murderer - frerard

[018]

They wouldn't let us see him for a long time. Mikey and I sat in the waiting room for what seemed like hours, and it may have been, for all I know.

The sun was going down outside the hospital when the nurse came out to tell us that he could only have one visitor at a time. Because I'm a gentleman, I let Mikey go first.

Another hour. I knew visiting hours would be over soon, and I wouldn't have time to see Ray if Mikey didn't hurry his ass up, and luckily, he did.

"His mom's in there, too," Mikey hissed in my ear. "Don't mention Bob, alright?" He leant back and opened his mouth to speak but must've thought against it, and left.

So I went back and sat in some very uncomfortable leather chair. Ray was asleep.

"I'm sorry he's asleep, Frank," Ms. Toro said softly from the leather chair across the room.

"Oh," I said, "he definitely needs it, I'm not gonna wake him up just to talk."

"I'll let him know you came by," Ms. Toro replied, sending me that vibe that said she really wanted to be alone with Ray tonight. I got the hint, stepping toward the door.

"Thanks, I hope he feels better," I whispered, closing the heavy wooden door gently behind me. I understood.

I didn't know what to do now, so I walked home in the frigid night, watching my breath cloud in front of my face.

As I was getting closer to my own home, I got the creepy feeling that someone was watching me. I got that feeling a lot, but tonight felt different.

I was so busy looking around that I barely felt Gerard's hands slip around my waist.

"Hey," he whispered hotly in my ear, and I jumped.

"Hi, Gerard," I replied, turning to face him, but he gripped my shoulders to keep me facing forward.

"Wait, it's a surprise!" He sounded so genuinely ecstatic that it sent chills throughout my body. His hands travelled down my arms and he held both of my hands in a fashion that reminded me of a horse pulling a cart.

"Where are we going, exactly?"

"My house, silly," he said as if it were obvious. I wondered if he knew what Ray and Mikey had done, and I wondered if he even knew Bob. Everyone knew Bob, I think. Gerard walked behind me, humming a tune and tapping a sort of beat on my hands with his fingers. "I think you'll like it."

"Maybe so," I said, stopping when I reached the front door and Gerard let go of my right hand to unlock it, pushing it inward. "Can I look now?"

It was dark. I couldn't see Gerard, but I could feel him as he fumbled blindly with my body, pushing me down onto what felt like the sofa. "Are you ready, Frankie?"

Frankie. Huh.

I guess it didn't matter much whether or not I was ready, because Gerard flipped the lights on before I got a chance to speak. Everything was white for a moment, and then my eyes adjusted. I gasped. His hair was flaming-ass red, and it suited him so goddamned well. It was one of those things you wouldn't really know you needed in your life until it just happens.

"So?"

"I like it."

And that was that.

[]

Two hours later, I was still sitting next to Gerard on the couch with a cup of coffee in my hand and my eyes glued to the fire-engine-red mop of hair on his head.

"What're you doing tomorrow?" Gerard asked eventually.

"I think I'm going back to see Ray, maybe he'll be awake then," I said before I even realized that I hadn't planned on telling Gerard about Ray.

"Awake?" Well, I'd already fucked up, so why not fuck it up completely?

"He's in the hospital," I explained, pressing my fingers to my temples where a dull throb began to bloom. "Bob stabbed him or some shit."

"Wait," Gerard said slowly and I assumed he was putting two and two together. "Is he that blonde dude? The one who was lying in my kitchen this morning with fourteen holes in his chest?" Yeah, he did the math.

I swallowed and nodded, a bit unsettled by the look Gerard had taken on.

"Goddammit," he muttered. "Uh, you need to go home," he said quickly, pulling me out of the seat. "I won't be able to see you for a few days, okay? Don't come over here. Please, please, listen to me." Gerard grabbed my face. "I have something to deal with and I promise I'll tell you everything as soon as I can," his words were slurring and his face was drained of all color; my heart was racing suddenly and my lungs were burning. Everything was a blur.

"Please," Gerard bent down to look me in the eyes. "Just do what I say and don't go to therapy, don't come over, don't go visit Ray, don't do anything." I was scared.

Gerard's lips pressed against my forehead quickly and they were so fucking cold I wondered if I had a fever.

"Go!" He shoved me toward the door and the last thing I remember is the red blur of his hair as he rushed away from me before the loud BANG and I woke up in my kitchen.

hi idk how I feel about this but hi anyways