CHAPTER FIVE
(chapter title – Life Support and An Unexpected Turn)
The next day, Roger and Sara headed to their Life Support meeting – the first one of the month. Roger had gone all the time when Mimi had been pregnant with Sara, but stopped going when she just got too sick to go.
"Bye guys. We'll see you soon." Roger waved and walked out the door, Sara following him.
"Wait for us, you two. Jennifer and I are going to film a bit." Mark told them, coming out the door with Jennifer. She and Sara walked together while Mark and Roger walked behind them.
"Hey Rog. You okay?" Mark asked his best friend. Roger looked over at Mark and nodded briefly. Ever since both of them had lost their wives, they had been closer than ever. They hadn't dated other women – Maureen had tried to set Roger up with her cousin, Brittany, but it turned out to be a nightmare. Roger shook his head at the thought, turning his attention to his daughter instead.
"Is Sara excited about her first Life Support meeting?" Mark inquired. Roger nodded and smiled at his friend.
"You told her what to expect, right?" Mark questioned.
"Yes, I did, Mark." Roger answered. He was starting to get annoyed with Mark asking him so many questions.
"Honey, it's right here." Roger told Sara, stepping into the New York Community Center. He held the door open for Sara, Jennifer and Mark before going inside himself.
They walked down a long hallway before hearing people talking. Roger put a finger to his lips as he walked down the hallway. Paul, the Life Support leader, smiled at Roger as he and Sara entered the room.
"Welcome friends. Sit anywhere." Paul told them, motioning to two chairs next to him. They sat down, Roger next to Paul and Sara on the other side of her dad. Sara looked around at the other people in the Life Support meeting – there was a blond woman, a skinny black man, a teenage girl and a boy with reddish brown hair.
"Let's go around and introduce ourselves." Paul suggested, indicating to the blond woman to start.
"Susan."
"Larry."
"Amanda."
"Steven."
"Sara."
"Roger."
"And I'm Paul. Welcome to Life Support everyone." Paul smiled at the group and asked everyone to tell a little bit about themselves. Susan had full-blown AIDS and wasn't sure how much longer she would live; Larry was a high school English teacher who had gotten HIV from his old girlfriend; Amanda and Steven were twins who contacted HIV from their parents. Finally, it was Sara's turn. She took in a deep breath and started talking.
"I'm Sara Elizabeth Davis and I'm twelve years old. I have HIV and Cerebral Palsy which affects my leg movements, such as bending and walking. I ride horses and play the guitar." Pause. "I'll be in fourth grade in the fall. I love reading, going to movies and hanging out with my best friend, Jennifer. Oh, my mom died of a combination of HIV and blood loss when she was giving birth to me, so my dad has been raising me since the moment I was born." Sara finished and looked over at her dad. Roger smiled and told people about himself.
"Well, I'm looking forward to getting to know you all a little better as we continue to meet." Paul said as Roger finished telling his story.
"When are we meeting exactly, Paul?" Susan asked, taking out a date book.
"The first Friday of each month. Is that okay with everyone?" Paul inquired. Everyone nodded and muttered a response.
"Okay, let's get down to business. Who wants to begin?" he asked, looking around the room.
"I will." Roger spoke up when no one else volunteered. Paul smiled and asked Roger a series of questions – if he had been taking his AZT, how his T-cell count was and things like that. Roger answered every question without missing a beat.
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"You did wonderfully, honey. I'm so proud of you." Roger told his daughter as they exited the New York Community Center. She smiled up at him and held his hand as they walked back to the loft. Mark and Jennifer had left in the middle of the Life Support meeting because Jennifer had a doctor's appointment. Just then Roger's cell phone rang. He let go of Sara's hand so that he could answer it.
"Hello?" he said into the receiver.
"Roger? It's Joanne." She sounded panicked.
"Joanne? What's wrong?" Roger asked. Sara looked up at him, worriedly.
"Collins was just rushed to the hospital. His T-cell count is dangerously low and the doctors think he has full-blown AIDS." Joanne told him. Roger stopped walking, feeling his stomach sink to his feet.
"Is he up for visitors?" Roger inquired. Sara tugged on Roger's sleeve, but he shook his head for her to stop.
"Yeah, you guys can come visit him. Christopher, Tiffany, Mark, Maureen and I are here at St. James' Hospital, so hurry up and get here." Joanne told them, hanging up. Roger put the phone back in his pocket and hailed a cab.
"Dad? What's wrong?" Sara wanted to know.
"I'll tell you as soon as I get a cab, sweetie." Roger told her, still trying to hail a cab. Sara watched him frantically waving his arm up and down for five minutes before a cab finally stopped. Sara and Roger climbed into the backseat.
"Where to?" the cabdriver asked.
"St. James' Hospital." Roger told the driver. The driver nodded and drove to the hospital.
"Dad, why are we going to the hospital? Are you okay?" Sara asked, turning her attention to her dad. Roger didn't really know what to tell her except the truth – she was twelve years old after all.
"Sweetie, that was aunt Joanne on the phone. Uncle Collins is in the hospital because his T-cell count is dangerously low. I'm not sure how much longer he's going to live." Roger explained, tears coming to his eyes. Sara buried her head in Roger's shirt and began to cry. Roger pulled her into a hug and held her close.
"You're Roger Davis, aren't you?" the cabdriver asked after a while. Roger nodded.
"I have your current album and I must say that I love it. You're so talented." The driver praised. Roger blushed and thanked him.
"That your daughter?" the driver inquired, noticing Sara.
"Yeah." Roger said, still holding Sara close to him.
"She's beautiful." The driver told him, smiling.
"Thanks. Her name's Sara." Roger informed him.
"That's a pretty name." the driver complimented.
"Thank you. Listen, I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but our friend is in the hospital and it's a life or death situation, so I'm gonna need you to stay quiet for a couple minutes, okay? I promise I'll get you an autograph or something." Roger told the driver, turning his attention back to Sara.
"Of course." The driver whispered as they pulled into the driveway of the hospital where Maureen was waiting for them. Roger and Sara quickly exited the cab and walked over to her.
"Sara, go on ahead, honey. I need to pay the driver." Roger told her, hurrying back over to the driver. Maureen put a comforting arm around Sara's shoulders and led her inside the hospital waiting room where Mark, Jennifer, Tiffany and Joanne were waiting for her. Sara walked over to where her family was sitting and sat across from Mark and Jennifer.
"How's he doing?" Sara inquired as Roger came in the door.
"He's doing okay, Sara." Mark told her, looking up as Roger sat next to Sara.
"Dad wants to see you, Sara." Christopher told her, sliding in the empty seat on the other side of Roger.
"A-Alone?" Sara asked. Christopher shrugged his shoulders as Sara stood up.
"First door on the right-hand side." Christopher told her. Sara looked over her shoulder before walking to Collins' room. Reaching the first door on the right-hand side.
"It's open." Collins called weakly. Sara poked her head in and walked over to Collins' bed. He was hooked up to all sorts of different machines that kept buzzing and beeping every few seconds. She slid into a chair next to Collins' bedside and looked at him.
"Christopher said you wanted to see me." Sara started. Collins nodded weakly.
"Why I asked you in here alone, Miss Sara, is to say how much I'm gonna miss you when I'm gone – you remind me of Angel when she was alive – full of spunk, humor, grace and style." Collins smiled. Sara didn't understand where this was going.
"What I'm trying to say is that my dying wish is for you and Christopher to become friends. He really needs someone to be with at this point in his life – Jennifer and Tiffany said that they would do their best." His voice was getting weaker by the second. Sara felt the sting of tears in the back of her eyes.
"Also, tell your dad to write a decent song and get his name out there." Collins said after a while.
"I will uncle Collins." Sara moved from the chair and sat down on the edge of Collins' bed and took his hand in hers.
"Sing me something, sweetie." Collins whispered, his heart monitor getting slower and slower. Sara swallowed and thought of the first song that came to her mind. Her dad had sung it to her every night when she was a baby and she never forgot the words.
"Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights
In cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure
A year in the life?
How about love?
How about love?
How about love? Measure in love
Seasons of love. Seasons of love…" Sara sang, still holding Collins' hand, tears streaming down her cheeks. Suddenly, Collins' hand went limp and the line on the heart monitor went straight. She knew that he was no longer with her.
"Uncle Collins!" she sobbed, crying into his hospital blankets. She heard the door open and a herd of feet come into the room. She looked up to see her dad, Mark, Jennifer, Christopher, Joanne, Tiffany and Maureen standing in the doorway. Roger saw the line on the heart monitor and Sara's sad face. He walked over to her and scooped her up in his arms. Sara cried and cried, not knowing if she would ever stop. The room was filled with the sounds of sobbing, hiccoughs and soothing words. Their beloved Thomas Benjamin Collins was gone and he wasn't coming back.
A/N: don't own the lyrics to Seasons of Love. belongs to respected owner. 'nuff said.
A/N 2: don't hesitate to review! i love reviews!