Gerard nodded and took another vial - Holy Water - from the tray. The circle's glow flared every time his hands passed in and out of it, but Gerard didn't seem to notice. His face was smooth and calm, still in a way it had never been when they were kids. Mikey still wasn't used to it.
Gerard gave Frank a small smile, then, passing his hand briefly over Frank's hair. "We'll do the CliffsNotes version, okay? If you start to feel like something's wrong, or you can't take it, I want you to tell us right away."
"Okay," said Frank.
"Mikey's going to stay next to you the whole time." Gerard stood up and started pacing slowly up and down the length of the small space, tipping Holy Water onto his fingers and sprinkling it as he walked.
"Purify me with hyssop, Lord, and I shall be clean of sin. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Have mercy on me, God, in your great kindness. Glory be to the Father, the Son, and to the Holy Spirit."
"As it was in the beginning," Mikey replied, along with the other guys. "Is now, and shall ever be. Amen."
"Purify me with hyssop, Lord," Gerard repeated, changing his path now to move across the width of the room instead. "And I shall be clean of sin. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."
He came back to Frank, putting the vial of Holy Water back in his pocket.
"Lucy?" he said gently, taking Frank's hand. "Lucy, would you like me to hear your confession?"
"She's scared," Frank said roughly, his eyes closed. "She doesn't know where she is."
"It's all right, Lucy," Gerard said, in the smooth, even voice he only ever used when he was working. The first time Mikey had heard it he'd been totally weirded out. "I'm here to help you. I just need you to follow the sound of my voice, can you do that?"
Frank gasped and convulsed again on the blanket, and Mikey saw Ray move to stop Bob when he reached for him. "Don't break the circle, Frank," he said. "Try to keep still."
"Trying," Frank gasped, writhing in place. "Fuck, this is so weird."
Gerard untangled his hand from Frank's and used it to stroke his hair off his sweaty face. Frank had gone so pale that the scars on his forehead were standing out, visible even in the gloomy candlelight. "We're not going to hurt you," he said. "We're here to help."
Frank convulsed again, his head knocking against the ground so loudly Mikey winced in sympathy. "Fuck," he strangled out, and then when he spoke again, even though it was still his voice, he sounded completely different. "Who are you? What are you doing in my house?"
"My name is Father Way," Gerard said, taking Frank's hand again. "I've been called to hear your confession. You've been sick, Lucy, do you remember?"
Although Frank had never actually channeled a ghost before, anytime he had to let something go through him like this, the first part was always the worst to watch. Frank's willingness to help wasn't enough; he'd told Mikey that no matter how hard he tried to relax and just let it happen, the minute he felt anything inside his mind that wasn't supposed to be there, he started trying to force it back out. It always resulted in Frank thrashing around and saying, "I fucking know, asshole," through gritted teeth when Brian inevitably told him, "You have to relax."
Mikey didn't bother anymore. It sucked to see Frank in pain, but there was nothing Mikey could do about it; he just waited for Frank to fight it out with himself until eventually he stopped moving and went still, breathing fast and wearing a frown, but otherwise okay.
After that it was mostly all right. Mikey didn't like it when Frank said things that obviously didn't come from him, or when he didn't recognize them. He wasn't really clear on the mechanics of it all - he didn't know if Frank was still in there, or if he had to temporarily vacate the premises, or if he was just hidden away in like, his soul's storage closet, or what. Frank usually said he couldn't remember much of it, afterwards, although once or twice he'd told Mikey some stuff when the others weren't around.
