"Something Unpredictable?", chapter 4
The cold air outside made Billie Joe feel sick and he vomited in the gutter.
"Woah! Dude are you okay? How much have you had to drink?" a familiar voice said. He didnt look up from his hands on the ground position for fear he'd upchuck again.
"Hardly, anything, not even half. I just dont feel well," he mumbled.
"Okay, well, are you going to be okay?"
"Probably not," Billie Joe said weakly and threw up again. He hadnt felt so sick in his life.
"Well I'll help you home then."
Billie Joe finally looked up again to see who was being so nice and was surprised to see Tarja wearing a look of concern. She put a comforting hand on his back as he turned away and hurled again, this time coughing up a bit of blood.
"Oh that's not good, come on, you're going home," she said and helped him to his feet. He swayed a bit but she kept him steady.
"God you look horrible." She grinned.
"Oh jee, thanks," he muttered and she helped him walk home. She sat him on his couch and went to the kitchen to get him some water.
"I don't think I can drink."
"No I'm not giving you the choice, you need to replace the water you just lost," she said sternly and pushed the glass at him, he frowned and sipped it.
"Good boy." She smiled and patted his head and sat down next to him.
He closed his eyes and put his head back on the couch and sighed, he still felt like throwing up but kept it down. He felt a hand on his forehead.
"Jeeze, you're hot."
"Why thank you, so are you."
"Not talking about that, temperature wise your hot." She smiled, "But thanks."
"Dont mention it. So doctor Tarja, am I going to live?"
"Yes I think so, you might just have one of those 24 hour bugs, just rest up okay?" She said seriously. But then she laughed.
"What?"
"Nothing, it's just this is the last place I ever expected to be in my whole life," she said.
Billie Joe smiled at her, "Well you're welcome here anytime you want."
"Thanks, so do you want a cup of tea?"
"No, I don't actually have tea in the house. I drink coffee and even then I go out for that, so really, I have nothing. I dont think I even have food." He grinned apologetically. Tarja rolled her eyes and smiled.
"God Armstrong, do you plan to starve?"
"Ummmmmm yes," he said in a mock voice.
Tarja tutted, "Well I don't know about you but I'm hungry. I'll go out and get something to eat, I'll be back shortly."
"No! I mean, wait for me. I'll brush my teeth and come with you."
"Are you sure you're up for it? You were puking your guts out two minutes ago."
"I know but... how am I s'posed to know what you're getting? You'll probably get some healthy shit and I'll cry," he said, getting up slowly.
"Well we wouldn't want you to cry now would we?" she said sarcastically, but waited all the same.
"We'll take my car," Billie said, grabbing his keys off the hook. Tarja stopped him and took his keys off him.
"You are in no state to drive," she insisted and Billie didnt argue as he still felt like crap.
"So mister I-dont-like-heathly-food, what do you like?" Tarja asked as they walked up the aisles of the supermarket.
"Vegetarian lasange."
"Not after you've just thrown up, its too greasy."
"What are you? Some kind of food and health Nazi?"
"No, I'm a nurse."
"Oh," Billie Joe said, kinda feeling ashamed, "So you knew what you were talking about before?"
"Yes," she said absently, looking at the shelves.
"What about chips?"
"Nope."
"Coke?"
"Nope."
"Lollies?"
"Fuck Billie, what do you eat?" she said in exasperation.
"Uh usually Adie would cook for me but we're divorced now so...yea, it's been bachelor food for me for the last couple of weeks. I think I've gained weight too," he said, pulling up his top and pushing out his stomach like a pregnant woman. Tarja laughed and pulled his top back down.
"Well you would with a diet like that, come on," she said and went to get some grain bread, much to Billie's distaste. But she let him pick out a spread for it.
"Fucking rabbit bread," Billie Joe whined when she gave him a sandwhich later on.
"Have you ever tried it?"
"No."
"Dont knock it till you've tried it."
"Do dodo doo do dodo dooo do dumdum dum dum dum duummm," Billie Joe hummed the next line to King For A Day under his breath and picked at the bread with his teeth.
"If you eat it like that then you do look like a rabbit." Tarja laughed, she had bought a small container of seeds and had buttered her bread so they would stick when she dunked her bread in the container.
"Why on earth did you buy seedy bread then buy seeds to stick to it?" Billie Joe asked.
"Sunflower seeds actually, and they taste really good with grain bread."
"Pfft, sounds like bird food on rabbit bread if you ask me," he said, finally eating his sandwich properly, "Hey this isnt too bad I s'pose," he mumbled.
"See? Told you," she said triumphantly.
Billie Joe stuck his tongue full of mashed up food at her and she cringed.
"That is truly feral."
"So is bird seed."
"You havent tried seeds either have you?"
Billie Joe looked from side to side, "Nooo"
Tarja put some seeds on a peice of bread and ripped it off for him. He eyed it apprehensivly as she shook it under his nose but opened his mouth anyway.
"You and your bird seed and rabbit bread that tastes good," he grumbled and frowned.
Tarja smiled, "I thought you'd like it."
"Oh no you didnt, you thought you'd turn me into one of those vegan people, well no way Jose, not this Armstrong," he said shaking his head, a little too violently as it seems because he had to get up quickly and sprint to the kitchen and threw up in the sink.
"Still think it's a 24 hour thing?" he mumbled between retches.
Tarja rubbed his back, "Um maybe you should go get checked out just to make sure."
"I'll do it tomorrow if I feel the same, but now I think I'll go to bed." he said, getting a small drink of water.
He tried to walk to his room but collapsed at the doorway. Tarja jumped forward to help him back up and onto his bed. He tried to take his top off but needed help with that too and what should of taken three minutes for him alone to do, took 10 minutes for Tarja to help him do. He was too weak to do most of it himself but finally he was between his sheets.
"I'll see myself out okay? I'll call tomorrow and see how you're doing," she said, and turned to leave when Billie's hand grabbed hers.
"What? Do you want a drink?"
"No, I want you to stay here. I dont want to get into trouble and not be able to get help," he said, pushing himself up on his pillows into a sitting position.
"I dunno Billie, I-"
"Fuck the dog, he's not sick, please?" he said and Tarja could see the faint light of desperation in his eyes and she sat on his bed.
"A bowl would be nice though, or a bucket," he smiled weakly. He had forgotten he was still holding her hand and let her go quickly.
Tarja returned with a bucket she found under the sink and a glass of water for him and put them next to his bed.
"Do you have a thermometer? You've gone red as a beetroot," she said in concerned voice. Billie Joe shrugged.
"Maybe, it'll be in the medicine cabinet if it is," he said.
Tarja went though to the bathroom and found what she was looking for.
"Stick this under your tongue," she told him, shaking it first and watching the time. After about a minute she took it out and looked at it under the dim light of the bedside lamp.
"Fuck, you're running a temperature a bit too high, hang on, and for fuck's sake don't die," she said absently and ran to get a bowl of cold water and a few face clothes to try and bring his temperature down. She put one on his forehead and on his chest.
"Ooo, it's cold." He shivered as the water dripped off his chest and down his side.
"It's meant to be," she told him, sitting on the end of his bed.
"What you sitting down there for? I'm not contageous am I?"
"Well no, I don't think so."
"Then get up here and keep me entertained." He grinned, patting the space next to him.
Tarja climbed over and sat by him and he flicked on the TV he had in his room. Some cheesy late night movie was on and soon Billie's temperature put him in to a fitful sleep. He twitched quite violently sometimes but Tarja couldnt wake him. She kept refreshing the face clothes and trying to keep him cool. In the end she actually didnt get any sleep that night and was completely tired by the time he woke up at 8am, he looked a lot better, his temp had gone down and he wasn't feeling queasy anymore.
"Fuck, did you stay up all night?" he muttered and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Mmmhmm." She yawned.
"Aw, all for me? I'm touched."
"I bet you are, you kept twitching and a few times I thought you were actually having a sezisure," she told him.
"Really? Well I feel heaps better now."
Tarja squinted at him in the dim light coming through the curtains, "Yeah you look better too, you have a bit of colour back in your cheeks now."
"Was I like all pale sort of thing? Like death?" he asked interestedly.
"Sort of." She yawned again.
"Lay down you must be bushed," he insisted.
"Mmm, I better get home and sleep a bit."
"Sleep here, you'll probably fall over if you tried to walk home. Come on, the beds all comfy," he said and wiggled his eyebrows.
"Okay then." She grinned and took off her shoes, after all, what harm could come from having a bit of a rest before she went home? Billie Joe pulled back all the covers and she got in a little bit cautiously next to him.
"No funny business," she told him.
"Dont worry, it'll be hard work but I'll keep my hands to myself," he told her. She put her head down on the pillow and pretty much fell straight to sleep. Billie Joe listened to her light snooze before he fell asleep again himself.
"Figured it out yet?" the girl asked him.
"What?" he asked, looking round. He was in that white room again.
"Who you are helping?"
"What, Tarja?"
The girl smiled, "She likes you."
"Really? Well I like her too, so that works out well doesn't it?"
"Yes so don't break her."
"Yeah yeah okay, I'll look after her, I promise."
"Remember." The girl smiled and once again the room went black.
"Woah! Dude are you okay? How much have you had to drink?" a familiar voice said. He didnt look up from his hands on the ground position for fear he'd upchuck again.
"Hardly, anything, not even half. I just dont feel well," he mumbled.
"Okay, well, are you going to be okay?"
"Probably not," Billie Joe said weakly and threw up again. He hadnt felt so sick in his life.
"Well I'll help you home then."
Billie Joe finally looked up again to see who was being so nice and was surprised to see Tarja wearing a look of concern. She put a comforting hand on his back as he turned away and hurled again, this time coughing up a bit of blood.
"Oh that's not good, come on, you're going home," she said and helped him to his feet. He swayed a bit but she kept him steady.
"God you look horrible." She grinned.
"Oh jee, thanks," he muttered and she helped him walk home. She sat him on his couch and went to the kitchen to get him some water.
"I don't think I can drink."
"No I'm not giving you the choice, you need to replace the water you just lost," she said sternly and pushed the glass at him, he frowned and sipped it.
"Good boy." She smiled and patted his head and sat down next to him.
He closed his eyes and put his head back on the couch and sighed, he still felt like throwing up but kept it down. He felt a hand on his forehead.
"Jeeze, you're hot."
"Why thank you, so are you."
"Not talking about that, temperature wise your hot." She smiled, "But thanks."
"Dont mention it. So doctor Tarja, am I going to live?"
"Yes I think so, you might just have one of those 24 hour bugs, just rest up okay?" She said seriously. But then she laughed.
"What?"
"Nothing, it's just this is the last place I ever expected to be in my whole life," she said.
Billie Joe smiled at her, "Well you're welcome here anytime you want."
"Thanks, so do you want a cup of tea?"
"No, I don't actually have tea in the house. I drink coffee and even then I go out for that, so really, I have nothing. I dont think I even have food." He grinned apologetically. Tarja rolled her eyes and smiled.
"God Armstrong, do you plan to starve?"
"Ummmmmm yes," he said in a mock voice.
Tarja tutted, "Well I don't know about you but I'm hungry. I'll go out and get something to eat, I'll be back shortly."
"No! I mean, wait for me. I'll brush my teeth and come with you."
"Are you sure you're up for it? You were puking your guts out two minutes ago."
"I know but... how am I s'posed to know what you're getting? You'll probably get some healthy shit and I'll cry," he said, getting up slowly.
"Well we wouldn't want you to cry now would we?" she said sarcastically, but waited all the same.
"We'll take my car," Billie said, grabbing his keys off the hook. Tarja stopped him and took his keys off him.
"You are in no state to drive," she insisted and Billie didnt argue as he still felt like crap.
"So mister I-dont-like-heathly-food, what do you like?" Tarja asked as they walked up the aisles of the supermarket.
"Vegetarian lasange."
"Not after you've just thrown up, its too greasy."
"What are you? Some kind of food and health Nazi?"
"No, I'm a nurse."
"Oh," Billie Joe said, kinda feeling ashamed, "So you knew what you were talking about before?"
"Yes," she said absently, looking at the shelves.
"What about chips?"
"Nope."
"Coke?"
"Nope."
"Lollies?"
"Fuck Billie, what do you eat?" she said in exasperation.
"Uh usually Adie would cook for me but we're divorced now so...yea, it's been bachelor food for me for the last couple of weeks. I think I've gained weight too," he said, pulling up his top and pushing out his stomach like a pregnant woman. Tarja laughed and pulled his top back down.
"Well you would with a diet like that, come on," she said and went to get some grain bread, much to Billie's distaste. But she let him pick out a spread for it.
"Fucking rabbit bread," Billie Joe whined when she gave him a sandwhich later on.
"Have you ever tried it?"
"No."
"Dont knock it till you've tried it."
"Do dodo doo do dodo dooo do dumdum dum dum dum duummm," Billie Joe hummed the next line to King For A Day under his breath and picked at the bread with his teeth.
"If you eat it like that then you do look like a rabbit." Tarja laughed, she had bought a small container of seeds and had buttered her bread so they would stick when she dunked her bread in the container.
"Why on earth did you buy seedy bread then buy seeds to stick to it?" Billie Joe asked.
"Sunflower seeds actually, and they taste really good with grain bread."
"Pfft, sounds like bird food on rabbit bread if you ask me," he said, finally eating his sandwich properly, "Hey this isnt too bad I s'pose," he mumbled.
"See? Told you," she said triumphantly.
Billie Joe stuck his tongue full of mashed up food at her and she cringed.
"That is truly feral."
"So is bird seed."
"You havent tried seeds either have you?"
Billie Joe looked from side to side, "Nooo"
Tarja put some seeds on a peice of bread and ripped it off for him. He eyed it apprehensivly as she shook it under his nose but opened his mouth anyway.
"You and your bird seed and rabbit bread that tastes good," he grumbled and frowned.
Tarja smiled, "I thought you'd like it."
"Oh no you didnt, you thought you'd turn me into one of those vegan people, well no way Jose, not this Armstrong," he said shaking his head, a little too violently as it seems because he had to get up quickly and sprint to the kitchen and threw up in the sink.
"Still think it's a 24 hour thing?" he mumbled between retches.
Tarja rubbed his back, "Um maybe you should go get checked out just to make sure."
"I'll do it tomorrow if I feel the same, but now I think I'll go to bed." he said, getting a small drink of water.
He tried to walk to his room but collapsed at the doorway. Tarja jumped forward to help him back up and onto his bed. He tried to take his top off but needed help with that too and what should of taken three minutes for him alone to do, took 10 minutes for Tarja to help him do. He was too weak to do most of it himself but finally he was between his sheets.
"I'll see myself out okay? I'll call tomorrow and see how you're doing," she said, and turned to leave when Billie's hand grabbed hers.
"What? Do you want a drink?"
"No, I want you to stay here. I dont want to get into trouble and not be able to get help," he said, pushing himself up on his pillows into a sitting position.
"I dunno Billie, I-"
"Fuck the dog, he's not sick, please?" he said and Tarja could see the faint light of desperation in his eyes and she sat on his bed.
"A bowl would be nice though, or a bucket," he smiled weakly. He had forgotten he was still holding her hand and let her go quickly.
Tarja returned with a bucket she found under the sink and a glass of water for him and put them next to his bed.
"Do you have a thermometer? You've gone red as a beetroot," she said in concerned voice. Billie Joe shrugged.
"Maybe, it'll be in the medicine cabinet if it is," he said.
Tarja went though to the bathroom and found what she was looking for.
"Stick this under your tongue," she told him, shaking it first and watching the time. After about a minute she took it out and looked at it under the dim light of the bedside lamp.
"Fuck, you're running a temperature a bit too high, hang on, and for fuck's sake don't die," she said absently and ran to get a bowl of cold water and a few face clothes to try and bring his temperature down. She put one on his forehead and on his chest.
"Ooo, it's cold." He shivered as the water dripped off his chest and down his side.
"It's meant to be," she told him, sitting on the end of his bed.
"What you sitting down there for? I'm not contageous am I?"
"Well no, I don't think so."
"Then get up here and keep me entertained." He grinned, patting the space next to him.
Tarja climbed over and sat by him and he flicked on the TV he had in his room. Some cheesy late night movie was on and soon Billie's temperature put him in to a fitful sleep. He twitched quite violently sometimes but Tarja couldnt wake him. She kept refreshing the face clothes and trying to keep him cool. In the end she actually didnt get any sleep that night and was completely tired by the time he woke up at 8am, he looked a lot better, his temp had gone down and he wasn't feeling queasy anymore.
"Fuck, did you stay up all night?" he muttered and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Mmmhmm." She yawned.
"Aw, all for me? I'm touched."
"I bet you are, you kept twitching and a few times I thought you were actually having a sezisure," she told him.
"Really? Well I feel heaps better now."
Tarja squinted at him in the dim light coming through the curtains, "Yeah you look better too, you have a bit of colour back in your cheeks now."
"Was I like all pale sort of thing? Like death?" he asked interestedly.
"Sort of." She yawned again.
"Lay down you must be bushed," he insisted.
"Mmm, I better get home and sleep a bit."
"Sleep here, you'll probably fall over if you tried to walk home. Come on, the beds all comfy," he said and wiggled his eyebrows.
"Okay then." She grinned and took off her shoes, after all, what harm could come from having a bit of a rest before she went home? Billie Joe pulled back all the covers and she got in a little bit cautiously next to him.
"No funny business," she told him.
"Dont worry, it'll be hard work but I'll keep my hands to myself," he told her. She put her head down on the pillow and pretty much fell straight to sleep. Billie Joe listened to her light snooze before he fell asleep again himself.
"Figured it out yet?" the girl asked him.
"What?" he asked, looking round. He was in that white room again.
"Who you are helping?"
"What, Tarja?"
The girl smiled, "She likes you."
"Really? Well I like her too, so that works out well doesn't it?"
"Yes so don't break her."
"Yeah yeah okay, I'll look after her, I promise."
"Remember." The girl smiled and once again the room went black.
