Just as the train was about to hit Frank he began to hear muffled shouts in the distance. The glare of flash lights shone and he turned around in shock, shielding his eyes and wondering where the lights had come from. Suddenly strong arms gripped Frank’s waist and pulled him away from the tracks. The heavy wind and the huge weight of the train roaring past caused the two to fall to the ground. Frank rubbed his head, confused. Where had all these people come from? Within seconds several people crowded around Frank talking hurriedly to one another, one of these people speaking into their phone, seeming to be reporting something back to whoever was on the other line. However Frank couldn’t hear what was being said as the wind whipped away all noise. Frank felt an absence of pressure against his back as the arms that had pulled him away from the train track released him. He then saw a hand being dangled in his face. Without looking up Frank grasped the hand and was pulled to his feet. Frank finally looked up and saw a police officer face him with a worried look on his face, slightly out of breath from what Frank assumed was the run to the train tracks. Frank didn't get a chance to speak before the police officer began to speak. ‘Come on kid.’ he told Frank, grasping his arm and pulling him towards to the small group of officers that had collected together close by. He spoke in a firm but not unkind voice and Frank had no choice but to stumble after him, still slightly in shock himself.

No one tried to speak to Frank on the way to the police station and for that he was glad. He sat in a daze, unsure of what had happened in the last few hours since he had run from Gerard’s office. Everything was pretty blurry. Frank stared out of the window with a blank expression on his face. He couldn’t hear a thing around; it was as if he had blocked everything out. All too soon the car stopped outside the police station, and Frank’s door was opened. He stayed where he was staring up at the police officers that had been in the car with him until one of them grasped his arm and tugged it gently, signalling he wanted Frank to get out of the car. He did what he was told and stood shaking under the glare of the street lights above them. The officers beckoned for Frank to follow them and ran up the stairs briskly. Frank trudged after them wondering why he was going to a police station. Why didn’t they just take him back home? The officers waited for Frank to catch them up then opened the door of the station, beckoning Frank to go inside before them. The heat from the building hit Frank immediately and his face automatically flushed. One of the police officers shut the door after them all and Frank spun looking slightly panicked. He was trapped now. His wide eyes told the officers he was scared and one of them placed his hand on his arm comfortingly. ‘Hey, it’s ok.’ He murmured, pushing Frank forward slightly. ‘Why don’t you come with me, okay?’ Frank nodded disconnectedly and let himself be led to a small room.

Frank had kept his eyes fixed on the floor so he was not expecting to almost be knocked off his feet by his mother who attacked him with a hug as soon as he entered the room. He felt his arms drape around her and rested his head on her shoulder exhaustedly. His mother didn’t attempt to speak to Frank, instead content at having him where she could see him. Frank observed a group of officers speaking in quiet voices together, glancing over at him and his mom every so often. It was the fact that he was now in a police station combined with how hard his mom was hugging him at that moment that made Frank realise that someone had called the police on him, and that person could only be Gerard.

Frank’s mom let go of him after a few minutes and held him at arm’s length as if she wanted to shake some sense into him. She looked at him with tears in her eyes and shook her head sadly. ‘Why do you keep doing this to me Frankie?’

Frank didn’t know what to say so he averted his eyes and shook his own head, ashamed. He opened his mouth to try to apologise, to try to say something but nothing came out. He shut his mouth quickly to avoid looking like a little lost goldfish and threw his gaze down to the floor, suddenly interested in studying the scuff marks on his shoes.
His mom sighed and drew him back into her arms again. ‘It’s okay, baby.’ She murmured into his hair. Frank couldn’t help but notice how drained she sounded, how exhausted she seemed. When his mom finally let him go for the second time she guided him to a cluster of chairs lining the walls of the police station and grasped his hand. Frank coughed, embarrassed. He was exhausted and couldn’t stop shaking. He just wanted to go home.

‘Mom,’ he tugged her arm and signalled for her to lean into him, which she did. ‘Why are we here? When can we go home?’
Linda gave her son a sympathetic look and squeezed his arm. ‘We’re here because Gerard said you ran out of his office and because he was afraid you were going to try and hurt yourself again he had to call the police. ‘That confirmed Frank’s suspicions. ‘He’s in there now, talking to some of the officers.’ She continued. ‘They’re trying to decide what to do with you.’ She murmured more to herself than to her son and began to chew what remained of her fingernails on her free hand.

Frank turned to his mom, surprised to hear the new information. ‘Wait, Gerard’s here?’
His mom nodded absently, not thinking that was important. However, she didn’t know how important that fact was to her son. ‘He’s been here almost as long as me. Hours. He couldn’t leave his office straight away because he couldn’t leave his patients in the lurch like that but as soon as he was finished he practically ran here. Well, his face was all red and flushed like it anyway. He wanted to go out looking for you too, we both did, but they wouldn’t let us. Said it’d be too dangerous. They made us stay here, asking us pointless questions while you were out there, doing all sorts.’ She shook her head, annoyed at being practically detained at the station for the duration of the time Frank had been AWOL. ‘Idiots.’

Frank struggled with the information. Gerard had been in the station for hours, wanting to go out to look for him? But he wouldn’t have done if he didn’t care, right? Maybe he would have. He was probably just doing his job, but now thinking Frank was even crazier than he had previously suspected. Frank cringed at his earlier actions. He wanted to smack his head off the wall for acting so stupidly towards Gerard but he knew under the circumstances that wouldn't do any good for the façade of sanity and happiness he was failing miserably at maintaining.

Frank didn't speak again for a minute or two, instead choosing to decide what this meant. ‘Wait, hold on!’ Frank suddenly exclaimed, just remembering the rest of what his mother had said. ‘They’re trying to decide what to do with me? What’s the hell’s that supposed to mean?’

Linda looked at her son, her eyes so sad that Frank’s heart began to beat even faster, afraid of what his mom was going to say. ‘Mom? Answer me!’

‘Frank, honey…After tonight, they want to send you away. They think it'd be the best thing for you right now, considering the state you're in. Gerard doesn't think you're making enough progress by just going to therapy; he doesn't think it's enough right now. They've suggested that staying in the hospital for a while would be the best thing for you right now.' She looked at her son's face which was a mixture of shock, anger and absolute terror and gripped his hand harder, a stray tear slipping down her face. 'They’re in there now asking Gerard what he thinks. And I really hate to say this baby, but I think he agrees.’

Notes

Thanks for reading guys! :)