Learning How To Swim (Frerard)

14. Oh Great Here We Go

"I can't believe you!" Gerard hopped out of the boat and stormed down the dock, throwing off his lifejacket.

"Can you please stop yelling at me?" Mikey asked meekly. Gerard heard him and he felt a pang of guilt in his chest.

"Come on," Gerard said. "Let's check on Grandma."

They walked up the stairs and opened the screen door, Gerard peered into the living room.

"Grandma?" He called out, to no response. Gerard exchanged a look with Mikey, Mikey showed concern in his eyes. Even if their Grandma was asleep, she would wake up and say something within seconds. She was a light sleeper.

Gerard stepped into the house and walked slowly through the living room. Mikey walked past and went into the kitchen to see if she was in there. Gerard was getting worried at this point, and he called out for his grandmother again.

"Grandma?" Still no response. Gerard felt his heartbeat quicken in his chest, he had the feeling something was wrong. Of course, their Grandma could be out with friends, or maybe just not in the house and working on the garden in the front. But she would've been able to hear from the front.

"Gerard!" Mikey yelled, a clear sign of alarm in his voice. Gerard ran to the kitchen, but Mikey wasn't there. "Gerard, Grandma's room!" Mikey's voice cracked, and Gerard felt like the world was closing in on him.

He stepped into his grandmother's room to see Mikey kneeling on the floor, next to their grandmother. He looked up at Gerard, tears in his eyes.

"I can't find a heartbeat...she's not...breathing." Gerard's heart dropped to the ground. It felt as though time had stopped entirely and everything was crashing around their little bubble of stillness.

Gerard leaned down and looked at his grandmother. She was laying face up, her eyes closed, as though she was sleeping peacefully.

It seemed like years as he stared at her. His body shook, and he felt as though his lungs were collapsing. His eyes burned like a house fire, tears stabbing at the backs of his eyes like knives. But the tears wouldn't come. He just stared. Mikey shook his shoulders, called his name. He even slapped Gerard straight across the face, but still he stared.

Mikey gave up eventually, running to the phone. Gerard felt like he was underwater, his head spinning like a top.

"Yes hello, I've just found my grandmother dead in her room...Yes...No I was not...um, 8 Lakeside Drive. Thank you."

-

The ambulance arrived in just under a half hour. Gerard was still staring at his grandmother' body when they got there. The paramedics tried to move Gerard away from her, but he refused. He didn't say a word to them, just stayed kneeling in his place. It took a while, but they loaded him into the ambulance as well, taking his blood pressure and hooking him up to an oxygen mask to keep him from passing out.

It was all a blur and a mess of sounds. The white walls of the tiny hospital and the mint green curtain next to the bed he was placed in. A doctor tried to speak to him, but Gerard just closed his eyes to keep from crying.

-

2 HOURS EARLIER

Frank felt as though he had been slapped with information and told to write an essay on it. What did Gerard mean Pete 'deserved it'? What the hell had happened in the kitchen?

Frank turned to the open door of Pete's kitchen, him standing there with a sullen expression on his face.

Frank walked up to him, and Pete still didn't move, even when he was standing right in his face.

"Pete." Frank said, and he waved his hand in front of Pete's face. He snapped his head up and looked at Frank with wide eyes.

"Are you gonna beat the shit out of me?" Pete asked, his ballsy facade liquefied and turned to a puddle on the floor around him.

Frank snickered. "No, just tell me what the hell just happened."

Pete relaxed his stance, and took a breath before speaking.

"Last night I told Mikey I liked him, and it was obvious that he liked me back, so I kissed him and he kissed me back." Frank raised an eyebrow at that. Pete wasn't known to be the "only a kiss" guy.

Pete caught on to Frank's implication. "It was only a kiss, I swear!"

Frank crossed his arms, and Pete gave in.

"Fine I may have sort of givenhimahandjobtoo. But that's it!"

Frank shook his head. "Okay, so moving on from that, what happened this morning?"

Pete looked at his feet, clearly uncomfortable.

"Mikey was telling me about how he felt bad about what happened last night, because of Patrick-"

Well of course, who wouldn't, Frank thought, but kept listening.

"-and I told him I would break up with Patrick, which he got upset about, and then he was getting loud so I kissed him to shut him up."

Frank looked up at the ceiling and prayed to whatever god that may be out there that he could make it through this conversation.

"Okay," Frank started. "So then Gerard walked in and started freaking out on you because you were actively cheating on your boyfriend. Correct?"

Pete looked like he'd just been slapped, but nodded his head.

"So is this a romantic like thing or a lust thing because you haven't had sex in almost two years?"

Pete looked a little offended about that, but strongly said, "Romantic."

"Alright. You have to tell Patrick. As soon as possible. Because one more act like that and he'll find out by walking in on you two, which may be more devastating than you telling him without the visual."

Pete nodded and placed a hand on Frank's shoulder.

"Thanks man. You're...you're a good friend."

Frank only nodded, he didn't know what to say to that.

"Okay man. I'm gonna go check on Gee and Mikey. See ya."

Frank started to head out the door, unbothered by the sound of approaching sirens from across the lake.

***

hello yes this is a much shorter chapter im sorry about that i just think it was the best was to write the chapter 

hey it would be really cool if u voted on this chapter and commented its really cool to see it thank u love u bye