If your heart stops beating

~*Frank’s Point of view*~

“Where the fuck is Alec?”
Mikey shrugged.
“Dunno. He hasn’t come home yet.”
I checked my watch.
“It’s 4:30. He was supposed to be home half an hour ago.”
Mikey shrugged again.
“He’s probably still hanging out with his friends. Forgot the time.”
“Hmmm... If he’s not home in 15 minutes, I’m gonna go look for him.”
I sat and waited for the next 20 minutes.
“Right, that’s it, I’m going.”
Mikey waved without looking up from his book.
“Bye bye.”
I walked to the school, passing the park on the way. Alec wasn’t there, but Kevin and his mates were. I leaned over the fence to talk to them.
“Oi Kevin!”
He turned.
“Hi.”
“Have you seen Alec?”
He shook his head.
“We left as soon as school finished. I haven’t seen Alec since lunch.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
I ran the rest of the way, stopping at the open school gates. The playground was apparently deserted, but I went in anyway to have a look. I had just about given up when I saw something on the ground hidden behind the climbing frame.
“Oh, no...”
I hurried over. It was Alec.
“Shit.”
I dropped down beside him. His face was bruised and bleeding, his eyes swollen closed, and his right leg was twisted underneath him. I grabbed his hand.
“Alec, can you hear me? It’s me, it’s Frank. Can you hear me?”
He squeezed my hand. It seemed to be the only movement he was capable of.
I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. No service. Shit.
“Alec, I’m going to call an ambulance. I’m not leaving, I’ll be back in a sec.”
He squeezed my hand again and I walked around the playground until I found a spot that got reception. Then I dialled 911.
“Hello? I need an ambulance.”
I gave the operator directions to find the school, then hung up and went back to Alec.
“Alec, I’m back.”
I sat down again and took his hand. His squeezes were getting weaker and weaker, and his hand was cold.
“Stay with me, Alec.”
I heard sirens coming closer, and I jumped up and ran to the gates, waving to the driver as he came down the street. He pulled in and turned the sirens off, while two other paramedics jumped out of the back with a stretcher. I showed them back to where Alec lay, and the first paramedic and one of the others started to transfer Alec onto the stretcher. The third paramedic stared at me for a moment, then grinned.
“It’s Frank Iero, isn’t it?”
I nodded.
“I remember not six months ago we were called to pick you up.”
“Really?”
He nodded, offering me his hand.
“I’m Jake, by the way. That’s Francis and that’s Henry.”
I shook his hand. After a moment he looked back at Alec.
“So is this your son?”
I shook my head.
“No. I met him in the hospital. Both his parents are dead, so I applied for legal guardianship.”
“Ah.”
He seemed to accept it as perfectly reasonable that I should want to be the guardian of a boy I had known for less than six months.
Francis looked up.
“Jacob! Get your fat ass down here and help Henry with the stretcher.”
“Right-o!”
Jake turned around and he and Henry picked up the stretcher and proceeded to take it to the ambulance. Francis looked me up and down.
“Related?” He barked.
“Guardian.”
He grunted.
“Well, I supposed you’d better come with us.”
I climbed into the back of the ambulance and sat down next to Jake. Alec was strapped onto the stretcher, which was braced in front of me. As sad and pathetic as he looked, I couldn’t look away.
When we reached the hospital, Francis directed me to fill in some paperwork while Jake and Henry wheeled Alec away to the emergency unit. Then I found a pay phone.

~*Gerard’s Point of view*~

“Hello?”
“Gerard?”
“Frank?”
“Yeah.”
He sounded lost and helpless on the other end of the line.
“Where are you?”
“At the hospital.”
“What? Why?”
“Alec. The paramedics aren’t sure, but they say it looks like he was attacked with a crowbar or something.”
“Oh my god. Will he be okay?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to any doctors yet. The paramedics know his leg and arm are broken, and it looks like his skull is fractured.”
“Oh no...”
Mikey was looking at me inquisitively.
“It’s Frank. Alec’s been taken to hospital.”
“What?” Mikey jumped to his feet. “Let me talk to him.”
He snatched the phone from me.
“Frank? Gerard just told me. Yeah... Oh... Oh my god... Really? Okay... Yeah... Yeah... Okay, we’re coming over now. Okay. Okay, bye.”
He hung up.
“He wants us to go over to the hospital now.”
“Right.”
I turned.
“Ray, Bob! Mikey and me are going to the hospital.”
“Wait, what?”
Ray put his head around the door.
“Why are you going to the hospital?”
“Alec’s been beaten up.”
“What?”
“Apparently he was attacked with a crowbar. Frank asked us to go over there.”
Ray’s expression was one of concern, although he looked mildly offended.
“Okay. Bob and I will hold the fort till you get back.”
“Great.”
I waved and followed Mikey out into the cold.