Just to Get Back In Her Arms 7/25/06 (not factual)

Gerard was elated. Andie may have woken up only briefly, but he couldn't be happier than if she'd jumped up and danced around the room. He walked out into the hallway and stopped the first nurse he saw to report the news. When he walked back into the room, he grabbed his cellphone from his bookbag and called Andie's dad, Steve, and then Mikey.

Dr. Fletcher came into Andie's room just as Gerard was closing his cellphone.

"So how's our girl? I hear she was awake for some time?" He walked right over to Andie.

"Yeah..." Gerard answered. "She was. It was great. She woke up for a few minutes about...20 minutes ago."

Dr. Fletcher listened to her heart and checked her pulse. "Was she coherant? Did she speak to you or just open her eyes?"

"Yeah...yeah. She asked me if she was okay. I think at first she was confused a little, but then we were talking and she was like, just groggy."

"Great...great." Dr Fletcher noted some things in her chart. "That's good news." He snapped her chart closed again.

"So do you think she'll wake up again soon? What happens now?" Gerard asked hopefully.

"She could wake up again today. It's hard to say. It all depends on how quickly her body adjusts. It could be a day or two..maybe longer."

Gerard stared blankly at the doctor. He was trying very hard to be patient. He knew Dr. Fletcher would tell him if there was any other information. He'd just had so little sleep the past few days, and, even with all the coffee he'd been drinking, it was taking a toll on his nerves.

"Don't worry." Dr. Fletcher seemed to recognize that blank stare. "She'll be back to normal in no time. She's doing very well for having been through so much... Oh, and I'll get her moved to a regular room now. There's no need for her to stay in ICU anymore."

Dr. Fletcher left and Gerard sat down to do what would help him the most to pass the time, he got out his sketchbook and started drawing.


About an hour later, Gerard was still quietly drawing when the door opened and in came Mikey, Ray, and Frank.

"Hey guys!" Gerard was so relieved to see his buddies' familiar faces. He gave them each a big hug.

"How's it goin'?" Frank asked.

"Good...good..." Gerard smiled at them and explained what Dr. Fletcher had told him. "And if we're lucky, she should be awake like normal in a day or two. Then she can go home as long as someone stays with her."

"So...I guess you're gonna hang out here for awhile?" Mikey asked.

"Well...yeah...I am." Gerard answered his brother. "I mean, I figured since we have a couple of weeks before we need to be in Japan...plus I've got that Dark Horse thing in San Diego...so it kinda works out anyway."

"Hey yeah, I'd almost forgotten that was coming up. Do you have a lot of stuff ready for the comic?" Ray asked.

"Yeah...that's something I've had a lot of time to do. It's been keeping me sane, I think. Well...that and the coffee. And...look at Andie's nails!" Gerard grinned.

"Cool...you did that?? I hope she doesn't kick your ass for it!" Frank said taking her hand. "You could take him, you know?" He said conspiratorally to Andie.

"Yeah...but I'd let her." Gerard joked as he watched her sleeping.

"Gee...how are YOU holding up?" Mikey asked his brother.

"Actually, I feel really good now that she's been awake." Gerard said honestly.

The guys updated him on Bob's condition. Apparently, Bob's burned leg hadn't received the medical attention it needed, and he was having a lot of trouble. It became infected and he was admitted to the hospital. They even feared gangrine was setting in. Gerard had no idea his friend was having so much trouble and called him right away.

Bob was bored to death, lying in a hospital bed in Jersey. He was glad to hear Andie was doing so well and said he'd come out to see them if he could, before they went to Japan. Gerard apologized to his good friend for not being there for him. But Bob only laughed at him. He thought Andie was great and wouldn't expect Gerard to leave her, knowing how much she meant to him.

Mikey, Ray, and Frank decided to head back to Jersey to see Bob and spend some time with their own families and friends.

"Hey...you better call me if you need something." Mikey warned his older brother.

"Yeah... You know we'd be back here in a heartbeat." Ray added.

"Love you, Man." Frank hugged Gerard. "Take care of her."

"Thanks, you guys. I will." Gerard said goodbye to his friends.

He went to get a fresh cup of coffee. When he returned, an older woman was in the room sitting on the edge of Andie's bed. He knew in an instant, this had to be Andie's mom. Diana Redmond looked like an older version of Andie.

"Hi...you must be Andie's mom? I'm Gerard Way." Gerard introduced himself.

"Oh hi, Gerard. It's nice to meet you." Diana sniffed and took a tissue. "I'm sorry...I don't handle these things well."

"It's okay. Nobody does." Gerard smiled at her warmly.

They spent the next several hours just talking together. She was a lot like Andie, so easy to talk to. He'd never been good with parents before, sometimes not even his own, but he couldn't help but notice that seemed different now. He realized it was probably he who had changed, not the parents. He felt older, but not in a depressing way.

It was after 8pm when Diana left. She hadn't been gone more than twenty minutes when Andie's dad called Gerard's cell. He hadn't realize it was so late and asked if Andie had woken again. When he'd heard that she hadn't, he asked Gerard to call him when she did. Otherwise, he would go ahead and go home but he'd come there tomorrow.

After the rumbling in his stomach finally got to him, Gerard walked down to the cafeteria, only to find it had closed. He got a cold sandwich from a machine before heading back up to Andie's room.

When he walked in, Andie was awake again and staring blankly around the room.