Roger paused, as if debating, but Brooke staid focused on every word just like she had when she was younger being told a fairy tale. He decided and continued,
"I went into rehab after that...it was a cheap program...and I spent more time here getting clean with the help of Mark, than anything else. Then Mimi came into my life...and I pushed her away, I couldn't tell her why I couldn't love her. But she was in the same boat as me...Collins, and me. We almost lost her a year ago..."
Emotion was getting to him...Brooke had never seen him this vunerable.
"Brooke...the note April left me...said 'We have AIDS' and I got tested while in rehab. I tested positive..."
There were somethings she thought she expected him to tell, truth be told the drugs didn't shock her, surprise her, yes, shock, no. She knew what the whole HIV/AIDs thing meant; death.
"What...about...your guys' baby?"
"Medicines." He said simply.
She wanted to run, would have too if it hadn't been for Joanne's voice.
"Roger? Brooke? Anyone?"
"We're up here Joanne." Roger called back.
Neither Brooke or Roger dared to look at each other, as Jonne made her appearance.
"Can I talk to Brooke?"
Brooke nodded and followed, before Roger could stop her, leaving him alone on the roof.
"I figured if you were staying, you'd want to look for some work. Here's the deal, if you go to school in the morning...there's a job at the law firm of a friend of mine's...just paper work, but it pays decently. If you want it the job can be yours."
Brooke nodded, it was better than nothing.
And so the new routine began.
Wake up, go to school, go to work, come home, do homework, sleep.
Avoid Roger.
She would talk to Mimi and Collins. Maybe it was because they weren't her brother. Maybe because she never saw either of them as innocent or invencible.
Mimi introduced Brooke to thrift shopping for materninty clothes.
Collins helped with her homework.
When she saw them she didn't see it.
But for some reason she couldn't bring her self to face her brother.
About three months after she had came to New York she found just her and Mark sitting in the living room, everyone else was trying to get money together for rent and groceries.
Mark was deeply focused on his latest movie and Brooke was wasting her boredom by drawing some designs, working around her growing stomach.
"Oh..." She suddenly interuppted the silence, and Mark panicked.
"What? Is something wrong..."
She smiled, "No, they're just active today."
Mark relaxed considerabley before returning to his work.
"Mark? Can I ask you something?"
He sighed and moved to sit next to her.
"How did you react when Roger...tested positive..for..?"
"HIV? I don't know, Brooke...it was just there...he wasn't the first one I saw get it...not in this neighborhood...and I knew Collins had it...but I don't know...I guess I never thought Roger would...could get it. He was just too close for comfort. At first I pissed more from the fact of the drugs than the disease, but it something he had to face...and I knew it had to be me to help him...what kind of friend would I be to turn my back on him?"
She stared past him for a few moments, "What kind of sister am I?"
"You're just scared. We all are, really. You want to get out for a bit? I want to get some more shots, and we could both use some fresh air."
Brooke let out a laugh, "You mean as fresh as New York air can get?"
"Yeah..."
"Sure. Maybe we could stop by the Life to see Mimi on the way?"
"Sounds like a plan."
He helped lift her off the couch and put on her coat, and the two began the journe down the stairs.
"Why in the hell, did you pick the fourth floor walk up?"
"It was cheapest." He shrugged.
Brooke laughed, "Good point."
A also pregnat Mimi, now at a waitress at the Life until her baby was born when she would go back to the Cat Scratch, greeted them, "So you two finally got out today. I'll get you two something to drink. And then I'll be on break."
When she returned she ushered Brooke and Mark into a table, "So what are you guys doing out?"
Brooke replied, "He wanted to go filming, and refused to leave me alone, so we're going to the park."
"Sound like a plan," Mimi laughed.
"That's what he said."
"Oh, Don't forget you're on you're own for dinner, Roger and I have Life Support tongiht..."
"Actually," Brooke interuppted, "I was wondering if I could.. tag along, Collins said it wasn't just for people with...?"
"Of course, chica." Mimi seemed more excited about Brooke request than Brooke herself did. "Let's surprise Roger, just meet us here at eight, okay? Alright, I've got to get back to work. See you guys later."
The other two finished their teas and made their way to the park where Mark left Brooke to draw on a bench while he went off to get some shots.
"It's Brooke, right?" A voice interuppted her thoughts, she turned to see a young man, black hair and grey blue eyes.
"Yeah,...you're in my history class..." She replied scooting over to allow him room on the bench.
"That's me...you can't remember my name can you?"
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright...it's Emsley."
"Now how could I forget that?"
He laughed, "But you can call me Em."
There was a brief silence before Em turned towards her, "Do you dance?"
"What?"
"Do you dance? It's just like you look like a dancer."
"With this stomach? Yeah, right."
"Well, then did you, before?"
"A little, but mostly I was a cheerleader. The only freshmen, then the only one of two sophomores on the squead," She let out a laugh, an almost cynical laugh, "That used to be important to me, but now...after this...after moving here it seems petty. Nothing like something big to happen for you to really think..."
"I know what you mean...do mind if I ask, what about the father?"
"He doesn't know. I wouldn't tell him, I just came here. He already had...has enough on his plate...I guess I was a little scared too."
Em smiled, "Yeah...um, do you any plans tonight, I mean I've this meeting I have to go to, but after that maybe we can meet up for dinner?"
"I, actually am going some meeting too, but I don't know about dinner...its just..."
"Brooke, I'm not looking for a date if that's what you mean...but, as cheesy as it sounds guys and girls can be just friends."
"Well, okay then. My meetings at Ryder Communit.."
"Life Support?"
"Yeah. I don't have it...my brother, his girlfriend, and a friend...I'm going there with them...for them. Do..."
"My mother...she was um,...raped...four years ago...the guy who did it was positive...my mom didn't know until my little sister was born a year later...my dad had a hard time dealing with it...we don't know how...but he was negative...but we started going to Life Support to help him more than anything...Whose your brother? Maybe I met him..."
"Roger...and Mimi...and Collins..."
He laughed, he knew who they were. "It must be interesting at home."
"That doesn't even begin to cover it."
"Brooke? Brooke?" Her blonde roommate, camera still running approached them. "Hey, we've got to get going..."
Em stood up, and got in front of Mark to help Brooke up, "I'll walk with you guys, if that's okay?" He turned to Mark, "I'm headed to the same place."
Mark just nodded and led the way...
Em turned towards Brooke again, "So how long have you been here in New York?"
"Tree months...since um...January"
"How much of New York have you gotten to see?"
"Home, school, and work...and whatevers in between."
"Oh that's not good...where do you work?"
"McGregor...or something or another Law firm its about a block from school. I file papers...get signatures...You?"
"Um...I'm a bartender...kind of under the table...its my uncles, but since I'm not technically legal...um we have to be, er...careful...but I usually just help clean, work technicals when we have a band...menial jobs mainly."
"Sound like fun...oh, here we are..."
The approached the group just as Collins spotted them, "Ooh, look who we have."
Mimi nudged Roger, "I told you we should wait."
Brooke came up and hugged her brother, whispering in his ear, "I'm sorry...for..."
"It's okay." He pulled out of the hug, and turned his attention to the black haired boy, "Hey, man, I see you met my sister."
Em just shrugged as Collins started guiding them towards the subway entrance down the road, "Let's get going people."
Collins and Mark led the way, followed by the two pregnant women, and Em and Roger bring up the rear.
Mimi leaned over to Brooke, "Nice catch."
"Friends, Meems." She whispered harshly back. "Neither one of us want that, plus a bit of me is still holding onto Jake."
The group progressively made their way to the gymnasium of the community center, where two girls ran up to Em.
Em smiled as the little one requested to be lifted, and the rest of the group left Brooke with him and the girls,
"Brooke, these are my sisters, Caroleena here is twelve...and this is Olivia Grace."
The cheerful, energetic girl in his arms smiled brightly holding up four fingers, "I'm tree."
Caroleena reached up and put down the extra finger. "Three, Via."
The meeting was about to get started and the four joined the circle.
"Let's begin. I'm Paul."
"Steve."
"Hannah."
"Eric."
"Collins."
"Jaime."
"Adina."
"Caroleena."
"Ivia."
"Em."
"Um..Brooke."
"Roger."
"Mimi."
"Mark."
And so the meeting went on. Brooke shared her story, how she looked up to Roger, how she pulled away when she found out. They welcomed her, they didn't judge her. Jaime share with her and the group about when he found out about his wife and youngest daughter and what is was like to tell his other two children. An hour and half later the meeting ended, and the leader of the group, Paul, made his way to Brooke,
"Will we be seeing you again?"
She nodded, this could help her, she knew it.
Em came up to her next, "Ready to go?"
"Yeah, let me tell Roger."
"Already done."
"Lets go then."
xxxxx
Meanwhile back in Tree Hill.
He was still two hundred dollars short of having enough to get by safely, for a couple of weeks in New York. But he was determined. He was going to find her.