And I'm Paralyzed

Mikey:

Everything was fuzzy and colorful. I think it had something to do with the drugs the doctors gave me to fight of the pneumonia, but I honestly didn't care. Oh look, a unicorn! How pretty...

Unfortunately the unicorn is scared off by gentle snoring from beside me. I glanced to my right and saw my brother. Was he a hallucination as well? I reached over, making to touch his silky black head. My fingers nudged up against his head, which snapped up, revealing a very groggy looking Gerard.

“M-Mikey? You okay?” he mumbled, reaching out and stroking my hair.

“Ya, Gee,” I whispered, keeping my eyes on him, “I'm fine, other than the pneumonia...”

“Pneumonia!? What!? I thought you were here because of the broken bones!” he gasped. Oh, right, he hadn't been informed of my condition.

I sighed, not meeting his eyes, “Well, when I first got here that was all they were checking me for. But apparently one of the blood tests picked up traces or something like that... Well, I have a severe case of pneumonia, and I... I might die.”

He stared at me. Just stared. Then finally, “No.”

“No wha-”

“No, you can't die. I need you too much. I won't let you leave me.”

He was my Gerard. Something told me the others where long, long gone.

~

Gerard:

Our parents came back an hour later. They were surprised to see me here, but for some reason I didn't care. I felt very defensive of Mikey, even though our parents wouldn't do anything to hurt him, ad I knew that, I still had the undying urge to stand between him and them at all times. I tried to do it smoothly, but I think Mom noticed.

“Gerard, what are you doing here?” asked my mom

I shifted myself slightly in front of Mikey's bed, keeping my eyes on her, “I came to see my brother. I thought you guys wanted me to see him... I just wanted to see how he's doing. No one bothered to tell me that he has pneumonia. Thanks so much for that.”

“Well Gerard,” Dad said, utterly serious, “You've showed such little interest in your brother the past year or so we really didn't think you'd care. I'm surprised you came at all!”

I hissed softly, mostly because he was absolutely right, “Well, I'm here now. And I'm not going back too school. I'm going to stay with him.”
“That isn't acceptable,” Mom said, “You have to go to school.”

“Ya, whatever. I'll go back when he does.”

Mom sighed softly, placing with her hands, “You know he might.... y-your brother may not....”

“Then I die, too.”

~

It was hard to watch him. He was so feeble and weak, it looked like the penicillin wasn't working. But I wasn't going to lose him. Not when he knew I loved him and he had accepted that. Not after what we'd been through.

I extended my arm, looking at the pale flesh and the stark white scar that stood out on the underside of my arm near my shoulder. His initials wouldn't fade. I just hoped he wouldn't either.

About an hour later, he woke up for real for the first time in days. He'd always been drowsy or stupid on the drugs, never really my Mikey. He snapped out of that for a while.

At first I didn't notice it, but then I could see his eyes behind his glasses, clear and unclouded by illusions and confusion.

“Mikey?” I asked.

He looked at me and smiled, “Hey, Gee. How are you?”

I stared at him, “How am I? How are you?”

“Hmm, I feel a lot better, but not strong. I think its going away...”

I felt a little bubble blowing up inside me. He felt better? He was healing? That was great! I repeated the words out loud to him.

“Ya,” He said, still smiling, “I don't think I'm going to die!”

I sigh softly and get down on my knees by his bed, pressing my lips to his ear and whispering, “You'd better not, or I'll find you in the afterlife and kill you again...”

“Gee...” he whispered past giggles. He was very sensitive, as I knew very well. I started kissing up and down his neck, earning adoring groans from him.

In the midst of our games, someone stepped into the room, and neither of us noticed until the person gasped, “What the hell are you doing!?”