A story about Mike, chapter 7
"I'm going to show you what you'll leave behind if you take that knife and stab yourself." Billie grabbed Mike's hand, and before he could pull away, they were standing in a graveyard on a bright sunny day. It was packed. Almost everyone he knew was there, and as he looked out to the railings he could see hundreds of Green Day fans outside holding flowers and candles, and most were crying. The grave they were crowded round already had the coffin lowered into it. He felt sick. He looked to the faces crowded round the grave. Adrienne was there with Jakob and Joey, and so was Tré with Ramona and Frankito. He had never seen them so upset. They were all crying silently except from Tré. He couldn't seem to hold it in. His sobs were quite loud. As he scanned the rest of the faces, Mike froze as he saw Stella, his daughter's, face. He hadn't thought what his suicide would do to her. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she was bawling at the top of her voice. Mike couldn't help it. He started to cry too. They all had roses in their hands, and one by one, they started to fall on the wooden coffin.
"I think that's enough now." Billie whispered next to him, and he gently took his hand. The funeral disappeared. They had returned to Mike's bedroom. It was as if he had never left. The knife was still sitting on the table, and the bottle of vodka was on the bed. Mike sat down. Billie sat next to him. They pulled off their masks. Mike wiped the tears away with the rabbit's ear.
"I don't get it." Mike said. "I wanted to be cremated."
"Remember, it hasn't actually happened. Not every detail could be exact, could it?"
"I guess." He shrugged.
"You cant leave us now." Billie said. "We all need you."
"What would happen to the band? What would happen to Stella if I did it?" Mike asked.
"Green Day wouldn't be Green Day without you. Tré and I wouldn't play again under the name of Green Day, and we wouldn't form another band either."
"You mean you wouldn't play music again?"
"Nope. Well, on the odd occasion, but never to an audience."
"And Stella?"
"How do you think she'd feel if her Dad just took the easy way out and killed himself? She'd never be the same. I don't even want to tell you what would happen to her, and don't ask."
"Hey, wait." Mike said. "You weren't there! Why weren't you at my funeral? Were you still in the coma?"
"No. I died, no wait, I will die, no, SHIT! I mean, in that scenario, I die two days after you."
"So you mean, your going to die?"
"Not necessarily. In that scenario yes, but remember, that's IF you kill yourself."
"So if I don't, you'll live?"
"Wait and see." Billie Joe said. He grinned, and stood up.
"Hey look, its Tré fucking a donkey!" Billie Joe pointed behind Mike.
"What?" Mike turned round. There was nothing there. He turned back and saw Billie Joe was gone. Mike heard Billie Joe's voice say "Sucker", and a faint laugh.
Mike woke up. Sunlight stung his eyes. He was sprawled across his bed, and the vodka bottle was in his hand. It was empty. The knife was still sitting on his bedside table. He slowly sat up. No hangover, he thought. Was last night real? He stood up and walked to the wardrobe mirror and frowned. The rabbit costume was gone, and his normal clothes had replaced them.
"What the hell?"
He went downstairs to the kitchen and started to make coffee. That was normal. Normal things were good. He picked up the phone, and dialled Tré's number. It rang for a while.
"Come on, pick up."
It kept ringing. At long last, there was an answer.
"Hello?" Tré sounded sleepy.
"Hey Tré."
"Hi Mike, what's up?"
"What happened last night?"
There was a pause.
"You don't remember?"
"I do sort off, but everything's still a little fuzzy."
Tré took a deep breath.
"OK, here's what happened. We were crashed into, and you were unconscious for around about two hours. I woke up before you. I waited for you to wake up, and I told you what happened to Billie Joe. We went to see him, and then you took a taxi home. I stayed for a little longer, then I went home too and went to bed."
"So he's in a coma?"
"Yes Mike, he's in a coma. And there's something else. Did the hospital phone you?"
"No. Tré, what's happened?"
"Billie stopped breathing last night. He-"
"Tell me he's not dead!"
"No, he's not dead. They got him back. He was moved to intensive care. They don't know if... " Tré trailed off.
"Lets go see him." Mike said.
"I was just about to. I was gonna drop by and pick you up. Do you still want me to?"
"Yup. I'll get changed and see you soon."
Was it real? Mike kept asking himself as he got changed. He was still mulling things over as he climbed into Tré's SUV, and when they were making their way to intensive care. For once, Tré didn't say much.
When they got to the room, there were no other visitors. Adrienne must have out or gone home, and it was still quite early in the morning.
"Do you want some coffee?" Tré asked as Mike sat down.
"Sure." Mike said. Tré left. Billie Joe was still. He was breathing, but a tube was stuck in his nose. The only sound was the "beep, beep" of the heart monitor. It was steady.
"Billie." Mike whispered. "Can you hear me?"
It was stupid to ask, Mike thought. Even if he could hear him, he couldn't answer.
"Were you there last night Billie? I don't know, I've been asking myself the question for an hour or so now. I know I was going to kill myself, and I either dreamed it or it was real, but I know that you stopped me somehow. Even if it wasn't you, even if it was my imagination. You made me realise that I'm needed. This sounds really gay, but I love you Billie Joe." Mike took Billie's hand and rested his head on the bed. There was silence. The "beep beeps" got a little faster.
"That did sound gay." Billie said faintly.
"Billie? Billie!" Mike sat up and smiled. He was awake! Tré walked through the door and saw Billie Joe awake with Mike smiling next to him.
"BILLIE!" Tré screamed and dropped the cups of coffee. He ran to Billie Joe and hugged him hard.
"Tré!" Billie gasped. "Tré, your fucking choking me!" Tré let go quickly and smoothed out his covers.
"Sorry Billie. I'll go call Adrienne." He did a little jump of joy and sprinted out of the room. He nearly slipped over on the spilled coffee.
"What happened?" Billie asked.
"How much do you remember?"
"Um, I remember waking up, brushing my teeth, getting dressed and eating some cereal, and then I picked Tré and you up. I was driving, and then nothing. What happened?"
"We were in a car crash. You've been in a coma for about a day or so."
"A coma?"
"Yes."
"What were you talking about before I woke up? I couldn't see anything, but I could hear you. You were saying something about killing yourself, and how I stopped you."
"Oh, nothing. You must have heard wrong." Mike muttered. Tré came back.
"Now that your awake Billie Joe, I can tell you what I dreamed last night!" He sat down as Billie groaned.
"I should've stayed in the coma."
"What was that?"
"Nothing!" Billie replied hastily. Tré frowned as Mike laughed.
"It was about a sheep, and these two wolves murdered it. I was the judge, and I said "Sheep murderers!", and I sent them to hell!"
Mike thought back frantically.
"And I remember these two bunnies too." He said dreamily. "They were staring at me."
Mike smiled.
THE END
"I think that's enough now." Billie whispered next to him, and he gently took his hand. The funeral disappeared. They had returned to Mike's bedroom. It was as if he had never left. The knife was still sitting on the table, and the bottle of vodka was on the bed. Mike sat down. Billie sat next to him. They pulled off their masks. Mike wiped the tears away with the rabbit's ear.
"I don't get it." Mike said. "I wanted to be cremated."
"Remember, it hasn't actually happened. Not every detail could be exact, could it?"
"I guess." He shrugged.
"You cant leave us now." Billie said. "We all need you."
"What would happen to the band? What would happen to Stella if I did it?" Mike asked.
"Green Day wouldn't be Green Day without you. Tré and I wouldn't play again under the name of Green Day, and we wouldn't form another band either."
"You mean you wouldn't play music again?"
"Nope. Well, on the odd occasion, but never to an audience."
"And Stella?"
"How do you think she'd feel if her Dad just took the easy way out and killed himself? She'd never be the same. I don't even want to tell you what would happen to her, and don't ask."
"Hey, wait." Mike said. "You weren't there! Why weren't you at my funeral? Were you still in the coma?"
"No. I died, no wait, I will die, no, SHIT! I mean, in that scenario, I die two days after you."
"So you mean, your going to die?"
"Not necessarily. In that scenario yes, but remember, that's IF you kill yourself."
"So if I don't, you'll live?"
"Wait and see." Billie Joe said. He grinned, and stood up.
"Hey look, its Tré fucking a donkey!" Billie Joe pointed behind Mike.
"What?" Mike turned round. There was nothing there. He turned back and saw Billie Joe was gone. Mike heard Billie Joe's voice say "Sucker", and a faint laugh.
Mike woke up. Sunlight stung his eyes. He was sprawled across his bed, and the vodka bottle was in his hand. It was empty. The knife was still sitting on his bedside table. He slowly sat up. No hangover, he thought. Was last night real? He stood up and walked to the wardrobe mirror and frowned. The rabbit costume was gone, and his normal clothes had replaced them.
"What the hell?"
He went downstairs to the kitchen and started to make coffee. That was normal. Normal things were good. He picked up the phone, and dialled Tré's number. It rang for a while.
"Come on, pick up."
It kept ringing. At long last, there was an answer.
"Hello?" Tré sounded sleepy.
"Hey Tré."
"Hi Mike, what's up?"
"What happened last night?"
There was a pause.
"You don't remember?"
"I do sort off, but everything's still a little fuzzy."
Tré took a deep breath.
"OK, here's what happened. We were crashed into, and you were unconscious for around about two hours. I woke up before you. I waited for you to wake up, and I told you what happened to Billie Joe. We went to see him, and then you took a taxi home. I stayed for a little longer, then I went home too and went to bed."
"So he's in a coma?"
"Yes Mike, he's in a coma. And there's something else. Did the hospital phone you?"
"No. Tré, what's happened?"
"Billie stopped breathing last night. He-"
"Tell me he's not dead!"
"No, he's not dead. They got him back. He was moved to intensive care. They don't know if... " Tré trailed off.
"Lets go see him." Mike said.
"I was just about to. I was gonna drop by and pick you up. Do you still want me to?"
"Yup. I'll get changed and see you soon."
Was it real? Mike kept asking himself as he got changed. He was still mulling things over as he climbed into Tré's SUV, and when they were making their way to intensive care. For once, Tré didn't say much.
When they got to the room, there were no other visitors. Adrienne must have out or gone home, and it was still quite early in the morning.
"Do you want some coffee?" Tré asked as Mike sat down.
"Sure." Mike said. Tré left. Billie Joe was still. He was breathing, but a tube was stuck in his nose. The only sound was the "beep, beep" of the heart monitor. It was steady.
"Billie." Mike whispered. "Can you hear me?"
It was stupid to ask, Mike thought. Even if he could hear him, he couldn't answer.
"Were you there last night Billie? I don't know, I've been asking myself the question for an hour or so now. I know I was going to kill myself, and I either dreamed it or it was real, but I know that you stopped me somehow. Even if it wasn't you, even if it was my imagination. You made me realise that I'm needed. This sounds really gay, but I love you Billie Joe." Mike took Billie's hand and rested his head on the bed. There was silence. The "beep beeps" got a little faster.
"That did sound gay." Billie said faintly.
"Billie? Billie!" Mike sat up and smiled. He was awake! Tré walked through the door and saw Billie Joe awake with Mike smiling next to him.
"BILLIE!" Tré screamed and dropped the cups of coffee. He ran to Billie Joe and hugged him hard.
"Tré!" Billie gasped. "Tré, your fucking choking me!" Tré let go quickly and smoothed out his covers.
"Sorry Billie. I'll go call Adrienne." He did a little jump of joy and sprinted out of the room. He nearly slipped over on the spilled coffee.
"What happened?" Billie asked.
"How much do you remember?"
"Um, I remember waking up, brushing my teeth, getting dressed and eating some cereal, and then I picked Tré and you up. I was driving, and then nothing. What happened?"
"We were in a car crash. You've been in a coma for about a day or so."
"A coma?"
"Yes."
"What were you talking about before I woke up? I couldn't see anything, but I could hear you. You were saying something about killing yourself, and how I stopped you."
"Oh, nothing. You must have heard wrong." Mike muttered. Tré came back.
"Now that your awake Billie Joe, I can tell you what I dreamed last night!" He sat down as Billie groaned.
"I should've stayed in the coma."
"What was that?"
"Nothing!" Billie replied hastily. Tré frowned as Mike laughed.
"It was about a sheep, and these two wolves murdered it. I was the judge, and I said "Sheep murderers!", and I sent them to hell!"
Mike thought back frantically.
"And I remember these two bunnies too." He said dreamily. "They were staring at me."
Mike smiled.
THE END
Previous | Page 7/7
