Broken Bones and Nasty Cuts, chapter 6
Billie Joe sat there, at the only place that seemed to comfort him. He thought about his wife, and about how she used to be.
Ten Years Ago
Billie liked this girl. Adrienne Nesser was great , and she was fun to hang out with. But that's just it. She was good to hang out with, but not to take on dates or, well, you know. Boyfriend and girlfriend stuff. Then again, he had never taken the time to take her on a real date, so he really didn't know. But he always just wanted to hang out and talk. He wouldn't really admit that he actually loved her. I mean, to an extent, he did love her, just like he loved his friends. But he wasn't ready to sweep her off her feet and marry her.
Well, one day, he was sitting in his living room with some friends of his, when he felt the need to be around her, which was actually kind of odd. For about three weeks, he had wanted to be around Adrienne more and more. He couldn't explain it. He had been having dreams about her, and she even managed to creep into his thoughts when he masturbated.
So, he decided to call her, asking her to come over. He dialed the number and waited. The phone rang and rang, but she didn't answer. "She must be out." he thought. Her answering machine came on. He was just about to hang up the phone, when Adrienne picked up.
"Hello?" she said. He didn't realize that she sounded upset until he was in the middle of his sentence.
"Hey, Adie, I just wanted... what's wrong?" he asked. She didn't respond, but he heard a sniffle. Had she been crying?
"What's wrong, Hun?" he persisted. There was a pause, and then she spoke.
"You." she said venomously. He was shocked.
"Me?" he asked, "what did I do?" he asked. He was flabbergasted. She stumbled a little on her next few words.
"You... you... you fucking idiot. I loved you. I loved you more than I ever loved anybody. You know what, Billie? This is too much. Tell everybody I said goodbye." and with that, she hung up. Billie Joe wracked his brain for any explanation for why she was so pissed at him. He had done absolutely nothing.
While searching his memories for any explanation, he repeated her last words in his head. 'tell everybody I said goodbye.'
What the hell did that mean? Was she moving? Then, it hit him.
"Oh my god," he whispered to himself. He didn't want to believe it. He was filled with an icy dread that weighed him down and clouded his senses. He ran, faster than he had ever run. He got his keys and literally jumped into his shitty car. His mind was slowly uncovering the answers to this past week's strange behavior. And then, there it was, out in the open. He almost stopped the car from the force of it. Tears stung his eyes and threatened to fall, as he came to a realization.
"No, she can't do this to me." he thought. He had just discovered that he loved her. He pulled up to her house at the speed of light and dashed to the front door so fast he never would have believed was possible. But he didn't care about that now. He just wanted to save the woman he loved. He frenatically searched for her, calling out her name until his throat hurt.
He was almost dizzy with fear when he didn't hear her response. He searched through every room, scared shitless at what he might find through each new doorway.
And then he reached the bathroom.
There she was, the woman he loved, that he would do anything for, lying in her bathtub, soaked in her own blood. And he was the reason. It was all his fault. He didn't pay attention, he didn't care enough, he didn't realize the intensity of this relationship, his love for her, until she was gone.
Tears filled his eyes. He sat there, crying, for about thirty full seconds. Then he realized that she could be dying. He rushed downstairs and called an ambulance.
About five minutes later, Billie Joe was standing outside, watching some strange men take his unconscious woman into a truck. That's how he was thinking, now. Everybody wanted to take her from him. Even though she probably wanted nothing to do with him, he still had hope that they could start over. Once she was loaded in, he went up to the driver.
"Um, excuse me, but could you tell me which hospital you're taking her to?" Billie Joe asked, trying to hide the unreasonable anger. He wanted to go with her, but they told him that it, "might not be a good idea" Why not? They should know I was saving her. How can I be a suspect of any kind? Why would there be suspects, anyways? "Shit, this is confusing" he thought to himself.
"Memorial Hospital, on Academy and Union." the driver said, briskly. As soon as he had heard this he jumped into his car and raced after the ambulance.
When he got to the hospital, he rushed to the 'Information' desk.
"Excuse me, m'am, could you tell me which room Adrienne Nesser is in?" he asked.
"Are you immediate family?" she asked. God, he hated these people. So fucking calm and intent on wasting your time, when they should be frantically rushing.
"No," he said, this time not even trying to hide his anger, "but I'm her boyfriend and I was there when it happened. I was the one who called the ambulance. You'd think that I, of all people, would get to see her!" Billie Joe shouted.
"Sir, please calm down, or I'll have to ask you to leave," she said. He wanted to grab her and throttle her by the neck.
"Can you please just tell me where she is?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"Yes. She is in room 87C, third floor, take the left hallway, odds will be to your right." He didn't say anything, he just ran to the nearest elevator. When he got to her room, he resisted the urge to slam it open and rush to her bed. He opened it quietly, and stepped inside.
There she was. On a bed, in a blue hospital gown, bandages on her arm and a packed of blood on a machine next to her sleeping form. He could hear the 'beep' of that annoying machine, but to him, it meant she was alive. It was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. Her heart was still beating. He took a seat on a chair next to the bed and just watched her, hoping she would awake.
He stayed that way all night, afraid to go to sleep. He wanted to be awake when she was.
The next morning, he was, despite himself, about to drift off, when he heard a soft rustling. He tiredly looked up and saw Adrienne looking down on him with a peculiar expression. Was that hate? No, it couldn't be hate, she had told him that she loved him. She couldn't just wake up and start hating him. Then she spoke. Well, more like screamed.
"What the fuck are you doing here, bastard?!" she yelled. Nurses came flying into the room, looking concerned.
One of them asked if everything was alright. Billie Joe just wanted to kill them all. Couldn't he have just a little privacy? Ever since he got here they had been asking him repeatedly if he needed anything, when was he going to leave, and is everything alright. Then Adrienne yelled,
"Get him out of her. Who the fuck let this prick into my room? I want him out!" she shrieked.
Billie Joe was desperate.
"Adrienne, honey, please, can we talk?" he asked. He was pretty much begging.
"M'am, is everything okay? Would you like us to escort this young man out?" the nurse asked again. Adrienne looked deep in thought. Then, she said to the nurses,
"Everything's fine. He can stay, for now. Thank you," she said.
"Thank god" Billie Joe thought. The nurses were finally leaving. Maybe now he could have some privacy with Adrienne. He spoke first
"Adrienne, I love you. I'm sorry I didn't realize it until now. But I truly do love you with all I am, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Please, Adie," he said. Now he really was begging. She bent her head. He couldn't believe how sad she looked. And he hated himself for being the cause. Then she spoke, very quietly.
"You bastard. You wait until you've done so much damage that I'm ready to take my own life, then you decide you love me? What kind of sick fuck are you?" she said. He could sense the sadness and the anger, and it stabbed at him. He wanted to cry again.
"Adie," Billie Joe said, "you couldn't possibly understand how sorry I am. I hate myself so much for hurting you. Please, give me another chance. I love you. I truly do love you."
"Okay." she said, simply. But that was enough to make Billie Joe feel like he was floating. He was so happy he felt like he could cry.
Shortening the story quite a bit, they moved in. Billie Joe was estatic. He was just silly with his love for her. He had been getting a good amount of money off of his newest album, "Kerplunk" so he didn't have much trouble with that. Then, they married. Billie Joe was so happy that this time, he actually did cry. Then, to add on to his joy, Adrienne got pregnant.
Billie Joe was plain giddy. He had just found out that he and his wife were gonna have a baby.
Nothing could dampen his spirits, now.
How wrong he was. Adrienne stormed into the room, to see Billie Joe almost jumping for joy. She was filled with an indescribable hate. A disgust that felt like it was eating away at her from the inside out. She had to let out her true feelings. This fucker had gotten her pregnant. She was practically spitting with fury. She picked up the nearest thing that would hurt and hit him with it, hard. She almost laughed when she saw how quick his expression changed.
This felt so good to her. Finally, she had a vent for the emotions she had been bottling up for years.
"You stupid fuck! Who the fuck do you think you are, getting me pregnant! I don't need another sorry ass like you running around the house!" she shrieked at him.
That day, Adrienne Armstrong beat her husband severely. To the point where he could hardly move.
The same day that Billie Joe thought his life couldn't get any better. The day he was so happy, he thought he had died and gone to heaven. That day, Billie Joe Armstrong's seemingly perfect life came crashing down.
He would never be the same again.
Ten Years Ago
Billie liked this girl. Adrienne Nesser was great , and she was fun to hang out with. But that's just it. She was good to hang out with, but not to take on dates or, well, you know. Boyfriend and girlfriend stuff. Then again, he had never taken the time to take her on a real date, so he really didn't know. But he always just wanted to hang out and talk. He wouldn't really admit that he actually loved her. I mean, to an extent, he did love her, just like he loved his friends. But he wasn't ready to sweep her off her feet and marry her.
Well, one day, he was sitting in his living room with some friends of his, when he felt the need to be around her, which was actually kind of odd. For about three weeks, he had wanted to be around Adrienne more and more. He couldn't explain it. He had been having dreams about her, and she even managed to creep into his thoughts when he masturbated.
So, he decided to call her, asking her to come over. He dialed the number and waited. The phone rang and rang, but she didn't answer. "She must be out." he thought. Her answering machine came on. He was just about to hang up the phone, when Adrienne picked up.
"Hello?" she said. He didn't realize that she sounded upset until he was in the middle of his sentence.
"Hey, Adie, I just wanted... what's wrong?" he asked. She didn't respond, but he heard a sniffle. Had she been crying?
"What's wrong, Hun?" he persisted. There was a pause, and then she spoke.
"You." she said venomously. He was shocked.
"Me?" he asked, "what did I do?" he asked. He was flabbergasted. She stumbled a little on her next few words.
"You... you... you fucking idiot. I loved you. I loved you more than I ever loved anybody. You know what, Billie? This is too much. Tell everybody I said goodbye." and with that, she hung up. Billie Joe wracked his brain for any explanation for why she was so pissed at him. He had done absolutely nothing.
While searching his memories for any explanation, he repeated her last words in his head. 'tell everybody I said goodbye.'
What the hell did that mean? Was she moving? Then, it hit him.
"Oh my god," he whispered to himself. He didn't want to believe it. He was filled with an icy dread that weighed him down and clouded his senses. He ran, faster than he had ever run. He got his keys and literally jumped into his shitty car. His mind was slowly uncovering the answers to this past week's strange behavior. And then, there it was, out in the open. He almost stopped the car from the force of it. Tears stung his eyes and threatened to fall, as he came to a realization.
"No, she can't do this to me." he thought. He had just discovered that he loved her. He pulled up to her house at the speed of light and dashed to the front door so fast he never would have believed was possible. But he didn't care about that now. He just wanted to save the woman he loved. He frenatically searched for her, calling out her name until his throat hurt.
He was almost dizzy with fear when he didn't hear her response. He searched through every room, scared shitless at what he might find through each new doorway.
And then he reached the bathroom.
There she was, the woman he loved, that he would do anything for, lying in her bathtub, soaked in her own blood. And he was the reason. It was all his fault. He didn't pay attention, he didn't care enough, he didn't realize the intensity of this relationship, his love for her, until she was gone.
Tears filled his eyes. He sat there, crying, for about thirty full seconds. Then he realized that she could be dying. He rushed downstairs and called an ambulance.
About five minutes later, Billie Joe was standing outside, watching some strange men take his unconscious woman into a truck. That's how he was thinking, now. Everybody wanted to take her from him. Even though she probably wanted nothing to do with him, he still had hope that they could start over. Once she was loaded in, he went up to the driver.
"Um, excuse me, but could you tell me which hospital you're taking her to?" Billie Joe asked, trying to hide the unreasonable anger. He wanted to go with her, but they told him that it, "might not be a good idea" Why not? They should know I was saving her. How can I be a suspect of any kind? Why would there be suspects, anyways? "Shit, this is confusing" he thought to himself.
"Memorial Hospital, on Academy and Union." the driver said, briskly. As soon as he had heard this he jumped into his car and raced after the ambulance.
When he got to the hospital, he rushed to the 'Information' desk.
"Excuse me, m'am, could you tell me which room Adrienne Nesser is in?" he asked.
"Are you immediate family?" she asked. God, he hated these people. So fucking calm and intent on wasting your time, when they should be frantically rushing.
"No," he said, this time not even trying to hide his anger, "but I'm her boyfriend and I was there when it happened. I was the one who called the ambulance. You'd think that I, of all people, would get to see her!" Billie Joe shouted.
"Sir, please calm down, or I'll have to ask you to leave," she said. He wanted to grab her and throttle her by the neck.
"Can you please just tell me where she is?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"Yes. She is in room 87C, third floor, take the left hallway, odds will be to your right." He didn't say anything, he just ran to the nearest elevator. When he got to her room, he resisted the urge to slam it open and rush to her bed. He opened it quietly, and stepped inside.
There she was. On a bed, in a blue hospital gown, bandages on her arm and a packed of blood on a machine next to her sleeping form. He could hear the 'beep' of that annoying machine, but to him, it meant she was alive. It was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. Her heart was still beating. He took a seat on a chair next to the bed and just watched her, hoping she would awake.
He stayed that way all night, afraid to go to sleep. He wanted to be awake when she was.
The next morning, he was, despite himself, about to drift off, when he heard a soft rustling. He tiredly looked up and saw Adrienne looking down on him with a peculiar expression. Was that hate? No, it couldn't be hate, she had told him that she loved him. She couldn't just wake up and start hating him. Then she spoke. Well, more like screamed.
"What the fuck are you doing here, bastard?!" she yelled. Nurses came flying into the room, looking concerned.
One of them asked if everything was alright. Billie Joe just wanted to kill them all. Couldn't he have just a little privacy? Ever since he got here they had been asking him repeatedly if he needed anything, when was he going to leave, and is everything alright. Then Adrienne yelled,
"Get him out of her. Who the fuck let this prick into my room? I want him out!" she shrieked.
Billie Joe was desperate.
"Adrienne, honey, please, can we talk?" he asked. He was pretty much begging.
"M'am, is everything okay? Would you like us to escort this young man out?" the nurse asked again. Adrienne looked deep in thought. Then, she said to the nurses,
"Everything's fine. He can stay, for now. Thank you," she said.
"Thank god" Billie Joe thought. The nurses were finally leaving. Maybe now he could have some privacy with Adrienne. He spoke first
"Adrienne, I love you. I'm sorry I didn't realize it until now. But I truly do love you with all I am, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Please, Adie," he said. Now he really was begging. She bent her head. He couldn't believe how sad she looked. And he hated himself for being the cause. Then she spoke, very quietly.
"You bastard. You wait until you've done so much damage that I'm ready to take my own life, then you decide you love me? What kind of sick fuck are you?" she said. He could sense the sadness and the anger, and it stabbed at him. He wanted to cry again.
"Adie," Billie Joe said, "you couldn't possibly understand how sorry I am. I hate myself so much for hurting you. Please, give me another chance. I love you. I truly do love you."
"Okay." she said, simply. But that was enough to make Billie Joe feel like he was floating. He was so happy he felt like he could cry.
Shortening the story quite a bit, they moved in. Billie Joe was estatic. He was just silly with his love for her. He had been getting a good amount of money off of his newest album, "Kerplunk" so he didn't have much trouble with that. Then, they married. Billie Joe was so happy that this time, he actually did cry. Then, to add on to his joy, Adrienne got pregnant.
Billie Joe was plain giddy. He had just found out that he and his wife were gonna have a baby.
Nothing could dampen his spirits, now.
How wrong he was. Adrienne stormed into the room, to see Billie Joe almost jumping for joy. She was filled with an indescribable hate. A disgust that felt like it was eating away at her from the inside out. She had to let out her true feelings. This fucker had gotten her pregnant. She was practically spitting with fury. She picked up the nearest thing that would hurt and hit him with it, hard. She almost laughed when she saw how quick his expression changed.
This felt so good to her. Finally, she had a vent for the emotions she had been bottling up for years.
"You stupid fuck! Who the fuck do you think you are, getting me pregnant! I don't need another sorry ass like you running around the house!" she shrieked at him.
That day, Adrienne Armstrong beat her husband severely. To the point where he could hardly move.
The same day that Billie Joe thought his life couldn't get any better. The day he was so happy, he thought he had died and gone to heaven. That day, Billie Joe Armstrong's seemingly perfect life came crashing down.
He would never be the same again.
