Starman (Frerard)

Chapter 1

Frank drank his cup of coffee as he started to exit the coffee shop. But before he did, something caught his attention on the bulletin board near the front door. It was a piece of paper advertising a caregiver position, with the starting pay being twelve dollars an hour, which sparked Frank's interest, since he's been looking for a job for a while, and had experience from babysitting the neighbor's kids. Frank took the flier off the board and read further. It said that the person that wrote this flier is looking for someone to care for his mentally challenged brother, and that experience is preferred, but is willing to train. The flier also had the number to call on the bottom. Frank knew this would be a decent job, considering the pay. Even though he doesn't have much experience with people with special needs, he was willing to learn new skills. Holding the flier, Frank walked out of the coffee shop as he smiled. He really hoped he could get this job, knowing he's desperate for work since he lost his last job at a local grocery store due to one too many panic attacks. Now that his panic disorder has gotten a lot better though, Frank knew he was capable of getting and holding down a job.
           Frank walked to his car and got inside and turned it on. After that, he dialed the number on the paper, which went to his car so he didn't have to hold his phone while driving. He heard a few rings before someone picked up.
           "Hello?" a voice said.
           "Hey, this is Frank Iero. I saw your ad in a coffee shop for a caregiver job, and I'm interested," Frank replied as he drove.
           "Oh, good. I could really use some help. You're the first person that's called about this. How about if I give you my address, and you can come over, and we'll talk more about the job? I'm Mikey, by the way," Mikey said.
           "Sure, that will work. What's your address?"
           "It' 1217 Monroeville Drive, right here in Newark. It's not far from the local tobacco and liquor shop. You know where that is?" Mikey asked.
           "Yeah, I do. I pass by that store all the time. Finding your place shouldn't be hard," Frank replied. "What time do you want me to come over?"
           "Anytime is fine,"
           "I'll head over there now. Should take me about ten or fifteen minutes to get there,"
           "Great. See you soon,"
           "You too. Bye,"
           Frank hung up, knowing where to go. He could feel himself getting giddy just thinking about getting this job. He just hoped he can get it.

_ _ _
           Frank pulled up to the driveway of the house that belongs to the correct address. It was easy for Frank to find it since he passed by the local tobacco and liquor store near it all the time. Frank was surprised by how nice the house looked, despite being in the middle of a rough part of Jersey. It was a blue frame house with a small garden in the front that looked well taken care of. Frank got out of his car, walking up to the front door after walking up the small set of steps leading up to it. He stopped at the door and rang the doorbell, which he could hear go off from beyond the house, followed by a pair of footsteps coming to the door. The door opened, revealing Mikey at the other side, who smiled.
           "Hey, come inside," he said as he shook Frank's hand. Frank smiled, doing just that. The interior of the house looked really nice and clean. He was surprised that Mikey had time to tidy up the house, despite having to take care of his brother, who Frank assumed he was soon to meet.
           Frank followed Mikey down the hall to the living room, where Frank turned and looked into, finding a grown man somewhere in his early thirties with creamy pale skin, bright blonde hair, and glasses, wearing a Batman t-shirt and plaid pajama bottoms, as well as a black helmet on his head. He sat on the floor, playing with wooden building blocks. He sat there with two blocks in his hand, banging then up against each other repeatedly instead of using them for their intended purpose. Frank had to admit that he felt pretty nervous about meeting Mikey's older brother, knowing his condition, but when Frank saw him for the first time, all that anxiety of first seeing him went away. He looked so happy playing with his blocks, despite what's wrong with him. If anything, he looked fucking adorable like a little kid, Frank thought to himself.
           "Frank, this is Gerard," Mikey said as they walked up to his brother. Mikey bent down to face Gerard, smiling at him. "Gee, say hi to Frank!"
           Gerard didn't respond. He just stared down at the ground, playing with his blocks. Frank suddenly noticed the stitches on Gerard's forehead. He thought it wouldn't hurt to ask Mikey what happened to his brother.
           "What happened to his head?" Frank asked.
           "Oh, the stitches? Gerard hurt himself last night, and I had to take him to the emergency room. I found him banging his head against the wall, which is why the helmet is on him. He has a habit of hurting himself when he's distressed," Mikey sighed. Frank felt his heart sink for Gerard. He knew that if he were hired to take care of him that he had to prevent him from hurting himself in any way. Frank also wanted to make a good impression on Mikey. He really needed this job. He thought a good start would be to give a friendly introduction to Gerard. Maybe he didn't hear him when Mikey introduced Gerard to him. Frank bent down to face Gerard, smiling at him as he eyed him.
           "Hey, buddy. I'm Frank. Nice to meet you!" Frank said in a friendly tone. Gerard still didn't respond. He didn't even look at Frank. He just continued to play with his toys.
           "He can't speak," Mikey said. "He rarely makes eye contact too. It's not that he doesn't like you. That's just the way he is,"
           "It's alright, I understand. I know that's common for people that have the same issues as Gerard," Frank shrugged. Suddenly, Gerard turned his head over to Frank. He slowly handed him one of his blocks as he stared at him. Frank was a little surprised by what Gerard was just doing, knowing what Mikey just told him. Frank didn't know what to do, other than grab the block from Gerard. When he looked down at the pile of other blocks on the ground near Gerard, he suddenly got an idea.
           "Hey, Gerard. Watch this," he said, taking the block from Gerard and stacking it on top of another one, then repeating with more blocks until he made a small tower in front of Gerard. Gerard looked down at what Frank just built with his blocks, then smiled and looked up at Frank, laughing innocently as a string of drool ran down from his lips. Frank smiled back, feeling his heart warm. He wondered if Gerard did this often. By the surprised look on Mikey's face, the answer must be no.
           "Wow, I think he likes you, Frank!" Mikey said, smiling. "I think you'll fit for this job perfectly, to be honest. Gerard's never been like that around anyone else that took care of him,"
           "Are you serious? You think I'm good enough to take care of him?" Frank asked, eyes wide with surprise.
           "More than good enough. Since you clearly made a good impression on my brother, I think you're the right one for the job, just as long as I show you the ropes with taking care of him," Mikey responded. "He needs a bath today, as well as a new diaper probably. I'll show you how to do both those things for him,"
           "Alright, sounds good," Frank nodded. Mikey turned to face his brother.
           "Gee, we gotta give you a bath and get you changed and dressed. Frank's gonna help me," he said calmly. He took Gerard's hand and brought him up to his feet with him. Frank stood up as well, and altogether him, Mikey, and Gerard walked out of the living room and to the bathroom upstairs. When they got to the bathroom, Mikey turned on the water in the bathtub, testing it to make sure it was at the right temperature for Gerard. When the water was to Mikey's satisfaction, he turned to Frank.
           "Frank, just so you can feel more confident taking care of Gerard in the future, I'm gonna have you strip him and bathe him. I'm also gonna have you put a new diaper on him, since he's incontinent. Is that okay?" Mikey asked Frank.
           "Sure, no problem. Shouldn't be too hard," Frank shrugged. "I used to do similar things for my neighbor's kids, so this should be easy,"
           "Great. You can get started now. I'll help you if you're ever having a hard time,"
           "Cool. Rock and roll, man. Rock and roll," Frank smiled, turning to Gerard. "Gerard, I'm gonna take your clothes off so you can get in the tub, okay?"
           Frank knew Gerard couldn't respond, but felt he should let him know what he's about to do anyway so he doesn't risk possibly spooking Gerard. Frank gently pulled up Gerard's shirt off him, then pulled down his pants, revealing his diaper that's on him. Frank had to admit that he felt strange having to take off and put on a diaper on a grown man, but that was a part of Frank's job, and he couldn't complain. Frank took off the diaper that was wet with urine and threw it in the trash bin next to the toilet. He then helped Gerard into the bathtub after taking off his glasses and helmet, staying close to his side. When Gerard sat down in the tub, Frank took a cup on the ledge of the tub and began to wet Gerard's blonde hair. After that, he took some shampoo and lathered it in Gerard's hair, all while Mikey watched. Frank began to hum as he worked, rinsing the shampoo out of Gerard's hair. After that, he put conditioner in his hair, leaving it in for a bit so Gerard's hair can be smoother. While Frank left the conditioner in Gerard's hair, he took a washcloth and put some body soap on it, and began to scrub Gerard's body, making sure to get every part of it, including his bottom and privates. After rinsing the soap off Gerard's body, he washed the conditioner out of Gerard's hair, then pulled the drain of the tub, the water gradually going down it. Frank grabbed a towel and turned back to Gerard.
           "Gerard, it's time to get out. I gotta dry you off and get you in some clothes," Frank said calmly to Gerard. He held out a hand to him and helped him up to his feet, helping Gerard step outta the tub. Once he was out, Frank began to dry him with the towel. Mikey stood up and began to leave the bathroom.
           "I'll be right back. I'm gonna get Gerard some clothes," he said as he left.
           "Okay," Frank responded. Once he was done drying Gerard, he looked around to see if he can find a diaper for Gerard. He instantly found a pack of them when he looked under the sink, pulling one out. "I gotta put this diaper on you now, okay?" he said, turning back to Gerard. He guided Gerard to turn the other way away from Frank so that he could help put his diaper on, which Frank started to do with him. Once he put it on, Frank smiled as Gerard turned back to face him. At that moment, Mikey returned with a pair of clothes for Gerard, which consisted of a black woven sweater with a white dress shirt and some blue jeans, as well as socks and underwear. Mikey handed the clothes to Frank and immediately got to work, starting with Gerard's underwear and socks, then his pants, then finally his shirt and undershirt. Frank then put Gerard's glasses and helmet back on and smiled at him.
           "You did so good, Gerard. You're so well-behaved," he said. Gerard suddenly looked up at Frank and smiled, laughing like a baby would. Frank smiled back, taking Gerard into a gentle hug, which Gerard accepted, holding him tight.
           "Great job, Frank. You didn't even need any of my help. I really do think Gerard has taken a liking to you," Mikey said. "I'll show you more of what you need to do, just so you're aware,"
           "Okay, gotcha," Frank said, letting go of Gerard, who walked out of the bathroom and downstairs, back to the living room.
           "Here's Gerard's medication. He takes them in the morning and at night, so you only have to worry about giving him his pills after breakfast," Mikey said, picking up and showing Frank a pill holder that had each day of the week in each box, all of them filled with various pills.
           "So do I just give them to him, and he takes them?" Frank asked.
           "No, you gotta crush them and mix them with applesauce or pudding. Gerard will spit out his pills if you don't do that. You give him the small pink one and the big white one. The rest you leave alone. Here's his pill crusher," Mikey said, picking up a small blue device that looks like a cylinder.
           "Okay, easy enough," Frank nodded. All this work he has to do for Gerard seemed too easy to him, but that's what made him like the job he now has.
           "I'll take you to his room now. I have something to show you there," Mikey said as he put down the pill box and crusher, walking out of the bathroom. Frank followed him down the hall until they came up to a door at the end of it. Mikey opened it up, and together they went inside. Frank could easily tell this room belonged to Gerard, seeing the many toys on the ground, as well as a toybox and posters of superheroes like Batman and Superman.
           "I usually lay Gerard down to take a nap at around two, so make sure you do that. He gets really cranky if he goes without a nap. Here is his bed alarm," Mikey said, walking up and pointing to a small white box on the side of Gerard's bed that's hooked up to a wire. "Make sure you turn this on when you lay him down. It'll go off if he ever tries to get out. When you hear it, run as fast as you can to his room and lay him back down. Gerard has fallen on occasions, so that's why he needs this,"
           "Okay, got it. What about feeding him? Can he feed himself?" Frank asked.
           "Good question. He can't. He needs help with that. He's also a very picky eater. Whatever he doesn't like, he'll spit out. The two best foods to give him are scrambled eggs for breakfast, and macaroni and cheese for lunch. Try to branch out on some days, too. He also really likes pancakes and macaroni salad, which we have plenty of,"
           "Alright. Easy enough," Frank replied. "Anything else I should know?"
           "He hates loud noises, so make sure you talk softly around him and keep the volume of the TV or radio at a reasonable level. Also, keep him occupied. Play with him, you know? He has a habit of walking up to the stove and playing with the knobs for some reason, so make sure you keep him away from there. Those are really the only two things I can think of," Mikey shrugged. "Any other questions?"
           "When can I start?" Frank asked.
           "How about tomorrow at six? I work Mondays through Fridays from seven to five. I'm usually home at around six, and I feed Gerard dinner at around that time. Is that okay?"
           "That's perfect. I should be able to make that work,"
           "Great. Well, I've pretty much showed you everything. You can head home now. But before you do, I have something for you. Just a way of saying thank you," Mikey said, pulling out his wallet and handing Frank a fifty dollar bill. "Take this. It's for bathing Gerard,"
           "Oh, thanks!" Frank said, taking the bill and putting it in his pocket. "I really appreciate that,"
           "I appreciate the fact that you're so good around my brother. Seriously, you're like a godsend for us!" Mikey laughed.
           "Don't mention it. I guess I'll get going then. I'll say bye to Gerard first," Frank said as he walked out of Gerard's room, along with Mikey. Together, they walked downstairs and back into the living room, where Gerard was watching an episode of LazyTown on the flatscreen TV, his legs sprawled out as he sat on the floor, staring at the screen.
           "Hey, Gerard. It was so nice to meet you. I'll be seeing you tomorrow, okay?" Frank said to Gerard as he walked up to him, bending down to face him. Gerard looked back at Frank, giggling as he wrapped his arms around him tightly. Frank laughed, patting Gerard on the back as he hugged him. When they separated, Frank stood up and began to walk out of the living room with Mikey to the front door.
           "Well, I'll see you here tomorrow at six then. It was so nice to meet you," Mikey said as he opened up the front door for Frank.
           "You too. I'm looking forward to taking care of Gerard. He seems really sweet," Frank replied.
           "He is. I love him to death. I don't know what I'd do without him. He may be older than me, but I often feel like I'm the bigger brother, you know?"
           "I understand. It seems like you really do love and take good care of him, which I greatly commend," Frank smiled.
           "Thank you, Frank. I really appreciate your kind words," Mikey said, smiling back at Frank. Frank knew he had to get going now so that he could start running errands. He just so badly wanted to get it all done and over with.
           "I'm gonna get going. I got things to do for today," Frank said as he walked out the door to his car. He turned around to face Mikey one last time. "See you and Gerard tomorrow,"
           "You too. Bye," Mikey said as he closed the front door. Frank got in his car and started up the engine, backing out of the driveway as The Smiths played on the radio. Frank really looked forward to working with Gerard. It seemed easy enough, despite Gerard's impediment. He knew he had to be up extra early in the morning to get to Mikey and Gerard's house to start his first day of work. He could not wait.