A week passes and I'm finally able to leave the hospital. Earlier, I was able to see my mother, she looked so tired and in pain. Doctors tell me that she didn't fare as well as me and that she's not going to be strong enough to leave for quite some time. But after being here a week, doctors tell me I have to leave, I'm not sure where to go. On the day I'm leaving, Gerard comes to see me.

I'm standing weakly by the hospital bed when he comes in. He walks over to me and holds my hands in his, as if that's not enough, he wraps his arms around me in a big hug, practically lifting me off my feet. I smile and hug him back.

As Gerard pulls back, he takes my hands in his again. Looking into my eyes, he says, "I'm so sorry."

I lift a hand to stroke his cheek. "It's in no way your fault. Things are going to be alright," I whisper.

Gerard smiles faintly. "I want you to come stay with me," Gerard flushes bright red, "But if you already have something arranged..."

"Thank you Gee," I say, squeezing his hands.

"I figured you probably wouldn't want to go back..." Gerard trails off.

I look at him seriously and somberly, "Never."

There's a long pause then Gerard leans down and presses his lips to mine, wrapping his arms around me again. I press back into him and rest my hands on the back of his head and neck. After a while, Gerard pulls back, leaning his head against mine. "Oh Frankie," he whispers, "I've missed you so much."

I look into his eyes, "I don't think I could go another day without you." Gerard squeezes his eyes shut and brings a hand up to touch my cheek. I can see his eyelashes start to get wet. I bring my hand up to his face and dry the tears from his eyes. Gerard opens his eyes to find me staring directly into them. He tries to smile and says, "Let's get you out of here." I walk with him down the hall and out of the hospital, our hands interlaced.

As we approach Gerard's front door, he hesitates and squeezes my hand. I realize that it hasn't gotten any easier for Gerard to face the house and know that Mikey's not there. As we stand on the doorstep, I turn to face Gerard. I hold his face in my hands and say, "Gee, you won't be alone." He smiles and brings a hand up to mine. I can see the pain in his eyes.

We go inside and I follow Gerard down the hall. When we walk through the hall where his and Mikey's rooms are, I can see that he's closing his eyes, as if trying to block out their existence. When we get to the guest room, he sits on the bed with his head in his hands. I sit down next to him and put my hand on his back. I want to say something but I don't know what.

I don't have to say anything, Gerard just turns and hugs me, holding me in a tight embrace. I hold tightly on to him, it's as we're clinging to each other for our very lives. If it hadn't been for Gerard, I might not still be here. And by the way he's enveloping me in his arms, I can tell that he's thinking the same thing about me. We stay in each others arms like that for a while, not daring to leave the other's warm embrace.

After some time, I hear Gerard whisper, "I can't stay here."

I rub my hands across his back and whisper back, "We could leave this place behind." I pull back just enough to hold Gerard's face in my hands, "We can leave. We will leave," I emphasize will, "It's only a matter of when."

Gerard half smiles, "You're serious."

"We don't have to stay," I grimly smile back, "We should get out of here as soon as we can."

"We can't leave your mom with him," Gerard says quietly, and I understand, I can't leave without her. Especially not with him.

"We'll bring her," I lean my forehead against his, "We can do this." I try to sound encouraging, but my voice wavers. I lean back and lower my head, looking into my lap. Gerard puts his hand under my chin and lifts my head to meet his gaze. He pushes my hair out of my eyes and I smile. I can see him smile as he gently presses his lips to mine. I press back, resting my hands on the back of his head and neck. I feel his arms wrap around me, pulling me closer. This moment feels perfect. Our lips connected, wrapped in each other's arms. This moment makes the tension and pain of the last weeks slide away. Neither of us want this moment to end. And for a while we stay like this, pressed closely to each other. As night grows, we stay unmoving in each other's arms.

When the chill of night creeps into the room, we get under the covers of the bed. Gerard is staring into my eyes and stroking my cheek. I reach one arm under his neck and rest it across his shoulders. I rest the other across his back, pulling him in close. Our foreheads touch each other and Gerard kisses my nose. I look into the hazel depths of his eyes, "I love you."

A wide smile spreads across his face, "I love you too Frankie." Even though I'm smiling, I can feel tears building up behind my eyes. I close my eyes and one slips out. Gerard tenderly kisses it away. I hug him closer, I don't ever want him to leave. Gerard rests his hand on the crook of my neck and cheek. We fall asleep in each other's arms.