Headfirst for Halos

A/N: Thanks for reading Headfirst for Halos! I originally wrote this for a school assignment but I thought
it was really adorable and wanted to share it with you guys. You don't have to be a fan of Gerard to like this story, he was just the person I decided to use as the main character. Hope you like this!
-Gee

Losing her was my biggest fear, no doubt. She was my everything, and I was terrified by the thought of something going wrong. And what do you do, what can you do, when your worst fear becomes reality?
Stuart is your average small town. Seemingly quiet with a lot going on behind the scenes. I guess that's why, with nothing out of the ordinary ever happening, we never saw it coming. When my girlfriend Lindsey and I moved here from New Jersey, we knew things would change, but not this drastically. We'd gone from practically being famous in Summit to nobodies in Stuart. I can't complain though, because when you have a beach right next door and the sun shining every day, you don't have much reason.
It was early morning when the first news of the hurricane began to come in. I was still in my pajamas, already making pancakes. Saturdays weren't the most eventful, and I usually would just lie around, writing my next comic book or lyrics for a new song. I guess the smell of the pancakes must've gone pretty far, because my girlfriend Lindsey was soon walking down the hallway into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes.
"Morning, Lyn-z," I smiled, kissing her on the cheek. She yawned, grabbing the coffee pot.
"Morning," She smiled back, pouring herself a glass in her favorite blue mug. She filled another mug, this one green, handing it to me. I sipped my coffee, flipping on the news channel on the television.
"And now back to the studio for Frank Iero with the weather," The newscaster said, smiling one of those fake television smiles.
"Thanks, Ray. Today the high will be a whopping 85°, with a one hundred percent chance of rain. Seems like stormy skies are ahead folks, with Hurricane Arthur approaching Florida's east shore. To be frank, I'm not sure our town is ready for this one! Better make sure to have enough food and water, and keep safe during the storm! This is Frank Iero, signing off," I clicked the TV off, sighing.
"We should probably stock up, Gee," Lindsey said, almost nervously. I sighed again, shrugging.
"I guess so, but it'll be crazy out with everyone rushing to get what they won't even need," I replied. Lindsey rolled her eyes.
"You know that there aren't that many people in this town, right? Plus, if there really is a hurricane coming it's better to be safe than sorry. You should probably start taking some of your art stuff into the basement, wouldn't want to get your precious comic books ruined, would you?" Lindsey laughed sarcastically.
"Oh, shut up, I'm sure that your band posters will be the first thing you decide to take with you," I snapped, chuckling.
"Oh, so Fall Out Boy means nothing to you? Patrick would be offended," She said with mock offense.
"Yeah, I know, and Pete would be angry too, right?" I said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes again, putting down her coffee mug.
"Obviously," She smiled, heading back down the hallway. I cleaned up the pancakes from breakfast, wrapping them in plastic wrap before putting them in the fridge. I sat down on the comfy brown couch, turning on the television to see that my favorite show, Doctor Who was on. Just as the episode was about to get good, a news alert flashed across the screen. The television beeped loudly, making me jump. Lindsey, hearing the sound, ran out of the bedroom, this time dressed in skinny jeans and a t-shirt.
"Attention, attention. Hurricane Arthur approaching Stuart, Florida. Please stay indoors and do not leave your house. Keep food and water at hand," The television blared, repeating that message over and over again. Lindsey went white, running into the kitchen and going through the pantry to find anything we could take with us. I ran to the hall closet, grabbing flashlights and blankets. Lindsey ran into the basement with all of the food and water, with the television still blaring it's ominous warning. I grabbed my slippers hurriedly, trying to make my way downstairs as fast as possible. The television suddenly stopped working, and rain fell hard against the ground outside. What had been such an amazing morning turned into this. Before heading downstairs to meet Lindsey I grabbed a small black box from my bedroom.
Lindsey and I sat silently in the basement, huddled up close. The rain was still coming down, and I could hear the wind tearing at our house above. Lindsey cried silently, not looking up at me. I put my arm around her, trying in anyway I could to comfort her.
"Lynz, Lynz, it's okay, we're going to be fine," I whispered, kissing the top of her head. The winds outside sped up, and the sound of shattering glass could be heard everywhere. Lindsey cried harder. I tried to tell her it was fine, but I knew inside that no matter what I told her it would never be just fine. The rain slowed, the wind dying down. Lindsey finally looked up, eyeliner dragging black streaks down her face.
"Is it over?" Lindsey whispered. I nod, pressing my face to the top of her head. We did it. We made it through this. A tear fell from my eye.
"Come on, Lynz," I whispered, helping her up from the damp basement floor. She stumbled to her feet, and we walked up the creaky basement steps with my arm around her shoulders. But when we got upstairs, what we saw seemed like it wasn't real. All of the windows were shattered, and our front door had been ripped from the front wall of the house. We walk outside, and Lindsey falls to her knees sobbing. The entire neighbourhood had been ripped to shreds, trees fallen, and trash and leaves were everywhere. People huddled in groups around the street, trying to help each other. I kneeled down, trying to get Lindsey to speak.
"Lynz, Lynz," I said, shocked by what I was seeing. She still sat on the ground sobbing. I stood back up, surveying the damage around me. Lindsey suddenly stood up, storming back into our house. I chased back after her, trying to find her. This hurricane wasn't over yet. We were in the eye of the storm.
"Lindsey! Come on, we have to get back downstairs!" I called through the ominously silent house. Lindsey ran out of our room, car keys clutched in her hand.
"What are you doing?" I cried, "The hurricane isn't over, you know! Come on, we have to go back downstairs!" She continued walking right past me, tears rolling down her face.
"We need to get out of here, Gerard. There is no way we can stay here, no way I will stay here. I'm getting out of here," She said, still crying. I still stood there shocked.
"Lindsey, we're in the eye of the storm, it won't be long before the wind picks up again. We need to get back into the basement, it's the only way to stay safe," I said, begging her to stay. She looked at me for not five seconds longer before turning and heading out the door. I hear an engine roaring to life and a slamming door before I realize that I may never see her again. I fall to the floor, my face in my hands. I've just let the love of my life walk out the door, headfirst into a hurricane. The wind was already picking up again, and rain was starting to come down, eerily calmly. I pulled myself up, blinking back the tears. I ran outside, staring up the road. Lindsey was already gone.
The storm clouds were retreating that way, but approaching quickly behind me. If she could've heard me, I would've screamed her name, I would have yelled for her until my lungs gave out. But instead, I resorted to that violent type of silence everyone gets and went back inside, kicking the door frame as hard as I could while I went inside. I didn't bother going to the basement yet, though. I first went to our bedroom, examining the damage before taking a photo of Lindsey and I from the nightstand. I hurriedly pulled it from the frame, stuffing it into the pocket of my plaid pajama pants. The rain started to fall even harder now, slamming against whatever windows were left unshattered. A huge gust of wind blasted against the window beside me, sending glass shards flying at me. I leapt out of the way, running down the hallway as windows exploded behind me.
Nearly flying down the stairs, I made my way to the basement as fast as I possibly could, still clutching the photo in my sweaty palms. The sound of shattering glass and the sound of drywall being crushed was all I could here as my home fell apart above me. I cried silently, knowing that Lindsey was stuck in this storm, out on the road with no place to go. Why couldn't she have stayed? Why didn't I stop her from leaving? I felt like my world was falling down around me, which in all reality, it was. The house, the town, the thought of losing Lindsey all closing in around me, I sunk down into the corner of the dark, damp basement, sobbing to myself. How pathetic could I possibly be?
I don't remember falling asleep, but honestly, I wish I had never woken up. Everything was eerily silent, and I heard the quiet sound of raindrops hitting the floor above. I stumbled to my feet and cautiously climbed the stairs, hoping that when I reached the top I would see Lindsey, drinking out of her favorite mug, with the pancakes we made just this morning, and Frank would be on the television, predicting only sunny skies. But what I saw was nothing like that. My home was destroyed, things thrown everywhere. Most of the windows were smashed, rain water seeping in. It was only drizzling now, but the rain still made its way through a gaping hole in the ceiling. I walked outside, and what I saw I couldn't believe. Houses ripped apart, some unbelievably worse than mine. Trash and leaves strewn about, trees fallen across the road. Sirens wailed down the road, down toward the highway. Everyone on the street was huddled together, all in little groups. A girl, about twelve, and her mother stood in front of their house, which was probably one of the worst of all of our houses. I recognized her, she had just moved here. She didn't deserve to have to go through this. None of us did. Neither did Lindsey. I fell to my knees, not able to tear my eyes away from all of the destruction around me, crying. Crying for our home, crying for the town, and crying for Lindsey, who might not even be alive. I didn't know how I was going to find her, or if I would. Far down the road, I could see an ambulance's lights flashing, and people yelling. It seemed like everyone else heard too, because they all turned to see what was happening. I started hesitantly toward the lights, almost afraid of what I might see. After all that had happened, I knew it wasn't anything good. I guess I was right. Paramedics ran around frantically, pulling the stretcher out of the ambulance. A tow truck was on the side of the road, pulling a mangled black sports car out of a ditch. Lindsey's black sports car. My heart stopped and I was filled with panic and fear. I ran as fast as I could toward the ambulance, where the stretcher was being loaded into the back. I shoved past the crowd, and ran straight for her. Lindsey lay on the stretcher, her face cut up and bruised. Her arms were covered in deep gashes from broken shards of glass. I pressed my hand to her cheek; she was pale, and cold. My heart stopped, and I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Sir, you can't be here," A paramedic says, trying to push me back past the crowd.
"No, you don't understand! You have to let me see her! She's my girlfriend!" I shout, tears falling down my face. The paramedic stares at me sympathetically for a moment.
"Oh, oh. Alright. Come with me," She said quietly, leading me back towards the
ambulance. Lindsey had already been lifted up into the back, and the paramedic helped me climb in to sit next to her.
"We'll be at the hospital in just a little bit, okay? Don't worry," She told me. I nodded, sniffing.
"Is she going to be okay?" I asked. She stayed quiet.
"I think so," She said, attempting to comfort me. No matter whether she said it would be alright or not, I was still worried. The paramedic looked at me one last time before climbing back out of the ambulance and shutting the doors. I heard the engine start up and we began to drive away, leaving the crowd of people there to wonder what just happened. I looked down at Lindsey, her chest rising and falling with soft, stuttering breaths. I held her hand in mine, leaning down to kiss her forehead. I could only hope that everything was going to be okay.
I sat in the waiting room of the hospital for what seemed like hours before I was allowed to see her. When I walked into her hospital room, my heart skipped a beat. She was lying on the bed, fast asleep. Bandages were wrapped around her head and arms, and the heart monitor showed a steady beat. I slowly walked up to the bed, and couldn't help but to smile a little. She was okay. A tear slipped from my eye, and I laughed a little. Everything was okay. Lindsey turned in the bed, her eyes slowly fluttering open.
"Gee... Gerard... Where am I? What... what happened?" She whispered.
"It's okay, Lynz, it's okay," I said softly, smiling back. "You're in the hospital, you're going to be alright,"
"But... but... the hurricane it's -"
"It's over, everyone is safe now," I said, running my hand through her hair. She sat up and put her hand on her forehead, hissing from the pain.
"I... I thought I would never see you again," I whispered. She shook her head and smiled softly.
"Well, I'm still here, aren't I?" She laughed quietly. I looked down, smiling. Here I sat, with the love of my life in a hospital bed, and myself wearing these stupid plaid pajama pants. But really, now was the best time to do this. I pulled the small black box from my pocket, and kneeled down next to the hospital bed. Lindsey realized what was happening, and gasped, putting her hands over her mouth.
"Lindsey, I love you, and I don't know how I could ever live without you. When I saw you on that stretcher, being carried away in that ambulance, I didn't know what to think. I thought I had lost you. And I never want to lose you again. Lindsey, will you... will you marry me?" I stuttered, my heart racing. Lindsey nodded frantically, sobbing into her hands.
"Yes, Gerard, yes!" She cried, smiling through her tears. I couldn't help but cry a little too. After everything we'd been through, after everything that happened, we still made it through. Even if I had no house, no comic books and no fancy mugs left now, I still had Lindsey. And that was all that really mattered to me.

EPILOGUE
It's been five years since Hurricane Arthur. Lindsey and I moved out to California after the storm. We got married that year, in September. Lindsey had always loved the colors of the leaves in fall, and something about that day made them even more spectacular. The town of Stuart was rebuilt, but we left before we could have the chance to see our home get fixed. We were too freaked out after the hurricane to want to stay any longer than we'd have too, and my brother Mikey offered to let us stay with him for a while until we got back on our feet. We bought a beautiful house far away from the shoreline, and Lindsey even got some more of her band posters. I guess that in all of this, we should be glad we made it. We have an entire life waiting ahead of us. And after all, the future is bulletproof.

The End.