Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge

"Hey. Hey kid," a girl's voice said. It was a pretty voice with a touch of raspiness to it. There was also an accent there that I couldn't place, but I honestly didn't care. I was tired and I just wanted to sleep.
"Is he... is he dead?"

"No, honey," I heard Corey reply. "I'm sure he's just tired. Chemo wears the body and mind out."

"Oh," the other girl said. "I... I, uh... I didn't know..."

"That he had cancer?" Corey asked. I assumed the girl nodded as Corey continued. "Yeah. I'll only tell you this because I know that Gerard wouldn't mind me doing so. He's been in here for three months and..." She paused and I heard to take in a deep breath. "He's expected to have two weeks to live."

"Oh," the girl replied. "I'm sorry, that's terrible..."

"He's gonna live forever though," Corey said, more strongly. "He's not like other cancer patients who have two weeks. He's stronger somehow..." Corey's voice trailed off as the other girl's began.

"May I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course," the nurse muttered sounding slightly distracted. Then I heard the sound of bandages being ripped and I knew that Corey was changing the bloody ones.

"If this is the cancer ward... How come I'm in HERE? I don't... I don't have cancer... Do I?" She sounded so scared that I wanted to jump up and go hug her. I wanted to tell her that everything was okay, that she would be fine, but I didn't. I remained there, lying in my bed, eyes closed as I listened to all of the machines hooked up to me and now to my roommate.

"No, no, no, honey!" Corey replied quickly. "No, of course you don't have cancer. You're in here because I suggested it. Gerard has never had a roommate in all his three months of being here. I figured a pretty young girl like you would do him good as a roommate. Plus, most of the rooms where you should be are full. I pulled a few strings and got you in here."

"Wow," the girl whispered. "Thank you, Corey. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Corey replied absentmindedly. "You had better get some sleep now. It's late. Kassidy will be your nurses during the day, she'll be here around four in the morning to check in on you and Gerard."

"Okay. Goodnight," the girl replied.

"Goodnight." I heard Corey scuffle to my side of the room. "'Night, Gee," she said and then left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

+++++

"Gerard, are you feeling up to going down to breakfast today?" Kassidy asked me. It was the day after the woman who I had known as my mother left me high and dry. Kassidy was a woman of twenty for and shew as probably the tallest female I had ever seen, standing at over just six feet. Her hair was the color of carrots and was slightly wavy. Freckles splattered every inch of skin and were oddly cute.

"I guess so," I replied.

"Well that's good." She practically lifted me into my wheelchair before pulling my IV contraption closer to me so she could push me with both hands and I could push the IV cart.

There were a lot of visitors in the cafeteria this morning and only about two or three actual patients. I recognized a lot of the visitors from other times when I had come to eat down there. A lot of them recognized me too and waved. I managed to smile and wave back.

As I sat at a table all by myself, sipping my black coffee and nibbling at my French toast, I doodled on a napkin. I loved to draw. I was really good at it so that was a plus. I was so immersed in my drawing that I hadn't noticed that someone had sat down across from me until they had cleared her throat, making me jump.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" A familiar voice said. It was a pretty, accented voice with a tiny bit of rasp to it. I looked up and my eyes met with the most beautiful pair of eyes that I had ever seen. They were a captivating icy blue color, full of warmth but also despair. "I didn't mean to--"

"N-no, it's okay," I muttered. Sitting across from me was my new roomie. She was like a goddess, so perfect, so flawless despite despite the bruises on her face and arms. However, I barely noticed those bruises as I basked in her radiance.

"You're Gerard, yeah?"

"Uh huh." Wow, I must have looked stupid just gaping at her. Acting quickly, I took a big gulp of my coffee and instantly regained what little composure I had. "Yeah, I'm Gerard. Way. Gerard Way," I said, reaching my hand out to her.

Slowly, she took my hand. She seemed reluctant to reveal her bandaged up wrist and her face took on a look of ashamed embarrassment. "Helena," she muttered. "Helena Simmons."

"Helena," I repeated. "That's a beautiful name."

"Thanks. I like your name too. Sounds like an old bloke's name, but you're so young. Almost a contradiction. If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

I smiled. "Twenty. You?"

Helena's face had fallen. She looked upset to the extreme. "Eighteen. Well, I'll be nineteen in a few days.. the nurse... Corey... She told me... You only have two weeks..." She didn't look at me as she said this.

"Yeah, she says I'll live forever though. She told me that before she told you last night," I replied, watching her closesly. When I said this, her head snapped up and a look of purse confusion was etched onto her pretty face. "I heard you girls talking last night," I explained.

"Oh," she muttered as a plate of French toast was placed in front of her. "Thanks," she said to the waitress. "You're really brave," she said to me.

"Not really," I muttered, going back to my drawing. There was something about this girl that made me feel funny. She gave me good feelings inside and I had just met her.

"That's a great picture you're drawing," she said.

"Thank you. It's for a comic book I'm making," I explained.

"Really? What's it about?" This was great. She was already showing interest in my work!

"I really don't know yet," I told her completely honestly.

"I'm sure it'll be fantastic whatever it is. The picture looks like you." I looked up at her in shock. Wow, she was amazing. She smiled an award winning smile and then went back to her food.

Everyday after that, Helena and I ate every meal together. We spent every minute with each other. I was so happy I had her there. We were so much alike it was crazy. Her nineteenth birthday came six days after our first breakfast together. By then we were the best of friends so of course, I had to do something special.

I planned a surprise party down in the cafeteria for her at dinner time. There were roses and balloons everywhere and a huge all chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream. It was great and Helena loved it. She cried out of sheer joy. Later that night she told me no one had ever done anything like that for her before and that she appreciated it more than anything. I replied with "what are best friends for?"

+++++

"I"m going to tell you how come I'm in here.... Why I'm still here... Why I was here in the first place," she said as she sat in the lounge chair next to my bed.

"I didn't ask," I said, trying to be polite though I was curious.

"I know.. but you've been wondering. Your talk in your sleep sometimes," she said, smiling. "Always askin' what happened to me, what I'm doin' here."

"I--" I began, but she cut in.

"It's okay, Gee. We're best friends. You deserve to know why no one visits me since you've told me why no one visits you... No one loves me. They pretend to, but then they just end up hurting me. My father... My ex-boyfriend... They would hit me," she explained, indicating her still bruised body. "The night I came... I had finally had enough. My father had smacked me for the last time and I couldn't take it. I didn't want to live anymore... hadn't wanted to in awhile. I overdosed on pills and then I, uh, I slit my wrists for good measure. Right in front of my dad. I guess he had the decency to call an ambulance... but he pretended that he was worried about me.

"He told them that I had OD-ed, slit my wrists, and then thrown myself down the stairs to explain the bruises. He wrapped my arms so it was believable that he had tried to stop the bleeding. Then he kicked me in the head and I blacked out."

I just sat there, staring in shock. How could someone do that to dear, sweet Helena? How could anyone possibly hate her? "Why? Why does he hate you?" I asked.

She shrugged. "He wanted a son. I'm pretty sure he might have killed my mom... for not giving him a son. She just kind of... disappeared one day when I was six after an argument... She was pregnant again. With a girl. Her body was found after a couple of weeks. My boyfriend... EX boyfriend... Derrick. He got on with my dad really, really well. I think my dad may have convinced Derrick that I was a worthless piece of shit because he wasn't abusive before he started talking to my dad more."

I actually gasped. Springing into a sitting position as fast as a very sick person can spring, I grabbed Helena's arms. IT was easy now that she didn't have the IVs anymore. "Helena, I'm so, so sorry about what happened to you. That's horrible. You aren't worthless, you know. You're the nicest, kindest, funniest, most amazing person that I have ever known," I explained, staring into those icy blues.

"Thanks, Gerard. I'm really glad I have you as my best friend."

"Me too, angel, me too."

+++++

A week passed and then a month and then two months and I was still there. My lips began to not chap, I began to gain strength, and my skin started to become less ghastly. Soon enough, I was off the chemo. Helena lived in the hospital having nowhere else to go and no one else besides me. Everyone the place loved her and I. We could commit the perfect crime and everyone of those nurses and doctors, especially Corey, would back us even if they knew we had done it.

And that's exactly what happened.