The Waiting UnKnown, chapter 9
"Love you Bonnie," Tara said, curling up into her bed, trusty trashcan nearby. She'd had a chemo treatment earlier that day.
"You too baby girl," Bonnie said, turning off the light and heading toward the living room, where Janine had Meet the Fockers waiting. She had just gotten comfortable; Janine nestled next to her, when her cell phone buzzed. Rolling her eyes, Bonnie took the phone into the hallway, mouthing 'Go ahead' to her wife.
"Hello?... Oh... Oh God... Of course, I'll be there... Adrienne, calm down, that's the main thing... He will be fine... I'll be there ASAP," Bonnie said.
"I've gotta go baby."
"Why? Whose was on the phone?" Janine sat up.
"Adrienne. Jakob had a bad reaction to his chemo treatment. He's in Pediatric ICU right now. And Billie Joe ran off somewhere, and turned his phone off. So Adie's panicking right now." Bonnie had thrown on some sweatpants and a jacket as she talked.
"Should I come?"
"No, not right now. I'll call you and let you know." Bonnie was already out the door.
*
Arriving at Children's Hospital of Oakland, Bonnie was greeted by a hysterical Adrienne, who threw herself, sobbing, into Bonnie's arms. Sitting her down, Bonnie tried to calm Adie down.
"Look, Adie, it'll be okay." Bonnie smoothed back some of the dreadlocks that had escaped the ponytail.
Adrienne just shook her head.
"Look, I know it seems really scary, and it is, but it will be okay. Now just stay here, and I'm going to go try to find your husband." Bonnie stood up.
"I... I..l-l-looked everywhere," Adie sobbed out.
"Look, I'll find him. But I don't think it's a good idea to be alone. Have you called Mike or Tre?"
"Tre is in N-N-New York with R-Ramona, B-But M-Mike is on his w-w-way."
Bonnie nodded. "Good. I'll wait with you until he gets here."
The words were hardly out of Bonnie's mouth when a frazzled looking Mike appeared. Adie jumped up and ran to the bassist.
"Adie. Any sign of Billie, or any news?" As frazzled as he appeared, Mike spoke in a surprisingly calm tone.
Adie shook her head.
"I'll go find him." Mike was already heading down the hall. Bonnie stopped him.
"Mike, let me." Bonnie made herself look as tall as her 5'2" inches could get.
"But he's my best friend. I've known him for 16 years."
"That may be true but I've been through this. We almost lost Tara when she was 8.I did the same thing. I ran off, turned off my phone. I have a hunch."
Mike backed up. "I'll go sit with Adie."
"Thanks Mike," Bonnie said, and dashed off in search of Billie Joe.
Going on her first instinct she looked in the last place anybody would look for Billie Joe, the chapel. There he was, toward the back right, looking off into the distance.
"Your wife's looking for you." Bonnie finally broke the stillness in a hoarse voice.
Billie Joe turned around. "How'd you find me?"
Bonnie slid in the pew beside him. "Hunch. I've been in your shoes. 2 years ago almost lost Tara. Did the exact same thing."
Billie looked up. "I should go back, huh?"
"Or at least let Adie know where you are. I'll go tell her if you wanna be alone." She began to stand up.
"Stay." Billie looked up, pleading for support, answers from somebody if he couldn't find it in the unknown.
Bonnie nodded. She was just sitting back down when Billie flung himself into her arms, sobbing.
"It's all my fault, Bonnie. All my fault."
"Shh... no, no, these things are just an unfortunate fluke. And he'll be fine." Bonnie was needless to say, caught completely off guard. She let the younger man cry for a few minutes before asking him "Now, how is it your fault?"
It took Billie Joe a few deep breaths before he could answer that question. "Last night, I was sitting with Adrienne and I brought up wanting to go back on the road. And we got in a huge screaming match. And I said something about Jakob being almost well... and then this."
"It's not your fault. Not at all. A fluke Billie. I mean, there are chemicals going into his blood stream. It's just going to get to him. He's 7. It could be a million things. But no way, under any twisted logic, by saying he was getting well, did you cause this."
"What do I do now, Bonnie?" For a moment, Billie Joe looked about 10.
"Go out there, find your wife, hold her like there is no tomorrow... and wait."
Billie Joe nodded. Bonnie slid out of the pew and helped Billie Joe out. He made his way to the waiting room surprisingly calmly, where Adrienne threw herself into his arms, practically jumping over the back of her chair.
"I w-w-was s-s-so w-w-worried," she sobbed out.
"I'm sorry, Adie baby, so so so sorry," Billie Joe whispered, kissing his wife gently, smoothing back her hair, and holding her tight.
Mike and Bonnie watched from a respectful distance, in silence. The silence didn't last too long. It was broken by a group of doctors and nurses, all running down the corridor. They were shouting back and forth to one another technical terms and doctor jargon.
But one phrase came out clear above it all. One young new doctor in training asked what precisely was going on. His superior, a brisk woman of at least 50, shouted back. "Room 243. The Armstrong boy. He's going into convulsions. We could very well lose him."
The next sounds heard were the collective gasping of the adults. Then Adrienne's bone chilling scream and a thud as Billie Joe fell to his knees.
TBC- yes, I am that mean.
"You too baby girl," Bonnie said, turning off the light and heading toward the living room, where Janine had Meet the Fockers waiting. She had just gotten comfortable; Janine nestled next to her, when her cell phone buzzed. Rolling her eyes, Bonnie took the phone into the hallway, mouthing 'Go ahead' to her wife.
"Hello?... Oh... Oh God... Of course, I'll be there... Adrienne, calm down, that's the main thing... He will be fine... I'll be there ASAP," Bonnie said.
"I've gotta go baby."
"Why? Whose was on the phone?" Janine sat up.
"Adrienne. Jakob had a bad reaction to his chemo treatment. He's in Pediatric ICU right now. And Billie Joe ran off somewhere, and turned his phone off. So Adie's panicking right now." Bonnie had thrown on some sweatpants and a jacket as she talked.
"Should I come?"
"No, not right now. I'll call you and let you know." Bonnie was already out the door.
*
Arriving at Children's Hospital of Oakland, Bonnie was greeted by a hysterical Adrienne, who threw herself, sobbing, into Bonnie's arms. Sitting her down, Bonnie tried to calm Adie down.
"Look, Adie, it'll be okay." Bonnie smoothed back some of the dreadlocks that had escaped the ponytail.
Adrienne just shook her head.
"Look, I know it seems really scary, and it is, but it will be okay. Now just stay here, and I'm going to go try to find your husband." Bonnie stood up.
"I... I..l-l-looked everywhere," Adie sobbed out.
"Look, I'll find him. But I don't think it's a good idea to be alone. Have you called Mike or Tre?"
"Tre is in N-N-New York with R-Ramona, B-But M-Mike is on his w-w-way."
Bonnie nodded. "Good. I'll wait with you until he gets here."
The words were hardly out of Bonnie's mouth when a frazzled looking Mike appeared. Adie jumped up and ran to the bassist.
"Adie. Any sign of Billie, or any news?" As frazzled as he appeared, Mike spoke in a surprisingly calm tone.
Adie shook her head.
"I'll go find him." Mike was already heading down the hall. Bonnie stopped him.
"Mike, let me." Bonnie made herself look as tall as her 5'2" inches could get.
"But he's my best friend. I've known him for 16 years."
"That may be true but I've been through this. We almost lost Tara when she was 8.I did the same thing. I ran off, turned off my phone. I have a hunch."
Mike backed up. "I'll go sit with Adie."
"Thanks Mike," Bonnie said, and dashed off in search of Billie Joe.
Going on her first instinct she looked in the last place anybody would look for Billie Joe, the chapel. There he was, toward the back right, looking off into the distance.
"Your wife's looking for you." Bonnie finally broke the stillness in a hoarse voice.
Billie Joe turned around. "How'd you find me?"
Bonnie slid in the pew beside him. "Hunch. I've been in your shoes. 2 years ago almost lost Tara. Did the exact same thing."
Billie looked up. "I should go back, huh?"
"Or at least let Adie know where you are. I'll go tell her if you wanna be alone." She began to stand up.
"Stay." Billie looked up, pleading for support, answers from somebody if he couldn't find it in the unknown.
Bonnie nodded. She was just sitting back down when Billie flung himself into her arms, sobbing.
"It's all my fault, Bonnie. All my fault."
"Shh... no, no, these things are just an unfortunate fluke. And he'll be fine." Bonnie was needless to say, caught completely off guard. She let the younger man cry for a few minutes before asking him "Now, how is it your fault?"
It took Billie Joe a few deep breaths before he could answer that question. "Last night, I was sitting with Adrienne and I brought up wanting to go back on the road. And we got in a huge screaming match. And I said something about Jakob being almost well... and then this."
"It's not your fault. Not at all. A fluke Billie. I mean, there are chemicals going into his blood stream. It's just going to get to him. He's 7. It could be a million things. But no way, under any twisted logic, by saying he was getting well, did you cause this."
"What do I do now, Bonnie?" For a moment, Billie Joe looked about 10.
"Go out there, find your wife, hold her like there is no tomorrow... and wait."
Billie Joe nodded. Bonnie slid out of the pew and helped Billie Joe out. He made his way to the waiting room surprisingly calmly, where Adrienne threw herself into his arms, practically jumping over the back of her chair.
"I w-w-was s-s-so w-w-worried," she sobbed out.
"I'm sorry, Adie baby, so so so sorry," Billie Joe whispered, kissing his wife gently, smoothing back her hair, and holding her tight.
Mike and Bonnie watched from a respectful distance, in silence. The silence didn't last too long. It was broken by a group of doctors and nurses, all running down the corridor. They were shouting back and forth to one another technical terms and doctor jargon.
But one phrase came out clear above it all. One young new doctor in training asked what precisely was going on. His superior, a brisk woman of at least 50, shouted back. "Room 243. The Armstrong boy. He's going into convulsions. We could very well lose him."
The next sounds heard were the collective gasping of the adults. Then Adrienne's bone chilling scream and a thud as Billie Joe fell to his knees.
TBC- yes, I am that mean.
