It was horrible. I'm telling you. Some might think I'm claustrophobic but let me get this straight, I'm not. No one else seems to understand how I felt. They were talking about councillors, one day. Frank and my new doctor, I mean. But I don't need one. There's nothing wrong with my head, and the only person I need to talk to is Frank. And possibly any other staff but only if the occasion calls for it.

I cried. I fought. I cried some more. I fell asleep.

I swear, the doctors have an obsession with giving me anaesthetic.

I don't remember much after that.

Frank, now lying on the bed beside me, is just quietly gazing at me. I can see him from the corner of my eye while I lie looking up at the ceiling.

Oh I forgot to mention what it was that I was making such a fuss over. I was taken for a CT Scan this morning.

"Gerard?" Frank wrapped a strand of my hair around his finger.

I turned my gaze to him rather than the ceiling.

"What are you thinking about?"

I shrugged. "Nothing much." I looked about his face. He was gazing at me still with those damn adorable puppy dog eyes.

"Are you feeling any better? After this morning, I mean."

I nodded because it was true. I was still kinda sleepy but my room (yes I'd requested my own room) was really warm so that didn't help, either. Although I didn't really mind, 'cause outside was far too cold. I don't like the cold just as much as Cookie doesn't like it.

"Who's been looking after Cookie?" I suddenly came to realise how long I'd actually spent in this hospital. I'd been here about 4 days already. Damn, I really missed that puppy.

"The nice lady next door has her. I've had her for a few hours too, every time I've been sent home."

I nodded. "Is she okay?"

"I think she misses you, she seems kinda sad." Frank's brow furrows.

"I miss her too." I sighed and rolled onto my side, so I was nose-to-nose with Frank. He kissed me softly.

I wouldn't have minded a bit of a make-out then and there. But time to ourselves seems to be limited just recently.

I just about hear the click of the door handle before I feel incredibly awkward. I pull away from Frank, though I didn't really want to, to find my new doctor standing at the foot of my bed. I really must make an effort to learn his name.

Try looking at his name tag, stupid.

Oh well hi there, subconscious me. I was secretly hoping you wouldn't come back. He rolled his eyes.

The name tag, Gerard. You're not blind.

Okay, okay!

I made an effort to sit up and squinted. His fucking blazer was covering his tag. That was a total waste of energy.

"Mr Iero, could I have a word with you, outside." He fiddled, with the buttons on his blazer, in an attempt to do them up. Once, he'd done them up, he undid them again.

I rolled my eyes. Seriously?

Frank slid off the side of the bed and followed Doc, nervously.

I watched them closely, trying out my lip reading skills.

It doesn't sound good. My subconscious sat in the comfy seat beside my bed and crossed one leg over the other.

No one asked you.

I can lip read better than you can.

I looked closer. Frank was holding himself up against the wall, red cheeked, tears spilling down his oh-so-perfect face. Doc continued to talk, resting a hand on Frank's shaking shoulder. Frank nodded. Doc talked. Frank nodded again. He slowly began to pull himself together and wiped his cheeks with his sleeve. Correction, my sleeve. He was wearing one of my hoodies. Doc reached for the door handle and pushed it down slowly, the door creaked a little.

"Doctor Walker, you're needed upstairs!" A nurse from reception called down the hall.

Ah, Doctor Walker. I'll remember that.

I looked Frank up and down and reached for his hand, or rather his sleeve covered hand and took it in both of my own. He stood crying helplessly. No words whatsoever came out of his mouth. Just sobs. Genuine, painful sobs. I momentarily let go of his hand and slipped out from under the covers and stood up, enveloping him in my arms. He clung onto my gown as if someone was going to separate us. I wanted to say something, usually I'm a pro at comforting him but I didn't know what was wrong.

Ask.

I would but he's far from being able to talk, right now!

I know what it is.

Then tell me.

No.

And with that, subconscious Gerard disappeared from the room.

I sat back down on the edge of the bed and pulled Frank down with me, by which time, he had calmed down significantly.

"Frankie, what's wrong?" I pulled him into my lap and he curled up into a ball.

"Gerard...Gee bear..." He sniffled.

Jesus Christ, I'm really not going to get used to this 'Gee Bear' thing, it's actually annoying. But still, I'll forgive him for now.

"You have another scan this afternoon."

Ordinarily, I would protest. Frank's eyes were expectant as he looked up at me. He was waiting for my protest, too. But there wasn't one. Not with the state he was in. I gazed down at him, waiting for him to continue, so he did.

"I need you not to fight, no kicking, crying, nothing." His voice was raw from the crying. I nodded. "You're going to be going for a lot of tests from now on, and I need you to get over your fear of them and be brave. For me." I nodded again. "If you behave today, they'll let you home tonight and you're to keep coming back for your other tests until further notice. Understood?" Again, I nodded.

I didn't want to ask anymore what was wrong. I didn't want to destroy him anymore, he'd just calmed himself down. Don't get me wrong, the question is burning in my mind. I need to ask, but I'm not going to.

"What kind of scan?" I asked instead.

"It's called a PET scan." Frank sighed. "You're due this afternoon which means you can't eat all morning, and you gotta drink water only. Not coffee. No caffeine."

"That kinda sucks."

"And you need some kind of injection around mid morning. So what they're looking for shows up on the scan."

Fuck. Needles. No way. I can't. I hate them.

Yes you can.

Not you again!

Grow up, Gerard.

"Okay." I said quickly.

"You're okay with that?" Frank blinked in disbelief.

I sighed. I wasn't okay with it at all, but I could hardly complain could I?

"I didn't think you were." He mumbled, catching onto my sigh.

"No, I'm not. But that doesn't mean I won't go through with it." I replied.

Frank opened his mouth to reply when a cute nurse made an appearance.

She was small, dressed in green scrubs, bright green eyes with tied back, chocolate brown hair. Precisely chocolate brown. I grimaced when I saw she carried one of those cardboard bowls because I knew exactly what was in it.

She practically skipped to the side of my bed. Why the hell you'd be so excited about puncturing someone's arm, I'll never know.

"How are you feeling?" She squeaked. Yes, squeaked. Her voice was abnormally high.

"Fine. But distraction techniques tend not to work with me." I watched as she cleaned my right shoulder with an antiseptic wipe. Polite conversation is one thing, but I knew what she was doing. Lets not pretend that she hadn't been informed of my needle phobia.

"I was just asking..." She frowned and propped my arm up on a pillow.

"And I was just saying." I replied.

It was funny, I half expected Frank to snap at me by now for being 'cheeky' or 'arrogant' or something along those lines, but there was nothing. I move my gaze from watching the nurse to look at Frank to discover he's actually fallen asleep in my one arm. I smiled down at him and-

"Ow." I complained, quickly turning my head back to the nurse.

"All done." She smiled, maybe a little sarcastically. "Someone will be back for you in a few ours." With that, she headed back outside.

The cow.