Getting Surreal

“You guys really need to stop doing this, or we’ll all start thinking you’re dating,” Frank teased when he walked into the back lounge the next morning to find Becks and Mikey cuddled up and practically spooning on the couch under a blanket and watching the tv screen.

“Fuck off,” Mikey droned out, fast forwarding through the movie, trying to find the point where they had fallen asleep the night before.

“Mmm,” Becks agreed, burrowing into the blanket a little more, her eyes sleepy. “We’re bros.”

“How you feeling, Becks?” Frank asked, his tone more serious as he sat down at the end of the couch, looking her over. She looked up at him and gave him a small smile.

“I’m good,” she said. She knew he was blaming himself for her getting hurt, and she was hoping to convey to him that she didn’t hold him accountable at all.

“Here?” Mikey asked, pressing play.

“Uh,” Becks narrowed her eyes at the screen then nodded. “Yeah, I think it was about here.”

“Awesome.” Mikey put the remote down on the back of the couch and wriggled himself fully back under the blanket, draping his arm lazily around Becks’ waist.

“Hey,” she said, looking back at Frank, popping a hand out from under the blanket and gesturing to him to come closer. He obliged and she grabbed his hand, tugging lightly twice, so he dropped his face down to hers. When he was close enough, she leaned up and gave him a lingering kiss to his cheek before pulling away, looking him in the eye while her thumb gently stroked against the back of his hand. “It wasn’t your fault, okay?” Frank sighed and then gave her a small look of defeat that turned into a tiny, bashful grin.

“Okay.”

“Good.” She dropped his hand and tucked herself back under the blanket, nestling back up against Mikey. “You gonna join us?” She asked, referring to the movie.

“Uh, whatcha watchin’?”

“Mission Impossible,” Mikey replied with a small yawn.

“We didn’t get too far in, did we?” Becks giggled as she watched Ethan Hunt run to the riverside and see a car explode.

Mikey shook his head and chuckled himself. “We passed right out.”

Frank looked at the two on the couch then at the tv, then back at his friends, debating. “Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “Think I’ll pass this time. Raincheck?”

“Sounds good, dude,” Mikey said, shooting Frank a small nod.

“Cool,” Frank muttered, heading for the door. “I’m gonna brew some coffee if you guys want any,” he said over his shoulder as he left, smiling at the happy grunts he received.

---

Becks had fallen asleep again, cuddled on the couch with Mikey, shortly after Frank had left. When she woke up, she was still curled on the couch, Mikey nowhere in sight, but Ray and Bob quietly playing video games further down on the couch. She watched the tv silently for a while, vaguely amused.

“Who’s top screen?” She eventually asked blearily, announcing her consciousness to the boys who both jumped a little at the sudden voice in the room.

“Uh, me,” Bob said, shooting her a quick glance, but his attention darting right back to the screen.

“You suck,” she stated absently. Ray laughed and agreed. Bob shot her the middle finger, but he couldn’t deny the score on the screen.

After another couple of minutes later, and she got bored of lying there.

And man, did she need to go find some meds to take care of the nasty ache in her heavy head.

Shooting the guys a quick “see ya later,” and Becks was slowly making her way up to the front of the bus, clutching at her head and trying to walk as lightly as she could, because every step felt like misery. Finally, when she made it, she started rummaging through the medical cupboard in a very ‘I don’t give a fuck’ manner of shoving things or tossing things aside as she searched for some painkillers.

“You good?” She heard Gerard ask her and she grunted in response, shoving over a box of band aids. “Hey, hey,” he was suddenly right next to her with a gentle grip on her arms, pulling her away from the cabinet. “Lemme get you your medicine,” he said as he walked her to the sofa and had her sit. “You just sit, I’ll get it,” then he was walking back to the cupboard and searching himself, though not tearing everything apart as Becks had been doing.

“You alright, kid?” Becks opened her eyes that she’d screwed shut in pain to see Brian on the couch next to her, staring at her in concern.

“Uh…yeah,” she whispered. “I’m, uh…good….” One look at his face, and she knew he didn’t believe her.

“Hey, Gerard,” Brian called as he scooted closer and tilted Becks’ head to the side to check the bandage there, “we should take her to the tour doc. This doesn’t look too good.” At his words, Gerard stopped his shuffling about in the cupboard and walked back to the couch, looking at what Brian was talking about.

“Shit, yeah,” he agreed. “Hey, Becks?”

---

Ten minutes later and after much protesting that she was fine, and Becks found herself slumped in a chair in the makeshift infirmary next to Gerard. He and Brian had finally convinced Becks to go see the doctor, but she would only go if she had company, and Gerard offered.

“I’m f-fine, y’know,” she grumbled out the lie and heard Gerard give a wry laugh.

“Becks, you’re whiter than my makeup and look like you’re gonna puke,” he retorted, watching as the doctor was patching up the kid he’d seen take a nasty spill on his skateboard the day before.

Becks grunted in response but couldn’t argue with him. She felt awful. And he was definitely right about the puking thing. The main reason she’d been keeping her eyes shut was because of the way the world seemed to spin when they were open….she didn’t like that.

“Beck?” The doctor called.

“Your turn,” Gerard patted her knee and stood up, holding out a hand for her. She gave him a nod and took his hand, grimacing from the pain as he helped her up and then wrapped an arm around her, helping her over to where the nurse wanted her.

“Thanks,” she whispered, trying to shoot him a smile and hoping it looked and sounded as genuine as she meant it. She’d been difficult and she knew it, and she was truly glad that Gerard had come to help her out and keep her company.

“Just have a seat here, Miss Beck,” the doctor said, and Gerard helped Becks ease onto the table.

“I’ll wait over there, okay?” Becks gave him another smile and which he returned before giving her hand a quick, comforting squeeze and heading off to the waiting section of the room.

“So how is everything feeling today?” The doctor asked, prying at Becks’ head bandage.

---

Not too long after the visit to the infirmary, and Gerard was helping Becks up into the bus. It wasn’t that she couldn’t walk, no. She was moving just fine. She just needed help because the tour doctor had once again given her a dosage of God-knows-what to help her manage the pain from her concussion, and it was starting to kick in and the world was spinning for a different reason than it was a half hour prior.

“There ya go,” Gerard muttered as he eased Becks down at a seat at the table.

“Thanks, Gee,” she smiled dazedly up at him, patting his arm.
“I’m gonna get you some food, okay?”

“Oh, yeah!” She nodded over-enthusiastically. Gerard chuckled and shot Ray, who was sat across from Becks at the table an amused look before shuffling towards the small bus fridge. “Oh!” Becks called out, grabbing his attention. “Um…coffee, too…please?” She squeaked out shyly.

“You got it,” he replied continuing back to find her food.

“How’re you feeling?” Ray asked Becks as he sipped his drink.

“Oh, hi, Ray!” She only just noticed him when he spoke to her. He smiled fondly at her. “I’m good,” she placed a hand on her heart. “How are you?” She pointed at him accusingly as she asked, smiling like a fool the whole time.

“I’m pretty good,” he chuckled. “Thinking about going to tour the venue in a bit. I’d ask you to come, buuut,” he gestured at her head, “I think you should probably stay here.”

“Yeah,” she sighed, “I’m on bedrest or something. Ooh!” Gerard put a coffee down in front of her. “Thank you,” she beamed up at him.

“You’re welcome. I’ve got some mac n’ cheese in the microwave, okay?”

“You’re the best.” He smiled.

“I know.”

---

In spite of the coffee that Gerard had gotten her, Becks ended up napping on and off the rest of the day. The combination of the medicine she’d been given and the constant throb in her heavy head just taking all the energy out of her.

She more or less claimed the back lounge as her bedroom for the day, and there was always one or two of the guys there with her when she woke up, making sure she was okay. Frank was the most doting, always there the second she forced her eyes open and running off to get her whatever she needed.

“Fraaank,” she whined as he was making sure that she didn’t need another blanket for the fifth time in as many minutes. The guys were all leaving for the show in a few minutes and he wanted to make sure she was all set to be alone for the next hour or so.

“Yeah?” He scooted closer to her on the couch and took in her pout.

“Are you sure I can’t just…go in with you quick to make sure that you’re all tuned and ready?” She was, as per the doctor’s orders, not allowed to be in the venue for the next couple nights, and she hated it. Something to do with a concussion and being in overly noisy and chaotic places.

“Becks, we’ve been through this,” he gave her a sympathetic look and she groaned, sticking out her lower lip even more.

“Don’t trust Barry?” Ray asked, amused, as he straightened up his tie in the mirror next to the tv. Barry had agreed to taking over Becks’ tech duties until she was fit to work again.

“No, I do,” she crossed her arms and huffed out a sigh. “Barry’s great. But it’s my job. My head’s totally fine. Doctor Henrietta is just…she just…” She frowned, unable to think of the word, so she finally settled on, “I’m fine.”

“You’re stubborn, is what you are,” Mikey said as he walked into the lounge, claiming Becks’ attention.

“Oh, yeah,” Ray muttered. Becks ignored him and tried for a different tactic, seeing as Frank was getting her nowhere.

“Mikeyyyy,” she held out a hand to him.

“Beckksssss,” he mimicked, walking over to her and taking her hand. He smiled as she used the connection to help her stand up and then latched herself to him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his neck.

“Lemme come, toooo,” she whined, her words muffled by his shirt. Mikey just chuckled and wrapped one of his arms around her waist, his other reaching up to stroke her hair carefully.

“Can’t do that,” he said, shaking his head slightly. He chuckled again when she groaned unhappily, still not letting him go. “If you want to get better, you’ve gotta stay.” She pulled away from him enough to look up at him and frown. His hand that was stroking her hair moved to brush some strands out of her face. “We need you better, Becks,” he whispered kindly as their gazes met.

Defeated, Becks whined out another groan before detaching from Mikey and sitting back down on the lounge couch, grabbing the blanket out of Frank’s hands.

“Time to go!” They all heard Brian’s voice yell from somewhere towards the front of the bus.

“You’re good?” Frank asked imploring to Becks. She sighed and gave him a small smile.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You go rock.”

“Okay,” he leaned in and gave her a quick, careful kiss to the top of her head before walking out of the lounge.

“You too, Ray,” she said, holding out her hand and high-fiving the guitar player as he walked by.

“You got it, chief!” He replied before disappearing, leaving Becks and Mikey in the room.

“Want me to grab you a tea or coffee or something?” He asked, looking down at her.

“Nah,” she said with a grin.

“You sure? Anything else?”

She shook her head. “You can get me one after the show?” Mikey smiled and nodded.

“I can do that. Movie tonight?”

“Yesss….Your pick,” she said as she nestled into the cushion.

“Cool,” he said, glancing towards the stack of dvd’s in the corner before looking at her with a mischievous look in his eye, “maybe I’ll see what I can do to get some beer back here for you after.” Becks’ grin turned into a full-blown smile.

“You’re too good to me, Mikey Way.”

“Nah,” he said, walking to the door but freezing and looking over his shoulder when she called his name.

“Have a good show.”

He shot her a tiny sort of grin in reply before leaving her alone in the lounge.