Time Spent, chapter 10
It's amazing how fast time can fly. September was all but gone now and I was getting nervous. October fifth was coming way too quick. It was going to be the biggest day of my life. Not only was I going to be turning 19, my band's first album was to be released.
Only one week remained on the calendar I had put up on the wall and had been crossing out the days in a large, smelly red marker. I sighed and got out of bed.
After a shower and breakfast, I flopped on the couch, turned on the TV and screamed.
There, on the screen, was the picture we had taken at the photo shoot along with one of the songs from our album playing. A male voice was announcing that the new album would be available on the fifth and to reserve a copy today.
Amy and my mother ran in the room alarmed.
I snatched up the phone from the table and frantically dialed Pete's number.
"Turn on the TV! Channel two hundred and twenty one! Hurry!"
I heard him yell when he finally got to the right channel.
"I'll call Travis, you call Brandon!" he shouted excitedly.
I hung up and dialed Brandon's number. I got the same reaction as Pete had given me. I hung up the phone and whooped happily. Amy laughed and mom ran over and hugged me.
My cell phone rang and I answered.
"I just saw you on TV!" Billie Joe told me.
"I know! I just saw it too!"
"I was watching VH1 and it came on!"
"Wait, I saw it on FUSE. It was on VH1 too?!"
"Yeah!"
I screamed again danced around the room. Billie Joe laughed on the other end.
"Let's go do something to celebrate!"
"All of us or just you and me?" I asked.
"All of us! Band to band."
"Alright, pick a place."
"Somewhere casual... how 'bout that place you took me that one time?"
"Ok, I'll call the guys. You call Mike and Tre."
"Talk to ya later!"
"Bye!"
***
When we pulled into the parking lot, Billie Joe, Tre and Mike were waiting for us. I jumped out of the car and ran over to Billie Joe who caught me, spun me around and kissed me hard.
We sat down at a table and ordered drinks. The waitress brought them back quickly and Billie Joe stood up on his chair holding his drink in the air.
"I wanna make a toast! Everyone pay attention!"
Most of the restaurant crowd turned to face him.
"This is for my good friends, Time Spent, the best new up-and-coming band! Everyone, meet Time Spent!"
He motioned for us to stand up and we did. Several people started to clap.
"They just had their first TV appearance today!"
With that, almost the whole restaurant cheered and clapped.
"I'd appreciate if everyone would raise their glasses and have a drink in their honor; they need all the support they can get."
People raised their glasses and drank.
"Drinks on me!" he shouted before jumping down off the chair.
With that everyone cheered and applauded enthusiastically while the waitress went around taking drink orders.
I hugged him tightly.
"Thanks Billie Joe."
"Anything for you."
***
Later that evening I found myself at Billie Joe's. I had driven over when I was finally tired of being bored at home alone. I figured it was better to be bored with somebody than by myself.
We were both lying on the couch watching a movie; he was behind me and had his arm around me. I heard his stomach growl suddenly.
I laughed and asked, "Hungry?"
"Starving. Still haven't been to the store though."
I shook my head.
"Guess we'll have to go now then."
"Ugh, I don't wanna!"
"Billie Joe, don't act like a three year old."
"But I am!"
"Come on, I'll cook you something if you come."
I got up and looked down at him. He gave me sad, pouty look I couldn't help but smile as I held out my hand to help him up. He took it and nearly pulled me down with him trying to get up.
He walked up the stairs and I followed him up. He walked into the closet, flicking on the light. He came back out pulling a hoodie over his head and tossed me a second.
"You'll freeze going outside like that," he told me.
I smiled and pulled the hoodie over my head. We went back downstairs and out the door.
***
The grocery store wasn't overly crowded at this time of night. I led Billie Joe down various aisles putting things into the basket he was carrying. I was just getting a few things, enough to make dinner tonight and some dry stuff that wouldn't expire in his fridge. I also got some Cokes so that I had something to drink other than water or beer every time I come over.
We checked out and went back to his house. He insisted on carrying everything inside and wouldn't let me help. I shook my head and followed him inside.
I began to pull the various things I had bought for dinner out and began searching the drawers and cabinets for the things I would need.
Billie Joe pulled a beer out of the fridge and opened it. He hopped up onto the counter and watched me as I cut up vegetables.
"What are you making?" he asked after watching me dump everything into a sauce pan.
"Spaghetti."
"Wow, I don't think I've ever had spaghetti actually cooked from scratch before. I've always had the sauce out of the jar!"
I giggled and replied, "Well this is way better than any of that crap. My mom is big on the whole 'girls should know how to cook well' thing so she taught me how to cook a lot of things."
"It smells incredible!"
"Thanks."
I was boiling the water to cook the pasta in when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced down at it, a surprised look on his face.
"I need to take this. I'll be back," he mumbled as he strode out of the room.
"Ok."
I wondered who would be calling him at this hour that could be so important. Probably the label or something, but that wouldn't explain the surprised look on his face.
I finished cooking and put everything on the table before sitting down to wait for him to come back. He made me wait almost ten minutes before finally coming back in.
He looked pale and agitated when he finally walked into the kitchen.
"What's wrong?" I asked, jumping up and running over to him.
"Joey... he's hurt. I need to go to him," he said weakly. He glanced over at the dinner I had cooked. "I'm sorry, rain check on this... oh god... I can't do this alone. You'll come with me, right?"
I hesitated. We had barely told the guys about us seeing each other... I wasn't sure I could face the ex- Mrs. Armstrong and the two kids I had never met who had no clue he was even seeing someone.
"Please... " he begged weakly.
He looked completely stunned and had a lost look in his eye. His green eyes were begging me to say yes. He looked so innocent and young, almost like a child.
"Of course," I told him, trying to sound strong for him.
"Thank you."
***
I pulled Billie Joe's car into the hospital parking lot. We rushed inside and stopped at the reception desk.
"Joseph Marciano Armstrong, which room is he in?"
"294, just down that hall," a large, tired looking nurse answered after glancing at the paperwork in front of her.
"Thank you," I said and followed Billie Joe who had rushed down the hall.
I caught up to him just before he entered the room. He was paused outside the door breathing deeply, his eyes were closed. Then he entered the room.
I decided not to follow him inside; instead I sat in the hallway to one side of the door. I could hear voices talking softly inside, but I wasn't listening. I watched people go by, some looking sad and some looking happy. Nurses and doctors went by hurriedly grasping sterile metal clipboards.
***
I must have dozed off but I was awoken by somebody sitting down next to me and resting their head on my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see a mess of black hair and put my arms around him. He didn't say anything, he only sat there. I knew I didn't have to say anything, he just needed me there. It relieved me somewhat.
"It was a car wreck... " he whispered suddenly.
My stomach turned.
"His friend's mom was driving him home from their house. God damn drunk driver ran a red light. Rammed right into them... " he trailed off, shaking his head.
I stroked his hair gently coaxing him onwards.
"He... he has a broken rib and a fractured arm... he's all bruised and bloodied too... I don't want to have to see my son like that... "
"He'll be alright, don't worry," I cooed still stroking his hair.
"Bill... ?" Adrienne asked quietly. "He's asking for you."
He nodded and told her he would be right in. Before walking back into the room, she gave me a questioning look. She obviously had no idea who I was... but I knew who she was and I had never felt so intimidated by anyone in my whole life.
It wasn't that she seemed mean or unfriendly towards me; it was just that she was the one who had been married to Billie Joe all those years. I felt like I would have to live up to her because she is the ex wife of my boyfriend and had his two kids.
Billie Joe rose to his feet and sighed. He slowly walked back into the room, leaving me still sitting alone on the cold floor. I slowly hoisted myself up and decided to go for a walk. I figured they could use some time alone... and it would give Billie Joe the time to tell her about me if he wanted to.
I rounded a corner to come face to face with a row of half filled vending machines. A shiver ran the entire length of my body. Ever since I had pinned against one I was uncomfortable around them and avoided them at all times at the studio.
I backtracked a little ways to find a large waiting area with several tired looking people sitting around in it. I sighed and sat down, deciding that a chair was better than the floor. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was now one forty five.
I looked around me studying the different groups clustered together. In front of me was a large, anxious yet excited looking group. I smiled. It was obvious they were waiting for somebody to have a baby. An elderly woman was holding a few balloons marked 'it's a boy!' and somebody else was talking loudly on the phone about how the labor was going.
To my left were a group of kids my age looking bored. I didn't even try to guess why they were there.
To my right was a teenage girl, a younger boy and woman. The sight made me want to cry; they all had the look in their eyes that told whoever looked at them that this was a normal thing they did daily. It was almost as if they had come to terms with whatever they were spending so much time in a hospital for and refused to let it hurt them anymore.
The girl looked over at me and caught me looking at her. A look of surprise came over her face after a moment.
"No way... " she said under her breath.
I was confused by the reaction and glanced over my shoulder to see if she could be looking at somebody behind me.
"I know who you are you know, don't look so confused," she told me giggling.
"Huh?"
"You're the bass player for Time Spent. I read all about you guys online and I already pre-ordered your cd."
"You read about us... online?" I asked amazed. Our fan site wasn't fully up yet so it wouldn't have been from there.
She laughed and answered, "Yeah, you guys are all over the forums, especially Green Day and My Chemical Romance forums. Everyone's talking about you."
"You're kidding... I had no idea, none of us did. How can people be talking about us when they haven't even heard our music yet?"
"Well, all the TV announcements help a lot and the fact that you were signed straight out of high school. It's just a big topic for discussion lately, everyone's anxious to hear the record and see how you'll make out."
"No pressure or anything... " I laughed.
She laughed as well.
"I'm Amber by the way, nice to meet you," she told me holding out her hand towards me.
"Chris," I answered shaking her hand.
"So what brings you to the hospital at this hour?" she asked.
"Oh um... " I wasn't really sure how to answer seeing as how Billie Joe and I hadn't gone public about us being together. Lucky for me, Billie Joe decided to show up at that exact moment saving me from having to lie.
"I've been looking all over for you," he said a he slumped into the chair next to me and buried his head into the crook of my neck.
I glanced over at Amber who looked like she'd seen a ghost. I giggled to myself thinking of the first time I ever laid eyes on him in person.
"You... I never saw anything... the forums never... " she couldn't seem to digest what she was saying.
"Um... we're kinda trying to keep this quiet... you can keep this to yourself right?" I asked uneasily hoping she would say yes... and keep her word of course.
"Why would you want to keep that a secret?" she asked confused. "You're going out with... him."
"It's complicated... look, I'll make it worth your while. Please, just don't tell ANYONE. Nobody, not even your best friend. I'm begging you," I looked hopeful into her eyes.
"Don't worry, I won't say anything. I don't go around telling people's secrets. You can trust me."
"Thank you, I really appreciate that. How can I repay you?"
"Nah, I don't play that way. Just meeting you is cool enough. Any word on when you'll be going on tour when the record is finally out?"
"Not sure on exact dates yet, we only know who we'll be opening for."
"Who?" she asked excitedly.
"Green Day," Billie Joe suddenly cut in, his voice muffled by my neck.
"WHAT?! Oh my god! That's so cool, how did you manage that? You're so new!" she asked me.
"We didn't do anything; we just got a call from this guy over here that that was how it was going to be. We didn't ask questions, we just said 'ok' and followed orders!"
She laughed.
"I wouldn't question him either!"
A doctor then came over to the woman, who I assumed was Amber's mother, and spoke with her quietly. Amber looked uneasy. They exchanged words for a few moments before the doctor walked away. Her mother turned to her and her brother and shook her head.
"I'm going to go tell him goodnight. Coming?"
Her brother nodded and got up from his seat.
"No, I'll wait here," Amber answered.
She nodded and headed off down the hall. We sat there in an uncomfortable silence for a while. I couldn't bring myself to look at her; I just absently ran my fingers through Billie Joe's hair making him moan in delight.
She finally broke the silence.
"You can just ask if you want to know."
I was silent. I was curious but not rude. It wasn't my business and I knew that.
"It's my dad. He has a tumor in his brain and they can't remove it. This hospital has become like my home for the past three months... and he doesn't... he doesn't recognize me anymore...or my mom... or my brother... or any of us-" she stopped suddenly, trying to choke back tears. But she couldn't seem to be able to stop them; black lines traced their way down her cheeks and fell into her lap.
Billie Joe went rigid when he had heard that. I knew the death of his own father all those years ago still affected him and put my arms around him protectively.
"I'm so sorry, nobody should have to go through that," I told her, sincerely sorry.
"Thank you... " she choked out in a weak voice. "I'm sorry, I usually don't cry about it in front of people. It's just hard to deal with... that doctor that came over... he's not going to be alive much longer basically."
She wiped her eyes and attempted a feeble smile.
"You know what would cheer you up?" I asked, an idea popping into my head.
"What?"
"Tickets to see us on tour," I told her smiling.
A hopeful look came onto her face.
"But how would you do that? You don't even know when it is yet!"
"That's why I need a phone number. Back stage passes too, oh and nobody should ever go alone, four sound reasonable?" I asked smiling at the look of surprise and joy on her face.
***
We arrived back at Billie Joe's about an hour later. Billie Joe hadn't said much all night, I knew he was taking this hard. He walked into the living room and collapsed onto the couch. I sighed and went into the kitchen to clean up the dinner that had now gone to waste.
I walked into the living room and looked down at him.
"I should probably go soon, it's really late... early really."
"Please don't leave me," he whispered, reaching out to grab my arm.
I was silent.
"I don't want to be alone. Please... " he lifted his head, silently pleading that I would say yes.
I sighed and sat down on the edge of the couch.
"Alright I'll stay."
He pulled me down beside him and I wrapped my arms around him, running my fingers through his hair again.
He slowly nodded off and I could feel my eyes getting heavy as I lay listening to his breathing. Soon, I had fallen asleep as well.
Only one week remained on the calendar I had put up on the wall and had been crossing out the days in a large, smelly red marker. I sighed and got out of bed.
After a shower and breakfast, I flopped on the couch, turned on the TV and screamed.
There, on the screen, was the picture we had taken at the photo shoot along with one of the songs from our album playing. A male voice was announcing that the new album would be available on the fifth and to reserve a copy today.
Amy and my mother ran in the room alarmed.
I snatched up the phone from the table and frantically dialed Pete's number.
"Turn on the TV! Channel two hundred and twenty one! Hurry!"
I heard him yell when he finally got to the right channel.
"I'll call Travis, you call Brandon!" he shouted excitedly.
I hung up and dialed Brandon's number. I got the same reaction as Pete had given me. I hung up the phone and whooped happily. Amy laughed and mom ran over and hugged me.
My cell phone rang and I answered.
"I just saw you on TV!" Billie Joe told me.
"I know! I just saw it too!"
"I was watching VH1 and it came on!"
"Wait, I saw it on FUSE. It was on VH1 too?!"
"Yeah!"
I screamed again danced around the room. Billie Joe laughed on the other end.
"Let's go do something to celebrate!"
"All of us or just you and me?" I asked.
"All of us! Band to band."
"Alright, pick a place."
"Somewhere casual... how 'bout that place you took me that one time?"
"Ok, I'll call the guys. You call Mike and Tre."
"Talk to ya later!"
"Bye!"
***
When we pulled into the parking lot, Billie Joe, Tre and Mike were waiting for us. I jumped out of the car and ran over to Billie Joe who caught me, spun me around and kissed me hard.
We sat down at a table and ordered drinks. The waitress brought them back quickly and Billie Joe stood up on his chair holding his drink in the air.
"I wanna make a toast! Everyone pay attention!"
Most of the restaurant crowd turned to face him.
"This is for my good friends, Time Spent, the best new up-and-coming band! Everyone, meet Time Spent!"
He motioned for us to stand up and we did. Several people started to clap.
"They just had their first TV appearance today!"
With that, almost the whole restaurant cheered and clapped.
"I'd appreciate if everyone would raise their glasses and have a drink in their honor; they need all the support they can get."
People raised their glasses and drank.
"Drinks on me!" he shouted before jumping down off the chair.
With that everyone cheered and applauded enthusiastically while the waitress went around taking drink orders.
I hugged him tightly.
"Thanks Billie Joe."
"Anything for you."
***
Later that evening I found myself at Billie Joe's. I had driven over when I was finally tired of being bored at home alone. I figured it was better to be bored with somebody than by myself.
We were both lying on the couch watching a movie; he was behind me and had his arm around me. I heard his stomach growl suddenly.
I laughed and asked, "Hungry?"
"Starving. Still haven't been to the store though."
I shook my head.
"Guess we'll have to go now then."
"Ugh, I don't wanna!"
"Billie Joe, don't act like a three year old."
"But I am!"
"Come on, I'll cook you something if you come."
I got up and looked down at him. He gave me sad, pouty look I couldn't help but smile as I held out my hand to help him up. He took it and nearly pulled me down with him trying to get up.
He walked up the stairs and I followed him up. He walked into the closet, flicking on the light. He came back out pulling a hoodie over his head and tossed me a second.
"You'll freeze going outside like that," he told me.
I smiled and pulled the hoodie over my head. We went back downstairs and out the door.
***
The grocery store wasn't overly crowded at this time of night. I led Billie Joe down various aisles putting things into the basket he was carrying. I was just getting a few things, enough to make dinner tonight and some dry stuff that wouldn't expire in his fridge. I also got some Cokes so that I had something to drink other than water or beer every time I come over.
We checked out and went back to his house. He insisted on carrying everything inside and wouldn't let me help. I shook my head and followed him inside.
I began to pull the various things I had bought for dinner out and began searching the drawers and cabinets for the things I would need.
Billie Joe pulled a beer out of the fridge and opened it. He hopped up onto the counter and watched me as I cut up vegetables.
"What are you making?" he asked after watching me dump everything into a sauce pan.
"Spaghetti."
"Wow, I don't think I've ever had spaghetti actually cooked from scratch before. I've always had the sauce out of the jar!"
I giggled and replied, "Well this is way better than any of that crap. My mom is big on the whole 'girls should know how to cook well' thing so she taught me how to cook a lot of things."
"It smells incredible!"
"Thanks."
I was boiling the water to cook the pasta in when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced down at it, a surprised look on his face.
"I need to take this. I'll be back," he mumbled as he strode out of the room.
"Ok."
I wondered who would be calling him at this hour that could be so important. Probably the label or something, but that wouldn't explain the surprised look on his face.
I finished cooking and put everything on the table before sitting down to wait for him to come back. He made me wait almost ten minutes before finally coming back in.
He looked pale and agitated when he finally walked into the kitchen.
"What's wrong?" I asked, jumping up and running over to him.
"Joey... he's hurt. I need to go to him," he said weakly. He glanced over at the dinner I had cooked. "I'm sorry, rain check on this... oh god... I can't do this alone. You'll come with me, right?"
I hesitated. We had barely told the guys about us seeing each other... I wasn't sure I could face the ex- Mrs. Armstrong and the two kids I had never met who had no clue he was even seeing someone.
"Please... " he begged weakly.
He looked completely stunned and had a lost look in his eye. His green eyes were begging me to say yes. He looked so innocent and young, almost like a child.
"Of course," I told him, trying to sound strong for him.
"Thank you."
***
I pulled Billie Joe's car into the hospital parking lot. We rushed inside and stopped at the reception desk.
"Joseph Marciano Armstrong, which room is he in?"
"294, just down that hall," a large, tired looking nurse answered after glancing at the paperwork in front of her.
"Thank you," I said and followed Billie Joe who had rushed down the hall.
I caught up to him just before he entered the room. He was paused outside the door breathing deeply, his eyes were closed. Then he entered the room.
I decided not to follow him inside; instead I sat in the hallway to one side of the door. I could hear voices talking softly inside, but I wasn't listening. I watched people go by, some looking sad and some looking happy. Nurses and doctors went by hurriedly grasping sterile metal clipboards.
***
I must have dozed off but I was awoken by somebody sitting down next to me and resting their head on my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see a mess of black hair and put my arms around him. He didn't say anything, he only sat there. I knew I didn't have to say anything, he just needed me there. It relieved me somewhat.
"It was a car wreck... " he whispered suddenly.
My stomach turned.
"His friend's mom was driving him home from their house. God damn drunk driver ran a red light. Rammed right into them... " he trailed off, shaking his head.
I stroked his hair gently coaxing him onwards.
"He... he has a broken rib and a fractured arm... he's all bruised and bloodied too... I don't want to have to see my son like that... "
"He'll be alright, don't worry," I cooed still stroking his hair.
"Bill... ?" Adrienne asked quietly. "He's asking for you."
He nodded and told her he would be right in. Before walking back into the room, she gave me a questioning look. She obviously had no idea who I was... but I knew who she was and I had never felt so intimidated by anyone in my whole life.
It wasn't that she seemed mean or unfriendly towards me; it was just that she was the one who had been married to Billie Joe all those years. I felt like I would have to live up to her because she is the ex wife of my boyfriend and had his two kids.
Billie Joe rose to his feet and sighed. He slowly walked back into the room, leaving me still sitting alone on the cold floor. I slowly hoisted myself up and decided to go for a walk. I figured they could use some time alone... and it would give Billie Joe the time to tell her about me if he wanted to.
I rounded a corner to come face to face with a row of half filled vending machines. A shiver ran the entire length of my body. Ever since I had pinned against one I was uncomfortable around them and avoided them at all times at the studio.
I backtracked a little ways to find a large waiting area with several tired looking people sitting around in it. I sighed and sat down, deciding that a chair was better than the floor. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was now one forty five.
I looked around me studying the different groups clustered together. In front of me was a large, anxious yet excited looking group. I smiled. It was obvious they were waiting for somebody to have a baby. An elderly woman was holding a few balloons marked 'it's a boy!' and somebody else was talking loudly on the phone about how the labor was going.
To my left were a group of kids my age looking bored. I didn't even try to guess why they were there.
To my right was a teenage girl, a younger boy and woman. The sight made me want to cry; they all had the look in their eyes that told whoever looked at them that this was a normal thing they did daily. It was almost as if they had come to terms with whatever they were spending so much time in a hospital for and refused to let it hurt them anymore.
The girl looked over at me and caught me looking at her. A look of surprise came over her face after a moment.
"No way... " she said under her breath.
I was confused by the reaction and glanced over my shoulder to see if she could be looking at somebody behind me.
"I know who you are you know, don't look so confused," she told me giggling.
"Huh?"
"You're the bass player for Time Spent. I read all about you guys online and I already pre-ordered your cd."
"You read about us... online?" I asked amazed. Our fan site wasn't fully up yet so it wouldn't have been from there.
She laughed and answered, "Yeah, you guys are all over the forums, especially Green Day and My Chemical Romance forums. Everyone's talking about you."
"You're kidding... I had no idea, none of us did. How can people be talking about us when they haven't even heard our music yet?"
"Well, all the TV announcements help a lot and the fact that you were signed straight out of high school. It's just a big topic for discussion lately, everyone's anxious to hear the record and see how you'll make out."
"No pressure or anything... " I laughed.
She laughed as well.
"I'm Amber by the way, nice to meet you," she told me holding out her hand towards me.
"Chris," I answered shaking her hand.
"So what brings you to the hospital at this hour?" she asked.
"Oh um... " I wasn't really sure how to answer seeing as how Billie Joe and I hadn't gone public about us being together. Lucky for me, Billie Joe decided to show up at that exact moment saving me from having to lie.
"I've been looking all over for you," he said a he slumped into the chair next to me and buried his head into the crook of my neck.
I glanced over at Amber who looked like she'd seen a ghost. I giggled to myself thinking of the first time I ever laid eyes on him in person.
"You... I never saw anything... the forums never... " she couldn't seem to digest what she was saying.
"Um... we're kinda trying to keep this quiet... you can keep this to yourself right?" I asked uneasily hoping she would say yes... and keep her word of course.
"Why would you want to keep that a secret?" she asked confused. "You're going out with... him."
"It's complicated... look, I'll make it worth your while. Please, just don't tell ANYONE. Nobody, not even your best friend. I'm begging you," I looked hopeful into her eyes.
"Don't worry, I won't say anything. I don't go around telling people's secrets. You can trust me."
"Thank you, I really appreciate that. How can I repay you?"
"Nah, I don't play that way. Just meeting you is cool enough. Any word on when you'll be going on tour when the record is finally out?"
"Not sure on exact dates yet, we only know who we'll be opening for."
"Who?" she asked excitedly.
"Green Day," Billie Joe suddenly cut in, his voice muffled by my neck.
"WHAT?! Oh my god! That's so cool, how did you manage that? You're so new!" she asked me.
"We didn't do anything; we just got a call from this guy over here that that was how it was going to be. We didn't ask questions, we just said 'ok' and followed orders!"
She laughed.
"I wouldn't question him either!"
A doctor then came over to the woman, who I assumed was Amber's mother, and spoke with her quietly. Amber looked uneasy. They exchanged words for a few moments before the doctor walked away. Her mother turned to her and her brother and shook her head.
"I'm going to go tell him goodnight. Coming?"
Her brother nodded and got up from his seat.
"No, I'll wait here," Amber answered.
She nodded and headed off down the hall. We sat there in an uncomfortable silence for a while. I couldn't bring myself to look at her; I just absently ran my fingers through Billie Joe's hair making him moan in delight.
She finally broke the silence.
"You can just ask if you want to know."
I was silent. I was curious but not rude. It wasn't my business and I knew that.
"It's my dad. He has a tumor in his brain and they can't remove it. This hospital has become like my home for the past three months... and he doesn't... he doesn't recognize me anymore...or my mom... or my brother... or any of us-" she stopped suddenly, trying to choke back tears. But she couldn't seem to be able to stop them; black lines traced their way down her cheeks and fell into her lap.
Billie Joe went rigid when he had heard that. I knew the death of his own father all those years ago still affected him and put my arms around him protectively.
"I'm so sorry, nobody should have to go through that," I told her, sincerely sorry.
"Thank you... " she choked out in a weak voice. "I'm sorry, I usually don't cry about it in front of people. It's just hard to deal with... that doctor that came over... he's not going to be alive much longer basically."
She wiped her eyes and attempted a feeble smile.
"You know what would cheer you up?" I asked, an idea popping into my head.
"What?"
"Tickets to see us on tour," I told her smiling.
A hopeful look came onto her face.
"But how would you do that? You don't even know when it is yet!"
"That's why I need a phone number. Back stage passes too, oh and nobody should ever go alone, four sound reasonable?" I asked smiling at the look of surprise and joy on her face.
***
We arrived back at Billie Joe's about an hour later. Billie Joe hadn't said much all night, I knew he was taking this hard. He walked into the living room and collapsed onto the couch. I sighed and went into the kitchen to clean up the dinner that had now gone to waste.
I walked into the living room and looked down at him.
"I should probably go soon, it's really late... early really."
"Please don't leave me," he whispered, reaching out to grab my arm.
I was silent.
"I don't want to be alone. Please... " he lifted his head, silently pleading that I would say yes.
I sighed and sat down on the edge of the couch.
"Alright I'll stay."
He pulled me down beside him and I wrapped my arms around him, running my fingers through his hair again.
He slowly nodded off and I could feel my eyes getting heavy as I lay listening to his breathing. Soon, I had fallen asleep as well.
