He sat opposite me, elbows on his gleaming mahogany desk, fingers steepled and eyes boring into mine. I glared straight back stubbornly, from the worn but comfortable chair I'd been provided with. Dr Lee sighed, still holding my gaze, and muttered almost to himself, "What are we to do with you, Gerard?" I opened my mouth, about to let loose a quick and colourful response, when the door flew open, and my parents rushed in. My mother was at my side in an instant, her arms around me tightly as she hugged the air out of my body. "Gerard! Oh darling, thank goodness you're safe! What were you thinking, what happened? Oh, we were so worried!" She managed to get all of that out in a space of about 5 seconds, and I wondered how she managed to get enough air to her lungs. She was also making it sort of difficult for me to breathe, and I gently tried to unfasten her arms from around me. I looked up into her face. "Momma, I'm fine," I said quietly, trying to look reassuring. I didn't appear to have convinced her very much. My dad stepped forward at that point, too. "Gerard," he said quietly, and then he stepped up and hugged me too. This surprised me, as my father was not an openly emotional man, I'd expected more along the lines of a handshake from him. That hug more than anything told me just how much I'd worried my parents, and a crushing guilt began to settle in my stomach. How worried must they have been? They believe I'm mentally unstable, they must have been terrified for me. I took both of them by the hand. "I'm sorry," I whispered. Dr Lee cleared his throat. "I realize this is an emotional moment, but we have much to discuss," he said. I glared at him for interrupting, and gripped my parents' hands tighter still. "How did you find me?" I asked stiffly. He smiled ever so slightly, a hint of a smirk. "Gerard, did you think that someone with your condition could just disappear and no-one would bat an eyelid? The police were informed, of course, and the cell phone in your pocket was very helpful in tracking you down, as well as the fact that your face was all over the news. You were seen in and around Mr Iero's house several times by anonymous members of the public, and police were notified. Which leads begs the question; what connection do you have to Mr Iero? Your parents know nothing of him." They all loiked at me expectantly, and I scowled at my lap. I didnt want to tell them the details of my stay with Frank, at all. "He's... he's a friend of mine, that's all," I mumbled pathetically, without making eye contact. "Mr Way, with all due respect, in the time I've spent as your doctor, you've never been one fir making friends." My head shot up at the words. "What, you think I can't make friends? Am I socially disabled now, too? Frank Iero is my friend, okay? In fact, more than that. I love him." The words flew from my mouth as if they controlled themselves, and I regretted them straightaway. They were met with a stunned silence, I think Momma was even holding her breath. They all stared at me incredulously. "Y-you what?" My dad asked. "I love Frank," I said very quietly, my voice trembling. They all looked at each other. Dr Lee cleared his throat. "Well... Regardless of your, um... relationship with Mr Iero,, the decision remains the same. I see now that allowing you to remain at home with your parents was a mistake, and so we will have to go with the only other alternative - you'll have to remain in this facility for treatment." I shot out if my chair. "I am not staying here!" I yelled. "You can't force me!" Dr Lee sighed. "I'm afraid we can. Your actions have proved that you are not stable enough to remain in your previous position, and you require the adequate care that this centre can provide. Your parent have already signed the agreement, Gerard." I whirled to face them, a tirade of objections on my lips, but they died down at my mother's face, soaked in tears and desperate. "I'm so sorry, baby," she cried. "But you need this, you need the help they can give you so you can get better again. Please, sugar, please go through with this. Let them help you," she was crying ferociously, and my dad wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He, too, had wet cheeks, which again surprised me. I turned back to the asshole behind the desk. "What about Frank?" I demanded. "Will I still get to see him?" The asshole shook his head. "You won't be allowed many visitors, Gerard. The facility has visiting days once a month, for immediate family only." I slammed my fist furiously on his desk. "No! No fucking way! You are not keeping me away from Frank, I am not staying in this shithole if I can't see him!" I was practically screaming the words now, desperation and hysteria colouring my tone. I couldn't let them keep me away from Frank, I wouldn't be able to handle it. I needed him, I realized. I loved him that much.

Notes

Voila. Some of you probably want me dead by now, don't you? But, enjoy anyways. And, I just wanna mention something quickly. If any of you read the story Lip balm, the author of that story can't access her account for some unknown reason, so she's posting it on Archive Of Our Own. I've put the link to that in a comment on the original Lip Balm story on this site. So, if you're subscribed to that, the link is in the comments. If you aren't, its a fabulous story and you should check it out anyways. Paranoia Violence out xø