Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Satin Save the West Coast.
Frank didn’t speak he just stared up at him. His eyes were a mix of uncertainty and wonder.
1Moving
Gerard sat in his car, looking at the house he was about to walk up to. He played with his hair, nervous for some reason about meeting Frank. He couldn’t imagine what that poor boy had been though and it sent him into a fury thinking about who would do such a thing to him. The Frank he remembered was a sweet, caring boy with large hazel eyes and a smile that was contagious. He was always smiling, no matter how sick he was or how shitty he felt. At one time, Gerard wondered if Frank ever stopped smiling. Now, he found that he was standing at the front door, ringing the doorbell of a house that contained a broken boy and a torn family. The door opened to reveal a forced smile on the face of Ms. Iero.
“Dr. Way, please come in.” She stepped aside and let him in before walking into the kitchen. “Can I get you some coffee?”
Gerard nodded. “Please. Thank you.”
Ms. Iero smiled, motioning to the couch as she set the coffee cup in front of him. “Before you go up there, I just want to warn you. They boy in that room is not the boy in your memory. Please, don’t let him scare you.”
“Ms. Iero, I can’t even begin to comprehend what your son went through and I’m not going to pretend that I can. I came here because I want to help you son and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Ms. Iero smiled and led Gerard to Frank’s room. She knocked on the door before slowly entering. “Frank.” Her voice was soft and motherly.
Frank was curled up in his bed, Black Flag playing softly from his speakers. He didn’t look at his mother as she entered the room not at the man following behind her. He knew who he was. His mother had told him. Dr. Way.
“Frank, dear. Please look at me.” Ms. Iero spoke softly, trying not to scare the boy. He gripped his sheets tighter and shook his head. She looked sorrowfully at Gerard. He half smiled and spoke softly.
“Frank. Can I come in?”
he saw the sheets stiffen and start to shake slightly. “Frank, I won’t if you don’t want me to. Do you want me to leave?”
Frank didn’t speak but the sheets loosened slightly. Ms. Iero took that as a sign to come in. “Frank, how are you feeling today?”
This time, he rolled over to look at them. What Gerard saw broke his heart. Frank’s hair was greasy, his face was red from crying, his nose was even redder and his mouth was covered in drool. Ms. Iero was right. This was not the boy in Gerard’s memory. He looked broken and beaten. His eyes were dull and lifeless.
Ms. Iero walked over to Frank, wiped his face with a towel, removing the drool from his mouth. As soon as the cloth hit his mouth, his body lurched forward, eyes wide and the contents of his empty stomach attempted to free themselves but failed. Frank’s body sent its self into a fit of dry heaves, his fingers digging into his stomach, tears falling due to the pain his body was causing its self.
Gerard knew he could do nothing but stand in the door way and watch as Ms. Iero tried to calm her son from his puking fits. He watched as she wrapped her arms around her son, holding him close, a small bucket at his face so none of his stomach acid got on his sheets. He felt so sorry for the boy. What made this feeling worse was that there was nothing he could do to help. Yes, he could help the boy physically get better but Gerard knew Frank would always be mentally broken.
Once Frank had stopped puking, he curled back into his sheets and started to cry. “I’m so sorry….I…mom…I…sorry”
Ms. Iero held her son close to her, rocking him back and forth. “Shhh Frankie, its ok. Its ok. Shhhh.”
Gerard let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in before asking the question he didn’t want to. “Should I go or….”
Ms. Iero looked up at him, almost as if remembering he was there. “No, please stay.” She then looked down at Frank. “Frank, dear, can he come in?”
Frank sniffled before nodding in his mothers arms. Ms. Iero almost looked shocked at his answer but recovered quickly as she tilted her head towards Gerard. He took that as the sign to enter and he did. Slowly he made his way over to stand behind Ms. Iero, not sure where to sit or even if he should. When Frank looked up at him, his heart broke even further. The bright hazel eyes were a dull brown filled with pain and hate.
Gerard tilted his head to the side so his hair was out of his face and spoke softly. “Frank. My name is Gerard. Is it ok if I sit down?”
Frank didn’t speak he just stared up at him. His eyes were a mix of uncertainty and wonder. Frank knew he had seen this man before he just couldn’t place where. Was he truly here to help or did he just want to hurt him like everyone else? After Gerard had stood there for a moment with a pleading look, Frank finaly nodded signaling that it was ok for him to sit.
Ms. Iero tilted her head to a chair on the side on the room, letting him know he could sit there. Gerard did as he was told, still not sure what to say. The first thing that came to mind was food. “Frank, are you hungry?”
Frank shook his head no, so Gerard tried another question. “Do you like coffee?”
Gerard smiled at the boy curled up in his mother’s arms and watched as he nodded. This made Gerard happy that he had found something to talk to the boy about. “Decaf or Regular?”
He was hoping to get a response out of Frank by this question. He waited for Frank to reply and soon he heard a soft voice. “R…r…regular..”
Gerard could tell by the look in Ms. Iero’s eyes that she was shocked he got her son to speak. He continued his conversation. “I agree. Coffee is meant to make you awake. Decaf just doesn’t do that.”
He heard Frank giggle a little. Not much and if he hadn’t been looking right at him, he would have thought it was his imagination. Gerard smiled, deciding to try and make a joke. “Decaf coffee is like sugar free ice cream, what’s the point?”
Frank looked up from his mother’s arms, leaning back slightly before slowly speaking again. “You don’t look like a doctor.”
Gerard tilted his head to the side. “Why do you say that?”
Frank looked directly at Gerard this time. “Your hair. Your clothes. You look like you’d be in a band, not a hospital……unless you were the patient but….” He begun to trial off at the end and fearing another flashback, Gerard decided to redirect the conversation.
“So what kinds of bands do you like?”
Frank yawned and curled up in the covers again. Gerard took that a the sign to leave and let the boy sleep. Slowly he stood up, followed by Ms. Iero and walked out of the room. Once the bedroom door was shut, Ms. Iero pulled him into a tight embrace. “Thank you. That’s the most he’s spoken since he’s been home.”
Gerard hugged her back, smiling. “Of coarse. He’s a wonderful boy. Be here tomorrow?”
Ms. Iero let go and nodded. “Please.”
“Dr. Way, please come in.” She stepped aside and let him in before walking into the kitchen. “Can I get you some coffee?”
Gerard nodded. “Please. Thank you.”
Ms. Iero smiled, motioning to the couch as she set the coffee cup in front of him. “Before you go up there, I just want to warn you. They boy in that room is not the boy in your memory. Please, don’t let him scare you.”
“Ms. Iero, I can’t even begin to comprehend what your son went through and I’m not going to pretend that I can. I came here because I want to help you son and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Ms. Iero smiled and led Gerard to Frank’s room. She knocked on the door before slowly entering. “Frank.” Her voice was soft and motherly.
Frank was curled up in his bed, Black Flag playing softly from his speakers. He didn’t look at his mother as she entered the room not at the man following behind her. He knew who he was. His mother had told him. Dr. Way.
“Frank, dear. Please look at me.” Ms. Iero spoke softly, trying not to scare the boy. He gripped his sheets tighter and shook his head. She looked sorrowfully at Gerard. He half smiled and spoke softly.
“Frank. Can I come in?”
he saw the sheets stiffen and start to shake slightly. “Frank, I won’t if you don’t want me to. Do you want me to leave?”
Frank didn’t speak but the sheets loosened slightly. Ms. Iero took that as a sign to come in. “Frank, how are you feeling today?”
This time, he rolled over to look at them. What Gerard saw broke his heart. Frank’s hair was greasy, his face was red from crying, his nose was even redder and his mouth was covered in drool. Ms. Iero was right. This was not the boy in Gerard’s memory. He looked broken and beaten. His eyes were dull and lifeless.
Ms. Iero walked over to Frank, wiped his face with a towel, removing the drool from his mouth. As soon as the cloth hit his mouth, his body lurched forward, eyes wide and the contents of his empty stomach attempted to free themselves but failed. Frank’s body sent its self into a fit of dry heaves, his fingers digging into his stomach, tears falling due to the pain his body was causing its self.
Gerard knew he could do nothing but stand in the door way and watch as Ms. Iero tried to calm her son from his puking fits. He watched as she wrapped her arms around her son, holding him close, a small bucket at his face so none of his stomach acid got on his sheets. He felt so sorry for the boy. What made this feeling worse was that there was nothing he could do to help. Yes, he could help the boy physically get better but Gerard knew Frank would always be mentally broken.
Once Frank had stopped puking, he curled back into his sheets and started to cry. “I’m so sorry….I…mom…I…sorry”
Ms. Iero held her son close to her, rocking him back and forth. “Shhh Frankie, its ok. Its ok. Shhhh.”
Gerard let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in before asking the question he didn’t want to. “Should I go or….”
Ms. Iero looked up at him, almost as if remembering he was there. “No, please stay.” She then looked down at Frank. “Frank, dear, can he come in?”
Frank sniffled before nodding in his mothers arms. Ms. Iero almost looked shocked at his answer but recovered quickly as she tilted her head towards Gerard. He took that as the sign to enter and he did. Slowly he made his way over to stand behind Ms. Iero, not sure where to sit or even if he should. When Frank looked up at him, his heart broke even further. The bright hazel eyes were a dull brown filled with pain and hate.
Gerard tilted his head to the side so his hair was out of his face and spoke softly. “Frank. My name is Gerard. Is it ok if I sit down?”
Frank didn’t speak he just stared up at him. His eyes were a mix of uncertainty and wonder. Frank knew he had seen this man before he just couldn’t place where. Was he truly here to help or did he just want to hurt him like everyone else? After Gerard had stood there for a moment with a pleading look, Frank finaly nodded signaling that it was ok for him to sit.
Ms. Iero tilted her head to a chair on the side on the room, letting him know he could sit there. Gerard did as he was told, still not sure what to say. The first thing that came to mind was food. “Frank, are you hungry?”
Frank shook his head no, so Gerard tried another question. “Do you like coffee?”
Gerard smiled at the boy curled up in his mother’s arms and watched as he nodded. This made Gerard happy that he had found something to talk to the boy about. “Decaf or Regular?”
He was hoping to get a response out of Frank by this question. He waited for Frank to reply and soon he heard a soft voice. “R…r…regular..”
Gerard could tell by the look in Ms. Iero’s eyes that she was shocked he got her son to speak. He continued his conversation. “I agree. Coffee is meant to make you awake. Decaf just doesn’t do that.”
He heard Frank giggle a little. Not much and if he hadn’t been looking right at him, he would have thought it was his imagination. Gerard smiled, deciding to try and make a joke. “Decaf coffee is like sugar free ice cream, what’s the point?”
Frank looked up from his mother’s arms, leaning back slightly before slowly speaking again. “You don’t look like a doctor.”
Gerard tilted his head to the side. “Why do you say that?”
Frank looked directly at Gerard this time. “Your hair. Your clothes. You look like you’d be in a band, not a hospital……unless you were the patient but….” He begun to trial off at the end and fearing another flashback, Gerard decided to redirect the conversation.
“So what kinds of bands do you like?”
Frank yawned and curled up in the covers again. Gerard took that a the sign to leave and let the boy sleep. Slowly he stood up, followed by Ms. Iero and walked out of the room. Once the bedroom door was shut, Ms. Iero pulled him into a tight embrace. “Thank you. That’s the most he’s spoken since he’s been home.”
Gerard hugged her back, smiling. “Of coarse. He’s a wonderful boy. Be here tomorrow?”
Ms. Iero let go and nodded. “Please.”
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