Carry On

The week Gerard was in the hospital went slowly. Sometimes, it seemed as though time was standing still, making even more anxious to see him. Most of the times when Mikey and I visited him, Gerard slept. He appeared to be healing, but the loss of blood had exhausted him. When he did wake, Mikey would muse about books he’d read and I brought my guitar and played for him. Despite the ominous circumstances that brought him to the hospital, he seemed happy.
On the day we came to the hospital to bring Gerard home, we rode in Mikey’s car. When we reached the entrance of the hospital, Gerard was already waiting by the door with a huge grin on his face. Before Mikey had even stopped the car, I jumped out. I ran to Gerard with every ounce of energy I could muster and collapsed in his arms. We didn’t move from that position for several minutes.
My heart felt weak. I was angry with myself and upset. With my head buried in Gerard’s shoulder, I apologized, over and over. Gerard pulled me closer and lifted my head away from his chest so that he could look me in the eyes.
“I forgive you, Frankie,” he reassured me, “It was my fault.”
“Never in a million years.”
I saw Gerard on my first day of school, and I saw him every day after that. When I finally spoke to him, it was by pure fate. It had been almost two weeks since the day I first spoke to him, but I already felt like I’d known him my entire life. In such a short time, I knew I didn’t want to lose him. I was taking a risk, but I feared that if I didn’t make this decision now, I may never get the chance.
I ran my fingers through Gerard’s hair, pulling him down to my level. My heart raced as I pressed my lips to his. He let out a moan of surprise but kissed back, wrapping his arms around my waist. Knowing he felt the same, I was no longer hesitant…until I remembered that Mikey was standing behind us.
Mikey cleared his throat and stared at the ground. By now, my face was bright red from blushing, and Gerard was giggling uncontrollably at Mikey’s and my expense. Soon, Mikey and I were laughing too, and the three of us gathered in a hug. Mikey had taken the circumstances surprisingly well, and the three of us spent the day together.
Mikey cruised aimlessly for some time before pulling into the Starbucks parking lot. Mikey ordered an iced Americano, and Gerard and I ordered a Frappuccino to share. We sat at a table near the back and described our week. There wasn’t much to tell, as the week had been boring without Gerard. I’d spent every day with Mikey, playing video games or hanging out in Barnes and Noble.
Surprisingly, Gerard wasn’t bored by our stories. He listened intently as we spoke. After coffee, we walked across the street to Barnes and Noble. I followed Gerard toward the back where he sat down in the comic book section, scanning the shelves.
We left Barnes and Noble with four comic books, two CDs, and a hulking nonfiction book Mikey had picked up. The air outside was cool for early September and the three of us huddled together as we made our way back to the car. In the car, Mikey said that when we got home, he’d challenge me to a game.
Dungeons and Dragons.

Notes

Sorry this chapter is so short! I'm going to prom tonight so I'm super busy but I wanted to get a chapter out there so you guys don't get bored. :p