Biblical - Sequel to TMIAA (Frerard)

4: In Which Frank Gets Pissy At A 911 Operator And Gerard Almost Dies

"Gerard!" Frank screamed as the balcony collapsed before his eyes while he stood there helplessly, unable to do anything to stop this tragedy from occurring.

This couldn't be happening, none of this was real. Frank squeezed his eyes shut, praying that when he opened them, he would be sitting beside Gerard in the restaurant, and all of this would be some crazy hallucination brought on by too much champagne - or something.

But even without his sight, Frank couldn't block out the shaking of the ground under his feet, and he knew that wishing this situation away wasn't helping anyone - especially not Gerard, and if he wanted to save his husband, he had to accept this and actually do something about it.

Frank strained his ears, but he couldn't hear if his husband had responded or not over the shouts of the terrified civilians and the car alarms that were going off all over the street. The fall might have knocked him unconscious, or maybe he was buried under so much debris that his voice wasn't able to reach Frank, but either way, he was obviously in trouble.

Frantic with worry, Frank attempted to scale the wall which led back up to the patio that Gerard had been standing on, but it was sheer rock, and there were no handholds to help Frank heave his short frame upward.

Frank glanced around rapidly for something he could stand on, but it was hard to pick out individual items among the press of bodies that were streaming down the narrow walkway, and Frank had to fight to keep his stationary position as the crowd washed over him.

Tremors continued to wrack the area, and Frank knew he needed to seek shelter before something fell on him, but he couldn't leave yet, not without Gerard. His husband still hadn't emerged from the rubble, at least, not that Frank could see, and he was truly beginning to panic now.

"Help! I need help!" Frank cried out, trying to catch someone's attention, maybe that way they could lift him up so he could reach Gerard, but no one stopped. Everyone was too worried about their own safety to bother with Frank.

Frank ran a bit down the street, trying to spot a police offer, or something - anyone that would be willing to offer him some assistance, but there were no officials in sight, and Frank didn't want to waste any more time searching for someone he might never find when Gerard could be hurt...or worse.

Not knowing what else to do, Frank reached into his pocket with a shaky hand and pulled out his cell phone, dialing 911 as fast as he could.

"911 operator, what is your emergency?" a friendly female voice chimed out, and Frank exhaled a sigh of relief now that he was connected to another person. For a second there, he had been worried that no one would answer, and he would be left alone to try and figure out a way to save Gerard.

"I need help! I am downtown, on Main Street. There was a giant earthquake - or something, and my husband is trapped. I can't get him out on my own." Frank rambled off quickly, trying to explain his situation without wasting any more precious time.

"Emergency services have already been dispatched to the area that the earthquakes have hit, but they are stretched thin because of this unexpected catastrophe. Officers will be in your location soon though, would you like me to stay on the line until then?" the lady asked in a calm manner, but that wasn't the answer Frank wanted to hear.

"No - you don't understand, I need someone here now. My husband is in a restaurant, it's called Symphony, and the balcony fell in while he was still on it," Frank explained in a snappy tone of voice, trying to make this woman comprehend how urgent his predicament was.

Frank knew that other people were hurt, and he wasn't the only one who needed assistance, but this was Gerard...he couldn't lose him - not like this, and he refused to give up so easily.