So Long and Good Night
Frank
"911. What's your emergency.
"There's been a wreck, my boyfriend, he's unconscious."
"Okay sir, just calm down. Are you hurt?"
"No! Just please get an ambulance out here!"
"Where are you."
"Just south out of Manhattan."
"Do you know what highway your on."
"No. Oh my God. Hurry please."
"The paramedics are on their way, was there any one else involved in this crash?"
"Yeah, we were hit."
"Is the other driver out of the car?"
"Yeah, she's fine. She's on the phone right now. Goddamn it we need someone here now!"
"The ambulance is just a few minutes from you sir. Can you tell me your name?"
"Frank."
"Alright Frank, and what is your boyfriend's name."
"Gerard."
"Alright, I need you to go over and check his pulse for me."
"It's barely there in his neck."
"Okay, how's his breathing?"
"Shallow. He's struggling. I hear the ambulance."
"Okay, I'm going to hang up, then you explain what happened to them okay hon?"
"Alright."
And that was it, the last conversation I have clear memory of. Everything after that fucking call ended just passed by in a blur. Nothing was real and nothing seemed to be happening. It was a simple dream that had turned into my worst nightmare as the paramedics got Gerard out of the car and onto the stretcher, loading him into that ambulance.
"I'm sorry sir, you can't ride in the back."
"He's me boyfriend. Please, just let me in."
"You're going to have to ride in the cab." the man said, shooting me an urgently apologetic look. I nodded and rushed to the passenger's side, stepping in.
"Can you explain to me what happened?" the driver asked, snapping me out of a total daze.
"We...we were pulled over trying to figure out a map on my phone." I lied.
"Where were you two headed?"
"Nowhere specific, we were just driving with a slim knowledge of where we were going."
"Alright, well what happened after that."
"He was pulling back out onto the road when this lady came from no where and hit us. I was able to get out of the car but Gerard was driving and his side took most of the blow." I finished in a whisper. This was the first of many endless times this stupid accident would play through my head.
"Was the other driver distracted?"
"Yeah, she was texting." I whispered. The voice that came out of my mouth wasn't my own as I sat there, floating in and out of reality. The tears flowing endlessly down my cheeks.
"He's stable but he's not doing very well." one of the men called from the back.
"Alright, we're almost there." replied the Driver.
He looked at me. "Everything is going to be fine."
***
"I'm sorry sir, you can't come back. You need to wait out here. The doctor will be out soon to tell you how he's doing." the nurse said, holding me back from following the stretcher back. Her fingernails were digging into my arms.
"Please, just let me see him." I pleaded, salty tears rushing down my cheeks.
"Okay, but then you really need to wait our here." said the woman. She releasing her grip on me. I followed her down the dingy white hallways. They never seamed to end as the stench of disinfectant wipes and wilting flowers met me with every room we passed.
"I'll give you 5 minutes." the nurse told me, holding open the door to Gerard's room.
I walked in and the tears only increased.
There he was, laying there in the middle of white while he was nothing but red. Streams of blood dried up on his road rash and scratch-quilted face. He was already hooked up to machines, breathing for his incapable body, monitoring his heartbeat, his blood flow.
I sat in the chair next to him slowly, taking his limp hand gently in mine.
"Gerard please. Stay with me. I need you. Baby please." I sobbed, resting my forehead on his stomach.
I was startled out of my state by his cell phone vibrating in the table right next to me. \
"Hello?"
"Gerard-"
"No this is Frank."
"Oh, Frank. Well you were with Gerard. Could you explain to me why there is a trail of rose pedals leading from the foyer to the lounge?"
"Oh shit. I'm sorry Jim, we forgot to get them cleaned up."
"Oh alright. Well just wanted to make sure they were left by someone. I'll have them cleaned up."
"Alright thanks man. I'll talk to you later." I finished before he could say another word and ended the call. I looked up to see the doctor nurse standing in the doorway. She didn't have to say a word and I was out of the room.
"When will there be a doctor in his room?" I asked once we were back in the waiting area.
"There should be one in there now. He looked like he had a few broken bones so they are sending him for a full body scan just to be safe."
"Okay. When will i be able to see him again."
"It's hard to say. But it should be sometime this evening." she smiled politely before walking off behind on of the curtains.
I sat down in one of the chairs, still not feeling like I was in reality, but I knew I was. Everything just like a long nightmare that I would wake from. I would be laying in bed with Gerard right by my side, perfectly fine. But I knew that wouldn't happen.
"I looked down at the phone in my hand. I needed to call Mikey and tell him what happened.
***
"Hello?"
"Hey, Mikey?"
"Yeah, who is this?"
"Frank."
"Why are calling from Gerard's phone?"
"Because I don't have your phone number and I needed you to answer. Gerard is in the hospital?"
"Wait what?! Why?!"
"There was a car accident. He's in pretty bad shape Mikey."
"Where are you guys?"
"Lincoln Front on Memorial Drive."
"Alright, Alicia and I will be there soon." Mikey said, hanging up the phone.
***
"Frankie." Mikey nearly shouted, snapping me from yet another daze.
"Hey." I half smiled, standing up and hugging Mikey and then Alicia.
"How is he?"
"I don't know, they only let me see him for a few minutes when we first got here. The nurse told me they were giving him a full body scan to check for broken bones." And with that simple statement, the floodgates overflowed and tears slid down my stained cheeks.
Alicia came back over and wrapped her arms around my ridge body, her hands moving slowly up and down my back.
"Hey, are you the doctor for Gerard?"
"The young man that came in from the automobile accident?" the doctor asked, looking at Mikey.
"Yeah, him. How is he?"
"Oh he's stable and doing better than when he came in. We took him off the ventilator and he appears to be breathing fine on his own."
"C-can we go see him?" I asked, looking up from Alicia's shoulder and over to the doctor.
"I think we can allow that." he half smiled, leading all three of us down the same hallway adn into Gerard's room.
"You can talk to him, he can hear you. And if he responds to any touch, like squeezing your hand or wiggling his fingers and toes on command, let us know alright?" the doctor asked, standing in the doorway ready to leave us alone.
"Will do Doctor." Mikey smiled, letting me walk over to the bed first.
"Hey sugar." I whispered, sitting down in the same chair and grabbing his hand, rubbing my thumb along the back.
"Hey Party Poison, looks like you got a little roughed up by Fun Ghoul." Mikey smiled, sitting on the opposite of the bed.
"You have no idea." Gerard whispered, his eyes fluttering open.
"There's been a wreck, my boyfriend, he's unconscious."
"Okay sir, just calm down. Are you hurt?"
"No! Just please get an ambulance out here!"
"Where are you."
"Just south out of Manhattan."
"Do you know what highway your on."
"No. Oh my God. Hurry please."
"The paramedics are on their way, was there any one else involved in this crash?"
"Yeah, we were hit."
"Is the other driver out of the car?"
"Yeah, she's fine. She's on the phone right now. Goddamn it we need someone here now!"
"The ambulance is just a few minutes from you sir. Can you tell me your name?"
"Frank."
"Alright Frank, and what is your boyfriend's name."
"Gerard."
"Alright, I need you to go over and check his pulse for me."
"It's barely there in his neck."
"Okay, how's his breathing?"
"Shallow. He's struggling. I hear the ambulance."
"Okay, I'm going to hang up, then you explain what happened to them okay hon?"
"Alright."
And that was it, the last conversation I have clear memory of. Everything after that fucking call ended just passed by in a blur. Nothing was real and nothing seemed to be happening. It was a simple dream that had turned into my worst nightmare as the paramedics got Gerard out of the car and onto the stretcher, loading him into that ambulance.
"I'm sorry sir, you can't ride in the back."
"He's me boyfriend. Please, just let me in."
"You're going to have to ride in the cab." the man said, shooting me an urgently apologetic look. I nodded and rushed to the passenger's side, stepping in.
"Can you explain to me what happened?" the driver asked, snapping me out of a total daze.
"We...we were pulled over trying to figure out a map on my phone." I lied.
"Where were you two headed?"
"Nowhere specific, we were just driving with a slim knowledge of where we were going."
"Alright, well what happened after that."
"He was pulling back out onto the road when this lady came from no where and hit us. I was able to get out of the car but Gerard was driving and his side took most of the blow." I finished in a whisper. This was the first of many endless times this stupid accident would play through my head.
"Was the other driver distracted?"
"Yeah, she was texting." I whispered. The voice that came out of my mouth wasn't my own as I sat there, floating in and out of reality. The tears flowing endlessly down my cheeks.
"He's stable but he's not doing very well." one of the men called from the back.
"Alright, we're almost there." replied the Driver.
He looked at me. "Everything is going to be fine."
***
"I'm sorry sir, you can't come back. You need to wait out here. The doctor will be out soon to tell you how he's doing." the nurse said, holding me back from following the stretcher back. Her fingernails were digging into my arms.
"Please, just let me see him." I pleaded, salty tears rushing down my cheeks.
"Okay, but then you really need to wait our here." said the woman. She releasing her grip on me. I followed her down the dingy white hallways. They never seamed to end as the stench of disinfectant wipes and wilting flowers met me with every room we passed.
"I'll give you 5 minutes." the nurse told me, holding open the door to Gerard's room.
I walked in and the tears only increased.
There he was, laying there in the middle of white while he was nothing but red. Streams of blood dried up on his road rash and scratch-quilted face. He was already hooked up to machines, breathing for his incapable body, monitoring his heartbeat, his blood flow.
I sat in the chair next to him slowly, taking his limp hand gently in mine.
"Gerard please. Stay with me. I need you. Baby please." I sobbed, resting my forehead on his stomach.
I was startled out of my state by his cell phone vibrating in the table right next to me. \
"Hello?"
"Gerard-"
"No this is Frank."
"Oh, Frank. Well you were with Gerard. Could you explain to me why there is a trail of rose pedals leading from the foyer to the lounge?"
"Oh shit. I'm sorry Jim, we forgot to get them cleaned up."
"Oh alright. Well just wanted to make sure they were left by someone. I'll have them cleaned up."
"Alright thanks man. I'll talk to you later." I finished before he could say another word and ended the call. I looked up to see the doctor nurse standing in the doorway. She didn't have to say a word and I was out of the room.
"When will there be a doctor in his room?" I asked once we were back in the waiting area.
"There should be one in there now. He looked like he had a few broken bones so they are sending him for a full body scan just to be safe."
"Okay. When will i be able to see him again."
"It's hard to say. But it should be sometime this evening." she smiled politely before walking off behind on of the curtains.
I sat down in one of the chairs, still not feeling like I was in reality, but I knew I was. Everything just like a long nightmare that I would wake from. I would be laying in bed with Gerard right by my side, perfectly fine. But I knew that wouldn't happen.
"I looked down at the phone in my hand. I needed to call Mikey and tell him what happened.
***
"Hello?"
"Hey, Mikey?"
"Yeah, who is this?"
"Frank."
"Why are calling from Gerard's phone?"
"Because I don't have your phone number and I needed you to answer. Gerard is in the hospital?"
"Wait what?! Why?!"
"There was a car accident. He's in pretty bad shape Mikey."
"Where are you guys?"
"Lincoln Front on Memorial Drive."
"Alright, Alicia and I will be there soon." Mikey said, hanging up the phone.
***
"Frankie." Mikey nearly shouted, snapping me from yet another daze.
"Hey." I half smiled, standing up and hugging Mikey and then Alicia.
"How is he?"
"I don't know, they only let me see him for a few minutes when we first got here. The nurse told me they were giving him a full body scan to check for broken bones." And with that simple statement, the floodgates overflowed and tears slid down my stained cheeks.
Alicia came back over and wrapped her arms around my ridge body, her hands moving slowly up and down my back.
"Hey, are you the doctor for Gerard?"
"The young man that came in from the automobile accident?" the doctor asked, looking at Mikey.
"Yeah, him. How is he?"
"Oh he's stable and doing better than when he came in. We took him off the ventilator and he appears to be breathing fine on his own."
"C-can we go see him?" I asked, looking up from Alicia's shoulder and over to the doctor.
"I think we can allow that." he half smiled, leading all three of us down the same hallway adn into Gerard's room.
"You can talk to him, he can hear you. And if he responds to any touch, like squeezing your hand or wiggling his fingers and toes on command, let us know alright?" the doctor asked, standing in the doorway ready to leave us alone.
"Will do Doctor." Mikey smiled, letting me walk over to the bed first.
"Hey sugar." I whispered, sitting down in the same chair and grabbing his hand, rubbing my thumb along the back.
"Hey Party Poison, looks like you got a little roughed up by Fun Ghoul." Mikey smiled, sitting on the opposite of the bed.
"You have no idea." Gerard whispered, his eyes fluttering open.