Chemical Romance in the Queen's Capital
Chapter 3: Brotherly Interaction
"Oh..." It was all Gerard could muster in his shocked state. Gisele's eyes were probing into him, waiting for a verdict, perhaps vindication that he would be disgusted and throw her back out into the alley. But instead, he refocused his attention on taking care of her bruising, moving the poultice down slightly to place some relief on the spot on her chin that had turned a royal purple.
Gisele continued to stare through her tears. "You don't seem to mind as much as I thought you would. Do you bring harlots back to your home to heal them often?"
Dr. Way shook his head slowly. "No, Miss Gisele. In fact, to the best of my knowledge, you're the first person I've ever met in your...profession..." He felt himself oddly compelled into curiosity. "I wonder, miss, if...if you could tell me who it was that did this to you?"
She cast her eyes downward. "He wasn't a particularly endearing customer...A fat, pompous man with a bowler hat and a monocle....Accused me of overcharging and then had his bodyguard take me back to the alley and...well, you can tell what came next.... I didn't catch his name, but it wouldn't have mattered much, it's not as though the police would be interested in my assault..."
"Will somebody be out there worrying about where you are?" The good doctor felt such strong sympathy for her, it was crushing him a bit on the inside.
"No, I work independently." Gisele tenderly touched the area where the poultice had been before. "I must say, you do wonders, Doctor Way. I feel less sore already. Thank you again, for helping me..."
A light blush overtook Gerard's cheek. "It's nothing, really, miss, it's in my nature as a doctor to want to help." He bit his lower lip gently, as he summoned the last ounce of courage he had. "I was wondering if...since it's so late already, and you're not worrying anyone with your absense......perhaps you'd like to stay in the guest room, for the night? It-it's nothing funny, I just thought, perhaps, given what you've been through tonight, you might not want to walk home in the dark..." Doctor Way watched her eyes, waiting for her reply.
Slowly she turned the matter over in her head, furrowing her brows in thought. Finally, Gisele took in a deep breath and said, "Thank you...I'd like that very much, doctor..."
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Michael choked into his teacup. "You let a STREETWALKER sleep in your guest bedroom?!" His eyes, the same hazel as his brother's, were wide behind his wired-framed glasses.
Gerard looked crossly at him. "The poor girl was beaten from one end to the other, what was I SUPPOSED to do? Throw her out on the cobblestones?" It was the next afternoon, and the Ways were having afternoon tea, just as they always did on Mondays. The doctor had gone to check on her in the morning, only to find her bed empty.
"You should have LEFT her in that alley in the FIRST place! What if it was a trap? What if the neighbors had seen her? What if she'd made off with the good china in the morning?!"
"That is a horrible, biased thing to say, Michael! Certainly, her profession isn't IDEAL, but I could tell that she wasn't a bad person." Gerard helped himself to a scone.
His brother gave him a horrified look. "You didn't DO anything with her, did you?"
"NO! What kind of monster do you TAKE me for, brother? She needed help, and I gave it to her, nothing else. I refuse to speak anymore on this subject with you. How has our dear friend Frank been holding up?"
"Not very well, I'm afraid," Michael sighed, staring down at his cup. "He's been a miserable wreck since she left. Apparently she left a note with her address in America. I can't imagine it will be long before he takes that acquaintence of yours, RAYMOND, up on his offer to tag along to that caberat he loves so much..."
"You judge by FAR too harshly, Michael," Gerard smiled gently as he took a sip. "Ray is simply full of joie de vivre, that's all. In all earnesty, it wouldn't kill you to take some lessons from him in how to loosen up."
"I am perfectly happy with my current amount of slack, thank you..." Michael stood up and slipped into his overcoat. "I will see you on Thursday, then, when Robert's ship makes port." He turned towards the door.
His brother smirked at him from his seat. "You simply cannot bring yourself to call him Bob like the rest of us do, can you?"
"It will be a hot, sunny day in the Queen's capitol before that happens, Gerard..." With that, Michael marched out of the house, leaving the doctor to ponder just how it was that his younger brother got so uptight.
Gisele continued to stare through her tears. "You don't seem to mind as much as I thought you would. Do you bring harlots back to your home to heal them often?"
Dr. Way shook his head slowly. "No, Miss Gisele. In fact, to the best of my knowledge, you're the first person I've ever met in your...profession..." He felt himself oddly compelled into curiosity. "I wonder, miss, if...if you could tell me who it was that did this to you?"
She cast her eyes downward. "He wasn't a particularly endearing customer...A fat, pompous man with a bowler hat and a monocle....Accused me of overcharging and then had his bodyguard take me back to the alley and...well, you can tell what came next.... I didn't catch his name, but it wouldn't have mattered much, it's not as though the police would be interested in my assault..."
"Will somebody be out there worrying about where you are?" The good doctor felt such strong sympathy for her, it was crushing him a bit on the inside.
"No, I work independently." Gisele tenderly touched the area where the poultice had been before. "I must say, you do wonders, Doctor Way. I feel less sore already. Thank you again, for helping me..."
A light blush overtook Gerard's cheek. "It's nothing, really, miss, it's in my nature as a doctor to want to help." He bit his lower lip gently, as he summoned the last ounce of courage he had. "I was wondering if...since it's so late already, and you're not worrying anyone with your absense......perhaps you'd like to stay in the guest room, for the night? It-it's nothing funny, I just thought, perhaps, given what you've been through tonight, you might not want to walk home in the dark..." Doctor Way watched her eyes, waiting for her reply.
Slowly she turned the matter over in her head, furrowing her brows in thought. Finally, Gisele took in a deep breath and said, "Thank you...I'd like that very much, doctor..."
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Michael choked into his teacup. "You let a STREETWALKER sleep in your guest bedroom?!" His eyes, the same hazel as his brother's, were wide behind his wired-framed glasses.
Gerard looked crossly at him. "The poor girl was beaten from one end to the other, what was I SUPPOSED to do? Throw her out on the cobblestones?" It was the next afternoon, and the Ways were having afternoon tea, just as they always did on Mondays. The doctor had gone to check on her in the morning, only to find her bed empty.
"You should have LEFT her in that alley in the FIRST place! What if it was a trap? What if the neighbors had seen her? What if she'd made off with the good china in the morning?!"
"That is a horrible, biased thing to say, Michael! Certainly, her profession isn't IDEAL, but I could tell that she wasn't a bad person." Gerard helped himself to a scone.
His brother gave him a horrified look. "You didn't DO anything with her, did you?"
"NO! What kind of monster do you TAKE me for, brother? She needed help, and I gave it to her, nothing else. I refuse to speak anymore on this subject with you. How has our dear friend Frank been holding up?"
"Not very well, I'm afraid," Michael sighed, staring down at his cup. "He's been a miserable wreck since she left. Apparently she left a note with her address in America. I can't imagine it will be long before he takes that acquaintence of yours, RAYMOND, up on his offer to tag along to that caberat he loves so much..."
"You judge by FAR too harshly, Michael," Gerard smiled gently as he took a sip. "Ray is simply full of joie de vivre, that's all. In all earnesty, it wouldn't kill you to take some lessons from him in how to loosen up."
"I am perfectly happy with my current amount of slack, thank you..." Michael stood up and slipped into his overcoat. "I will see you on Thursday, then, when Robert's ship makes port." He turned towards the door.
His brother smirked at him from his seat. "You simply cannot bring yourself to call him Bob like the rest of us do, can you?"
"It will be a hot, sunny day in the Queen's capitol before that happens, Gerard..." With that, Michael marched out of the house, leaving the doctor to ponder just how it was that his younger brother got so uptight.