It All Started At Cookie Time, chapter 11
*The Next Saturday at Joey's Soccer Game*
*Billie's POV*
"Wow," I said to Adie "He's gotten really good."
"I know, he and Jakob have been practicing in the yard almost every day after school."
I looked over at Jakob on the other side of me. He was in his soccer uniform he just had his game. Adie, Joey and I just had the same conversation about him. I missed last year's season because of the tour; they both have gotten really good.
"Yup," Jakob said "Joey taught me a lot this week."
Joey got the ball and ran up the field up to the goal.
"Go Joey~" we yelled
A player from the other team came up to Joey and tried to take the ball. He stuck his foot out just as Joey shot the ball, trying to take the ball at the last minute. Joey tripped as he ran into the player from the other team, the ball went sailing in the air and so did Joey. It fell into the corner of the goal because the goal keeper was watching as Joey fell to the ground, landing on his ankle, as he did.
The Referee blew the whistle and the coaches ran out on the field. Adie looked calm but when I looked in her eyes I could see she was worried.
'It must be a soccer mom thing,' I though watching her talk with the other moms calmly.
Joey's coach scanned the sidelines and waved us on. Adie looked at me with a 'You Can Go,' look on her face. I ran on the field while she stayed with Jakob.
"Are you okay Joey?" I asked Joey. He was lying on the ground clutching his ankle with a look of pain on his face and tears beginning to stream down his cheeks.
"We think he could have broken his ankle," his coach said.
"Umm, okay," I looked at Adie and nodded for her to come on the field.
She jogged to where we were sitting on the field. She crouched down and put a hand on her son's cheek.
"We think he may have broken his ankle," I told her. Adie gasped and clamped her free hand over her mouth.
"Okay," said Joey's coach "We have to take him off the field."
"Oh right," said Adie stepping back as the coach and I lifted my son and carried him to the team's sideline.
We ripped off his cleats and shin guards. The coaches got the crush ice packs from the first aid kits and put them on Joey's ankle.
"Should we call an ambulance?" asked Adie.
"Um, we could drive him but we should call Mike or Trè or someone to get Jakob."
"Okay," she said walking away to make a call.
I saw Jakob coming running around the field to get to where I was with Joey.
"Daddy," he said "Is Joey gonna be okay?"
"Yeah Jake, I think so. Mommy and I are going to take him to the hospital for an X-ray Alright? I think Uncle Mike or Uncle Trè will come and pick you up."
Adie walked back over to us.
"Okay here's the deal," she said "Jake, we are going to drop you off at Uncle Mike's house on our way to the hospital."
"How's he doin'?" asked Joey's coach walking over
"Alright," I said "We're gonna take him to get some x-rays done."
I lifted up my son and brought him too the car and put him in the back seat.
"How ya doin' Joe?" I said
"Okay, it really hurts." He said hold the icepack in place.
"It looks like it hurts." Jakob told his brother as we pulled out of the parking lot. I put on the radio and Holiday blared out the speakers.
"Now whose great voice is that?" said Adie putting her hand on mine. I heard her humming along and I started to sing. I looked back in the mirror and Jakob was smiling. Even Joey was making an attempt to smile. We pulled into Mike's driveway and I walked Jakob up and told Mike when we hoped to be back.
"Okay let's go," I said.
We drove to the hospital and got out of the car. Adie went in and came out with a nurse and a wheelchair.
"I could have carried him in," I protested but Adie wouldn't hear it.
*An Hour Later*
"Joseph Armstrong?" The receptionist called. We walked up to the desk. "Your results are in. You can follow Patty to the room where the doctor will show you the x-rays."
"Okay," said Adie.
I got behind the wheelchair and pushed Joey down the hall into the room that 'Patty' lead us to.
"The doctor will be with you shortly," she said and she left the room.
A few minutes later the doctor walked in the room.
"Okay here's the good news," she said "Your ankle isn't broken. However, you twisted it pretty bad, so that means no soccer until it is better."
She wrapped up his ankle with an Ace bandage and told him to rest it and ice it every night. She also said he would be on crutches for the first week.
"Thank you doctor," I said when we were done. We went and picked up Jakob, who thought Joey's crutches were very cool.
*Back at the Armstrong House*
"Okay Joey, hobble yourself up the stairs and ice your ankle okay?" I told him. Adie shot me a dirty look. "I'm just kidding."
Joey made his way up the stairs anyway with Jakob carrying a bag of ice behind him.
"Hey, Billie?" Adie said from the kitchen "Could you go and switch around the laundry and fold it. It should be just our clothes so you can put it away too."
"M'kay," I said heading to the laundry room.
I got the laundry from the laundry room and put in a new load. I carried the clean stuff to Adie's and my room and set the basket on our bed and began to fold. When I finished I headed back downstairs to help Adie with whatever she needed done.
"Hey Dad, can you talk for a minute?" Joey said from his room as I walked by the door. He was sitting on the bed icing his ankle.
"Sure Joe." I said walking into the room and sitting on the edge of his bed. He was listening to Nimrod.
"Hold on," he said changing his CD player to track # 3. The Grouch poured out of the speakers "I had a question about this song."
"Okay, shoot," I said
"What is this part... ?" He said as the part of the song that goes, 'The wife's a nag and the kid's fucking up' "supposed to mean? I mean Jakob wasn't born yet, so I was the only kid you had."
'Crap,' I thought. 'How do you tell your son that you didn't exactly write the nicest thing about him?'
"Well, I wrote it right after your mom and I got into a fight. I wrote this song your mom and I were having some trouble. You were going through your 'Terrible Two's' and everything was crazy. So I wrote something that was not really nice to get my feelings off my chest. I'm not gonna lie to you Joey; a lot of the songs on the album are about your mom. Not all of them are bad though."
"So you were mad at us?"
"No Joey," I explained "It wasn't you or mom or anyone else, it was me. I was so tired after the whole having a kid for the first time and then going on tour. I dunno it is hard to explain."
"Okay, I was just wondering." He said.
"I know. Just wanted to make sure we are on the same page. I gotta go talk to your mom about something. I'll let you know when dinner is ready."
*The Next Morning*
"Dad!" I heard someone say trying to shake me awake.
"Go away," I groaned and rolled over
"Dad, Wake up the house is on fire," Joey said.
I bolted up.
"And the Cats caught in the dryer," Jakob said
"Philosophy's a liar when your home is a headstone," they said in unison jumping on my bed.
I got up and joined them.
"Icon Is the Last Chance for Hope when there's no such thing as heroes," I sang
We sang the rest of the song while jumping on the bed. We were on the last verse and Adie walked in. I stopped jumping halfway in the air and landed on my knees on the bed.
Adie looked at the three of us sitting there and started laughing. Then she leaned over and kissed me.
"Eww!" Jakob and Joey yelled.
We broke apart and laughed at our sons.
*Billie's POV*
"Wow," I said to Adie "He's gotten really good."
"I know, he and Jakob have been practicing in the yard almost every day after school."
I looked over at Jakob on the other side of me. He was in his soccer uniform he just had his game. Adie, Joey and I just had the same conversation about him. I missed last year's season because of the tour; they both have gotten really good.
"Yup," Jakob said "Joey taught me a lot this week."
Joey got the ball and ran up the field up to the goal.
"Go Joey~" we yelled
A player from the other team came up to Joey and tried to take the ball. He stuck his foot out just as Joey shot the ball, trying to take the ball at the last minute. Joey tripped as he ran into the player from the other team, the ball went sailing in the air and so did Joey. It fell into the corner of the goal because the goal keeper was watching as Joey fell to the ground, landing on his ankle, as he did.
The Referee blew the whistle and the coaches ran out on the field. Adie looked calm but when I looked in her eyes I could see she was worried.
'It must be a soccer mom thing,' I though watching her talk with the other moms calmly.
Joey's coach scanned the sidelines and waved us on. Adie looked at me with a 'You Can Go,' look on her face. I ran on the field while she stayed with Jakob.
"Are you okay Joey?" I asked Joey. He was lying on the ground clutching his ankle with a look of pain on his face and tears beginning to stream down his cheeks.
"We think he could have broken his ankle," his coach said.
"Umm, okay," I looked at Adie and nodded for her to come on the field.
She jogged to where we were sitting on the field. She crouched down and put a hand on her son's cheek.
"We think he may have broken his ankle," I told her. Adie gasped and clamped her free hand over her mouth.
"Okay," said Joey's coach "We have to take him off the field."
"Oh right," said Adie stepping back as the coach and I lifted my son and carried him to the team's sideline.
We ripped off his cleats and shin guards. The coaches got the crush ice packs from the first aid kits and put them on Joey's ankle.
"Should we call an ambulance?" asked Adie.
"Um, we could drive him but we should call Mike or Trè or someone to get Jakob."
"Okay," she said walking away to make a call.
I saw Jakob coming running around the field to get to where I was with Joey.
"Daddy," he said "Is Joey gonna be okay?"
"Yeah Jake, I think so. Mommy and I are going to take him to the hospital for an X-ray Alright? I think Uncle Mike or Uncle Trè will come and pick you up."
Adie walked back over to us.
"Okay here's the deal," she said "Jake, we are going to drop you off at Uncle Mike's house on our way to the hospital."
"How's he doin'?" asked Joey's coach walking over
"Alright," I said "We're gonna take him to get some x-rays done."
I lifted up my son and brought him too the car and put him in the back seat.
"How ya doin' Joe?" I said
"Okay, it really hurts." He said hold the icepack in place.
"It looks like it hurts." Jakob told his brother as we pulled out of the parking lot. I put on the radio and Holiday blared out the speakers.
"Now whose great voice is that?" said Adie putting her hand on mine. I heard her humming along and I started to sing. I looked back in the mirror and Jakob was smiling. Even Joey was making an attempt to smile. We pulled into Mike's driveway and I walked Jakob up and told Mike when we hoped to be back.
"Okay let's go," I said.
We drove to the hospital and got out of the car. Adie went in and came out with a nurse and a wheelchair.
"I could have carried him in," I protested but Adie wouldn't hear it.
*An Hour Later*
"Joseph Armstrong?" The receptionist called. We walked up to the desk. "Your results are in. You can follow Patty to the room where the doctor will show you the x-rays."
"Okay," said Adie.
I got behind the wheelchair and pushed Joey down the hall into the room that 'Patty' lead us to.
"The doctor will be with you shortly," she said and she left the room.
A few minutes later the doctor walked in the room.
"Okay here's the good news," she said "Your ankle isn't broken. However, you twisted it pretty bad, so that means no soccer until it is better."
She wrapped up his ankle with an Ace bandage and told him to rest it and ice it every night. She also said he would be on crutches for the first week.
"Thank you doctor," I said when we were done. We went and picked up Jakob, who thought Joey's crutches were very cool.
*Back at the Armstrong House*
"Okay Joey, hobble yourself up the stairs and ice your ankle okay?" I told him. Adie shot me a dirty look. "I'm just kidding."
Joey made his way up the stairs anyway with Jakob carrying a bag of ice behind him.
"Hey, Billie?" Adie said from the kitchen "Could you go and switch around the laundry and fold it. It should be just our clothes so you can put it away too."
"M'kay," I said heading to the laundry room.
I got the laundry from the laundry room and put in a new load. I carried the clean stuff to Adie's and my room and set the basket on our bed and began to fold. When I finished I headed back downstairs to help Adie with whatever she needed done.
"Hey Dad, can you talk for a minute?" Joey said from his room as I walked by the door. He was sitting on the bed icing his ankle.
"Sure Joe." I said walking into the room and sitting on the edge of his bed. He was listening to Nimrod.
"Hold on," he said changing his CD player to track # 3. The Grouch poured out of the speakers "I had a question about this song."
"Okay, shoot," I said
"What is this part... ?" He said as the part of the song that goes, 'The wife's a nag and the kid's fucking up' "supposed to mean? I mean Jakob wasn't born yet, so I was the only kid you had."
'Crap,' I thought. 'How do you tell your son that you didn't exactly write the nicest thing about him?'
"Well, I wrote it right after your mom and I got into a fight. I wrote this song your mom and I were having some trouble. You were going through your 'Terrible Two's' and everything was crazy. So I wrote something that was not really nice to get my feelings off my chest. I'm not gonna lie to you Joey; a lot of the songs on the album are about your mom. Not all of them are bad though."
"So you were mad at us?"
"No Joey," I explained "It wasn't you or mom or anyone else, it was me. I was so tired after the whole having a kid for the first time and then going on tour. I dunno it is hard to explain."
"Okay, I was just wondering." He said.
"I know. Just wanted to make sure we are on the same page. I gotta go talk to your mom about something. I'll let you know when dinner is ready."
*The Next Morning*
"Dad!" I heard someone say trying to shake me awake.
"Go away," I groaned and rolled over
"Dad, Wake up the house is on fire," Joey said.
I bolted up.
"And the Cats caught in the dryer," Jakob said
"Philosophy's a liar when your home is a headstone," they said in unison jumping on my bed.
I got up and joined them.
"Icon Is the Last Chance for Hope when there's no such thing as heroes," I sang
We sang the rest of the song while jumping on the bed. We were on the last verse and Adie walked in. I stopped jumping halfway in the air and landed on my knees on the bed.
Adie looked at the three of us sitting there and started laughing. Then she leaned over and kissed me.
"Eww!" Jakob and Joey yelled.
We broke apart and laughed at our sons.
