Adolescent Suicide

“Ooh, what is this?”

Mercy looked up from the black suitcase that she had been stuffing her and Frank’s clothes into to direct her gaze over at Mikey, who was helping her back while the others went to get Frank from the hospital. They had decided to all meet up at the airport, then fly home. Bob had called their father the night before, who had been in complete hysterics, to set up meeting them in the airport at New Jersey.

Mikey was holding up a pair of see-through red lace boy shorts by two fingers, a mischievous smile on his face.

“Mikey! You put those in that suitcase this instant!” she shrieked, not helping the broad grin that spread across her cheeks.

She had pushed all thoughts of the mental hospital from her mind, having made a deal with Frank that they wouldn’t even consider it until they were home. They had all concentrated on getting Frank better so that they could leave. The rest of the tour had been cancelled, and for the most part, the fans understood.

He giggled and put them into the suitcase in front of him, then turned and began folding one of the many black t-shirts that littered the floor. “Are you excited about going home?” he asked quietly.

Mercy paused in the process of folding a pair of jeans, her eyes lowered to the floor, and looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes. She was excited, yet nervous and frightened at the same time. Things were going to be so much different now. She was different now. But instead of telling Mikey that, she forced a smile on her face and nodded.

“Yeah. I’m really excited,” she told him, praying that he believed her.

---

The flight back to the US was unusually quiet. Frank was all drugged up from pain medications. Gerard and Sicily were tired from being up at the ass crack of dawn to morning sickness. And the others were just generally quiet during flights anyways. Mercy pretty much pretended to sleep the entire way, hoping that no one would bother her. For the most part, she was trying to get her thoughts straight. She had no idea what she was going to tell her father. She had no idea how Frank’s parents were going to react when they saw her. After all, it was her fault that their son had been shot. They probably hated her. They probably never wanted to see her again. And more than likely, they would persuade their son to fire her. After all, she’s the one who causes the most danger. Sicily, on the other hand, never made anything go wrong. Mercy was a walking disaster.

“Flight 146 has just entered Newark Liberty International Airport. Please make sure that all your seats are in an upright position, and that your seat belts are secure. We do hope that you had a nice flight with International Airlines. Enjoy your stay in beautiful New Jersey.”

Mercy heard Ray snort beside her. “Beautiful my ass,” he muttered as he closed his eyes once more.

The plane jumped and bounced as it hit the runway, then came to a screeching slow. It glided into the gates, then stopped. Everyone began standing, and grabbing their bags. Mercy felt as though she were glued to the seat. Her eyes took in the airport outside her window, the night time sky a backdrop. Her father was in there. The Iero’s. The Way’s. The Toro’s. How was she going to face them all? It was...nerve-wracking.

“Mercy? Hey. Come on. Everyone’s waiting for us.”

She turned and saw Gerard giving her a hesitant smile, his hand outstretched towards her. Near the front of the plane, the rest of her friends were huddled, waiting. They were all there to support her. She could do this. She knew she could. Mercy heaved a heavy sigh, then with a shaking hand, reached up and took Gerard’s firmly in her own. His warm embrace made her feel stronger. When they reached the rest of the group, he loosed her to Frank, who instantly enveloped her in a hug, letting everyone else pass them by.

“Everything is going to be okay. I promise you this. Do not be afraid. I love you, okay Merc?”

The girl nodded, lightly kissing the tender spot beneath his earlobe. This was exactly why she loved him so much. He always knew what she was feeling, always knew how to make her feel better. Frank was her everything.

He took her hand in his and together, they exited the plane. They met up with the others and as a whole, went searching for their families. It was late, about 4 am, so there weren’t a lot of people around. It didn’t take long to find them. Mr. Bryar was the first person she saw, being as tall as he was. He stood about 6’3”, and still had a mass of light blonde hair. Tears filled his brilliant blue eyes when they locked on to hers. Everything around her disappeared.

“Mercy!” he exclaimed, dropping his jacket onto the floor and opening his arms wide for her.

“Daddy!” she whispered before jumping into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. He held her tightly to him, his body shaking with the sobs that he was trying to quiet. One arm held her around her waist, the other went to caress her mass of dark hair.

“I’m so glad you’re okay. My baby. I’ve missed you,” he mumbled, kissing her temple multiple times.

“I’ve missed you too Dad,” she replied, giving him a supportive smile.

Besides her brother, and now Frank, her father was the only one to get this sort of reaction out of her. She had always been his little girl, had always been extremely close to him. Of course, they had had their bad times. What family didn’t? But in the end, they always stuck together. They were like peanut butter and fucking jelly.

He sat her down and cupped her face with his large, calloused hands. “I worried about you so much, Merc. Why didn’t you call me sooner? Why didn’t you let me know what was going on? I haven’t heard from you since you left.”

Mercy cast her eyes downwards. She really had no excuse for him. “I don’t know, Dad. I just…I didn’t think of it. Besides, we had had that huge fight right before, and I didn’t think you wanted to talk to me.”

Her father sighed and pulled her into another hug. “Babe, no matter how much we fight, I always want to speak to you. You are my daughter. My blood. My baby girl. You will always have an ear, if you need it.”

She nodded. “I know, Dad. I know.”

A warm hand was placed on her waist and she turned to see Frank behind her, smiling. Her father loosed her, but kept one hand firmly on her shoulder to let her know that she wasn’t going to be getting out of his site for a bit. Behind Frank was his mother, her lips pressed in a thin line. Mascara was smeared around her beautiful hazel eyes that her son obviously inherited. Her dark brown hair was disheveled, where it was obvious that she had nuzzled into her son’s chest.

“Mercy, this is my mom, Linda. Mom, this is Mercy, and her father, Mark,” Frank said, waving a hand to introduce them.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Iero,” she said politely, sticking her hand out for her to shake.

But that was when she was surprised. Instead of shaking her hand, Linda pulled Mercy into a tight hug. Mercy’s body instantly tensed up and her breathing became a little haggard. She sent a pleading look to Frank, who just held up a finger, telling her to just give his mother a second.

“Thank you, Mercy. Thank you so much for saving my son’s life,” Linda whispered.

That hit her like a ton of bricks. Linda actually thought that Mercy saved Frank’s life? Was she insane? The medics saved her son’s life, not Mercy. Mercy got him hurt. If it hadn’t been for her, he wouldn’t have been hurt in the first place. How in the world did she save Frank’s life?

Linda pulled away and took Mercy’s hands in her own. Tears flooded her cheeks, leaving salty wet tracks and smearing her makeup even more. “If it wasn’t for your fast reactions, I’m almost certain that The Faithless would’ve finished my son off. Thank you. Thank you so much. I am eternally grateful for you.”

Mercy gaped at the woman. “I…uh…You’re welcome?”

“Come on. Let’s go home,” Mark leaned down and said quietly in his daughter’s ears. He could tell how uncomfortable she suddenly was.

They all made plans to meet up the following day to discuss what was not only going to be told to the fans, but also to tell their families exactly what had happened, start to finish. It was not something that she was really looking forward to, but she knew it was something that had to be done.

Bob and her father held her hands on the way out to the car. She could tell that her father especially was terrified of something else happening. His blue eyes kept scanning the parking lot, scanning the shadows, expecting something to jump out and attack them. But nothing happened.

At least, nothing they could see.