It's Cold Tonight xXx Chapters 11-20

[decay;;]

CHAPTER ELEVEN..//

"Where's Yazz?" I asked Gerard anxiously, as we travelled onwards to our next destination - Chicago. He giggled and rolled his eyes stupidly, moving backwards and forwards on the sofa.
"I don't knoooooooww!" He said childishly. I ignored his drunken ramblings and kicked the bottles out of the way, heading for the bunks.

Yeah, Gerard had a problem. I'd noticed just before they played their set, when I spotted him downing a bottle of pure vodka. The others didn't do anything about it... they all basically watched as he tottered around, his eyes rolling into the back of his head, before he stumbled up the steps to the stage.

"He says it's to make him the Gerard the audience want to see," Frank had told me, "But I think it's just an excuse."
I considered this as I went to find Yazz. She was pretty much recovered from her neck injury now, but I hadn't seen her since before the gig. I went into the bunk room, where I could faintly hear music that sounded suspiciously like MCR. I walked in and found Yazz sat on Grace's bed, headphones in and sketchbook in hand. She looked up as I came in almost expectantly, then looked back to her sketchbook and closed it.

"Hey Yazz," I said, sitting down next to her. She stopped the song she was listening to, Headfirst For Halos, and put down her sketchbook.
"Erm, Allie, can I tell you something?" Yazz said. I could see that her usual red eyeshadow had smudges slightly and her eyes were shining - she had been crying.
"Sure..." I nodded, getting a little more comfortable, "Shoot."
She looked at the floor, then looked back. Deep breath.
"Tom dumped me. Again."

I heard footsteps in the doorway.
"WANKER!" Zoe shouted. I waved my hands to make her shut up, and beckoned for her to sit with us. She sat down on Yazz's other side and picked up the sketchbook.
"Why did he do that?" I asked carefully.
Yazz sighed, "Apparently, I love Gerard. Apparently, I don't hang out with him enough. Apparently, I'm not perky enough. Apparently, I don't care about him."
I instantly felt a wave of anger. This wasn't the first time this had happened. Tom had dumped Yazz repeatedly during our school years - but every time he would come crawling back, seeking forgiveness.

"Fuck him," I said plainly, "After all - I Set My Tom On Fire!"
Yazz giggled, "However could I forget?"
"Vampires Will Never Hurt You, But They'll Murder Tom!" Zoe grinned. Yazz laughed.
"I luff you guys!" She smiled, pulling us into a hug, which we gladly accepted. It was interrupted, however, by Yazz's mobile phone vibrating.

"One sec," She said, picking it up and reading the text message she'd just received. Her grin got bigger and bigger by the second, and by the time she'd put the phone back in her pocket her grin seemed to be bigger than her head.
"I don't believe it! Loz is here!"
"Where?" I squealed, looking around the room. Yazz giggled, "Not here, here. As in, she's in the USA on a family holiday!"
I grinned, "Hardcore!". Zoe nodded in agreement.
"She coming to the gig tomorrow?"
"Yeahhh!" Yazz was bouncing up and down happily, "I haven't seen her in ages!"

We all smiled excitedly, the idea of seeing Loz again making us hyper. I hadn't seen her since Yazz's halloween party two years ago, where we had all dressed up as the members of My Chemical Romance. She had gone as Gerard - I had been Frank, and Loz had come all the way down to Reading to be with us.
I could hardly wait.

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Teh sad chapter cheereded up =]]. Loz made her first entrance!!!
Aww,, Gerard was teh drunkness ='(
Teh ole famous "I Set My Tom On Fire!" "Vampires Will Never Hurt You... But They'll Murder Tom!" and "WANKER!" comments haff coem back to haunt us =]]. lol.

[decay;;]

CHAPTER TWELVE..//

'I can't believe you, Tom.'
'It's not my fault. It's all true.'
'You're the one that fucked off two years ago.'
'Yeah, but it doesn't change the fact that Yazz was MY girlfriend.'
'You weren't even going out when you moved!'
'Yes, but I still loved her.'
'Then why the fuck did you ditch her like that?'
'Because I had to.'

I tapped my fingers on the mouse for a few seconds. I had borrowed Gerard's laptop while he was still unconscious, and was in the middle of a rather heated conversation with the wanker - aka Tom. Yazz was on the phone to Loz again, and the others were either in bed, or out.

'Well, what now?'
'Dunno.'
'Got another girlfriend yet?'
'No.'
'Damn right.'
'What's that supposed to mean?'
'Don't think I haven't forgotten about you asking out my sister.'
'That was a one off. She rejected me anyway.'
'And rightly so.'
'Not my fault if me and Yazz didn't work out.'
'And how you gunna fix it, hmm?'
'Well, she wouldn't go out with anyone else.'
'Oh really?'
'Yeah.'
'And why not? Gunna kill her or something?'

The little pinging noise alerted me that Tom had signed off of MSN. I re-opened my conversation with Joe.

'Tom's gone.'
'Yeah, I noticed.'
'Mmmhmm.'
'He's outside...'
'What?'
'He's outside with a suitcase. Going down the road.'

Joe and Tom were next door neighbors, which was an advantage for spying on him. But leaving the house with a suitcase...

'Probably going for a sleepover or something.'
'Yeah. With a suitcase?'
'Maybe he's got a whole load of whores in there.'
'Ohmigod! I wanna go with him!'
'Nooo! He's evil, remember?'
'Lol, fine then. Stop me getting in on the action!'

I laughed and soon found myself forgetting about Tom and his suitcase.
I wish I hadn't.

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

He's gonna murder meh!!! HE'S GONNA MURDER MEH!!! ='(
Gerard,, Allie,, Zoe,, Loz,, SAVE MEEEEE!!

[decay;;]

The long awaited...
CHAPTER THIRTEEN..//

"LOZ!" Yazz screamed, bounding out of her seat next to a mildly sobered-up Gerard and running to hug the newcomer, who had just arrived at the cafe. We were sat outside a small coffee shop on the main street in Chicago, me sat next to Frank and Gerard drinking an espresso - which made a nice change from the alcohol. Loz jumped up and down excitedly and waved to the rest of us, pulling up one of the wire seats to sit next to Yazz, who prodded Gerard with one black-nailed finger.

"Gee, Gee open your fecking eyes," She whined, shaking him from his little rest on the table. Gerard rubbed his tired eyes and said hello to Loz, his speech slurred. He must of been drinking when we weren't looking. That or there was some form of booze in his seemingly harmless espresso.
"You long haired ghey," I said over my cup of steaming coffee. Frank giggled and put his arm round me.

There was a crashing, squeaking noise. Gerard had stood up randomly, then sat back down. Everyone stared at him. He rose up again and knocked the table slightly as he staggered towards the road. We all watched him.
"Gee, get back here," Ray called after him, looking concerned as he got closer to the busy road.
"I wanna go driving!" Gerard screamed back in a high-pitched voice. Ray rolled his eyes and motioned for Bob to follow him as he got up and chased after Gerard, dragging him away from the road and leading him in the direction of the hired car. Gerard had been drunk when he hired the car, and had only gone and picked out what largely resembled a Barbie car - pink and white, with leopard print seats and steering wheel.

"You go with him, Bob, make sure he don't fucking die or whatever," Ray said to Bob, as Gerard tripped over the kerb and fell into the front seat of the car. Bob got in the back seat behind him.
"One of you guys go too," Ray said, coming back to us and fluffing up his ginger 'fro, "Just in case."
Yazz and Loz stood up, followed by myself, Mikey and Frankie. We put our cash down on the table, said goodbye to everyone and walked out of the place, getting into the car. I sat in the back in between Bob and Frankie, and Yazz and Loz managed to squeeze in too. Mikey sat up front next to his drunken brother, who managed to start the engine all by himself and wildly drove us off into the traffic. Looking back, I saw Ray, Zoe, Charlotte, Grace and Holly watching us worriedly.

Well, an hour later and we weren't dead, which was a relief. Sure, Gerard's driving was pretty atrocious, and I half-expected us to of crashed into a tree by now. Luckily, Mikey had managed to take control of the wheel and so far we had avoided an old woman, two kids with a ball, a sky-scraper, a cottage, a lake, and several lampposts.
Now, we were driving up a mountainside road, swerving slightly. Mikey was eying the side of the road cautiously, where there was a giant cliff side drop just beyond the barrier Gerard was occasionally knocking into. Every time this happened, everyone would scream madly, and Mikey would grasp control and swerve away.

"I don't like this," I whispered to Bob. He didn't say anything - I had always thought Bob was the toughest member of the band, but I could see the fear in his eyes as he watched Gerard's head loll from side to side in front of him.
Frankie suddenly grasped my hand tightly, making me jump and turn to face him.
"Wh...whats those lights?" He whispered, his voice shaky. I turned to look out of the windscreen and spotted two faint pinpricks of yellow light in the distance. I remembered the photograph of Frank in the car, and remembered the two headlights he had seen before the accident.

"Don't worry," I whispered comfortingly, "It's probably a house or something."
"Yeah. Yeah, it probably is. Silly me," He said in an obviously fake calm manner, still shaking. The others had also noticed though, as the lights got closer.
"What's that?" Yazz said loudly, leaning over Loz to look out of the window, "Looks like a lamp or something."

BANG.
Everyone screamed.
"That's a gunshot!" Mikey screamed, stretching for the wheel; but Gerard pushed him away, slamming Mikey's head into the dashboard. He slumped unconscious in his seat.
"Gerard! What did you do!" Loz screamed, leaning over the seat in front and trying to shake Mikey awake as the car swerved madly, smashing into the cliff side.
The car headlights hit a figure standing at the roadside. I squinted, trying to make the person out. Then I realised.

"SHIT! TOM!" I yelled. Yazz started screaming ecstatically, Loz grabbing her and making her duck down. "He's here for you, Yazz!" She shouted, "Everyone, get down!"
Frankie was crying - the trauma of the car accident was bringing back bad memories, I could tell. I kissed the top of his black-haired head and ducked, listening to the bullets pinging off the car as Gerard sang loudly.
"OH YOU PRETTY CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, the car swerving and spinning from side to side. We were going too fast - another gunshot sounded, and a window smashed next to Bob. I found myself covered in blood as Bob yelled in pain.

The speed of the car was making my head spin, as Yazz wailed somewhere on my left. I still had my arms wrapped around Frankie. The car was racing, the wind rushing through the smashed window - and then the car suddenly jolted up into the air. I heard yells and Gerard stopped singing - he was now screaming "I hit him! I hit him!"
"HIT WHO?!" I yelled.
"I HIT TOM!" He whined, smashing his head on the steering wheel. I came out of my ducking pose and screamed; Tom was lying across the bonnet of the car, blood covering the window. The car rushed and collided with the cliff side - it spun in circles, and then suddenly we were thrown forwards into the seats in front.

Everyone was screaming - we'd gone over the cliff side. Gerard wasn't making any sign of motion any more, and I could see Tom being thrown down the rocks in front of the car. I screamed and ducked, clinging to Frank for dear life as we were thrown to our death...

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

OhMyGawd. *is lost for words*
I nearly/got shot ='(
Bob got shot ='(
we all die. Maybe. ='(
Gerard was driving drunk. And therefore nearly killed us ='( ='(
MORE!

[mcrXsavedXme]

*stares*
Fucking. Amazing. Quit being so talented Allie =P **jealous**

So long && goodnight xx

[decay;;]

To clear this all up, Mikey, Gerard and Bob were unconcious when Gerard's girly man car went over the cliffside... Mikey's head was slammed on the dashboard, Bob was shot, and Gerard smashed his head into the steering wheel and effectively knocked himself out. He was just getting sober as well! =]]

And no offence to Tom, for teh death of....when did I say you were dead anyway?

CHAPTER FOURTEEN..//
TOM LIVED, HE GOT BACK TOGETHER WITH YAZZ, GERARD DIED, AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.
Joking.
[glow=white,2,300]More is coming soon....[/glow]

[mcrXsavedXme]

I'm going to take a picture someday of Gerawrd wearing pink and sitting in a cute convertible =]

[decay;;]

Alright. I think it's safe now.

The REAL...
CHAPTER FOURTEEN..//

Blood. Screaming. Yelling. The bright lights blinded me as I watched my friends rush past on gurneys, crimson fluids soaking their once virgin white sheets.
The police had come and gone. But no arrests had been made. Nobody had been taken, imprisoned for life, imprisoned at all. The murderer had got off the hook.
Because he was dead.
So they said, anyway. Or at least, when I woke up, they told me they hadn't found him. He was gone. He'd got away with it. He'd tried to kill Yazz, and escaped punishment.
Yazz was distraught. Gerard was too. Even Ray was. But we had more pressing matters to consider.
Mikey was in a coma.
And Bob, paralyzed from the waist up.

They had gone into theater, the bassist and the drummer. But nothing could be done.
Now, as I watched Bob's frozen frame beneath the sheets, the only movement was his eyes. Darting around, bloodshot, scared. He could talk, a little, but that's all.
And Mikey...
And everyone else, minor injuries. Thanks to Loz, the bullet intended for Yazz had gone straight through the car, out through the other side, missing them both completely.
All I had was a few gashes up my arms and neck from the shattered glass.
And Gerard is still out cold. Sober, for once.

And all this, all this blood, all this tragedy.
All this because of Tom.
Oh yes. Three fucking cheers for sweet revenge.

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

='( Poor Mikeh!! Poor Bobette!! ='(
Woo,, Loz saved meh!
Gerard? SOBER!?!? Nah!!
MOOORRREEEEEEE!!!!!! *is suffering two sets of withdrawal symptoms... yoo know why...*

[decay;;]

CHAPTER FIFTEEN..//

"Mikey..." Gerard whispered, putting down a vase of fresh roses on the bedside table and stroking his brother's cold, frail hands, frozen in place at his side. It had been almost a week since the accident, and very little progress had been made... Bob was stable now, but still critical. It was doubted he would ever be able to play drums again. He was heartbroken, spent all his lonely hospital hours crying, but no tears ever came. It was horrible to see, and we saw it every day.

The Way parents visited every other day or so, dropping in to watch over their youngest son lovingly. He always looked so peaceful, his dark eyelashes fluttering slightly over his closed, pale eyelids. The doctors weren't sure when he would wake up. If he were to wake up at all.

"I miss Mikey," Frank was saying one afternoon, as I came into the hospital and walked into the corridor where the rest of the other two bands were waiting. He leapt up and pulled me into a hug, and we both sat down. Everyone had been crying. I wondered why.
"What...what happened?" I stuttered, looking anxiously at everyone's blotchy faces, fearing the worst. Nobody said anything.
"And wheres Gerard? And Loz?" I continued, realising the two empty seats. I heard footsteps, and a doctor appeared next to us.

Everybody began to sob, turn red, shake, everything but face the news the doctor was about to deliver.
"I'm... I'm sorry... it appears Mr Way's brain haemorrhage has taken a turn for the worst... it's uncertain now, but unless he recovers soon, the haemorrhage could become fatal."
Even I was crying now.
"You... you mean, Mikey could die? If he doesn't wake up?"
The doctor nodded solemnly. I turned away and clutched Frank, crying for Mikey, for Gerard, for everyone.

Yazz was sobbing uncontrollably, Zoe's arm around her shoulder.
"It's... it's all my fault..."
A door opened, and Gerard appeared in the corridor, his head in his hands.
"No. It's all MY fucking fault."

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

awwww ='( *cries*

Poor Mikeh!! Poor Bob!! Poor Gerard!! Poor Loz!! Poor Yoo!! Poor Me!! Poor Everyone!!! *cires*
MOOOOORRREEE!!! I wanna see what happens =(
Yazz xoxoxox <33

[decay;;]

CHAPTER SIXTEEN..//
Gerard Way's POV

I sat alone on the park bench, trying to blot out the memories of the accident as I drowned my sorrows in another bottle of the good stuff. It was long gone midnight, and I had spent the last five hours since leaving my brothers bedside drinking, drinking and drinking, brooding over my own stupidity. I gazed into the bottom of the bottle, my vision blurred.

"Oh my god! Everyone, come quick!"

I threw the bottle to the ground, watching morbidly as the green glass smashed into pieces across the dark green lawns, overshadowed by the thick black clouds floating overhead.

"I don't believe it! He's awake!"

I cracked open another bottle, spitting the cap into the grass as I tipped the contents into my sour-tasting mouth. My breath stank, my palms sweaty, my head spinning, but that didn't matter to me. I had to find away to forget. Forget about what I'd done to my own brother. What I'd done to my best friends. What I'd done to everyone.

"What's happening?" He asked, blinking against the bright lights.

My head was spinning heavily now. I tried to speak, but my voice was slurred and quiet. I tried to stand up and tripped, feeling a trickle of blood slowly seep out of my mouth and down my chin. I wanted to scream, to run, but my balance was lost. I shut my eyes, feeling the grass prickle against my skin, wondering if it was all over at last.

"He's awake! Frank, he's awake! Mikey's woken up!"

"It's over," I whispered to myself, my vision swimming with salty tears as my head cleared and everything faded to black...

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

*is astonished*
GERARD,, DON'T COMMIT SUICIDE!! WE LUFF YOO!! THE GIRL YOO FANCY IN THIS FANFIC LUFFS YOOO!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *starts crying*
MORE!!! *huggles Gerard and Allie*
Yazz xoxoxoxoxoxoxox <33

[decay;;]

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN..//
Copyright to the poem belongs to me, kiddies. HA.

You killed yourself just for me,
A permanent solution, lifeless remedy.
Agony holds me barred at the heart.

You killed yourself just for me,
Eyes are blank, I can't bear to see.
It was an accident; you're in my heart.

You killed yourself just for me,
You kept me, brother, I can't break free.
They told and I felt the break of my heart.

You killed yourself just for me,
Brother, your dead, a tragedy.
You're young in my heart,
Always in my heart,
For all this eternity.

Mikey shuffled around in his chair, carefully putting down his pen and stopping to look at his brother. So no, he wasn't dead yet. But he had tried. And he could succeed, even a day later.
Tears forming in his eyes, Mikey removed his glasses and wiped them with the sleeves of his white hospital gown. He had barely been out of his coma a few hours when Yazzmin had ran in, screaming and crying, sobbing into his arms that Gerard had killed himself. In shock, Mikey had leapt out of bed and, despite the nurses screams for him to come back, ran out of the ward into his brothers room.

Liver damage, blood poisoning... so many problems were threatening Gerard's life with switchblades, and he was fighting. Believe it or not, his weak, unconscious frame was battling the toxins he'd put in himself. Hope was low, and Mikey's spirit was as low as it had ever been as he watched his brother, his best friend, fighting against the same thing he had only just defeated himself.

I tiptoed past Gerard's room; I understood that he and Mikey need time along together. Frank was by my side, sobbing silently, his hands wet and cold against my own. Yazz was back on the bus, asleep, distressed, distraught. We all knew it by now. She loved Gerard. More than anyone, maybe even more than Mikey. And she had found him in the park when she searched to find him, to deliver the good news. She had found him a wreck on the grass of the park, his face covered in blood from his mouth, his eyes glazed and bloodshot.

And she had cried.
Oh, how she had cried.

[decay;;]

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN..//
Yeah, Copyright to ME for this song too =]

He raided my heart and left it broken on the operating table.
Triple loved-up bypass can’t save me now.
It’s never coming back.

And all the love letters on the gurney,
And the roses in the ward,
And the kisses on the blankets,
And the X’s on the door.

The lipstick splattered red on clothes
As the matron comes to sweep the tears away.
This is not how I pictured Saturday.

The cocaine under the mattress.
I swear it helps me sleep.
And I need a bandage for my knee,
Because he breaks them every week.
Writing poems has never seemed so lame,
But I doubt they’ll ever send.
I broke my heart in a silly game,
Duct-tape won’t help it mend.

I miss you so much,
I miss you so much,
I miss you so much,
I miss you so much.

I strummed a final note on my guitar as Yazz's voice rang out around the room. I looked over my page of lyrics, splattered with the salty tears from both mine and Yazz's eyes.
We had finished writing a song. A meaningful song, about Gerard.
It was unbelieveable, how much had happened because of Tom. Crazed revenge had almost killed Mikey, paralyzed Bob, and now was threatening Gerard's life. I... hate him. I actually hate him.

"I love him," Yazz whispered, looking at the lyrics, "I actually love him so much."
I nodded sympathetically, "I know."
"You don't," Choked Yazz, the tears spilling from her green eyes, "I don't want him to die."
"He loves you too," I whispered, "He should of told you sooner. Don't blame yourself."
"But what if he dies, Allie? What would I do?"
I looked away, towards the bedside table, where a photograph of both bands was sat. I gazed at Frank's thoughtful face.

"Maybe you should talk to Frank..."

[ricegrains&rosesxo.]

Oh. My. God. *cries*
Meh Gerard!! Meh Mikey!!! ='(
Hehe,, I get to sing... something =D
Ooer. Luff Gerard more than Mikey does,, aye??
Yazzay xoxoxox <33
PS: MOOOOOOREE!

[decay;;]

CHAPTER NINETEEN..//
Gerard Way's POV [[again..]]

"Can I get out?" I whispered in the darkness, my eyes fixed on the black ceiling above. The ward was in total silence, only the constant, slow beeping of the machines keeping my sanity in line.
I waited and waited, deep in thought, until I heard the reply.
"You could. But you would die."
I looked over to her face, the thin strip of moonlight from the barred window falling across her pale, solemn face, her green eyes illuminated beneath her black, sweeping fringe.

I sighed, "What would it matter. I have to get out of this place... whatever it takes."
"No Gerard!" She exclaimed, her warm hands grasping my own cold ones. She took a deep breath.
"I wouldn't want you to die."
"Then, then come with me."
"But Gerard, the tour... my friends..."
I looked around helplessly. I had to convince her.
"Yazz, please. I need you right now."

The light was on her mouth now, but I could see her form a slight smile, but it faltered almost straight away.
"But, what, how would I..."
"I don't care, I really don't. All I care about is getting out of here. And I want you with me." I gasped, "I love you."
Yazz moved towards me, the light moving off of her face as it neared mine.
"I love you too, Gerard..."

[decay;;]

CHAPTER TWENTY..//

I woke up early the next morning, back on the tourbus after days on end sleeping in the waiting room of the hospital. Zoe was lying across the floor in a phone conversation with whom I assumed was Carl, and Holly was already up singing like a mad-woman. Last night, we had partied - Bob had finally been discharged from hospital. He still needed a wheelchair, and probably would for the rest of his life, but he was out. Things are starting to look up, I had thought, as Frank and Bob cracked open the first bottle of champagne of the night. And with Mikey out of his coma and ready to join us again soon, life was really beginning to get better for us all.

Yet, I couldn't help but worry. While everyone drank, danced, laughed and sang, trying to forget the torment we had suffered, I had been thinking sober thoughts. The kind of thoughts where I wondered how Gerard was. Where I felt a pang of guilt for Tom's death. Where I wondered why Yazz wasn't with us that night.

Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago wasn't usually open on a Sunday, but they were allowing us to visit Gerard, mainly because we're all part of that 'famous' family. Sort of. Or at least, My Chemical Romance were welcome, even though we weren't. Gerard had been taken from the hospital to rehab two days ago, and we had barely seen him since. I entwined my fingers with Frank's as we stepped through the clean white automatic doors, checking in at reception and walking to the lobby to get onto an elevator.

"How do you reckon he's doing?" I asked Ray, who was shuffling his feet around. He still felt guilty about the whole accident, for letting Gerard drive his girly man car, even if it was with everyone else with him. It had proved to be a bad decision.
"I don't really know," He said, in his high pitched voice that made my head spin with every word (I really do love Ray's voice), "I've known Gerard a lot longer than I should, and he had a tendency to get better quickly, when he wants to."
"When he wants to...?" I repeated slowly. Ray shrugged.
"Well, yeah. But the thing you need to understand is, Gerard's been through things like this before - alcohol problems, I mean. Nothing as bad as this. But he's developed a sort of, fear, of hospitals... don't worry about it," He added hastily, as I gave Frank a look of concern. Our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the lift.

We all walked in and Grace reached the buttons first, bashing them all violently with her pink nails.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Loz moaned, rushing over and wrenching her hand away, pressing the little green button for the 3rd floor. The doors closed and the lift moved upwards, carrying us up to the Alcoholism and Addictions ward, where Gerard was located. But when we reached the top and the doors opened, we were faced with a crying nurse.

"I'm so, so very sorry. Gerard is dead."