FicWad

Mikey looked at the digital alarm clock that was situated next to his bed. It read six twenty four am. He had only been asleep for a few hours, although it felt like a few minutes. He tried to slow his raspy breathing and succeeded in doing so. He heard the door slowly open and a pool of light flooded the dark room. He saw Frank's figure in the doorway.

"Are you okay? I heard you yelling in your sleep." His voice was laced with concern and even in the dim light, Mikey could see that his eyes were rimmed with red. Mikey sighed, rubbing the back of his sweat soaked neck with his hand.

"I had a dream. I saw Gerard and he told me that I need to stop. He told me that he was sorry. He said he loved me." Mikey finished quietly. Frank's face contorted in a mixture of sadness and pain for his friend.

"I'm sorry." Frank said, not sure of what else to say. Mikey shook his head.

"No, no, don't be. It was a good thing." He paused. "Frank, it what was I needed to see, uhm...hear. I'm going to do this. I am." Mikey was surprised by the calmness and surety in his voice. Inside he was terrified but for that moment, his voice didn't show it. He looked at Frank, waiting for a response. Frank stared at him, unable to put his thoughts into words. He wanted to believe what Mikey was saying but something wouldn't let him. The words seemed to good to be true.

"Mikey..." Frank started, unsure of what he was going to say. Mikey picked up on his uneasiness and cut him off.

"I know you must think this is an empty promise but it's not. Just can...will you stay with me?" Frank looked thoughtful for a moment before responding.

"You can't do this alone but really, you should check into a rehab center or something. I mean, you know it's going to be bad, right?" Frank's voice was unsteady but there was certainty in his words. Mikey fixed his gaze on Frank.

"You're right, it's going to be bad but...I, I can't explain it. I know it will be okay, that I'll be okay." Mikey averted his eyes from Frank's face and let them fall onto the wall in front of his bed. He studied the dark, irregular shadows that were upon his walls, as he had done many nights before. He wasn't high or tripping, so for the first time, they weren't entertaining him. They weren't his friends anymore.They were just...shadows. He looked back at Frank, hoping he would say something to break the silence.

"You're really serious about this aren't you?" Mikey nodded. "Well, then I'll stay with you." Frank made his way to Mikey's bed and carefully perched himself on the edge. He watched as Mikey slide over to the other side to make room for him. He carefully laid down and Mikey followed suit. Both men were exhausted and in moments they were asleep.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

"Frank? Frank?!" Frank rushed into the room where Mikey had barricaded himself into for the last day. He wouldn't let Frank in and Frank had only seen him once since the night before. This was the first time Mikey had even said his name. Frank entered the room and his eyes fell upon Mikey who was in the corner of his room, balled up on the floor. Frank rushed over to him. It was a hard sight to take in. He could see that Mikey's face was flushed and sweaty and he was shaking. Frank knelt down next to him and Mikey looked up.

"Oh God, it's hurts...it hurts...so fucking...bad." Mikey's words were sporadic and breathy. Frank was left speechless for a moment. He put his hand on Mikey's shoulder to try and comfort him. Mikey flinched at the contact and Frank winced as he felt how hot he was.

"Are, are you all right?" Frank whispered, immediately regretting the question. Of course he wasn't all right. It was pretty obvious that he wasn't. Frank watched as Mikey went from shaking to shivering. His teeth chattered and Frank jumped up to grab him a blanket. He wrapped it around Mikey's thin frame and for a moment their eyes connected.

"Th-th-ank, y-y-ou." Mikey said as best as he could despite the chattering of his teeth. It had only been ten minutes but Frank already felt exhausted. He could only imagine how Mikey felt. He wrapped the blanket tighter around Mikey.

"Is there anything I can do?" Frank asked him. His shivering was dying down and he could speak a little easier.

"Just..s-sit...h-h-here with...me." Frank nodded and sat next to him, both of them leaning up against the wall, Frank sitting cross-legged and Mikey with his legs drawn up and arms wrapped around them. Mikey continued to speak.

"It's..been a f-few hours...so...I'm hoping...that...the w-worst of....it i-i-is...over." Mikey said in short spurts. Frank was about to speak when Mikey violently threw the blanket off his body. Frank inched away in slight fear, his eyes wide at the sudden mood swing.

"Fuck!" Mikey yelled, slapping at his arms. "Get them off me!" Frank stared wide-eyed at Mikey.

"Get what off you? Mikey, there's nothing on you." Mikey stared at him like he was crazy.

"You can't see them?!" He was still slapping at whatever he was seeing. "Jesus, they're fucking crawling all over me!" Frank watched in silence as this went on for another half hour. It was one of the most difficult things he has ever had to endure. He wanted to take away his friend's pain, to help him but all he could do was sit there. It was to the point of being almost excruciating. He was relieved when the frantic slapping stopped. He watched as Mikey calmed down for a moment.

"That...fucking sucked." He told Frank. Frank was totally shaken by this point.

"Are you sure you don't want...want to go to a hospital? It mig--" Frank was cut off.

"No...no hospital. It should...be letting...up..soon. It's been...like....twenty four hours since...I had...anything." Mikey told him. Mikey let his head rest on the wall behind him. He brought his hand up to his head and gently rubbed his temples. This was the worst thing he had ever experienced or felt in his life. He couldn't control it and that freaked him out. He knew that Frank was already freaked out and he wasn't sure what else might lay ahead. He wanted something so bad but he wouldn't let himself take anything. He was going to do this. He was going to do it for his band mates, for himself but mostly, he was going to do it for Gerard. It was that thought that kept him from taking anything else. He could feel his stomach cramp up and a wave of nausea over took him. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and leaned forward trying to ward off the sick feeling. He could feel tears sting his eyes as the pain radiated throughout his body. It started in the very pit of his stomach and spread outward through his chest, arms and legs.This, next to the hallucinations, was the worst he had experienced. He heard himself cry out before he could suppress it. It hurt so bad.

"Mikey?" Frank's panicky voice filled Mikey's ears. He tried to respond but the tremors had started up again. His body shook violently and he was beginning to feel hot again. The cramps continued as he fell forward, the pain overtaking him and he wound up laying face down on the floor, arms still wrapped around his stomach. He could hear Frank's voice but it sounded distorted and he couldn't make out the words. He knew he was still shaking and the the imagines in front of him began to go in and out of focus. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he realized that Frank was turning him over. He stared at Frank's face, noting the total utter fear that was playing on his features. Mikey could feel his pulse in his ears and another wave of nausea over took him. He leaned his head to the side and vomited, trying not to let it go everywhere.

"Mikey? Oh My God...I'm calling an ambulance, this...you're..." Frank was stuttering through tears as he watched his friend, who was shaking so violently that he thought he would hurt himself and crying out in pain or fear or a mix of both every few minutes on the floor. He knew that he didn't want to go to a hospital but this was too much. It seemed to extreme for things to be okay on their own.

Mikey could feel the all the muscles in his body tense up and he prayed that it would end soon. He stared up at Frank, his vision blacking out every few seconds. He was relieved and terrified at the same time that Frank was calling an ambulance. What would they think? What would Ray and Bob think? He could feel panic overtaking him. He tried to breathe evenly through the pain, shaking and anxiety but it wasn't working.

"Hold on, Mikey. Please, just hold on..." Frank was saying this over and over. Mikey could sense the urgency and fear in his voice and he did his best to stay conscious.

"F-Frank? " Mikey said, almost silently and with great effort. "I'm...s-s-scared." It was then that he lost consciousness and his world faded to black.