You Give Love a Bad Name

"Isn't the weather just amazing?"

I looked around me, taking in the hospital's red brick walls along with the many people milling about, and closed my eyes, inhaling the spring air, feeling a gentle breeze ruffle loose strands of hair that escaped from my hat. "Yes. Yes, it is."

It had been one week since I had one-sided heart-to heart with Gerard, and thinks were improving for me at a pleasantly fast pace. Not only was I starting to talk again (even though it was in barely above a whisper), my physical therapy was paying off as well, and I could take more and more steps each day without tiring myself out. Dr. Rae thought that one of the reasons for my speedy recovery were the two-times-a-day walks around the hospital's grounds in a wheelchair with Nurse Georgie, like the one we were on right now. He thought that the fresh air and warm sunlight were doing wonders for me.

"They say that it's going to get even warmer next week," Georgie patted my shoulder, pushing my wheelchair forward. "Too bad that you're signing out on Friday. You're a pleasure to take walks with. My favorite patient by far."

I laughed lightly, feeling amused and flattered at the same time. Throughout my stay at Clara Maass Medical Center, Georgie and I became fast friends due to the fact that she was the only one who I saw on daily bases, besides my brothers, that was close to my age.

"Are you excited about going home?" Georgie asked as we passed a group of nurses coming back from their lunch break, chatting about something with great animation. She chuckled, probably shaking her head in the process. "That was stupid. Of course you are."

I shivered as a gust of chilly air blew past me, making the miniature leaves on almost-bare trees tremble, and pulled the plaid hospital blanket tighter around me, trying to word out what I was thinking without scrambling my words and giving them a meaning that I didn't want. "I am, but it's going to be weird coming back and all. To a regular life. Call me crazy, but all of it seems somewhat distant."

"Of course, it would, honey," Georgie replied behind me. "It's only normal. You have been out for four months."

I bit my lip, tugging the blanket tighter around me. "Yeah...I guess."

Humming quietly, Georgie turned towards the Emergency entrance of the hospital, knowing that I loved the greenery that surrounded it. If I thought hard enough and blocked out the scrubs and the emergency vehicles, it was almost as if I were on one of the family picnics that I used to go on almost every month when I was little.

Closing my eyes, I listened to the chirping of the birds, feeling the sun shine down on my face in gentle rays of warmth. Due to the lack of sunlight while I was in a coma, my skin was extremely pale and porcelain looking, and as much as I used to love the look before, I wanted some color back in my cheeks.

A small and content smile played in my lips as I listened to the crackling noise that resulted when some random pebble flew away from my wheelchair's wheels. Today was the day I would finally see my friends. True, I was still scared that things would be awkward between us and that they would treat me like some prized artifact that was about to break, but I realized that the sooner I was going to see them, the sooner my fears would be either solidify or put to rest.

"Oh, wow, look who I found."

Upon hearing Georgie's surprised voice, I opened my eyes and looked around, immediately taking in what she saw. Gerard was talking on his cellphone with his back turned to us, his hands flying around and trying to prove some point to the person on the other side.

"Do you want to go and surprise him?" Georgie asked eagerly. Even though she was a bit older than him, I suspected that she had small crush on Gerard. Maybe that was one of the reasons I was her 'favorite patient'.

I grinned, tilting back my head to look at her. "Let's do it."

As we neared Gerard, I could hear snippets of his conversation. With a sinking heart, I realized that he sounded pissed off.

"What do you mean you couldn't find him?" he almost yelled into the phone, pacing around like a maniac. "Rhode Island is a pretty small fucking state, you know. What did his aunt say?"

There was silence as Gerard leaned against the trunk of a tree, his back still turned to us, listening intently to the other line. Georgie gulped, stopping a few feet behind him.

"He left." Gerard was talking again, but more quietly this time. "What do you mean he left?" Silence. "Well, does she know where? No?" Longer silence this time. "I know that, Mikey. We were all upset. But unlike Frank, I had to stay here and take care of my family when I found out they were going to take Lena off life support. And trust me, I wanted to run away as well."

Georgie cursed and I felt my eyes grow wide with fear. My heart started beating in erratic pattern as it sank in what he said.

They were going to kill me.

Gerard probably heard Georgie because he spun around, his expression immediately matching mine as he caught sight of me in my wheel chair. I turned away from him, feeling like I was about to cry.

"Mikey," I heard him stutter, "Mikey - no, listen. Mikey! I need to go, okay? If he picks up his phone, tell him to get his ass back to Jersey."

In a split second, Georgie was standing beside me, leaning in so we were face to face. "Are you okay, honey?"

I was looking at the grass with blurred vision, trying to keep my tears from spilling. I couldn't believe that I came this close to never seeing the vegetation that everyone took for granted again. "Not really."

There was a shuffling noise and I could feel Gerard breath on my face. He smelled like cigarettes. "Lena, I'm so sorry, sugar! I didn't mean for you to hear that. I didn't know you were behind me!"

I sniffled and looked at him square in the eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged, looking somewhat guilty. "Because you woke up and everything was okay. I didn't see a reason to trouble you with something like that."

"Yeah, I mean, come on, it's only my life we're talking about," I murmured coldly, my eyebrows furrowing with hurt.

"Listen," Gerard kneeled in front of me and took out a balled wad of tissue paper from his jeans pocket, taking one to wipe away the little wet trails on my cheeks. "Everything is okay now. You're okay. And you're about to see your friends. Mikey and Toro are going to be a little late, though. Now," he gave me one of his cheesy smiles, "how about that grin I love so much?"

I might have ignored his request if he didn't pinch both of my cheeks, cooing like I was some kind of a baby. In spite of myself, I laughed and leaned in for a hug, feeling his arms wrap around my torso. "I hate you."

Gerard kissed my forehead, pulling away. "And I love you, kiddo."

I heard clapping behind me, and turned around to see Georgie looking at us with amusement.

"I always knew that I was missing out on not having any siblings," she chirped coming over to stand beside us with a huge smile on her face. "And people always tell me that I was lucky to be a single child."

"Eh, it has it's perks," Gerard smiled at her, "like not having to fight for the bathroom every single day."

"Don't even," I punched him on the side lightly, with a slight grin playing on my lips. "Remember that petition that Mikey and I made to get you out of there in the mornings?"

Gerard coughed, looking embarrassed. "Don't believe her, Georgie. She might be small, but I'm telling you, she's evil."

"Hey!" I gave him the most offended expression I could muster. "Let's get Mikey over here so he can tell his side of the story!"

Gerard laughed nervously, shooting me a look and then turning towards Georgie. "So, why are you guys out here anyway? Doesn't Lena usually take her strolls later in the afternoon?"

"We were just wrapping up," Georgie replied, going behind my wheelchair and taking a hold of the handles once again, pushing me gently towards the direction that we came from, Gerard walking by our side. "Yeah, she does, but seeing as Lena's having visitors today, we decided to do it a bit earlier."

"Ah, I see," Gerard nodded, absentmindedly taking a pack of cigarettes from the inside of his jacket and instantly putting it away as he caught sight of Georgie's disgusted expression. "That's smart."

"Yeah, it is," Georgie replied, not talking about the walk at all.