Safe?.... Hardly! (Re-edited for easier reading)

It was quite some time before Bert returned, having left Gerard, in a puddle of his own piss, shaking, crying behind the too tight blindfold, naked, and tied, painfully, to the hard chair.
Gerard wasn't sure how long, it felt like hours, but of course, there was no way to tell, even if there was a clock in the room, he had that damn blindfold on!

Gerard had been trying to calm himself, telling himself that he'd get out of this, that his Frankie would come for him... even he didn't believe his own lies! Frankie wasn't coming! No one was coming! Bert was going to torture him, probably rape him, then... he would kill him!
Gerard shuddered as the realisation hit him square in the face... He.was.going.to.die! ...Here! ...At the hands of that animal!

Fresh tears fell as he began to shake and whimper uncontrollably. He didn't want to die! Sure, after what happened in the basement, in the days, weeks that followed, having to see the lasting results of Bert's punishment, carved, as a permanent reminder into his chest, Gerard had wanted to die! He'd even tried to make it happen, swallowing down handfuls of pills, washing them down with large amounts of whiskey, that burned his throat, and made him cough and choke in disgust. But he hadn't succeeded!

Frank had turned up, coming to check on his best friend. Frank knew what he'd been through, and didn't think he should be left alone right now, so, when he let himself into Mikey's house, where Gerard was staying while he supposedly recovered, pizza and DVDs in hand, his whole body had turned cold at the sight before him. Gerard! On the living room floor, half empty whiskey bottle, and completely empty pill bottles scattered around his motionless, deathly pale body.

Letting out a strangled cry, Frank dropped the boxes, forgotten to the ground, and rushed to Gerard's side, falling to his knees and pulling the cold, still body into his lap.

"NOOOO!... GERARD?... Don't do this! Don't...don't leave me!"

He spluttered.

"Not like this! Please?... Gerard?"

Trembling, tears streaking down his cheeks, leaving eyeliner tracks in their wake, Frank hesitantly felt for a pulse.
Frank could hardly believe it! It was faint, but it was there! He was alive! Somehow he was holding on! Frank quickly fished his cellphone from his jacket pocket and dialled 911, asking for an ambulance and telling the voice on the other end of the line what had happened.

"... it was pills and alcohol... a lot... I don't know... half hour maybe? He hasn't been alone much more than that... no... his brother... yes... yes, there's a pulse, it's weak... breathing?... uh... yes, he's still breathing... no... no, he hasn't woken up... Wait, I think I can hear the ambulance now... yes... thank you, goodbye."

Frank hung up as paramedics hustled through the still open door and, not so gently, removed Gerard from Franks arms.

"Please, please don't let him die... Please?"

Frank sobbed as he followed the medics and the man he loved, though had never told, out to the awaiting vehicle.

"We'll do all we can!"

The shorter of the two, a man with receding hair and a quite noticeable pot belly, said to a majorly distressed Frank.

"You can come with him if you like!"

Though Frank nodded and climbed into the back sitting on Gerard's right side, taking the unconscious mans hand in his, he was painfully aware that the medic probably wouldn't have made the offer, had he believed that Gerard had any chance of survival, or even making it as far as the hospital.
Frank tried to swallow back tears, as the ambulance sped through the early evening traffic, weaving, siren blaring.
As the ambulance rocked to a stop at the doors to the ER, Frank made a decision! If Gerard made it through this, and it was a big if, he would tell him! He would admit to Gerard that he loved him! He knew the feelings weren't reciprocated, but he needed Gerard to know, and as nurses wheeled Gerard away through a set of flappy double doors, Frank did something he hadn't done in years, he prayed!

A little over an hour later, with Mikey, Ray and Bob around him, all in a state of shock, Frank looked up to see a tall, thin man in a doctors white coat walk into the room.

"Are you here for Grerard Lee?"

He asked, looking up from a file in his hands.
The four men stood in unison, Mikey stepping forward.

"Yes!... I'm his brother! Is he...is he alive?"

Mikey all but whispered.
The doctor smiled then.

"Yes Mr. Lee..he is! Actually, he's awake! We had to pump his stomach, and he'll be pretty out of it for a while, but he's showing signs of recovery! He's asking to see a..."

He consulted his notes.

"Frank?"

All eyes turned towards him, Mikey with a slightly jealous look on his face, and Frank felt his cheeks heat up.

"Me?"

He asked, clearly perplexed as to why Gerard would ask for him, and not Mikey.
The doctor nodded.

"Yes, if you'll follow me?"

He said, turning towards the door, apparently oblivious to the sudden tension in the room. Frank trailed after the doctor, not chancing a look back at the confused faces of his friends.
Soon the doctor was ushering Frank into a small, private room on his left, just opposite the nurses station, where one of the nurses who had greeted them on their arrival, was busy filling out some paperwork or other. Frank swallowed hard before pushing the door open and stepping inside. There, laying in the small hospital bed, pale, with needles protruding from his fragile skin~ God, he'd hate that!~ Frank thought, was Gerard! Breathing fast but quiet, so as not to wake him if he were asleep, Frank moved up to the side of the bed.

"I'm awake Frank!"

Gerard mumbled, his voice sounding rough and weak, his eyes remaining closed.

"How'd you know it was me?"

Frank asked, smiling slightly.

"I smelled you..."

Woah, little creepy! Gerard grinned, his eyes finally fluttering open.

"Coffee, chocolate and cigs!"

He confirmed, giggling.
Frank smiled wide.

"Is it THAT bad?"

He chuckled, blushing slightly and looking to the floor.

"..."

Frank raised his eyes to see that now, it was Gerard who's face was flushed.

"Gerard?"

"No Frank, it's not bad at all! I personally think it's the best smell in the world!"

Gerard studied his hand for a moment before continuing.

"Frank?"

"Mmhu?"

Frank murmured, throat suddenly too dry to speak.

"I... I like you Frank!"

"I like you too Gerard!"

He found his voice.

"No, Frank... I mean... I like you like you!"

His eyes slowly drifted up to meet franks wide hazel orbs.

"I know you don't feel the same.. I just.."

Gerard didn't get the chance to finish that sentence, as there was suddenly a very happy Frank attached to his lips, hands lightly pressing to each side if Gerard's face. When Gerard failed to respond, too shocked to react, Frank started to doubt that he'd meant what Frank thought he had, and began to pull away, an embarrassed apology set to slip from his lips.
Before he could utter a word however, Gerard had reached out, grabbing the front of franks shirt, and sealed their lips together again, this time, both men kissing as if they no longer needed oxygen.

"You like me too?"

Frank grinned when they came up for air. Gerard just nodded, huge smile plastered on his face.

"Well, HOT DAMN!"

Frank hollered, punching at the sky and drawing another giggle from the object of his desires.
They grinned at each other, then Gerard patted the edge of the narrow bed, scooching over a little to give Frank some room.

"I need a cuddle Frankie!"

Frank practically threw himself onto the bed, wrapping his arms around the man he loved, and that was how the other three men found them, sometime later, having decided to go looking for Frank. Curled up in each other's arms, sound asleep!

"At fucking last!"

Mikey sighed, rolling his eyes and quietly shooing his friends back out of the room.

Gerard could hear Bert's shoes on the hard floor, and fresh panic started to set in!

"Well, I'm back baby!"

He cooed.

"Time for some fun!"

Oh holy fuck!!!...

Notes