We've Made It So Far, chapter 7
I ran into Joey's bedroom. He was sitting there, shaking. I went up to him and put my arms around him.
"You okay, Joe?" he shook his head.
"What's wrong?" He looked at me with watery eyes.
"I-I don't know."
"Joe...I can't promise I'll be here forever, but I can promise you that I will do my best as your dad while I'm still around. I love you, your brother, and your mom very much and I hate seeing any of you hurt. That's why I always try my hardest to be here for you. Joey?" I saw him smile half-heartedly.
"I know. I just don't know what's wrong with me. It feels like...I'm not sure."
"It's because you realized that I won't always be here for you. I went through the same thing when your grandfather passed away. It'll all get better because we're all still a family. We're all here for you, Joey. We all love you."
"Yeah, Joey," another voice chimed in. "We all love you," Jakey came up from behind me and hugged his brother.
I saw Joey smile and hug him back. One thing in the world that makes Joey happy and gets him just as pissed off has to be Jakob.
The next morning
Adie's P.O.V.
I woke up with Billie in my arms. I smiled and felt something. I ran to the bathroom and got sick. I was in the bathroom for a while, when Billie came in to see if I was all right. We sat there for a while, after I had finished puking and just stayed quiet. We knew what was happening. Well, I knew, I'm not sure if Billie had fully realized it yet. We were going to have another baby.
"Billie?"
"Are you okay? Do you want me to go get you something? I wonder why you're so sick?"
"Billie?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I'm pregnant," I saw a smile across his face.
"Really?!" Billie had loved kids and had always wanted more. He spared no time and he ran to the drug store for a test, and sure enough, I was pregnant.
We had invited over everyone for dinner. Mike, Stella, Jamie, Tre, Ramona, and Frankito all arrived around 6:30. We decided just to order pizza and watch some movies. Once the pizza got there I stood up for an announcement, soon joined by Billie standing next to me.
"Okay everyone. We have something to tell you," I smiled and looked at Billie.
He spoke next.
"We're having...another kid," we received an applause. I laughed as Tre's jaw dropped.
"Can't you two stay off of one another for at least a few weeks!"
"And that comes from you?!" Mike pitched in.
"Well, I never!" Tre exclaims as he puts his hand to his heart in mock insult.
After dinner we had all sat around watching movies and talking about the baby. We had just put the kids to bed and we were sitting down with a few cups of coffee, when we had heard a loud bang and a thump. Soon everyone ran into the room next to the living room. I screamed and started to cry.
Joey's P.O.V.
Why am I alone? Where am I? I look around and see nothing everything is in black and white. I am barefoot and only have on a pair of old blue jeans. The ground is covered in brick. There is water everywhere.
"Mom? Dad?" nothing except for an echo. I am alone. I look up and see that there are empty buildings surrounding the brick road. Why is everything black and white? I follow the road I see a guitar. It is completely black but it is broken. Everything here is broken. Windows, doors, cars...everything. I start to shake, I'm so cold and the water is every where. I have nowhere to go.
"Joey?!" I hear mom.
"Mom, where are you? Mom!"
"Joe, come on!" I hear my dad too. I can't see them. I get scared I just sit down in the middle of the road with guitar in hand. I sit there and start to play. It isn't broken anymore. I start to play a song my dad taught me, I play Good Riddance. I feel safer, like my dad is right here with me but he isn't. I play until I hear people more clearly. I close my eyes and listen to my father's voice.
"You're going make it Joey. Hold on, you'll make it. You have to Joe we need you. Joey...I need you."
I play louder and louder. I play, and then it all stops.
I open my eyes to see the city is gone and so is my guitar. I see my dad in a brightly lit room. I am laying in a hospital bed. My dad has his head resting on my hand, we are alone.
"Dad?" I barely whisper. He lifts his head and I see his tear stained face. At this very moment he wasn't the lead singer of Green Day, he was just my dad. My dad who had seen my soccer games, the same dad who used to read me bed time stories. I'll have to admit though, he was the same dad who wasn't there for nearly half of my life, he hadn't seen me leave on my very first real day of school, hadn't been there for my first tooth I lost, but when he was there he was great. He was the perfect dad. I want to be like him too. Before I had realized what had happened my dad was smiling and was hugging me.
Billie's P.O.V.
"Joey I've decided something. I think I'm going to retire."
"Dad no! You can't!"
I can't leave these kids again. I almost died and almost lost my son, this isn't going to keep happening.
"Dad? You wouldn't be the same person. I love that you sing it makes you happy so then we're all happy."
"You've grown up so much. I figured you would want me home."
"I do, but not if you're miserable."
"You're just like your mother, she said the same thing. Okay I won't retire."
Joey's eyes were glistening. He looked so much like his mother. I can't stand that I almost lost him.
"Hey kid I'm going to give you some time with your brother, okay?" He nodded and I walked out as Jake walked in.
"Hey, Doc? What happened."
"Mr. Armstrong, your son was shot."
"B-but how?!" A police officer walked up to me.
"A women shot at your house from outside. I was driving by and saw her and tried to stop her, but she had already done it."
"Why...why would someone do that?"
"She said something about you killing her daughter...,"
"I've never killed anyone, I've only ever beaten a few guys up..."
Adie walked up at that moment. "What's going on?" She had been crying "Is Joey up yet?"
I nodded, "I gave him and Jake some time alone."
She smiled and came over and hugged me. "Then, what's wrong?"
"Adie...Joey was...shot..."
As the officer retold everything, we listened carefully to see if there was an explanation to why this would happen. We could think of nothing.
"You okay, Joe?" he shook his head.
"What's wrong?" He looked at me with watery eyes.
"I-I don't know."
"Joe...I can't promise I'll be here forever, but I can promise you that I will do my best as your dad while I'm still around. I love you, your brother, and your mom very much and I hate seeing any of you hurt. That's why I always try my hardest to be here for you. Joey?" I saw him smile half-heartedly.
"I know. I just don't know what's wrong with me. It feels like...I'm not sure."
"It's because you realized that I won't always be here for you. I went through the same thing when your grandfather passed away. It'll all get better because we're all still a family. We're all here for you, Joey. We all love you."
"Yeah, Joey," another voice chimed in. "We all love you," Jakey came up from behind me and hugged his brother.
I saw Joey smile and hug him back. One thing in the world that makes Joey happy and gets him just as pissed off has to be Jakob.
The next morning
Adie's P.O.V.
I woke up with Billie in my arms. I smiled and felt something. I ran to the bathroom and got sick. I was in the bathroom for a while, when Billie came in to see if I was all right. We sat there for a while, after I had finished puking and just stayed quiet. We knew what was happening. Well, I knew, I'm not sure if Billie had fully realized it yet. We were going to have another baby.
"Billie?"
"Are you okay? Do you want me to go get you something? I wonder why you're so sick?"
"Billie?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I'm pregnant," I saw a smile across his face.
"Really?!" Billie had loved kids and had always wanted more. He spared no time and he ran to the drug store for a test, and sure enough, I was pregnant.
We had invited over everyone for dinner. Mike, Stella, Jamie, Tre, Ramona, and Frankito all arrived around 6:30. We decided just to order pizza and watch some movies. Once the pizza got there I stood up for an announcement, soon joined by Billie standing next to me.
"Okay everyone. We have something to tell you," I smiled and looked at Billie.
He spoke next.
"We're having...another kid," we received an applause. I laughed as Tre's jaw dropped.
"Can't you two stay off of one another for at least a few weeks!"
"And that comes from you?!" Mike pitched in.
"Well, I never!" Tre exclaims as he puts his hand to his heart in mock insult.
After dinner we had all sat around watching movies and talking about the baby. We had just put the kids to bed and we were sitting down with a few cups of coffee, when we had heard a loud bang and a thump. Soon everyone ran into the room next to the living room. I screamed and started to cry.
Joey's P.O.V.
Why am I alone? Where am I? I look around and see nothing everything is in black and white. I am barefoot and only have on a pair of old blue jeans. The ground is covered in brick. There is water everywhere.
"Mom? Dad?" nothing except for an echo. I am alone. I look up and see that there are empty buildings surrounding the brick road. Why is everything black and white? I follow the road I see a guitar. It is completely black but it is broken. Everything here is broken. Windows, doors, cars...everything. I start to shake, I'm so cold and the water is every where. I have nowhere to go.
"Joey?!" I hear mom.
"Mom, where are you? Mom!"
"Joe, come on!" I hear my dad too. I can't see them. I get scared I just sit down in the middle of the road with guitar in hand. I sit there and start to play. It isn't broken anymore. I start to play a song my dad taught me, I play Good Riddance. I feel safer, like my dad is right here with me but he isn't. I play until I hear people more clearly. I close my eyes and listen to my father's voice.
"You're going make it Joey. Hold on, you'll make it. You have to Joe we need you. Joey...I need you."
I play louder and louder. I play, and then it all stops.
I open my eyes to see the city is gone and so is my guitar. I see my dad in a brightly lit room. I am laying in a hospital bed. My dad has his head resting on my hand, we are alone.
"Dad?" I barely whisper. He lifts his head and I see his tear stained face. At this very moment he wasn't the lead singer of Green Day, he was just my dad. My dad who had seen my soccer games, the same dad who used to read me bed time stories. I'll have to admit though, he was the same dad who wasn't there for nearly half of my life, he hadn't seen me leave on my very first real day of school, hadn't been there for my first tooth I lost, but when he was there he was great. He was the perfect dad. I want to be like him too. Before I had realized what had happened my dad was smiling and was hugging me.
Billie's P.O.V.
"Joey I've decided something. I think I'm going to retire."
"Dad no! You can't!"
I can't leave these kids again. I almost died and almost lost my son, this isn't going to keep happening.
"Dad? You wouldn't be the same person. I love that you sing it makes you happy so then we're all happy."
"You've grown up so much. I figured you would want me home."
"I do, but not if you're miserable."
"You're just like your mother, she said the same thing. Okay I won't retire."
Joey's eyes were glistening. He looked so much like his mother. I can't stand that I almost lost him.
"Hey kid I'm going to give you some time with your brother, okay?" He nodded and I walked out as Jake walked in.
"Hey, Doc? What happened."
"Mr. Armstrong, your son was shot."
"B-but how?!" A police officer walked up to me.
"A women shot at your house from outside. I was driving by and saw her and tried to stop her, but she had already done it."
"Why...why would someone do that?"
"She said something about you killing her daughter...,"
"I've never killed anyone, I've only ever beaten a few guys up..."
Adie walked up at that moment. "What's going on?" She had been crying "Is Joey up yet?"
I nodded, "I gave him and Jake some time alone."
She smiled and came over and hugged me. "Then, what's wrong?"
"Adie...Joey was...shot..."
As the officer retold everything, we listened carefully to see if there was an explanation to why this would happen. We could think of nothing.
