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Monica had just sat down to watch TV when Gerard called. “Hey” he said, his voice reflecting his sadness.
“Hey, you doin’ okay?” Monica asked pointing the remote at the TV and pressing the mute button.
“I just talked to Brian. I’m getting on a flight in the morning. I’ll get home sometime late tomorrow night. There are two flights and they have me on stand-by for the earliest one but I probably won’t get it.”
“So how long will you be here?”
I have to leave there Thursday morning. We’ve canceled the Thursday night concert but I have to be in Berlin on Friday.”
“Oh Gee, you’ll have such a short time here.” Monica said sadly.
He took out a cigarette and lit it. “Yeah, but it’s the best I can do. This fucking tour is non-stop. At least we don’t have a concert tomorrow night so we only had to cancel one.”
Monica leaned back against the cushions, “Should I tell Liv you’re coming?”
Gerard sighed, “Yeah, let her know.” He closed his eyes, “How long do you think she has?”
Monica wanted to cry hearing the pain in his voice, “I talked to Carrie the hospice worker who’s been helping me about that. She told me Liv’s liver is shutting down.” She felt a stay tear course down her cheek, “A few weeks at the most but probably less than that.”
Gerard grew silent.
“Gee?” Monica whispered.
“I’m here, Honey. Just hating this whole fucking thing.” He sighed, “I’m worried about you.”
Monica was slightly surprised, “Why?”
He scoffed, “Oh fuck. This has to be brutal on you. Taking care of Liv and then having to deal with me and my fucked up emotions.”
“They aren’t fucked up.” Monica said, “I understand, you know.”
“I love you.” He said softly, “and I’m glad I’m gonna get to see you.”
“I can’t wait to see you, too.” Monica said. “Now get some sleep. You sound exhausted. I’ll see you tomorrow night. Are you gonna take a shuttle or do you want me to pick you up?”
“Who the fuck knows when I’ll get there. I’ll just take the shuttle.”

Monica watched TV for a bit after finishing her call with Gerard then decided to head upstairs to tell Liv that Gerard was coming home. She heard Bert singing as she started up the steps. Pausing a moment she listened as he sang a song that was unfamiliar to her. The words were beautiful. It was a love song.
The song was over when she reached Liv’s room. “That was beautiful.” She said as Bert turned to see her at the doorway.
He looked embarrassed at the praise. Liv smiled, “That’s a new song he’s working on.” She explained.
“Yeah, just something I’ve been kicking around in my head.” He said standing. He stretched. “Think I’ll go down and get us a snack.” He looked at Liv, “You need to eat something.”
Liv didn’t answer. Bert understood she wouldn’t eat anything he brought up but she didn’t feel the need to tell him. He already knew. Once he left the room Monica sat down in the chair by the bed.
“I talked to Gee a little while ago. He’s coming home tomorrow night.”
Liv looked shocked, “He can’t do that. They’re on tour.”
Monica smiled slightly, “He wants to and the rest of the guys understand. They only have to cancel one concert but even so he’ll be here a short time. He’ll have to leave on Thursday morning.”
“He doesn’t need to come home to talk to me. Tell him not to.” Liv said quickly.
“He’s coming home, Liv.” Monica told her. “I knew he would.”
Liv shook her head sadly, “I’m so sorry about this.”
Monica was surprised, “Sorry?”
“About all this shit. I should have just gone to the fucking hospice center. Look how this is interrupting your life and now Gee’s.”
Monica reached out and took Liv’s hand, “Stop it. I’m glad he’s coming home. I’m glad you’re gonna talk to him. He needs this Liv. He needs to understand about your past and what happened between the two of you.” She added in a whisper, “And he needs to tell you goodbye.”
Liv had tears in her eyes, “Goodbye. The thing that I never said to him before.”
“Yeah, he needs to hear it.”
Liv closed her eyes, “Stupid, ain’t it? I’m laying here thinking how I’m gonna hate to have him see me looking like shit.”
Monica understood, “Hey, tomorrow we’ll get you spruced up a bit.”
Liv laughed, “Yeah, I’ll look good then.” Suddenly she grew serious, “Monica, thank you. I mean it. You’re the closest thing to a sister I’ve ever known. Shit, I’ve never even had a close friend.”
Monica squeezed her hand, “Don’t thank me.” She heard Bert coming up the stairs. “Try to eat something just to make him happy.” She whispered.
Liv nodded, “Yeah, I wish I could make him happy. He fucking deserves happiness.”

“How the unpacking going?” Ray asked as soon as Christa answered.
She laughed, “Well that’s a nice way to greet me. Not hello how are you or hey I love you, just how’s the unpacking.”
Ray sat down on his bed and kicked off his shoes, “Babe, you know I love you.”
“Still nice to hear it.” She reminded him.
“Okay, I love you. Now how’s the unpacking going?’
Christa heard something in his voice that worried her, “Things go okay at the concert?’
Ray sighed, “I had to sing “Cancer” Gee couldn’t. God, the look on his face when he heard the opening notes.”
“Oh, God. I didn’t even think about that. I’m sure you did wonderful though.”
Ray laughed, “I did okay. So how’s Monica taking all this? Did you talk to her today?”
“No and I need to, I know. I’m so worried about her. She was struggling so much about not telling Gee.”
“I can imagine it was hard for her. She’s incredibly strong but there is part of her that always seems to fragile.”
“Because of her past?”
Ray remembered that day on the bus when Monica had broken down and told the story of her husband’s death. “Yeah, because of her past.”
“So have you figured a way for Gee to come home?”
Ray explained that Gerard would be catching a flight back sometime in the morning but they weren’t sure which flight.
‘That means he probably won’t be home until tomorrow night, right?”
“Yeah, with the time difference and all then he’ll have to catch a flight back Thursday morning so he won’t have much time to be home.” Ray said sadly. “But we all understand it’s something he has to do.”

Monica had just crawled into bed and turned off the light when her cell phone rang. She reached for it in the dark and saw the light up display, “Hi, Gee. What are you doing awake so early?”
“I couldn’t sleep. I figured I’d just sleep on the plane anyway.”
“You sound exhausted.”
He stared out the window at the pre-dawn light, “I am but my mind won’t shut off.”
“She was surprised when I told her you were coming home.”
Gerard shook his head slowly, “She shouldn’t be.”
“That’s what I told her. I said I knew you’d come home.”
He closed his eyes, “Monica, do you really understand why I have to see her?”
“Of course I do.” She said softly, “It’s okay, Gee.”
It touched his heart that she was worried about his feeling, “I just don’t want you to feel hurt that I have to see her. I love you and I don’t want this to make you doubt that.”
Monica sighed, “I know that. I know how much you love me. That’s a lot of the reason I’m okay with this.” In her heart she still couldn’t help but wonder how different everything would be if Liv wasn’t dying.
“It wouldn’t make any difference.” He said in a whisper, “I would still be with you.”
“What?” Monica said shocked. It was if he’d read her mind.
“Even if Liv wasn’t dying I would never leave you. You have my heart Monica. I gave it to you, remember?”
Monica’s own heart lifted, “And I gave you mine.”