A Night to Remember

Mikey Fights for his Life

"What do you mean he's on the Titanic?" Gerard asked with his hand seizing Frank's arm, taken by a combination of confusion and panic.
"I don't really know, that's just what he said," Frank replied looking briefly at his arm and wondered if Gerard was ever going to release his grip.
"What who said?" Bob asked standing and facing Frank as Ray crowded around too.

Frank took a small step back trying to ease out of Gerard's ever tightening hold, but the hint was not taken.

"Gee, that's gonna bruise, you know," he nodded to his arm.
"Who did you speak to?" Gerard asked ignoring him.

Ray could see Frank's discomfort and stepping around behind Gerard, reached over to peel his fingers from the guitarist's arm. Frank offered Ray a grateful smile, while Gerard seemed oblivious to what had just happened.

"It was Lord Alverton. I'm amazed none of you could see him, he looked as solid as any of you guys."
"Alverton!" Bob gasped. "His ghost? Here?"

Bob, previously convinced that ghosts simply did not exist, didn't even feel the need to question or doubt Frank. The situation in which they found themselves was serious and no one, not even the ever mischievous Frank, was going to do or say anything that could potentially upset Gerard - or any of them, for that matter.

For his part, Frank merely shrugged. The apparition had seemed so real to him, it didn't even seem to occur to him to be odd.

"Well, what did he say?" Ray prompted. "That was a pretty long conversation you had."
"Well," Frank began, "it seems we weren't the only ones to notice how similar Mikey and Alverton looked. Lady Alverton took a shine to Mikey and, well..."
"Took him?" Bob asked.
Frank shrugged. "Yeah, I don't know how but, he's with her. Alverton says he's coming back soon, but I'm not so sure."
"Why?" asked Gerard with concern, willing to grasp at any straw.
"Well, he just said they discussed it and he told his wife to send him back. So he just assumes she will."
"Huh!" Gerard flopped down into a chair. "I can't say I'm all that convinced."
"Apparently, she was particularly upset. A combination of Mikey looking like Alverton and that it's his birthday today too."

Ray looked up into the air above their heads.

"Er... happy birthday?" he said in an attempt to appease Alverton in the vain hope it might help somehow.
"Never mind happy fucking birthday!" Gerard snapped. "We've got to find a way to get Mikey back!"
"How?" Frank reasoned. "I mean it's not like we can just pop back in time nearly a hundred years is it?"
"She managed it!" Gerard snapped - even he knew he wasn't making any sense.
"She's dead, Gee," Ray tried to point out the obvious. not that he believed it would help.
"But Mikey isn't!" he yelled back only to stop suddenly, his face paling rapidly. "At least... I..."

Gerard's eyes opened wide in panic as the terrifying thought began to slowly settle like a falling leaf. "Get the owners on the phone! This must have happened before."
"I seriously doubt it, Gee." Bob reasoned. "They'll think we're just making it up."
"Call them!"
"Okay, okay!" Frank tried to sound marginally calmer than his friend, but he knew that his nerves were shredded and his panic was spiralling. Gerard's agitation was getting to them all.
"It's nearly dawn and I have a horrible feeling that if we don't get him back by then, we won't get him back at all," Gerard quietly explained the root of his fear. He refused to make eye contact, believing that if he did, all his resolve would be lost like water down a drain.

*

Mikey had long since finished yelling; no one could hear him, or at least no one was listening to him. He'd shouted until he was hoarse and received no response at all. He doubted that anyone was even there. Now he sat on the tiny, and very uncomfortable bunk with his knees drawn up and his back resting against the wall. He glanced nervously at his watch; it was eight ten.