CHAPTER TWO
(chapter title – A Very Eventful Day)

"Sar, c'mon sweetie. I want to show you something." Roger told his daughter. She looked up from playing her guitar.

"Yeah, daddy?" Sara asked. Mark had taken Jennifer out filming and Christopher and Collins were at the store.

"Just come with me. We're going for a little walk." Roger said, walking over to where Sara was sitting on the couch.

"Okay, dad." She put her guitar down and followed Roger out the door. He left a quick note for Mark, Jennifer, Collins and Christopher, letting them know where he and Sara went.

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They were now headed out the door and to the cemetery were Mimi and Angel were buried. It had been eleven long years since Roger had seen Mimi and way too many years since he last spoke to Angel. Today happened to be the anniversary of Mimi's death.

"Where are we going, daddy?" Sara asked for the millionth time since they had left the loft.

"You'll see, pumpkin." Roger told her, holding her hand tightly as they walked the three miles to the cemetery.

When they finally reached the enterence to the cemetery, Roger knelt down in front of Sara.

"Honey, why I brought you here is because I want you to say 'hi' to your mom. I'm sure she would be happy to hear your voice." Roger's voice was beginning to crack as he spoke to Sara. She just wrapped her arms around her dad's neck and hugged him for the longest time. Mimi had died during childbirth, so Sara really never knew her mom. Roger just rubbed Sara's back and held her close to him.

"We ready?" Roger asked after a while. Sara looked up at him and nodded. Together, the two of them entered the cemetery and walked to Mimi's grave.

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As they walked towards Mimi's grave, Sara looked around the cemetery. She had never seen one – except for movies – so, she didn't know what to expect.

"Well, here it is." Roger announced a few minutes later. The two of them were standing in front of a simple tombstone that read:

Naomi Rosario Marquez-Davis
1980-2006
Measure Your Life In Love

"Hi mommy. How are you? I'm fine – I'm riding horses and playing the guitar. Jennifer and uncle Mark say that they miss you, so do daddy and I. I wish you were still alive to see me. I'll be turning twelve soon, so I'm pretty excited about that. I'm doing well in school…" her voice began to crack.

"It's okay, sweetie." Roger whispered, kissing her cheek.

"M-my favorite teacher is Mr. Redmond – my English teacher. He's smart, funny and tries to make every day fun for us…" she stopped to wipe the tears out of her eyes. She looked up at Roger, tears in her beautiful green eyes.

"It's okay, honey." Roger soothed, rubbing Sara's back in a circular motion.

"I just wanted to say I love you and miss you." Sara finished, placing a daisy on her mom's tombstone.

"You did wonderfully, honey. I'm proud of you." Roger said, taking Sara's hand as they walked to Angel's tombstone. Sara still had tears in her eyes as they stopped in front of Angel's headstone.

Angel Dumott Schnuard-Collins
1970-1990
Today For You, Tomorrow For Me

Sara read the tombstone carefully.

"Daddy, what does 'today for you, tomorrow for me' mean?" she asked after a while. Roger smiled and explained the story of Angel and how she came into their lives. After he finished, Sara smiled and rested her head on his stomach. He placed his hands on her shoulders and handed her a daisy.

"Just put it there." He pointed to where it said 'Tomorrow For Me' on the headstone. Sara did what Roger told her to do and smiled up at him.

"Daddy, I love you." She told him as they headed out of the cemetery.

"I love you too, peanut." Roger told her, kissing her cheek and held her hand as if he would never let her go.

"Oh, honey, when we get home, make sure to take your AZT." Roger reminded her, knowing that she would remember to take it anyway.

"I will, daddy. Don't worry." She told him, smiling. Roger smiled and put an arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. As they walked back to the loft, Roger thought about the day that Sara was born eleven years ago…

"ROGER! OH GOD, IT'S HAPPENING!" Mimi screamed from the couch. Roger rushed to her side and scooped her up in his arms. Mark, Jennifer, Collins and Christopher were out for the day, so he quickly scribbled a note for them before picking Mimi up again and carrying her out the door.

"It's okay, Meems. Just relax." Roger kept telling her as they waited for a cab. It had been July 21st, 1995 and a hot day. Roger laid Mimi on the ground and unzipped her jeans, ready to deliver the baby himself. Mimi screamed, cried, sweated and pushed with all her might for twelve straight hours, but stopped after eleven hours of intense labor. Suddenly, there was a soft crying sound. Roger looked down and saw that their baby, a girl, had been born. Roger smiled down at her and gathered her in his arms, not caring that he got blood on himself.

"Mimi! We have a baby girl!" Roger told her, tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked over at Mimi – she wasn't moving or breathing. Adjusting the baby in his arms, he checked for a pulse – nothing.

"Mimi!" Roger sobbed, still holding the baby in his arms, he carefully held Mimi while somebody called the paramedics and told them what had happened. The paramedics, Sara and Elizabeth, put Mimi on a stretcher and told Roger to ride with them in the ambulance. Roger sat down on the bench, holding his newborn baby.

"Does she have a name yet?" the paramedic called Elizabeth asked. Roger shook her head, but stopped when he got an idea for a name.

"Yeah – yeah she does. Sara Elizabeth Davis." Roger told her, not looking up from his baby girl. Sara – he had always loved that name his entire life. His favorite grandmother had been named Sara and the first girl he had ever gone out with in high school was named Sara.

"That's a pretty name." the paramedic named Sara commented as they jumped out of the ambulance and headed into the hospital delivery room. Mimi was pronounced dead at the scene. She had died from a combination of blood loss and HIV. Roger's hands were shaking as he cut the umbilical cord. He waited as the doctor examined Sara and had her weighed and measured. Then the doctor told him that his newborn had been born with HIV and possibly Cerebral Palsy, also known as CP, so she had to be on medicine for the rest of her life…

"Daddy? You okay?" Sara asked as they entered the loft.

"Yeah, honey. I just need some time to myself, okay?" he told her, kissing her forehead and headed to his room without another word. Sara went to the living area and turned on the TV, tears streaming down her cheeks.

A short while later, Collins, Jennifer, Mark and Christopher walked into the loft to see Sara watching TV and crying. Roger was nowhere to be seen.

"Sara? You okay?" Jennifer asked her best friend, walking over to her and sitting opposite her on the couch. Sara looked into her friend's blue eyes and sniffled.

"You can tell me what's wrong." Jennifer told her friend, putting a hand on her shoulder. Meanwhile, Mark and Collins had gone to look for Roger. Christopher just stood in the doorway, not really knowing what to do.

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Roger yelled at Collins and Mark. Sara got a little scared and cried a little harder. Mark came out and sat down on the couch next to Sara and hugged her, rocking her back and forth.

"Shh. It's okay. Calm down." Mark soothed Sara as he rocked her. "Jennifer, could you get me her AZT, please?" Mark asked his daughter. Jennifer nodded and got two tablets of AZT out and a glass of water. She walked back over to where her dad and Sara were seated on the couch and handed the tablets and water to Mark.

"Thanks, sweetie." Mark thanked his daughter and let go of Sara.

"Sara, honey. How about you take your AZT, okay?" Mark suggested, handing Sara the tablets and the glass of water. Sara nodded and took her tablets and drank the water.

"Good girl, Sar. Good girl." Mark praised as Collins and Roger came out of Roger's room. Looking up at Roger, Sara set the glass down on the table and ran to her room, shutting the door behind her.

"Sara…" Roger started, running after her. He hesitated before knocking on the door.

"Sara? It's daddy. Can I come in?" he asked. There wasn't an answer, so he let himself in the room. Sara was sitting on her bed, knees pulled to her chest, her head resting on her knees. Her stuffed animals were in a circle around her as if to protect her. Roger sighed and sat down upon her bed and touched her shoulder. Sara looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh, honey." Roger pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair. Sara had started to calm down a bit. After a while, she calmed down and crawled out of Roger's lap. She then walked over to her couch and got out her guitar from its case.

"Daddy, why did you yell at me?" she asked as she tuned her guitar.

"I wasn't yelling at you, sweetheart. I was just telling uncles Collins and Mark to leave me alone." Roger explained, watching her tune her guitar.

"But still, it really scared me." Sara said, strumming a major chord up and down. Roger sighed and picked up her stuffed dragon, turning it around and around in his hands.

"I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to scare you." Roger apologized, setting the dragon down. Sara smiled and set her guitar down.

"You hungry?" Roger asked. Sara nodded and got up from the couch.

"Well, we'll just have to do something about that." He said, chasing her out of the room. Sara giggled and ran into the living area. Mark smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Hey people!" Maureen greeted everyone as she, Joanne and Tiffany walked into the loft. Sara and Jennifer went over to their other friend and greeted her. Collins and Christopher had gone to their loft after Christopher announced that he wasn't feeling well.

"What's for dinner?" Sara asked, walking over to the kitchen where Mark and Roger were cooking something.

"Well, we are having spaghetti and meatballs while we watch a movie." Roger told her, smiling. Mark had taught Roger how to cook and the only meal that Roger could prepare without burning was spaghetti and meatballs.

"What movie?" Sara inquired.

"You'll just have to wait and see little Miss-Asks-Too-Many-Questions." Mark said, smiling. Sara giggled and walked out of the kitchen. Jennifer, Maureen, Joanne and Tiffany were squashed together on the couch, watching Friends. Sara smiled and sat on the floor in front of them, watching the sitcom. Even though she didn't understand what was going on in the sitcom, she still liked it. Her favorite character was Phoebe because she was just so comedic and she played the guitar – just like her dad.

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Once dinner was ready, Roger popped in the movie, Lady and the Tramp – a family favorite. They all crowded in the living area, this time joined by Collins and Christopher. As they watched the movie, Roger glanced at Sara every once in a while, just to see how she was doing. She was seated next to Mark on one side and Collins on the other, so both men could help her cut her spaghetti, if she needed it.

"Oh this is the night
it's a beautiful night
and we call it bella notte
look at the skies
they have stars in their eyes
on this lovely bella notte
side by side with your loved one
you will find the enchantment here
the night will weave its magic spell
when the one you love is near, oh
this is the night
and the heavens all rise
on this lovely bella notte." Everyone sang.

A/N: don't own the lyrics to Bella Notte. belongs to respected owner. 'nuff said