I DO NOT OWN RENT (MR. LARSON DOES, REST HIS SOUL). I ONLY OWN DAVID, MISS ABRAM, SUNDAY AND SOME OTHER ADD ON CHARACTERS TO COME.

ITALICS ARE THOUGHTS AND MEMORIES

REVIEW PLEASE AND ENJOY!

Chapter Six

The hospital staff were so helpful and friendly to the surprise of Mark He simply couldn't believe it, he expected them to frown at them and point them away. But not a soul did, their concern was Angel which made Collins and Mark relieved and glad. However, Angel still wasn't responding to Collins as he was frantically trying to wake him.

"Ang, please. Try baby, don't give up on me girl." Collins squeezed Angel so tightly, never wanting to let him go.

"Sir, sir we need to take her so that we can get some help to her." a tall woman with a soft voice said. Collins looked at the woman with tears falling down his dark cheeks. The nurse's face saddened when she saw how upset Collins was. She touched his shoulder gently "Come on honey, she won't be able to get better unless you let her go." The nurse smiled and winked at him. Collins realized that she called Angel a she and loosened his grip on his lover. He knew that he could trust this woman, there was something about her that calmed him.

Angel would love her.

The nurse saw him slowly loosen his grip and motioned two men in long white jackets to hold Angel. The men gently laid Angel onto a bed, making sure they didn't hurt him. As they wheeled Angel down a hall Collins watched their every more while the nurse rubbed his back comfortingly. Mark walked up to his old friend and hugged him. They had been through so much before, surely they could get through this. Collins fell apart in the film makers arms crying.

"What's your name sweetheart?" The nurse said to Collins who was to upset to answer. Collins' sobs were so violent that it shook Mark's body as he said "I'm Mark Cohen, this is Tom and that's...that's Angel."

She nodded her head "Alright, well Tom they took your Angel upstairs to see what the damage is okay? She hit her head you say? Tom dear, I need you to tell me what happened to your Angel."

Collins broke away from Mark and told the woman who wrote down everything. As Collins was talking to the woman Mark ran to the front desk and asked if he could use the phone. He had to call the loft.

SPEEEAAAKKK!

"Roger! Pick up! It's Mark!"

"Mark! Man what the hell is going on! What happened! How's Angel!"

"We don't know yet, they just took him upstairs to check him out."

"Oh man, I'm waiting for Maureen, Joanne and Mimi to get here so we can-"

There's a loud pounding on the door.

"Mark, hold on."

Mark could hear Mimi's voice faintly in the background. There were mumbles and finally a scream. "WHAT! OH MY GOD ANGEL!"

"Hello? Roger? Roger!"

"Hello? Mark?"

"Yeah, what happened? Was that Meems?"

"Yeah she's really upset man. We gotta get there ASAP. As soon as Maureen gets her ass over here we'll be on our way."

"What about Joanne?"

"I'll leave a message for her on the door, we can't afford to waste anymore minutes."

"Okay. We're at the hospital down the street from the community theatre. If you take the subway you'll get here a lot faster."

"Couldn't go any other way Cohen. That's what we were planning to do anyway. But Mark, do you think that this is it Angel?" Roger tried to say the last part out of earshot of Mimi who certainly would have freaked out even more.

"No way man. I mean he just hit his head. I really don't think that it's THAT serious."

A relieved sigh came from the other end, "Alright man we'll be there soon."

Mark slammed the phone down and ran back towards Collins who was still being held by the nurse.

"Tom honey, do you want to have a cup of coffee or take a nap in one of the waiting rooms? It might be a while before we find anything out about Angel."

Collins shook his head, "No! I just want my Angel to be alright. I can't live without her."

"Okay honey let me go find out where they've placed her. Stay here." The nurse let go of Collins and ran over to the nurse's station. Collins watched her as she typed into the computer, wondering where Angel was.

Did I tell them that she has AIDS? Oh shit, I gotta tell em.

Collins ran over to the desk where the nurse was "Excuse me miss." She glanced up "Hold on Tom, I'm trying to find your Angel! Give me one second." She frantically typed now because of the expression Collins had on his face. Collins had no energy left but used his last bit of emotional strength to say "Miss, she has AIDS, Angel has AIDS!" The woman looked up at him, "Oh God, I've got to tell them." She stopped typing and grabbed the phone talking as quick as she could. Her pace slowed as she listened to the nurse on the other line. A smile slowly went across her face as she went from around the desk and put her arms around Collins. He was slightly surprised at her reaction but nonetheless relieved that he told her. "Come on honey they told me where she is. She's awake and she's talking."

A huge smile came across his face and he hugged the nurse. The nurse hugged him right back and held his face "She's fine, your Angel is fine." Collins smiled back at her "Thank you so much. Can you tell me your name so that I can tell Angel who kept her man sane?." The nurse smiled and said "Cora, Cora Kingley." They shook hands and hugged once again "I'm so glad that I could help you, where's Mark?" Collins looked for his fellow bohemian and spotted him looking around "Mark! She's fine man! She's fine!" When Mark heard the news he almost collapsed from the worry and stress that built up inside of him.

Thank you God.

Mark hugged him and even hugged the nurse who was startled by it but gladly hugged him back. "Well this Angel sure has you guys hooked on her, wow I really can't wait until I meet her now." Collins glanced at Mark who smiled at him back "Yeah she's something else." Mark grabbed his camera out of his duffle bag and began to film "Angel Dumott Schunard is more than something, she's amazing! She's an angel!"

Collins pressed the button of the elevator and the three stepped inside the elevator anxious to see their Angel.

With Angel

Oh my goodness, where in the world am I? What in the world am I wearing? Where's my hair? Where's my Tom?

Angel looked around the hospital room and shook his head. He was still dazed, but scared. The television was on playing a soap opera, and the volume was so low he could barely hear it. Angel felt his head, "Shit." There was a bandage around his head which made Angel cringe. "I HATE hospitals." he muttered." Angel always hated hospitals, even as a child. The last place that Angel Schunard wanted to be was in a hospital. He vowed himself never to be in a hospital room unless the time when he was going to leave this earth. The last time he had even been in a hospital room like the one he was in now was the day that David died...

The room was quiet, an uncomfortable silence. There weren't very many people in the room just David, David's brother Danny and David's boyfriend Aaron. David moved around with an uncomfortable look on his face which Aaron picked up. He walked over to David and placed a kiss on his forehead "Need anything?"

David looked away and whispered "Just my Angel." Hearing such a statement caused Aaron to turn around and glance at Danny who walked up to his brother.

"Dave, you said yourself that you didn't think that he would be here." Danny knew that his brother had slept with Angel which didn't matter to him, but the fact that his brother still slept with Angel when he knew he had AIDS for about a year or so now made Danny angry with his brother. He was so disappointed that it pained him to even look at him. Danny always thought highly of his younger brother and for him to be so reckless made him realize that not everyone was perfect and even his younger brother whom he cherished was capable of evil.

"Look Dave, you know that I love you and I'm always going to be here for you. But you just can't expect Angel to come see you after what you did to him."

David burst into tears as Aaron consoled him "Dan, don't do this to him here."

Danny backed up from the hospital bed and threw his hands in the air "Aaron, he needs to hear this! He's completely destroyed someone else's life because he stupidly destroyed his own! Now because he's going to die, he felt like he had to bring somebody else with him!"

David knew that Dan was right, in fact Danny's exact words are what rang in his head almost every moment of everyday. Ever since he told Angel that he had AIDS and that he's had it for a year, those words have never left him. Angel's face had never left him. He was supposed to have loved Angel and he gave the one person that he loved an early death sentence.

"Dave how could you do something so fucking stupid?"

"Danny, stop it!" Aaron held the weeping David.

"Of all of the stupid things to do in this crazy fucked up world why do this!"

"Danny!"

"SHUT-UP EVERYONE!" David was now completely hysterical. "JUST SHUT-UP OKAY! I KNOW WHAT I DID WAS FUCKED UP OKAY! I KNOW WHAT I DID WAS WRONG!"

Angel could hear David screaming at the top of his lungs, but he waited to go in so he could catch his breath. Angel wasn't going in to yell and scream at David, he just wanted to let him go and tell him that he forgives him. Finally, Angel took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

knock, knock

All three men hushed and they waited until they recognized who it was "Danny, David it's me Angel."

David's eyes shot wide open. Aaron glanced at his boyfriend not sure of what to say or do. All Aaron knew was that Angel didn't deserve any of their shit and he was determined not to let them hurt Angel anymore.

"Hello? Guys can I come in? I won't take long." Angel wasn't sure if he should just come in or wait but either way he had to go in. Danny opened the door to let the young man in. Angel looked at Danny and then smiled "Thanks." Angel walked in the room with his eyes straight on David. Their eyes met and immediately David had burst into tears. Danny grabbed Aaron as they slowly left the room.

Alone the once lovers looked at one another "Were you drumming?"

Angel clamped on to his drumsticks "Yeah, I had to get my mind off of things."

At this David looked the other way as Angel moved to the bed. "Look David, I have some things that I want to say, things that I need to get off of my chest before I leave here."

David turned his head slowly, "You want to tell me that you hate me right? That you wished you had never laid eyes on me. That you never loved me and you never will again."

A tear rolled down his cheek, Angel wiped it away "No David, I haven't come to tell you that. I never hate anyone, never have never will. But I do want to let you know how much you hurt me. It's not just the fact that you didn't tell me you how long you had HIV or the fact that you have AIDS now, but the fact that you said that you loved me, you said that I was your all in all, your everything."

David looked sadly into Angel's eyes "God Angel, I wish I could go back in time and fix all the shit that I've put you through. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me Angel, you can't be replaced."

The street drummer knew that David was for once telling the truth but he had to be told so that he could let this whole thing go and move on with the little amount of time that had been given to him. Before David could say anything else Angel placed his index finger or David's chapped lips shushing him.

"Listen to me, right now. I've got to tell you something very important alright? I've got to tell you this because I need to let go of this, of you David."

David looked away, so hurt at thought of Angel not being apart of his life any longer. But he knew that he had brought it upon himself so he let his ex-lover continue.

"David, you were my first love, my first...everything. Some of the best times of my life, but when you say that you love me you're supposed to mean it. You don't just throw those words around like they mean nothing. When I told you that I loved you for the first time I meant it. I never doubted that love for one second, and stupidly I never doubted yours. What you did to me was beyond low and most people would walk away and never forgive you. But I'm not most people David, and what I came here to this hospital room to say is that I forgive you." Angel's as well as David's eyes welled with tears "I forgive you David and I want you to know that even though you did what you did to me, I don't hate you and I forgive you."

David looked at his ex until he spotted him fondling something in his hand. Immediately he recognized it as the ring that he had bought Angel. The street-drummer eyed the ring "Remember when you gave this to me? I had never been given a more special gift in all my life. I knew that you loved me right then and there. You probably think that I'm going to throw it at you or throw it away somewhere. But you're wrong if you were thinking that because I'm going to keep it. I'm going to keep it so that I can learn to grow from this situation. I'm going to grow from all of this hell that I've been going through the past 6 months. Even though I'm still in hell right now, I know that it'll only get better for me. I can only go up from here."

Angel then leaned over and kissed his ex's lips for the very last time.

"Bye David." Slowly Angel backed away crying, but also relieved that he was finally letting go of him.

"Angel, Angel please don't leave me. I'm sorry, I am so sorry Angel please." David pleaded with him reaching his hands out to him. He wasn't ready to let go, never.

Angel blew him a kiss shaking his head "No, David I can't. I'm sorry."

David saw him opening the door and screamed at the top of his lungs "ANGEL PLEASE!"

click the door was closed

On the other side of the door Angel broke down, releasing all of the emotions he had bottled up for so long. Danny and Aaron saw him and held him up.

"Angel, Angel what happend?"

Angel wiped his tears away and held his head up proudly "I let him go." Both Danny and Aaron looked at one another then back at Angel.

"I've got to get out of here." Angel pushed past Danny but not after hugging Aaron.

"Bye girl, take care of yourself." Angel smiled at him "I will. Thanks for you, being you."

The two men watched the young man walk down the hall of the hospital and out of their sight.

Later on that night Angel sat in the living room of his small apartment staring at the ring that he had placed on the coffee table. He hated to leave David crying and screaming, but he had to do it. A tear fell down his soft tanned face thinking of David's face when he left. Angel got up, walked into his bedroom and brought out his pickle tub and drumsticks. As he sat he placed them on the floor, grabbed a huge blanket and wrapped himself with it. The young man grabbed his legs and laid his head on his knees and wept.

ring, ring

Angel lifted his head slowly and stared at the phone.

ring, ring

Angel slowly reached his hand out to pick up the phone, trying not to move from the cocoon he made for himself.

"Hello?"

"Angel, it's Aaron." he was crying. Angel knew what he was going to say.

"Angel, David just died."

Angel laid the phone down and cried. In his anger, sadness and frustration he hit the cushion of the couch. He finally got himself together enough to talk and put the phone back to his ear.

"Sorry." he said quietly.

"No, it's okay Angel. How are you sweety, do you need anything?"

"No, I'm fine. And I'll be fine Aaron thanks for calling me."

"Sure."

"Aaron, how's Danny holding up?"

"He's holding. But he'll be fine, just gotta give him some space and time you know?"

"Yeah, well take care Aaron and thanks again."

"Angel?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep being you, don't change for the bad but for the good. Don't stop being the person that we all love because of this."

"Thanks. Bye Aaron."

"Goodbye Angel."

Placing the phone back Angel smiled, got up, grabbed his pickle tub and drumsticks and walked out the door.

A nurse came in and checked on all the machines that were hooked up to Angel.

"How are you feeling Mr. Schunard?"

"Fine thanks, but I'm a little thirsty."

The nurse handed him a cup of fresh water which felt wonderful going down Angel's throat. "There you go honey. I got a call from one of the nurses downstairs and she told me that you had two visitors and they're on their way up to see you."

Angel eyes opened wide as he continued to drink the last of the water. The nurset laughed "A ha! I knew that'd get you attention. That was about 5 minutes ago or so, they should-"

Angel and the nurse looked at the door, waiting for whoever it was to come in so that they could see better. Finally a tall dark man entered and sighed a sigh of relief when he saw Angel sitting up. Angel leaped up in his bed, "Lover!"