The Enigma’s Anomaly

“You’re going to tell me what happened and you’re not going to leave out a single detail.”

“Oh, I’m going to leave out a lot of the details Gerard, because you don’t want most of them,” I admit.

“You’re okay right now though?” Gerard asks.

“Well technically I’m dead right now. That’s what they need to think. You need to think I ran away from you, and you can’t let on that you know I’m safe.”

“Why?” Gerard asks, and he fidgets uncomfortably next to me on his couch.

“Because I shouldn’t be alive right now. I am supposed to be dead,” I say.

“And if they find out you’re not dead they’ll try again?”

“They’re really bad at killing people, huh?” I joke. It’s true though. They missed Gerard four times and me once, but they have to think they succeeded this one time.

“You could say that. Tell me what happened though, tell me what you know. And do we need to call the police?”

“No, we probably shouldn’t. If we call the police the people who are trying to hurt you might find out that I’m alive, and we can’t have that,” I tell him.

“Frank, I don’t know about-“

“Just trust me, okay? Tell the police that I’m not actually a missing person in the morning or something, and that I just went off the grid for a few days. It happens, they shouldn’t question you further.”

Gerard frowns but nods, “are you ever going to tell me what all happened. I’m dying over here!”

“Gerard it’s-” he gives me a glare that translates well so I begin summarizing the last, apparently, three days.

After explaining the brief start I skip over the messed up dreams and the specifics of mister-sadist man, but I do reveal what he said.

“He said that we have no idea who we’re dealing with. No idea what we’re up against or whatever. He made it seem like the shot caller is someone of status. Someone high up. Got him monologuing enough for him to tell me the plan.”

“There’s a solid plan? It seemed sort of unofficial to me,” Gerard comments.

“Well a lot of what we thought was true doesn’t seem to be anymore. Two assassins, means lots of doe, and they weren’t as skilled as they wanted me to think they were. They were far too sloppy which makes me believe that ‘assassin’ isn’t their primary occupation.”

“And you’re the assassin expert I suppose?” Gerard asks with a raise of the eyebrow and my stomach twists painfully even though I know he’s joking.

“I... it doesn’t matter. Anyway, originally they just wanted you dead, but when that was proving too difficult they decided to make other plans. That’s where Mikey and I come in. They’re also going to attack your publisher and editor I think.”

“What?” he asks horrified.

“Don’t think either is going to die, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re either blackmailed or paid off.”

“Well my publisher is a bit of a prick, but I like my editor,” Gerard says and I try to add names to the titles. If I’m correct than his publisher is Fischer who he had that public quarrel with, and his editor is that Schechter guy who Gerard’s office is next to. I wouldn’t exactly rule out either of them though. If this plot extends as high as it looks like it does than matching handwriting is not going to catch the culprit.

I conclude what I’ve told him, “So they’re going to try to cancel your comic.”

“Oh glory.”

“They want you to think I’ve run away.”

“Didn’t work out to well.”

“And they want to kill Mikey.”

Gerard pauses when I say that and asks, aghast, “they want to what?”

“Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention that. If Mikey gets convicted, and if he gets sent to jail then they’re going to have him killed.”

“They’re going to what?” Gerard asks, “he’s in jail now though! They moved him two days ago!”

“Well he’s in a county jail, yes, but after his trial he’s going to be sent to a different one. That’s sort of how these things work. Once he’s there he’s a dead man.”

“Fuck!” Gerard exclaims falling back on the couch with his hands on his temples like he’s got a headache.

“Ultimately, Gerard, they want to get you to be in such a bad place that you kill yourself.”

He doesn’t respond immediately and I look at him with his face looking so shattered. I want to hug him. I kind of want to steal his body heat but I also want to just hold him. Both reasons are selfish, but I love him so damn much.

“You won’t will you?” I ask feeling stupid for asking.

His eyes dart open and he looks at me imploringly, “What? No! Never. I mean, six years ago maybe, but no. I wouldn’t. I won’t.”

“Okay,” I say. Every part of me is sure that we’re going to stop any of that from happening, but if we can’t then I just don’t know. I don’t know how he’d handle that sort of loss. I hope he’s being truthful, but I refuse to have to find out.

“So what happened after they grabbed you then? How’d you escape?” Gerard asks after a long while of sitting.

“Um, I, they... well Gerard, they threw me in the ocean.”

He looks up surprised and I’ve got his attention back completely on me. I kind of like having all of his attention in a selfish way. My entire relationship with Gerard is just so selfish.

“It’s what it sounds like. Tied me up and threw me in the ocean,” I continue.

“But you’re not dead, so how’d you...? How?”

“It’s not an overly pleasant story. Hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life, and that’s no exaggeration. I cut the zip ties off with this nail I found under the dock and then I managed to climb up.”

He looks dumbfounded and says, “How strong are you?”

“Not very. Adrenaline.”

“Still, oh and you must still be freezing! And exhausted! Are you okay? Do you have any injuries?”

I ignore the other question and shrug, pulling the sleeves of my sweatshirt down my hands further. I really would hate to worry him even more than he already is.

Gerard looks at me skeptically seeing through my indifference and he seems to read my mind. I guess he’s just really good with logic, but it’s pretty quick how fast he picks up on things. I hope he doesn’t pick up on some things though.

“Frank, if you were tied up, than that would mean you probably have some wounds on your ankles and wrists. Correct?”

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Show me,” he says looking like a parent. His eyebrow are raised and expecting in a way that feels like an x-ray scan. Gerard’s not very frightening, but I am very small so he’s a little intimidating.

I pull my sleeves up slightly so he can see the damage, but I’m not all that caught up on it. I’m alive because of this and I’m not going to be ashamed of that.

“Oh god Frankie, these are going to scar! Or get infected! Hold on we need to take care of this,” Gerard says leaping up.

“It’s fine, you’re making a mountain out of a mole hill.”

“Is there anything wrong with taking precautions?” He yells back at me from the open bathroom door where I hear him rummaging through something.

A minute later he yells at me again and says, “I don’t have any actual medicine. I have rubbing alcohol, but that’s probably not safe for this sort of thing. It’s going to sting, but we’re going to have to use soap.”

Oh great, even more stinging to add to my day. Gerard walks back to me and looks at me expecting me to stand up.

“No I’ll be fine. Or we could just leave it to tomorrow? I’m so tired!”

He gives me a scowl that leads me to listen to what he says so he drags me into the kitchen and runs my hands under the water. It’s hurts like a bitch but I’ve had so much worse in the past few hours. Like almost dying. Yeah, that was bad.

Because Gerard is an expert at first aid, he doesn’t have any bandages or anything so what does he wrap around my wrists? Socks. He wraps socks to keep germs away or something. They’re clean and look brand new so I just go with it.

After that I’m dead on my feet and I just collapse on his bed, feeling as tired as I can ever conceivably be. I’ve missed this place so much. So warm, and welcoming. It feels like Gerard, and smells like him and I love it. The bedspread smells like his shampoo and I bask in it.

“Hey Gerard?” I ask him when he lays down next to me.

“Yeah?”

“Why were you still awake when I got out of that cab?”

He pauses for a moment than says, “I was waiting at the window hoping to see you. Haven’t slept in three days. I just really missed you.”

I smile a little to myself at that. It’s nice to know that while I was thinking about how much I missed him, he was thinking the exact same thing.

“Frankie? You awake?” he asks me a few minutes later.

“I believe so,” I answer, and pinch myself to be safe. Yep, I’m awake.

“Can I tell you something, kind of, um, substantial?”

I prop myself up on my shoulder to get a better look at him. His head is pressed into the middle of his pillow and he looks so innocent. I notice now that he does have bags under his eyes as well and I don’t doubt that he’s been awake for a while. I wasn’t even conscious for a very long time. I’m not sure how I lost three whole days, but I did. I still don’t know what day it is.

“What do you want to tell me that can’t wait until tomorrow?”

He blinks his eyes a few times looking nervous and stutters out a few words, “it’s just that, I don’t know when the right time to say this is. I mean, it’s way too soon and it might freak you out, but you almost died and I don’t want to take the chance that I’m never going to have another opportunity to say this but, oh god anyways, I’m rambling, sorry. I just want to tell you that I’m kind of extremely, head over heels in love with you.”

I pinch myself again. That was real though, I didn’t just imagine that. Gerard just told me he loves me, and I think my heart just burst or something. It’s been a pretty shitty and amazing day, and I think it’s just turned into simultaneously the worst and best day of my life. I’m knackered as well as soar everywhere, but I’m alive and this fucking dork just said the ‘L’ word to me.

I answer happily, “You’d have to be crazy to love me, but I love you so much that I’ll let it slide.”

His face eases up quite a bit after I say that, going from nervous to relieved and then delighted in a matter of seconds.

“So you love me too?” he asks, but he already knows his answer.

“Gerard, I’m putting my life in jeopardy to be near you, and I was literally drowning in the ocean not too long ago and my biggest regret was that I never got to tell you that I love you, so I think it’s safe to assume that the feeling is mutual. It’s so worth the risk.”

He smiles shyly and his face relaxes so I can tell he’s tired.

“I never want to miss out on a chance to say that,” I say quietly.

It’s been a wretched day. So far beyond wretched that I deserve a trophy. But goddamn was it a good day.