Mikey's POV

It takes only a few phone calls to get Tom Green arrested. He's tried three weeks later and found guilty of gross moral turpitude and some complicated offences that Frank says are basically power abuse and general being-a-douchebag-ness. His sentence is ten years.
With Green gone, Gerard makes great progress and although he is kept on the high security ward he isn't confined to his room. He's allowed out to the day room and the garden as long as Bob is with him.

In seven months it's decided that he can come home. Mum refuses to have him so he moves in with us and Bob comes round a couple of days a week as his carer. Frank is assigned as his psychotherapist so we see him for two hours on a Saturday morning. Both Bob and Frank become fast friends and they work to get Gerard confident again.


I'm sitting on the sofa one day with Ray when Gerard bounds in waving a piece of paper at me. "Mikey, Mikey, look what I drew."
I take the paper and look at it. He's drawn us - me, Ray, Bob, Frank and himself - sitting down and laughing together. I recognise the scene from the picnic we went on a week ago because the grey still life is so, well, lifelike.
It's the first piece of art he's put any effort in to since coming home almost a year ago. I catch Frank's eye as he and Bob walk into the living room behind Gerard and along our line of sight I convey a wordless thank you. He smiles and nods once.
"See," Gerard is saying intently, pointing at the picture. "There's Ray and you sitting together. See that bit of feather caught in Ray's hair? He didn't notice it."
"Yes, I can see it," I tell him. "Gerard, this is amazing, I'm so proud of you. Do you mind if I frame this and put it on the wall?"

He looks taken aback and for a moment I think I've said something wrong. A tear runs down his pale cheek and his face is impassive as he leans in and wraps his arms around me. I don't quite know what to do - he hasn't let anybody touch him yet because he still can't bear it. I glance at Frank for advice but the raven haired man looks as stunned as I am.
Very gently, moving slowly so he knows what I'm doing, I put my arms around him and hug him close. He shudders but then relaxes and I know it's okay.
"You can put it on the wall," he whispers into my shoulder and I rock him back and forwards.
"Welcome home, Gerard," I say, so quietly only he can hear me.
He takes a small breath. "Thank you, Mikey. Thank you."

Notes