Not So Dangerous Days

4

I watched from the couch as Gerard stumbled out of his room. He walked over to me and sat down.

"Hey...Your dad was a doctor, right? Did he ever teach you how to change, like, bandages?"

"Uh, yeah? Why?" Gerard lifted up his shirt, and revealed a bloody mess that I assumed was the bandages from yesterday.

"Oh, that doesn't look very good."

"It doesn't feel very good either."

"I hope you have a first-aid kit."

"Yeah, under the bathroom sink." I got up and entered the bathroom. I found a towel along with the first-aid kit and walked back out to Gerard. He was laying on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. He sat up when he saw me coming and made room for me on the couch. He pulled up his shirt again and I peeled off the old bandages.

"He did a shitty job at sewing this shut. I'm gonna have to do it again."

"Wait, with, like, a needle?"

"Yeah, how else?"

"U-um maybe not. Like, without the needle."

"Then how do you suggest I do it?"

"I don't know..." I looked up at Gerard as he chewed at his shirt's cuff.

"Don't tell me your afraid of needles?"

"Maybe a little..."

"Okay, uh, we'll figure something out. Don't worry." I started putting on the new bandages and tried to think of ways to fix this without a needle.

"Y'know, Frank, I think I can, like, put aside my fear just this once. I want this to heal fast 'cause it hurts like Hell."

"You really think you're up for it?"

"Maybe...I don't know."

"Wanna try it?" Gerard looked over at me and eventually nodded.

"'Kay, lie down. Maybe try not to look? We can take breaks and stuff in between if you need it, too." Gerard laid down on the couch as I pulled the needle and thread out of the kit. He scrunched his eyes closed and shoved his face into one of the couch's throw pillows.

"Ready?" A muffled 'yes' was all I got in response. I lifted up his shirt and undid the bandages. Gerard tensed when I began the first stitch, but didn't complain. When I finished that side, I pat him on the back.

"How you holding up?" He gave me a thumbs up and flipped over, still holding the pillow to his face.

"Just hurry up, please." I finished sewing the wound closed and redid the bandages.

"Okay, you're done. How're you feeling?"

"Terrible and scared out of my mind."

"Well okay then."

"But...Wanna go out?"

"Like on a date?"

"If you want to look at it like that. It's just...we've never actually been on one."

"I mean, if you're up for it." He nodded and went to go get changed. I began to pack up the kit, excited for our first ever date.