Hit and Run

Delia stopped and stared at Nadine, "Wha-what?"

"He... Bob is dead," she cried out, forcing down a sob.

Delia blinked and tumbled to the floor, burying her face in the dingy carpet, "N-no! NO!" she yelled.

Nadine dropped the phone from her shaking grasp and knelt next to her friend, wrapping her arms around her, rocking her gently. Delia began to shake; hot, salty tears streaking across her face. "Th-this c-can't be true!" she howled.

Nadine sighed, wiping away her own tears. They had cried like this only days before, their chests filled with the same gut-wrenching guilt. Delia lifted her head, staring at Nadine with desperate eyes, "Did they do anything?"

Nadine felt her face fall, "They tried... he just collapsed and 4 minutes later was pronounced dead." she explained shakily.

Delia banged her fists against the floor, "No! Not my fucking brother! He's all I fucking have, Nadine!"

Nadine lowered her head to her breasts, "I... I don't know what to say, Del."

Delia let out another wave of heavy sobs, covering her reddened face with her slender hands. She looked up quickly, surveying the room, everything reminded her of Bob... so she wanted to get rid of it. She sprang up and began to rip all the pictures from the walls, smashing the frames and tearing the pictures out. Nadine shot up and tried to stop her friend, watching as she tore up the living room, destroying the few precious things her and Bob shared. Nadine finally grabbed her arms and snapped her to the floor. "Del! Stop! You need to calm down!"

Delia turned around forcefully, "Calm down? CALM DOWN!? YOU FUCKING CALM DOWN!" she snapped, racing up the stairs.

A series of crashes and screams erupted from Bob's room. Nadine hopped up the steps and saw Delia dismantling her brother's room. She ran forward and grabbed her by her middle, tossing her onto the bed. She straddled her middle and braced her wrists against the bed, "Delia, calm down!"

Delia looked up at Nadine; soft, pearl-like tears slipping from the corners of her eyes, "H-he can't be d-de-dead."

Nadine sighed and turned away, loosing her grip, "I know, but... he is. And, nothing we did could have stopped it."

Delia sniffed slightly, "What caused it?"

Nadine screwed her face in thought, "Brain aneurysm I think..."

Delia smiled gently, "At least it was pain free."

Nadine smiled gently, "Yeah..."

Delia sat up a bit, and looked around the room, "I don't wanna clean all this." she sighed.

Nadine gave a wicked giggle, "Let's make Gerard do it."

Delia laughed gently, but then her face sank in pure panic and she shot from the room and out the door. Nadine felt puzzled for a moment but followed, spotting Delia running full sprint back to the park. She followed behind, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. She had barely reached the perimeter when Delia emerged from a thicket of trees, hoisting Gerard onto her shoulder. Nadine rushed over, "Oh my god, what happened?"

Delia looked up, "He's cut himself."

Nadine's heart plummeted, "No..."

"it's not bad, but there's a lot of cuts and they're jagged." Delia explained solemnly.

Nadine her head and picked her Gerard's chin with her fingers, staring into his filmy eyes, "Why baby?"

"Cuz I'm a fucking disappointment," he slurred, slumping onto Delia's shoulder.

Nadine turned away, "I didn't mean to say any of that Gerard... I'm sorry."

Gerard looked up, "R-really?"

Nadine nodded and then looked over at Delia, "Umm, Gee... I have some really bad news."

Gerard blinked back tears, "I know about Bob... its one of the reasons I... well, you know."

Delia nodded slowly and picked Gerard up again, "Let's get you home and cleaned up."

Gerard nodded weakly and walked with some assistance from the girls. They toddled inside and Delia set Gerard on the lumpy couch. She went into the adjacent bathroom and pulled the tin first-aid kit form underneath the sink. A stray tear fell down her cheek as she walked into the living room. "This might sting a little," she murmered, unscrewing a bottle of alcohol.

Gerard braced himself as Delia doused a cloth and pressed it dripping to his bleeding wounds. "OW! Motherfuck!" he yelped, clenching his fists.

Delia held back a few tears and continued to clean the wounds. She glanced down at them, and gagged. They looked horrible, the egdes were jagged and torn, and his entire thigh was blood red. She tossed teh soiled rag behind her and placed a pad of gauze on the wound, applying some antiseptic ointment so it would stick. Gerard winced slightly at the pressure, but didn't make much sound. Delia's shoulders shook slightly, and more pearls feel from her eyes. She pushed them back and wrapped cloth bandages around his leg. She chest convulsed slightly, causing her breath the hitch. She dropped the roll and it bounced across the floor, leaving a white trail as it did so. "Del?" Gerard asked gently.

A sob spilled from her mouth, and she soon found herself lying on the floor, crying harder than she ever had. Everything crashed into her at one, like a semi truck, cuasing her body to shut down. She lay there, gasping for air and shaking from her sobs, and all she manged to get out was, "I can fix you, but not Bob!"

Gerard lowered his gaze and wrapped up the rest on the bandage, before picking up Delia and cradling her in his lap, "I know, sweetie... I know..."

He felt the sting on his eyes as well, the death of Mikey still very fresh in his mind. He rocked her gently, singing 'Helena" in her ear. Nadine watched from the kitchen, crying silently to herself.

They needed to get away... New Jersey wasn't home anymore.
***********************
Gerard lead Delia quietly down the long hallway, shuffling his feet across the tiles. The nurses all gave them peculiar looks, why would a grown man be leading a teenage girl to the morgue? His shoes padded quietly along, their gentle lullaby embedding themselves into the think hospital walls. Delia clung to his arm, tears threatening to spill from her topaz eyes. Gerard cast his gaze downward, seeing the broken girl cling to him as if was all she had left in the world. And that when he realized it... it was all she had left. Bob was all anyone had left. The band would utterly collapse now. "De..." he started, but found his tongue had swollen to the roof of his mouth, so he kept his words back.

But Delia looked up, "Yes Gee?"

He panicked, "I'm sorry..."

Delia looked down at the dirty floor, "I know... me too."

The passed through another vacant corridor, doors and pale faces lining against the walls, like some sort of firing squad. Delia shuddered involuntarily, and tugged on Gerard's shirt. "i Changed my mind... I don't wanna do this." she begged.

Gerard sighed, "Sweetie, you have too... the hospital needs you too..."

She held back a sob, "B-but... they we're th-there when he... died."

Gerard sighed, moving his hand from her shoulder to her back, "I know... I know." he whispered, running his finger down her spine.

Finally, the hallway ended. A large steel door stood in front of them, a tarnished sign reading "morgue" hanging haphazardly above the thresh hold. Delia let out a shaky breath, closing her eyes as she pushed the door open. Gerard followed behind her, staying close to the wall as Delia approached the center of the empty room. "Hello? I-I'm here about my brother..." she called, her shaky voice echoing across the room.

A young mouse-faced man appeared from behind an unseen door, Oh... Bryar right?" he asked, wringing his sweaty hands.

Delia nodded, a look of concern and nervousness washing over her face. The man smiled and darted back into the other room. Delia turned, looking at Gerard, who shrugged and went back to staring at his feet. There was a strange creaking noise, and the man brought a metal table on wheels out, "You're lucky.. his autopsy is in an hour."

Delia nodded, feeling bile ball up in her throat. The man removed a plastic sheet, revealing Bob's face, a sick purple tint washing over his skin. Delia made an odd choking noise, clasping her hands to her mouth, "B-bobert?" she half-cried.

She ran her fingers down his face, his skin felt rubbery and cold. Tears leaked out of her eyes and her hand traveled downwards, tracing along his jaw line. A squeak escaped her throat and she moved up to his hair, stroking it beneath her fingers. "Wh-why bob? Why did you go?"

She cried harder, her voice going higher in pitch, "Come back... god, come back."

She collapsed onto his chest, sobbing bitterly and digging her nails into his dead flesh. "HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed.

She pounded her hands into him, the last bits of her strength slowly draining away. She felt a strong set of arms wrap around her middle, and looked up to see Gerard kissing her hair, crying as well. She struggled against him, "let go! I wanna be with Bob!" she screamed.

"He's dead Delia..." Gerard whimpered, the weight of the words crashing into his chest.

Delia sobbed, "N-no! He's right there! WAKE UP!"

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UUUUUUUUUP!"

Her body gave away, and she crashed to the ground, her quivering form curling into a ball. Gerard gasped and knelt next to her, "Delia?"

She cried out, shaking as his hands scooped her up. He rocked her gently, whispering, "Shhh... It's over Delia... He's gone."

She cried into his chest, gripping onto his thin shirt, "It's not over, Gee.. He's right there, he just has to wake up." she pleaded.

Gerard sighed gently, rubbing her back, "He's not going to wake up, sweetie."

Delia cried harder, her throat and eyes bloodshot and raw, "Yes he is... we just have to wait."

Gerard sighed, "Del, look at me."

She lifted her eyes, staring into his, "He's gone, and he's not going to wake up. But he's still here, and he's still with you."

Delia sniffed, looking back at the table, "But I don't want him to go yet, Ger."

He sighed, a new set of tears bubbling in his eyes, "I-I know... but these things happen, and we have to carry on."

She let out one last sob, reaching out to her brother, "I love you Bob... I love you..."

She snuggled into Gerard's chest, her exhausted body finally shutting down. Gerard picked up her body, cradling it in his arms. He gave a look to the doctor, before carrying her out of the morgue. Delia shook quietly, her face relaxing as her body succumbed to fatigue. Gerard walked aimlessly around, trying to find a familiar face. Delia grew heavier and heavier in his arms, and his weak arms quivered softly. "Ray? Frank? Deeny?" he asked quietly.

A nurse stopped him, taking Delia from his arms. He blinked at her, as a another came forward and began to prod at his face and chest, "H-Hey stop it!"

The nurse ignored him, pressing down on his shoulder. His knees gave out, and he fell onto the bed. He saw Delia laying next him, her chest rising choppily. They pulled a curtain around her, blocking Gerard's view of her. "Hey! What's going on! What are you doing?"

A nurse appeared before him, "It's alright now sir."

"But there's nothing wrong with me..."

The nurse laughed softly, "Shhh, you're going to be okay."

He looked up at her as she pulled a syringe from her pocket. Gerard gulped, "Please, miss... I think you're confused." he begged.

Her smile grew more vicious, "it's alright now Gerard."

She plunged the needle into his chest, and his world melted form his vision.