The Ghost of Him

16. Frank

*Melanie's POV*

White. That's all I could see when I tried to open my eyes. My body felt stiff and it was too bright to actually be able to see anything at this moment. Was I dead? Blinding white lights were not a good sign according to books and movies. I couldn't afford to be dead.

I groaned as things started coming into focus. The first thing I noticed was a monitor beside me. The second was the beeping. And then I realized that I was lying in a hospital bed. A nurse was pacing around the room, getting this and that and placing them neatly around as if reorganizing the place.

She noticed me and stopped, smiling as if we were old friends. "Hey, sweetie. It's about time you woke up. You've been out for days, we were all starting to worry."

She was really pretty, probably in her early thirties. Her curly blond hair was pulled up in a messy bun and her hint of a southern accent misplaced her in the middle of  New Jersey.

Her heels clicked on the floor as she made her way over to my bedside and helped me into a sitting position. She pressed a button on the arm of my bed and the whole top half rose up so that I could comfortably sit up. She fluffed my pillow and then gently pushed me back and handed me a TV remote.

"I'll bring back your food in a moment, sweetheart. You just relax."

She walked out of the room and I listened to the sound of her heels click down the hallway before I turned on the little television on the wall in front of me. The first station was some old sitcom that I didn't really feel like watching, so I flipped a couple more stations and paused on a news channel, hoping to hear something about Gerard.

I sat in silence as they recited some story about a cat being stuck in a drain pipe and the fire department had to come and get it out. Thankfully, it was okay and in a nearby animal shelter being checked for any damage.

Just as I was about to change it, a breaking news story came on. A young lady standing outside of a hospital holding a microphone came on screen and there was a short delay before she started talking.

"Good evening. I'm Anastasia Carossi, outside of Clara Maass Medical Center, where young Melanie Smith is currently staying. Melanie was found five days ago by police in the middle of the woods, abandoned in an old recreational vehicle, after the infamous serial killer, Gerard Way, turned himself in and revealed her whereabouts. After four years of being in hiding, it was a relief to everyone to have this criminal captured and in the hands of our local prison. Way pleads guilty to several felonies, including over ten accounts of first degree murder, the kidnapping of the young teenager, sexual assault, and even drugging Miss Smith. We are currently awaiting news on the young victim, who is still under critical watch by nurses and doctors here at Clara Maass. Court dates have been set for two weeks from now, reviewing the kidnapping case of Melanie Smith. Still no word from either of the families."

I turned off the television and stared blankly at the wall, numb. What did they mean, drugging and sexual assault?? I didn't know that he drugged me, and there was definitely never any sexual assault that I knew about.

Was that all a part of his story? To be safe, I decided on not commenting on any of that until I learned more about the situation. Thankfully, I was practically a master at hiding my emotions in cases like these. At least on the outside, I was perfectly fine. But internally I was a fucking mess. I was alone and pregnant and I had no idea what was even going on at this point. I didn't know where my family was, I didn't know where Gerard was, and I didn't even know where the hell I was.

The nurse returned carrying a small pink tray with a bowl of something and a glass of water. She set it in my lap and I stared down in dismay at a large bowl of oatmeal; I hated oatmeal. But this was my first meal in who knows how long that didn't come from the little feeding tube by my side, so I just smiled gratefully at her and forced myself to start eating.