"Hi, I'm Melissa and I'm Pam's sister. I want to welcome all of you to the first Life Support for families meeting. Why don't we all introduce ourselves before we get started." a young woman started as a circle of people sat around the room.
"I'm George. Paul's partner." a young man said smiling at everyone.
"Eric. I'm Collins' partner." Eric smiled looking up at everyone.
"Brenda. I'm Roger's wife." Brenda said looking up at them.
"Drake. I'm Pam's boyfriend." a young man smiled looking around the room looking very uncomfortable.
"Clarissa. I'm Steve's fiance." a young woman smiled looking up at everyone.
"OK, now that the introductions are out of the way. I want to explain more about what we're doing here." Melissa started as everyone nodded. "We're here to provide emotional and moral support to people like us who are HIV negative, but who are still living with the disease because someone we love is positive. Whatever we say in here, stays in here. Any issues or fears you have, can be voiced in here. We're here to help each other, so not being honest in here will only hurt yourself. We can't read each other's minds. OK, now that that's out of the way, let's get started." she smiled looking up at everyone. "Does anyone want to start first?"
"Um... I do." Brenda said raising her hand.
"OK Brenda, the floor is yours." Melissa smiled looking over at her.
"Um... OK. I've known Roger since we were teenagers. Since before he was diagnosed. We got married on my 18th birthday and we were you and made a lot of mistakes along the way. Even though I wasn't even here when he contracted HIV, I still struggle everyday over the guilt of him being positive." she said as Eric took her hand.
"Why do you feel guilty?" Melissa asked looking up at her.
"Because had I not lost our son and left him, he wouldn't have been in a position to contract it." she told her softly looking down at her hands as she played with her nails.
"Brenda, sometimes things happen. You can't blame yourself." Eric said looking over at her.
"But I do. Me and our daughter are gonna lose him too soon because I couldn't face him." she started before crying.
"Bren, you did the only thing you felt you could do." Eric said looking over at her.
"Yeah and it's gonna cost Roger his life and my daughter her father." she said getting up from her chair.
"Brenda, why did you leave? You obviously love Roger very much." Drake asked shifting in his seat to see her.
"I was drugged and raped. I found out I was pregnant a few weeks later. I was afraid the baby wasn't Roger's so I ran away. But then when Rosie was born, I knew she was his. His and mine. But by that time I had been gone 6 months and I didn't know how to explain to him why I left without telling him I was pregnant, so I chickened out." she told them before sitting back down in her chair.
"And you think you leaving made him do what he did to contract HIV?" Clarissa asked looking over at her.
"I know it did. He needed to forget. Forget losing our son and forget me leaving him." she said wiping her tears from her eyes.
"You know Brenda, sometimes people make choices that inadvertently hurt the ones they love. You never would have left had you known this is what would happen. Roger does not hold you responsible for him contracting HIV, now you need to see that you're not responsible for it. You and Roger are back together now. You're raising your beautiful daughter together. That's all that matters. I know that's all that matters to him. Anyone who looks at him when he's with you two can see it." Melissa smiled looking over at her.
"I just wish I could forgive myself for leaving him the way I did." she said looking over at her.
"I think you need to work on doing just that. Roger loves you and I know he'll do anything he can to help you, but I think this is one thing you need to do alone." Melissa said looking up at her.
"OK, I'll work on it. Thanks Melissa." Brenda smiled looking over at her as the meeting continued.
"So, how was your first Life Support for families meeting?" Roger asked as they walked home from the community center.
"It was OK. I shared." she smiled looking up at him as they walked with Rose.
"Really? Anything you want to share with me?" he asked smiling down at her.
"I need to learn to forgive myself for running away and you contracting HIV." she said looking up at him.
"Baby, you're not responsible. I was the one who decided to get involved with April. I could have said no, but I didn't. I was the weak. I put myself in that position. Not you. I wish you wouldn't blame yourself." he told her stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to face her.
"I know Roger. I'm gonna work on it. I don't want to spend the time we have left regretting what I did in the past." she said smiling up at him.
"Baby, you have nothing to regret. I promise." he whispered leaning down to kiss her.
"I love you Roger." she smiled reaching up to caress his stubbled cheek.
"I love you too Bren." he smiled bringing her into his arms.
"Come on. I wanna go to the Life Cafe for coffee with my husband." she smiled holding him tight.
"Just you and me?" he asked smiling down at her.
"Yep. Just you and me." she laughed looking up at him.
"OK Baby, let's go." he smiled kissing her head before they left to go to the Life Cafe.
"OK do we have everything?" Brenda asked rushing around the loft.
"Baby, we have everything. Don't worry about it." Roger said looking over at her.
"I just want everything to be perfect for her first birthday party with kids her own age." she said fixing the streamers that were hung up in the loft.
"I know Bren, but everything is gonna be perfect. She's gonna have the best birthday, you'll see." he smiled looking over at her.
"I'm just worried Roger. I mean, she's 7 now and this is the first birthday party she's had with friends her own age." she said looking over at him with her hands on her hips.
"Bren, you worry way too much. This is gonna be a great. She's gonna have the time of her life and so are we. I promise." he smiled going over to her.
"I just wish Mark and Collins would get here with the cake already." she said looking up at him.
"They'll be here. Don't worry. I have to finish hanging the streamers." he smiled leaning down to kiss her head.
"OK Baby. I'm gonna go do the salads. Your parents should be back with Rosie any minute." she smiled looking up at him.
"I just hope they didn't spoil her too much." he said looking down at her.
"Yeah right. You'll be lucky if she doesn't come home with half of Manhattan." she laughed patting his chest.
"You're right. What was I thinking? They're worse than Maureen, Joanne, Mark and Collins combined." he laughed watching her go into the kitchen.
"I wouldn't go that far Baby. They are the ones who made her a princess room even before they met her." she laughed taking the salads out of the refrigerator.
"Good point." he laughed hanging the rest of the streamers as Collins and Mark entered the loft.
"Never fear, cake is here." Collins called out in a super hero voice.
"Oh thank God, I was getting worried about you two." she said looking up at them.
"And we picked up a little something else while we were out. It took longer than we anticipated." Mark smiled looking back at the open door as someone entered behind them.
"Is this the famous Rose Davis' 7th birthday party?" the visitor asked smiling at them.
"Chelse, oh my God. What are you doing here?" Brenda called out running to the door to hug her friend.
"Mark and Collins called me and invited me to Rosie's birthday party." she smiled hugging her tight.
"I am so glad you're here. I missed you so much." she smiled still hugging her.
"I missed you too Bren." she smiled looking up. "Hi Roger. It's nice to see you again." she smiled as Brenda finally let her go.
"You too Chelsea. Thanks for coming. Rosie's gonna be so excited you're here." he smiled leaning down to hug her.
"I can't wait to see her. I haven't see her in 2 years. She looks like she's getting really big." she smiled looking up at the pictures on the wall.
"Yeah, she's growing up way too fast." Brenda smiled looking up at Roger.
"Where is my little lady?" she asked looking up at them.
"Out with Roger's parents. She should be home soon." Brenda smiled looking over at her.
"Roger's parents? Really? You guys finally called your parents?" she asked looking over at her.
"Yeah, after I left Roger got in touch with them. He called my mom to come over to see me and meet Rosie a few months after we came home." she smiled looking up at her.
"That sounds really nice Bren. I'm really happy that everything is working out for you guys. I was worried about you when you left, but I see Roger is taking really good care of you two." she smiled looking up at Roger who had put his arm around Brenda.
"He really is Chelse." Brenda smiled as Roger leaned down to kiss her head.
"What a day, huh?" Brenda asked as she, Mark, Chelsea, Collins, Eric, Robin, Maureen and Joanne sat in the living room exhausted.
"See Baby, and you were worried. She had so much fun she's passed out cold in her room." Roger laughed coming out of Rose's room.
"Yeah, I guess I was worrying for nothing." she laughed as he sat next to her on the couch putting his arm around her.
"You always did worry too much." Chelsea smiled looking over at her as everyone nodded.
"Hey. I'm not that bad." she called out laughing.
"You are Baby. Sorry." Roger smiled leaning down to kiss her head.
"Does everyone have to pick on me?" she whined looking over at everyone.
"Sorry Baby. But you know we love you." Roger smiled looking down at her.
"I love all of you too." she smiled looking around the room at her family. 2 years earlier, it was just her and Rose. Now she had more family than she knew what to do with. And she wouldn't have it any other way.