When He Came Around, chapter 29
Billie Joe was leaning back against his chair. He was at the hospital and Mercedes was still sleeping from a nap that she had fallen into before dinner. It was nearing eleven at night and Mike had left for the evening with the boys. Billie had decided to stay and rubbed hi tired eyes. He didn't know why he was there, but he just didn't feel like going home. He blinked as the light from the hall flickered and then the silence was followed by a little gurgle. Turning around, Billie stood up and walked over to the crib where his godson was lying, awake and energetic. He smiled at the little boy. "Hey you," he started. "Bet you want to go home right about now, don't you?"
When the baby just stared at Billie with his huge eyes, the singer smiled. "Me too actually, but you'll find that sometimes, you may not want to go home."
Sighing, Billie quietly pulled his chair over and looked at Mercedes, making sure she wasn't going to wake up. After putting it right near the baby boy's bed, Billie sat down. "Or, if you're lucky, you'll learn this lesson early on... actually, you know what, I'm going to tell you. Home is truly where you make it. Like right now, I have a home that's maybe twenty minutes away... but when I think of it, I feel more at home right here than I have all week in that house that's twenty minutes away."
Billie reached his hand in and William, with his chubby fingers, grabbed onto Billie's fingers and started to play with them as Billie twiddled his fingers in the bed. "You're lucky though," he continued. "Cause wherever you are, you're going to be home. You'll never be alone."
Mercedes opened her eyes as she instinctively was woken up by her baby's laugh. She looked over and saw Billie's body, with only the lights from outside and a soft lamp on the inside shine on his and his godson. She didn't make any noise, but just lay there, listening to the man.
"I know I'm not really alone either, but sometimes, I feel that way. I know I have a loving wife and two great boys that were so excited when they saw you today, but... I guess we all feel alone sometimes right?"
Billie ran his hand through his messy black hair. He just laughed to himself when William tried to examine his fingers. He chuckled when he watched the little boy's fingers press against one of his tattoos on his hand. Smiling, he leaned in closer. "I wouldn't suggest that you get that done. At least until you're eighteen."
"Excuse me?"
Billie Joe turned and saw a young girl standing in the doorway. "Yes?" he asked softly, looking over at Mercedes to see that her eyes were still closed.
The girl stepped inside. "I was wondering if you could sign this?"
Billie looked down at the copy of 'American Idiot' in her shaking hands and smiled at her. "Sure. What you're name?"
"Melissa," she said nervously.
"You're here pretty late?" he asked her as he looked back up at her.
"My... my mom works here as a nurse... she told me that you were here because she knew I was a big fan."
Billie nodded. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you Melissa, which... " he started, intending to ask which nurse was her mother. Instead, the girl cut him off.
"Is that you're son?"
Billie smiled. "Close... godson. William. You can come a little closer you know."
Melissa looked as though she had been told that she had won a million dollars. Stepping closer, she looked in and saw the baby that was continuously staring at Billie Joe. "He looks like... "
"Mike," Billie told her. "Figures, it's his son actually."
Melissa looked from Billie to the kid. "Really?"
"Yeah... and that's Mike's wife," he said nodding over to Mercedes.
Melissa looked over at Mercedes and then back at the baby. "Yeah, I saw some articles with their picture in it... but I didn't know that she already had the baby."
"He's only a few days old, but take it from me, he's already as sharp as a tack," Billie joked.
Melissa smiled and then nodded. "Well, I should be going. It was nice to meet you."
Billie stood up and gave the girl a hug. "Pleasure's mine. If ever you want to stop by again, Mike's usually here as much as I am, and Tre's always popping up."
"Thanks!"
Billie smiled. "Not a problem. Take care."
Melissa smiled and took one last look at the man before her. Grinning like a fool, she turned and ran out of the room. Smiling at the quite room again, Billie turned to look at William. He didn't say anything, but just looked upon his godson that reminded him so much of Mike and Mercedes. Leaning in and kissing the baby on his forehead, Billie stood up. "I should probably go... even though I really enjoyed talking with you," Billie smiled.
Stretching and placing the chair back to its original spot, Billie Joe approached Mercedes and sighed. "Sleeping beauty has nothing on you," he whispered to her as he leaned in and kissed her lips softly. Pulling away, Billie raised his hand and played with her soft hair before sighing sadly. Letting his finger trace along Mercedes' arm, he noticed the small goosebumps and frowned. Billie leaned over her and softly tucked Mercedes in a little better, just like he had done with Joey and Jacob and even Adrienne whenever he was awake at night and just watched her sleep. Smiling when he was finished, he stood up to his full height and took his sweater that was hanging on the back of his chair and exited the room, Mercedes' eyes fully open and watching him go.
*
Within two more days, Mercedes and William were able to leave the hospital and finally go home. Mike was there over an hour earlier to pick her up and just waited for her patiently until the clock stroke eight.
"I knew you were early to band practice, but this early?"
Mike looked up and saw Mercedes walking towards him with William in her arms. She smiled at him and kissed him on his lips, stopping only to stare into his loving blue eyes. "I have never been more ready to go home."
"Good," Mike said. "I've never been more ready to get you home," he teased. He looked at his son and grinned. "And this little guy has a whole new room now," he said.
Mercedes looked at Mike as she walked with him to their car. "Does he?" she asked.
Mike smiled. "Well, I obviously went to pick up Estelle's things and then got her set up, and to save you the trouble of having to worry about anything, the four of us, including Tre, help set up a whole nursery for him."
"Are you serious?" Mercedes asked as Mike took William out of her arms and placed him in the car-seat.
"No, I'm lying." Mercedes rolled her eyes and watched as Mike gently closed the door and stood up before her in his full height. "It's really cool actually. It's mostly greens and stuff, but you'll like it."
"When have I not liked something that you've done," she started as they got into the car.
Mike didn't answer at first and then looked at his wife. "I could think of something... "
There was a tense silence in the car and she frowned. "You don't have to bring this up now Mike... " she started.
The bassist only shook his head. "If not now then when?"
Mercedes didn't answer. When she lowered her gaze, Mike opened his mouth to speak, but Mercedes managed to speak first. "Look, I may be disappointed in you, I may be angry at you, but I still love you. I always will... because you've done so much for me and been there for me that I couldn't change the way I feel about you even if I tried. You're such a hard person to be angry at and such an easy person to love... so I can almost understand any woman's attempts to try and seduce you or what not. I'm mad mostly at Anastasia... she wasn't drunk and she knew perfectly well what she was doing. Still, I am disappointed."
Mike looked at Mercedes and then concentrated back to the road. "Just so you know, I would never hurt you again. Hurting you, cheating on you... those are all things that are below me and I know that. I know I'm a better man for you and an even better man because of you. I expect worse... or maybe I think I deserve worse from what I've done to you, and it's for that reason alone that I'll always be grateful for you. And I'll always love you. Always."
Mercedes looked at Mike and watched his blue eyes sparkle. She nodded and then her lips curved upwards. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me... I just don't want to lose that. Or lose you."
"You won't," Mike finished. "Nor will I ever give you another second to doubt that. Ever."
Mercedes leaned forward and kissed Mike on the cheek, resting her hand on his thigh and she turned to face the front. "You know, we haven't had sex since you left for the tour," she whispered seductively.
"I know!" Mike hollered out, as if it were the one thing on his mind that he'd been desperate to yell out.
Mercedes laughed and shook her head.
"That's not a good thing either," Mike continued. "I think we should change that... I can pull over if you'd like."
Mercedes rolled her eyes and gave Mike a gentle squeeze on his thigh. "You think I'm joking, don't you?" he asked her.
*
"Mommy! You're home!" Joey shouted.
Mike was holding William in his arms and Mercedes was free to grab hold of her two boys and hold them tight. Estelle was standing behind them with a big smile plastered on her face. "I'm glad you're home too," she said as she stepped forward.
Mercedes kissed Estelle on her forehead and stood up, only to find herself being pulled by Liam and Joey towards the staircase. The twins forced their mother up the stairs and down the hall into the room that they had decorated into the nursery. Opening the door, Mercedes gasped.
It was beautiful. It was so simple and practical. She loved it. She felt Mike's presence beside her and she looked up at him. "You guys did such a wonderful job."
"We did didn't we? Does that mean you can reward me with se... "
"You like it mommy?"
Mike looked down and saw Liam standing in front of the two adults, beaming. "Of course I do. It's lovely."
"You know, this house has definitely made a transformation since you came here," Mike said as he stepped into the room and looked back at Mercedes. She stood there, looking at her husband with pleading eyes. "What?" he asked.
"Well, William's already sleeping in your arms... so how's about we put him down for a nap?"
Mike looked down and the baby in his arms and smiled. "Sure," he said, although Mercedes could tell he didn't know where she was going with this, not yet.
Mercedes rolled her eyes and stepped forward. "As well... the kids are already watching their cartoons now... "
Mike's eyes lit up as he placed William down. "It would be a shame to disturb them."
"A damn shame," she repeated slowly.
And like bunnies, Mike rushed over to his wife, scooped her up in his arms and they locked the door to their bedroom so that no one can disturb them for the morning. And after an hour and a half straight, Mike and Mercedes were lying in their bed, breathing harder than average and covered in light sweat. "Now I know why I married you," Mike joked as he rolled on top of her and showered her with kisses.
"Pig," she muttered through her laughs.
When the baby just stared at Billie with his huge eyes, the singer smiled. "Me too actually, but you'll find that sometimes, you may not want to go home."
Sighing, Billie quietly pulled his chair over and looked at Mercedes, making sure she wasn't going to wake up. After putting it right near the baby boy's bed, Billie sat down. "Or, if you're lucky, you'll learn this lesson early on... actually, you know what, I'm going to tell you. Home is truly where you make it. Like right now, I have a home that's maybe twenty minutes away... but when I think of it, I feel more at home right here than I have all week in that house that's twenty minutes away."
Billie reached his hand in and William, with his chubby fingers, grabbed onto Billie's fingers and started to play with them as Billie twiddled his fingers in the bed. "You're lucky though," he continued. "Cause wherever you are, you're going to be home. You'll never be alone."
Mercedes opened her eyes as she instinctively was woken up by her baby's laugh. She looked over and saw Billie's body, with only the lights from outside and a soft lamp on the inside shine on his and his godson. She didn't make any noise, but just lay there, listening to the man.
"I know I'm not really alone either, but sometimes, I feel that way. I know I have a loving wife and two great boys that were so excited when they saw you today, but... I guess we all feel alone sometimes right?"
Billie ran his hand through his messy black hair. He just laughed to himself when William tried to examine his fingers. He chuckled when he watched the little boy's fingers press against one of his tattoos on his hand. Smiling, he leaned in closer. "I wouldn't suggest that you get that done. At least until you're eighteen."
"Excuse me?"
Billie Joe turned and saw a young girl standing in the doorway. "Yes?" he asked softly, looking over at Mercedes to see that her eyes were still closed.
The girl stepped inside. "I was wondering if you could sign this?"
Billie looked down at the copy of 'American Idiot' in her shaking hands and smiled at her. "Sure. What you're name?"
"Melissa," she said nervously.
"You're here pretty late?" he asked her as he looked back up at her.
"My... my mom works here as a nurse... she told me that you were here because she knew I was a big fan."
Billie nodded. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you Melissa, which... " he started, intending to ask which nurse was her mother. Instead, the girl cut him off.
"Is that you're son?"
Billie smiled. "Close... godson. William. You can come a little closer you know."
Melissa looked as though she had been told that she had won a million dollars. Stepping closer, she looked in and saw the baby that was continuously staring at Billie Joe. "He looks like... "
"Mike," Billie told her. "Figures, it's his son actually."
Melissa looked from Billie to the kid. "Really?"
"Yeah... and that's Mike's wife," he said nodding over to Mercedes.
Melissa looked over at Mercedes and then back at the baby. "Yeah, I saw some articles with their picture in it... but I didn't know that she already had the baby."
"He's only a few days old, but take it from me, he's already as sharp as a tack," Billie joked.
Melissa smiled and then nodded. "Well, I should be going. It was nice to meet you."
Billie stood up and gave the girl a hug. "Pleasure's mine. If ever you want to stop by again, Mike's usually here as much as I am, and Tre's always popping up."
"Thanks!"
Billie smiled. "Not a problem. Take care."
Melissa smiled and took one last look at the man before her. Grinning like a fool, she turned and ran out of the room. Smiling at the quite room again, Billie turned to look at William. He didn't say anything, but just looked upon his godson that reminded him so much of Mike and Mercedes. Leaning in and kissing the baby on his forehead, Billie stood up. "I should probably go... even though I really enjoyed talking with you," Billie smiled.
Stretching and placing the chair back to its original spot, Billie Joe approached Mercedes and sighed. "Sleeping beauty has nothing on you," he whispered to her as he leaned in and kissed her lips softly. Pulling away, Billie raised his hand and played with her soft hair before sighing sadly. Letting his finger trace along Mercedes' arm, he noticed the small goosebumps and frowned. Billie leaned over her and softly tucked Mercedes in a little better, just like he had done with Joey and Jacob and even Adrienne whenever he was awake at night and just watched her sleep. Smiling when he was finished, he stood up to his full height and took his sweater that was hanging on the back of his chair and exited the room, Mercedes' eyes fully open and watching him go.
*
Within two more days, Mercedes and William were able to leave the hospital and finally go home. Mike was there over an hour earlier to pick her up and just waited for her patiently until the clock stroke eight.
"I knew you were early to band practice, but this early?"
Mike looked up and saw Mercedes walking towards him with William in her arms. She smiled at him and kissed him on his lips, stopping only to stare into his loving blue eyes. "I have never been more ready to go home."
"Good," Mike said. "I've never been more ready to get you home," he teased. He looked at his son and grinned. "And this little guy has a whole new room now," he said.
Mercedes looked at Mike as she walked with him to their car. "Does he?" she asked.
Mike smiled. "Well, I obviously went to pick up Estelle's things and then got her set up, and to save you the trouble of having to worry about anything, the four of us, including Tre, help set up a whole nursery for him."
"Are you serious?" Mercedes asked as Mike took William out of her arms and placed him in the car-seat.
"No, I'm lying." Mercedes rolled her eyes and watched as Mike gently closed the door and stood up before her in his full height. "It's really cool actually. It's mostly greens and stuff, but you'll like it."
"When have I not liked something that you've done," she started as they got into the car.
Mike didn't answer at first and then looked at his wife. "I could think of something... "
There was a tense silence in the car and she frowned. "You don't have to bring this up now Mike... " she started.
The bassist only shook his head. "If not now then when?"
Mercedes didn't answer. When she lowered her gaze, Mike opened his mouth to speak, but Mercedes managed to speak first. "Look, I may be disappointed in you, I may be angry at you, but I still love you. I always will... because you've done so much for me and been there for me that I couldn't change the way I feel about you even if I tried. You're such a hard person to be angry at and such an easy person to love... so I can almost understand any woman's attempts to try and seduce you or what not. I'm mad mostly at Anastasia... she wasn't drunk and she knew perfectly well what she was doing. Still, I am disappointed."
Mike looked at Mercedes and then concentrated back to the road. "Just so you know, I would never hurt you again. Hurting you, cheating on you... those are all things that are below me and I know that. I know I'm a better man for you and an even better man because of you. I expect worse... or maybe I think I deserve worse from what I've done to you, and it's for that reason alone that I'll always be grateful for you. And I'll always love you. Always."
Mercedes looked at Mike and watched his blue eyes sparkle. She nodded and then her lips curved upwards. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me... I just don't want to lose that. Or lose you."
"You won't," Mike finished. "Nor will I ever give you another second to doubt that. Ever."
Mercedes leaned forward and kissed Mike on the cheek, resting her hand on his thigh and she turned to face the front. "You know, we haven't had sex since you left for the tour," she whispered seductively.
"I know!" Mike hollered out, as if it were the one thing on his mind that he'd been desperate to yell out.
Mercedes laughed and shook her head.
"That's not a good thing either," Mike continued. "I think we should change that... I can pull over if you'd like."
Mercedes rolled her eyes and gave Mike a gentle squeeze on his thigh. "You think I'm joking, don't you?" he asked her.
*
"Mommy! You're home!" Joey shouted.
Mike was holding William in his arms and Mercedes was free to grab hold of her two boys and hold them tight. Estelle was standing behind them with a big smile plastered on her face. "I'm glad you're home too," she said as she stepped forward.
Mercedes kissed Estelle on her forehead and stood up, only to find herself being pulled by Liam and Joey towards the staircase. The twins forced their mother up the stairs and down the hall into the room that they had decorated into the nursery. Opening the door, Mercedes gasped.
It was beautiful. It was so simple and practical. She loved it. She felt Mike's presence beside her and she looked up at him. "You guys did such a wonderful job."
"We did didn't we? Does that mean you can reward me with se... "
"You like it mommy?"
Mike looked down and saw Liam standing in front of the two adults, beaming. "Of course I do. It's lovely."
"You know, this house has definitely made a transformation since you came here," Mike said as he stepped into the room and looked back at Mercedes. She stood there, looking at her husband with pleading eyes. "What?" he asked.
"Well, William's already sleeping in your arms... so how's about we put him down for a nap?"
Mike looked down and the baby in his arms and smiled. "Sure," he said, although Mercedes could tell he didn't know where she was going with this, not yet.
Mercedes rolled her eyes and stepped forward. "As well... the kids are already watching their cartoons now... "
Mike's eyes lit up as he placed William down. "It would be a shame to disturb them."
"A damn shame," she repeated slowly.
And like bunnies, Mike rushed over to his wife, scooped her up in his arms and they locked the door to their bedroom so that no one can disturb them for the morning. And after an hour and a half straight, Mike and Mercedes were lying in their bed, breathing harder than average and covered in light sweat. "Now I know why I married you," Mike joked as he rolled on top of her and showered her with kisses.
"Pig," she muttered through her laughs.
