Lily Baby.
Chapter 34
Frank’s POV
I felt the tears accumulating in my eyes for the second time today. My skin was stiff from the dried moisture already on my face and the new wave of water trickling down my cheeks actually began to sting.
“Are you alright honey?” a soft voice from above sounded causing me to jump in fright as the noise.
“Yeah… I’m f-fine…”
“You don’t look okay, dear…” a woman said, walking round the side of the steps and sitting down on the staircase with me, “What’s happened?”
“My… girlfriend… she’s not well…” I sniffled, wiping the crystalline drops from my eyes to get a good look of who I was speaking to. She was pretty in an old way, in a way where you’d expect your mom to look like her if she were about ten years younger.
“Oh, I’ve been there sweetie, do you wanna talk?” she smiled weakly.
I nodded slowly, “Y-yes…”
“Shall we get some coffee?”
“N-no coffee!”
“Ha, I understand, I’ve spent enough time here to know what you mean… we’ll stay here then, what happened?”
“I don’t even know your name yet!” I said, quickly.
“It’s Mary Walters,” she smiled kindly, tapping her fingers gently against the hand rail.
“I’m Frank Iero,” I said, awkwardly shaking her hand. The bracelets smothering her wrists jangled loudly. She wore too many; almost as if she wished to hide something…
"I feel like I already know you..." I muttered.
She laughed dryly, "Everyone thinks they know me... So, what happened to your girlfriend?”
“I… I think I hurt her…”
“Your girlfriend?”
“Yes, Lily… her name’s Lily…”
“Okay, so you hurt Lily…”
“Yes… and now she’s in hospital.”
“Frank… you didn’t abuse your girlfriend did you?” she asked awkwardly, her lips curling, her eyes showing genuine concern.
“No!” I almost yelled in her face but managed to restrict myself, I didn’t want another Donna scenario, “I love her!”
“I don’t understand…” she said slowly, and so I told her the entire story, from day one. From the day I first saw her at the tender age of 5, to the day I really saw her. And she listened raptly through it all. And I mean really listened, not just the whole nod and smile and agree type of listen but the real listening that seemed to disappear around the same time that Pokémon cards got real big. After she was clear on all the facts I felt totally free of all the guilt that had been engulfing me for so long. I could finally breathe easily.
“Shall we go see her then?” she asked, “Check she’s okay? You haven’t seen her yet have you?”
I shook my head, “We can’t… I made her mom mad…”
“That shouldn’t stop you getting your girl, Frank.”
It clicked when she said that. No. Donna can’t stop me. No one can stop me… I love Lily, and I’m gonna make sure she’s okay.
“Come on then,” I announced, uncurling my feet from under my body and stretching out, waiting for Mary to stand.
“You want me to come?” she asked incredulously.
“Yeah, I need you as back up,” I said as if it were the most obvious thing ever.
“Back up?”
“If the going gets tough the tough gets going.”
“Please… speak English, Frank.”
“Right, If it gets nasty, and I mean real nasty. Donna can pack a punch, you must yell ‘snake’ and we will get the fuck out of there, okay?” she nodded but it was too much of an epic plan for her to understand really.
So we set off on our journey to Room 247. It’s sad that I memorised the room number.
We were silent the whole way but that’s because we were looking out for the Way’s.
“I think that’s it,” Mary whispered, pointing at a door.
“No way dude,” I scoffed, “She wouldn’t be in the children’s unit.”
But sure enough the door read ‘247, L.Way.’
“That her?” she breathed, gesturing towards the little square window in the door which I promptly looked through.
“Yeah,” I smiled at the sight; it was her. A little worse for wear but it was her.
We eased open the door, trying not to set off any silent alarms or anything and I crept towards her bedside.
“Lil… Lily…”
“Oi! Lily!” Mary yelled.
Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at us in confusion, before realising who I was.
“Frankie?” she murmured, “Frankie…”
“It’s me… Mary! She’s okay!” She smiled back at me, giving me the thumbs up.
“Who are you talking to-”
As she began to speak a nurse in purple scrubs burst through the door and looked around, “Do you have authorisation to be here sir?”
“Um… I…”
“What is your name?”
“Frank Iero.”
She looked at her clipboard and nodded curtly, “That seems quite alright…”
“I don’t think my friend is though…” I said, I hate lying to people, so I thought I ought to own up about Mary.
“What friend?”
“Mary Walters.”
“Mr Iero… we had a patient called Mary Walters here this morning, before Miss Way arrived… she died this morning…”
I felt the tears accumulating in my eyes for the second time today. My skin was stiff from the dried moisture already on my face and the new wave of water trickling down my cheeks actually began to sting.
“Are you alright honey?” a soft voice from above sounded causing me to jump in fright as the noise.
“Yeah… I’m f-fine…”
“You don’t look okay, dear…” a woman said, walking round the side of the steps and sitting down on the staircase with me, “What’s happened?”
“My… girlfriend… she’s not well…” I sniffled, wiping the crystalline drops from my eyes to get a good look of who I was speaking to. She was pretty in an old way, in a way where you’d expect your mom to look like her if she were about ten years younger.
“Oh, I’ve been there sweetie, do you wanna talk?” she smiled weakly.
I nodded slowly, “Y-yes…”
“Shall we get some coffee?”
“N-no coffee!”
“Ha, I understand, I’ve spent enough time here to know what you mean… we’ll stay here then, what happened?”
“I don’t even know your name yet!” I said, quickly.
“It’s Mary Walters,” she smiled kindly, tapping her fingers gently against the hand rail.
“I’m Frank Iero,” I said, awkwardly shaking her hand. The bracelets smothering her wrists jangled loudly. She wore too many; almost as if she wished to hide something…
"I feel like I already know you..." I muttered.
She laughed dryly, "Everyone thinks they know me... So, what happened to your girlfriend?”
“I… I think I hurt her…”
“Your girlfriend?”
“Yes, Lily… her name’s Lily…”
“Okay, so you hurt Lily…”
“Yes… and now she’s in hospital.”
“Frank… you didn’t abuse your girlfriend did you?” she asked awkwardly, her lips curling, her eyes showing genuine concern.
“No!” I almost yelled in her face but managed to restrict myself, I didn’t want another Donna scenario, “I love her!”
“I don’t understand…” she said slowly, and so I told her the entire story, from day one. From the day I first saw her at the tender age of 5, to the day I really saw her. And she listened raptly through it all. And I mean really listened, not just the whole nod and smile and agree type of listen but the real listening that seemed to disappear around the same time that Pokémon cards got real big. After she was clear on all the facts I felt totally free of all the guilt that had been engulfing me for so long. I could finally breathe easily.
“Shall we go see her then?” she asked, “Check she’s okay? You haven’t seen her yet have you?”
I shook my head, “We can’t… I made her mom mad…”
“That shouldn’t stop you getting your girl, Frank.”
It clicked when she said that. No. Donna can’t stop me. No one can stop me… I love Lily, and I’m gonna make sure she’s okay.
“Come on then,” I announced, uncurling my feet from under my body and stretching out, waiting for Mary to stand.
“You want me to come?” she asked incredulously.
“Yeah, I need you as back up,” I said as if it were the most obvious thing ever.
“Back up?”
“If the going gets tough the tough gets going.”
“Please… speak English, Frank.”
“Right, If it gets nasty, and I mean real nasty. Donna can pack a punch, you must yell ‘snake’ and we will get the fuck out of there, okay?” she nodded but it was too much of an epic plan for her to understand really.
So we set off on our journey to Room 247. It’s sad that I memorised the room number.
We were silent the whole way but that’s because we were looking out for the Way’s.
“I think that’s it,” Mary whispered, pointing at a door.
“No way dude,” I scoffed, “She wouldn’t be in the children’s unit.”
But sure enough the door read ‘247, L.Way.’
“That her?” she breathed, gesturing towards the little square window in the door which I promptly looked through.
“Yeah,” I smiled at the sight; it was her. A little worse for wear but it was her.
We eased open the door, trying not to set off any silent alarms or anything and I crept towards her bedside.
“Lil… Lily…”
“Oi! Lily!” Mary yelled.
Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at us in confusion, before realising who I was.
“Frankie?” she murmured, “Frankie…”
“It’s me… Mary! She’s okay!” She smiled back at me, giving me the thumbs up.
“Who are you talking to-”
As she began to speak a nurse in purple scrubs burst through the door and looked around, “Do you have authorisation to be here sir?”
“Um… I…”
“What is your name?”
“Frank Iero.”
She looked at her clipboard and nodded curtly, “That seems quite alright…”
“I don’t think my friend is though…” I said, I hate lying to people, so I thought I ought to own up about Mary.
“What friend?”
“Mary Walters.”
“Mr Iero… we had a patient called Mary Walters here this morning, before Miss Way arrived… she died this morning…”
♠ ♠ ♠
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