A/N: hey everyone! sorry it took me FOREVER to update this story, but my muse vanished on me and it returned two days ago. i only have one more chapter to go in this story and as always, reviews are welcome - both critical and non.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
(chapter title – A Year In The Life of Friends)

The next day, Sara and Peter got to bring Maria home. Sara was very weak from the C-section and was prescribed some medicine to help her feel better. Angel and Mark loved having Maria around the house. Peter would watch his two kids hold Maria while Sara slept on the couch, the TV turned on low.

"Daddy? Why is Mommy always so tired?" Angel asked one day.

"Well, sweetie, your mom just had a baby and needs all the rest she can get." Peter told her, not looking up from the paper he was reading. Maria was sleeping in her bassinet next to the table.

"Daddy! Mommy's not breathing!" Mark announced, running into the room.

"What do you mean she's not breathing, Mark?" Peter asked, setting the paper down. Picking Maria up, he rushed into the room that he and Sara shared and sat down on the bed. Handing Maria to her sister, he put his ear to Sara's mouth – nothing.

"Sara, honey. Wake up." Peter said, shoving her. Remembering that Sara was a sound sleeper, he did the only thing that would wake her up – CPR. Pinching her nostrils together, Peter took a deep breath and performed CPR on Sara – Angel and Mark watching, their eyes wide.

A few minutes later, Sara sat up, coughing.

"Sara, baby, don't scare me – us – like that again." Peter told her, kissing Sara's forehead.

"What the heck are you talking about? I just came in here to take a nap." Sara told her family, a little irritated.

"Mommy, I was worried about you 'cause you weren't breathing." Mark said, struggling to get onto the bed.

"Mark, honey, I'm okay. Sometimes when I sleep, my breathing slows, but I'll always be okay in the end." Sara informed him, kissing his forehead.

"Kids, let's let your mother have some space. I'm sure she's exhausted from everything that happened over the past few days." Peter told the kids. Angel and Mark put up a hell of a protest, but Peter finally escorted them out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Sara curled up into a ball and fell back asleep, dreaming of everything and nothing.

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An hour later, Maureen and Joanne called saying that they would be more than happy to watch the kids if Peter and Sara wanted to spend some time together. Peter agreed to that and drove the kids over.

Sara was taking a bath and looked herself over. That's when she spotted it – a bruise on her leg. Deciding to ignore it, she slid back and closed her eyes, trying to relax.

As she got out of the tub, she saw a bruise on her arm. Shrugging her shoulders, she got dressed and walked to the living room, popped in The Little Mermaid and watched the movie until she felt her eyes grow heavy.

When she woke up, she was in her room, alone. Turning over on her side, she snuggled under the covers and dreamed of fairy dust, mermaids and princesses.

A while later, she woke up feeling hot and cold at the same time. Coughing, she got out of bed and walked over to her mirror hanging in her closet. In the darkness, her face was extremely pale, her eyes bloodshot and she couldn't stop coughing.

"Pe-Peter?" Sara called, coughing. "Angel? Mark? Anyone?"

"Baby! What's wro-" Peter started to ask when he noticed Sara's condition.

"I'm calling Mark and Jeffery to see if they can watch the kids. Then I'm calling the hospital. Just lie on the couch and don't move." Peter told her, kissing her forehead and led her to the couch.

Ten minutes later, Mark came to pick up Angel, Mark and Maria while Jeffery drove Peter and Sara to the hospital.

"Baby, please be okay. You're gonna be okay." Peter sobbed as he and Sara sat in the backseat of the car. Sara's breathing was getting slower and she was getting weaker.

Sara coughed and put herself in Peter's lap. He leaned down and kissed Sara's forehead. She was burning up – definitely had a fever.

"There is no future, there is no past…" Peter sang softly as Jeffery pulled into the hospital parking lot. Together, he and Peter picked Sara up and carried her to the hospital, not knowing what would happen to her.

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Forty-five minutes later, Jeffery came out of Sara's hospital room, looking down at the ground. She was sleeping now, which was probably the best thing for her. Walking to the waiting room where the people who loved Sara were, he felt his eyes well up with tears. He knew that Sara had HIV, but he didn't know what to tell the others.

"How is she?" Joanne asked. Jeffery shrugged his shoulders and sat down next to James on one side and Maureen on the other.

"Is she up for seeing anyone else?" Maureen wanted to know. Jeffery slowly shook his head and sighed – he had been the last visitor in Sara's room before the room nurse kicked him out.

"The nurse said that she would be up for visitors tomorrow around noon." Jeffery told the group.

"Did they say what was wrong with her?" James piped up.

"The doctor." Jeffery didn't know what to say. "The doctor said that she has the beginning stages of HIV. He's prescribed her some AZT and has her taking two tablets."

"Mommy." Angel cried. Peter picked her up and ran a hand through her hair. Jeffery saw tears streaming down Peter's cheeks.

"Daddy, can we see mommy?" Mark inquired. Peter shook his head sadly. Joanne looked down at Maria. The little baby was fast asleep in her arms. Joanne felt tears in her eyes as she kept her gaze on the little baby. She felt Maureen put an arm around her shoulders and put her head on her shoulder.

"She's a beautiful baby." Maureen whispered. Joanne nodded and tried to hide her tears, but it was no use.

"Pookie, it'll be fine." Maureen comforted her partner, handing Maria to Jeffery so that she could hold Joanne in her arms. Joanne sobbed while Maureen brushed the tears out of her own eyes.

Ten minutes later, a nurse came into the waiting room and forced everyone out except Peter, Angel and Mark. Jeffery and James had offered to watch Maria for them for the night.

Peter, Angel and Mark followed the nurse to Sara's room. Angel and Mark kept quiet, figuring that there would be a time for questions later.

"The kids can sleep on the extra hospital bed." The nurse told Peter, wheeling in a cot for him.

"Thank you." Peter said, getting himself out of the way so that the nurse could put the tiny cot next to Sara's bed.

"Kids, sleep on the cot." Peter told Angel and Mark when the nurse left. The two of them were too tired to ask questions. When they were settled on the cot, Peter climbed in next to Sara and held her close, praying that she would somehow be okay…