Charlotte's Web

An ambulance had to make yet another appearance at the Armstrong residence within a week. This time though, it was here to pick up Billie Joe Armstrong, who had been shot in the chest and Danny Summers, who had also been shot in the chest.

Adrienne ran next to the stretcher of her husband that was headed to the back of the ambulance. Billie Joe was strapped down, pale from loss of blood, and his eyes were closed. "Billie Joe," She cried, "Don't you dare leave me. Don't you dare." She gripped his weak hand as she cried and continued to command him to open his eyes or to say something.

"Ma'am," A paramedic said as he began to pull the hysterical woman away. "You cannot come with us in the ambulance, he's in critical condition. You'll have to follow." He ignored her tearful protests and closed the ambulance doors.

Adrienne sobbed uncontrollably as the ambulance pulled away with its flashing lights and whirring noises, her hand over her mouth as she tried to control her emotions. She quickly turned and ran back up the stairs, shoving policemen and CSI out of the way until she reached her and Billie Joe's bedroom.

She creaked open the closet door and walked into the large walk-in room. She pulled aside some pants that were hanging on a lower bar next to the wall to reveal her three small children. "Hey guys." She knelt down and hugged all three of them to her chest. Joey was holding little McKenna in his arms. "It's going to be okay. Where's Charlotte."

Joey shrugged as the teenager in question came through the door, Spike following behind her. "We hid in the bathroom. We squeezed underneath the sink. Where's Billie Joe?"

"Yeah, where's dad?" Joey asked as McKenna became fussy.

Adrienne took McKenna and tried to soothe her while she attempted to keep her emotions in check. "Your daddy....has been shot. He's on his way to the hospital and that's where we're going so go get dressed and hurry."

Jakob looked at her with wide eyes. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," Adrienne lied. In truth, Billie Joe looked horrible and she wasn't sure if he would come home again. "He'll be fine, they just have to fix him up. Go get dressed."

Joey and Jakob quickly left the room to go get dressed. As the sounds of their feet were heard in the hallway, Adrienne buried her face in the top of McKenna's downy head and started to cry.

"How is he really?" Charlotte asked as she pulled Adrienne into a hug. Spike stood nervously to the side, unsure of what to do.

"Bad." Adrienne sobbed. "He was shot in the chest through his back. He lost so much blood and the paramedic said he was in critical condition. I can't loose him, I can't."

Charlotte continued to rock Adrienne until she had composed herself enough to put on some clothes and Spike drove them to the hospital.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Adrienne waited in the waiting room of the hospital with her family. Billie Joe's mom, Mike, Tre', Jason, and others were there as well, waiting on news. Adrienne held McKenna as she bit her lip with worry. It had been several hours. Why haven't they said anything yet?

Mike came over and put an arm around Adrienne. "Adie," He said softly, "I have no doubt that Billie Joe is going to get through this. You guys have been through so much and Danny will not break you apart. He's tried but you and Billie Joe always win and you're going to do it again."

Adrienne looked at her husband's band mate. Time had settled in small ways on Mike's face that weren't there when they were in their early twenties; back when they were young and stupid. Small laugh lines around his eyes, very similar to the ones Billie Joe sported, indicated that they were now all older, wiser, and stupider. "Wow Mike, that was deep. I didn't know you had it in you."

Mike grinned and gave a half-hearted shrug. "I try. No, but seriously, he's going to get through this. And you know it."

"Thanks Mike." Adrienne said as McKenna started to whimper. "Oh, it's okay baby. She's just worried about her daddy."She told Mike as she bounced McKenna in her arms a bit.

"Let me see her." Mike took McKenna gently from Adrienne's arms and held her up to his chest. McKenna quieted down and sucked her thumb. "So it was Danny that leaked your pregnancy to the press wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Adrienne responded. "It doesn't matter now though."

"Mrs. Armstrong?"

Adrienne looked up to see a doctor in his white lab coat. "Yes. How is he?"

The doctor gave a smile. "He'll be fine. The bullet grazed his heart but he will recover and be fine. He just needs rest mainly. You can see him now if you want. Please limit the number of people in the room though."

"Okay," Adrienne nodded her head. "Thank you doctor."

Mike gave McKenna back to Adrienne. "You take kids now, we'll wait."

Adrienne gave him a thankful smile as she ushered Charlotte, Joey and Jakob down the hall to where they were told Billie Joe's room was. Adrienne held on to McKenna tightly, the tiny baby was asleep in her mother's arms.

Joey opened the door slowly and was the first to see his dad laying on a hospital bed, gauze evident through the thin gown he was wearing. He felt so timid and small. "Dad?"

Billie Joe turned his head and gave a smile at his son, who was gripping the doorknob nervously. "Hey buddy, come here."

Joey let go of the knob and ran and hugged his dad tightly.

"Oh," Billie Joe tried not to wince in pain but it was rather difficult from Joey's ferocious grip.

Joey backed away sharply. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

Billie Joe gave an airy laugh, his pain wouldn't let him do any other kind. "No. Well, just a bit but don't worry about it."

Jakob stood next to his brother and looked shyly up at his father. It was strange seeing his dad laying in one spot and not moving around. "Are you going to be okay?" Jakob asked sensitively, his dark, Adrienne eyes, wide with concern and curiosity.

"I'll be fine." Billie Joe insisted as he ruffled Jakob's hair. "I just got a hurtie but I'll be fine."

A muffled laughing couch caught his attention. "Yes Charlotte, I said 'hurtie.' Bite me." He opened his arms. "Come here Lady."

Charlotte hugged Billie Joe as tightly as she dared. "You shitty old man," She whispered in his ear. "You're always getting into crap." She let go and revealed the tears in her eyes.

"Yeah, well, you make me get into this crap. I used to be a lot heathier, richer and I had less gray hair and less unwanted holes in my body before I met you."

"You have gray hair? Lemme see." Charlotte, tears gone, tried to look through his hair for the stray grays but Billie Joe fought her off.

"Go away or I'll call the nurse. She looks like a female version of that weird wrestling guy with the bald head. Go away." Billie Joe warned as the last two people stepped up to his bed and caught his attention. "Adie." He breathed as his wife leaned down and kissed him full on the lips. "I love you."

She touched his face lovingly. "I love you too. I didn't know what to think when they were putting you on that stretcher and..."

Billie Joe put a finger on her lips. "Don't worry about it. They caught him, I'm fine, we're all here, don't worry about it." He kissed her again. "And here is my baby girl." He took McKenna, who was still sleeping, and tried to cradle her in his arms without waking her or causing him pain. "You know," He stated as he looked down at her. "She kinda looks like me. She has my nose, my feet..."

"Billie Joe, all babies have little feet. Yours just didn't grow." Charlotte sighed dramatically about Billie Joe's petite feet.

"That's it, where's my call button." Billie Joe vainly tried to look for his call button for the wrestling nurse.

McKenna whimpered a bit and Billie Joe stopped his movements. "Did you bring a bottle?" He whispered to Adrienne.

"Uh, no. I guess we forgot to." Adrienne gave a guilty look. "Crap."

"Someone is going to be hungry and fussy in a few hours and it's going to be mommy's job to do something about it, not daddy's." Billie Joe said to McKenna, who was still asleep.

"Great. She's going to cry all the way home." Joey grumbled from his chair he was sharing with Jakob that was next to the bed. It was very early in the morning and nobody had gotten any sleep so they were all a little testy.

Nobody decided to comment.

"She does look like you though." Adrienne said as she brushed down the downy dark hair of McKenna.

"Well why wouldn't she?" Jakob asked in a very 'duh' sort of voice.

"No reason." Billie Joe answered. He slid a glance to Adrienne.

"None at all." Adrienne agreed.