Why are There No Clouds in the Sky?, chapter 10
Billie rushed through the hospital doors with Tre and Mike following him. Running madly through the emergency room, face red, he started to go crazy.
He ran up to the desk. "Where the hell is my son?" he asked. "Where the fuck is my son?"
The lady gave him a look, but let his comment slide since she considered he was going through a tough situation. "Your name, sir?" she asked.
"Billie Joe Armstrong," he said as quickly as he could.
"And your son's name?" she questioned.
"Joseph Marciano Armstrong," Billie replied.
She pointed down the hall, "A little bit down and to the right. And by the way, only immediate family in the emergency room. It's not visiting hours. Considering your son's situation he will probably get a room upstairs in a few hours. They may come back then."
"Uh, thanks," Billie said quietly. "Sorry guys, I'll call you when you can come."
"Okay," Tre said. "Call as soon as you can, just tell us what's happening, okay?"
Billie nodded, and walked one way as his friends walked the other. He continued to where his family was, nervous as to what he should expect. What kind of situation? Why did he need a room? What the hell happened?
As he turned into the small room where Joey and Adrienne were, he stood still. His son was lying on the small bed, sleeping, hopefully, and his wife was sitting in a chair next to him, with her head lying on the bed, stroking his hand. He had a bandage wrapped around the top of his head.
Billie shuffled in slowly, and Adrienne's head slowly rose at the sound. She turned to look at Billie and immediately got up and hugged him, sobbing on his shoulder.
Billie got very worried and asked his wife, "What's wrong?"
"Joey," she said. "He had a seizure. He fell. It, it was horrible, Billie. All he was doing was standing on a chair to get something from on top of the shelf. I was watching him. Then suddenly, he fell."
She began to cry harder. "He just..." ; she sighed, not caring that she was being redundant, "fell. And then shook. It was horrible Billie, so horrible. He was so helpless, and so was I. I called 911, and they came, but I don't think I can ever watch my son like that again. I don't know, Billie." ;
Billie stroked his wife's hair. "Shhh, shhh," he said. "Stay calm, Adie. We'll get through this."
Adrienne shook her head, "But he's not waking up! I should get a nurse, something could be wrong!"
Before Billie could stop her, she was out of the room and stopped a doctor in the hallway, questioning if her son was okay.
Before long, they both stepped back into the room, Adrienne still looking a mess, but no signs from the doctor's facial expression that anything was horribly wrong.
She put out her hand for Billie to shake, which he did. "Hello Mr. Armstrong"; she said. "I'm Dr. Mary Ann Wess, I'm one of the ER physicians here. Don't worry, I've been an ER physician for 10 years, so I know what I'm talking about."
Billie nodded, "But what's wrong with my son?"
"Your son suffered a 'grand mal' seizure, as we like to call them. Grand mals are basically the seizures you would think of if you thought of the word, with the shaking and the foaming of the mouth, etc. Though you might think your son has epilepsy, one is only pronounced Epileptic after two seizure occurrences. In children it's actually extremely common for them to have just one."
Dr. Wess continued. "Usually, someone who would have a seizure," ; she said, "would suffer no head injuries if they were to have it, let's say, on a carpeted floor. But since your son experienced it on a chair and fell, he suffered a mild concussion. Though we think it will have no effect on him, as soon as he wakes, we will be able to perform an MRI and check it out, just in case."
Adrienne was sobbing. "But, but what is a seizure exactly? Did I do this to him? Does he need medicine?"
The doctor nodded her head. "Perfectly reasonable questions. Actually a seizure is what happens where this is a miss firing of the electricity in the brain. When this occurs, the body stimulates a seizure to actually protect the person. Seizures are usually inherited through genetics, and most likely have nothing to do with anything around him. Regarding medicine, he will most likely not be prescribed any unless another event like this occurs. You will probably have to start seeing a neurologist, to check up on him and such, but I'm sure everything will be just fine. He seems like a healthy young boy."
Adrienne nodded, but couldn't stop crying, "But why isn't he awake? Is he in a coma or anything?"
Dr. Wess shook her head. "He's in a deep sleep, I'll bet," she said and then walked over towards him and checked him out. "Yup, deep sleep."
Suddenly her beeper started making noises, and she checked it. "Sorry," she said. "This once barren day is turning into a busy one. I'll come back and check on you later. Don't worry, your son will wake up soon."
She smiled and walked out, and just as she did so, Joey's eyes fluttered. "Hey," Billie whispered to his wife and pointed. "He's up."
They walked over and Billie grabbed his son's hand.
"Hey Mom, hey Dad."
"Hey son."
He ran up to the desk. "Where the hell is my son?" he asked. "Where the fuck is my son?"
The lady gave him a look, but let his comment slide since she considered he was going through a tough situation. "Your name, sir?" she asked.
"Billie Joe Armstrong," he said as quickly as he could.
"And your son's name?" she questioned.
"Joseph Marciano Armstrong," Billie replied.
She pointed down the hall, "A little bit down and to the right. And by the way, only immediate family in the emergency room. It's not visiting hours. Considering your son's situation he will probably get a room upstairs in a few hours. They may come back then."
"Uh, thanks," Billie said quietly. "Sorry guys, I'll call you when you can come."
"Okay," Tre said. "Call as soon as you can, just tell us what's happening, okay?"
Billie nodded, and walked one way as his friends walked the other. He continued to where his family was, nervous as to what he should expect. What kind of situation? Why did he need a room? What the hell happened?
As he turned into the small room where Joey and Adrienne were, he stood still. His son was lying on the small bed, sleeping, hopefully, and his wife was sitting in a chair next to him, with her head lying on the bed, stroking his hand. He had a bandage wrapped around the top of his head.
Billie shuffled in slowly, and Adrienne's head slowly rose at the sound. She turned to look at Billie and immediately got up and hugged him, sobbing on his shoulder.
Billie got very worried and asked his wife, "What's wrong?"
"Joey," she said. "He had a seizure. He fell. It, it was horrible, Billie. All he was doing was standing on a chair to get something from on top of the shelf. I was watching him. Then suddenly, he fell."
She began to cry harder. "He just..." ; she sighed, not caring that she was being redundant, "fell. And then shook. It was horrible Billie, so horrible. He was so helpless, and so was I. I called 911, and they came, but I don't think I can ever watch my son like that again. I don't know, Billie." ;
Billie stroked his wife's hair. "Shhh, shhh," he said. "Stay calm, Adie. We'll get through this."
Adrienne shook her head, "But he's not waking up! I should get a nurse, something could be wrong!"
Before Billie could stop her, she was out of the room and stopped a doctor in the hallway, questioning if her son was okay.
Before long, they both stepped back into the room, Adrienne still looking a mess, but no signs from the doctor's facial expression that anything was horribly wrong.
She put out her hand for Billie to shake, which he did. "Hello Mr. Armstrong"; she said. "I'm Dr. Mary Ann Wess, I'm one of the ER physicians here. Don't worry, I've been an ER physician for 10 years, so I know what I'm talking about."
Billie nodded, "But what's wrong with my son?"
"Your son suffered a 'grand mal' seizure, as we like to call them. Grand mals are basically the seizures you would think of if you thought of the word, with the shaking and the foaming of the mouth, etc. Though you might think your son has epilepsy, one is only pronounced Epileptic after two seizure occurrences. In children it's actually extremely common for them to have just one."
Dr. Wess continued. "Usually, someone who would have a seizure," ; she said, "would suffer no head injuries if they were to have it, let's say, on a carpeted floor. But since your son experienced it on a chair and fell, he suffered a mild concussion. Though we think it will have no effect on him, as soon as he wakes, we will be able to perform an MRI and check it out, just in case."
Adrienne was sobbing. "But, but what is a seizure exactly? Did I do this to him? Does he need medicine?"
The doctor nodded her head. "Perfectly reasonable questions. Actually a seizure is what happens where this is a miss firing of the electricity in the brain. When this occurs, the body stimulates a seizure to actually protect the person. Seizures are usually inherited through genetics, and most likely have nothing to do with anything around him. Regarding medicine, he will most likely not be prescribed any unless another event like this occurs. You will probably have to start seeing a neurologist, to check up on him and such, but I'm sure everything will be just fine. He seems like a healthy young boy."
Adrienne nodded, but couldn't stop crying, "But why isn't he awake? Is he in a coma or anything?"
Dr. Wess shook her head. "He's in a deep sleep, I'll bet," she said and then walked over towards him and checked him out. "Yup, deep sleep."
Suddenly her beeper started making noises, and she checked it. "Sorry," she said. "This once barren day is turning into a busy one. I'll come back and check on you later. Don't worry, your son will wake up soon."
She smiled and walked out, and just as she did so, Joey's eyes fluttered. "Hey," Billie whispered to his wife and pointed. "He's up."
They walked over and Billie grabbed his son's hand.
"Hey Mom, hey Dad."
"Hey son."
