And this brings us back to where we started. That is the story of how I came to sit silently, watching tears runs down a young red haired (once innocent) man's face, simply hoping that the motionless figure at his side would wake up. I did warn you that it would be a long story, and I thank you for reading this far though the story isn't over yet.

Frank was laid under the silken but blinding white sheets of a hospital bed. His heart rate was now humming gently on a cardiac monitoring system nearby with the green line jumping about on the screen. An oxygen mask was placed over his mouth and he had what seemed like hundreds of tubes and wires coming from his arms to be connected to machines at his side. He lay at the end of the bay with his black hair falling to the side, his eyes were closed and his hands lay across his stomach where Gerard held them tightly. Frank's face was as pale as the moon and he looked as though he could be asleep despite the blood that covered him.

Gerard sat with his head bowed as he gripped Frank's hands, unaware that I sat only a few metres behind, hidden by the shadow of the corner. Tears were making their way slowly down his face and I watched them drip onto the floor.

How could I have done this?
How could I have managed to hurt two people so much?
In that moment all I hoped was for Frank to wake up, even if I had the chance to tell him that the death of his parents and Alfie wasn't my fault, before he took his last breathe. But for Gerard I wanted him to awake, because I couldn't bear to see him so broken.

To Gerard's surprise Frank began to stir, his eyelids fluttered open and he stared up at Gerard. He took the oxygen mask off and placed it to the side.
"G-Gee…" He stuttered over his words as if they were a great burden that he had to get rid of, "G-Gee, y-you're here?"
"Yes, Frank…" Gerard replied, overwhelmed with joy, "I am here and I won't leave."
"What h-happened?"
"You fell from the window Frank. You almost died, I called an ambulance and then they brought you here."
"W-Why does it hurt to move Gee? Why can't I feel my legs? And why does my elbow and head hurt? G-Gee, I-I'm scared…"
"It hurts because you fell from a great height Frank. I told the doctors that I'd tell you, but, um, Frank…I-It hurts to move because the lumbar part of your spine has many fractures and that's why it hurts. You can't feel your legs because both are broken…" He paused to wipe the tears from his eyes and to squeeze the trembling Frank's hand, "your right ankle joint is also fractured and your elbow is broken though the good news is that you only have mild head injuries, no fractures of the skull."
"Oh…Oh…" Frank muttered.
"I know Frank, I'm sorry…" Gerard broke down, collapsing into the one working arm of Frank, "I'm so sorry…" He cried, "It will take months, perhaps years of rehab Frank for you to be able to walk again. But I will be with you, I don't care if you don't like me, I will do my best to help."
"It's okay Gee, it's not your fault." Frank mumbled, running a hand through Gerard's hair, "And I don't hate you."
"B-But when we first met…" Stuttered Gerard, "you said you hated me…"
"I know, I did. But that was old me Gee. And old me was a dickhead. I'm sorry."
"It's okay…" He smiled as he breathed a sigh of relief, "It's okay."

They sat for a while in silence as nurses came to and fro running health checks, explaining Frank's injuries to him, comforting Gerard, providing food and water and support. After half an hour all had died down and Gerard's eyes were beginning to close despite the bright lights of the ward that shone down the crystal white hallway. He was woken by Frank's hushed whisper.

"Gee…" he muttered, "Gee there's someone sat in the corner behind you. She's been watching us Gee. Do you know who she is?" He asked, pointing in my direction.
"I don't know…" replied a startled Gerard, turning around quickly and staring into my eyes, "Show yourself, stop hiding in the darkness."

I stood up steadily and made my way towards the two figures. As soon as the light combed through my hair Frank began to panic as he recognised me as Death.
"Get away from me!" He screamed in terror.
"Hush Frank…" I said, looking around nervously, "It's okay, it's okay. I'm not here to hurt you."
"Leave me alone!" He cried, clinging to Gerard's arm, "Please just leave me alone, I'm not dead, please no!"
"Frank…" I pulled the seat from behind towards me and sat down next to Frank at his bedside. "I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to apologise and I nee-"
"Shh Frank…" Gerard comforted him and slowly but surely he managed to calm Frank's breathes down though he still looked at me with fear stricken eyes. "It's okay…" repeated Gerard, "She's not going to hurt you Frank. And if she does then I'll kill her."
"Okay…" Frank shuddered, looking deep into my grey eyes, "Okay, just don't let it get closer. What does it want?"

"I want to say sorry Frank," I began, my voice as soft as silk, "I want to say sorry for putting both of you in so much pain. You know, I never meant to. I shouldn't have pushed you Frank and I'm sorry."
"I would forgive you…" Frank replied, hiding slightly behind Gerard, "if it wasn't for what you did when I was a child, because after all we did try to kill you. I still think that we should have."
"And that brings us to the second thing that I wish to tell you Frank. About your childhood."
He looked at me sternly but let know words escape his lips, he signalled for me to continue.
"You may think that because I am Death, that I cause death and I don't blame you for that, because it is an easy and common mistake to make. However, my role as Death is rather different to what you may expect. I do not kill people, other people, accidents, drink driving, natural disasters, disease, famine, and armies kill people, I do not. I simply walk with those that have fallen Frank. My job is to watch over people, to try and stop people from taking their own lives when it is not their time. I carry away the souls of those who have died and whose colours have faded. I respect them, I comfort them and I let them pass up into the sky wherever they may go. I do not cause Death…"

"Then why are my parents dead?! Why is Alfie dead?!" Frank yelled, his voice shaking and faltering.
"An accident Frank." I replied calmly, "It was an accident, it was another person drunk at the wheel that crashed into their car."
"Then why couldn't you save them?!"
"I tried Frank…" I stuttered, "I tried my best but I couldn't keep them alive."
"All I want to do is see them again. I visit their graves at least once a month, and there I lay flowers but there are always others there they are gre-"
"Grey flowers…" I continued his sentence, "they are always grey flowers on Alfie's grave, usually roses but last time they were tulips."
"They are not a sickly grey…" Frank continued, "They are a strange grey yet not unnatural. I do not know why they are there or who put them there…" He paused for a second to look from his lap and back up at me, "you put them there didn't you?"
I nodded my head slowly and solemnly.
"Why?"
"So that they wouldn't be forgotten…" I smiled gently.
"Thank you…" Frank whispered over the hum of the lights, "I mean it, thank you…"

"What happened on that day Frank?" Gerard asked, ignoring me and staring deep into his eyes, "I mean you don't have to tell me bu-"
"No." Frank whispered, "you should know."
"Okay Frank, okay."
"I was at my grandma's house…" Frank began, "It was my birthday and I'd gone round to see them and they were very happy and all and they gave me my presents. It was my 11th birthday. Mum and Dad had gone out, at the time I didn't know where to but I found out that they had gone to pick Alfie up so that he could come and see me on my birthday. He had made a cake and bought balloons. They were on the way back from Alfie's house when they were hit by a drunk-driver on the motorway. My dad was killed instantly and my mum died on the way to the hospital…" He paused as tears began to roll down his face as if they were racing each other, "The driver that hit them was also killed. A-Alfie was taken to hospital, I came to visit him with my grandma and me and Maya (his little sister) stayed with him for days. But he died three days later in hospital."
"Oh Frank…" Gerard sighed, "I'm so sorry, I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry. I understand now why you refused to come to the hospital before and I'm sorry for trying to force you."
"It's okay Gee…" Frank replied, "I seem to have ended up here anyway…"

Notes

Hello, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Frank is alive! Woo!
And this chapter is set at the same time as the first chapter, *mind blown* but there's still more chapters to come, 3 more chapters to be precise. Thank you so much for reading. Have a great day! :D
-lou