"You know, before you I was ready to just give up on my life. I felt like I had one great love and she was gone, so I was ready to join her. But then you got me fighting with you and made me live again." Roger said laying in the bed with Charlie laying beside him.
"I know Baby. I saw you two together. I see why you loved her so much." Charlie said caressing his head.
"Mark showed you the films?" he asked turning his head to her.
"Yeah, I asked him to. You made her really happy Baby." she said smiling at him.
"Yeah, that's what Mark used to tell me. But you have made me the happiest man in the world." he said smiling at her.
"Roger, I love you so much." she said caressing his hair.
"Charlie, thank you. For everything. You have given me the most amazing life a guy could ask for." he said reaching up to touch her face.
"Roger, don't you dare. It's not time yet." she said starting to cry.
"Baby, I wish we had more time. You have no idea how much I wish we had more time, but we don't." he said as tears rolled out of his eyes and down the side of his face.
"Not yet Roger. Michelle's not home yet. You have to hang on until your daughter gets home, OK? Just hang on Baby." she said sitting up to face him.
"OK Baby. I'll try." he said having a hard time breathing.
"Your daughter will never forgive herself if you die when she's not home." Charlie told him through her tears.
"I know Baby. I love her so much. I just can't bear to leave either of you." he said crying too.
"Roger, you are the most amazing husband and father. You have loved me and our daughter better than we could have ever been loved." she said taking his hand and squeezing it tight.
"I'm sorry I have to leave you so soon." he cried gasping for air.
"Roger, don't. Save your strength." she said wiping the tears from his eyes.
"Charlie, I used to think Mandy was my greatest love, but it was you. It was always you. You and Michelle." he said trying to breathe.
"Roger, she sent us to each other. I truly believe that. I realized it when I was watching the film of you two. She knew you couldn't take care of yourself, so she sent me to you to put you in your place." she said as they both laughed.
"Yeah, that sounds like Mandy. I love you Charlene. More than you can ever imagine." he said getting serious.
"I love you too Roger. Don't you ever forget that, OK? And when you get up there, tell Mandy I said thank you for sending you to me." she said as tears rolled down her face.
"Hi dad." Michelle said opening the door to the bedroom.
"Hi Babygirl, come here." he said holding his hand out to her.
"Mom, what happened?" she asked approaching the bed.
"It's time sweetie." she told her crying more.
"No. Dad, it can't be time. It's too soon." she said crying as she knelt on the floor next to the bed.
"I'm sorry Babygirl. I wish I had more time, but I don't." he said turning to her as he touched her face.
"Daddy, I'm not ready. Please." she cried more leaning her head on the side of the bed as he caressed her hair.
"Shh Babygirl, everything's gonna be OK. I promise. You have made me the luckiest dad in the world. No man could be prouder of his little girl as you've made me." he said crying with her.
"Dad, I don't wanna lose you." she cried harder as Charlie laid down next to Roger and cried too.
"Listen to me Michelle. Come on, look at me Babygirl." he said caressing her hair.
"What is it daddy?" she asked looking up at him.
"The day we brought you home was the greatest day of our lives. You may not have my blood in your veins, but you are my little girl and you always will be. No one could love you as much as I do. Do you hear me? No one. Always remember how much I love you Babygirl." he told her through his tears.
"I know daddy. I am so lucky to have you as my dad." she said leaning up to kiss his cheek and hug him.
"Take care of you your mom, OK Babygirl?" he whispered as Charlie cried more.
"I will dad. I promise. I'll make you proud of me." she said hugging him tighter.
"You already have Babygirl. You already have." he told her crying into her hair.
"I love you daddy." she said kissing his cheek again.
"I love you too Babygirl." he said in barely a whisper.
"Roger, I love you. Thank you for all the love you gave me." Charlie told him crying into his neck.
"Baby, you gave as good as you got. With everything." he said caressing her face as he put his hand on her face and she leaned up to kiss his tender lips one last time.
"Come on Babygirl. Lay down with me and your mom." Roger said quietly looking down at Michelle. She laid next to him as he peacefully slipped away.
"Mom, he's gone. Isn't he?" Michelle asked afraid to move.
"I'm afraid so sweetie." she said lifting her head up to look at Roger. "I love you Roger. Thank you." she whispered before placing a kiss on his forehead.
"I love you daddy." Michelle said crying before getting up and going to the phone.
"Who are you calling?" Charlie asked looking up at her.
"Uncle Mark and Uncle Collins and then I think we should call the ambulance or something." she said blinking the tears out of her eyes.
"No, I don't want them to take him yet." Charlie cried caressing Roger's still warm cheek.
"Mom, it's gonna be OK, you know. He's not sick anymore." Michelle said putting the phone down.
"I know sweetie. I'm just not ready for them to take him just yet." she cried as Michelle walked around the bed to hold her mother.
"I know mom. But they have to take him, OK? I'm gonna call everyone and they'll come over." she whispered as she comforted Charlie.
"How am I gonna do this without him Michelle?" Charlie asked as Michelle rocked her back and forth.
"He's not gone mom. He'll always be with us. He loves us too much to leave us totally." Michelle said crying with her mother.
"Yeah, he always did know how to love us, didn't he?" she said looking up at her.
"He loved us best." Michelle said kissing Charlie's head before calling Mark and Collins. "Uncle Mark? It's dad... yeah, he's gone... a little while ago... can you guys come over please? Me and mom need you... thanks... I love you too Uncle Mark." Michelle said crying as she hung up the phone. "Mom, we should go downstairs and wait for them." Michelle said holding her hand out to her mother.
"OK. I love you Roger." Charlie said kissing her hand and placing it on Roger's lips before reaching out for Michelle's hand.
"Are you OK mom?" Michelle asked holding on to her.
"Yeah, I'll be OK. How are you sweetie? Are you OK?" Charlie asked looking over at her.
"Yeah mom. I'm OK. Come on, sit down. I'll get you a cup of tea." she said leading her to the couch.
"Sweetie, you don't have to do that." Charlie said looking up at her daughter all grown up.
"It's OK mom. I want to keep busy. Everyone should be here soon." she said filling the tea kettle with water and putting it on the stove.
"How did you get to be such an amazing young woman?" Charlie asked looking over at her.
"I had great parents." Michelle said smiling at Charlie before looking at the pictures of the three of them that adourned the living room walls.
THE END
A/N: I hope you liked that story. This chapter was especially hard for me to write for the obvious reason. Killing Roger is always hard, but the man is HIV positive and he can't live forever. I want to thank BohemianGirl06 for all of her help on this whole story. It was only supposed to be 4 chapters of A Special Bond that came to me during the summer, but I wanted to elaborate a bit more on Mark and Roger's friendship, so I added more chapters of that and then this story came to mind and I went with it. Thank you for reading it.