What? I Can Dream Too..., chapter 12
An hour later, and a still very ill looking Mike was being moved over from his bed onto a trolley ready to be taken to surgery to find out what was making him so ill. He was still curled up, looking thoroughly miserable in between being sick, his arms and face (the only parts of him visable from under the stiff sheet) pale and nothing like the man who people were used to seeing running around on stage. His normally bright, clean tattoos were now dull and in some places pierced or covered with the tubes and monitor wires that wove in and out of him all criss crossing the tiny looking bed to the monitors that beeped steadily and rather annoyingly - at least as far as BIllie Joe and the evil looks he was giving it went.
As the nurse that had come in sorted out the final bits of equipment before they took Mike away, his eyes opened wide, staring at Billie Joe who was sat on the edge of Hannah's bed doodling on her cast aimlessly. He looked terrified. As if he'd only really just realised what was going to happen. Tears began to trickle down his face, something which Billie Joe soon noticed, talking calmly to the terrified Mike.
"Hey, come on Mike, you're not getting out of this now..."
"Hey, it can't be as bad as getting a tattoo and you've done that once or twice before..." Hannah tried to lighten the mood.
"I know I've got to have it done, but its scary..." Mike sounded like he was on the verge of crying.
"I know, but we'll all be waiting for you when you wake up." Hannah, Billie Joe, Lisa and Jo all nodded as Tre spoke.
"Yeah, but that doesn't stop me being scared."
"I know. I know. But nothing will happen, I promise." Jo had crossed the room and was doing her best to give Mike a hug, but the various things stuck in him and the fact that Jo's balance wasn't fantastic at the best of times sort of killed that one.
"Well, I hope something will happen, it'd all be a bit of a waste wouldn't it?" Mike wasa trying his best to cheer up - his sarcastic side showing itself.
"Well, yeah, you know what I mean." Jo made a 'Well-I-Dunno" face.
"Thanks Jo."
The two of them half hugged again.
"I love you guys, whatever happens." Mike was looking in the direction of everyone else in the room, trying to look each one of them in the eye.
"Will you stop talking like you're aboout to die. You'll be fine." Billie Joe looked directly at Mike and spoke like a parfent telling their kid not to eat dirt or something.
"I know, but I'm still scared. I don't wanna go, I just wanna go home and eat pizza..."
"Oh! That sounds like a good idea!" Tre lept up.
"Tre you're not helping."
"Sorry, I got hungry." Tre's head dropped.
"Look, I'm going to take Tre to find some food. I will see you later and you will be fine and me and Tre will bring you back something good. OK?" Billie Joe got up and practically dragged Tre from the room.
"Hmmm... Are you sure you don't want me to come too?" Mike called after them.
"Yeah, you go do your thing, and I'll do mine." Billie Joe's head appeared round the side of the door, his grin looking a little bit manic.
"But I don't want to." Mike did a perfect impression of a small stroppy child.
"Your friend can come with you right to the doors if you want." A nurse appeared, poking at Mike and scribbling on her clipboard before hanging it on the side of the trolley Mike was lying on.
"There, you see, I'll come with you, then I'll meet you on the way out. I'll be with you as long as I can be." Hannah lent over and half hugged Mike in much the same way as Jo had done previously.
"Ummmhmmm..." Mike still didn't seme impressed with the whole idea.
"Hey, don't start that again, YOU WILL BE FINE!"
"We will have to be going now, OK?" This was more of a statement than a question.
In Mike's mind, the next 10 minutes as he was wheeled down the plain white corridors and into the stark operating theatre. As soon as he was pushed through the door, he felt a wave of nausea shoot through his body before he could do anything, nailing the aneasthetist's shoes in the process.
"OK Mr Dirnt, deep breaths for me now, OK." The guy pushed a mask over Mike's face, talking like he wa talking to a toddler, but the gas Mike was breathing in now made him too drowsy to argue. The drugs that were pushed into his arm finished the job, sending Mike into the deepest sleep he had ever been in.
Two hours later and Mike was just about back in the room, most of the equipment that had previously surrounded him was now gone, the only things that remained was the tube in his nose (which he realised was actually incredibly uncomfortable as he woke up) and an IV in the back of his hand. After a few minutes of groggily looking around the room trying not to move too much, a doctor came into check on Mike, scribbling indecipherable notes on the clipboard at the end of the bed before speaking.
"So how are you feeling now Mr. Dirnt?"
"Yeah, I guess I'm alright. I'm not being sick anymore... So thats a plus." Mike was trying to find the good in the situation, but he was finding it difficult when he couldn't get into a comfortable position. THe doctor scribbled some more notes down.
"Good. Good. Well, if everything goes to plan you should be able to leave tomorrow evening." The clipboard was hooked back onto the end of the bed as the doctor spoke, eventually looking up at Mike as he finished the sentence.
"Cool. Do you know what happened to my friends?" Mike yawned as he spoke.
"Yes, they're waiting outside," With that Tre's manically grinning face appeared against the glass in the door, quickly followed by Jo pushing him out of the way. "would you like me to let them in?"
"Yeah, please..."
Tre and Jo bounded into the room as if they had just been let out of a cupboard after three days, leaping onto the end of Mike's bed and proceeded to talk at him rather than to him about nothing in particular, occasionally stopping to burst into a fit of giggles befroe starting the whole thing again. Hannah hopped in, her leg in a fresh cast and her arm free of plaster, now with only a white bandage covering the slowly forming scar down the outside of her forearm.
"You OK?" Hannah sat in the chair next to Mike's head, having a conversation despite the noise Tre and Jo were making.
"Not too bad." Mike looked over at the two perched on the end of his bed. "Have they been like this the whole time I've been out?"
"Pretty much," Hannah raised an eyebrow, "You wanna try sitting with them out there... I swear I have spent more money on candy out there than I have done in a long time."
"I can imagine," Mike laughed. "So, you all out of here now?"
"Yup. Billie Joe and Lisa went to go get the house sorted out so we can go back later, though that was a while ago, so I'm not sure how much of a mess we left the place in..."
"Hmmm... They'll be back."
"Yeah, eventually, they'll drive each other mad if they don't!" Both of them laughed.
As the nurse that had come in sorted out the final bits of equipment before they took Mike away, his eyes opened wide, staring at Billie Joe who was sat on the edge of Hannah's bed doodling on her cast aimlessly. He looked terrified. As if he'd only really just realised what was going to happen. Tears began to trickle down his face, something which Billie Joe soon noticed, talking calmly to the terrified Mike.
"Hey, come on Mike, you're not getting out of this now..."
"Hey, it can't be as bad as getting a tattoo and you've done that once or twice before..." Hannah tried to lighten the mood.
"I know I've got to have it done, but its scary..." Mike sounded like he was on the verge of crying.
"I know, but we'll all be waiting for you when you wake up." Hannah, Billie Joe, Lisa and Jo all nodded as Tre spoke.
"Yeah, but that doesn't stop me being scared."
"I know. I know. But nothing will happen, I promise." Jo had crossed the room and was doing her best to give Mike a hug, but the various things stuck in him and the fact that Jo's balance wasn't fantastic at the best of times sort of killed that one.
"Well, I hope something will happen, it'd all be a bit of a waste wouldn't it?" Mike wasa trying his best to cheer up - his sarcastic side showing itself.
"Well, yeah, you know what I mean." Jo made a 'Well-I-Dunno" face.
"Thanks Jo."
The two of them half hugged again.
"I love you guys, whatever happens." Mike was looking in the direction of everyone else in the room, trying to look each one of them in the eye.
"Will you stop talking like you're aboout to die. You'll be fine." Billie Joe looked directly at Mike and spoke like a parfent telling their kid not to eat dirt or something.
"I know, but I'm still scared. I don't wanna go, I just wanna go home and eat pizza..."
"Oh! That sounds like a good idea!" Tre lept up.
"Tre you're not helping."
"Sorry, I got hungry." Tre's head dropped.
"Look, I'm going to take Tre to find some food. I will see you later and you will be fine and me and Tre will bring you back something good. OK?" Billie Joe got up and practically dragged Tre from the room.
"Hmmm... Are you sure you don't want me to come too?" Mike called after them.
"Yeah, you go do your thing, and I'll do mine." Billie Joe's head appeared round the side of the door, his grin looking a little bit manic.
"But I don't want to." Mike did a perfect impression of a small stroppy child.
"Your friend can come with you right to the doors if you want." A nurse appeared, poking at Mike and scribbling on her clipboard before hanging it on the side of the trolley Mike was lying on.
"There, you see, I'll come with you, then I'll meet you on the way out. I'll be with you as long as I can be." Hannah lent over and half hugged Mike in much the same way as Jo had done previously.
"Ummmhmmm..." Mike still didn't seme impressed with the whole idea.
"Hey, don't start that again, YOU WILL BE FINE!"
"We will have to be going now, OK?" This was more of a statement than a question.
In Mike's mind, the next 10 minutes as he was wheeled down the plain white corridors and into the stark operating theatre. As soon as he was pushed through the door, he felt a wave of nausea shoot through his body before he could do anything, nailing the aneasthetist's shoes in the process.
"OK Mr Dirnt, deep breaths for me now, OK." The guy pushed a mask over Mike's face, talking like he wa talking to a toddler, but the gas Mike was breathing in now made him too drowsy to argue. The drugs that were pushed into his arm finished the job, sending Mike into the deepest sleep he had ever been in.
Two hours later and Mike was just about back in the room, most of the equipment that had previously surrounded him was now gone, the only things that remained was the tube in his nose (which he realised was actually incredibly uncomfortable as he woke up) and an IV in the back of his hand. After a few minutes of groggily looking around the room trying not to move too much, a doctor came into check on Mike, scribbling indecipherable notes on the clipboard at the end of the bed before speaking.
"So how are you feeling now Mr. Dirnt?"
"Yeah, I guess I'm alright. I'm not being sick anymore... So thats a plus." Mike was trying to find the good in the situation, but he was finding it difficult when he couldn't get into a comfortable position. THe doctor scribbled some more notes down.
"Good. Good. Well, if everything goes to plan you should be able to leave tomorrow evening." The clipboard was hooked back onto the end of the bed as the doctor spoke, eventually looking up at Mike as he finished the sentence.
"Cool. Do you know what happened to my friends?" Mike yawned as he spoke.
"Yes, they're waiting outside," With that Tre's manically grinning face appeared against the glass in the door, quickly followed by Jo pushing him out of the way. "would you like me to let them in?"
"Yeah, please..."
Tre and Jo bounded into the room as if they had just been let out of a cupboard after three days, leaping onto the end of Mike's bed and proceeded to talk at him rather than to him about nothing in particular, occasionally stopping to burst into a fit of giggles befroe starting the whole thing again. Hannah hopped in, her leg in a fresh cast and her arm free of plaster, now with only a white bandage covering the slowly forming scar down the outside of her forearm.
"You OK?" Hannah sat in the chair next to Mike's head, having a conversation despite the noise Tre and Jo were making.
"Not too bad." Mike looked over at the two perched on the end of his bed. "Have they been like this the whole time I've been out?"
"Pretty much," Hannah raised an eyebrow, "You wanna try sitting with them out there... I swear I have spent more money on candy out there than I have done in a long time."
"I can imagine," Mike laughed. "So, you all out of here now?"
"Yup. Billie Joe and Lisa went to go get the house sorted out so we can go back later, though that was a while ago, so I'm not sure how much of a mess we left the place in..."
"Hmmm... They'll be back."
"Yeah, eventually, they'll drive each other mad if they don't!" Both of them laughed.
