The Monitor Screamed

Disclaimer: Don't own Rent. But you already knew that.

A/N: Second to last chappie!!!

Fi and Roger sat in the ICU waiting area with their heads down. They had been waiting for around two hours, and they still had no word on Aaron's condition. Fi finally stood up, tired of staring at the ward's entrance doors, "I'm going to call Gen, she needs to know." Roger nodded.

"I'll get you some coffee."

"No stay here, someone needs to be here when he comes out." Roger was about to protest when he saw the growing defeat in Fi's eyes, she had been through this routine far too much this week. He sat back and nodded. Fi walked over to the phone booth and dialed the apartment number. The phone rang for quite sometime but as Fi was about to hang up, Gen answered.

"Hello?" She sounded out of breath.

"Gen..." FI said, trying to steady her speech.

"Fi?"

"Yeah it's me. Listen, something happened with Aaron, we're at the hospital."

"He's not."

"No."

"Will he be alright."

"Please come down." Fi begged slightly.

"I'm on my way." Fi hung up the phone and headed back to her seat.


"Who was that?"

"Fi. Mark I need to go to the hospital."

"Why?"

"Aaron."

"What's wrong with him?"

"He's dying."

Mark looked at her questioningly, but only nodded. "We need to go get Collins."

"You go get him, I'll be at the car." Mark ran upstairs and threw open the door. Collins was sitting at his laptop typing up some lecture he planned to give.

"Collins, Aaron's in the hospital, I don't know why, but Fi and Gen are worried."

Collins looked up at him, "How long?"

"I don't know, Gen just got the call."

"Alright." Collins stood up and grabbed his coat. The two men ran down to the car which was already running and drove as quickly as New York traffic would allow to the hospital.


Fi was staring at her shoes when Gen ran in. "Fi?" Gen asked. Fi stood up quickly and ran to her sister who held her tightly. "How long have you been here?"

"Nearly three hours, they aren't telling us anything."

"Sit down." Fi obeyed. Gen walked over to the desk.

"Do you know the condition of Aaron Kaplan?" The station nurse shook her head. "Can you find out something?"

"Miss when we know something, you'll know."

"Listen lady..."

"Fiona Blake?" A man's voice called out through the entrance. Fi stood up immediately.

"I'm Fiona." The doctor walked out, wearing the defeated look of a man who had just failed at the only task he was hired to do.

"We've put him into a coma," the doctor stated, though his gaze gave much more away.

"Can I see him?"

"For ten minutes. Then you'll have to leave." Fi nodded. She walked with the doctor to Aaron's temporary home. Aaron lay back on the bed, his skin paled even greater.

She sat down at the side of the bed and stared at him. Her eyes ran over the length of his body and then returned to his face. She reached over and brushed the hair back from his eyes. She gave a sad smile and reached out to grasp his hand. "Hey love."

She wished she could talk to him, that he would respond. She rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand while trying to think of something, anything, to say. Her mind was blank, so she went with honesty.

"Aaron...I...I don't really know what to say." She faltered. "I wish I could talk to you one more time. I knew this was coming, but I didn't expect it to come so soon. Aaron, they say that people in coma's can hear what you're saying, even if they don't respond. Hear this. You are my brother, and I hope you know how much I love you. God I sound like one big fucking cliché don't I? Words that matter aren't my forte." She stopped. She continued to stare at him, tears fell from her eyes, but she never sobbed, just silently wept. Her ten minutes soon passed and the nurse came in.

"Miss, you must go now." Fi nodded.

"I understand." She whispered. Fi bent down and kissed Aaron's forehead. "Sleep well Aaron." She left the room and walked out into the waiting room.


An hour passed, and the nurse came in to the waiting room. "One of you can go in now." Gen stood up.

"Do you mind?" No one answered. Gen walked to Aaron's room and sat in the same chair where Fi had sat. She stared down at her "big brother" and held onto his hand. She began to pray, knowing that no one else would. Gen then began to talk to Aaron. "Hey you loser, where do you think your going so soon?" Gen sighed, once again words were not used. After all, what does one say when a best friend is dying and can not respond.

"I love you big brother, I love you." Gen said as the nurse walked in, Gen only nodded and kissed Aaron's palm before leaving the room.


The routine was the same for Mark and Roger until finally it was Collins's turn. He walked to the back. He sat in the same chair and stared at the same paled face all four of his friends had stared at earlier. Collins reached over and kissed Aaron's lips. "I've been through this before, but it doesn't ever get easier. Aaron, I didn't mean to leave the other night, only God knows why I did. I know that no amount of begging or pleading will allow you to stay, I know your dying. I know you'll dye before this day ends. But God knows, it frightens me. I don't understand why I am forced to endure the pain of my lover's death. Why do I have to be the one who mourns. I wouldn't wish this pain on you Aaron, but I don't want you to die. I want you to be there when I die." Collins paused and looked at Aaron. "I love you so much Aaron, and my only mistake is my constant comparison of you and Angel, but I can't do that, I shouldn't do that. You are two different spectrums of an enormous color scheme." Collins shoulders began to shake as the realizations of what was going on finally bore down. "Please don't go Aaron." But Aaron did not respond. Collins began to sob. Was this the fate he would soon endure? Would he endure it alone? Everything hit him like a semi-truck. His lover was dying, and as Angel died, he was helpless to stop it. He held onto Aaron for quite sometime. The nurse came in.

"Honey, it's time to go."

"Just a few more minutes."

"I can't allow that sir."

"Please?"

"I'm sorry sir." Collins turned back to Aaron. He bent down and kissed Aaron once again.

"I love you Aaron, not even death can break that." Collins stared at his love's face for a few moments and then gasped. Aaron opened his eyes for a brief moment. He smiled, then the darkness overtook him. The monitor screamed, informing the hospital another life had passed. The monitor screamed, informing the doctor's a place in the morgue was needed. The monitor screamed, informing the nurses that soon another man would occupy that room. The monitor screamed, informing Collins that his heart had died, that his soul was broken, and that no amount of medication could heal that. The doctors ran into the room, and the nurse pushed Collins out. The doctors hurried around, trying in vain to revive the young man that had so much to give. Everyone in the room knew it was a failed attempt. He was gone. The head doctor rubbed his brow, and the activity in the room ceased. The doctor said a few words to his coworkers then left the room.

"Follow me sir."


Fi and the others sat in the waiting room in silence, when Collins and the doctor walked in, Fi jumped up. She looked at Collins's tears and the doctors defeated shuffle. The tears finally came and she fell into Roger's arms.


The funeral was a few days later in New York, there was conflict as to where Aaron should be buried, but after Aaron's mother spoke to Collins, she realized his need and agreed. The day was sunny and Collins thought it ironic. How the weather could smile when the world of mortals cried. The reverend spoke meaningful words, and Fi barely got through her eulogy. It was at the end, and the crowd of black cloud people held no gratifying affect on Collins. So what if they mourned, he grieved with every once. Collins was the last to touch Aaron's coffin. He was the last to look upon Aaron's face before the lid shut. Forever separating the two. The funeral service ended, and Aaron's family and hometown friends departed quickly. They had planes to catch, and tears of their own to cry. Fi clung tightly Kory as he wept. Heroes die every day. He looked over to Gen who was holding onto Amelia, Aaron's mother. The older woman's shoulders shook uncontrollably, and Collins wished to speak with her, but words failed him. He rubbed his arms as the bitter cold clung to him. For nights he had tried to warm up, but when the heart is frozen, not much warmth can be had.

The following Saturday, Collins was yet again back at Aaron's grave. The tombstone was plain but wealth standards, but it suited Aaron when it came to wealth standards. Flowers covered the healing grave, and Collins stood to the side, his fingers running over the grave. He'd visited Angel's grave as well during the week. He sat on his heels and stared down before him, not even noticing the tears from the clouds above. Finally, the clouds broke apart, and the rain pounded down. Collins never moved. He sat there staring. A SUV pulled up to the side, Gen's SUV pulled up. She got out of the car and saw Collins. She cupped her mouth and called to him. "Collins! Collins!" He either ignored her, or did not hear her speak. In any case, Gen moved up to him. She called out again and finally Collins stood up. He looked over to her, and stared at her. She was drenched. Her hair hung in soaked ringlets around her face, her black eyeliner ran down her face in streaks. Her clothes were soaked, yet she did not move to seek shelter. She stood out in the rain, with Collins. She walked over to him and hugged him. Collins finally broke down. He had only wept so much during Aaron's last moments, now his tears came uninhibited. Gen held onto him and she helped lower both of them to the ground. There the two sat on knees in the pouring rain. Gen knew Collins should go inside, but she also knew he would never leave until he ran out of tears temporarily. He pulled back slightly and Gen wiped the rain from his eyes. "I miss him." Collins stated.

"I know."

"I wasn't even with him before he went into the hospital, what if he died believing I didn't love him."

"Here me now. He knew you loved him Collins and he loved you." Collins nodded. "Come on, you'll catch a cold." Gen led him to her car and the two drove back to Gen's apartment, where she drew him a hot bath. Collins nodded his thanks and closed the bathroom door before sliding in.


Gen walked over to the counter and was sorting through the mail when the phone rang. She picked it up, it was the mission's office.

"Hello? Yes this is Genevieve. Uh-huh. When? That soon? I thought I had to wait? They need someone now? What happened? How many? Three hundred? Uh-huh? No I understand. Yes. I'll have to get back to you later. How soon? By tomorrow? Alright, I'll let you know by tomorrow." Gen hung up the phone and sighed. She needed Mark.


Fi and Roger sat in an Italian restaurant, how Roger was affording the dinner, Fi had no clue. Roger held onto Fi's, rubbing his thumb back and forth, back and forth. Fi stared at the embraced hands.

"How do you live with it?" Fi asked.

"With what?"

"The looming end of death."

"Every mortal dies."

"True. But your so young."

"I have you." Fi looked up at his statement. She coughed and looked back down.

"Id be frightened."

"I am frightened."

A/N: One more to go...I know it's short.

Next:

-Gen and Mark's relationship...shall it continue

-Fi and Roger discuss a lot more than life and death.

-Collins comes to grip with his fast fading reality. What he decides upon is up to me.