A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! Hope you all like this chapter!

Benny pulled up at the hospital. Carmen didn't bother taking anything but her cell and purse when she climbed out of the Range Rover. She didn't wait for Benny, but rushed inside."I'm Carmen Marquez, here for Mimi," she said to the nurse before correcting herself. "For Miranda, I mean."
"Someone will be with you in a minute. Your friends are over there." She told Carmen, indicating to a group of unseen people over her shoulder. Collins noticed the nurse pointing at their group and perked up a little.
"Guys, someone's here for Mimi." Everyone's eyes darted over to Carmen, who stopped in her tracks. At that moment, Benny caught up with her and ushered her to them. No one looked pleased to see either of them. Carmen understood what she thought was animosity towards Benny from what she had been told by her sister in the past year, but was taken aback by the vibes of resentment she could feel directed at herself. She looked each of them in the eye; each of them was instantly recognizable. Collins, Roger, Mark, Maureen and Joanne in that order. They were just how Mimi had described them and their personalities shone through their eyes even though they said nothing. Carmen's gaze lingered on Roger and she felt a surge of anger that he was there after abandoning Mimi. When she noticed his tear-stained cheeks, she couldn't help but feel a little smug.
Before anything could be said between them, a doctor came over and whisked Carmen away. The group turned on Benny, speaking at once.
"Who is that?
"Why is she here?"
"What's going on?" Benny held up his hands to silence them.
"Guys, stop. I'm here because that girl," he pointed towards the door Carmen had been taken through, "Carmen – Mimi's sister – called me. She's Mimi's emergency contact… why didn't anyone call me?" he asked, referring to Mimi being found.
"We didn't really have time. Everything happened so fast." Mark answered.
"Where was she?"
"In the park."
"Jesus… is she alright?"
"We almost lost her, but Angel sent her back." Benny turned to Collins, feeling a rush of affection for the deceased drag queen. Collins sent him a watery smile and then gestured to the empty seat beside him, which Benny took. After a few minutes, he spoke again.
"How much more do you all know?"
"Nothing. The fuckers won't tell us a damn thing."
"They can't Maureen." Joanne stressed.
"But they can tell that… that stranger?"
"She's Mimi's sister. She's not a stranger."
"Then where has she been, huh? Where? This past year has been hell for Mimi and where the fuck has she been?" Carmen reappeared at Benny's side, obviously offended.
"I've been at our father's place on my cell phone listening to her cry."
"And you never thought to actually come and help her until she's on her death bed?" Carmen rounded on Maureen, eyes blazing, but Benny placed a hand on her shoulder and she grudgingly stepped down. The group fell quiet until Joanne spoke.
"Carmen, how is she?"
"She's scared and angry but otherwise fine. It's a chest cold, but teamed with withdrawal it's very painful for her. She can leave tomorrow with a whole bunch of medication if she stays stable tonight. They've moved her from intensive care into recovery, but we can't see her just yet."
"Why not?"
"They want to discuss a few things with her, and then me. You can all go in there for a little while after that, but she needs to rest." She looked at Roger. "Can I talk to you outside for a minute?" Startled, he nodded his head.
"Uh, yeah. Yeah… okay."

Carmen led the way to a bench where they sat together, and she passed him a cigarette after she lit her own. "Thanks.""No problem. I'm sorry if I seemed angry at you before I went in. Mimi told me what happened tonight," Roger nodded, realizing that Carmen must've only known him as the guy who left Mimi. "Thank you for coming back." He nodded again and then turned to face his girlfriend's sister.
Although he had seen her before, it wasn't until Roger looked at Carmen under the moonlight that he could appreciate how much they looked alike. They had the same skin tone, frame, hair colour and length, the same lips but most notably they had the same eyes. They were differences, of course; Carmen's looks were more youthful, her hair was straight, she had a slightly longer face and her nose was thinner – Mimi's looks though still very beautiful were ravaged by disease and drug abuse. What surprised Roger the most were the eyes – that same almond shape, chestnut colour and that same deep sadness masked by fire he had always assumed came from Mimi's experiences in Alphabet City. He found himself wondering what their childhood was like together when she interrupted his thoughts.
"What are you staring at?" she had the same tone that Mimi had a year ago. Playful, knowing but still slightly curious.
"Nothing. You look like your sister." She smiled, and Roger almost died – it was just one other quality Carmen and Mimi shared.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." Roger snorted. Smart girl, he thought.
"How was she?"
"She was okay. I had no idea that it got that bad for her. The disease, I mean. I didn't know it could work so fast." Her eyes stung, and Roger studied her face.
"She's learned to hide it well." Carmen sniffled and nodded. "She'll be fine. You know what she's like."
"Roger, I think the problem is that she's not going to be fine. She's going to die. My sister's dying." Her voice cracked on the last word, and Roger saw a tear fall. They must be close, he told himself. He tentatively reached over and squeezed her shoulder. She took it as an invitation and moved closer to lean her head on his. He didn't want to talk. He knew what Carmen was saying was the truth and there was no point in trying to tell her anything different. If he did, the truth would eventually come out and he didn't want to be responsible for the shock of reality. Carmen looked young, but Roger gave her a little credit – if she looked so much like her sister, then maybe she was able to handle it as well as her sister.

"How are you holding up?"
"Fine."
"Found a song yet?" Roger was surprised at the question, and noticed a mischievous grin on Carmen's face. If Mimi had told Carmen what happened tonight, she would definitely have mentioned his song.
"I think you know I have" he replied, pushing her away. Carmen burst into laughter and Roger sat frowning.
"I'm sorry but it just seems so fucking corny."
"Oh shut up, I'd like to see you do better!"
"Are you gonna sing it to me, too? We have the same eyes, you know." She teased, batting her eyes at him.
"Shut up, Carmen." She let out one final giggle, then apologized. Roger accepted. He was amazed at how quickly he was forming a bond with Carmen. She already felt like a little sister. As beautiful as she was, there was no attraction. He was for Mimi, and Mimi alone. But as much as there was no attraction, there was a connection that he was glad to have with her. He knew Mimi would be glad as well, and that made it all the more better to him.

"They're talking about a treatment for her addiction." Carmen told him, and Roger couldn't help but think that the exchange between them moments before was her attempt at buttering him up before bringing up a sticky subject.
"What kind of treatment?"
"Well… it's a little experimental… and it's very expensive" Roger opened his mouth to protest, but Carmen spoke over him. "Ever since I heard about it I've been saving up. Roger, eighty-five percent of people this treatment is administered to stay clean."
"What about the rest?"
"They stay clean for months, and then go back. The odds are good for Mimi. I want to help her. It's not so much a case of convincing her to do it; she wants to stop. She really does. She has a reason to stop, now you're back." Roger felt a familiar wave of guilt about leaving. "This is a case of getting her to accept the money. I need your help. This isn't Benny we're talking about. It's all my money. I'm not going to turn around in six month's time and tell her that she owes me, but she's had bad experiences borrowing off people. The doctor is telling her about the treatment now, and after he does he'll bring me in to tell her that I can do it. I want you to come, too. Back me up. Please."
Roger leaned back to look into Carmen's eyes. Here was this girl who came blazing into their lives, and who is about to change everything. For good. She really is like her sister.
"Of course. Yeah, I'll back you up." Carmen let out a squeal and hugged Roger tightly.
"Thank you!" They got up to go back inside. Carmen walked ahead. Roger kept his head low, and a thought occurred to him.
"Carmen, how old are you?"
"I'm nineteen." Roger grinned. And old for her age…