The Problem with Patrick || Fall Out Boy

i'm the invisible man that can't stop staring in the mirror

They kept Patrick in hospital for the entire 3 days that they were meant to have off. It had just been one blow after another. Memory issues, then stitches in his cheek, then they did the x-ray and told him that he had to wear the boot for another month, and then now they were sitting in a doctor's office, seemingly waiting for more bad news.

Patrick was quiet. He'd been very quiet since he'd had his seizure. His memory issues weren't as long term as last time, and he was relatively okay now, but he still had become scared of entering conversations. He just didn't want to say the wrong thing, or say something stupid, and the only way to avoid that was not to say anything at all.

Pete squeezed Patrick's hand comfortingly. "Hey, buddy, it's all gonna be alright, yeah? No matter what this doctor says. Don't be scared."

Patrick didn't say anything, but rested his head on Pete's shoulder. Pete had a comfortable shoulder, and it was warm and cosy too. Much warmer and cosier than not having a shoulder to rest on. Pete didn't mind. He just put an arm around him and held him close. They were still sitting like that when the doctor entered with a friendly doctor-smile that they seemed to be getting a lot of these days.

"You must be Patrick." The doctor smiled, extending a hand to the shorter man. Patrick stared at it for a second, then look up at him, then back down at the hand. He wasn't exactly sure what to do, and hesitantly held his hand out for a fist bump. That was what the doctor must've meant, right? He just wanted a fist bump and hadn't put his hand out right.

The doctor was confused for a split second too, but did fist bump Patrick to avoid the awkwardness. He chuckled slightly and sat back in his chair, wiggling the mouse of his computer to bring the screen to life. "So, because I'm not your regular physician, and I don't have access to the complete records regarding Patrick's accident, there's limits to what I can do here."

Pete nodded, looking down at his lap, where Patrick's grip on his hand was getting a bit tighter.

"But the good news is, at this point, I don't think it's medically necessary for you to go home. I think you're okay to stay on the tour for the time being, but there's a couple of precautions."

Pete nodded. "Of course."

"First off, this doesn't have to be done straight away, but when you do get home you'll need to have an EEG done to test for epilepsy." The doctor explained. "There is a chance that he's developed it as a result of his brain injury, and I'm actually a bit surprised he hasn't undergone a test for it yet. But anyway, until that's done, I can't prescribe any preventative medications, so that means that you're at risk while you're on the road."

"So you're essentially saying we should go home." Pete stated.

"It would be highly recommended, but it's not a necessity, so to speak." The doctor explained. "Listen, until this test is done, it's important to take all precautions. So that means getting enough sleep, not drinking any alcohol, not taking any drugs, and avoiding bright lights." He took a deep breath. "And that means no shows."

"No shows?" Pete echoed.

"Not until the test is done."

"Shit." He muttered. Patrick didn't say anything, just hung his head and looked down at his lap.

---------------

"So absolutely zero shows?" Joe asked.

"None." Pete sighed. "I think it's time we finally go home."

"There's only 10 shows left." Brendon said from his bunk. "I know it's like, important or whatever, but we've only got two more weeks and then we'll go home anyway."

"Patrick comes first." Andy told him firmly. "We're not gonna keep going if it's hurting him."

"It's not hurting him, though. He'll be fine, just as long as he doesn't go near the stage lights." Brendon explained. "I know Pete won't let Patrick go home alone, so I think we should just bring him with us for the last little bit and then we'll all go home together."

"He just wants to go home." Pete sighed. "He doesn't understand where he is, or what he's doing here when he can't contribute to the shows or anything. He just needs time at home to recover, and he's not getting it on the road. Can you guys call in a replacement bassist for the last couple of shows?"

"Fall Out Boy isn't Fall Out Boy without you, Pete." Joe frowned. "We can't perform with only two of us. That's not the band then."

Patrick was sitting down the other end of the bus with his headphones on, pretending to be watching a movie but was in reality earvesdropping on the conversation. It was true, he did just want to go home, but not at the expense of this tour. He didn't really understand the tour in the first place, and still found it confusing to be on the road, but from the way that everyone was talking about it, it seemed pretty important, and something that they'd been working on for quite a while.

Reluctantly he made his way to where the rest of the band was standing and took Pete's hand for comfort. "U-Um, I can stay, I w-wanna, I wanna stay on the tour."

"Trick, buddy, you don't have to stay for us." Joe told him. "The shows can be rescheduled. Everything will work out, don't think this is your only option."

"I wanna stay." He repeated quietly, looking down at his shoes. "I do."

"See, even Pat gets it!" Brendon called from his bunk.

Pete sighed and wrapped his friend in a hug. "Okay buddy, you can do whatever you wanna do. Just as long as it's not for us."

Patrick just nodded silently.