They talked, and laughed, and then shared a tiramisu. They walked down the street and kissed in the moonlight first walking past an old alley where they both could clearly make out the figure of The Man and his loyal junkies. Mimi looked longingly towards them. Roger placed his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. He knew withdrawal was a bitch. "You're doing so good Meems." He whispered. Next they ended up walking past the cemetery. Roger looked towards April's grave that read "Only the good die young." He gave it a little nod and a sad smile before racing Mimi down the street and piggy backing her back to the loft where they joined the gang in an intense game of trouble, a game that had sat in the closet for a year now, since it had been a birthday gift from April.
Roger realized at that moment that he was done mourning. He knew April had loved him and that's why she sent him Mimi, and the life he now had. It was time he finally accepted April's gifts to him.