EARLY SUNSETS

11 .can somebody tell me if this is really happening?.

Frank didn't know how he made it all the way to the hospital.

He hadn't stopped sobbing, and he only remembered getting out of the car, and seeing Donna waiting for him outside. 'He'll be fine, honey,' she said when Frank was in her arms.

She somehow convinced the staff he was family so they let him in, and took him to the room. 'How is he?' he asked.

'He's better.'

They walked in the room, where Gerard was still unconscious, and Mikey was sitting next to him. Frank ran to the bed, sobbing more, and took Gerard's hand. 'I'm here now,' he whispered between sobs.

He didn't move from there, waiting for Gerard to wake up, holding his hand. 'What happened?' he asked.

'We don't really know,' Mikey replied. 'They just found him in the alley, bleeding and no cellphone.' Frank stared at the unconscious man in front of him, stroking his hair, wishing he was awake and smiling at him. 'He wasn't carrying a lot of money, so they just took what he had, but left the wallet.'

'Fucking assholes. Why would they hurt him?'

'They just cared about the money. It's not a good neighborhood.'

'But he doesn't deserve that –'

'I know.' They stayed quiet for a moment. 'They found him just in time, but he lost a lot of blood.'

Frank tucked Gerard's hair behind his ear. It was starting to grow longer, and it would always cover his face. He had a black eye, and cuts on his lower lip and eyebrow. He hated those bastards for doing that to his Gerard. 'Thanks for calling me.'

'My mom was the one who told me to. Right after we got the call.'

Frank didn't know what to say. Something inside of him shifted knowing Gerard's mom cared about him.

He fell asleep at some point, lying on his arms, still holding Gerard's hand. 'C'mon, sweetie,' he heard Donna call. 'Go sleep in the recliner. I'll let you know if he wakes up.' Frank just nodded and sat in the recliner by the corner, dozing off within the minute.

When he woke up, Gerard was still unconscious, so he sat by his side and waited.

Mikey brought him coffee and a blueberry muffin from the cafeteria. 'You have to eat something.'

Frank just shrugged and kept playing with his boyfriend's hair. 'I don't wanna lose you, idiot,' he whispered. He knew he was doing okay, but he still was scared of what could had happened.

And just then, he felt Gerard squeezing his hand. Frank thought he was hallucinating, but then Gerard opened his eyes.

'Frankie?' he said. 'What happened?' He looked confused, and looked around the room, spotting his younger brother nearby, and trying to gather his surroundings.

'You're alright now,' Frank said, and pressed his lips against his.

Gerard tried to moved, and the pain was back, slowly reminding him of what had happened the night before. 'They jumped me,' he said, fighting the tears. 'I tried to tell them I didn't have money, but then they stabbed and kicked me and took my stuff.'

'I know.'

Gerard didn't say anything else. Frank caressed his face, trying not to cry. 'I thought I could lose you,' he said. 'Don't do that to me again, okay?'

'Okay.'

Over the next hour or two, doctors came in to check on him. Only his mom was allowed, so Mikey took Frank to the cafeteria in the meantime.

'He really loves you, you know?' Mikey said, and Frank nodded. 'And my mom has a soft spot for you now.'

'She's nice.'

When they were allowed in, Gerard told Frank what they said. There was some internal bleeding, and they were trying to check if there was damage, so he had to stay a couple extra days.

'Frank was really worried about you,' Donna said, reaching to hug Frank. 'He's a good kid.'

'He is,' Gerard said. 'And I'm sorry.'

'You're fine now,' Frank said. 'That's all it matters.'

Later, Mikey convinced Donna to go home and rest and that Frank and him would take care of Gerard. And somehow Frank convinced Mikey to leave them alone for a while.

After he left, Gerard patted on the bed, inviting Frank to lie down with him, which Frank did without a second thought. He cuddled next to Gerard, careful not to pull any tubes or to hurt him. 'It's alright,' Gerard assured him. 'With you here, nothing hurts.'

They cuddled like that for a while, kissing here and there. 'I'm glad you're alive.'

'I'm glad I'm alive.' It hurt a lot on his left side, where they had stabbed him, but he didn't complain. 'Can you stay with me for a while?'

Frank nodded. He didn't need to be asked. And they soon fell asleep.