Chapter 25
The next day, Eve rose early, having slept a good part of four days away, and went to go check on Angel and the boys. She looked in on the boys and saw them sleeping peacefully in their bunk beds, Leo on the top bunk and Dylan on the bottom bunk. She smiled to herself.
She heard Roger come out of their bedroom and he wrapped his hands around her waist. "Hey," he whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek, "we can't keep this from them, you know."
Eve turned to face him, pressing herself into his strong frame. "I know, Baby," she said. "I don't want to keep it from them. I just don't know how to tell them yet. I'll think of something." She let out a yawn. "What time is it?"
Roger tossed out a guess. "I don't know, it's like, six." He looked down at her painfully. "Baby, I'm sorry about yesterday. I really freaked out. I didn't mean to scare you."
Eve looked up at him. "I know," she said, "but you don't have to be. I'm on my meds and that will make it so much easier. I'm not gonna die from this, Roger, that I will promise you."
Roger nodded numbly. "Can we go back to bed?" he asked.
"I'm not going to, but you can," said Eve. "I think I'm going to go to work, since my head has stopped throbbing."
"OK, but be careful," said Roger. "Take your AZT before you leave."
"OK, thank you, Baby," said Eve, "good night." She went into the bathroom to get ready.
That afternoon, instead of going home from work right away, Eve went to the loft. She wanted to see how Mark was taking the news. "Mark," she said, walking into the loft, "are you here?"
"Yeah, Eve, I'm here," he answered. "I just got back from Buzzline. I got a raise with my latest segment about you and Roger."
Eve smiled. "I'm happy for you," she said. Then she got an uncomfortable feeling at Mark's tone of voice. "Roger came here yesterday, didn't he?"
"Yeah, he was completely freaking out," said Mark. "But that's OK; he just needed someone to talk to. Someone that wasn't—"
But Mark stopped, realizing what he had been about to say.
"Me," Eve guessed, looking up at him. Mark nodded numbly.
"I'm sorry you have it, Eve," said Mark.
"I could be, too, Mark," said Eve, "but I'm not. I knew the risks of being with Roger, and I wasn't afraid of him then. I'm not now, even though he gave me this. It was an accident. We did everything we could to protect me from it, knowing that even that may not work, and it didn't."
Mark closed his eyes wearily and opened them again. "Do you know how you're gonna tell Angel and the boys?"
"Not yet," she said, "do you have any suggestions?"
"No, sorry, I don't. Do the Bohos know yet?"
"No, I haven't told them yet. I was thinking we could all get together later today and just hang around and talk, even with Dylan, Leo, and Angel. Then they would know, too."
"That sounds like a good idea, Eve," said Mark. "Are you feeling OK today?"
"Yeah, I'm fine today," she said. "Maybe we should wait for a while to tell everyone, though. Roger has a cold and I don't want Collins or Angel getting sick."
"We'll postpone it for later, then," Mark said. Eve nodded and smiled.
"Thanks," she said. "I'm going to get going. I'll see you later."
"Bye, Eve," Mark said, smiling, and she left.
Later that week, Roger was feeling better, so he and Eve and the kids went to the loft to see the other Bohos and tell them the news. Everyone gathered around in the main living area and Eve cleared her throat.
"OK, what's the emergency?" Collins asked, as always.
"Well, Roger and I thought you all should know, when I was feeling ill last week, it was because…" But Eve couldn't say it. She swallowed and tried again. "Roger and I went to the doctor and they ran some tests and…" She looked up at the Bohemians and her kids, trying to find strength in Roger's hand holding hers. "Guys, I can't keep this from you. I have HIV."
She watched each individual reaction carefully. Leo looked stunned; he was only nine, but Eve and Roger had made sure he knew about the disease and was OK with it, even if he was negative. Dylan, not understanding, simply sat on Joanne's lap and stared at Eve with his big green eyes. Collins looked sadly at her as he dissolved into a coughing fit. It almost hurt Eve the worst to see him the way he was. It wasn't disappointment on his face, but it was complete sympathy and sadness. Eve felt tears burning the backs of her eyes, just looking at him, so she couldn't meet his gaze. Maureen and Joanne were tearing up, and they hugged each other for moral support. Mark, who already knew, simply sat there.
It was Angel's reaction that surprised Eve the most. The 15-year-old stood up angrily and glared at her parents, particularly her father.
"Oh my God!" she said fiercely. "How could you do this to us? I mean, it's bad enough that we have to watch Uncle Collins dying from it, or worry that every time Dad has a cough, whether it's PCP that's going to put him into respiratory arrest or not! I can hardly go to school without people staring at me, scared stiff, because they think I'm going to hemorrhage on them if I fall and cut myself, and give them HIV, too! And now you're telling us that we have to sit back and watch you die, too?!
"I already had to bury my mom once," Angel said through her tears, looking at them through intensely sad blue eyes. "Please don't make me do it again."
Angel let out a sob and spun on her heel and left the room. "Angel!" Eve called after her. "Angel, don't do this! Angel, come back!"
But she didn't look back.
Eve sank back against the chair, defeated. Dylan, sensing his mother's tension from where he sat in his favorite aunt's lap, started to cry. Eve held out her arms and Joanne handed Dylan to her. She hugged him close for comfort, and he quieted slightly. Eve rocked him, tears in her eyes as well.
"I'll go talk to her, Baby girl," Collins said, standing up and coughing. "Are you gonna be OK?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Eve said, looking at Collins with concern, as Roger held her and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Collins. She might have gone back to the house."
Collins nodded. "I'll check there, too," he said, and then he left, coughing as he went.
Roger held out his arms to Leo, who was looking up at them. "Come here, kiddo," he said, and he held the nine-year-old tightly. "You know your mom and I love you so much, right?" Leo nodded. "Your mom's not gonna die from this, that we promise you."
But Eve met Roger's gaze, and she could see he was as troubled as she was.
Collins walked down the street to the Davis' house, searching for Angel. He'd thought she would maybe have been right outside, away from everyone, but she hadn't been. So, now he was at their house, searching for her.
He found the secret key under the front steps and let himself in. He closed the door and stopped for a moment. He heard music blaring, so he knew she was in her bedroom. He went upstairs and leaned on the door.
"Angel," he said, knocking on the door, "it's Collins, open up." A few moments later, when there was no change, he knocked again, louder and harder this time. "Angel, it's Collins," he called, unable to yell because his chest hurt. "Open up, Baby girl."
He pounded on the door this time, and the music stopped. Then the door opened.
"I already told you, I don't want to talk—" she began, and then she realized who it was. "Oh, hi, Collins…" She walked away from the door and sat down on her bed. "What are you doing here?"
"Your mom and dad were worried about you, so I said I'd find you," Collins replied. He could see she had been crying more. "Why'd you run off like that, Baby girl?"
"I had to," Angel said. "I was just so mad, you know?"
"I know, Baby girl, but you shouldn't be mad. Your mom's scared, you know."
Angel looked up at him. "I guess I am, too," she said. Then she frowned bitterly. "But I meant what I said back there. I already had to bury my mom once— my birth mom, I mean— and now she's asking me to do it again."
"She's not asking that of you, Baby girl," Collins said, shaking his head. "She's just asking you to love her as she is, disease and all. That's why she and your dad love each other so much, like they do. She's not afraid to love him, disease and all. If she were, you and the boys wouldn't be here today." He smiled down at her.
Angel nodded. "I know," she said, sighing. "OK, I'll talk to her. Thanks for listening, Collins."
Collins smiled. "That's what I'm here for, Baby girl."
"Why do you keep calling me that? I mean, I've heard it all my life, basically, but I've never wondered until now."
"It's the nickname I had for your mom when she was younger," Collins said thoughtfully. "I decided to pass it on, I guess. Why, don't you like it?"
"I do. I was just curious. Can I ask you something?"
"I believe you just have," Collins said wisely, "but go ahead and ask me something else."
"Have you ever considered… you know… becoming straight again? Is that even possible?"
Collins thought about it for a long moment, and then he looked at her. "I have," he said, "but I think, if I did, my partner, Angel, would kick my ass. She died of AIDS complications a long time ago."
Angel's face fell. "I'm sorry, Collins. Do you miss her?"
"Every day," Collins answered. "That's how it is when people you love die. Suddenly, now that they're gone, you feel that there was so much you could have said to them, or done with them, while they were alive. But you learn to deal with it. Death is a part of life. You know that."
Angel nodded and swallowed. Then a curious look came over her face. "You keep saying 'she'," she said, "but wasn't Angel a man?"
"Well, yes and no," Collins said, and his face split into an evil grin. "Angel was a transvestite."
"A what?"
"A transvestite, a cross-dresser; Angel was a man, but dressed like a woman."
Angel's eyebrows shot up in a very Eve-like way. "Oh," she said, rather surprised. "OK, I can go with that."
Collins smiled. "Angel was also called a drag queen, because of the way she used to dance. She was pretty cool. She put the dents in our lives."
"I wish I could have met her."
"I'm sure you would have liked her. You'll meet her someday, though."
Angel nodded and sighed. "Yeah," she said sadly. "I'm ready to go back now, if you want."
"OK, good, because your parents will probably be wondering what happened to us," said Collins, and he left with her.
Eve was relieved when Angel came back with Collins. She went up to Angel and hugged her. Angel hugged her back, though slightly stiffly.
"Angel, Baby," she said softly, "please don't be mad at me. I swear, I did not do this to hurt you or your brothers."
"I'm not, Mom," she said, fighting back her own tears. "I guess I'm just really scared for you. I mean, did you protect yourself? Did you know you would get it? I mean, they teach us all about it in school, but they don't really know what it's like. They can give us all the statistics they want, but it's not the same."
"I know, Baby," said Eve, "but I love you guys. You're my babies."
Angel smiled. "I know," she said. "I love you, too, Mom."
Eve kissed Angel on the top of her head and held her close.
I thought it would be interesting to emphasize Collins and Angel's niece-to-uncle relationship more. From the middle of the story, although it was me writing it, I began to take interest in that, so I gave it a whirl. I think it turned out pretty well. Please review to tell me what you think. I need reviews to survive.
Until next time, lots of love,
Renthead07