One Day Soon, chapter 5
"Lydia!" the nurse said in a surprised half yell. "You're up?!?!"
Lydia quickly wiped the tears form her cheeks and rolled over to face the plump nurse.
"'spose so." She said, quietly. "Unless of course I'm simply 'coma-talking'" She shot back quickly, smiling weakly.
"Right then" The nurse said straightening up. "I'll go get the doctor!"
After the doctor examined Lydia and smiled he brought in a TV set, an X box and two wireless controllers.
"A little birdie told me someone here liked to play video games" he said with a smile handing them both a controller and turning on the system.
"Do you like video games?" Billie Joe asked with a smile, raising his bed to a sitting position. "Or is this something Tre set up?"
"I love video games" Lydia said, sitting up as well. "But I don't see how anyone I know could have told him that. Must have been Tre."
Billie Joe smiled at the smile on her face. He was happy to see someone who'd so clearly experienced a lot of pain happy. But was that the only reason?
Tre came by around 8 o'clock that night and took Billie Joe home.
When Tre came he did a little stumble backwards thing in mock shock over Lydia being awake. Billie Joe knew it was just to get the girl to laugh, and her laugh was so beautiful too.
"Hey there" Tre said holding out a hand. "I'm Tre, Tre Cool." He said, shaking her hand while his other hand slid through his hair in a 'cool' motion.
Lydia giggled again.
"Lydia" she said before dropping his hand and smiling sweetly. Billie Joe was starting to really like her smile. It was so sweet and genuine. He liked it.
"Well, get better! Tre said leaving the room and motioning for Billie to follow.
Billie Joe stood up, finally dressed in his own clothes and smiled at Lydia.
"Get better real soon." He said as he walked over and shook her hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you, and beating you at that game was a bonus!" he laughed.
"Bye Billie Joe. Thanks for being an awesome roommate!" She said, and it broke Billie's heart to think of her alone in this room tonight.
"Bye Lydia" he said, leaving the room quietly.
"Bye Billie Joe" she whispered when he was gone.
A week later and Billie Joe was feeling much better. Adrienne had come by to grab her things, but Billie Joe arranged to be out of the house at that point. He came home after she'd gone to find a note:
Billie Joe,
I grabbed almost everything. I don't think I'll need the rest.
I'll bring the boys by on Saturday okay?
Around 11?
Bye Billie Joe,
Adrienne.
Billie Joe just looked at the note. Saturday, that was nearly 4 days away. What was he going to do with himself? Mike was busy watching Estelle and Tre was visiting Ramona. Billie was alone, and bored.
He turned on his Xbox and started playing some silly game the boys had bought when he thought of Lydia.
She'd probably still be in the hospital, right? Maybe he'd go visit her.
Billie grabbed his jacket and slid on his shoes before leaving the house. Leaving his Xbox on as he started the car and drive to the hospital.
"Hi" Billie Joe smiled as he leaned on the desk at the nurse's station. "My name's Billie Joe Armstrong and I came to visit Lydia. I went to the room she was in before but she isn't there anymore. Could you tell me where she is?"
The nurse blinked a couple times then looked at her charts.
"Did you say Lydia?" she asked shuffling the papers, not meeting Billie Joe's gaze.
"Yeah" he said. "I'm not sure her last name. She just came out of a coma the other day... " But he was cut off by the burse standing up and walking around the desk to him.
"yep, she just moved this morning. Private room" She explained. "Wow, she's going to be excited. Lydia never gets visitors, let alone punk rock star visitors!" The nurse said leading him down the hall.
"What do you mean?" He asked. "Don't her parents come? Siblings? Friends?"
"No" The nurse said, staring hard at Billie Joe. "No, Lydia lost her parents a couple of years ago in a car accident. She has no siblings or friends. Just her boyfriend, or should I say Ex. We had to put him in prison that one. Didn't you know that? I mean you do know Lydia right?"
"Yeah" Billie Joe said smiling. "Yeah, I just forgot... I'm getting old you know."
The nurse narrowed her eyes and opened a door on the right.
"Riiight" she said winking. Then she walked away leaving Billie standing in an open door looking at a sleeping Lydia on her hospital bed.
Lydia quickly wiped the tears form her cheeks and rolled over to face the plump nurse.
"'spose so." She said, quietly. "Unless of course I'm simply 'coma-talking'" She shot back quickly, smiling weakly.
"Right then" The nurse said straightening up. "I'll go get the doctor!"
After the doctor examined Lydia and smiled he brought in a TV set, an X box and two wireless controllers.
"A little birdie told me someone here liked to play video games" he said with a smile handing them both a controller and turning on the system.
"Do you like video games?" Billie Joe asked with a smile, raising his bed to a sitting position. "Or is this something Tre set up?"
"I love video games" Lydia said, sitting up as well. "But I don't see how anyone I know could have told him that. Must have been Tre."
Billie Joe smiled at the smile on her face. He was happy to see someone who'd so clearly experienced a lot of pain happy. But was that the only reason?
Tre came by around 8 o'clock that night and took Billie Joe home.
When Tre came he did a little stumble backwards thing in mock shock over Lydia being awake. Billie Joe knew it was just to get the girl to laugh, and her laugh was so beautiful too.
"Hey there" Tre said holding out a hand. "I'm Tre, Tre Cool." He said, shaking her hand while his other hand slid through his hair in a 'cool' motion.
Lydia giggled again.
"Lydia" she said before dropping his hand and smiling sweetly. Billie Joe was starting to really like her smile. It was so sweet and genuine. He liked it.
"Well, get better! Tre said leaving the room and motioning for Billie to follow.
Billie Joe stood up, finally dressed in his own clothes and smiled at Lydia.
"Get better real soon." He said as he walked over and shook her hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you, and beating you at that game was a bonus!" he laughed.
"Bye Billie Joe. Thanks for being an awesome roommate!" She said, and it broke Billie's heart to think of her alone in this room tonight.
"Bye Lydia" he said, leaving the room quietly.
"Bye Billie Joe" she whispered when he was gone.
A week later and Billie Joe was feeling much better. Adrienne had come by to grab her things, but Billie Joe arranged to be out of the house at that point. He came home after she'd gone to find a note:
Billie Joe,
I grabbed almost everything. I don't think I'll need the rest.
I'll bring the boys by on Saturday okay?
Around 11?
Bye Billie Joe,
Adrienne.
Billie Joe just looked at the note. Saturday, that was nearly 4 days away. What was he going to do with himself? Mike was busy watching Estelle and Tre was visiting Ramona. Billie was alone, and bored.
He turned on his Xbox and started playing some silly game the boys had bought when he thought of Lydia.
She'd probably still be in the hospital, right? Maybe he'd go visit her.
Billie grabbed his jacket and slid on his shoes before leaving the house. Leaving his Xbox on as he started the car and drive to the hospital.
"Hi" Billie Joe smiled as he leaned on the desk at the nurse's station. "My name's Billie Joe Armstrong and I came to visit Lydia. I went to the room she was in before but she isn't there anymore. Could you tell me where she is?"
The nurse blinked a couple times then looked at her charts.
"Did you say Lydia?" she asked shuffling the papers, not meeting Billie Joe's gaze.
"Yeah" he said. "I'm not sure her last name. She just came out of a coma the other day... " But he was cut off by the burse standing up and walking around the desk to him.
"yep, she just moved this morning. Private room" She explained. "Wow, she's going to be excited. Lydia never gets visitors, let alone punk rock star visitors!" The nurse said leading him down the hall.
"What do you mean?" He asked. "Don't her parents come? Siblings? Friends?"
"No" The nurse said, staring hard at Billie Joe. "No, Lydia lost her parents a couple of years ago in a car accident. She has no siblings or friends. Just her boyfriend, or should I say Ex. We had to put him in prison that one. Didn't you know that? I mean you do know Lydia right?"
"Yeah" Billie Joe said smiling. "Yeah, I just forgot... I'm getting old you know."
The nurse narrowed her eyes and opened a door on the right.
"Riiight" she said winking. Then she walked away leaving Billie standing in an open door looking at a sleeping Lydia on her hospital bed.
