"Adrianna, you look great. I love your hair." Olivia said rushing over to Adrianna as she and Roger entered the house.
"Thanks. I figured I was gonna lose my hair anyway." she smiled looking up at her.
"You look really good Aid." she smiled looking at her.
"Thanks. Where's mom and Ned?" she asked looking up at her.
"They're out. They'll be back in a little while. Mom wanted to do something special for yours and Roger first night here." she smiled as Roger dropped their bags in the foyer.
"I hope she's not planning a ball. I'm not in a mood for a party." she said looking up at her.
"No, she's not. She knows how much you hate them." she laughed as the door opened. It was Grace and Ned.
"Roger, Adrianna you guys are early." Grace said seeing them in the foyer.
"Hi to you too mom. Our plane came in a half hour early." Adrianna smiled looking over at her mother.
"You look beautiful sweetie. Your hair looks great." she smiled playing with her short hair.
"Thanks mom. So what do you and Ned have planned for mine and Roger's first night here?" she asked hugging her mother.
"That can wait. Why don't you and Roger bring your things up to your room and rest for a little while. I'm sure it was a long flight." she smiled as Roger and Ned exchanged smiles.
"OK I guess." she smiled looking up at Roger as he picked up their bags and brought them upstairs. When they entered the bedroom he dropped them next to the door. "What's going on?" she asked looking up at him.
"I just got here, why are you asking me?" he asked looking down at her.
"Because you always seem to know a lot more than you let on." she laughed looking up at him.
"I don't know anything. Now come here. I wanna lay down with you for a little while." he smiled jumping on the bed.
"I'm curious to know what she's planning. Knowing my other, it can't be good." she smiled laying down next to him in the king sized bed.
"Don't underestimate your mother. You know she's trying to behave." he smiled kissing her head as he held her in his arms.
"I know. She is getting better." she smiled looking up at him.
"Now let's take a nap. I'm tired." he smiled looking down at her as he ran his fingers through her short hair.
"You like being here, don't you?" she asked looking up at him.
"Yeah I do. It's relaxing. I feel like the real world can't touch us." he whispered leaning down to kiss her.
"But it can Roger. We can't run from the real world. Your HIV and my cancer is still here." she said looking up at him.
"I know Baby." he said holding her closer before falling asleep. When he woke up Adrianna was curled up in a little ball next to him. The central air conditioning made the room extremely cold. Roger reached over and put a blanket on her before getting up and leaving the room.
"Where's Aid?" Olivia asked seeing him come down the stairs.
"She's still sleeping. She's still really tired from the chemo and radiation." he said running his fingers through his hair.
"How is she doing really?" Ned asked looking over at him.
"Some days are better than others. Today's a good day." he said sitting on the couch.
"What does the doctor say? Is he tumor getting any smaller?" Grace asked looking up at him.
"Not much, but she's still got a few more rounds of the chemo go, so we're hoping it's gonna wear the tumor down." he said looking up at them leaning his elbows on his legs.
"Has she talked any more about the wedding? Maybe doing it between rounds of chemo?" Grace asked looking up at him.
"No. She wants to make sure the cancer is gone before we think about that." he told her quietly as he ran his fingers through his hair.
"How do you feel about that?" Ned asked looking over at him.
"I wanna marry her no matter what she looks like, inside or outside. But she insists that she wants to be healthy before we get married." he said looking over at him.
"Maybe we can do something to make that happen sooner rather then later." Grace suggested looking over at him.
"I don't follow you." he said looking over at her.
"I was thinking of inviting everyone from New York down here for some R & R and while they're here, you two can get married." Grace smiled looking over at him.
"I don't want to blindside her like that. Especially now. She doesn't feel that she looks her best and being the center of attention is gonna make her really uncomfortable." he said getting up to pace the living room.
"Roger, you and Adrianna have been through so much. You should have one thing to celebrate and your love is something to celebrate." Ned said looking over at him.
"I don't know Ned. I love her and I want nothing else than to be her husband, But I mean, I don't know about Aid." he said rubbing the back of his neck.
"Just think about it Roger. I would really love to do this for you two. Especially now." Grace said looking up at him.
"I'll try feeling Aid out to see how she would feel about it." he said looking over at her.
"OK, that's all I ask." Grace smiled looking over at him.
"I'm gonna go check on her. I'll be down in a little while." he said quietly before going up the stairs. He loved the idea of getting married in Florida and couldn't wait to get married to Adrianna. She's the one who wanted to wait until she was healthy. He didn't care if she was healthy or not. He was in love with her and he wanted to be with her in sickness and in health. Whether it was his health or hers. He didn't want to live without her and making her his wife was the most important thing to him. He never wanted to marry anyone as much as he wanted to marry Adrianna. "Aid, are you up?" he asked as he entered the room and didn't see her laying in the bed.
"Yeah, Roger. I'll um... I'll be right out." she replied wiping her eyes. As she got up, she looked in the mirror. Her eyes had dark circles under them and her face was blotchy. The circles appeared shortly after chemo and radiation started. "Hey Baby." she smiled opening the door without looking up at him.
"Aid, look at me." he said looking down at her.
"I'm fine Roger." she said walking past him.
"Adrianna, look at me." he yelled stopping her in her tracks. As she turned around he noticed the blotches on her face. "Aid, have you been crying?" he asked looking down at her.
"Yeah, but I'm fine now." she said looking up at him.
"Why were you crying?" he asked going over to her.
"I heard. You guys downstairs. I heard you." she said as tears sprang to her eyes.
"I meant what I said Aid. I want to marry you more than anything in the world. Whether your healthy or not. I wanna be your husband." he said holding her in his arms.
"I just don't want you to have to watch me die the way you had to watch Mimi and Angel die." she said looking up at him.
"Aid, I don't care. I just want to be with you for the rest of our lives. No matter what that means." he whispered looking down at her.
"But Roger, I'm not me right now. I'm this frail, sickly girl with no hair." she said looking up at him.
"You are you. You are everything I want and everything I need." he said leaning down to kiss her.
"You really want to get married now? Here?" she asked wiping her eyes.
"Wherever is fine with me Baby. As long as I marry you, I'm fine." he smiled looking down at her.
"OK Roger. We'll get married here. Have my mom start the planning." she smiled looking up at him.
"Yeah?" he asked looking at her.
"Yeah and I'll even let her go all out." she smiled as he gave her a look.
"All out?" he asked raising his eye brow.
"Yeah, all out. I want the works." she smiled looking up at him as he leaned down and picked her up.
"This is gonna be the biggest wedding this place has ever seen." he yelled kissing her.
"Yeah, I have a feeling my mom's not gonna stop until it is." she laughed looking over at him.
"I love you Aid." he smiled looking over at her.
"I love you too Roger." she smiled holding him close.
"What did she say?" Olivia asked looking over at Grace.
"I think she said yes. And that she wants us to go all out." Grace said looking over at her in disbelief.
"OK you two, you can stop torturing me. I just want the day I marry Roger to be the greatest day of anyone's lives." she smiled as Roger held her in his arms.
"Just so we have this clear, you want us to go all out and make this the event of the summer?" Grace asked looking up at Adrianna.
"Yes mom. I want you and Maureen to go crazy." she smiled looking up at Roger.
"I promise we won't go too crazy Adrianna." Grace smiled getting up to hug her.
"Mom, I said I want you and Maureen to go crazy. I know what it means to tell you two that and I'm ready for it." she smiled looking over at her as she hugged her back.
"OK sweetie. Anything you want." she smiled looking up at Roger.