Are You Afraid Of The Dark?, chapter 11
"What's happening? Why isn't he awake?" Billie Joe asked desperately.
"Sir, move please, we need to get to her."
"What's wrong with her? Is she gonna be ok? I promised she wouldn't die!!" The paramedics started shoving needles into Jane's arm and one was pushing down on her chest every few seconds to keep the blood pumping around her body. Billie Joe watched on tearfully as the paramedics tried to revive her. There was a jolt as they landed on top of the hospital and doctors rushed out to greet the helicopter.
Jane was hoisted onto a trolley and wheeled away rapidly. Billie Joe ran after the doctors so he could stay with her. They crashed into a ward and Billie Joe tried to follow but was stopped. "Sir, please wait out here, the doctors need to work on her." Billie Joe looked at the nurse while he bit his lip. His eyes slid over to the room where Jane was and he felt more tears build up in his eyes. He hadn't cried so much since he was ten. He nodded slowly and the nurse led him over to some seats. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked kindly. He shook his head in silence. The nurse sighed. "You need to talk?" Billie Joe nodded. "Spill."
"I think I love her... and I've known her four days... and I haven't told her... "
"Does she feel the same?"
"I don't know... I kissed her and her sister came in and now... " he broke down. The nurse put a comforting arm around him. "Her sister... who she's supported for seven years... her lazy ass of a sister! And she was laughing while we were waiting for the ambulance. She was fucking laughing!"
"Where's her sister now?" the nurse asked quietly.
"Mike and Tré are waiting for the cops. I don't know when they'll come... Jay felt so guilty for not letting us go straight away... and now look, because she was letting us go, look what happened!"
"Letting you go?" the nurse questioned.
"Her sister kidnapped us. And kept us in Jay's house. She doesn't have a house of her own; she doesn't even have a job. She's a leech. I... hope she dies... "
"You don't mean that really... you're just upset."
"No! I do! She kidnapped me and my friends, made people worry about us and now she's tried to kill Jay. If Jay dies I'm not gonna be able to... I'll have to... I want Sarah dead."
"Jay's not going to die. You have to believe in her. Believe that she'll be ok. It might take a while but she will be. You just have to pray and hope that she'll be ok. And when she wakes up and she smiles at you, you're gonna think 'how could I have actually thought she might die?' She sounds like a strong person, and I know you are," Billie Joe interrupted her.
"How do you know?" he asked.
"Honey, I've seen you on the TV too many times to not know who you are. You're that Billie Joe guy. But you know, you don't need people yelling happily when they see you so you want me to take you to a private room?"
"No, I wanna stay with Jay. I don't care about anything else. I wanna be here."
"Ok honey, I gotta go finish my shift, you take care of yourself yeah?" he nodded whilst staring at Jane. She got off the seat, touched his shoulder briefly in comfort and walked away.
Billie Joe's thoughts were interrupted by a loud bleeping. He stopped looking and started seeing. The machine measuring Jay's heart rate was emitting loud bleeps. The doctors were washing their hands and a nurse covered Jane with a blanket then walked away.
Billie Joe opened the door quietly. The nurse turned around before she left via another door. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Sorry... can I come and sit with her?"
"Yes, you can."
"Is she gonna be ok?"
"Yes, it was close, but she's going to be fine." Billie Joe sighed with relief. He sat down in a chair next to Jane. "Talk to her," the nurse said before she walked out of the ward.
"Hey Jay, really scared me there. You're not allowed to do that again. I... I really don't know what to say... " he looked at her taking in every aspect of her face. The gash on her cheek had heeled, leaving a thin white line barely visible unless you knew where you were looking. As he took in her appearance he noticed something on her arm.
Billie Joe pulled up the sleeve of her hospital gown to reveal a tattoo. The curly letters read 'Plain Jane'. "Oh Jay, you're anything but plain... " he looked at her sadly, did she really think she was plain? How could she with that bright red hair and those fantastically green eyes? "I might have to call you PJ though, just for the fun of it."
Billie Joe jumped when he heard the door open. He whipped around to see Tré and Mike looking slightly dishevelled. "She gonna be ok?" Mike asked. Billie Joe nodded.
"It was scary when you loaded that gun... " Billie Joe said quietly.
"Sorry man, I didn't know what else to do."
"It could have gone off."
"No great loss."
"I guess not... "
"You want some time alone?" Mike asked.
"No, I want you to stay. What happened with Sarah?"
Mike pulled up a chair and Tré followed suit. They launched into the story of how the police had finally arrived, thinking that Mike was the mad gunman. How Tré managed to convince them that he wasn't, after all why the fuck would Mike Dirnt be pointing a gun at some random chick for no reason after being kidnapped - the proof being the gags, chairs and rope. Along with the ransom phone calls and press appeals. Sarah had been arrested and taken to jail, where she would be questioned, tried and hopefully convicted. One of the other police cars had given Mike and Tré a ride to the hospital and they had to argue with a receptionist who wouldn't tell them where Jane was.. And then a nurse came along and showed them the way. "She said she'd spoken to you Bill... "
"Oh right, yeah she's a great nurse."
They sat there for hours, Mike and Tré sometimes trying to break the silence and failing miserably. It was so much easier to let Billie Joe sit in silence while he held Jane's hand, so that's how they left it. "I'm going to get something to eat, you want something?" Mike said finally. It was dark and they'd been in the ward all day. Billie Joe shook his head and Tré got up.
"I think I'll come with you, see what there is to have... " They walked out of the ward and left Billie Joe alone with Jane.
"Wake up Jay, please... " Billie Joe walked over to the counter and poured himself a glass of water. There was an open magazine next to the jug and it caught his eye.
The page showed an advert. For a CD. And not just any CD. It was entitled 'Songs about Jane'. Billie Joe froze; his glass of water halfway to his lips. He stared at the advert until Mike and Tré came back.
"Whatcha looking at Bill?" Tré asked curiously. Billie Joe set down his glass of water and grabbed his jacket.
"Call me if anything happens." Mike and Tré looked after him strangely as he dashed out of the ward. Mike picked up the magazine and smiled.
"I think," he said, "that dear old Billie Joe has gone to get his new love a gift." Tré grinned when he saw the advert.
Billie Joe returned a half hour later with a small bag. "There's a CD player here right?" Tré nodded and gestured to an old stereo sitting in the corner of the room. Billie Joe got the CD out of the bag, opened the case quickly and put the CD into the player. He skipped through a few songs until he found the right one. "This is the song, it'll work, I know it." As the song progressed and Billie Joe stared at Jane hopefully, she showed no signs of waking up.
"Bill give it some time... the doctor said it could be a few weeks before she wakes up. But he said she will wake up. Her body just needs to recuperate."
"I guess... " Billie Joe sat down at the side of Jane's bed and held onto her hand, getting ready to face the long night in the hospital, the words from the song he'd just put on resounding in his mind.
I don't mind spending everyday,
Out on your corner in the pouring rain,
Look for the girl with the broken smile,
Ask her if she wants to stay a while,
She will be loved.
"Sir, move please, we need to get to her."
"What's wrong with her? Is she gonna be ok? I promised she wouldn't die!!" The paramedics started shoving needles into Jane's arm and one was pushing down on her chest every few seconds to keep the blood pumping around her body. Billie Joe watched on tearfully as the paramedics tried to revive her. There was a jolt as they landed on top of the hospital and doctors rushed out to greet the helicopter.
Jane was hoisted onto a trolley and wheeled away rapidly. Billie Joe ran after the doctors so he could stay with her. They crashed into a ward and Billie Joe tried to follow but was stopped. "Sir, please wait out here, the doctors need to work on her." Billie Joe looked at the nurse while he bit his lip. His eyes slid over to the room where Jane was and he felt more tears build up in his eyes. He hadn't cried so much since he was ten. He nodded slowly and the nurse led him over to some seats. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked kindly. He shook his head in silence. The nurse sighed. "You need to talk?" Billie Joe nodded. "Spill."
"I think I love her... and I've known her four days... and I haven't told her... "
"Does she feel the same?"
"I don't know... I kissed her and her sister came in and now... " he broke down. The nurse put a comforting arm around him. "Her sister... who she's supported for seven years... her lazy ass of a sister! And she was laughing while we were waiting for the ambulance. She was fucking laughing!"
"Where's her sister now?" the nurse asked quietly.
"Mike and Tré are waiting for the cops. I don't know when they'll come... Jay felt so guilty for not letting us go straight away... and now look, because she was letting us go, look what happened!"
"Letting you go?" the nurse questioned.
"Her sister kidnapped us. And kept us in Jay's house. She doesn't have a house of her own; she doesn't even have a job. She's a leech. I... hope she dies... "
"You don't mean that really... you're just upset."
"No! I do! She kidnapped me and my friends, made people worry about us and now she's tried to kill Jay. If Jay dies I'm not gonna be able to... I'll have to... I want Sarah dead."
"Jay's not going to die. You have to believe in her. Believe that she'll be ok. It might take a while but she will be. You just have to pray and hope that she'll be ok. And when she wakes up and she smiles at you, you're gonna think 'how could I have actually thought she might die?' She sounds like a strong person, and I know you are," Billie Joe interrupted her.
"How do you know?" he asked.
"Honey, I've seen you on the TV too many times to not know who you are. You're that Billie Joe guy. But you know, you don't need people yelling happily when they see you so you want me to take you to a private room?"
"No, I wanna stay with Jay. I don't care about anything else. I wanna be here."
"Ok honey, I gotta go finish my shift, you take care of yourself yeah?" he nodded whilst staring at Jane. She got off the seat, touched his shoulder briefly in comfort and walked away.
Billie Joe's thoughts were interrupted by a loud bleeping. He stopped looking and started seeing. The machine measuring Jay's heart rate was emitting loud bleeps. The doctors were washing their hands and a nurse covered Jane with a blanket then walked away.
Billie Joe opened the door quietly. The nurse turned around before she left via another door. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Sorry... can I come and sit with her?"
"Yes, you can."
"Is she gonna be ok?"
"Yes, it was close, but she's going to be fine." Billie Joe sighed with relief. He sat down in a chair next to Jane. "Talk to her," the nurse said before she walked out of the ward.
"Hey Jay, really scared me there. You're not allowed to do that again. I... I really don't know what to say... " he looked at her taking in every aspect of her face. The gash on her cheek had heeled, leaving a thin white line barely visible unless you knew where you were looking. As he took in her appearance he noticed something on her arm.
Billie Joe pulled up the sleeve of her hospital gown to reveal a tattoo. The curly letters read 'Plain Jane'. "Oh Jay, you're anything but plain... " he looked at her sadly, did she really think she was plain? How could she with that bright red hair and those fantastically green eyes? "I might have to call you PJ though, just for the fun of it."
Billie Joe jumped when he heard the door open. He whipped around to see Tré and Mike looking slightly dishevelled. "She gonna be ok?" Mike asked. Billie Joe nodded.
"It was scary when you loaded that gun... " Billie Joe said quietly.
"Sorry man, I didn't know what else to do."
"It could have gone off."
"No great loss."
"I guess not... "
"You want some time alone?" Mike asked.
"No, I want you to stay. What happened with Sarah?"
Mike pulled up a chair and Tré followed suit. They launched into the story of how the police had finally arrived, thinking that Mike was the mad gunman. How Tré managed to convince them that he wasn't, after all why the fuck would Mike Dirnt be pointing a gun at some random chick for no reason after being kidnapped - the proof being the gags, chairs and rope. Along with the ransom phone calls and press appeals. Sarah had been arrested and taken to jail, where she would be questioned, tried and hopefully convicted. One of the other police cars had given Mike and Tré a ride to the hospital and they had to argue with a receptionist who wouldn't tell them where Jane was.. And then a nurse came along and showed them the way. "She said she'd spoken to you Bill... "
"Oh right, yeah she's a great nurse."
They sat there for hours, Mike and Tré sometimes trying to break the silence and failing miserably. It was so much easier to let Billie Joe sit in silence while he held Jane's hand, so that's how they left it. "I'm going to get something to eat, you want something?" Mike said finally. It was dark and they'd been in the ward all day. Billie Joe shook his head and Tré got up.
"I think I'll come with you, see what there is to have... " They walked out of the ward and left Billie Joe alone with Jane.
"Wake up Jay, please... " Billie Joe walked over to the counter and poured himself a glass of water. There was an open magazine next to the jug and it caught his eye.
The page showed an advert. For a CD. And not just any CD. It was entitled 'Songs about Jane'. Billie Joe froze; his glass of water halfway to his lips. He stared at the advert until Mike and Tré came back.
"Whatcha looking at Bill?" Tré asked curiously. Billie Joe set down his glass of water and grabbed his jacket.
"Call me if anything happens." Mike and Tré looked after him strangely as he dashed out of the ward. Mike picked up the magazine and smiled.
"I think," he said, "that dear old Billie Joe has gone to get his new love a gift." Tré grinned when he saw the advert.
Billie Joe returned a half hour later with a small bag. "There's a CD player here right?" Tré nodded and gestured to an old stereo sitting in the corner of the room. Billie Joe got the CD out of the bag, opened the case quickly and put the CD into the player. He skipped through a few songs until he found the right one. "This is the song, it'll work, I know it." As the song progressed and Billie Joe stared at Jane hopefully, she showed no signs of waking up.
"Bill give it some time... the doctor said it could be a few weeks before she wakes up. But he said she will wake up. Her body just needs to recuperate."
"I guess... " Billie Joe sat down at the side of Jane's bed and held onto her hand, getting ready to face the long night in the hospital, the words from the song he'd just put on resounding in his mind.
I don't mind spending everyday,
Out on your corner in the pouring rain,
Look for the girl with the broken smile,
Ask her if she wants to stay a while,
She will be loved.
