Mark opened the door to Roger and Mimi's room. Roger had run down to the Food Emporium and asked Mark to check on Mimi while he was gone.
"Roger?" Mimi mumbled sleepily.
"No, it's Mark."
"Where's Roger?"
"He had to run to the store. Do you need anything?"
"I'm so cold." Mark stopped to think. It was critical that they kept Mimi's body temperature up, and he knew that.
"I think I may have something to help you warm up. I'll be right back." Mark left and returned a few minutes later with something folded in his arms. He plugged it into the wall next to the bed and opened up a large blanket. He spread it out over Mimi. Right away, she felt its warmth.
"What is it?" she asked.
"An electric blanket; it should keep you warm." Mimi smiled gratefully.
"Thanks, Marky." Mark cracked a small smile.
"Anytime; now, you get some rest. I'll be in the other room, so shout if you need anything at all."
"I will thanks." Mimi slid deep under the warmth of the electric blanket. For the first time in ages, she actually felt warm and cozy.
By the time Roger got back from the Food Emporium, Mark was busy sorting through boxes of old film.
"Is Mimi awake?" he asked.
Without looking up from his work, Mark replied, "She should be. Why don't you go and see for yourself?" Roger put the bags of groceries on the table and took Mark's advice.
When Mimi saw Roger, she was all smiles. Roger leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before sitting down next to her.
"I think we should talk about this," he said. Mimi shook her head.
"I'm not ready to."
"You're never going to be ready to talk about this, and we need to talk about it." Mimi hoisted herself up into a sitting position. Roger pulled the pile of blankets off her lap. "Come on; let's stretch your legs a little." Mimi swung her thin legs over the side of the bed. She was still in the jeans from when she had passed out. Mimi clung to Roger's arm and stood up. Her legs were shaky and weak, and her jeans hung loosely from her hips. "There you go, take your time." Roger helped Mimi walk over to the full length mirror hanging on the closet door.
"What are you doing?"
"What do you see?" Mimi stared at the ground. "Just tell me what you see in the mirror, baby."
"I see you, and I see me."
"What do you see in you?" Tears stared rolling down Mimi's hollow cheeks. Roger rubbed her arm. "It's okay, just tell me."
"I see a fat, ugly woman who's not worth your time." Roger wrapped his arms around Mimi and held her as close as possible.
"You're worth every second of my life," he whispered in her ear. Mimi buried her face in Roger's arm. Her tears stained the sleeve of his gray hoodie.
"I wanted to be perfect for you. I thought that you thought that I was so fat and you'd leave me." Roger rubbed Mimi's back.
"I'd never leave you. I made that mistake once already. You're my world."
"I'm sorry I fucked up." Roger tipped Mimi's face up so he could talk to her face to face and look in her deep, soulful eyes.
"Don't be; just promise me that you'll try to get better." Mimi nodded. Roger pressed their lips together in a tender kiss to seal the deal. It was a simple kiss, but it still held all the passion the couple shared for each other.
Several days later, Mimi was still confined to bed, thanks to Roger. Roger opened the door to their room.
"I'm going to go out with Mark for a few hours; maybe get a drink or two at the Life," he said. Mimi nodded.
"Okay, you behave yourself."
"Me? Please! I always behave myself." Mimi snorted. "Whatever, Joanne's going to stop by to be with you." Mimi sat up straighter.
"I'll be fine on my own," she insisted. Roger put his hand on Mimi's one cheek and kissed the other.
"I know, but Joanne offered. Do you want anything at the store?" Mimi stopped to think.
"Something other than soup. I mean, anything but soup." Roger gave Mimi another kiss.
"I'll see what I can do. Do you think you can keep something else besides soup down?"
"I can try."
"I dunno…" Mimi began to pout.
"Please?"
"Maybe." Roger patted Mimi's leg and stood up. "Now I'm going to go. I love you."
"I love you too." Mimi slid down under the blankets, and Roger left to go out with Mark.
Mimi figured that she must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew, someone was sitting on the bed next to her. Moaning, Mimi opened her eyes.
"Roger?" she mumbled.
"No sweetie, it's Joanne. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Mimi sat up. Joanne noted how shaky she was.
"It's fine. All I do is sleep anyway."
"You sound like Maureen." Mimi cracked a smile.
"Where is Maureen?"
"At home doing Lord only knows what. She's probably going to stop by in a little while complaining that she's bored and lonely."
"But you love her." Joanne nodded. Her eyes seemed to gaze past Mimi for a second as she thought about Maureen.
"Yeah, I love my bitchy diva."
"At least she's not so over-protective like Roger. He only lets me get up to go to the bathroom and shower. I've barely been out of this room." Joanne stood up.
"Come on, you've got to be bored out of your mind in here. I'll help you." Mimi stood up feebly. She trudged carefully across the room while Joanne kept a supporting hand on her upper arm. Mimi was frustrated that she felt like she was fine but didn't have the energy to do much.
Mimi sat down on the couch. She had never taken going from room to room for granted before. Joanne sat in one of the chairs.
"God, it feels good to get out of that damn room," Mimi sighed. "Roger's so fucking overprotective."
"His heart's in the right place. Besides, he almost has the right to be worried about you after what happened." Mimi stared out into space for a few seconds. The guild from her actions had just hit her. Joanne realized what she had said and reached over to comfort Mimi. "I'm sorry, sweetie, that came out wrong." Mimi shook her head.
"You're right; I brought this all on myself on my own." Mimi started to shiver. "Could you get a blanket for me off my bed?" Joanne stood up.
"Of course." Joanne got two blankets for Mimi and wrapped them around the smaller woman. "There you go." Mimi smiled gratefully.
"Thanks, Jo." Mimi pulled the blankets tighter around her thin shoulders.
When Roger got back to the loft with Mark, Mimi was still on the couch talking to Joanne. Roger sat down next to Mimi and gave her a quick kiss.
"I'm not even going to ask what you're doing out here," he said. Mimi slid onto his lap and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Joanne helped me. She's not trying to smother me," she replied. Roger slid his hand into Mimi's back pocket. Joanne stood up.
"That's my cue to leave," she said. "Bye you guys." The three Bohemians said goodbye to Joanne, and she left. Mimi went back to cuddling with Roger, and Mark tossed a bag of pretzels on the couch.
"We picked these up at the store for you," he said. Mimi smiled.
"Thanks you guys." Mimi opened the bag and popped a pretzel in her mouth. Never had something tasted so wonderful in her life.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Mimi stepped up on the scale. Roger kept a reassuring hand on her shoulder the whole time.
"It's okay, it's not that bad," he assured. "Just open your eyes." Mimi opened her eyes. "There you go, baby." Mimi look down at the scale.
"Ninty-eight pounds," she said quietly. Roger kissed her cheek.
"I'm so proud of you," he murmured in her ear. Mimi smiled. "You've gained six pounds since the last time we weighed you. Good job." Mimi got down off the scale and leaned against Roger. "You're getting there, you're getting better." Mimi cuddled closer against Roger. She always felt safe and secure with his strong arms wrapped around her small form. Roger kissed the top of her head.
"Thank you Roger," Mimi mumbled contently. "I don't know what I'd do without you." Roger tightened his grip on Mimi. He didn't know what he'd do without out her either.
The End
Thank You, Jonathan Larson
