Mimi let out a soft moan as she opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings of the sterile, dull gray walls of the hospital room. The only sounds were coming from the slow, steady beat of the heart monitor and the faint buzzing of human conversation from the wall mounted television that was turned down too low for her to hear properly. However, she had neither the energy nor the interest to hit the volume or power button. She glanced down at her hand to see where the stupid IV needle was embedded into her skin.
What was she doing here? The last thing she could remember was being in the Loft, with Roger looking down at her, his eyes filled with tears, and Angel… Yes! That's right! Angel. She told her to turn around; to go back. Back to Roger. But where was he now? And how long had she been here?
Almost immediately, it registered that the date was visible on the lower left corner of the television screen. Mimi gave off a dry laugh.
"Great way to spend Christmas morning," she groaned.
"Oh, thank God you're awake!" a new voice laughed joyously. Mimi immediately turned to the open door and her face broke into a wide smile at the sight of Roger standing there, handsome as ever.
"Merry Christmas, baby!" Roger grinned, taking a seat in a cushioned chair next to Mimi's bed and leaning over to softly kiss her temple. "How are you feeling?" Despite Roger's wide grin, Mimi could see the strong worry in his green eyes. Worry that she'd return to the terrible state she'd been in only a few hours before, when Maureen and Joanne had found her huddled in the park. Worry that she'd slip away for good, so not even his song could bring her back.
"I still feel like sh-t," Mimi confessed. "But it's not as bad as it was before." Almost all of the worry vanished from Roger's eyes, but a small bit of it remained. Mimi had a feeling that that little bit would always be there from now on.
"Where are the others?" Mimi glanced over at the door, as if expecting, Mark, Maureen, Joanne and Collins to join them.
"They're coming around later," Roger explained. "I asked them… if they could wait a few hours. There's something I wanted to do with you first."
"Roger!" Mimi laughed, shaking her head. "You realize we're in a hospital!"
"I realize that," Roger smirked, the faintest sly gleam in his eye. "And I can wait for that as long as necessary. You'll find I can be a very patient boy, Miss Marquez." Roger quickly grew more serious, but the loving look he was giving her didn't disappear. "Actually, I was talking about making something up to you. I seem to remember, exactly one year ago, a very sexy dancer offered me an invite for a Christmas brunch. And, if memory serves, I, like a royal jerk as-, ignored that invite. So, this is me, making it up to that sexy dancer." With that, Roger held up two paper bags, both emblazoned with the McDonald's logo. "Your Christmas brunch, baby."
Laughing in appreciation, Mimi pulled out Styrofoam containers containing scrambled eggs, hotcakes, and sausage patties. It turned out Roger had even sprung for two paper cups of orange juice.
"Roger, you do realize that it's probably against the rules to have non-hospital food in here, don't you?" Mimi giggled as Roger handed her a plastic knife and fork.
"Probably," Roger grinned. "What are they gonna do? Throw us out? On Christmas?" Mimi laughed, a large smile on her face. "Have I ever told you how much I adore that smile?" Roger asked in a whisper, gazing at Mimi tenderly. Without breaking eye contact, he reached out to brush some of her hair out of her face. "I love you so much, Mimi." Mimi returned his smile, stroking his rough cheek with her hand, and allowing Roger to cover it with his own.
"I love you, too."
After Roger placed a series of tender kisses on Mimi's palm and knuckles, taking careful measure to mind the IV tube, the two lovers began their long belated Christmas brunch, both hoping and praying that this meal would be beginning of a long, happy, loving relationship, and not only the beginning of the end.