Bulletproof Heart

Gerard’s POV

”Gee, baby it’s time to get up.” I heard Frank say softly as I felt my cheek being kissed.
”What’s the time?” I mumbled as I cuddled more into Franks chest and I felt that he was dressed.
”It’s 6am, your mam said that we have to be in court for 8am.” Frank said quietly and I sighed and opened my eyes and rubbed them as I woke up.
”The court house is like a hour away, why do we have to be so early.” I muttered and then I remembered why and it made me look down.
”What’s the matter?” Frank asked softly.
”It’s just this case in this area is really high profile in the state because of what he did to me and for someone at a young age to do this. The next week is going to be really hard and then trying to pull myself together and get back to how I was before the sentencing is going to be really hard.” I said quietly and Frank kissed my forehead.
“Well I’m going to be by your side and I will support you every step you take.” Frank said and I looked at him and smiled at him.
”Always got your back baby.” Frank said and winked which made me look down and blush.
”Go and make yourself gorgeous.” Frank said quietly.
”Don’t want to make myself gorgeous for him.” I said and Frank made me look at him.
”Don’t make yourself gorgeous for him, make yourself gorgeous for me.” Frank said and I smiled and Frank kissed me which I returned.
”Go get dressed. I can either sit on the bed and watch you or if you want some privacy I’ll go and smoke out the window.” Frank said and I smiled.
”You can watch if you want to.” I said and Frank smirked slightly and pecked my lips and he pushed me off him.
”Go and I’ll watch you.” Frank said and I nodded and got off the bed and started to get dressed.

”You ready?” Mum asked as we sat in the court house waiting to get called in.
”No.” I said quietly as frank caught hold of my hand and gave it a squeeze which made me smile.
”You are going to rock this okay. You are going to be okay.” Frank said quietly and kissed the side of my head which made me rest my head on his shoulder.
My lawyer showed up and mum looked at me.
”Want me to go and get some coffee?” Mum asked and I nodded.
”Do you want me to go as well?” Frank asked and I held his hand tighter and Frank got the message.
”Be good okay and I’ll see you before you go in.” Mum said quietly and kissed the top of my head.
”Look after him for me.” Mum said quietly to Frank and Frank nodded.
Mum walked off and the lawyer sat next to me.
”Hey Gerard, how has your year been?” My lawyer asked.
”It’s been fine thank you.” I said quietly.
”Okay so today is going to be a pretty difficult day, as you have to say what Mr Snow did to you so the jury can be refreashed on what Mr Snow did.” My lawyer said and I nodded.
”I’m fully aware of your PTSD and if you need a break then all you have to do is say.” My lawyer said and I nodded.
“Am I going to have to see him?” I asked and looked at the lawyer.
”I highly doubt that you will see him.” The lawyer said and I nodded.
”Okay I’m going off to get brief on what’s going on and I’ll see you in the court room.” The lawyer said and I nodded and she got up and walked off somewhere.
”Could really do with a cigarette but I can’t have one.” I said quietly and Frank chuckle slightly.
”You don’t need one, you are going to do a really good job of this week.” Frank said and I nodded and mum showed up.
”You ready?” Mum asked and me and frank stood up and I looked at Frank.
”You got this babe.” Frank said and kissed me which I returned and I caught hold of his hand and we walked to where we needed to be.

”Mr Way can you remind us on what happened to you between the age of 15 to 17.” The judge said and I looked up to Frank and mum who both smiled softly at me and I sighed loudly.
”I met Eric when I was 14 turning 15 at this party I was at. I might of had too much too drink or something because the night was blackout until I was throwing up and Eric was there comforting me and he took me home. Then over the next couple of months we grew closer and flirted a lot with each other until Eric asked me out and I was so happy he asked me.” I said.
”The first couple of months was amazing, I was really in love with me and we was like any other normal couple which have just gotten together but Eric was controlling, like I was allowed to be with certain people, I had to stay with him during the week and if I was lucky go home for the weekend. He would get jealous if someone looked at me. I had been with him for a month when he slapped me round the face for talking to my brother.” I said and started to starch my arm.
”It went from slapping me round the face to hair pulling or pushing me down the stairs at one point.” I said quietly and looked up at everyone and I felt them all looking at me.
”I had been with Eric for 6 months when he first raped me.” I sniffed and felt tears roll down my cheeks.
”Everytime he wanted sex he would rape me. There was one night when I was round my friends house and I was walking home and he put something over my head and I was being put into the back of a car and was taken somehwere.” I said and I starched my arm really hard and I felt my breaths quicken and flashbacks started to kick in.
”I..I..I can’t do this please don’t make me do this.” I said quietly.
”Mr Way I’m afraid you need to keep on going.” The judge said and I shook my head.
”I can’t.” I whispered and I looked at my arm and noticed that my arm was bleeding.
”What the fuck are you doing he needs a break.” I heard Frank said but I kept on feeling Eric’s hands on my body which made me started to starch my face.
”I need to get out.” I said quietly and I stood up.
”Mr Way you need to sit down.” The judge said.
”He has me handcuffed to the bed where 4 other people raped me.” I said quietly as I looked at my wrist and saw the handcuff scar.
“Your honor my client needs to have a break and get himself back together again as he is clearly distressed.” My lawyer said.
”And about time too fancy pants.” Frank said and I looked at him.
”Okay we get back into this courtroom in 1 hour.” The judge said and I nodded and got up and walked over to Frank.
”Shit babe your face.” Frank said and I shook my head.
”Gee honey your arm is bleeding.” Mum said and I looked down at my arm and saw it was bleeding.
”Come on baby, let’s get you cleaned up.” Frank said and I nodded and I caught hold of Franks hand and we walked to the toilets.

”Shit baby you need to get this looked at.” Frank said as he gently looked at my arm.
”I can’t do this Frank.” I said quietly and Frank made me look at him.
”You can do this.” Frank said softly and I shook my head.
”I keep on feeling his hands on my body and getting flashbacks.” I said and started to cry which really hurt since I have starched my face badly.
”Just think of it as it being my hands.” Frank said and I shook my head.
”It doesn’t work.” I sobbed and Frank pulled me into his chest and held me tightly to him.
”If that doesn’t work then just remember that I love you and I am going to be here when all of this is over.” Frank said and I nodded and pulled back and looked at him.
”Y..You love me?” I sobbed and Frank smiled and kissed me which I returned.
”Yes I do.” Frank said and I smiled and looked down at my arm.
“Let’s look at that.” Frank said quietly and he gently picked my arm up and he looked at my arm.
”It’s going to be sore for a few days but it doesn’t look that bad.” Frank said as he gently dapped some wet paper on my arm which made me wince.
”Sorry baby.” Frank said quietly and I looked up and Frank kissed me a bit harder than what he normally does and we started to make out.
”We’re not doing this here. Anyone can walk in on us.” I said quietly as I pulled away.
”Okay.” Frank said quietly and kissed me again and Frank looked at his phone.
”Our hour is nearly up. You ready to go back.” Frank said quietly and looked at me as I looked down.
”Guess I have to be ready.” I said quietly and frank made me look at him.
”You can do this.” Frank whispered and I smiled while Frank kissed my forehead.
”Let’s go back.” Frank said and I nodded as frank caught hold of my hand and walked back to where we needed to be.
”You’ve got this babe.” Frank said and I nodded again as I kissed frank softly.
”Remember don’t starch your skin. If it gets too much again then you say you need a break.” Frank said quietly and I nodded again.
”Also remember that I love you.” Frank whispered in my ear so nobody could hear.
”I love you too.” I whispered and Frank looked at me with a smile.
I smiled back and we went inside and went back to how we left it.

”Mr Way can you carried on with what you was saying.” Eric’s lawyer said and I looked down.
”I was taken somewhere and when I had the thing removed from my head I was in a basement. I looked around and when I went to move my hands I couldn’t because I was handcuffed to the bed. Eric was on top of me with this evil smirk on his face and he turned around and said that I was never going to see my family again, that I would never see the outside world.” I said and looked down and sighed loudly.
”He raped me 5 times that night.” I said quietly.
“It didn’t stop. He got other people to come round and do exactly the same as what he did to me.” I said and sniffed and looked at Frank who smiled and nodded for me to carry on.
”He would starve me and only give one meal like a week I don’t even know how long I was there for. There was one night he came back really mad and he came down to the basement where he sat on me and he started to smoke a cigarette after cigarette and each time he smoked one he would put it out on me and after he smoked all the cigarettes he got a knife and he started to cut me.” I said and felt myself cry.
”I was held with a knife against my neck when the police found us. I whispered.
”Eric cut my neck and I was lucky I didn’t die from that and my injuries I had gotten over the time I was there.” I said quietly.
”For a few months after I was able to start slowly rebuilding my life again. But then Eric found me again and then he kidnapped me and tortured me.” I said and started to cry badly.
”It was worse than the first time. He hurt me more, he got more people to rape me and hurt me.” I sobbed and started to starch my other wrist.
”He said that nobody would ever find me again and that when they do I would be dead. That I would be so cut up that nobody would know it was me.” I sobbed even harder.
”I don’t know what happened he drugged me up to my eyeballs that I didn’t know what day I was on and how I got out of there. All I know is that because of him I now have complex PTSD and my family has been torn apart. I have tried to kill myself so many times because of what he did to me. It’s all his fault why my life is now ruined.” I said and looked up and looked at mum and frank.
”Everyday I still feel his hands all over my body, the way he used to ram himself inside of of me, the hard slaps round my face. I thought the abuse he put me through was love, but it wasn’t. It was his sick twisted way to build up and hurt more people if he hadn’t of been arrested.” I said and sniffed and looked over to Frank and mum who smiled at me.
”That’s all I have to say.” I said and the judge nodded.
”Thank you Mr Way. You may leave the stand now and the jury will discuss what is going to happen to mr Snow in private.” The judge said and I nodded and got down from the stand and walked over to mum and Frank and mum hugged me which I returned.
”Want to go back to the hotel?” Frank asked and I nodded.
”Yeah, I need to get out of these clothes and have a shower.” I said quietly and Frank smiled.
”Let’s go baby.” Frank said and offered me his hand which I took.
”Gee, I’m having a meal with your brother and his boyfriend if you two want to join us.” Mum said and I looked at Frank.
”I’m up for it if you are.” Frank said and I looked down.
”See how I feel after I’ve had a shower and just wind down.” I said and mum smiled.
”I understand, but I do hope you’ll come.” Mum said and I nodded and I caught hold of Franks had as we walked off back to the hotel.

”Baby you need to stop starching your arms.” Frank said softly as he sat on the bed.
”I can’t help it.” I said quietly and Frank sat behind me and kissed my neck.
”Do you want to see your brother?” Frank asked and I sighed.
”I want to see him, I really do but I don’t know if there’s too much damage between us or not.” I said and Frank kissed my neck again.
”Well we can always go and see. Also you get to see this boyfriend of his and give him some stern words like any big brother should do.” Frank said and I sighed and lent against him.
”Also it could be a good for you to see him, I’m sure he misses you just as much you miss him.” Frank said and wrapped his arms round my shoulders.
”Hopefully.” I said quietly.
”Go and have a shower and make yourself beautiful.” Frank said.
”Come with me. I don’t trust myself at the moment not to nothing.” I said and Frank kissed my cheek.
”Okay, off you go then.” Frank said and I shuffled forward and we went and had a shower.

Notes