Chapter Four- Love Heals

Roger's POV

Glory knows she's sick. She knows that she'll get weak, she knows the consequences. She knows that I'm getting weaker like her. It hurts to see my baby girl grow up with HIV. Her colds are worse than other kids. She gets this terrible cough, and she can't move, she's so weak. I'm afraid. I just want her, and me to be with Mimi again. We're a family sure, but Mimi's not with us. It's about 12:30 when I decided to go to bed. I check in on Glory sleeping in her room. I go over and kiss her goodnight with Fighter. God, that bear is so old. I tiptoed my way out of her room, and into my own. I hear Mark snoring from the other room. I laugh quietly.

What Glory doesn't know is that I talk to Mimi. Well, I don't know what she says back, I just talk. Sometimes, after work I go to her grave and talk to her there. After watching "Today 4 U" again from such a long time ago, I want to talk to Mimi. I just sat up in my bed and started to talk.

"Hey baby." I say. "Haven't really talked in a while." I laughed; a smile comes on my face, but then disappears. A few tears come. "I miss you baby. I miss you so much. I know you told me no more cry, I just-can't help it." I wiped away my tears. "Glory's show is in a few days, you should see how hard she's working. Her singing and dancing remind me of you and your singing and dancing. She's like a split image of you." I smile. "Are you going to watch from Heaven with Angel? I hope you do. I know Glory would love it. You probably will though." I thought about what I was going to say. "Glory has been teaching me some Spanish. I feel like I'm the only one in the family who can't talk in it, for my occasionally 'Tú es muy bonita.' To you and Glory. Or Te quiero Mimi y Glory." I pull my knees to my chest. "I'll get better, I promise." I yawn. "Well, I should be getting to bed, it's late. Give kisses and hugs to Angel from everyone." I blow kisses to the sky. "Te quiero Mimi. I love you so much baby."

I get under my covers and wipe the rest of my tears. There weren't many, but still just enough to have to wipe away. I turn on my side and smile at the picture of Mimi, Glory, and me at Glory's 14th birthday. That was the last birthday of Glory's that Mimi celebrated. And I think the last picture, with Mimi living life to the fullest. I even remember that day me and Mimi got in this fight about letting Glory to go to her friends' house. Mimi thought I was being a meanie. And she started to ramble in Spanish. I don't get what was up with me that day. Oh yeah, I do, that day, we went to the doctor, and they told us about Mimi's declining health. I didn't want Glory to go, just incase it was sudden enough that Mimi were to die that day. But, I let her, and I felt fine.

Mimi lived for a month after. She died March 28th, 2005. We had been in the hospital for about 2 days already, and she just got weaker and weaker, and the next thing I knew she was gone. She was talking to Glory about some girly thing. I was sitting on the chair with Mark as he filmed them talking, and suddenly the machines started buzzing. I panicked and called in the doctor. She was gone before he even got in. Mark had his mouth open the whole time. He took the film from his camera the next night and burned it. I asked him to. I didn't want to ever watch it again. To watch my wife die.

I told myself I'd always love her, and Glory, and my family. And I am. I get these song lyrics stuck in my head all the time, and it keeps me going.

Love heals

When you feel like you can't go on
Love heals
Hold onto love, it'll keep you strong
Love heals
When you feel like you can't go on
Love heals
Hold onto love, it'll bring you home

That keeps me going.

Disclaimer: I don't claim the lyrics, or the song Love Heals from the Cast of Rent.