Never Be Afraid Again (sequel to We'll Carry On)

Return from the Ashes you came.

Gerard's Point of view

12:00 A.M.

I heard the consistent beep of Stormy's heart monitor and was snapped back to reality. The doctors were rushing us all out of the room and a nurse took bandit from my arms apologetically. It took the nurse pushing me out of Stormy's room to realize that my wife had flat lined.

Stormy had died, and they were trying to resuscitate her.

I stood outside the door where the doctors worked and hovered over Stormy, unmoving. It isn't that I didn't want to move, it's I literally couldn't. My legs refused to carry me, and my body was paralyzed.

In that moment my world crashed to the ground. The little precious girl I held in my arms, Stormy and my daughter, was jerked from my grip and my beautiful wife; the only girl I ever truly loved, took her last breath. All while I was wrapped up in my perfect little world with Bandit, Stormy was struggling to hold on. She needed me by her side, and I abandoned her. Now I was left with our daughter, who looked identical to her. Stormy gave up her life for Bandits. Stormy was sicker than she led us all to believe.

The fucking doctors lied to me, to her.

Suddenly I was jolted back into reality by Frank throwing himself at the door, then collapsing to his knees.

"NO! SHE CAN'T BE FUCKING DEAD, THIS ISN'T FUCKING FUNNY! WHERE IS BANDIT?! GOD, NOT FUCKING CLOUDY!" Sobs rippled through Frank's small framed body as he curled into a ball on the hard linoleum floor repeating "Not my Storm cloud."

Suddenly Mikey, Alicia, Jamia, Ray, dad, and Jessica came running to us and stopped dead in their tracks, realization hit them just as hard as it had just hit me. I was now punching the wall and on the floor next to Frank in hysterics.

"No... Gerard. Not... not Stormy." Mikey whispered falling next to me, wrapping me in his arms.

"She-she's gone." Jamia stuttered in disbelief as silent tears ran down her porcelain face.

"Oh Donald, not our little girl." My mom sobbed into my dad's shirt, as he cried into her hair. Stormy became their daughter the second they met her.

"God dammit! How could you, Stormy?!You promised." Lindsey was in the corner, hugging her knees, sobbing loudly.

Ray, well Ray was a man of few words that night, but I can tell you this. I have never seen him so shattered or angry in the many years I had known him.

Just then, a nurse came from Storm's room and handed me Bandit and instructed us to wait in the waiting room and simply said

"We are doing everything we can." I wish that was enough for me.

12:45 A.M.

"She looks just like Stormy, I can't handle it." I whispered audibly as I held my newborn, sleeping daughter in my arms. She was in a peaceful position. Sucking on a pacifier and curled up in my arms. She was so small and fragile. I couldn't, not want her; she was the product of Stormy and I, of our love and of us as people. She had my facial structure and my eyes, everything else was Stormy. She was the epitome of perfection, just like her mother. As I looked at the innocent little girl I held in my arms, I felt tears trail down my face again. Bandit may never get to meet her mommy.

"That bitch, how could she leave us like this?!" Jessica growled through her tears.

"Hey! We don't know that she has. They're trying to get her back." Ray spoke up for the first time that night.

"Guys, I can't lose Stormy. She's, she's my best friend. Who else will do stupid shit with me and get kicked out of malls with me? Storm held us all together, man. Gerard, she's your wife, and she's Bandits mommy. She needs to wake up and be her mom. That's literally all she wanted; to be Bandit's mom. If we lose her... we'll fall apart, I'll fall apart." Frank started shaking again, falling into his wife's arms. "Jamz, I can't lose her. Bandit deserves to know her mom, and Gerard deserves his wife, and we all need her. God fucking dammit. Make her wake up! Please" He begged Jamia, as if she could make stormy wake up again. Seeing Frank so fragile and unhinged broke me down.