Shed Your Yellow

Charlotte's breath hitched in her throat as she peered around the room. She took in large, greedy gulps of air after feeling her lungs burn in protest. Wires. They crawled up and down her mothers arms like snakes, slowly strangling their pray. She wanted to rip them out, tear them from the very skin they were embedded in, but she didn't.

It took her four minutes and thirty-six seconds to move from her space rooted at the door. Only then was it for the nurses that came in. The red-head recognized one; the short woman from the waiting room. Her eyes narrowed as they traced the nurse around the room, following her hands as they daintily unhooked the IV. The new one was full, supplying her mother with what was supposed to be her meal for the day. She desperately wanted to find the nurse doing something wrong; She didn't like her and that was her mother's life she was playing with, she reasoned to herself. Yet everything the nurse did, followed as much of the protocol as the teen cared to remember from the medical dramas her mother used to love.

The other nurse was tall, slim and blond. She looked more like a model than a professional but Charlotte supposed she got that a lot. The nurse was fairly young, she looked like she'd barely left medical school; stressed and lost, new job, new hospital. Perhaps she'd just moved here. Charlotte felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see the aforementioned nurse. The blond smiled at her gently and Charlotte immediately felt a rush of indignation. Did they teach acting in medical school, every doctor and nurse she'd ever met aced in acting pitiful and sympathetic. Something most people - herself included - hated.

"She's likely to wake up within the hour." Charlotte felt a rush of relief, "If you want anything feel free to ask" With that the smiling nurse left and to Charlotte's chagrin, her counterpart also. Now alone in the room with her unconscious mother, the girl had time to ponder -- something most thought to be dangerous. Who was it that broke in to their home? One name appeared more than once in her thoughts; Troy. He was the only one that fit the profile, well not necessarily him, but at least one of his lackey's. She felt the bile rise in her throat; that could have been her. Her doing that to another family, causing the damage they'd caused to her, to someone else. Images flashed through her mind: Families in the park, eating in a restaurant, a father picking up a daughter from school. All of these perfectly normal scenarios, containing perfectly normal people, who had - possibly unknowingly to them- become an addition to Williams' hit list. Charlotte herself knew how easy it was to anger him, and how little it took before he had a vendetta against you.

Her train of thought slammed to a hault. Was she on that list now? It was almost unavoidable, she'd heard of those that made it on the list for pushing past the man on the subway. Of those who had breathed the wrong way around him. Her blood ran cold and suddenly she felt a breeze pass over her, sending shivers down her spine. She bit down on her tongue fighting the lump in her throat and the prickling at her eyes as she rested her head in her hands. What had she done? She wanted to cry, to scream at whoever it was causing the inequitable happenings in her life. Just as she did when she started High School, she wanted to disappear, to leave her life as she knew it. She didn't want to be Charlotte Davies; she wanted to be a normal kid, with normal problems, like whether her outfit was color co-ordinated, or if a boy liked her as much as she liked him. She let out a snort of disbelief to the silent room. She'd almost take being Gerard fucking Way right now.

At first she heard a rustle, then seconds later a moan. She turned her head, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. A twitch of a long pale finger. Her mother was awake.

"Mum?" Silence. "Are you awake?" More silence.

"Who are you?" Came the rasping reply. Charlotte's eyes widened as her mother turned to fully face her. "Do I know you?" The red-head had no idea how to reply, so she didn't. Nothing was said as the next ten minutes passed in which Charlotte stared blankly at the wall, trying her hardest to hide her inner turmoil. The woman she'd known her whole life, the woman who brought her into this world didn't recognize her. The doctor said she'd have short-term memory loss, but she expected at least to be recognized but nothing. She didn't so much as remember her face, she didn't need to say it, the blond had stared at her the whole time as if she were from another planet. Finally the teenager snapped and so she ran out the door and down the hallway, bumping into the doctor who had been attending her mother.

"Ah, Charlotte. I take it she's not awake yet" He assumed, referring to her critically injured mother.

"No, sh-she's awa-awake," The doctor raised his eyebrow, Charlotte glanced up at his name tag. J. Harding Regaining her composure she asked "Doctor Harding, do you have any idea when she'll regain her memory?"

"She had no recollection whatsoever?" Charlotte paused,

"I don't know to be honest. All I know is she had no clue who the heck I am" Tears gathered in her eyes and she mentally berated herself for it.

"Oh. I see, its likely it won't last long but then again you can never certify with these things. I suggest you go and have a conversation with her and tell her who you are-" The doctor took note of her sour face at the suggestion. "You don't want her to know you're her daughter?"

"No." She replied shortly not wanting to explain to the man, 'He doesn't know me, he sure as hell wouldn't understand' She thought bitterly. The doctor nodded and before he could ask the obvious, Charlotte walked away from him and out the door of the hospital.

--

Her battered converse scuffed along the pavement as she kicked at stones as she passed. One kick. Two. Three and down into the drain. The scowl on her face didn't change, as she rounded the corner. She felt something come fly into her, or rather someone. She felt a hand grab her waist as she prepared for the impact. She looked up into the smiling face of Gerard Way.

"Well if I'm going to keep saving you like this, you're going to have to buy me a cape or something" He drawled. Her eyes narrowed dangerously,

"If you didn't knock me over, you wouldn't have to save me."

He gasped mockingly, "How dare you accuse me of such a thing. My Ma taught me chivalry, unlike this idiot. It was him not me" She followed Gerard's lopsided grin to the tall and slender form of his brother, Mikey she was pretty sure was his name. He mumbled a sorry and she sent him a sympathetic half-smile seeing the blush rise on his cheeks.

"Its 'kay" She turned to Gerard, "And you; didn't you Ma ever tell you chivalry is dead" He said nothing, she heard a chuckle from Mikey's direction. She found herself on her feet and she stuck a hand out to the younger, "I'm Charlotte, but you can call me Char"

Gerard noticed the added emphasis but said nothing. "Mikey. I'm his brother" He replied accepting her hand and jabbing his other in the direction of his raven-haired sibling. "So, what are you up to?" She didn't know what to say, the truth was hardly anything she would hand over to Gerard. No Way, she decided chuckling inwardly at the pun she had unknowing made.

"Just decided to go for a walk" She informed, feeding them the half lie.

"Oh, well Gerard and I were just going to get ice-cream, you want to come?" He asked clueless as to the one-sided animosity that connected the two others.

"I couldn't impose" She declined politely. Gerard smirked once more, and despite it all the voices in her head had reminded her how sexy he looked when he did so.

"You wouldn't be imposing at all, in fact I would definitely rather hang out with you than klutz here" Gerard butted in. She bit down on her tongue holding back the sarcastic comment she was so tempted to share.

"I-I-" She stuttered desperate to find an excuse. She felt something hit her cheek and she looked up at the angry sky, colored Grey and threatening onslaught. She didn't exactly want to spend any more time in the company of Gerard Way than she already had, but she had nowhere to go -- other than the hospital that seemed less welcoming than a jail cell at the present moment. She relented. "I suppose I could, if you don't mind that is"

A look of shock fell upon Gerard's face but he quickly hid it with a triumphant grin, "No, not at all".

The three danced through the traffic as the rain now hammered from the sky and much to Charlotte's annoyance, she was soaked through by the time she got to the door of the ice-cream parlor. She ran a hand through her now drenched hair in an attempt to make it somewhat presentable whilst Mikey went up to the counter to order their Ice-Cream. She turned when she felt someone looking at her.

"You came" Gerard stated. She nodded and just as she was about to reply she heard Mikey calling asking what kind she wanted. She took a minute to reply, deciding Fudge sounded reasonable. Mikey plucked up the tray that held the three bowls from the counter and made his way too the farthest table.

She followed Gerard as they walked passed the kitchen doors they heard the same man from the counter mumbling something about 'kids these days' and them 'eating ice-cream in any weather'. She smiled slightly amused but quickly settled as she met the eldest Way's eyes.

The three ate in silence, none sure what exactly to say. Mikey broke the reticence, picking up his jacket and reporting to Gerard, "I've got to get to Frank's now, tell mom I'll be back for dinner." He turned to Charlotte offering her a smile and short wave muttering a goodbye and left.

It didn't take long for it to dawn on the remaining that they'd been left alone. Charlotte kept her head bowed over her bowl as she stirred the ice-cream around in circles.

"You never get told not to play with you food?" He laughed.

"Ooh, manners. Mommy's boy I take it" She bit back immaturely.

"Damn straight" Silence enveloped the two once more and Charlotte was transported to thoughts of her own Mother. She almost couldn't believe she was sitting opposite Gerard Way having ice-cream instead of watching over her mother, who was in hospital. 'But she doesn't know that' Charlotte decided she didn't like this voice much at all. "Cat got your tongue?"

"I need to go" She announced bluntly. Gerard surveyed the street outside through the window.

"I know you hate me for some unknown reason, but do you want a lift? The rain's still pretty heavy and your still dripping just from crossing the road."

"Wouldn't exactly say dripping" She spoke, "But I wouldn't mind the lift actually, it is pretty heavy out there" They both stood, Gerard bringing up his Anthrax hoodie from the back of his chair. Charlotte was mentally screaming at herself, wondering what was in the ice-cream that had made her say yes.

Charlotte was almost bored of the lack of conversation by the time they got to the car and apparently Gerard was too. As they sat down he sighed, slotting his keys into the ignition, "So the weather" He stated drawing a giggle from the red-head. "Where am I taking you?" He asked reasonably.

"Belleville general" She mumbled. He turned to her, eyebrow raised. "My mom's there" She broke, "I don't know who, but someone broke in, they attacked her" Stillness. "Fuck sake, she doesn't even remember me anymore" And as much as she hated herself for it, she cried.

Despite the fact Gerard was next to clueless, he unbuckled his seat belt and pulled her onto his lap, letting her cry into his shoulder. He knew had the situation been different he'd be laughing at the fact Charlotte Davies had finally -somewhat- let him in and he felt genuinely bad for it. His mind whirred, someone had broken into her house. Who? He asked himself. They'd attacked her mother and now, she didn't remember her own daughter therefore she must have been pretty badly hurt to get memory loss. He felt even worse for the girl on his lap as he held her tightly.

He knew she'd definitely hate him even more, if that were possible, once she had ran out of tears to cry, but he pushed the though aside. He rubbed circles around her back as she continued to cry. It had been almost forty-five minutes when she finally stopped and it seemed to dawn on her who's lap she'd been sitting on as she quickly scrambled onto the passenger seat, hiccuping quietly. He looked at her and she saw the concern in his eyes and she hated it. She just wanted to be at the hospital again, to go back to her mom. A mom who'd remember her. She knew none of this would come true however.

The drive passed quietly, broken only by the quiet hum of Pearl Jam turned almost completely down as Gerard drove. He stopped outside the automatic doors of the hospital, she turned to him.

"Thank you" He almost didn't hear her whisper, as she left. Before she closed the door she turned around sharply, "Gerard? I guess chivalry isn't quite dead." With a small smile she left Gerard in the car as he once again returned home trying to figure the mystery that was Charlotte Davies.