Hidden From Reality

27

Frank

A scream jolted me out of sleep. Gerard was curled up in a ball, his back to me, but his scream rang clear. I sat up and looked down at his face, taking in the tears streaming down his face. His twitched suddenly, shaking off the covers. I put my hand on his back in an attempt to calm him down, but he only flinched away. The light clicked on and my dad stood in the doorway, Mom right behind him. Mikey still hadn't come back from Pete's, so we had assumed he was staying the night. Gerard let out another scream, this one more tortured than the last. I began to shake his shoulders, frantically trying to wake him up. My dad entered the room and knelt next to the bed as Gerard snapped awake. He stared up at me, barely breathing. He blinked and muttered an apology before struggling to sit up. He slid off the bed, leaving the room and entering the kitchen. I followed him and watched as he got a cup out of the cabinet. He poured some water in it before taking a drink, shaking slightly. I walked over and took the cup from him, putting it on the counter. He followed me back to my room and stared at the bed.

"Gerard?"

"No more sleep tonight."

"You sure?" He nodded and sat down on the bed. He pulled out his phone and began to scroll through it. He was apparently determined to not fall asleep for the rest of the night. He looked up at me and scowled.

"You can go to bed. I don't want you to suffer because of me. Besides, we have school tomorrow."

"Then shouldn't you go to sleep?"

"Don't wanna." I kept my eyes on Gerard as my dad crept into the room, holding a syringe aloft. He crept up to Gerard, and before he could even react, grabbed his arm. As soon as Gerard saw the needle, his eyes widened in fear. He squirmed and jerked, desperately trying to break away from my father. But in the end, the needle found Gerard's arm. He just stared at me in shock as he slumped forward. I caught him before he could face plant into the mattress.

"He's gonna be mad at me."

"It had to be done. He'll forgive you."

"Why'd you do it?"

"Why'd you go along with it?"

"He said he didn't want to go back to bed." I stared down at the boy who was now peacefully sleeping in my lap. My dad walked over to my door, hand on the light switch.

"You did the right thing Frank. As much as he denies it, he needs his sleep. See you in the morning." He clicked the light off and I heard him walking down the hall. I struggled to get both Gerard and I into a comfortable position, but managed to drift off to sleep, hugging Gerard tightly. I woke up the next morning, Gerard still curled up in my lap. I sat up and he stirred, grunting softly. He sat up and looked my in the eyes. Without saying anything, he slid out of bed, walking out of the room. I heard the bathroom door close and the water start, signaling that Gerard was taking a shower. I crawled out of bed and went out to the kitchen after changing into a black shirt and jeans. After a while, Gerard stumbled out into the kitchen and plopped down at the table. He glared at my dad as he entered and almost angrily began to hold my hand.

"You're not...Mad?"

"Not at you. At him." Gerard jerked his head towards my dad. My dad looked up and Gerard, and almost surprisingly, Gerard snarled back. My dad blinked, almost like he couldn't believe it.

"Are you sure you're Donna's kid? She-"

"Yes, I'm Donna Way's kid. Even if I don't like it."

"Why would you..?" I gestured at my dad to stop pushing. Gerard glared at my dad before standing. He returned, backpack slung over his shoulder. He gestured to the clock, signaling that it was time for school.