The Waiting UnKnown, chapter 2
It was about a week later, and Billie Joe Armstrong, looking as much like a normal 33 year old as he could at the moment, flanked by his wife, and his two sons, entered Children's Hospital of Oakland. They were followed by Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool, all looking as inconspicuous as they could. They had come because they were as much a part of the Armstrong family as their own. Plus, somebody had to watch Joey while Jakob started his chemotherapy. Who better than his Uncles Mike and Tre?
"Mr and Mrs. Armstrong? Dr. Wales will see you now." The receptionist said when they went to check in, before turning to a short woman who had stepped aside. "I'm sorry ma'am, but my hands are tied. Only the legal guardian, in this case, the mother, can come back to be with the child during the procedure."
"But, I am as much the mother as Janine is. I left the papers back home, but, just this once....look, we moved out here to the west coast because we thought it would be easier for us...you know what, never mind." The woman, who looked about to cry, briskly walked past the Armstrong/Dirnt/Cool group, and into the waiting room, flopping onto a chair.
Billie Joe took notice of this briefly, and got a little bristled. Obviously this woman was in a lesbian relationship and wanted to be with her child as much as the biological mother, but legal hassles got in the way. His green eyes flared for only a moment, before Adrienne got his attention. He followed her and Jakob back with a nurse, an older man, who seemed in constant fast forward.
Mike and Tre took Joey to the waiting room, were the boy occupied himself with his Gameboy. Mike's eyes landed on a Rolling Stone, with Billie Joe on the cover, and couldn't help himself. Tre tried to amuse himself with the TV, which was on a news station, but he also kept eyeing the short woman that had brushed so quickly passed him. She was pretty, not gorgeous, but pretty. She was sitting in the chair, one foot tucked under her butt, writing frantically in a notebook, listening to an iPod. Her hair was chin length, and an auburn color. She wore jeans and a black tank top, that clung to her ample chest rather tightly.
"Not bad" Tre murmured.
"Uh, Tre, I don't think she swings that way." Mike said, in a whisper.
"Hey, I'm just looking." Tre said, picking up a copy of Highlights for Children. He turned to the Hidden Pictures and became immediately engrossed. Mike just rolled his eyes and continued reading.
***
In a sterile examination room, Billie Joe sat holding Adrienne's hand as the doctor, an older woman, about her late 40s explained their sons condition. Jakob was with a nurse getting all the basics done, height, weight, etc.
"Jakob has Acute lymphocytic leukemia, or ALL. It's one of the more common types of Leukemia. We caught it early enough, that it should go into remission with a few treatments. We'll stick with common chemotherapy for now, if the leukemia cells aren't stopped in a few weeks, then we will discuss more aggressive forms of treatment. But Jakob is young enough, that we should be safe. Now, both of you can go with us to start the treatments if you wish."
"I'll go wait in the waiting room." Billie Joe said. He felt horrible for leaving but he felt uncomfortable back in the sterile environment. It brought back memories of his father and his battle with lung cancer. 20 some years had done nothing to dull the pain and memories.
Adrienne looked up at him half pissed off, but turned to warm concern as she saw the reminiscent look in his eyes. "Go on. I'll explain to Jakob."
"I'm sorry, baby, I just can't do it. It reminds me.." Billie started
"I know. It's really okay."
Billie left, fighting back tears. He got back out to the waiting room, found Tre happily reading Highlights, and Mike zoned out in the chair and Joey playing Game-Boy, mumbling about "gotta get to the next level."
"Hey bud, how's it going?"
"Fine, dad, fine." Joey said, not taking his eyes of the screen.
Taking a hint, Billie Joe sat down next to Tre. At that moment, a teenager, all of 15, 16 tops. A little blond girl, in low riding blue jeans, pink tight top that was low cut, and immaculately cropped hair, and make up that made the local ladies of the night look underdone, came up to the front man and drummer, followed by her apparent clones, though some were brunettes or redheads, five young girls in all.
"Um, Mr. Armstrong, like, we're huge fans of yours. We just got off our volunteer work as like candy-stripers, and um, we were, like wondering, could we have your autograph?" The blond said, grabbing a notebook.
"Sure. Tre you got a pen?" Billie Joe said, trying to sound willing, though a decent human being wouldn't have bothered him, since he was wearing his baseball cap, and looked about to cry. The five got their autographs and then the fans seemed to come out of the wood work, all rushing the band.
As all three, but especially Billie Joe got more and more uncomfortable, the short woman, who was still there, had stopped writing, and was watching. Out of nowhere, she stood up on the chair.
"ENOUGH!" she shouted. Nothing happened. "ENOUGH! GOD! YOU PEOPLE ARE SICK!" The crowd stopped.
Taking a breath, the woman continued. "Look, it's one thing to be a fan, but can't you see that Mr. Armstrong is here with a very sick child. He might not want to be Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day, for a moment. He might just want to be Billie Joe Armstrong, father. Just, do you people have no sense of dignity? Look, let the man be." Quietly, she sat back down. Not sure what to make of the woman, the crowd dispersed.
"Um, Thanks?" Billie Joe said, uncertain of what to say.
"No problem. I'm Bonnie by the way. I couldn't stand it. People have no sense of respect. I'm a huge fan, but I figure with whatever is going on that brought you here, you don't need to be 'on'." Bonnie got up, and hooked her iPod to her belt loop, her headphones draped around her neck, 'Minority' still playing softly. She shook hands with the rock trio, and Joey, who was angrily trying to beat the level he had lost when the fury had started.
The adults started to chat, when a woman, about Bonnie's height, thinner, with dirty blond hair, that was wavy, shoulder length, and cut in away that framed her thin face well, came up to her, with a child, a girl, who was losing her hair, of about 10, following behind, looking exhausted and half sick to her stomach. Bonnie bent down. "Tara, how are you, baby girl?" She wrapped her daughter in a tight hug. The girl resembled the thin one, with dirty blond hair, what was left,her eyes a green that oddly matched Bonnie's.
"Okay. Bonnie, are we going home soon? I'm really tired."
Billie Joe looked at the frail child in front of him, and gulped. Could Jakob end up looking this gaunt?
"In a minute sweetie." Bonnie said, turning to her partner. Tara looked around for a seat. Before she could look very hard, Joey stood up, manners that his father didn't know the boy had, showing up. Tara took it. "Thanks..uh.."
"Joey. No problem. So, um, if you don't mind, um, why are you here?"
"I've got leukemia, something they call ALL, I actually was getting better but it came back. I was 6 when I first got it, then it came back when I was 8, now I'm 10, it's back again."
"Wow. My little brother is here for something like that. Is he going to lose his hair?"
Joey asked, wide eyed.
"He might. He is going to be really tired though, and feel like throwing up a lot. " Tara said, stifling a yawn. Joey shut up, and let the little girl rest.
Standing by Bonnie and her partner, introduced to them as Janine, Billie Joe had heard the two children talking, and gulped.
"You okay?" Janine asked, touching Billie's arm lightly, with her left hand, the right entwined in Bonnie's.
"Yeah, I..uh was just listening to Joey and your little girl..Tara is it?. She said she's been through this sense she was six ,and it always has come back?"
"Yeah. Every time it comes back, we look for a new hospital,with more specialized care, and it would be nice if it were one that's more accommodating of Janine's and my lifestyle." Bonnie said, looking sadly at the ground. "I want to be able to hold my daughter's hand while she goes through this. But no hospital will let me in."
"That sucks." Mike said. "Just cause you lead an alternate lifestyle doesn't mean.."
"Tried that argument. I've tried them all. It didn't work down south, not even close, so we move west. Apparently it doesn't work here." Bonnie said sadly, then turned to Janine.
"Baby, can you get Tara all loaded up, I'll be out in a second." she said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.
Tre's eyebrows arched up quick, then he tried to look disinterested, as Mike slapped him on the back of the head.
Janine took the half asleep little girl in her arms, and grabbed Bonnie's journal. "Got your journal, hun." she called, heading out the door.
Bonnie nodded in acknowledgment, then turned back to Billie Joe, who was looking rather ashamed of himself. He had had the opportunity to be with his son during treatment, but had turned it down.
"I feel like an ass. I could've stayed back there, but I didn't. It just seemed so painful." He said, looking at the ground.
"Look, it's no big deal. Just, try to take advantage of it next time. I've gotta go, but if you ever need to talk, call me or Janine at this number," she said, looking around for a scrap of paper, finally settling for jotting it down on the back of a magazine advertisement, "or the bottom one, is my cell. If you can't reach me, or get a message that the phone is off, it means Tara's napping."
"Thanks. I will keep in touch." Billie Joe said, waving at Bonnie's retreating figure.
"Mr and Mrs. Armstrong? Dr. Wales will see you now." The receptionist said when they went to check in, before turning to a short woman who had stepped aside. "I'm sorry ma'am, but my hands are tied. Only the legal guardian, in this case, the mother, can come back to be with the child during the procedure."
"But, I am as much the mother as Janine is. I left the papers back home, but, just this once....look, we moved out here to the west coast because we thought it would be easier for us...you know what, never mind." The woman, who looked about to cry, briskly walked past the Armstrong/Dirnt/Cool group, and into the waiting room, flopping onto a chair.
Billie Joe took notice of this briefly, and got a little bristled. Obviously this woman was in a lesbian relationship and wanted to be with her child as much as the biological mother, but legal hassles got in the way. His green eyes flared for only a moment, before Adrienne got his attention. He followed her and Jakob back with a nurse, an older man, who seemed in constant fast forward.
Mike and Tre took Joey to the waiting room, were the boy occupied himself with his Gameboy. Mike's eyes landed on a Rolling Stone, with Billie Joe on the cover, and couldn't help himself. Tre tried to amuse himself with the TV, which was on a news station, but he also kept eyeing the short woman that had brushed so quickly passed him. She was pretty, not gorgeous, but pretty. She was sitting in the chair, one foot tucked under her butt, writing frantically in a notebook, listening to an iPod. Her hair was chin length, and an auburn color. She wore jeans and a black tank top, that clung to her ample chest rather tightly.
"Not bad" Tre murmured.
"Uh, Tre, I don't think she swings that way." Mike said, in a whisper.
"Hey, I'm just looking." Tre said, picking up a copy of Highlights for Children. He turned to the Hidden Pictures and became immediately engrossed. Mike just rolled his eyes and continued reading.
***
In a sterile examination room, Billie Joe sat holding Adrienne's hand as the doctor, an older woman, about her late 40s explained their sons condition. Jakob was with a nurse getting all the basics done, height, weight, etc.
"Jakob has Acute lymphocytic leukemia, or ALL. It's one of the more common types of Leukemia. We caught it early enough, that it should go into remission with a few treatments. We'll stick with common chemotherapy for now, if the leukemia cells aren't stopped in a few weeks, then we will discuss more aggressive forms of treatment. But Jakob is young enough, that we should be safe. Now, both of you can go with us to start the treatments if you wish."
"I'll go wait in the waiting room." Billie Joe said. He felt horrible for leaving but he felt uncomfortable back in the sterile environment. It brought back memories of his father and his battle with lung cancer. 20 some years had done nothing to dull the pain and memories.
Adrienne looked up at him half pissed off, but turned to warm concern as she saw the reminiscent look in his eyes. "Go on. I'll explain to Jakob."
"I'm sorry, baby, I just can't do it. It reminds me.." Billie started
"I know. It's really okay."
Billie left, fighting back tears. He got back out to the waiting room, found Tre happily reading Highlights, and Mike zoned out in the chair and Joey playing Game-Boy, mumbling about "gotta get to the next level."
"Hey bud, how's it going?"
"Fine, dad, fine." Joey said, not taking his eyes of the screen.
Taking a hint, Billie Joe sat down next to Tre. At that moment, a teenager, all of 15, 16 tops. A little blond girl, in low riding blue jeans, pink tight top that was low cut, and immaculately cropped hair, and make up that made the local ladies of the night look underdone, came up to the front man and drummer, followed by her apparent clones, though some were brunettes or redheads, five young girls in all.
"Um, Mr. Armstrong, like, we're huge fans of yours. We just got off our volunteer work as like candy-stripers, and um, we were, like wondering, could we have your autograph?" The blond said, grabbing a notebook.
"Sure. Tre you got a pen?" Billie Joe said, trying to sound willing, though a decent human being wouldn't have bothered him, since he was wearing his baseball cap, and looked about to cry. The five got their autographs and then the fans seemed to come out of the wood work, all rushing the band.
As all three, but especially Billie Joe got more and more uncomfortable, the short woman, who was still there, had stopped writing, and was watching. Out of nowhere, she stood up on the chair.
"ENOUGH!" she shouted. Nothing happened. "ENOUGH! GOD! YOU PEOPLE ARE SICK!" The crowd stopped.
Taking a breath, the woman continued. "Look, it's one thing to be a fan, but can't you see that Mr. Armstrong is here with a very sick child. He might not want to be Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day, for a moment. He might just want to be Billie Joe Armstrong, father. Just, do you people have no sense of dignity? Look, let the man be." Quietly, she sat back down. Not sure what to make of the woman, the crowd dispersed.
"Um, Thanks?" Billie Joe said, uncertain of what to say.
"No problem. I'm Bonnie by the way. I couldn't stand it. People have no sense of respect. I'm a huge fan, but I figure with whatever is going on that brought you here, you don't need to be 'on'." Bonnie got up, and hooked her iPod to her belt loop, her headphones draped around her neck, 'Minority' still playing softly. She shook hands with the rock trio, and Joey, who was angrily trying to beat the level he had lost when the fury had started.
The adults started to chat, when a woman, about Bonnie's height, thinner, with dirty blond hair, that was wavy, shoulder length, and cut in away that framed her thin face well, came up to her, with a child, a girl, who was losing her hair, of about 10, following behind, looking exhausted and half sick to her stomach. Bonnie bent down. "Tara, how are you, baby girl?" She wrapped her daughter in a tight hug. The girl resembled the thin one, with dirty blond hair, what was left,her eyes a green that oddly matched Bonnie's.
"Okay. Bonnie, are we going home soon? I'm really tired."
Billie Joe looked at the frail child in front of him, and gulped. Could Jakob end up looking this gaunt?
"In a minute sweetie." Bonnie said, turning to her partner. Tara looked around for a seat. Before she could look very hard, Joey stood up, manners that his father didn't know the boy had, showing up. Tara took it. "Thanks..uh.."
"Joey. No problem. So, um, if you don't mind, um, why are you here?"
"I've got leukemia, something they call ALL, I actually was getting better but it came back. I was 6 when I first got it, then it came back when I was 8, now I'm 10, it's back again."
"Wow. My little brother is here for something like that. Is he going to lose his hair?"
Joey asked, wide eyed.
"He might. He is going to be really tired though, and feel like throwing up a lot. " Tara said, stifling a yawn. Joey shut up, and let the little girl rest.
Standing by Bonnie and her partner, introduced to them as Janine, Billie Joe had heard the two children talking, and gulped.
"You okay?" Janine asked, touching Billie's arm lightly, with her left hand, the right entwined in Bonnie's.
"Yeah, I..uh was just listening to Joey and your little girl..Tara is it?. She said she's been through this sense she was six ,and it always has come back?"
"Yeah. Every time it comes back, we look for a new hospital,with more specialized care, and it would be nice if it were one that's more accommodating of Janine's and my lifestyle." Bonnie said, looking sadly at the ground. "I want to be able to hold my daughter's hand while she goes through this. But no hospital will let me in."
"That sucks." Mike said. "Just cause you lead an alternate lifestyle doesn't mean.."
"Tried that argument. I've tried them all. It didn't work down south, not even close, so we move west. Apparently it doesn't work here." Bonnie said sadly, then turned to Janine.
"Baby, can you get Tara all loaded up, I'll be out in a second." she said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.
Tre's eyebrows arched up quick, then he tried to look disinterested, as Mike slapped him on the back of the head.
Janine took the half asleep little girl in her arms, and grabbed Bonnie's journal. "Got your journal, hun." she called, heading out the door.
Bonnie nodded in acknowledgment, then turned back to Billie Joe, who was looking rather ashamed of himself. He had had the opportunity to be with his son during treatment, but had turned it down.
"I feel like an ass. I could've stayed back there, but I didn't. It just seemed so painful." He said, looking at the ground.
"Look, it's no big deal. Just, try to take advantage of it next time. I've gotta go, but if you ever need to talk, call me or Janine at this number," she said, looking around for a scrap of paper, finally settling for jotting it down on the back of a magazine advertisement, "or the bottom one, is my cell. If you can't reach me, or get a message that the phone is off, it means Tara's napping."
"Thanks. I will keep in touch." Billie Joe said, waving at Bonnie's retreating figure.
