Gravity Don't Mean Too Much to Me

Lyndsey sat next to her husband as they watched their daughter be questioned from the opposite side of the room. The Police Officers had refused to let them stay with her whilst they talked to her, but they had allowed them to stay in the same room.

They were sat in a different, much smaller and more peaceful waiting room, where only one other person was present. That other person was a Nurse who seemed to be writing furiously on his notepad. He looked young, and Lyndsey assumed he was knew to his profession from the panicked expression on his face. She wondered what he had done wrong to make him look so stressed.

She wasn't able to hear her daughter, as the Police Officers made sure to talk so quietly that Lyndsey could have sworn they were whispering. As the minuets went by Lyndsey grew even more impatient, and she could tell Gerard was feeling the same.

She felt Gerard take hold of her hand. She stiffened and thought about what had happened. All she had been able to think about since was how Bandit had been treated. She wasn't angry about what her daughter had done back, the little bully deserved it. As far as she knew, Bandit hadn't done anything to her.

She felt incredibly guilty. How could she have let this happen? She should have noticed something wrong with Bandit, should've noticed the way she would avoid completely answering questions about school, how she hadn't asked for either of her friends to come round recently, and how she had been too scared to ask for help.

She wondered what Vicky had exactly done to her, but the very thought made her feel sick. Imagining her daughter being hurt in any way was too painful to think of, so she decided she'd ask Bandit about that later. She'd have to talk to her and apologise for everything, and once she had talked to Bandit, she would find out exactly how that girl had been tormenting her and would do it twice as hard back.

Lyndsey didn't care if she got arrested, she'd make that girl suffer for everything. She'd not only hurt her daughter, but she'd also landed Frank in a lot of trouble. If Frank was made to blame for this in the long run, Vicky wouldn't live to see another day. Lyndsey smiled.

Gerard saw the look on her face. "What?"

Lyndsey shook her head. "I was just imagining all the things I'm going to do to that little bitch as soon as she gets out of here."

He chuckled. "I'd like to see whatever's going on in there then." He tapped her head playfully. "My imagination is limited, I find it much more practical to do it for real."

Lyndsey winked. "Then we will." She paused. "Are we bad parents?"

Gerard didn't need an explanation for the question. He knew his wife enough to know what she was worried about. "No. Bandit's a very clever little girl, she was able to hold her emotions. There was no way we could see that anything was wrong. Y'know the strongest people are the ones who can hide away what they feel with a smile."

"That doesn't make it right, she shouldn't have to feel like she can't talk to us."

"I know. Believe me, I do." Gerard winced as he remembered what he had gone through with his alcohol addiction in the early days of My Chemical Romance. "I swore I'd never let that happen to her. I swear, I'll make that girl pay."

"Not to mention what she's done to Frank." Lyndsey looked at Bandit and saw that she had been looking their way too.

Gerard followed her gaze and forced a smile. Bandit smiled back. "Don't worry, Frank will be fine. I'm going to make sure everything is back as it was, as it should be."

Lyndsey looked down at her stomach. "If we can't even defend the child we have now-"

"-we will." Gerard pulled his gaze away from their daughter and looked Lyndsey straight in the eye. "I'll make sure of it."

Lyndsey nodded and saw that the Police Officers were standing up. They nodded in their direction and said something to Bandit before leaving. Bandit made her way over to her parents, and Lyndsey felt the guilt return.

"Alright, honey?" She asked, forcing herself to smile. Bandit nodded but didn't smile back.

"They were nice to you, were they?" Gerard asked, taking hold of Bandit's hand as they made their way back to the other waiting room.

"Yeah." Bandit squeaked.

Gerard and Lyndsey looked at each other in concern. Bandit had never been so quiet. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

Bandit looked at her father and nodded. Lyndsey felt a sense of dread as she looked at her daughter, she had never been this quiet, and she knew how bullying could effect some people. She had seen far too many stories about children who had felt so alone that they had taken their own lives, and she cringed as she thought about it. She would never let Bandit feel so alone, so she had to fix this now.

Lyndsey knelt down next to Bandit as they reached the other waiting room. Frank stood just in from of them as they came through the doors, so Gerard walked over to him and began talking to him I'm hushed tones. Lyndsey knew they were talking about Vicky's parents pressing charges.

"How is the baby?"

Lyndsey almost didn't realise that Bandit was talking to her, and for a second she had forgotten all about the Doctor's appointment she had been dreading so much just a few hours ago. Her worries back then seemed ridiculous compared to what was happening now.

"The baby is just fine. Completely healthy." Lyndsey saw her daughter beam as she looked down at her mother's stomach, and for a second she forgot about why she had actually wanted to talk to her.

"He's going to be beautiful." Bandit smiled, looking a thousand times happier than she had a few minuets ago.

"He?" Lyndsey asked; "How do you know it's going to be a he?"

Bandit blushed. "I just always wanted a little brother."

Lyndsey felt the guilt return. "You have?"

Bandit nodded. How could she have not known this? What kind of mother was she? Lyndsey began to doubt her parenting skills, which brought her to remember why she had started talking to her in the first place.

"B, we need to talk." Lyndsey led Bandit to a chair in the room and sat down next to her. Gerard came and whispered that he and Frank were going to talk to Vicky's Nurse one more time before they left.

"What is it Mom?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"I know, B." She sighed. "I love you, and that's why I feel upset now that you felt you couldn't come to me with your problems. I'm your Mom, you can tell me anything, you know that."

Her daughter looked down at her feet. Lyndsey knew that it was going to be hard for Bandit to talk about, but she needed to know what she had been through. She didn't want anymore secrets between them.

She pulled back a piece of Bandit's hair and put it behind her ear. "I was bullied once when I was younger. People didn't like me because I dressed differently and liked different music to them. They'd call me names, hit me, and I'd keep it to myself. I'd just let them walk all over me." Bandit was now listening intently. "But one day, I realised that keeping all these secrets, hiding the bruises from my parents was bad for me. I started to feel lonely, and I started to believe the things they were telling me. So I told my Mom everything. And you know what?"

Bandit shook her head. "I felt so much better after I had. You see, I used to think that if I told my Mom about them, it'd only get worse. When in fact, everything got so much better." Her daughter looked relived. "I know things can look tough, but I just want you to know that I'm here for you. I know I went a little crazy before when she hurt you, but I promise I'll be more mature and sort things out in the right way. You know what it's like when you're angry, don't you? You just lash out."

"Yeah, I do." Bandit laughed, obviously remembering how she had scratched Vicky's face. Lyndsey couldn't hell but smile back.

"As funny as it is, and as satisfying as it was, it's not the right answer, I know. If you'll let me, I can make things better. You just have to tell me what she's been doing to you. I know it's painful. Trust me, please."

For a second Lyndsey didn't expect her daughter to say anything.

"I trust you, Mom." Bandit smiled, taking hold of her mother's hand. "I'll tell you everything, if you promise you won't be mad."

Lyndsey gulped. "I promise."

This was the moment. She was about to hear, in detail, what that horrible girl had done to her daughter. Lyndsey braced herself for the worst. She knew that she had promised not to freak out, but she knew that with her temper, she might break into Vicky's room and give her something to complain about.

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Gerard followed Frank down the corridor, feeling anxious.

Frank had told him that they needed to do this, that Gerard needed to see the girl, but he couldn't help but feel like he was betraying Lyndsey by going to see her. This girl had hurt their daughter on multiple occasions, why should he care about how hurt she was?

But of course he knew Frank was right. Maybe there was a reason Vicky was treating Bandit that way. The reason may not justify what she did, but maybe then Gerard could understand why anyone would want to hurt someone as pure as his daughter.

The Doctor had suggested he go see her too, as if charges were made against Frank, Gerard would have at least seen the injuries that had been supposedly inflicted on her.

He would have to keep his calm though. That was the hard part.

Words could not describe the anger he felt towards this girl who he had never met, but from Frank and Lyndsey's descriptions, she sounded like a brat.

They stood outside the door to her room, 'Room 104'. Frank smiled reassuringly at Gerard, but he noticed Frank clench his fists tight as he opened the door.

Gerard gasped as he saw the sight of the little girl in front of him. His anger seemed to drain within an instant. Guilt clawed at his stomach as he took in the cuts and bruises that covered her tiny face, and all he could think about was how this was another man's daughter. He felt like he was going to throw up when he peered at her arm.

Her tiny arm was wrapped in multiple layers, with a pink cast on top. It hung in a sling hanging above the girl's bed, which looked extremely uncomfortable. The girl's long ginger hair was tangled, but had been pushed back behind her face. She looked extremely pale, even more pale than Bandit, who Gerard had always thought of as pale.

The girl had false nails on, which was odd for Gerard to notice, but they were so long they were hard to miss. Wasn't this girl only Bandit's age? Why was she wearing those?

Frank cleared his throat. The girl looked up in complete and utter terror, whimpering softly. Frank scoffed, but Gerard couldn't stop picturing her as Bandit.

"Mr Way would like to talk to you," Frank informed her, patting Gerard's shoulder.

Her eyes darted between the two of them. "I want my parents."

Gerard heard Frank tut. "I told you they won't be here until later. Your dad's stuck in a business meeting and your mom is hell knows where."

Gerard saw the little girl flinch. "Do they know what's happened?"

"They know your version of the story, yes." Snapped Frank. Gerard tried to stop him from going too far, he knew Frank was in enough trouble as it was.

The girl looked at Gerard. All he could focus on were her small green eyes. They looked so innocent.

"My parents wouldn't want you in the same room as me."

Frank looked livid. Gerard could see why, the girl had started to reach for the call button with her free arm. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. The Doctor knows he's come to visit you."

Frank nodded towards him. Gerard couldn't find the words to speak.

"Okay, but they don't know you're in here. I want you out."

Frank looked liked he were about to argue but clearly thought better of it. He patted Gerard on the shoulder one more time and left the room.

Gerard's palms began to sweat as she watched him. He could see there was a chair next to her bed, so he slowly walked over to it and sat down. He could see that she was just as nervous as he was. He remembered why, and he suddenly felt some of his anger return. However, he couldn't be as angry as he had been before, which he didn't understand.

"Vicky, isn't it?" His voice sounded distant as he began. The girl nodded.

He didn't know where to begin. Should he tell her how angry he was? After all, she had hurt his little girl. But she was only a little girl herself, there had to be another way to deal with this, didn't there? The question was, did this girl deserve a third chance?

No. Gerard knew she didn't and yet he found it hard to find the right words to say. "Why? Why did you do it?"

The girl looked at him confused. After a few minuets, she whispered; "I don't know."

He wanted to scream at her right there. Scream and ask her why she had dared to lay a finger on one of the most important women in his life, but he saw an opportunity. There was something interesting about this girl, and he wanted to see if he could find out the cause of her actions. Gerard knew Lyndsey would kill him for not killing her.

"My daughter means the world to me. It kills me to see her getting hurt. Do you understand?"

"Yes." She whispered.

Gerard had yet to see the 'brat of a girl' that had been described to him before. "Then why did you hurt her? What did she do to you?"

The girl looked away, but then said; "My parents should be here by now. When they arrive, I can tell them what happened."

"What did happen?"

She paused. She seemed to be deciding what to say. "He pushed me."

Gerard felt a bit of his sympathy for her drain. "Why are lying? Frank didn't hurt you."

"He did."

Gerard paused. How could he get the truth from this girl? "Look, Frank is my friend. You can't do this to him. Do you know what it's like in Jail? It isn't nice. I know you two didn't get along well when you first met, but you have to let it go."

"No!" Cried Vicky, "I can't and I won't! She gets everything, everything! Why can't I win for once?"

"Win?" He asked, growing more anxious by the second. The girl Lyndsey had described was beginning to show herself.

"Bandit thinks she's better than everyone because she has the famous Dad, but no one really cares. She has a family, she has everything I want and she takes it for granted!"

Aha. Now Gerard understood. He carefully choose his words. "You have a family."

Vicky scoffed. "Me? My parents hardly ever see me. Daddy's always on a business trip and Sheila's always at the bar."

"Sheila?"

"She's my step Mom."

Gerard felt himself grow even more guilty looking at the small girl. "Where's your Mom?"

Vicky paused. She looked at the door as if checking no one was listening. "She's.. She isn't.. She passed away."

"I'm so sorry." He whispered. Gerard knew what it was like to loose someone so close to you, he knew all too well.

"You aren't sorry. None of you are."

Gerard realised that the girl was crying. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't dare go anywhere near her. He finally knew why she had been so cruel to his daughter. It didn't make him any less angry at her, but it explained why it had happened.

Suddenly, the door flew open and a Doctor and Policemen walked in. Their faces flashed with horror as they saw Gerard sat by the girl's bed.

"You! Get over here, now!"