Adeline Street, chapter 15
Through the smoke and people, I got a peak of the driver in the black BMW and I felt my frappuccino rising up my thoat. There was Billie's limp form leaning against the steering wheel.
I ran outside and headed toward the wreckage, but a young woman held me back.
"Do you know him?"
"I live with him! Let me go!"
"Sweetheart, just calm down, we'll call an ambulance. Everything will be ok." She held me up as my legs began to collapse beneath me. He still didn't move. Blood was trickling down his face from different spots in his hair. A few minutes later an ambulance appeared and got both drivers out. The driver of the red truck was able to walk to the ambulance, but they had to use the Jaws of Life to get Billie's door open. I sobbed as the strange woman held me close.
"Do you have anyone you need to call? Is he married?"
I nodded.
"You may need to call his wife. Or would you like me too?"
"It's ok, I'll do it." I pulled myself together enough to dial the house.
"Hello?" Mike answered
"Hey. Is Adie there?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Billie's been in an accident. He doesn't look so hot."
"What? Where is he?"
"Their putting him on the ambulance now. He's probably going to Oakland. If not, I'll call your cellphone."
"Ok. We'll be there." He hung up. I called Tre knowing he wouldn't be able to get away from New York, seeing as he had left the night before after the concert, but I thought he needed to know. He said he would be there as soon as he could.
The paramedic loading Billie up must have recognized me. He was the one who took me to the hospital when I spazzed out at the concert. The sexy one.
"You wanna follow us or ride in the back?"
"I'll ride." I said. I followed him to the ambulance and crawled into the bay.
He looked scary. Like a shell. He was pale and covered with cuts. I couldn't look for long. I stared at the ambulance door for the rest of the trip.
"We're here." Said the sexy paramedic. I saw the name on his shirt. Jake Swanson. I must remember that.
Jake helped me out of the back and offered to lead me up to the waiting room. I saw Mike's car. He was already there. I walked into the waiting room and Adie ran up to me.
"What happened? Is he ok?"
I just looked at her then shrugged. I hugged her reassuringly. We sat down and Mike came in from getting coffee in the cafeteria.
"Hey, how's Billie?"
"Not sure. He wasn't moving when they loaded him up." I said.
Mike sighed. "Well, Tre's just now getting a flight out of New York. He's bringing Ramona. He'll be here some time in the next couple of hours."
I nodded and sighed.
"The boys. They're still at school." Adie stood up.
"I'll go." I said. "I need to get out of here."
Mike gave me his keys and I drove out of the parking lot and headed toward the school. I walked to the office and asked to sign them out.
"Are you a parent or guardian."
"Mam, their father just had a car wreck. Everyone's at the hospital. You can call their if you have to, but they need to come with me."
"Is their father ok?"
"We don't know yet. Can I please just get them?"
She called each of their names on the intercom and within 2 minutes, they were both in the office, full of questions. We got to the car and I finally told them.
"Look, Billie just had a bad accident. He looks pretty rough, but he'll be ok." I assured them, seeing the shocked looks on their faces.
We drove in silence to the hospital and walked up to the waiting room. Only Mike was there.
"Where's mom?" Joey asked.
"In the room. He's still unconscious."
Joey and Jakob sat down and me and Mike went down to smoke.
"Adie said he was coming to find you." Mike said.
"I figured. It's always me."
"What does that mean?"
"All these crazy things have been happening since I got here. It's all been because of me."
"Don't say that."
"Billie and Adrienne almost split cuz I made out with him, I almost killed myself, I blew up and Billie came to find me and now he's hauled up in a hospital bed!"
Mike put his arm around my shoulder and sighed. "Don't just wail on yourself like that. It's all the past. And this," he nodded toward the hospital, "this will be in the past someday too. You just have to get on. It's not all your fault."
Joey came outside. "Kayla, he wants to see you."
"Who?" I asked absentmindedly, still thinking about all the things that had happened.
"Dad." He replied. I snapped back. "He's awake?"
He nodded. I tossed my cigarette and followed him up to room 594. I stopped before I walked in.
"Does he look bad?" I asked Joey. He didn't respond, just looked down at the floor. I'll take that as a yes.
I opened the door and Adrienne walked out, her eyes were red and puffy. I closed the door and turned to look at him.
His face was a badly bruised from the steering wheel. He didn't even look like Billie Joe. He was asleep. If I hadn't known that I would have thought he had been beaten to death. I sat down on the corner of his bed slowly so as to not wake up him. I failed. He stirred a little and looked over to me.
"Hey." He said in almost a whisper. He didn't even sound like himself.
"Hi. I tried not to wake you up." I said, staring back down at the floor and wiping my eyes. I didn't want him to know I had been crying. "So, are you hurting too bad?"
"A little. I did slam my head against a steering wheel at 50 miles an hour." He smiled. I loved how he could make a joke anytime.
We sat in silence a moment or two, then I couldn't stand it anymore.
"Billie, I feel responsible for this."
"You shouldn't."
"I shouldn't have blown up like that. You guys are always worrying about me and I just gave you another thing to worry about."
"We do worry about you, but people who care for each other worry about each other." He said, taking my hand.
"I don't know. Maybe my mom does have it right. Maybe I should just go home."
"Kayla, you have so much going for you. You don't love your music anymore?"
"More than anything, Billie! I'd rather die than have to give up playing music, but look what my coming here has done!"
He sighed. "You don't have to leave. Just call your mom. Talk to her and explain what happened to you. That's all you would do if you went home anyway."
I took my hand away from his and buried my head in my hands, confused.
"You didn't do anything wrong by coming here. You didn't cause anything to happen that couldn't have happened if you had never met me." He said, taking my arm and making me look at him. I nodded and he gestured for me to give him a hug. I did.
"You gonna leave?" he asked after a while.
"Nah. I'll call mom when I get to your house."
"Good girl." He smiled and kissed my cheek. A warm sensation appeared where he had kissed me. I looked away from him before we could make eye contact. I knew it would happen again.
"I'm gonna go get Mike and let him get in here I guess." I said, getting up and walking over to the door. I told Adie I would be back later and I drove back to Billie's to call mom. I told her about all the things that had happened. She reluctantly allowed me to stay in Oakland. I fell asleep shortly after.
I dreamed that I was lying on the couch watching tv and I felt a hand move across my stomach. Billie had sat down on the couch and was looking at me hungrily. I sat up and we started kissing. He lay me back against the couch and got on top of me, grinding his hips against mine in rhythm. He kissed down my neck and raised my shirt up with is free hand, feeling me. I let out a low moan and bit my lip. He looked up and smiled. He lifted himself up and took my hand. I stood up and he picked me up, wrapped my legs around his waist and carried me into my bedroom, where he lay me down but continued to stand up, losing his shirt somewhere along the way. I sat up and took mine off and he ran his eyes across my slightly tanned body, inspecting every inch of me. He wrapped my legs around his waist again and began to kiss me, running his hands up my sides and back down my arms. He took my hands from around his neck and lay me back down, holding my hands down so I couldn't move. I felt him kissing down my neck and down my chest, moving toward my stomach. I squeezed his hands, which were clasped firmly in mine. He came back up and kissed me deeply on the lips and whispered dreamily in my ear, "Are you a virgin?"
I snapped my eyes open and sat straight up in the bed, feeling ghost hands still traveling down my body. It was dark now and I could hear Adrienne down in the kitchen, washing dishes. I lay back down, sweating bullets and trying to gather my thoughts. It was insane! I rubbed my eyes and got out of bed and headed downstairs. I grabbed a Smirnoff and a cigarette and sat down on the sofa.
"Billie's worried about you." Adrienne said from the sink. I burned my nose trying to light my smoke. "Huh?" I asked.
"I said Billie's worried. He doesn't want you getting upset about what happened and I don't either.
"Yeah." Was all I said. I took a long hard drag off my cigarette and sighed. "Any clue as to when he'll be home?"
"Yeah, they said about a week. His body is still trying to fight the antibiotics they're giving him, so they're having a tough time."
The image of Billie's hungry stare and his half-naked form hovering above me flashed in my mind. I took a huge gulp of my Smirnoff and another long drag, trying to forget what I really wanted... ... .
I ran outside and headed toward the wreckage, but a young woman held me back.
"Do you know him?"
"I live with him! Let me go!"
"Sweetheart, just calm down, we'll call an ambulance. Everything will be ok." She held me up as my legs began to collapse beneath me. He still didn't move. Blood was trickling down his face from different spots in his hair. A few minutes later an ambulance appeared and got both drivers out. The driver of the red truck was able to walk to the ambulance, but they had to use the Jaws of Life to get Billie's door open. I sobbed as the strange woman held me close.
"Do you have anyone you need to call? Is he married?"
I nodded.
"You may need to call his wife. Or would you like me too?"
"It's ok, I'll do it." I pulled myself together enough to dial the house.
"Hello?" Mike answered
"Hey. Is Adie there?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Billie's been in an accident. He doesn't look so hot."
"What? Where is he?"
"Their putting him on the ambulance now. He's probably going to Oakland. If not, I'll call your cellphone."
"Ok. We'll be there." He hung up. I called Tre knowing he wouldn't be able to get away from New York, seeing as he had left the night before after the concert, but I thought he needed to know. He said he would be there as soon as he could.
The paramedic loading Billie up must have recognized me. He was the one who took me to the hospital when I spazzed out at the concert. The sexy one.
"You wanna follow us or ride in the back?"
"I'll ride." I said. I followed him to the ambulance and crawled into the bay.
He looked scary. Like a shell. He was pale and covered with cuts. I couldn't look for long. I stared at the ambulance door for the rest of the trip.
"We're here." Said the sexy paramedic. I saw the name on his shirt. Jake Swanson. I must remember that.
Jake helped me out of the back and offered to lead me up to the waiting room. I saw Mike's car. He was already there. I walked into the waiting room and Adie ran up to me.
"What happened? Is he ok?"
I just looked at her then shrugged. I hugged her reassuringly. We sat down and Mike came in from getting coffee in the cafeteria.
"Hey, how's Billie?"
"Not sure. He wasn't moving when they loaded him up." I said.
Mike sighed. "Well, Tre's just now getting a flight out of New York. He's bringing Ramona. He'll be here some time in the next couple of hours."
I nodded and sighed.
"The boys. They're still at school." Adie stood up.
"I'll go." I said. "I need to get out of here."
Mike gave me his keys and I drove out of the parking lot and headed toward the school. I walked to the office and asked to sign them out.
"Are you a parent or guardian."
"Mam, their father just had a car wreck. Everyone's at the hospital. You can call their if you have to, but they need to come with me."
"Is their father ok?"
"We don't know yet. Can I please just get them?"
She called each of their names on the intercom and within 2 minutes, they were both in the office, full of questions. We got to the car and I finally told them.
"Look, Billie just had a bad accident. He looks pretty rough, but he'll be ok." I assured them, seeing the shocked looks on their faces.
We drove in silence to the hospital and walked up to the waiting room. Only Mike was there.
"Where's mom?" Joey asked.
"In the room. He's still unconscious."
Joey and Jakob sat down and me and Mike went down to smoke.
"Adie said he was coming to find you." Mike said.
"I figured. It's always me."
"What does that mean?"
"All these crazy things have been happening since I got here. It's all been because of me."
"Don't say that."
"Billie and Adrienne almost split cuz I made out with him, I almost killed myself, I blew up and Billie came to find me and now he's hauled up in a hospital bed!"
Mike put his arm around my shoulder and sighed. "Don't just wail on yourself like that. It's all the past. And this," he nodded toward the hospital, "this will be in the past someday too. You just have to get on. It's not all your fault."
Joey came outside. "Kayla, he wants to see you."
"Who?" I asked absentmindedly, still thinking about all the things that had happened.
"Dad." He replied. I snapped back. "He's awake?"
He nodded. I tossed my cigarette and followed him up to room 594. I stopped before I walked in.
"Does he look bad?" I asked Joey. He didn't respond, just looked down at the floor. I'll take that as a yes.
I opened the door and Adrienne walked out, her eyes were red and puffy. I closed the door and turned to look at him.
His face was a badly bruised from the steering wheel. He didn't even look like Billie Joe. He was asleep. If I hadn't known that I would have thought he had been beaten to death. I sat down on the corner of his bed slowly so as to not wake up him. I failed. He stirred a little and looked over to me.
"Hey." He said in almost a whisper. He didn't even sound like himself.
"Hi. I tried not to wake you up." I said, staring back down at the floor and wiping my eyes. I didn't want him to know I had been crying. "So, are you hurting too bad?"
"A little. I did slam my head against a steering wheel at 50 miles an hour." He smiled. I loved how he could make a joke anytime.
We sat in silence a moment or two, then I couldn't stand it anymore.
"Billie, I feel responsible for this."
"You shouldn't."
"I shouldn't have blown up like that. You guys are always worrying about me and I just gave you another thing to worry about."
"We do worry about you, but people who care for each other worry about each other." He said, taking my hand.
"I don't know. Maybe my mom does have it right. Maybe I should just go home."
"Kayla, you have so much going for you. You don't love your music anymore?"
"More than anything, Billie! I'd rather die than have to give up playing music, but look what my coming here has done!"
He sighed. "You don't have to leave. Just call your mom. Talk to her and explain what happened to you. That's all you would do if you went home anyway."
I took my hand away from his and buried my head in my hands, confused.
"You didn't do anything wrong by coming here. You didn't cause anything to happen that couldn't have happened if you had never met me." He said, taking my arm and making me look at him. I nodded and he gestured for me to give him a hug. I did.
"You gonna leave?" he asked after a while.
"Nah. I'll call mom when I get to your house."
"Good girl." He smiled and kissed my cheek. A warm sensation appeared where he had kissed me. I looked away from him before we could make eye contact. I knew it would happen again.
"I'm gonna go get Mike and let him get in here I guess." I said, getting up and walking over to the door. I told Adie I would be back later and I drove back to Billie's to call mom. I told her about all the things that had happened. She reluctantly allowed me to stay in Oakland. I fell asleep shortly after.
I dreamed that I was lying on the couch watching tv and I felt a hand move across my stomach. Billie had sat down on the couch and was looking at me hungrily. I sat up and we started kissing. He lay me back against the couch and got on top of me, grinding his hips against mine in rhythm. He kissed down my neck and raised my shirt up with is free hand, feeling me. I let out a low moan and bit my lip. He looked up and smiled. He lifted himself up and took my hand. I stood up and he picked me up, wrapped my legs around his waist and carried me into my bedroom, where he lay me down but continued to stand up, losing his shirt somewhere along the way. I sat up and took mine off and he ran his eyes across my slightly tanned body, inspecting every inch of me. He wrapped my legs around his waist again and began to kiss me, running his hands up my sides and back down my arms. He took my hands from around his neck and lay me back down, holding my hands down so I couldn't move. I felt him kissing down my neck and down my chest, moving toward my stomach. I squeezed his hands, which were clasped firmly in mine. He came back up and kissed me deeply on the lips and whispered dreamily in my ear, "Are you a virgin?"
I snapped my eyes open and sat straight up in the bed, feeling ghost hands still traveling down my body. It was dark now and I could hear Adrienne down in the kitchen, washing dishes. I lay back down, sweating bullets and trying to gather my thoughts. It was insane! I rubbed my eyes and got out of bed and headed downstairs. I grabbed a Smirnoff and a cigarette and sat down on the sofa.
"Billie's worried about you." Adrienne said from the sink. I burned my nose trying to light my smoke. "Huh?" I asked.
"I said Billie's worried. He doesn't want you getting upset about what happened and I don't either.
"Yeah." Was all I said. I took a long hard drag off my cigarette and sighed. "Any clue as to when he'll be home?"
"Yeah, they said about a week. His body is still trying to fight the antibiotics they're giving him, so they're having a tough time."
The image of Billie's hungry stare and his half-naked form hovering above me flashed in my mind. I took a huge gulp of my Smirnoff and another long drag, trying to forget what I really wanted... ... .
