Why are There No Clouds in the Sky?, chapter 11
Joey looked around the room, and tried to get up, not understanding what was happening. He felt like he was in some kind of dream state, that everything around him was just a dream. And plus, his head hurt.
"Dad," he said, looking at his father. "Where am I?"
"You're at the hospital, Joey," he responded.
He tried to sit up, but his head killed. "Ugh," he said in the response to the pain. "Why?"
Adrienne grabbed his hand and began to run her thumb across it, "Don't worry, it'll be oka-"
"Adrienne, we have to tell him," Billie interrupted. "You had a seizure, Joey."
What? Joey thought, still only half conscious. Seizures? Aren't those those things where you shake? Me? I can't have a seizure! Those are for messed up kids! Don't you swallow your tongue when you have your seizure? Do I still have a tongue? Yes, I do. But why am I still alive?
"What?" Joey blinked.
"Joey," Billie said. "You had a seizure. You fell off a chair and had a seizure. Don't worry, you're not the only kid to go through this."
But he sure felt alone. "What... What was yesterday?" he asked.
Concerned, Adrienne responded, "Yesterday was Monday, Joe."
"Yesterday... Yesterday..." he said thinking aloud. "Suicide," was all that he could muster out, considering how weak he was, and the fact that he was barely awake.
Adrienne felt her eyes get watery, "Yes, that was yesterday."
"Ughh," he said. "I remember the chair. I was getting- I don't know what I was getting actually. And I don't remember anything else. I woke up with people looking at me, but I fell back asleep. Ughh, my head hurts."
Billie patted his hand, "It's okay. You fell, and hit your head. They're going to check later if it's okay, I'm sure it is."
Joey let his head sink in deeper in the hospital pillow and then turned to his side. "Ugh," he muttered. "My head... My head..." He pulled his covers over his head and felt his eyes getting watery.
Am I going to die? he thought. Am I going to die?
Adrienne got worried and tapped Joey's shoulder, "Joseph, are you okay?"
Joey looked back at her with tears in his eyes, "Mommy, am I going to die?"
Adrienne lent down and gave herself a hug, feeling her own eyes begin to fill with salty tears, "Of course not, honey. Of course not."
They heard someone come into the room and everyone looked up. A nurse was there.
"Hi, I'm Shelly," she said. "I'm here to take Joseph to the MRI, and then I'll take him upstairs to his room. I'm not going to take him just yet, but I'll be back in about 15 minutes. I'm just letting you know. One of you can come with me, or both if you like, and one of you could go upstairs."
Adrienne stood. "I'll come with you, Joey," she said. "Billie, you go upstairs to the room and wait for us."
"Okay," Shelly said. "I'll let you know where to go, Mr. Armstrong, when I come back."
"Thanks," he said.
Adrienne sat back down and Shelly left, and they all drifted into a silence, listening to the beep, beep, beep, of the heart monitor.
As they sat there in silence, all of a sudden, the heart monitor sped up very quickly and Billie's head popped up from it's hanging position. He looked at his wife with a very worried look on his face. Before they had time to even look at their son, the heard the horrifying sound of one very long beep.
"Dad," he said, looking at his father. "Where am I?"
"You're at the hospital, Joey," he responded.
He tried to sit up, but his head killed. "Ugh," he said in the response to the pain. "Why?"
Adrienne grabbed his hand and began to run her thumb across it, "Don't worry, it'll be oka-"
"Adrienne, we have to tell him," Billie interrupted. "You had a seizure, Joey."
What? Joey thought, still only half conscious. Seizures? Aren't those those things where you shake? Me? I can't have a seizure! Those are for messed up kids! Don't you swallow your tongue when you have your seizure? Do I still have a tongue? Yes, I do. But why am I still alive?
"What?" Joey blinked.
"Joey," Billie said. "You had a seizure. You fell off a chair and had a seizure. Don't worry, you're not the only kid to go through this."
But he sure felt alone. "What... What was yesterday?" he asked.
Concerned, Adrienne responded, "Yesterday was Monday, Joe."
"Yesterday... Yesterday..." he said thinking aloud. "Suicide," was all that he could muster out, considering how weak he was, and the fact that he was barely awake.
Adrienne felt her eyes get watery, "Yes, that was yesterday."
"Ughh," he said. "I remember the chair. I was getting- I don't know what I was getting actually. And I don't remember anything else. I woke up with people looking at me, but I fell back asleep. Ughh, my head hurts."
Billie patted his hand, "It's okay. You fell, and hit your head. They're going to check later if it's okay, I'm sure it is."
Joey let his head sink in deeper in the hospital pillow and then turned to his side. "Ugh," he muttered. "My head... My head..." He pulled his covers over his head and felt his eyes getting watery.
Am I going to die? he thought. Am I going to die?
Adrienne got worried and tapped Joey's shoulder, "Joseph, are you okay?"
Joey looked back at her with tears in his eyes, "Mommy, am I going to die?"
Adrienne lent down and gave herself a hug, feeling her own eyes begin to fill with salty tears, "Of course not, honey. Of course not."
They heard someone come into the room and everyone looked up. A nurse was there.
"Hi, I'm Shelly," she said. "I'm here to take Joseph to the MRI, and then I'll take him upstairs to his room. I'm not going to take him just yet, but I'll be back in about 15 minutes. I'm just letting you know. One of you can come with me, or both if you like, and one of you could go upstairs."
Adrienne stood. "I'll come with you, Joey," she said. "Billie, you go upstairs to the room and wait for us."
"Okay," Shelly said. "I'll let you know where to go, Mr. Armstrong, when I come back."
"Thanks," he said.
Adrienne sat back down and Shelly left, and they all drifted into a silence, listening to the beep, beep, beep, of the heart monitor.
As they sat there in silence, all of a sudden, the heart monitor sped up very quickly and Billie's head popped up from it's hanging position. He looked at his wife with a very worried look on his face. Before they had time to even look at their son, the heard the horrifying sound of one very long beep.
