Lullaby And Goodnight

*Donna's POV*

"It's been twelve hours Donald. Why hasn't the bleeding stopped yet! Our baby is going to die!" I slammed my fists into the wall of or New Jersey home. The doctors wouldn't let us stay with Gerard over night. Mikey was pacing up and down our living room, staring at the phone every now and then. Donna ran his hands through his hair for the millionth time that night. his hair was starting to stay back in the way his hands pushed it. I glanced in the mirror and scowled at the tired and stressed looking women with dark rings around her eyes staring back at me. Is this what mother hood can do to you?

We weren't allowed to stay with Gerard over night at the hospital. He was only allowed one overnight guest, and Rachael had stayed since Gerard had asked her. I guess I kind of envied Rachael. I knew for a fact that she knew more about my eldest son than I did, and for that I felt a little disappointed, maybe even a little left out. Surely a mother should know almost everything about her boys, adopted or not. I knew Rachael knew things I didn't. Don't get me wrong, I cared for that girl since she was about five, and I loved her like a daughter since she had lived in the adoption center for around eight years. But her knowledge of Gerard would forever out spark mine.

Each minute that passed was a killer. Not sure weather our son was dead or alive. The carpet Mikey was pacing on was slowly wearing down. For him to lose his brother would be a tragedy. Would Gerard live to see the weekend? It was now Friday May 14th 1993, the day we discovered our child could die.

*RACHAEL'S POV*

I sat beside Gerard's hospital bed. His snow white, icy cold fingers laced with mine. His blood loss hadn't changed and he was still losing blood too fast. He was shockingly pale due to not enough blood in his system to color his skin. He tried to smile when I attempted to make him laugh, but he was just so weak. I was terrified of him falling asleep, in fear he might not come back to us. Donna had taken me and Loz out of the room separately to tell us what the doctor had said. Gerard couldn't leave, I needed him so badly. The baggy clothes and long sleeves I wore hid the cuts and bruises from Jake, whom I was still dating. I needed Gerard now more than ever. He was the only thing that kept me sane through Jake's attacks, knowing he'd always be there if I needed him. If I lost Gerard, I think I'd end up losing myself.

My warm hands held his freezing ones, trying to send some heat into his body. I refused to let myself sleep. If anything happened to Gerard while I was out, I could never forgive myself. Every tiny cough brought up more blood from Gerard. The doctors said he would go either way tonight. It was 11PM and there was no change, hence, there was a 75% chance of my best friend dying right before my eyes. Or so Helena said. This was the hospital where she as working at the moment so she was his assigned nurse. She had made sure she wasn't going to be transfered to another patient and someone else would care for Gerard. She wasn't going to leave her grandson for the world.

"Rach? W-what did mom and the doctor say when y-you were taken from the room?" Gerard pained, husky and weak voice whispered to me. I didn't want to be the one to tell him that he could die. But what choice did I have. What if this was the last thing he ever asked me?

"The doctor said...that if things d-don't ease up..you c-could...urm...you could d-die Gerard." Even in this dim light, Gerard cold still see the tears that forced their was stubbornly from my eyes. I was pained to see his once wonderful, glowing smile, was now weak and lifeless, but a smile none the less.

"Why are you crying? It's okay to die Rachael baby. It's natural. It's not like I'll leave you, even if I do go. Here." He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a necklace I didn't even know he had. It had a black string and a solid gold gun shaped pendant handing from it. He struggled to life his arm and hand it to me. It was unbelievably beautiful.

"Gerard...It's beautiful. Are you sure?" I asked as his weak voice urged me to put it on.

"Of course I'm sure. I know about your bruises too. Leave him babe. Tell your parents and get him fired and kicked off the yard. Don't let him do this to you. Sugar don't cry." I gripped Gerard's ice cold arm after putting on the necklace.

"You can't leave me Gerard. I need you, Mikey needs you, your whole family needs you. Frank needs you."

"It's not one hundred percent I'm actually gonna die yet, but if I do. I promise you, with everything I am, that I wont leave you. I'll protect you baby I promise." I couldn't help the hot tears that flowed. Eventually I didn't wanna help them. All tears are is warm salty water, and as they landed on Gerard's arm and hand, it left patches of color from the warmth it held there. I heard the rattled of a nurses trolly and had an idea. I walked out of Gerard's room and collared the doctor I found.

"Hey. Could you please bring a bowl of warm water and two wash cloths to room 665 please?"

"Sure thing. I wont be a minute." The doctor abandoned his trolly and left for the equiptment I needed. The doctors had been using cold water and cold cloths to clean Gerard's wounds to bring his temperatre down. Despite him been freezing to touch, he had a terrible fever. He had temperatures of 104 degrees. The doctor soon returned with the things I had asked for and I put them to use straight away. Dipping the cloth into the warm water, I rung out the cloth to rid it of access drips and rubbed Gerard's cold arms. His eyes clothes but I knew he as still awake and alive since he continued to talk. He began shivering, which was a great sign. His body was regaining natural defences. I continued to warm his arms. Moving up and trying to cover as wide an area as possible.

"That feels good." His voice sounded somewhat stronger too. I used a second cloth and wet it to very gently dab his cuts and stiches which they couldn't cover due to the fatal blood loss. The warm water fell into the wounds, easing off the blood. Tears of relief and happiness fell from my eyes as the bleeding eased. Had I just saved Gerard's life?