I finally managed to heave my aching body to my feet, and I turned my steps toward home. It was freezing outside, and I didn't want anyone to catch me having an emotionally breakdown when I was supposed to be in class.

Hopefully my stepdad would still be out and I would have the house to myself. I just wanted to sleep until it was time to go visit Gerard, that was the only way I could escape the pain.

Unfortunately when I got home, I spied my stepdad's car in the driveway...maybe he would be passed out again? Trying to be as silent as possible, I eased the door open and slid inside.

I was halfway to the stairs which led up to my room when I heard heavy footsteps behind me. Picking up my pace, I attempted to quickly get out of sight, but I wasn't fast enough. My stepdad entered the kitchen with a bottle of beer clutched in his meaty hand.

"What the hell are you doing home?" he asked gruffly, and I winced when I heard how slurred his words were. This wasn't going to end well...

"Um...I wasn't feeling well."

"Doesn't mean you can skip school. You need to tough it out or you are going to end up some broke ass loser."

"Like you?" I whispered under my breath.

"What the fuck did you say?" he snarled.

"Forget it. I'm going to my room."

"Don't you dare turn your back on me!"

I ignored him and kept walking, which was not a smart move on my part. I flinched as the beer bottle he had been holding flew past my head, narrowly missing me. It shattered against the wall with a loud crash, and I watched as the amber liquid began to seep across the floor.

Something inside me snapped, and before I could rethink my actions, I spun around and punched my stepdad square in the jaw.

His head snapped back with the force of my blow, and I felt a sick sense of satisfaction flowing through me. The blow didn't stun him for long though, and when he grabbed my slender wrist in his large hands, I began to regret my impromptu action.

"You are going to wish you had never been born after I am done with you..." His threatening words caused a chill to run down my spine, and I knew that this time - I had pushed him too far.

I braced myself as the first blow came...and then another...and another...

-------------------------------------------

I couldn't move...breathing hurt...fuck - everything hurt.

I cracked my eyes open and slowly surveyed my surroundings. As I took in the beer soaked floor and felt the small shards of glass piercing my side, it all came rushing back to me.

My stepdad had beaten me senseless and apparently left me for dead once I had finally passed out.

I had to get out of this house before he realized I was awake. With a muffled groan, I dragged myself to my feet and began inspecting my body for serious injuries.

I had a cut on my face somewhere, and blood kept running into my eyes. Judging by the pain in my side, I would guess I had broken a rib or two, but besides that, I just seemed to be bruised.

I snuck out the backdoor and stumbled across the lawn, willing my pain wracked limbs to move faster so I could get away from the hell hole that had become my home.

I collapsed under a tree when running became too painful and grabbed my temples with both hands.

My head was spinning wildly, and I felt like I was going to throw up at any moment. I fought down the bile rising in my throat while frantically digging through my pockets, searching for my cell phone

I finally found it - cracked, but still functioning - thank god. With shaking fingers, I dialed the number to my mom's work frantically.

"How may I help you?" I recognized the receptionist's voice, I think her name was Paula or something like that.

"I need to speak with Mrs. Iero please. It's her son."

"I'm sorry, she is in a meeting right now. Can you call back later?"

"It's an emergency!" I wailed.

"Okay - calm down, I will see if I can get her out."

I waited impatiently, and was finally rewarded with my mom's voice coming though the speakers.

"Honey - what is it? I'm really busy right now." She sounded distracted, and I almost felt bad for bothering her at work again, but she had to know what had happened.

"He hit me again mom...I'm hurt pretty badly..." Tears welled in my eyes, and I was too choked up to continue.

"What? Where are you?"

"I don't know...I just ran off. Not too far from the house though." I heard her scuffling around, and then I heard her cell phone chime.

"Frank...I just got a text from your stepdad saying you hit him first...is that true?"

"Who fucking cares! I only hit him because he threw a beer bottle at me! Why are you always defending him mom?" I was so angry my vision was beginning to blur, or that might have just been from the pounding headache I was developing.

"Honey - calm down, I am just trying to find out what happened," she tried to soothe me, but I was having none of it.

"You know what...fuck you! You obviously care about him more than you care about your own son." She tried to say something else, but I didn't want to hear any more, so I hung up the call with a heavy sigh.

I glanced at my phone and was shocked to see that it was already four-thirty in the afternoon. I was unconscious for much longer than I thought. Not knowing what else to do, I retreated to the only safe haven I could think of.

I knocked on the familiar door timidly, and I didn't have to wait long for Mikey to appear. He took one look at me before his poker face was broken by a look of horror as he scanned my bruised and bloody body.

"Frank - what happened?" he exclaimed.

I couldn't answer, all that came out was a raspy sob. Mikey wrapped his arm around my shaking shoulders and led me inside and out of the cold.

"Sit down on the couch, I am going to get something to clean up your face."

I nodded silently and reclined onto the comfy cushions. Mikey returned quickly with a damp washcloth, and he began dabbing at the blood which had already started to cake onto my skin.

"Who did this to you?" he prodded gently, and my entire story bubbled out of my mouth until I had told him everything that had been going on with my stepdad lately.

He listened in silence, and I was grateful he didn't interrupt me. It felt good to get everything off of my chest; Gerard had been the only one I could talk to, and holding it all in had been burdening me more than I realized. When I was finally finished, Mikey shook his head as if to clear it before speaking.

"I wish you had told me sooner Frank. You know mom doesn't mind at all if you stay over at my house."

"I know...it's just so hard being here without Gerard..." I began crying again, and tears formed in Mikey's eyes as well.

"Okay - well first things first, we need to get you to the hospital so a doctor can check you out. I think some of your cuts need stiches, and we need to make sure you don't have any internal injuries. My mom should be home any minute, but I am going to call her and tell her to hurry okay?"

Mikey got up to search for his cell phone as I tried to control my sobs since my ribs were throbbing and my head was spinning again. I laid my damp cheek against the back of the couch, I felt weak all of a sudden, and my neck couldn't support my head. It became impossible to keep my eyelids open, and I surrender to the encroaching blackness.

-------------------------------------------

I awoke to what felt like the sun searing my eyes out of my head. Hissing in pain, I quickly squeezed my lids shut as colorful spots danced across my vision.

"Frank? Are you awake?"

"Mikey? What happened? Where am I?" I tried to open my eyes again, and I could just make out the blurry figure of my friend sitting next to me.

"You are in the hospital. You passed out man, I was so worried!"

"Shit..." I groaned quietly. I looked down at myself, and I was shocked at the amount of bandages covering my arms. My ribs were tightly bound too, and I could feel another bandage wrapped around my head.

"Mr. Iero, you are awake." The same doctor who had treated Gerard entered my room with a smile on his face - and that was definitely eyeliner he had on.

"Seems so," I replied.

"Well - I just got finished running your tests, and I have a few questions to ask you...if you feel up for it that is."

"Shoot." I shrugged my shoulders coldly, not really in the mood to talk, but it would probably be better to get this over with sooner rather than later.

"Young man, could you please give us some privacy for a few minutes?" the doctor asked Mikey.

"Yeah sure - I am going to go visit Gee, but I'll be back soon."

"Take your time," I called after his retreating form.

"Okay Mr. Iero, first off let me tell you what we found. You have three broken ribs and numerous cuts and bruises, but those should all heal with time. The most worrisome injury is your head trauma, which caused you to pass out in the first place. Your brain began to bleed - which is very dangerous, and can end up causing a stroke. We managed to stop the hemorrhaging in time, but if you were to encounter a similar injury in the future, it could be life threatening. You need to be very careful from now on, do you understand?" I nodded at the doctor - whose name tag said Dr. Wentz - in understanding.

"Okay, now I have to ask...how did you acquire these wounds?" Oh shit...what did I say? Could I tell him the truth?

"Um...well...my step dad and I got into it and...yeah..." I decided to trust him. It was obvious that my mother wasn't going to do anything about my stepdad's abusive nature, so I had to seek help from someone else.

"I had a feeling that was the case. I am going to have to file a report with CPS."

I nodded in understanding. I was terrified of what my mom's reaction would be, but I couldn't live with this anymore.

"Well Mr. Iero, I am going to let you rest now. Is there anything else I can get you before I go?"

"Is there any way I could visit another patient? His name is Gerard Way..." I needed to see my baby right now.

"I don't see a problem with that. You shouldn't be walking in your state, but I can get you a wheelchair so I can take you to his room."

"Thank you so much!"

In no time at all, Dr. Wentz was wheeling me into Gerard's room, pushing me right up next to the bed before leaving me alone with him. Mikey had vacated the area once we had entered, saying he was going to find something to eat and tell his mom that I had woken up.

As I stared down at Gerard's still form, despair threatened to overwhelm me. I understood now why he tried to kill himself...life was so fucked up - why would anyone want to keep living?

Honestly, I wanted to die in this moment. I had nothing left...except for him. I could never leave as long as Gerard still existed in this world, but I knew - without a doubt - that the day his heart stopped beating, mine would as well.

He was the only hope that kept me clinging to the pathetic mess I called my life. I hadn't been this depressed since my father left, but it seemed like the universe was plotting against me, trying to see how much shit I could handle before I finally gave in.

I clutched Gerard's hand in mine, burying my face in his chest in the hopes that I could gain a sense of solace from his presence, even if he was unconscious.

"Gee - please wake up baby...I need you...I miss you so badly. I'm so sorry for everything, but I am falling apart, and I don't know how much longer I can last...please don't leave me all alone."

I wept softly as I listened to his steady heart beat which reassured me he was still fighting. Eventually I ran out of tears, and I slowly lifted my head and wiped my eyes.

Tenderly stroking Gerard's cheek, I leaned down and kissed his forehead gently. Just as I was about to wheel away from his beside, I heard a soft groan.

"Frankie...?" a groggy voice asked.

"Gee?!"

Hehehe I am so evil for leaving it there, but this chapter was getting too long, so you guys get a lovely cliffhanger :)

Wow I actually updated twice in two days! I suddenly got a lot of inspiration for this story, so I have been writing more than usual lately. Sorry to any of you that are reading TMIAA, I will make sure to update that one next :)

So stick around to find out what happens next. I probably won't be able to update this for a little while, but I will do my best since I feel like a meanie for leaving it like that.

<3 star