Calibrations

Australia 2016

Crash opened the doors of the hospital, rushing past doctors and nurses as he headed toward Frank's room, but he wasn't Crash anymore. He'd never liked that nickname anyways, and now that his past and future selves were gone, there was no reason to use it. Without them, he was just Gerard.

It had been three days since the accident, and miraculously, everyone in Frank Iero and the Patience had survived the crash. Gerard passed by Evan and Paul's rooms, and he quickly waved to both of them. They'd both been badly injured in the accident, but they were thankfully doing better now.

As Gerard approached Frank's room, one of the nurses stopped him. "Visitation hours don't start until two o'clock," she said.

"You let me in yesterday," Gerard argued.

"Only immediate family members are allowed in right now," the nurse said.

"Just let him in already," Frank said, and the nurse obliged. She opened the door, and Gerard stepped into the hospital room.

Not much had changed from the day before. The room was still lifeless and sterile, with only the stack of get well soon cards on the table next to the bed providing a splash of color. There were hundreds of them, from Frank's family in New Jersey, from his friends in California, from his fans all over the world. Frank was lying in bed, watching The Nightmare Before Christmas on the grainy TV in his room. His skin was dotted with bruises, but he was alive, and that was what mattered.

"I hate this fucking place," Frank said as he turned off the TV. "The doctors say I'll be out of here by next week though."

"That's good to hear," Gerard said as he sat down on the hospital bed. He missed Frank's energy, but he'd be back to his old self soon. It would just take some time.

"I couldn't sleep at all last night," Frank said. "I just keep replaying the accident in my mind..."

"I can't stop thinking about it either," Gerard said. It was true. Every time he closed his eyes, he was back in the comic book shop on Park Street. He watched Frank flying through the air, and he remembered how he felt in that moment, how he thought that Frank might not make it. Before the adrenaline set in, he saw that miserable future flashing before his eyes, a future where he would live and die alone. It was a fate worse than death, and it had appeared in his nightmares every night since the accident. He wondered if it would always be like this, now that he had seen just how fragile life could be.

"It's crazy," Frank said. "I could be dead right now, but I'm here. If it hadn't been for that enormous rucksack I was wearing, I probably wouldn't be alive right now."

Gerard laughed. "Do you really think it was the rucksack that saved you?" he said.

"Yeah," Frank said.

"It wasn't," Gerard said. "It was me."

"What are you talking about?" Frank asked.

"I caught you," Gerard said. "You went flying, and I kept you from hitting the curb."

"I remember that, but I didn't think it really happened." Gerard looked confused, so Frank said, "Do you remember when we were making The Black Parade, and you said something about death coming for you in the form of your strongest memory?" Gerard nodded. "You're my strongest memory, Gee. You've always been there, no matter what, and you're probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. So when I saw you, I thought I was dying. I thought you were death, coming to take me away."

Gerard leaned over and gently kissed Frank's forehead. "You're a fucking idiot, Frank, but I love you."

"I love you too," Frank said. "So you really were there? You really saved me?"