Cry Baby (Frerard)

Frank pulled up in the driveway of the Way household and turned off the engine. He got a good look at the house before he stepped out of the car, noticing the overgrown plantation and dead flowers in the front yard. He could easily tell that Donna never has any time to do any work around the house due of the high demands of taking care of her mentally challenged son. He just hoped he himself can handle him. Before he knew it, he found himself getting nervous, his heart in his chest beating faster than the usual, his hands shaking a little. There was no need for him to be nervous though, was there? All he’s doing is meeting Donna and her son...who has mental problems. There was a part of him that feared what’s yet to come the minute he knocks on the door. Will this Gerard guy try to attack him? No, he won’t. Frank’s mom said he was a sweetheart, right? He shouldn’t have to worry about Donna’s son hurting him. Frank knew he had to get his shit together and get to that front door already. He just couldn’t sit there in his car. He has some people to meet in that house. He needed that job...badly.
Frank walked out of his car and up the front porch, reaching to ring the doorbell, but stopped when he noticed that the button had been ripped out. He wondered if it was Gerard’s doing. Frank shrugged, knocking on the front door, still feeling himself shake, his heart racing. He was greeted with the sound of a dog barking, clearly not happy that a stranger was at the front door. Or, maybe he’s barking because he’s happy that someone’s come to play with him? Frank loved dogs, but he was not here to play with the family pet. He just hoped it wouldn’t be too out of control, like that time Ray’s doberman bit him when they were both in middle school…
It was a few minutes that felt more like hours when someone finally opened the door--a blonde-haired woman that appears to be somewhere in her forties. She held the dog--a chocolate lab--back with her hand firmly around it’s collar. Frank could tell the dog looked friendly and just wanted to play. He felt half-tempted to pet the giddy dog, but he knew to resist. No one just ever knew when a dog can snap and turn vicious. Behind Donna, Frank could hear someone whine and scream, something about not wanting to take a bath. He could only sadly assume that the ear-piercing cries were from Gerard, the boy that Frank is supposed to take care of...that is, if he decided to.
“You must be Linda’s son,” Donna smiled a little, despite the clear exhaustion in her eyes. She held out her free hand, which Frank shook.
“I’m Frank. My mom told me you’re, uh...looking for someone to…,”
“Look after my son? Yeah,” Donna said, finishing Frank’s sentence. “I don’t know if today is the best time to meet him, though. He’s been having a rough day, if you know what I’m saying,”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Maybe I can stop by tomorrow when he’s--”
“M-mommy, who’s th-that?” a voice erupted from behind Donna, the same voice that was wailing and crying just seconds ago.
“Oh...this is Frank. Come say hi, Ger-bear!” Donna looked back, talking to her son. She turned back to face Frank, smiling again. “He loves guests, so be prepared if he--”
“Hi, F-frank!” Gerard emerged from the living room, running up to the front door and nearly tackling Frank when he took him into a bear hug. Frank couldn’t help but laugh a little, despite nearly being suffocated in Gerard’s tight embrace.
“Oh...hi,” Frank patted Gerard on the back, indirectly prompting him to let go. When Gerard did, Frank stepped back and got a good look at him, and when he did...he couldn’t help but feel something odd growing inside of him, something he couldn’t figure out. This boy in front of him, who has been reduced to having the mindset of a child...looks different than what Frank expected. He looks...almost good, despite his impediment; long black hair, slender build, creamy pale skin, gleaming hazel eyes, and a contagious smile. Frank didn’t even care about the mass of half-digested food crumbs and saliva all over his shirt, as well as his odd twitches his body made...or even the fact that he’s mentally impaired. He looked...good...really fucking good, actually. He could only imagine how much of a hot stud he was before his tragic accident...
“Hey there, buddy,” Frank smiled. “I’m Frank, nice to meet you,”
“I’m Gee-rard!” Gerard exclaimed, spittle flying outta his drooping mouth. “C-can I call y-you...F-frankie?”
“Yeah, that’s fine. You can call me that if you want,” Frank laughed. “Can I call you Gee?”
“Y-yeah!” Gerard nodded forcefully.
“Come on inside, Maggie here won’t bite,” Donna said, motioning to the dog she still held by the collar. She turned to Gerard. “Ger-bear, why don’t you go draw for a bit? Me and Frank need to talk,”
“Okay!” Gerard hollered, running back to his drawing table in the living room.
“No running, Gerard! You’re gonna trip and fall!” Donna yelled back at her son. Frank walked inside and couldn’t help but notice the messy interior of the house--trash all over the floor, dishes piled up in the sink in the kitchen, dog hair all over the couches, and so on. Frank was right; Donna really didn’t have any time to take care of other things, even household chores. All her time was spent on managing Gerard, due to the complexity of his condition. If that’s so, then taking care of Gerard really is gonna be a lot of work for him. Frank stumbled, nearly tripping over a bottle of Mr. Bubbles bath soap that somehow got out of the bathroom and onto the living room floor.
“Be careful, hun. As you can see, I’ve had no time to clean. Hope you don’t mind,”
“No, it’s fine,” Frank shrugged. He looked over and noticed something odd about the yellow-painted walls--crayon scribblings and punched-in holes, probably from Gerard, much to Frank’s dismay.
“As you can see, my son’s a lot to handle. I think that when I tell you how to manage him, you’ll do fine. I think you know what happened to him, right?” Donna turned to Frank. Of course Frank knew what made Gerard the way he is; Linda told him he was in a car wreck.
“Yeah, my mom told me that he was in a bad car accident,”
“Not quite,” Donna nodded. There was an awkward silence between her and Frank as they stood in the kitchen. Donna seemed deep in thought, perhaps looking back at what happened to her son, and she of course didn’t look pleased having to think of something so devastating. “Come sit in the dining room. We’ll talk there. You want anything to drink?”
“Water’s fine, thank you,” Frank said. Now that he knew his mom lied to him about what happened to Gerard, he couldn’t help but wonder what the truth is. He walked to the dining room and sat down, waiting for Donna to return with his glass of water. He noticed a framed photo above the table up on the wall--a family portrait, with a woman (obviously Donna, seeing the same permed blonde hair and facial features, a tall man with glasses, and two young boys, one looking to be no older than ten or eleven, another about seven or eight. These must be all the people Gerard lives with. Maybe Frank will get the chance to meet his father and younger brother.
“Here,” Donna said, returning with a glass of ice water in her hand, sitting down beside Frank at the table. Frank took a sip, the liquid cold to the touch of his lips.
“Thank you,”
“You’re welcome,” Donna nodded. There was another moment of silence between them, with Donna looking down at her folded hands on the table. Frank could hear Gerard in the living room giggling and saying what Frank could only describe as incomprehensible gibberish. After what seemed like a long time, Donna finally looked back up at Frank. “I think I should start by saying what really happened to Gerard. I dunno why Linda lied to you,”
“I dunno either, and I dunno why she would. What happened to him?”
“Well…,” Donna sighed, looking anything but happy. “When Gerard was only seven, he was diagnosed with childhood-onset schizophrenia,”
Frank pelt a pang in his chest when he heard the last word Donna said. Gerard’s a schizophrenic? Goddamn, he thought. How in the hell did he get diagnosed with such a disease at such a young age? He’d heard of people around his own age being diagnosed, but a child? He must’ve gotten very unlucky for such a thing to happen to him as a child.
“Wow...I’m really sorry,” Frank said, finding his voice shaky, feeling on edge. He didn’t know why though. Did he really feel that bad for Gerard? He had a reason to; not only is he messed up in the head intellectually, but psychologically as well. No wonder he seems difficult to manage.
“It’s okay, not your fault,” Donna replied. “But anyway, we honestly weren’t surprised when he first got diagnosed despite his young age, because he’s been displaying all the symptoms--hearing voices in his head, seeing people that weren’t really there, having delusions about stuff like people are out to get him, and so on. It was hard at first for all of us, especially for Gerard, being in and out of psych hospitals and constantly having his meds changed, but after a few or so years, he was doing well, for the most part...until he relapsed…,”
“When did that happen?” Frank asked.
“He was fourteen, I think. All the symptoms came back, just outta the blue--the voices, the delusions, the hallucinations, all that shit. One day, he just got so sick of it all, and…,” Donna paused, looking like she’s trying her hardest not to cry. “...and he stood out in the road, and got hit by a car…,”
Frank felt his heart sink into his stomach hearing Donna tell him what happened to her eldest son. It all reminded him of a very dark part of Frank’s past--the handful of times Frank tried to do the same as Gerard did. Not the same exact way, though; he never tried taking his life standing out in front of an oncoming car. His crippling depression made him resort to overdosing on pills, slitting his wrists in the tub, hanging himself, amongst other strategies of suicide, all of the attempts failed. He was no stranger to psychiatric hospitals, as well as trips to the shrink. Maybe that was why his mom lied about what happened to Gerard; she didn’t wanna remind Frank of those horrible times he’s been through. It still hurt him to this day looking back, feeling sick to his stomach, his whole body sweating and shaking.
“He was in a coma for nearly for a month. The doctors told us that he didn’t have a very high chance of living because of the amount of damage done to his brain. They said he’d be lucky if he woke up, and of course, he did...but he was never the same again,” Donna continued, wiping at her eyes. “When he woke up, he couldn’t do anything. He had to be taught how to walk, talk, feed himself, and so on. He doesn’t remember anything that happened to him past the age of three or four. He remembered us when he woke up, thankfully...but he was scared and confused why we were so old to him. He thought he was still a young child, and he still does to this day,”
“What do you mean by ‘us’, if I may ask? You mean Gerard’s dad and younger brother?” Frank asked, remembering the photo he saw earlier. Donna looked up at it and sighed deeply.
“Yeah...when they were still here...when we were still together as a family…I’ll get to that later,” she said flatly. She took out a cigarette and lit it, taking a puff. Frank couldn’t help but envy her for having just what Frank needed to feed his habit. He would ask her for one, but felt it wasn’t the right time; not when she was in a distressed state talking about her handicapped son and separated family. “Gerard came outta the hospital after a couple of months and was in a rehab center for a little while til we ran outta money. He was in there for about three months until they kicked him out when we didn’t have any more money to give the place. The reason we ran outta money so quickly was because he had been admitted to the psychiatric hospital numerous times during his stay. His psychotic episodes and fits of rage were that frequent and violent. We also had to pay a shitload of money for his prescriptions, therapies, and a ton of other things. What happened to Gerard sucked us dry. It was even more costly than it was when Gerard had to go to therapy, be put on medication, and be hospitalized for the schizophrenic symptoms,”
“I’m really sorry about that, Mrs. Way,” Frank said. “How did the rest of the family react? You know, your other son and your husband?”
“Just call me Donna,” Donna replied. “Anyway, Mikey and Don were devastated by what happened to Gerard, of course...but I think it affected Mikey more. He was only eleven when it happened, so he didn’t really fully grasp how it affected Gerard, but...he was afraid of him. Can you imagine your brother or your sister, or whoever else close to you waking up a different person, having violent fits of rage every day and not knowing who they really are? I personally don’t blame the kid. He would have nightmares about Gerard every night, and would not come near him when he would say hi and ask for a hug….It was terrible,”
“What about Don, your husband?” Frank asked.
“Don...he…,” Donna paused, sighing deeply. “About half a year after what happened to Gerard...he left us, and took Mikey with him. He couldn’t handle the financial struggles we were having, as well as his son’s mindset being reduced to that of a toddler’s. He left me and Gerard with Mikey for a wealthy woman in New York that’s fifteen years older than him, and now that he’s gone, I’ve gotta work two jobs to support me and my son,”
“Jesus,” Frank said to himself, cursing Don’s name in his head for leaving behind his wife and vulnerable son. “Again, I’m so sorry. Does Gerard ever talk to his brother or father?”
“Oh, I’ve tried to get him to talk to them, I really did...but they refuse. Mikey’s too scared of him, and Don...he just wants nothing to do with him,”
“Wow...that’s awful,” Frank breathed out, feeling utterly terrible for Gerard. The really sad thing is that he probably doesn’t understand why his dad and brother won’t talk to him, he thought.
“Yep, I’m all he’s got...and that’s why I need help,” Donna said, taking another smoke from her cigarette. “So enough about that. I’ll go over how to take care of my son. It may be rough for you the first few days, but you’ll get in the hang of it in no time. My son’s a sweetie, as you saw earlier...just be sure to keep him happy and outta trouble,”
“Right, okay...g-got it,” Frank stuttered, scared of how much of a handful it may just be taking care of someone like Gerard.
“So...where do I begin…?” Donna asked herself, putting out her cigarette in the glass ashtray near her. “Well, as you can see, Gerard can communicate, even though his speech is a little slurred and very limited, but you still should be able to understand him. He can also walk, even though at times his gait’s a little uneasy. He sometimes trips and falls because he obviously just learned to walk again, so be careful and keep him by your side,”
“Okay, got it,” Frank nodded.
“Gerard can feed himself, but he needs prompting and encouragement, and the same goes with just about everything else...except for dressing, bathing, and grooming. He still needs a little extra help with that. He’s also incontinent,”
“Uh...incontinent?” Frank asked, furrowing his brow. “What does that mean?”
“He can’t hold in his urine and bowels. He has to be diapered. I’ve been trying to potty train him, but it’s been a pain in the neck, and I don’t have as much time to do that as I hope to, so...be sure you change him every two to three hours, and toilet him if possible,”
Frank just about gagged at the thought of having to clean up after someone, let alone someone his age. This was just what Frank feared--having to change someone’s diaper. It would be a deal breaker for him if Frank didn’t need the money, but he’s gotta do it. Besides, Gerard turned out to be cuter to Frank than the expected...a lot more cuter…
“Oh, okay...that’s fine,” Frank laughed a little uneasily, trying to not let himself visibly cringe at the image of cleaning up Gerard’s bodily waste.
“Another thing you should know is that Gerard likes to wander around a lot. Keep him close by your side, especially when he’s outside. One time he followed the neighbor’s cat down the block and ended all the way up at West Hudson Park. I’m assuming you know where that is?”
“Yeah, I do…that’s quite a trip from here, actually,”
“Yeah...so don’t let anything like that happen. We keep extra locks on the doors so Gerard can’t get out whenever he wants. The same goes for some of the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen. All sharp objects like knives are locked up so that Gerard can’t get to them, since there have been times he’s threatened me, Mikey, and Don with knives. Oh, and the toaster is also locked away. He one time tried to stick a fork into it when it was plugged in, and it nearly killed him, so make sure the cabinets and drawers with locks and latches are locked. I’ll give you a set of keys if you need to cook something and you need any knives or the toaster, alright?”
“Okay,” Frank nodded. He thought now was a good time to ask the big question--how much will he get paid per hour for looking after Gerard, and will he get paid this weekend? He hopes he better be worth all that he’s gotta do for Gerard...oh, it better be, he thought. “So, uh...how much am I gonna get paid for all this?”
“I knew you’d ask that,” Donna laughed. “Tell ya what, how about twelve bucks an hour? I work eight hours per night, so that should be eighty dollars per day for you. You’ll be paid at the end of each week. Also, I’ll throw in something extra for the night for you, if you want…,”
“What is it?” Frank asked, stunned by how much he could be making taking care of a mentally handicapped teenager. Twelve bucks an hour seemed promising, more than what he made taking care of Mrs. Drew’s two sons.
“Could you do me a favor and bathe Gerard? It’s been three days since he’s had a bath and he’s been resisting all day. I’ll give you fifty bucks for it,”
Fifty bucks? What a deal, Frank thought. That right there might just be enough for his and Jamia’s dinner date. All he’s gotta do is give Gerard a bath. It shouldn’t be too hard...right?
“Sure, I’ll do it,” Frank said. Just as he did, Gerard walked into the room with a piece of paper in his hand.
“Hi, F-frankie!” Gerard smiled. “I m-made s-something for y-you!”
“Oh, what is it?” Frank asked.
“Th-this!” Gerard handed Frank the paper that has two crudely drawn stick figures on it holding hands, one with Frank’s name on it, and the other with Gerard’s, both names misspelled. “I m-made it j-just for you! It’s y-you and m-me!”
“Oh...thank you,” Frank smiled, laughing a little. Frank didn’t know whether to feel flattered or creeped out. He just met this guy, and he decided to make him a picture of poorly drawn stick people. It was really nice of him, though. Frank couldn’t help but smile looking at the picture. If it were any little kid that did the same for him, he simply woulda thrown it out without them looking. Not with Gerard, though…
“That was nice of you, Gerard,” Donna smiled. “Hey, Frank here is gonna give you a bath. How’s that sound?”
“N-no! No b-bath!” Gerard pouted, crossing his arms. “M-me no wanna t-take b-bath, F-frankie!”
Frank looked over to Donna, then back to Gerard, already feeling on edge and unsure what to do with the resistant Gerard. He needed that fifty bucks badly. He needed to prove to Donna that he can do the job, but now that Gerard is not being compliant, Frank was already losing his confidence. His eyes then suddenly lit up, remembering the bottle of bubble soap he tripped over earlier.
“Hey, Gee,” Frank smiled, looking up at Gerard. “If you take a bath for me, I’ll put bubbles in. How does that sound?”
“B-bubbles?” Gerard smiled brightly, his eyes wide with joy. “Y-yes! M-me like b-bubbles!”
“Alright then, Gee. Let’s go give you a bath then, okay?”
“Okay! L-let’s g-go!” Gerard grabbed Frank by the wrist, yanking him right from his chair. Frank got up and looked back at Donna, smiling. She smiled back.
“Have fun,” she said. Gerard walked with Frank to the bathroom down the hall. Frank made sure to stop and grab the bubble soap on the way there. When they got to the bathroom, Frank shut the door and turned the light on. Right in front of them stood a bathtub with a bucket full of toys in it, just for Gerard. Frank set down the bubble soap next to it and turned on the warm water, then turned back to Gerard. He gulped. This was it, the hard part--he’s gotta undress Gerard.
“Okay, Gee...uh…,” Frank stuttered, feeling his cheeks turn warm and red. “Let’s get you undressed, okay?”
“Okay!” Gerard said, holding up his arms for Frank to take off his shirt. Frank grabbed Gerard’s shirt and pulled it up over his head, revealing his bare torso. Before Frank knew it, those strange feelings came back. He felt himself begin to shake looking at a shirtless Gerard, the blood in his body rushing as his pulse fastened. Frank gulped, trying to keep his cool. As he did, he noticed something off about Gerard’s chest and stomach--a series of bruises scattered all around him, varying in colors of black, purple, green, and brown. Frank felt his insides turn to jelly looking at them. He began to wonder how Gerard got them. Maybe he should ask, he thought. It shouldn’t hurt to, right?
“Hey, Gee,” Frank said. “How did you get these bruises?”
“Oh...th-these?” Gerard replied, pointing to one of the bruises on his chest. “Th-they’re from C-calvin. H-he would h-hit and p-pinch me if I was b-being a b-bad boy. One t-time m-mommy saw them on m-me, and sh-she was n-not happy...and sh-she g-got mad at C-calvin and y-yelled at him. It s-scared me,”
Frank visibly gasped when he heard what Gerard’s former caregiver did to him. He couldn’t imagine someone being so cruel to someone as vulnerable and innocent as Gerard. He cursed his name in his head, happy that Donna found out what he was doing to her son and likely fired him, maybe even got him arrested. He just hoped she did.
“Gee, what Calvin did to you was bad. It’s good your mom got rid of him so he can’t hurt you anymore, y’know?” Frank said calmly.
“Y-yeah, C-calvin was a b-big fat m-meanie!” Gerard exclaimed. “B-but y-you not a m-meanie, F-frankie,”
“I know I’m not,” Frank smiled. “Come on, let’s continue getting you undressed, okay?” he said, feeling himself on the verge of exploding when he pulled down Gerard’s pants and soaked diaper. Feeling hot and bothered, he tried his damndest to not look at the now naked Gerard, who looked right back at him. He just turned right to the bathtub and shut off the water, the tub halfway full. He didn’t want Gerard to notice him looking. That wouldn’t be good at all…
“Can I-I g-get in?” Gerard asked.
“Yeah, Gee. Be careful, okay?” Frank replied, guiding Gerard into the bathtub. He sat down, seeming content with the temperature of the warm water. Frank took a cup under the sink and filled it with the water, soaking Gerard’s body and greasy hair. “I’m gonna wash your hair first, okay Gee?”
“Okay!” Gerard smiled. Frank grabbed some shampoo and lathered a bit in Gerard’s hair. As he did, he found his eyes looking down at Gerard’s groin under the water, his eyes catching a glimpse of his manhood. It was surprisingly big for someone like Gerard, much to Frank’s shock. A part of Frank smiled, just wishing what he could do with such a--
“Ow!” Gerard cried, covering his eyes. “I g-got soap in m-my eye! It h-hurts!”
“It’s okay, Gee. Don’t cry,” Frank cooed. He took the cup, filled it with water, and poured it over Gerard’s eyes to rinse the soap out. He repeated this a few times until Gerard stopped crying, or at least until they quieted down to just moans of pain. “I’m sorry, Gee. Is that better?”
“Y-yeah,” Gerard nodded. “My eye s-still hurts,”
“It’ll go away soon. Let’s continue getting you cleaned up, okay?”
“Okay,” Gerard nodded, letting Frank wash the shampoo out of Gerard’s hair and lather conditioner in his hair. Once he washed out the conditioner, he began to wash Gerard’s body with some body soap. Frank blushed profusely as he stroked Gerard’s body, getting a hard-on downstairs. He just couldn’t help but stare in awe at him as he touched him. It felt so damn good to him, hearing Gerard moan as he massaged his body. He would do the same to his cock, but came to the conclusion that now wasn’t a good time. Not when Donna’s here.
“Mmm…,” Gerard smiled. “Th-that feels g-good F-frankie,”
“Does it? Good,” Frank smiled, washing the soap off Gerard’s body. “Since you’ve been a good boy, you now get bubbles, Gee!”
“Yay! B-bubbles! G-gimme b-bubbles!” Gerard exclaimed, his hands splashing the water. Frank poured a bit of the bubble soap into the water, stirring it until suds formed. He handed Gerard the bucket of toys as he played in the mass of pink bubbles. Frank turned and noticed that he forgot to get Gerard a new change of clothes and a diaper. He had to go to his room to get that stuff.
“Wait here, Gee. I’m gonna go grab you some clean clothes, okay?”
“Okay!” Gerard said, focused on the toy shark in his hand, as well as the bubbles surrounding him. Frank stood up and walked out of the bathroom and downstairs to Gerard’s bedroom door in the basement, seeing a sign saying “Gerard’s room” on it. He opened it up and turned the light on, looking around. This was definitely Gerard’s room, as the sign said--toys scattered on the floor away from their home toy box in the corner of the room, a bookshelf full of children’s books, and posters of superheroes like Batman and Superman. What really caught Frank’s eye were the more mature contents of Gerard’s room, such as the band posters that also hung on the walls with the superhero ones--The Misfits, Black Flag, Iron Maiden, Morrissey, The Smiths, amongst others. He also noticed some framed artwork on the wall that looked much more complex, unlike what Gerard draws now. Frank took a closer look at one of the pieces of artwork displaying what looked like a portrait of a man, examining the initials at the bottom right corner--G.W.
“Woah…,” Frank said to himself. Did Gerard really do all this artwork? He must’ve; the initials are the proof, unless someone with the same initials made them, which Frank doubted. Frank smiled in awe, wishing he could hone such a talent. He then quickly frowned, knowing that this was a part of Gerard’s past that had been lost the day he tried taking his own life.

_ _ _
After finishing up bathing and dressing Gerard, Frank walked out with him back to the living room, where Donna waited for them. She smiled, taking a drag from the cigarette in her hand.
“Good job, hun,” she said, looking at Frank. She turned to Gerard. “Come here, Ger-bear. Come sit with momma,”
“Okay, mommy!” Gerard ran over to Donna and sat on her lap, hugging her and leaving a wet kiss on her cheek. Donna hugged him back, looking back up at Frank.
“How was it?” she asked.
“It was good. Right, Gee?” Frank asked, smiling at Gerard.
“Y-yeah! Frankie g-gave me b-bubbles!”
“Oh, that’s fun!” Donna replied, trying to sound just as amused as her son. She reached into her purse beside her and pulled out a fifty dollar bill, handing it to Frank. “Thank you, hun. I really appreciate it,”
“You’re welcome,” Frank said, taking the money and putting it in his pocket. A part of him wanted to know more about the bruises he found on Gerard’s body, and the man that gave them to him. He didn’t know why exactly. It shouldn’t hurt him to ask, should it? “Hey, uh...I got a question,”
“What?” Donna asked, Gerard still sitting in her lap, looking up at the ceiling with his mouth hung open, for some unknown reason.
“While I was bathing Gerard, I noticed something off about his body...there’s a bunch of bruises on him--”
“Oh, those?” Donna interrupted. “Those came from Calvin. He used to take care of my son...at least, I thought I did, until I found out what he was doing to my poor baby…,”
“Yeah, Gerard told me he would, uh...hit and pinch him…,” Frank said, shuddering at the thought of someone laying a hand on Gerard to hurt him. Who would be so evil to do such a thing to someone as sweet as Gerard, he thought.
“That’s not all he did to him,” Donna sighed, taking another smoke, exhaling the smoke away from Gerard. “He did so many horrible things to Gerard that I dare not speak of, especially in front of my son. Poor baby still gets nightmares about it. I trust that you won’t do the same to him, am I right?” she said, looking at him a bit sternly, making Frank’s skin crawl.
“Oh, of course not. I would never hurt your son. I promise,” he said.
“Good,” Donna smiled. She took one last drag from her cancer stick before she put it out. Beside her, Gerard still stared up at the ceiling, making incomprehensible noises under his breath. Frank wondered why Gerard would do such a thing. He knew that it wasn’t normal. But then again, he knew that Gerard himself wasn’t normal. He was far from it.
“So, uh...when do you want me back?” Frank asked.
“Can you work tomorrow night and Friday? I’m off work this weekend, so you don’t need to come Saturday or Sunday,”
“Yeah, that’s perfect. Got plans with my girl this Saturday. What time do you want me over tomorrow?”
“I leave the house at four. Can you make it that time? I’m usually home at midnight,”
“Yeah, that’s fine. I get out of school at three, so I should be able to make it,”
“Perfect, honey. You wanna stay for dinner, Frank? I’m making fried chicken and mac n’ cheese,”
“Nah, I can’t,” Frank nodded. “My mom would be mad if I missed dinner at home. I should probably get going, actually,”
“Oh, that’s alright. See you tomorrow?” Donna stood up, walking Frank to the front door.
“Yeah, of course,” Frank said, opening the door. “Well, it was nice meeting you and Gerard. See you--”
“Wait!” Gerard yelled in the background, running up to Frank with a piece of paper in his hand. It’s the stick-figure drawing he made for him earlier. “You f-forgot this, F-frankie!”
“Oh, right,” Frank laughed, taking the picture. “Sorry about that, Gee. It was really nice meeting you,”
“W-will you c-come b-back?” Gerard asked, his eyes doe-like and pleading.
“Yes, I will. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“R-really? Y-you p-promise?”
“I promise, Gee,” Frank smiled.
“Yay!” Gerard yelled, wrapping his arms tightly around Frank, nearly crushing every bone in his body. Despite his mental impediment, he was surprisingly pretty strong, Frank thought. To his surprise, Gerard left a wet, slobbery kiss on Frank’s cheek. It wasn’t that it outright shocked Frank; it just came outta nowhere. Frank smiled, wishing he could kiss back the boy he’ll be taking care of...and do so many wonderful things with him…
“Say bye, Ger-bear,” Donna smiled.
“Bye-bye, F-frankie!” Gerard said, separating himself from Frank and waving goodbye as he walked back inside the house back with his mom.
“See ya,” Frank waved back, walking back to his car and starting it up. After that, he backed out of the driveway and headed back home, driving down the road. As he did, he glanced back at Gerard’s drawing he placed in the seat next to him. He smiled, making a note to himself to hang it up later when he gets home. He can look at it and think of Gerard...and the intimate things he planned on doing with him tomorrow night.
“I think I’m really gonna like this job,” Frank said to himself, still smiling.

Notes