Too Much Too Soon, chapter 8
"Dad, what-"
"Shh, Joey. Stay here. Everything will be okay."
Billie quickly closed the door and jumped the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs he saw the door open, and a hand laying on the ground. He ran to the door, dodging the furniture, but nearly knocking over a vase. He saw Adri laying on the ground with blood trickling all over her body. Hovering over her, he tried speaking to her, but she didn't respond. There was a ruffle in the bushes, and Billie looked up to see the shadow of a man run away. Would Billie chase after the man to leave Adri, or stay with Adri and let the man get away.
"Adri, I'm not leaving you."
But there was no response as she lay motionless. He managed to pick her up to lay her in the house, away from speculation. He called 911 to seek medical attention, then immediately called his neighbor to keep an eye on Joey. His neighbors immediately took the task of proctectors.
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He had never felt to so lonely. For the first time in his life, Tre, Jason, and Mike were not by his side during a time of distress. He paced back and forth in the emergency room lobby. He tightened his jaw with anger because there was nothing he could do to make his wife's pain go away, or to save his best friends who were more like his brothers. 'I can't do anything! ' he thought to himself.
"You can certainly do something," a man's voice behind him said, as if he had heard Billie's thoughts.
"Excuse me?" Billie turned around and found the same man he had met in the hotel, "You did this, didn't you?!"
"Don't go pointing fingers, Billie Joe. It's rude to assume such things."
"Don't mess with me!"
"Excuse me sirs, would you mind taking this outside?" The nurse said with fright.
The man strolled out the automatic doors, and Billie followed.
"What do you want?!" Billie grunted.
"Do as we ask of you, and reward us with 1 million dollars."
"Ha ha ha. Well isn't that an original request?" Billie said sarcastically.
"Oh. Would you rather your family and friends dead?"
Billie looked levelly at the man, "You already have. You're the one who shot the bullet through the windshield, thus taking the innocent dirver and my friends. Now, you attack my wife!"
"Not quite. You see, we want the 1 million dollars for my men and my service to you."
"SERVICE?!"
"Someone is out to get you, and it is not us."
"You expect me to believe this bullshit?!"
"Listen to me. We here to protect you, and you need to do as we say."
"Protecting, my ass."
"Billie, do as we tell you, give us the money, and all will be well."
"I am not going to waste a cent on a bastard like you!" Billie said slowly walking toward the man.
However, the nurse interrupted the conversation running towards them. She panted trying to catch her breath.
"I am sorry that I didn't get down here faster."
"Why the rush? My wife is fine, isn't she?" Billie asked.
"Sir-I-think-you-need... To go to-" she said between breaths.
Billie's mind raced with thoughts and the scene became blurry again. He shook his head to get focused, and instinctively ran up towards Adri's hospital room. The elevator was out of order, so he swung open the stair case doors, and ran. *CLANK CLANK CLANK* his shoes beat against the metal stair case, and *BANG* every once and a while, as he fell. He reached the fifth floor covered with sweat. He looked right and left down the white hallways, and tried to remember the room number. A sign in front of him showed:
<-----500-550 551-600----->
A nurse ran into him, and recognized him from when he came into the hospital.
"Mr. Armstrong, your wife is in 560."
He nodded and turned right, sprinting down the hallway, glancing at the numbers. 555, 556, 557, 558, 559... He found her room, but accidently ran too far, and slid as he tried to stop. He walked in the room to find the nurses cleaning up an empty bed. It was an empty room...
"Shh, Joey. Stay here. Everything will be okay."
Billie quickly closed the door and jumped the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs he saw the door open, and a hand laying on the ground. He ran to the door, dodging the furniture, but nearly knocking over a vase. He saw Adri laying on the ground with blood trickling all over her body. Hovering over her, he tried speaking to her, but she didn't respond. There was a ruffle in the bushes, and Billie looked up to see the shadow of a man run away. Would Billie chase after the man to leave Adri, or stay with Adri and let the man get away.
"Adri, I'm not leaving you."
But there was no response as she lay motionless. He managed to pick her up to lay her in the house, away from speculation. He called 911 to seek medical attention, then immediately called his neighbor to keep an eye on Joey. His neighbors immediately took the task of proctectors.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He had never felt to so lonely. For the first time in his life, Tre, Jason, and Mike were not by his side during a time of distress. He paced back and forth in the emergency room lobby. He tightened his jaw with anger because there was nothing he could do to make his wife's pain go away, or to save his best friends who were more like his brothers. 'I can't do anything! ' he thought to himself.
"You can certainly do something," a man's voice behind him said, as if he had heard Billie's thoughts.
"Excuse me?" Billie turned around and found the same man he had met in the hotel, "You did this, didn't you?!"
"Don't go pointing fingers, Billie Joe. It's rude to assume such things."
"Don't mess with me!"
"Excuse me sirs, would you mind taking this outside?" The nurse said with fright.
The man strolled out the automatic doors, and Billie followed.
"What do you want?!" Billie grunted.
"Do as we ask of you, and reward us with 1 million dollars."
"Ha ha ha. Well isn't that an original request?" Billie said sarcastically.
"Oh. Would you rather your family and friends dead?"
Billie looked levelly at the man, "You already have. You're the one who shot the bullet through the windshield, thus taking the innocent dirver and my friends. Now, you attack my wife!"
"Not quite. You see, we want the 1 million dollars for my men and my service to you."
"SERVICE?!"
"Someone is out to get you, and it is not us."
"You expect me to believe this bullshit?!"
"Listen to me. We here to protect you, and you need to do as we say."
"Protecting, my ass."
"Billie, do as we tell you, give us the money, and all will be well."
"I am not going to waste a cent on a bastard like you!" Billie said slowly walking toward the man.
However, the nurse interrupted the conversation running towards them. She panted trying to catch her breath.
"I am sorry that I didn't get down here faster."
"Why the rush? My wife is fine, isn't she?" Billie asked.
"Sir-I-think-you-need... To go to-" she said between breaths.
Billie's mind raced with thoughts and the scene became blurry again. He shook his head to get focused, and instinctively ran up towards Adri's hospital room. The elevator was out of order, so he swung open the stair case doors, and ran. *CLANK CLANK CLANK* his shoes beat against the metal stair case, and *BANG* every once and a while, as he fell. He reached the fifth floor covered with sweat. He looked right and left down the white hallways, and tried to remember the room number. A sign in front of him showed:
<-----500-550 551-600----->
A nurse ran into him, and recognized him from when he came into the hospital.
"Mr. Armstrong, your wife is in 560."
He nodded and turned right, sprinting down the hallway, glancing at the numbers. 555, 556, 557, 558, 559... He found her room, but accidently ran too far, and slid as he tried to stop. He walked in the room to find the nurses cleaning up an empty bed. It was an empty room...
