One Day Soon, chapter 4
Billie tried to move, but his body felt like it was pinned under a thousand pound girder. He slowly opened his eyes to find himself staring at a stark white room with lots of wires and buttons.
"Where am I?" He thought to himself. Then he saw the IV and the paper gown he was in. He was at the hospital. Man... When did that happen? All he could remember was getting home, doing a couple shots, getting sick and then listening to his messages.
His messages! There had been one from Adrienne. Now he remembered... He'd finished off 4 bottles of booze on his own, then his memory when fuzzy. He must have passed out.
He tried to groan but it hurt his throat so he slowly moved his hand to the call button on the side of the bed.
A nurse came in after a few seconds followed by a doctor.
"Good morning Mr. Armstrong" The doctor said with a smile.
"Go call Mr. Wright and inform him of Mr. Armstrong's awakening" The doctor said to the nurse as she left the room.
"Tre?" Billie said groggily. "Why is she supposed to call Tre?"
"Well, this 'Tre' Who I can only assume if Mr. Wright" Said the doctor skeptically. "Is the one who found you and called 911. Not a moment too soon either. They had to pump your stomach in the ambulance because they were afraid the poisoning would get too far on the short trip form your home to the hospital. Your friend saved your life Mr. Armstrong. And we promised to call him in the even that you became conscious again."
Billie felt nauseous. He was going to be sick. He shrugged his head around, looking for something to be sick in and finally opted for just leaning over the side of the bed.
The doctor laughed and handed him a tissue to wipe his face before calling an orderly to come mop up the floor.
Billie slowly brought his head back up and then noticed something. He wasn't alone in this room, there was someone laying in the bed beside him. It was a girl!
"Why in the hell is there a girl in here?" He asked the doctor who was now adding something to Billie's IV.
"Mr. Wright game us permission to put you here Mr. Armstrong. Our male ward is full and this was the most private room in the woman's ward we had available. She won't bother you though. Poor Lydia's been in a coma for almost a week now." The doctor said somberly.
"Oh" was all Billie Joe could say before the doctor left the room and the orderly came in to mop up, giving Billie a dirty look and throwing a little dish (the ones the hospital gives you to throw up in) at him and leaving the room.
Tre burst through the door not 5 minutes later and immediately starting blasting Billie Joe for what he'd done.
"Could have died! Had me worried sick! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THE IRRESPONSIBLE ONE!" Tre yelled incoherently.
"I know" Billie said sheepishly looking at his friend. "Listen Tre, thank you. Thank you so much. The doctor said you saved my life, I know I was stupid and I don't know what to say now except thank you." Tre smiled and hugged his friend quickly but lovingly.
"Don't mention it. But from now on, you don't get to drink around me! That's two nights in a row Billie!"
"I know" was all Billie said before Mike came in the room slowly, looking at Billie carefully before smiling.
"Morning!" Mike said cheerfully
"Morning to you too" Billie Joe said.
Mike looked over at the young girl in the bed next to Billie's and become very pale before mumbling something about having to go, but he'd see Billie later at home before he ran out of the room.
"What was that about?" Billie asked.
"No Idea" Tre said before nodding to the girl beside Billie. "How's the roommate?"
"She's unconscious Tre." He said. Then Tre got up and walked over to the girl.
"That's not all he said before coming back to Billie. "She looks beaten up pretty bad too. Poor girl, Can't be much older then 25 by the looks of it."
"Yeah" Billie said, trying to get a look at this girl, Lydia.
Tre stayed for a while, talking to Billie about Adrienne and how he'd heard the message. But Billie didn't want to talk about it and Tre understood so he just got up and left.
"Doctor says I can pick you up tomorrow and take you home, think I'm going to bring you to my place for a while though, until you're feeling better."
"Sounds good" Billie said, looking over to Lydia again.
"Bye Tre"
"Bye"
Billie made sure the door was closed before he sat up, swung his legs over the side of the bed and crept over to look at his roommate.
She looked awful; 2 black eyes, a nose that was clearly broken, cuts on her arms and hands and bruises all around her throat.
Billie gulped hard at the sight of her.
He moved his gaze back to her face, she looked pretty under all that black and blue. Suddenly her eyes fluttered open and Billie nearly fell over from the shock.
She looked around confused and he focus fell back onto Billie Joe.
Her eyes watered up and she hoarsely whispered.
"Am I dead?"
It took Billie a moment to find his words.
"No Lydia, you aren't dead, just in the hospital." He said in a whisper.
"If I'm not dead, what are you doing here?" She said, a tear floating down her cheek.
"I'm you're roommate" he said, trying to smile but failing because of the pure sadness registered on her face.
"I must be dead if the lead singer of my favorite band is sharing a hospital room with me she said before closing her eyes again, tears flowing steadily from under her lashes.
Billie grabbed her hand softly and her eyes flew open again.
"I promise, you aren't dead" He said with a smile. "And Thanks for the compliment, if only you'd woken up a few minutes earlier you could have seen Tre and Mike as well he laughed quietly."
She just stared at him, tears flowing again.
"You better calla nurse Hun," he said still holding her hand "You've been in a coma for a while and I'm sure your family would like to know your awake.
She nodded and let go of his hand before calling the nurse and watching Billie run back to his bed so no one would know he'd been out of it.
She rolled over and cried some more. She couldn't register the fact that her idol was only feet away, but that not what made her cry, it was the words he'd said. 'family'. That's what made her cry.
"Where am I?" He thought to himself. Then he saw the IV and the paper gown he was in. He was at the hospital. Man... When did that happen? All he could remember was getting home, doing a couple shots, getting sick and then listening to his messages.
His messages! There had been one from Adrienne. Now he remembered... He'd finished off 4 bottles of booze on his own, then his memory when fuzzy. He must have passed out.
He tried to groan but it hurt his throat so he slowly moved his hand to the call button on the side of the bed.
A nurse came in after a few seconds followed by a doctor.
"Good morning Mr. Armstrong" The doctor said with a smile.
"Go call Mr. Wright and inform him of Mr. Armstrong's awakening" The doctor said to the nurse as she left the room.
"Tre?" Billie said groggily. "Why is she supposed to call Tre?"
"Well, this 'Tre' Who I can only assume if Mr. Wright" Said the doctor skeptically. "Is the one who found you and called 911. Not a moment too soon either. They had to pump your stomach in the ambulance because they were afraid the poisoning would get too far on the short trip form your home to the hospital. Your friend saved your life Mr. Armstrong. And we promised to call him in the even that you became conscious again."
Billie felt nauseous. He was going to be sick. He shrugged his head around, looking for something to be sick in and finally opted for just leaning over the side of the bed.
The doctor laughed and handed him a tissue to wipe his face before calling an orderly to come mop up the floor.
Billie slowly brought his head back up and then noticed something. He wasn't alone in this room, there was someone laying in the bed beside him. It was a girl!
"Why in the hell is there a girl in here?" He asked the doctor who was now adding something to Billie's IV.
"Mr. Wright game us permission to put you here Mr. Armstrong. Our male ward is full and this was the most private room in the woman's ward we had available. She won't bother you though. Poor Lydia's been in a coma for almost a week now." The doctor said somberly.
"Oh" was all Billie Joe could say before the doctor left the room and the orderly came in to mop up, giving Billie a dirty look and throwing a little dish (the ones the hospital gives you to throw up in) at him and leaving the room.
Tre burst through the door not 5 minutes later and immediately starting blasting Billie Joe for what he'd done.
"Could have died! Had me worried sick! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THE IRRESPONSIBLE ONE!" Tre yelled incoherently.
"I know" Billie said sheepishly looking at his friend. "Listen Tre, thank you. Thank you so much. The doctor said you saved my life, I know I was stupid and I don't know what to say now except thank you." Tre smiled and hugged his friend quickly but lovingly.
"Don't mention it. But from now on, you don't get to drink around me! That's two nights in a row Billie!"
"I know" was all Billie said before Mike came in the room slowly, looking at Billie carefully before smiling.
"Morning!" Mike said cheerfully
"Morning to you too" Billie Joe said.
Mike looked over at the young girl in the bed next to Billie's and become very pale before mumbling something about having to go, but he'd see Billie later at home before he ran out of the room.
"What was that about?" Billie asked.
"No Idea" Tre said before nodding to the girl beside Billie. "How's the roommate?"
"She's unconscious Tre." He said. Then Tre got up and walked over to the girl.
"That's not all he said before coming back to Billie. "She looks beaten up pretty bad too. Poor girl, Can't be much older then 25 by the looks of it."
"Yeah" Billie said, trying to get a look at this girl, Lydia.
Tre stayed for a while, talking to Billie about Adrienne and how he'd heard the message. But Billie didn't want to talk about it and Tre understood so he just got up and left.
"Doctor says I can pick you up tomorrow and take you home, think I'm going to bring you to my place for a while though, until you're feeling better."
"Sounds good" Billie said, looking over to Lydia again.
"Bye Tre"
"Bye"
Billie made sure the door was closed before he sat up, swung his legs over the side of the bed and crept over to look at his roommate.
She looked awful; 2 black eyes, a nose that was clearly broken, cuts on her arms and hands and bruises all around her throat.
Billie gulped hard at the sight of her.
He moved his gaze back to her face, she looked pretty under all that black and blue. Suddenly her eyes fluttered open and Billie nearly fell over from the shock.
She looked around confused and he focus fell back onto Billie Joe.
Her eyes watered up and she hoarsely whispered.
"Am I dead?"
It took Billie a moment to find his words.
"No Lydia, you aren't dead, just in the hospital." He said in a whisper.
"If I'm not dead, what are you doing here?" She said, a tear floating down her cheek.
"I'm you're roommate" he said, trying to smile but failing because of the pure sadness registered on her face.
"I must be dead if the lead singer of my favorite band is sharing a hospital room with me she said before closing her eyes again, tears flowing steadily from under her lashes.
Billie grabbed her hand softly and her eyes flew open again.
"I promise, you aren't dead" He said with a smile. "And Thanks for the compliment, if only you'd woken up a few minutes earlier you could have seen Tre and Mike as well he laughed quietly."
She just stared at him, tears flowing again.
"You better calla nurse Hun," he said still holding her hand "You've been in a coma for a while and I'm sure your family would like to know your awake.
She nodded and let go of his hand before calling the nurse and watching Billie run back to his bed so no one would know he'd been out of it.
She rolled over and cried some more. She couldn't register the fact that her idol was only feet away, but that not what made her cry, it was the words he'd said. 'family'. That's what made her cry.
