Pâle Septembre, chapter 6
Adrienne cradled the phone gingerly between her shoulder and her ear as she poured the thick Pepto-Bismol into the medicine cup. Humming absent mindedly to the backdrop music of her call on hold, she spun around to greet the beeping microwave, tipping the bowl of chicken noodle soup upon the tray resting against her hip and the counter. She carefully balanced her weight evenly before walking slowly towards Jakob's room, nudging the door open with her spare hip and swooping inside.
She cautiously placed the tray on Jakob's night stand, her hand instantly stroking Jakob's feverish forehead tenderly. He stirred slightly in his plague-ridden dream, groaning faintly as Adrienne placed an ice pack on his head as to ease the fever.
"Mrs. Armstrong?"
Adrienne gasped slightly, completely forgetting about the small device buried against her ear.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry to put you on hold for so long, how's this Thursday?"
Adrienne clicked her tongue in annoyance as she slid outside her son's room into the hall way, closing it softly behind her.
"Look, he's been sick with this flue type...thing... since last Monday. It's Sunday and he's still sick, I really don't think we can wait till Thursday."
"Mam, I realize your concern, but you see we can't fit you in before--"
"Mom?" Adrienne turned around when she heard her sickly son call from his bedroom.
"Fine," Adrienne said curtly, "I'll take Thursday," she hung and slid back into Jakob's room, a calming smile adorning her lips as she sat softly on the side of Jake's bed.
"Hey, baby," she cooed, running her fingertips lightly over his forehead, "you feeling any better?"
Jakob simply moaned, rubbing his eyes warily. Adrienne smiled and planted a kiss on his forehead before helping him sit up.
"Here, Jakey, drink this and it will make you feel better."
Jakob grimaced and looked away, cupping his hand over his mouth in retaliation. Adrienne laughed and pried his resistant hand from his mouth and tipped the pink liquid into his anything but eager mouth.
Adrienne then placed the tray on Jakob's nightstand, brushing straying hair from his eyes and planting a kiss on his forehead.
"Go back to sleep and you'll feel so much better in the morning," Adrienne whispered into his ear, "And if you feel up to it, I have chicken noodle soup awaiting you when you awake."
Jakob nodded and rubbed his eyes resignedly, blinking slowly as Adrienne tucked him under his covers.
Adrienne remained staring down at her baby for a few more moments, complete concern consuming her mind as she listened to his steady breathing. Her thoughts were interrupted as Joey knocked quietly on the door, begging for his mother's attention.
Adrienne gave Jakob one last glance before sauntering towards Joey, shutting the small boy's door behind her.
"Mom, Daddy is on the phone." Joey handed his mother the phone with a suspicious grin.
Adrienne took the phone cautiously from Joey, noting his apprehensive behavior.
"Joey...what did you do?"
Joey's face fell in a dramatic swoop as he crossed his arms "Nothing! Why do you always think I've done something wrong?"
"Because 99.9% of the time, you have," Adrienne rolled her eyes, bringing the phone to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Bonjour my love." A fake moncho voice filled her eager ears.
"Hi Billie," Adrienne said with a weary sigh.
"Miss me so much you despise me now? Is that what that sigh meant?"
"No, Billie Joe, it means our youngest son has been vomiting stomach acid for the past week."
"Oh," Billie whistled low, "Sounds charming."
"Almost as charming as yourself."
There was a short pause before Billie continued speaking.
"I'm just going to ignore that saccharine little comment."
"You're wit is in limited supply this phone call, I was looking forward to some comedy," Adrienne yawned, smiling to herself.
"Well then," Billie said in fake offence, "Call your boyfriend and let him entertain you with snide remarks."
"I will then," Adrienne said decisively, "Goodnight Billie, nice talking to you."
"WAIT!" Billie shouted "Adrienne, I can be funny, don't leave me for your boy toy."
"You have 10 seconds to be funny."
"Uh....shit..."
"Goodnight Billie."
"I LOVE YOU!"
"Now that was funny," Adrienne giggled, "A rock star like you loving a gal like me?"
"Best believe it, honey. Now let's skip this love talking and get to the love making."
Adrienne scoffed, moving on to the kitchen where she seated herself at the table, helping herself to the leftovers of Jakob's chicken noodle soup.
"Now seriously," Billie lowered his tone to prove how oh so serious he could be. "How is Jakob doing?"
"Well," Adrienne sighed, twirling the broth in her bowl around a second, "I just gave him some Pepto-Bismol, attempted to cool his fever, put him back to bed, kissed him on the cheek and promised him soup in the morning. That's about all you can do."
There was another short pause in which Adrienne used to sip at her makeshift dinner.
"You know you're super woman, right?" Billie said softly.
Adrienne smiled, running a tired hand through her messy hair. "I'm far from it, Billie. You should see me now," she glanced down at her tank top and warm up bottoms, feeling her make up free face with her free hand.
"I am seeing you now," Billie responded, "And you look beautiful."
Adrienne chuckled, "Billie, as sweet as that is, you're in New York right now."
"Or am I?"
Adrienne paused and looked apprehensively around the kitchen. The need to see her husband had taken it's toll on her. Sleeping alone for 20 or so nights had done a silent sin against her purity, costing her more sleep than she was willing to give. Not to mention, the cold dread of tragedy still found it's way through the mountains of laundry, piles of homework, dishes of meals, cups of medicine, and piles of paperwork. She had filled her life with work so that maybe she could escape from reality--and she had done no wrong in the process. Being nothing but a role model mother. She was willing to saw off her right leg to have her children's father home, and more importantly--her other half.
"Look out the window," Billie laughed as he watched his wife turn circles in the kitchen.
Adrienne spun around to be greeted with Billie's smiling figure, separated through glass--yet present all the same. She froze, staring into his mesmerizing green eyes-- her mind calculating the probability that possibly the Advil she had taken earlier that day could have caused hallucinations. But no, it was Billie Joe--and it was her, and this was one of the most beautiful gifts life had thrown at her.
She cautiously placed the tray on Jakob's night stand, her hand instantly stroking Jakob's feverish forehead tenderly. He stirred slightly in his plague-ridden dream, groaning faintly as Adrienne placed an ice pack on his head as to ease the fever.
"Mrs. Armstrong?"
Adrienne gasped slightly, completely forgetting about the small device buried against her ear.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry to put you on hold for so long, how's this Thursday?"
Adrienne clicked her tongue in annoyance as she slid outside her son's room into the hall way, closing it softly behind her.
"Look, he's been sick with this flue type...thing... since last Monday. It's Sunday and he's still sick, I really don't think we can wait till Thursday."
"Mam, I realize your concern, but you see we can't fit you in before--"
"Mom?" Adrienne turned around when she heard her sickly son call from his bedroom.
"Fine," Adrienne said curtly, "I'll take Thursday," she hung and slid back into Jakob's room, a calming smile adorning her lips as she sat softly on the side of Jake's bed.
"Hey, baby," she cooed, running her fingertips lightly over his forehead, "you feeling any better?"
Jakob simply moaned, rubbing his eyes warily. Adrienne smiled and planted a kiss on his forehead before helping him sit up.
"Here, Jakey, drink this and it will make you feel better."
Jakob grimaced and looked away, cupping his hand over his mouth in retaliation. Adrienne laughed and pried his resistant hand from his mouth and tipped the pink liquid into his anything but eager mouth.
Adrienne then placed the tray on Jakob's nightstand, brushing straying hair from his eyes and planting a kiss on his forehead.
"Go back to sleep and you'll feel so much better in the morning," Adrienne whispered into his ear, "And if you feel up to it, I have chicken noodle soup awaiting you when you awake."
Jakob nodded and rubbed his eyes resignedly, blinking slowly as Adrienne tucked him under his covers.
Adrienne remained staring down at her baby for a few more moments, complete concern consuming her mind as she listened to his steady breathing. Her thoughts were interrupted as Joey knocked quietly on the door, begging for his mother's attention.
Adrienne gave Jakob one last glance before sauntering towards Joey, shutting the small boy's door behind her.
"Mom, Daddy is on the phone." Joey handed his mother the phone with a suspicious grin.
Adrienne took the phone cautiously from Joey, noting his apprehensive behavior.
"Joey...what did you do?"
Joey's face fell in a dramatic swoop as he crossed his arms "Nothing! Why do you always think I've done something wrong?"
"Because 99.9% of the time, you have," Adrienne rolled her eyes, bringing the phone to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Bonjour my love." A fake moncho voice filled her eager ears.
"Hi Billie," Adrienne said with a weary sigh.
"Miss me so much you despise me now? Is that what that sigh meant?"
"No, Billie Joe, it means our youngest son has been vomiting stomach acid for the past week."
"Oh," Billie whistled low, "Sounds charming."
"Almost as charming as yourself."
There was a short pause before Billie continued speaking.
"I'm just going to ignore that saccharine little comment."
"You're wit is in limited supply this phone call, I was looking forward to some comedy," Adrienne yawned, smiling to herself.
"Well then," Billie said in fake offence, "Call your boyfriend and let him entertain you with snide remarks."
"I will then," Adrienne said decisively, "Goodnight Billie, nice talking to you."
"WAIT!" Billie shouted "Adrienne, I can be funny, don't leave me for your boy toy."
"You have 10 seconds to be funny."
"Uh....shit..."
"Goodnight Billie."
"I LOVE YOU!"
"Now that was funny," Adrienne giggled, "A rock star like you loving a gal like me?"
"Best believe it, honey. Now let's skip this love talking and get to the love making."
Adrienne scoffed, moving on to the kitchen where she seated herself at the table, helping herself to the leftovers of Jakob's chicken noodle soup.
"Now seriously," Billie lowered his tone to prove how oh so serious he could be. "How is Jakob doing?"
"Well," Adrienne sighed, twirling the broth in her bowl around a second, "I just gave him some Pepto-Bismol, attempted to cool his fever, put him back to bed, kissed him on the cheek and promised him soup in the morning. That's about all you can do."
There was another short pause in which Adrienne used to sip at her makeshift dinner.
"You know you're super woman, right?" Billie said softly.
Adrienne smiled, running a tired hand through her messy hair. "I'm far from it, Billie. You should see me now," she glanced down at her tank top and warm up bottoms, feeling her make up free face with her free hand.
"I am seeing you now," Billie responded, "And you look beautiful."
Adrienne chuckled, "Billie, as sweet as that is, you're in New York right now."
"Or am I?"
Adrienne paused and looked apprehensively around the kitchen. The need to see her husband had taken it's toll on her. Sleeping alone for 20 or so nights had done a silent sin against her purity, costing her more sleep than she was willing to give. Not to mention, the cold dread of tragedy still found it's way through the mountains of laundry, piles of homework, dishes of meals, cups of medicine, and piles of paperwork. She had filled her life with work so that maybe she could escape from reality--and she had done no wrong in the process. Being nothing but a role model mother. She was willing to saw off her right leg to have her children's father home, and more importantly--her other half.
"Look out the window," Billie laughed as he watched his wife turn circles in the kitchen.
Adrienne spun around to be greeted with Billie's smiling figure, separated through glass--yet present all the same. She froze, staring into his mesmerizing green eyes-- her mind calculating the probability that possibly the Advil she had taken earlier that day could have caused hallucinations. But no, it was Billie Joe--and it was her, and this was one of the most beautiful gifts life had thrown at her.
