External POV :

Frank didn't know what to do when Gerard's nose started bleeding. He started worrying because unlike last time Gerard bled in detention, he knew for sure he wasn't the cause of that nosebleed. He hadn't punched Gerard's face even once.

"S-stop it..." Gerard whimpered - Frank wasn't sure the blonde-haired boy was talking to him.

Gerard sunk down on the floor. His gaze was wandering around, lost and glassy. That's when Frank sensed panic rise inside him.

"Gerard? Whoa, what's going on? What the hell?" Frank said, concerned - although he didn't want to show it. "Hey, hey, Gerard !"

"H..help..." Gerard whispered. He looked like he was dying.

"Gerard, no ! Stay with me !" Frank yelled before Gerard closed his eyes. Frank wondered for a split second if the boy was dead. He wasn't, but there was obviously something wrong with him.

Frank didn't think twice before picking Gerard up bridal style and carrying him through the hallways. "Help ! Somebody help !" he yelled. He was lucky enough to come upon Lindsey.

The latter immediately ran to her boyfriend and his bully. "What happened to him?!" she asked, alarmed.

"Call a fucking ambulance !"Frank shouted at the other teenager, ignoring her question.

"Alright, I'm on it." she said, taking her phone out and stepping aside to make her call. She knew it wasn't the time to argue.

"Gerard!" Mikey barged in, jogging toward the small group. "Did you do that?!" he shouted aggressively at the one who was carrying his unconscious brother.

Frank didn't have time to utter a full sentence before Mikey punched him in the face. Frank stumbled backwards and held Gerard tighter so he didn't slip out of his grasp.

"I didn't do shit, back off !" Frank yelled. Lindsey held back Mikey. After all, Frank had tried to warn someone that something was up with Gerard, so perhaps the bully was telling the truth after all.

Soon, an ambulance arrived at Belleville High and Gerard was carried out of the school in a stretcher. Mikey, Lindsey and Frank found themselves waiting in a hospital hallway for Dr. Williams' diagnosis on Gerard's case.

While Frank was slumped on a row of empty seats and Lindsey was simply lying with her back to a wall, Mikey was frantically pacing around to calm his nerves.

"Stop pacing, you're giving me a headache." Frank deadpanned at the other boy. Mikey stopped walking in circles and glared at Frank.

"Oh yeah? Like the one you gave Gerard last Saturday? Or like you did hours ago?" he fumed before grasping Frank's collar. His cocky remark had made Mikey snap. Frank stood up and pushed Mikey away roughly.

"I told you I had nothing to do with that one, you cotton swab ! I barely touched him !" Frank started to lose it too, and the faint panic rising inside him at the thought that Mikey might be right didn't help his case.

"I don't believe you. I'm gonna mess you up!" Mikey tried to punch Frank, who dodged the blow. The punk was pretty experienced whenever it came to fighting.

"Come on, come here." Frank provoked. "I'm gonna break you like a twig, weasel face."

"Whoa !" Lindsey yelled. "Both of you calm down ! I swear to God, dudes and their fucking pride. You behave like animals. We all care about Gerard here so stop jumping at each other's throat for a second, will you?"

"Frank doesn't. He doesn't care if Gerard suffers; he never has." Mikey stated, pointing angrily at Frank.

"Don't you dare speak like you know how I feel !" Frank shouted and once again, Lindsey had to step in to calm the two males. She stepped between the two of them and pushed them apart before one attempted to murder the other.

"You guys are going to be the death of me..." Lindsey commented.

That's when Dr. Williams decided to show up. "You are Gerard's friends, aren't you?"

"I'm his brother." Mikey said. "Lindsey is his girlfriend. And that one dude is probably the one who knocked him unconscious." Mikey said, sending a death glare to Frank, who ignored it. Why wouldn't he? He couldn't prove his innocence, but Mikey couldn't prove him guilty of anything. Not yet at least.

"It seems unlikely to me. Gerard didn't fall unconscious because of a blow. We are not sure of what caused that yet but physically speaking, he is in good health - more or less."

"What do you mean 'more or less'?" Mikey urged.

"Well, his nose is cracked. It's not broken or deformed, so he will just have to protect his nose from other blows."

"Can it explain a sudden nosebleed?" Frank asked, taking aback Mikey and Lindsey.

"Actually yes, it can." Dr. Williams nodded. Frank sighed internally. Perhaps he shouldn't have felt so relieved since he was surely the one who broke Gerard's nose in detention, but he couldn't help it. There was an explanation to Gerard's nosebleed.

"We also gave Gerard a brain scan." Dr. Williams informed. "He was healthy when he came out of coma and passing out like that is abnormal. It was natural to reckon the issue was located in his brain."

"What did you find? Is Gerard okay?" Lindsey asked, feeling anxiety for her boyfriend create a knot in her throat.

"The brain scan revealed that his hippocampus is inflamed and seems damaged. It looks like the memory loss from his accident may be more important than we thought. At least, he remembers you and should remember his whole childhood perfectly."

"Gerard has a hippo in the head?" Frank asked confusedly, displaying a face that would have been funny in a less serious context.

"His hippocampus. It's not a hippopotamus, you idiot." Mikey corrected with contempt. "It's the region of the brain that deals with his autobiographical memory."

"His what now?" Frank mumbled, frowning.

"That's correct. Autobiographical memory contains the information you have about yourself. It includes your self-description, your emotional memory... If it is altered, Gerard's whole identity could be modified as well."

"So... He just needs time?" Lindsey asked. Dr. Williams seemed a little bit uneasy at the question.

"Well... Most people regain their memories eventually, but the reasons why the problem occurs and when it resolves are unclear. I can't tell you for sure, and I am not sure of what made him pass out either. The mind is very mysterious and even nowadays, we don't have all the keys to understand its complexity."

Mikey hummed. "It'd be better if he stayed the way he is then. That's what I thought. Can we see Gerard?"

Dr. Williams shook her head. "He just woke up and he's still faint. You'll be able to see him tomorrow, but right now he needs to rest."

With this, Dr. Williams left. Lindsey turned to Mikey. "His memories? Do you think this is what made him pass out?" she asked Mikey.

The latter nodded. "Probably. Frank couldn't have known but he must have triggered something inadvertently.

Frank was confused to say the least. "What do I not know? Trigger memories? Hey, oh ! What's going on here?"

The two others ignored him.

"Why is Gerard reacting like that? Is he in danger?" Lindsey nibbled her lower lip nervously.

"Wait, Gerard is in danger?" Frank frowned.

"Oh, so you care now?" Mikey snapped at the punk with all the sass and hatred in the world before turning back to Lindsey. "How would I know how he is? I'm as clueless as you, Lin. All I know is that I'll protect Gerard at all costs. I care too much to see him like that. I'd die if my brother got hurt any more."

"Will someone explain to me what the fuck is going on?!" Frank gripped Mikey's shoulder annoyedly.

Mikey pushed him away. "Friendly advice : stay the fuck away from my brother, fag. You nearly killed him once, but not twice. And you better shut your mouth about what happened, or I swear to God I will be the one to kill you, and trust me, I won't miss." he threatened before storming out of the hospital.

It was only Lindsey and Frank now. Frank arched an eyebrow at Lindsey who sighed.

"Listen, I don't care if you stole him from me." she said, pointing at the punk. "I mean, I still hate your guts for it but Gerard's mental health and potentially his life are at stake."

"What? Why? What do you mean?" The questions flowed out of Frank's mouth rapidly.

"I'm gonna tell you everything - for him, not for you."

Frank rolled his eyes. "I don't give a fuck who you do that for. Tell me the truth."

Lindsey took a deep breath and told Frank everything she knew, especially stressing how delicate the situation was for everyone.

"He must never know." Lindsey concluded.

Frank's eyes widened. And he found himself facing a terrible dilemma. A lie that felt completely wrong, or the truth that could once again wreck Gerard.

Now that he knew everything that was going on, Frank's choice was already made.

______

Gerard's POV :

I had a dreamless sleep. Normally, I wouldn't have complained, but now I longed for the Frank in my dreams. I felt safe in the Emptiness now. My nightmares had turned into dreams.

I woke up in a hospital bed, which made me recall quite unpleasant memories. Dr. Williams told me that I fell unconscious. I remembered Frank who was about to beat me up, until I had flashes from my dreams or something like it. It's probably what made me pass out back then.

Dr. Williams explained to me that I just had to get some rest, protect my nose and that's it, pretty much.

I didn't have much to do during the following day besides looking at the snow falling over Belleville through the window, so I was glad when Lindsey paid me a visit.

We talked for a while; she gave me all the lessons I had to catch up with. I was glad she came. But of course, she had to leave at some point, leaving me alone again.

What I didn't expect at all was Frank coming to visit me a couple of hours later. I immediately tensed on the hospital bed I was sitting on the second I saw him walk by the door.

"Calm down, I'm not here to hurt you." Frank said calmly. He seemed thoughtful. Despite all of that, I was expecting him to grab my pillow and attempt a murder by suffocation.

"You better not try, because I can call a nurse anytime and they'll get your ass arrested." I warned. I tried not to sound too aggressive; it was a simple precaution to warn him in case the idea was running at the back of his mind.

"I'm here to talk. I... I came here to apologize. I'm sorry for what I did."

I scoffed. "You're gonna have to be more specific." I mumbled. Frank looked sincere though, and I knew he wasn't responsible for what had happened yesterday. So, I felt a little bit shameful for being so cold, despite everything he had put me through.

Frank stepped forward hesitantly and I eyed him mistrustfully. "Words will never be enough to tell you how sorry I am. I made a mistake nothing can fix. I can't really expect you to forgive me, but the most optimistic side of me still hopes one day you will." he said quietly, staring down at his feet.

There was something akin to genuine regrets on his face, making me doubt how honest he was. I knew that he wasn't the reason why I passed out, so I wasn't as angry at him as I could have been - it didn't mean my heart wasn't filled with grudge though.

No, something was telling me it was linked to my memories. The Frank of my dreams warned me opening some doors wouldn't be opened without consequences. Then I thought, what if the flashes I saw were flashbacks, things I forgot?

"What did you mean back there when you said you had loved me, but I had betrayed you?" I asked, completely dismissing his apologies.

Frank frowned confusedly. "I don't know what you're talking about. I never said that. You were about to faint. Perhaps you were hallucinating."

I hummed softly. That's not unlikely. It wouldn't be the first time my mind tricked me. I still had the feeling that the door of my dwelling memories can only be unlocked with help from Frank. He's not telling me everything.

"I-I don't know what happened back there. I don't know why I passed out. You didn't... You didn't do that." I stated out loud. It was the only thing I was sure of.

"The truth. That's what hurt you." Frank stated quietly.

"Frank... You need to tell me the truth."

Frank shook his head. He didn't even dare look at me in the eye. He looked like he was withering in his black hoodie, hands shoved at the bottom of his pockets. He didn't look like the Frank I knew at all. "I don't want your mind to destroy you. I'm sorry Gerard, but I can't."

I felt tears of frustration well in my eyes. "It seems like nobody can tell me anything around here !" I exclaimed angrily. "Not you or even the Frank in my dreams."

"The... The Frank in your dreams?" Frank asked confusedly. I shook my head and looked away. I don't know why I should answer his questions if he doesn't bother answering mine.

"If you can't tell me the truth, then you have nothing to do here." I told him. Frank was about to answer but the door opened, and Mikey stepped in before he had the chance to.

Mikey's compassionate expression morphed into an angry one at the sight of what now seemed to be his arch enemy. "I told you to stay away from him, now get out, you faggot !" he seethed, shoving Frank's chest right away and grasped his collar.

"Who did you call a faggot?!" Frank shouted back and grasped Mikey's collar as well, ready to throw hands.

"Guys, please stop..." I said softly, feeling a bit weary. "Mikey, it's okay. He was leaving."

Frank let out some threatening growl, Mikey let go of him reluctantly. The two glared at each other like two defiant alpha wolves before Frank left the room.

Mikey closed his eyes as soon as he did, sighing under his breath. He sat in the chair next to my bed and we smiled at each other. The tension died down.

"I feel like everyone is lying to me." I confessed to my little brother after a minute of pleasant silence. "It's like they are all trying to hide some... big, terrible truth from me."

Mikey arched an eyebrow, giving me a weird look that I couldn't decipher. "Don't worry, I know the feeling. You're not alone, I'm here for you."

I motioned Mikey to come closer and pulled him in a hug. Mikey hugged me back tightly, like he was scared I might fly away if he didn't grip me the way he was.

"I know, brother. I know." I smiled against his shoulder I had buried myself into. I knew he was watching over me, like a guardian angel. Mikey's presence had never been so essential and reassuring.

______