Hotel Bella Muerte [2/2]

Aug 20, 2012 19:09

Title: Hotel Bella Muerte - Part 2
Author: destroyaaaaaa
Pairing: Frank/Gerard
Rating: R
General Warnings: coma, major character injury, mpreg, sex
Chapter Warnings: coma, mpreg, sex
Disclaimer: I do not own the boys or their wives.  I do own the storyline.
Summary: Frank and Gerard are a married couple of four years, living a fairly normal life with a little daughter and another baby on the way until things take a turn for the worse.
A/N: This was written for hc_bingo.

Part 1


I spent the remainder of that night trying to find a veterinary clinic to take the puppy to.  Eventually, I arrived at a veterinary hospital.  Pulling Helena onto my right hip and holding the puppy in my left arm, I walked inside to be greeted by a young man at the counter.  He took one glance at the puppy in my arms and ran over to us.

"What happened?" the man asked, staring up at me with brown eyes through shaggy blonde hair.

"Car crash.  My husband is at the hospital already."

"Dude, I'm so sorry," the man apologized and took the puppy from me.  "If you don't mind, I'm going to take her back to our puppy ICU.  That leg is going to need to be amputated."

"That's fine.  As long as the puppy lives, she's lucky."  I bounced Helena on my hip a little bit.  "She's Helena's birthday present."

The blonde man contorted his face with pity.  Then, as quickly as he had run over to us, he disappeared through the double doors leading back into the hospital.

I sat with Helena in one of the chairs while we waited for the man to return.  After a few moments, he did and handed us a form to fill out about the puppy and her very brief history.

The first question was the puppy's name.  I woke Helena up so that she could name it and she looked at me funny.

"Little bunny," I kissed her head, "you need to name your puppy.  She's going to have three legs because she got hurt.  She's lucky to be alive."

Helena yawned.  "Heh name is Lucky."  Without another word, she laid back down on the chair and drifted back off to sleep.

The remainder of the form was fairly simple.  I filled out my name and contact information, Frank's name and contact information, and the basics on Lucky.  When I handed back the form, the blonde man asked me if I wanted to crop her tail while they were at it.  I said no.  Frank would have hated to cut her tail off.

The man explained what they had to do with the leg and explained that they would hold onto her for the next week until we could come see her again.

I thanked the man for taking care of Lucky and left.  In silence, I drove Helena and myself home to an empty house, where she slept in my bed that night.

The next morning, I received a phone call from the hospital, informing me that Frank was in the ICU, but he was stable and we could come see him.  The lady on the other end also informed me that the baby was delivered last night fairly healthy for a preemie, but he was in NICU and I wouldn't be able to see him until he was grown more.  She asked his name and I almost cried as I gave it to her.

After I got off the phone, I woke up Helena and made her a simple breakfast of cereal and apple juice.  Helena didn't say much as she ate.  She didn't know what had happened for the most part last night, but she knew that I was upset and that Frank wasn't home.

"Wheye's Daddy and baby?" she eventually asked.

I grabbed her little hand and tried not to tear up.  "They're at the hospital.  They're sick."

"Oh no!" Helena shouted and her eyes went wide.

"It's okay, little bunny.  They'll get better."  I took the empty bowl and cup from in front of her and placed them in the sink.  When I turned around, I found her already climbing the stairs.  "What'cha doing?" I asked and ran to catch up with her.

"I'm gettin' Daddy a teddy to keep him company."  I smiled when she returned a moment later with her favorite pink polka-dotted puppy dog.

"Let's go, Helena," I scooped her into my arms and carried her out to the truck.  She watched me in the mirror on the entire ride over to the hospital.  I felt bad, not being able to say anything without almost crying.  But I didn't want her to see her daddy crying.

When we arrived, a nurse led us up to Frank.  Considering the woman on the phone said he was stable, I assumed he was going to be awake albeit all wrapped up in casts and such.  Finding him unconscious and hooked  up to numerous machines, including life support, caught me entirely by surprise.

Before I could stop her, Helena ran over to the bed and climbed up next to Frank.  "Daddy?" she asked and her expression fell when he didn't reply.  "Daddy, why won't you answew me?  Wake up, Daddy!"

With tears in my eyes, I walked over and pulled Helena into my arms.  "Daddy's sleeping.  His body is making him sleep until he gets better.  Let's go home for now and we'll visit Daddy later."

Helena hiccuped and her lower lip quivered.  "I don't like when Daddy is sick.  It makes me sad."  She cried quietly and faced Frank again, pressing the stuffed dog into his closer hand.  "Get bettew, Daddy," she whispered and placed a light kiss on his cheek.

A tear slid down my cheek as I pulled Helena up into my arms and away from Frank.  "I love you," I whispered to him and walked out of the room.  I don't think Helena realized that it was her birthday.  I hope she didn't.  I just wish I knew what was going on in Frank's head.

~ POV switch ~

The day before Helena's birthday, I took Gerard's sedan out to go pick up Helena's birthday present: a little brittany puppy.  The streets near our home are windy and dark, so I tried to be as careful as possible.

At the shelter where I got the puppy, The red-headed woman running night shift asked me an assortment of questions about my preparedness for a dog and about my baby bump, too.  After no more than half an hour, she brought me the dog and I took her out to the car, setting her on a towel on the back driver's side seat.

As soon as we were on the road, the puppy fell asleep.  I didn't know puppies could snore.  It was adorable.  I knew it was late, so I started to drive a little faster on the roads.

Coming around one bend, the baby kicked me and I caught a patch of black ice and lost control, spinning the car and slamming my side against a tree.  The last things I remember before blacking out were the puppy crying out and a cheery voice coming from OnStar crash alert.

~

The next thing I knew, I was watching myself get hooked up to machines at the hospital.  And there was a massive slice in my stomach.  I almost smiled when I saw that they had avoided my tattoos.

But why was I watching this?  I called to one of the nurses.  "Excuse me, mam," I asked.  I even tapped her shoulder.  No response.

My baby, I worried.  Is my baby okay?

I ran for the doorway and found myself running through the door itself rather than the opening.  Now lost, I continued down the winding hallways until I found the NICU.  I didn't know for certain that my son would be there, but I figured I'd be optimistic and check there rather than the morgue.

I walked down the alphabetized rows of tiny children in heated cribs until I found the one I was looking for.  A. Iero-Way.

My son was beautiful.  Even though both of his legs wore casts and gauze wrapped the back of his tiny head, I could see that he had the littlest bit of baby peach fuzz and tiny little hands and feet.  I smiled.  At least he was okay.

Leaving my son, I walked back to the room with my body.

"Hey," a pretty woman with black hair and hazel eyes sat on a chair in the room.

I looked around for someone she could have been talking to but found no-one.  "Are you talking to me?" I asked.

"Of course, silly," the woman replied.  "M'name's Jamia.  I'm comatose too."

"Hey, Jamia," I walked over and shook her hand.  "I'm Frank.  Why are you stuck here?"

"I've actually been here for a while.  Medically induced.  Brain tumor."

I cringed.  "Ow.  Car accident.  My son is in NICU."

"That sucks," she apologized.  "You're the mother?"

"Yeah," I laughed a little.  "My husband will probably be here any minute now with my daughter."

We talked for a few more moments until Gerard walked in with Helena.

"Little bunny," I whispered, tears forming in my eyes.  Forgetting about my lack of matter, I ran over and tried to pull my little girl into my arms.

Instead, she climbed up on the bed and talked to my body.  "Daddy?" she asked.

"I'm right here, little bunny," I kissed her head.

She didn't notice.  "Daddy, why won't you answew me?  Wake up, Daddy!"

I started to cry.  "I'm right here, baby!  I'm here!"

Gerard spoke to Helena and then she gave my body her favorite stuffed dog, Daisy.  I threw myself at my body in an attempt to force myself back to consciousness, but it didn't work.  My body had a kind of force-field around it that threw me across the room when I hit it.

My ears buzzed for a moment, but I heard the last thing Gerard said before he left the room: "I love you."

I sighed in longing.  "I love you too."

Jamia watched the exchange quietly and spoke after Gerard left.  "Come with me.  We can come back here later.  Close your eyes and take my hand."  I did as I was told.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a whole different world.

~ POV switch ~

I took Helena home to our empty house and flopped down on the couch, falling asleep almost immediately with Helena laying on my chest.

My cell phone ringing woke me up.

"Hello?" I mumbled sleepily and quietly, not wanting to awaken Helena.

"Hey, Gee, it's Mikey," the voice replied.  "How's everything?"

At that moment, I realized I hadn't told Mikey about the crash.  "Not good, Mikes.  You should come over here.  I want to tell you in person after Helena wakes up and gets off me.  You should have Alicia take her out for some girl time.  Helena doesn't know what's going on yet."

"It's her birthday, Gerard," Mikey scolded.

"You don't think I know that?!" I almost shouted.  "She's my baby girl.  I just don't want to ruin her birthday for her.  We'll celebrate it after this mess is over."

I heard Mikey sigh on the other end.  "I'm coming over now.  Alicia will take Helena to the sledding hill or something."

"Okay.  See you soon."

"Bye."  Mikey hung up.

Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang and Helena still hadn't woken up.  I carefully rolled her off of me and onto the couch and then ran over to answer the door.  Mikey stood there with Alicia, who held a bag full of her snow clothes.

"Come in.  Helena is still napping."  I led them into the living room, where they sat on the couch that Helena wasn't on.

I sat down next to Helena and rubbed her back.  "Little bunny," I cooed, "Uncle Mikey and Aunt Alicia are here."  She made a noise in her sleep. "Wake up, Helena."  I kissed her little head and she stretched, hitting me in the face with her little fist.

Opening her eyes, she saw the visitors and grinned.  "Uncle Mikey and Aunt 'Licia!"  Helena ran over to them and sat between the two.

Mikey laughed.  "Your Daddy and I are going to have some boy time so you and Alicia can have some girl time."

Helena turned to face Alicia.  "Can we go sledding?  I saw the snow this mohning when we wehe dwiving."

"Sure," Alicia chuckled.  "Where do you keep your snow suit, Helena?"

Helena jumped off the couch and grabbed Alicia's hand, pulling her toward the front hall closet with our snow clothes.  Mikey moved over toward me but stayed on his couch.  "Where's Frank?" he whispered.

"Hospital."

Mikey's eyes went wide.  "Baby?"

I sighed.  "Not primarily."

He looked at me, confused.

"Car wreck.  He's in a coma.  Baby's in NICU."  I almost cried when I put the situation into words.

Mikey moved his position so he sat next to me and put his arms around my torso so that he pinned my hands to my chest.  "It'll be okay, Gerard.  Frank is strong.  He'll be okay.  You are strong.  The baby is both you and Frank, making him doubly strong.  Your family will be together again soon."  I did break down then.

Alicia walked back into the room, but saw me in tears and turned around.  "Let's go, Helena.  Daddy and Uncle Mikey are already in boy time."

"Bye, Daddy!" Helena shouted as she walked out the front door, holding Alicia's hand.

"Bye, little bunny," I choked out with fake happiness.

Once the girls were gone, I looked over to Mikey.  "Wanna hear the kicker, Mikes?  Helena thinks Frank's just asleep.  I wish I could hear him laugh again."

Mikey held me close in a tight embrace and let me cry.  After I started to calm down a little, he pushed me away enough to look in my eyes.  "Do you want to go see Frank?"

I nodded feebly.  "I want to hold my son, too, but he's probably too small and fragile."

Offering me his hand, Mikey rose to his feet.  "It's worth a shot.  If nothing more, we can see him."  I nodded and let Mikey lead me out to the garage, where he grabbed the truck keys off the rack of hooks wall and slid into the driver's seat before I could.

"You're not driving.  You've been crying too hard."  He pulled the door shut behind him.

I trudged over to the passenger side and climbed in.  "I hate when you drive my car, you know," I chuckled a little.

"Suck it up," Mikey smirked.

The first few minutes of the drive passed in silence, but eventually I spoke.  "Frank crashed after getting a puppy for Helena."

Mikey's eyes went wide, but his focus didn't change.  "Where is it?  Is it alive?"

"Yeah, yeah, she's alive," I clarified.  "She's at a vet getting her front left leg off.  It got crushed."

"That's terrible," Mikey frowned.  "This sounds weird, but does she have a name?"

"Helena named her Lucky."  I almost chuckled at my response.  Lucky was far from being lucky.

"That's cute," Mikey smiled slightly.  "Lucky the three-legged dog."

I sighed.  The rest of the ride proceeded in silence until we reached the hospital and found Frank's room.

Mikey had a similar reaction to me.  "Frank?" he asked, hoping my husband would miraculously wake up.  "Frank, you're making us all very worried and we just want you to come home and hold your son and daughter again."

I sat down on the side of Frank's bed and grabbed his hand that held the stuffed dog.  "I love you, Frank," I whispered.  "Come back to me."

~ POV switch ~

When Jamia told me to open my eyes, I found myself standing in the lobby of a beautiful hotel.  The floors in the lobby were checkered black and white floors and the walls were ornate mahogany paneling with deep green accents.  Golden banisters lined the large sweeping staircase leading to the second floor and when I looked up, I saw that beautiful paintings of angels decorated the ceiling around huge golden chandeliers.  On one wall of the lobby stood a marble fireplace surrounded by maroon and green chairs.  Bellhops bustled about carrying luggage from newcomers.  Guests relaxed and chattered happily with each other.  Even the woman behind the front counter looked like she was enjoying herself.

In awe, I took in my surroundings.  "What is this place?"  I had never seen a building this beautiful back home.

"Welcome to the Hotel Bella Muerte," Jamia smiled.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"You don't speak Spanish, do you?" Jamia laughed.  I shook my head.  She shrugged.  "Nonetheless, this is an escape from your body on Earth.  You could stay here forever if you want.  All you need to do is check in."

I looked around.  It really was beautiful.  But my family wasn't here.

Jamia noticed my hesitance and took my hand again.  "Let me give you a tour."

She pulled me up the staircase to the floor with the bedrooms and led me into one that she said was her own.  A king-sized bed sat in the middle of the large, well-lit room with bookshelves on either side.  Everything looked like it belonged in a palace with all its beauty.

Jamia then led me into the banquet hall.  "They hold balls here every night.  Sundays are masquerades.  It's quite fantastic, actually."

I nodded, taking in the immense hall before me.  In my mind, I imagined taking Gerard to a ball.  He had never really been one for big social events, though.

Before I could stop her, Jamia grabbed my wrist and pulled me out a set of French doors and into a massive courtyard complete with perfectly shaped plants and a massive fountain in the middle.

What struck me as interesting was the population of the hotel.  Everybody dressed differently.  Several people wore modern clothing, but some wore clothing ranging in fashions all the way back to Victorian styles.

I shrugged it off when I heard a quiet voice in my head.  The first voice was Mikey's.  "Frank?" the voice asked.

"What?" I replied aloud, trying to hear better.

Jamia looked at me.  "What is it?"

I kept listening but whispered a response.  "My brother-in-law."

"Frank, you're making us all very worried and we just want you to come home and hold your son and daughter again." Mikey continued.

"I'm trying, Mikey," I sighed.

Gerard piped up now, his voice slightly louder than Mikey's was.  "I love you, Frank.  Come back to me."

"I love you too, Gerard."  A tear slipped down my cheek.  I looked over at Jamia.  "Take me home."

She acquiesced.  When I arrived back in my room, however, I found it abandoned.

"Where'd they go?" Jamia asked.

I shrugged.

~ POV switch ~

I laid by Frank's side for a few minutes until Mikey walked over and placed his hand on my shoulder.  "Gerard, we should go.  Let's go see if you can hold your son."

I nodded and Mikey helped me up, holding around my waist as he led me out of Frank's room.  We asked a nurse for directions to the NICU and she gave us turn-by-turn instructions, which I appreciated greatly.

Five minutes later, we walked into the NICU to be greeted by a middle-aged brunette man with blue eyes.  "I'm Dr. Paul Morrison.  Who are you here to see?"

"I'm here to see my son," I sighed.  "Anthony Iero-Way."

Dr. Morrison nodded.  "Kate is his attending, if I remember correctly."  He called over a young, petite Asian woman.

"Yes, Dr. Morrison?" she asked politely.

"You attend the Iero-Way boy, correct?"

"Yes I do!" Kate smiled and turned to me.  "Anthony is the sweetest little thing.  Coos sometimes.  Right now we're mostly taking care of his crash injuries.  He's miraculously healthy for 33 weeks."

I smiled.  He's healthy.  "May I hold my son?"

Kate smiled.  "If you'll follow me, I can take you to him."

Mikey and I followed Kate through the rows of tiny infants until we arrived at my son laying in a heated crib.

Kate lifted Anthony out of his crib and handed him to me, explaining why his legs were casted and his head wrapped.  "His femurs broke in the crash and the back of his head got smashed in a little, so we're reshaping it.  We aren't certain if there was any damage to his brain or not."

I disregarded her final statement and looked at my son in my arms.  "Hello, Anthony," I smiled and kissed the crown of his tiny head.  "I'm so glad you're safe."

Mikey looked at Anthony from his position a few feet from me.  "He's so tiny," he stated.

"Four pounds even as of yesterday," Late added.  "He was born at 9:58pm on January 27."

"Come say hello to your nephew," I beckoned to Mikey.

He acquiesced.  "Hi, Anthony." Mikey smiled and leaned down closer to my baby boy.  "I'm your Uncle Mikey.  You have two amazing daddies and a great sister.  We can't wait to bring you home."

Mikey and I smiled when Anthony opened his eyes and cooed.  Backing up, Mikey pulled out his cell phone and took a picture of me holding Anthony.

"Anthony," I smiled when he looked at me, "I'm your Daddy, Gerard.  Your other Daddy, Frank, is getting better right now, but you'll meet him soon."

Anthony cooed and continued to stare in my general direction, but I felt like he looked more past me than at me.  His baby grey eyes looked so cute with the dark peach fuzz.

Kate approached me quietly.  "I'm sorry, but he needs to be fed now.  Would you like to do it?"

I nodded happily, taking the tiny bottle from her and sitting down on a chair nearby with Anthony on my lap.  As soon as the bottle touched his lips, he latched on and together we made quick work of the formula.  The whole time, Mikey sat a few feet away from us and took a video on his phone.

"I'm so proud of you, big brother," Mikey smiled once I handed the bottle back to the nurse and took to gently burping my son.  "You're so strong and you have two beautiful little angels to show for it."

I smiled.  I was lucky to have the wonderful friends and family that I do.  I was lucky to have an amazing husband who so graciously gave birth to our own two children.  I hoped he would wake up soon.

~ POV switch ~

I pondered where Mikey and Gerard had gone for a few moments before realizing that they probably went to visit Anthony.

Within a two minute jog, I arrived and watched as Gerard pulled our son into his arms.  The nearby nurse said something about the possibility of brain damage, but I didn't hear it clearly.  I walked over to my brother-in-law, husband, and son.  Anthony had his tiny eyes open and stared blindly in Gerard's general direction as he spoke.

"He's beautiful," Jamia said from behind me.

"I didn't know you followed me."  I didn't even turn to her when I spoke.

She appeared in my peripheral vision.  "Of course I did.  I had to see your little angel."

I watched the nurse hand Gerard a bottle, which he fed Anthony while Mikey video taped.  Smiling, I walked over to Gerard and sat beside him.

Jamia sat beside me.  "I see you don't want to join me in the Hotel."

"Why would I?" I responded.  "My whole family is here.  I can't leave them."

Jamia sighed.  "If that is your choice, then I guess I must leave you.  You chose life."

I watched as Jamia faded away to nothingness, then rose and walked back to my quiet, empty room.  My body still laid in silence and the heart monitor looked steady.

Sitting in one of the chairs, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

~

When I opened my eyes, everything was blindingly bright.  A buzzing sound plagued my ears.  Figures walked around my room and adjusted my body.

My body.  I was back in my body.

Even though I was awake, my body was still a prison.  I tried to speak, but I couldn't move.  I attempted to move my fingers, but it didn't work.

I sighed.  Actually, I just breathed like normal.  But that's close, I guess.

I watched two more people walk into my room.  I couldn't see them, it was too bright, but I could see that one was very tall and the other very small.

A high pitched voice cut through the buzz in my ears.  "Daddy!  You'we awake!"

Helena.  My baby girl.

"Hi little bunny," I tried to say.  No sound came out.  Assuming the child was Helena, then the tall figure must have been Gerard.  I looked in his direction and caught his gaze.  He smiled.  My face twitched in an attempt to make a smile, but he saw and his smile grew.

"Daddy's still waking up," Gerard said and reached out toward Helena.  "Let's go visit Anthony and we'll come see Daddy tomorrow."

"Okay," Helena chirped and kissed me on the cheek.  "Hurry up and wake up, Daddy.  Anthony misses you."

I watched the two shadowed figures leave the room and then fell back to sleep.

When I next opened my eyes, it was dark in my room and something heavy laid on my chest.  I looked down.  Woah, I can move.  To my right laid Gerard with his arm around my waist.  Halfway on top of me and on my left laid Helena, who snored softly.

I wiggled my fingers and opened and closed my mouth.  I smiled when it all worked.

"Gerard," I whispered to my husband laying next to me.  He stirred.  "Gerard, wake up!"

Gerard opened his eyes and his face lit up.  "Frankie!  Bunny, you're awake!"

I nodded and smiled when Gerard kissed me.  I had missed that.

"Little bunny, little bunny," Gerard cooed to Helena, "Daddy's awake!"

Helena muttered quietly and then rolled over so she knelt next to me.  "Daddy!" she grinned.  "Daddy, awe you weally awake this time?"

"Yes, little bunny, Daddy's awake."

Helena bounced up and down and giggled.  Gerard smiled and watched while sitting by my side.

I reached out and held his hand.  "What is the date?"

"February tenth.  Four in the morning.  We've waited to celebrate Helena's birthday because we wanted you to be there."

I nodded and watched as a nurse walked into the room and smiled at my consciousness.  "Let me get you a wheelchair," she smiled.  "You should go meet your son."

When she returned, Gerard lowered me into the chair, a difficult task with my massive left leg and arm casts, and wheeled me all the way down to the NICU, where Anthony lay cooing in his cradle.  Gerard brought him over and laid him in my good arm.

"Hello, Anthony," I smiled and kissed my son on his little head.  "I'm your other Daddy.  I'm sorry it took so long for me to come hold you, but I'm all better now."

Anthony smiled and made a little happy noise.  Gerard smiled and put his arm gingerly around my shoulders while Helena climbed up into his arms.

Handing his cell phone to the nurse, Gerard asked her to take a picture.

The camera clicked and we had our first full family picture.

~

I stayed in the hospital for the next few days while the doctors made sure that I was ready to leave.  On Valentines Day, I finally arrived home to another party thrown by Mikey.  This one was smaller, with only Mikey, Alicia, Ray, Christa, and my parents as guests.

As soon as Gerard wheeled me through the door, our puppy ran up.  I was almost shocked to see that she had only three legs, but she was still adorable.  I pulled her up into my lap.

"Heh name's Lucky."  Helena smiled at me.

"Hello, Lucky," I pet her fur and she yipped happily.

Gerard disappeared through the front door again and returned with a sleeping Anthony, who had been released with us too.

The party stayed relaxed, but I was grateful to have my family and close friends in one place.

I was finally home.

~

The next few months were difficult with the rehab and learning to walk again, but I enjoyed every step of my recovery and every ability I regained.

Less than a week after I returned from the hospital, we threw a party for Helena's birthday.  We took her to a kid-centered restaurant and I laughed as I watched Mikey follow her around the climbing towers to make sure she didn't fall.

Lucky took a great liking to Helena and Anthony and spent the night laying at the foot of Helena's bed.  She never seemed bothered by the fact she only had three legs.

Anthony grew quickly and made up for the fact that he was born early.  Within just a few weeks, he had gained over four pounds and grew almost four inches.  His eyes wandered and he never really looked at anything, but Gerard and I didn't think much of it.

Once I got my casts off, the first thing I did was curl up with Gerard and sleep the night away.  I had missed his embrace more than I could have imagined.

My family was happy.  I couldn't have asked for anything more.

hcbingo, rate: r, chaptered, frerard

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