Scattered Pieces of His Heart, chapter 3
It was hard for Adrienne to see driving home. Her tears skewed her vision, and she barley missed a car. She stopped at her friend's house to pick up her boys.
"Is daddy okay?" Jakob asked once they were in the car.
"Of course," Adie assured. She had her doubts, though. Why had he tried to kill himself? And why now? He had been in much worse situations than this. Without really realizing it, Adie pulled into the garage. Her kids raced into the house. She noticed a lone piece of paper crumpled up on the ground. She picked it up and read it:
BJ -
I took the kids and left. Don't know when we'll be back.
-A
Why would he think she'd never come back? She thought as she numbly walked into the house. She always had her cell phone, so why hadn't he called her first? It was only a few seconds before Joey and Jakob were getting into their dad's guitars.
"Knock it off!" Adie scolded. "You know you're not supposed to touch dad's guitars!"
"When will we see him?" Joey asked, trying to get out of trouble.
"Soon," Adrienne promised and put the TV on. Naturally, they wanted cartoons, so Adie left them and called Tre. This time he actually answered.
"Hey Adie," he answered.
"Hi, Tre."
"How're you?"
"I'm... okay. Listen, thank you for finding Billie-"
"It's no problem... it's not like I coulda left him there, is it?"
"No, I guess not. Have you seen him?"
"No, not yet."
"You should go. He'd like to see you."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Maybe you can get the real reason he... did this."
"You didn't?"
"No. I've been thinking it over. He gave me some bull shit that he thought I'd left him and took the kids and he saw no reason to live."
"That's not the truth?"
"No," Adie said confidently.
"Then why'd he think that?"
"I don't know. He said it was the note I left him... "
"Did it say 'I took the kids and I'm leaving you forever'?"
"No! I said I took the kids with me and we didn't know when we'd be back."
"That's fucked up."
"I know. Please, Tre, try to get something from him."
"Of course, Adie."
"Joey!" Adrienne yelled. "Stop hitting your brother!"
"I'll let you go."
"Thanks. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
"Tre?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for saving my husband's life."
"It was nothing. Really. I'm not just gonna find my best friend bleeding to death and wonder what the right thing to do is."
Adrienne smiled to herself. "Right. Well, bye."
"Bye."
Adie hung up and proceeded to punish Joey. She made the mistake of walking through the kitchen, where the blood had not been cleaned up. Adie's heart skipped a beat. She decided to forget about punishing Joey and clean up instead. She shut the French doors to the kitchen and started to clean.
***
"Uh... I'm looking for Mr. Armstrong's room?" Tre tried lamely one he reached the hospital.
"He's not accepting visitors right now."
"Sorry?" Tre tried to be polite.
"Mr. Armstrong isn't accepting visitors right now."
"Billie Joe Armstrong?"
"Yes," the nurse replied shortly.
"Listen, it's really important that I talk to him."
"I'm sorry, but he isn't acc-"
"The hell he's not accepting visitors! I'm his best friend, don't tell me he doesn't wanna see me!"
"Sit - please-" the nurse was getting scared.
"Can't you just like, call him or something?"
"Sir... "
"Just fucking call him!"
This made the nurse jump and she reluctantly picked up the phone and dialed.
"Mr. Armstrong, you have a man here who would like to see you... He wants to know your name," she said to Tre.
"Just tell him it's his friend."
This was enough for Billie Joe, and the nurse led Tre to his room, keeping a good distance between them.
"Here you are," she said once they'd reached Billie's room.
"Uh... thanks," Tre said as the nurse left. He knocked on the slightly-open door.
"Yeah," Tre heard Billie said, signaling that it was okay for him to go in. He walked in, and Billie saw who it was for the first time.
"What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Is daddy okay?" Jakob asked once they were in the car.
"Of course," Adie assured. She had her doubts, though. Why had he tried to kill himself? And why now? He had been in much worse situations than this. Without really realizing it, Adie pulled into the garage. Her kids raced into the house. She noticed a lone piece of paper crumpled up on the ground. She picked it up and read it:
BJ -
I took the kids and left. Don't know when we'll be back.
-A
Why would he think she'd never come back? She thought as she numbly walked into the house. She always had her cell phone, so why hadn't he called her first? It was only a few seconds before Joey and Jakob were getting into their dad's guitars.
"Knock it off!" Adie scolded. "You know you're not supposed to touch dad's guitars!"
"When will we see him?" Joey asked, trying to get out of trouble.
"Soon," Adrienne promised and put the TV on. Naturally, they wanted cartoons, so Adie left them and called Tre. This time he actually answered.
"Hey Adie," he answered.
"Hi, Tre."
"How're you?"
"I'm... okay. Listen, thank you for finding Billie-"
"It's no problem... it's not like I coulda left him there, is it?"
"No, I guess not. Have you seen him?"
"No, not yet."
"You should go. He'd like to see you."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Maybe you can get the real reason he... did this."
"You didn't?"
"No. I've been thinking it over. He gave me some bull shit that he thought I'd left him and took the kids and he saw no reason to live."
"That's not the truth?"
"No," Adie said confidently.
"Then why'd he think that?"
"I don't know. He said it was the note I left him... "
"Did it say 'I took the kids and I'm leaving you forever'?"
"No! I said I took the kids with me and we didn't know when we'd be back."
"That's fucked up."
"I know. Please, Tre, try to get something from him."
"Of course, Adie."
"Joey!" Adrienne yelled. "Stop hitting your brother!"
"I'll let you go."
"Thanks. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
"Tre?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for saving my husband's life."
"It was nothing. Really. I'm not just gonna find my best friend bleeding to death and wonder what the right thing to do is."
Adrienne smiled to herself. "Right. Well, bye."
"Bye."
Adie hung up and proceeded to punish Joey. She made the mistake of walking through the kitchen, where the blood had not been cleaned up. Adie's heart skipped a beat. She decided to forget about punishing Joey and clean up instead. She shut the French doors to the kitchen and started to clean.
***
"Uh... I'm looking for Mr. Armstrong's room?" Tre tried lamely one he reached the hospital.
"He's not accepting visitors right now."
"Sorry?" Tre tried to be polite.
"Mr. Armstrong isn't accepting visitors right now."
"Billie Joe Armstrong?"
"Yes," the nurse replied shortly.
"Listen, it's really important that I talk to him."
"I'm sorry, but he isn't acc-"
"The hell he's not accepting visitors! I'm his best friend, don't tell me he doesn't wanna see me!"
"Sit - please-" the nurse was getting scared.
"Can't you just like, call him or something?"
"Sir... "
"Just fucking call him!"
This made the nurse jump and she reluctantly picked up the phone and dialed.
"Mr. Armstrong, you have a man here who would like to see you... He wants to know your name," she said to Tre.
"Just tell him it's his friend."
This was enough for Billie Joe, and the nurse led Tre to his room, keeping a good distance between them.
"Here you are," she said once they'd reached Billie's room.
"Uh... thanks," Tre said as the nurse left. He knocked on the slightly-open door.
"Yeah," Tre heard Billie said, signaling that it was okay for him to go in. He walked in, and Billie saw who it was for the first time.
"What the fuck are you doing here?"
