In April of 1990, Charles and Melinda's son Chuckie is celebrating his first birthday, just a little more than two weeks after Howard and Betty's twins, Phil and Lil, are born. A few days later, however, Melinda is suddenly taken ill. She isn't afraid to go through with a stay in the hospital, but will Charles muster any courage at the idea of losing her?

On April 15, 1990, baby Chuckie Finster was met with a surprise. His parents, Chas and Melinda Finster, were hanging a "Happy Birthday" streamer over his crib.

"Good morning, little guy," said Chas sweetly.

"Happy birthday!" he and Melinda shouted together as they threw some confetti onto Chuckie.

"You're a whole year old to-day," said Melinda as she cradled him in her arms.

"And you're in for a real treat," said Chas as he tousled his baby son's hair with his hand.

And once the couple had changed their baby's diaper, it was time to set up for the birthday party. Chuckie would be delighted to see the party guests and their gifts for him, but from the day he was born, his father was a genuinely happy man. Charles Finster's joys had indeed reached their zenith!

During the party itself, Chas noticed that his friends had changed a bit. Didi was now pregnant, and she thus had been showing a belly for quite some time.

"How long have you been pregnant?" asked Chas.

"Five months," Didi replied.

"Can you believe it, Chas?!" shouted Stu with joy. "After four years of trying, Didi and I are finally gonna be parents!"

Chas then asked his purple-haired friend, "So, you've applied for a job as a father?"

"Oh, yes, and Boris, my father-in-law, will be my boss from the time our baby is born. Although I don't dread the boss himself as much as I dread the boss' wife!"

Presently, Boris and Minka showed up to berate Stu. "You miserable goy schmuck!" scolded Minka. "You took quite a long time to help our daughter give us grandkids!"

"Yes, Mrs. Kropotkin," groaned Stu as Chas tried to stifle his laughter.

Soon, Chas and Melinda came across Howard, whose own wife Betty was conspicuously absent.

Melinda asked him, "Where's Betty?"

"She couldn't come," Howard replied. "She's nursing."

"You mean…" Chas began to ask.

"Yep," Howard answered with a smile. "Just over two weeks ago, I became a father!"

"So, how's the baby?" asked Melinda.

"You mean, how are the babies?" corrected Howard.

"So, you're the father of…"

"Yep, Betty and I have had twins: a boy and a girl."

"What are their names?"

"Betty decided to name them Philip and Lillian."

"Phil and Lil DeVille… That has a nice ring to it!"

"Yeah, she's clearly exhausted from having given birth to them, but you should see how Betty nurses them, with Phil on one side and Lil on the other! The other day, she even told me that when she heard their first laugh, she began to laugh along with them. Being the parents of twins is hard work, but for me and Betty, it's all worth it!"

"I'm sure it is," Melinda said with a smile.

Chas then smiled at Melinda and said, "Come along, Mimi. Our baby awaits."

"Yes, Charles," Melinda replied as she and Chas took each other by the hand and came to pick up their little birthday boy, Chuckie Finster…

That night, while this little family was sleeping, Chas had a dream…

It was May 30, 1431. Chas was a medieval French knight named Charles, and he was speaking in a pronounced French accent, "I must rescue Jeanne d'Arc! I must rescue Jeanne d'Arc if it is ze last sing I do!"

Meanwhile, Drew, who was an English knight, had Melinda, who was Joan of Arc, tied to a stake. Drew shouted, speaking in a posh English accent, "The maiden Joan of Arc has been found guilty of the crime of witchcraft! The sentence: DEATH!"

Joan's piercing screams were overheard by Charles the Chevalier, who had arrived in his attempt to rescue the poor girl.

"Do not worry, Jeanne!" cried Charles. "I shall save you!"

But it was no good. As Charles entered the crowd, Drew said to him, "Hello, there! Just in time to watch the little girl burn alive, eh wot?"

"Burn alive?!" screamed Charles. "Let her go, you English pig!"

But Drew smirked as he snapped his fingers. Presently, two burly English guards came to Charles, each man grabbing one of the French knight's arms.

"Jeanne! Jeanne!" he cried, nearly breaking down in tears as he saw Drew set the bundles below Joan on fire.

Knowing that this was the end for her, Joan looked up to the heavens as flames engulfed her.

At this point, Charles the Chevalier broke into sobs, knowing that he had failed his mission to rescue Joan of Arc from the stake.

Back in reality, Chas woke up screaming in an agony of fear!

This awakened Melinda, who asked, "Charles, what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"

Chas sighed with relief, "Yeah, it was all just a bad dream. I don't know what I'd do with myself if I lost you."

Melinda smiled and said, "Well, Charles. I'm sure we're going to be all right. After all, we've got good food, a roof over our heads, a baby boy to call our own, and, of course, each other."

With that in mind, Chas smiled with Melinda as they both fell fast asleep.

The next day, Chas and Melinda decided to have an outing with Chuckie. They went to the fair, where they played several games to win prizes for Chuckie. At a milk bottle toss game, Melinda won Chuckie a plush toy moose.

At the pond, Chas caught a fish and told the carnie to mount it on a board. However, when Chas showed the fish to Melinda and Chuckie, Melinda screamed with fright.

"What's wrong, Mimi?" asked Chas.

Melinda cried out, "That fish scares me! Don't even think about bringing it out at home!"

Chas sighed, "All right." But as soon as he put the fish in the car, he smiled. He still loved Melinda. And as Melinda looked at Chas, she said to herself, "I love Charles, really, but sometimes, he needs to have decent taste…"

Melinda also smiled as soon as she saw Chas coming towards her and Chuckie. Chas and Melinda still loved each other, and the one thing they didn't agree upon did very little to keep them apart…

April 26, 1990, Chas had just turned 33 years old. While Chas was preparing to celebrate, however, Melinda drove to the DeVilles' place. There, she saw that Betty was indeed nursing her twins.

"Hi, Betty," said Melinda.

Betty replied, "Hey, Mel. How ya doin'?"

Melinda sighed, "I don't know. I've been feeling a little unwell lately."

"What'cha talkin' 'bout?"

"I've been aching all over since yesterday, and I get tired all the time. Usually, I'm the one who wakes up Charles, but just this morning, he woke me up. It was then when I knew that something was wrong with me."

"Ya still nursing Chuckie?"

"Yes."

"Well, here's a little word of advice: a woman who is as ill as you can't nurse her baby."

"You're right, Betty. I should wean Chuckie from my milk."

And so, she would…

Back at the Finsters' house, it was difficult to put Chuckie on the bottle. She tried everything, again and again, but she never gave up.

In the meantime, Marvin and Shirley had come over to visit for their son's birthday, and to see their grandson. They overheard Melinda saying to the squirming Chuckie, "Now, now, Chuckie, I know it's not mommy's milk, but you'll like this just the same."

"What's going on?" asked Shirley.

"I've been feeling a little sick lately," Melinda explained, "so I've been trying to put Chuckie on the bottle."

As Shirley watched her grandson fussing about the change, she sighed, "You know, Melinda, it was really hard to put our Charles on the bottle too, but by the time he was five years old, he still insisted on drinking from a bottle."

Melinda was amazed. "Really, Charles drank from a bottle when he was in kindergarten?!"

"Kindergarten?" Marvin gave a big, hearty laugh. "Shucks! He was the last kid in first grade to successfully tie his shoes and write the number five properly!"

Upon hearing this, Chas looked embarrassed. "Mom… Dad…" he moaned.

The red-haired man then turned to Melinda and whispered to her, "By the way, Mimi, what's going on? Why are you weaning our little guy?"

"It's probably for the best," Melinda replied.

Chas stared at Melinda and asked, "Are you sick? Have you visited the doctor's office?"

Presently, the phone rang, whereupon Melinda said to her husband, "Yes, just after visiting Betty."

Chas asked, not angrily, "Why didn't you tell me these things?"

"I didn't want to ruin your birthday…"

Then, Chas answered the phone: "Hello."

"Mr. Finster," said the deep voice of a male doctor. "This is the doctor speaking. I'm afraid I have some sad news."

This made Chas nervous. "W-what is it, doc?"

"I think you'd better come to my office, and bring Melinda over."

As soon as the doctor hanged up, Chas was very concerned. He looked at Melinda, who by now had successfully put Chuckie on the bottle…

At the hospital, the "Addio de Mimi" from Puccini's La Bohême was playing over the PA system as the doctor inspected the results he got from Melinda. The soprano sang:

"D'onde lieta usci al tuo grido
d'amore torna sola Mimì…"

The doctor said to Chas, Melinda, Marvin, Shirley, and Christian, "I'm sorry to say that Mrs. Finster's tests didn't go too well… She tested positive for leukemia."

Horrified, Chas heard himself stammer, "L-l-l-l-leukemia?!"

The soprano sang:

"Al solitario nido
ritorna un'altra volta
a intesser finti fior…"

"Oh, no!" cried Christian. "That's the same illness her mother died of!" Poor Christian was so upset he had to leave the room and return home.

"D-d-died?" gulped Chas. "Does that mean she…"

The soprano sang:

"Addio senza rancor…
Ascolta, ascolta.
Le poche robe aduna che lasciai
sparse. Nel mio cassetto
stan chiusi quel cerchietto
d'or e il libro di preghiere…"

Melinda began to sweat as she stammered, "I-i-if I'm going to die, then what about my husband and our son?"

The doctor replied, "Be brave. You may spend a few months in the hospital, but don't worry. I'm sure Mr. Finster is stronger than he seems."

"You do have a point… Why, I remember when he stood up for me against Drew back in fourth grade, when he defended me against Rex when we were in high school, and when he won the jousting tournament five years ago…"

The soprano sang:

"Involgi tutto quanto in un grembiale
e manderò il portiere…"

Chas struggled to hold back the tears at the thought of losing his beloved wife, but as he turned around, he saw that his father had tears streaming down his rugged face. This made Chas very sad, for until that moment, he had never seen his father cry.

As he struggled to internalize what was happening to Melinda, his "Mimi," Chas approached Melinda as the soprano sang over the PA system:

"Bada, sotto il guanciale
c'è la cuffietta rosa.
Se vuoi… se vuoi…
se vuoi serbarla a ricordo d'amor…
Addio, addio senza rancor."

As the soprano sang those last words, Melinda placed her hand on Chas' cheek and she said softly, "It's okay, Charles. I'm not scared."

At this point, Chas clasped Melinda's hand, and tears ran down his face as he began to weep bitterly.

Gently, Melinda asked him, "What's the matter, Charles? Why are you crying?"

"If only I were as brave as you," he sobbed.

Indeed, while Melinda was not afraid of staying in the hospital, Chas was afraid of losing her, and he knew it. As he let go of her hand and had to leave the room with his parents, a tenor voice sang over the PA system:

"Dunque è proprio finita?
Te ne vai, te ne vai, la mia piccina?
Addio, sogni d'amor!"

That night, after Chas had cried himself to sleep, he began to dream…

This time, he was Rodolfo again, seated in front of the Barrière d'Enfer with Melinda, his beloved "Mimi," by his side, singing in the soprano voice from the PA system:

"Addio, dolce svegliare alla mattina."

Chas sang in the tenor voice from the PA system:

"Addio, sognante vita!"

Melinda: "Addio rabbuffi e gelosie…"

Chas: "…che un tuo sorriso acqueta."

Melinda: "Addio sospetti…"

Chas: "Baci…"

Melinda: "…pungenti amarezze…"

Chas: "…ch'io da vero poeta
rimavo con carezze."

Chas and Melinda sang together:

"Soli, l'inverno è cosa da morire."

Melinda: "Soli…"

Chas and Melinda: "Mentre a primavera
c'è compagno il sol."

Melinda: "C'è compagno il sol."

Suddenly, Drew and Charlotte, as Marcello and Musetta, were heard quarrelling. Drew shouted, in a baritone voice:

"Che facevi? Che dicevi?"

"Che vuoi dir?" asked Charlotte as she tossed some crockery to the floor, scaring a cat!

Drew: "Presso il foco a quel signore?"

Charlotte: "Che vuoi dir?"

Ignoring the argument, Melinda sang:

"Niuno è solo l'april."

Drew: "Al mio venire
hai mutato di colore."

Charlotte: "Quel signore mi diceva…
'Ama il ballo, signorina?'"

Chas: "Si parla coi gigli e le rose."

Melinda: "Esce dai nidi un cinguettio gentile."

Drew: "Vana, frivola civetta!"

Charlotte: "Arrossendo io rispondevo:
'Ballerei sera e mattina.'"

Drew: "Quel discorso asconde mire
disoneste."

Charlotte: "Voglio piena libertà."

Drew: "Io t'acconcio per le feste…"

Chas and Melinda: "Al fiorir di primavera
c'è compagno il sol."

Charlotte: "Che mi canti?
Che mi gridi? Che mi canti?
All'altar non siamo uniti."

Drew: "…se ti colgo a incivettire!
Bada, sotto il mio cappello
non ci stan certi ornamenti."

Charlotte: "Io detesto quegli amanti
che la fanno da mariti."

Chas and Melinda: "Chiacchieran le fontane,
la brezza della sera balsami
stende sulle doglie umane."

Drew: "Io non faccio da zimbello
ai novizi intraprendenti.
Vana, frivola civetta!
Ve ne andate? Vi ringrazio,
or son ricco divenuto."

Charlotte: "Fo all'amor con chi mi piace.
Non ti garba?
Fo all'amor con chi mi piace.
Musetta se ne va."

Drew and Charlotte: "Vi saluto."

Chas and Melinda: "Vuoi che aspettiam
la primavera ancor?"

Charlotte: "Signor, addio
vi dico con piacer!"

Drew: "Son servo e me ne vo!"

Charlotte: "Pittore da bottega!"

Drew: "Vipera!"

Charlotte: "Rospo!"

Drew: "Strega!"

But as Drew and Charlotte went away, they looked back at each other with sadness.

Meanwhile, Melinda sang to Chas: "Sempre tua… per la vita."

Chas and Melinda: "Ci lascieremo alla stagion dei fior!"

Melinda: "Vorrei che eterno
durasse il verno!"

And Chas had to leave Melinda. Soon the dream faded until Chas could only hear two voices, singing sadly but tenderly:

"Ci lascierem alla stagion dei fior!"

When Chas woke up, back in reality, he hoped to see Melinda by her side, but he saw no one. He had to come to terms with the fact that his beloved wife was extremely ill, but how would he be able to cope? How would he be able to raise his son Chuckie all on his own?