"Who Would've Thought Getting Knocked Down Would End So Well?"

Billie Joe shot me an undecipherable look as he stepped out of the elevator with Drew, Claudia, Frankito, and Mike. Our eye contact was ended almost as quickly as it had been initiated when Billie Joe looked away, his emerald eyes having shifted to look at something - anything - but me. Averting my own gaze, I focused on the four people who had arrived with him.

Ramona ran into Claudia’s arms excitedly as I reluctantly raised myself from my seat to greet the others. I feigned a smile. The sympathetic look on everyone’s faces made it painfully clear that they were fully aware of the tension between Billie Joe and I. Nonetheless, today was not about Billie Joe and I, it was about Tre, and I needed to put my own issues aside for the moment. Walking towards the group of people I had now come to know as my good friends, I opened my mouth to speak but was interrupted.

“My dad’s awake!” Ramona yelled. She happily told the tale of Tre’s awakening. “ ... and then I came back with a doctor and a nurse and they’re in there right now!”

Claudia laughed as her tears began to flow, relief washing over her. She turned so we were facing one another. “Thank you for being here, Amelia. I’m glad that when Tre woke up he had company, especially you. You’ve been such a dedicated friend to him and to all of us. How can I ever thank you enough?”

Overwhelmed by the gratitude Claudia had just displayed, I could do nothing but smile weakly. As she moved forward and claimed me in an embrace, my own tears started to flow. I was so relieved that Tre was awake; two weeks of fear and concern were over and the emotions were coursing through my body, inundating my senses. I began to sob violently for what had happened to Tre and Mike, but also as a result of the tension between Billie Joe and I. As soon as one problem had been resolved, another had reared its ugly head. Everything around me vanished, and at that moment the only thing that mattered was that moment with Claudia.

I closed my eyes as Claudia enveloped me in a warm embrace. For that instant I felt safe; I silently wished that I could remain this way forever. Eventually releasing Claudia from my death grip, I brushed away a few stray tears with the back of my hand. It was a bittersweet moment for me. When I reopened my eyes, I realized that everyone was watching us, including passers by. Billie Joe had also been watching, the expression on his face unreadable yet again. Avoiding eye contact with him, I headed towards one of the chairs lining the corridor, suddenly feeling drained of energy.

A silence fell upon the six of us as we settled into the seats lining the hallway outside Tre’s room, waiting for the doctor and nurse to come out. Drew sat beside me, his hand resting atop my own, squeezing reassuringly every once in a while. Billie Joe sat at the far end of the row of plastic chairs, next to Mike. Billie Joe hadn’t spoken a word since arriving at the hospital and, worse than that, had barely acknowledged my presence except to glare at me every so often. The tense silence that settled upon us began to weigh upon me; I needed to get away for a moment, take a walk. Standing up suddenly, all eyes focused upon my unsure, slouching frame. Smoothing my shirt and grabbing my purse, I turned towards Drew.

“I’m just going to get some fresh air.” I then looked at the rest of my friends, avoiding Billie Joe’s sudden frown. “I’ll be back soon.” They nodded slightly as I departed quickly, refusing to look at Billie Joe who was now watching me intently.

“Should I go check on her?” I detected concern in Claudia’s voice as she observed my retreating form.

Drew spoke up. “Nah, just give her some space. She just needs some time alone.” I smirked; Drew knew me better than anyone. It was the last thing I heard before stepping into the elevator.

Reaching the outside of the hospital, I leaned against one of its cool brick walls. Sighing, I closed my eyes. I just wanted everything to be normal between Billie Joe and I but I was fully aware that a confrontation would likely have to occur before a reconciliation could be reached. I was still so upset with him. I felt as though he did not trust me when it came to Tre; Tre and I were good friends and nothing but. Besides, if I had stayed home with Billie Joe today, I wouldn’t have been at the hospital when Tre woke up. Balling my hands into fists, I became angry all over again.

“You ok?”

I turned to see Mike watching me, concern etched on his face. He too, leaned against the wall, a large coffee cup resting comfortably in his right hand. I watched distractedly as wisps of steam danced upwards from the top of his cup, only to be whisked away by the cool afternoon breeze. Snapping out of my stupor, I surveyed Mike’s kind face. He watched me carefully, his blue eyes sparkling with curiosity as he continued to stare at me.

“I’m fine.” Mike looked unconvinced as he watched me kick a few small pebbles around, suddenly avoiding eye contact with him.

“Fine, Mike, I’m not ok. What’s Billie Joe’s problem, anyway? I never thought he’d be the jealous type.” I stopped mid-sentence when I noticed Billie Joe standing behind Mike. With my mouth agape, I looked away from Billie Joe and turned to stare at Mike in disbelief. How could he have sprung Billie Joe on me like that? Mike, fully aware of what I was thinking, raised his hands in protest.

“Hey, don’t blame me, I didn’t bring him here, he must have followed me.” If looks could kill, Mike would have already caught on fire. While I contemplated this idea, I was shaken from my daydream when Billie Joe cleared his throat.

“Mike’s not lying.”

When I remained silent, Mike spoke up. “Well, I’m going to head back inside, see if I’m allowed to visit Tre yet.”

When neither of us spoke, Mike continued to ramble. “Ok, then. See you two in a bit.” Heading towards the automatic doors, Mike walked back inside without looking back. Billie Joe shoved his hands deep into his pockets and glanced at me timidly. Sighing deeply, he inched towards me.

“Can we talk?”

I decided to give Billie Joe the chance to explain this morning’s outburst and his sudden display of jealousy.

“Yeah, we probably should.” There was a pause as each of us waited for the other to begin talking and ultimately apologize. After what seemed like an eternity but was likely only a few minutes later, Billie Joe broke the silence.

“I’m sorry for the way I acted this morning. I was an asshole.”

“Yeah you were,” I spat back

Billie Joe grinned in defeat, realizing that I would not make this easy for him. “I just-” he trailed off, trying to collect his thoughts and present his argument in a manner that could justify his reaction this morning. He seemed to decide against telling me whatever it was that he desired to say and instead closed his mouth and remained silent, reconsidering his approach.

Lifting my eyes to glance at Billie Joe’s face, I noticed a sadness in his countenance that was reflected in his eyes. I felt myself beginning to soften towards him, my defences already weakening. Moving towards him slowly, our eyes met. Holding one another’s gaze for the first time since our fight, we seemed to each have forgiven the other without words.

“Go on.” I encouraged Billie Joe to continue what he was saying, making him aware that I was ready to hear him out.

“Amelia, do you ... do you regret moving in with me?”

Billie Joe’s question threw me off guard. Did he regret me moving in? “No Billie Joe, of course not, I’m happy that we’re living together and taking this step forward in our relationship.” Pausing, I debated whether I should ask him the same thing though I was afraid of the answer.

“Do you regret asking me to move in?”

Billie Joe’s eyes opened wide with surprise. “No, of course not.” Releasing the breath I did not realize I had been holding, I began to relax.

“I didn’t mean for you to think that I regretted asking you to move in. I guess I worded that badly, I’m sorry.” I nodded. “It’s just that since the incident you’ve been at the hospital all day, every day, visiting Tre which is far above and beyond the call of duty of any friend. Mike and I haven’t even been here as often as you have, and we’re his best friends.”

I still was not sure where Billie Joe was going with this so I remained silent, encouraging him to continue. “And at first I started to think that perhaps you had feelings for Tre, as more than a friend.”

I opened my mouth to protest but Billie Joe raised his hand to indicate that he wanted me to hear him out. “But not long after, I realized that I was being stupid and paranoid. You and I love each other and I trust you.”

“I love you too.”

“I know.” He pushed his hands deeper into his pockets and looked straight into my soul with his piercing green eyes.

“Then another thought crossed my mind. Since the accident, you and I have not spent much time together though we now live together. I began to think that perhaps you regretted moving in with me, and that you were unhappy. I thought that maybe you spent every waking moment at the hospital as a way to spend as little time as possible at home and were afraid to tell me that you wanted to move out. And during our fight you mentioned that if we hadn’t moved in together, Mike and Tre would have been ok. I was sure that you regretted moving in with me.” He took a deep breath. “I’m just so afraid to lose you, Amelia. You mean the world to me.”

I could not believe the thoughts that had been plaguing Billie Joe’s mind for the past two weeks. I did not realize that what I had said this morning had had such an impact on him. It was only now that I realized why he hadn’t looked at me in the hospital, he thought I regretted living with him, and possibly even our entire relationship. Billie Joe looked at me expectantly, waiting for my reply.

“Billie Joe, I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to make you believe that I did not want to live with you, although, now that I think back to this morning, you couldn’t have taken what I said in any other way.” Taking a shaky breath, I continued. “I’ve been at the hospital so much because I care about Mike and Tre so much as friends, and I know that if I had been hospitalized for some reason, they would have done the same for me. Besides, I did not want Tre to wake up and not find anyone there when he awoke. But I should have made time for us, especially during this huge transition in our lives. No matter how busy you’ve been, you’ve always made time for me. I love you, Billie Joe. I want to be with you, and grow old with you.”

Billie Joe smiled at my last statement. “And you should trust me, because it’s you I want to be with, not Tre, or anyone else.” He looked relieved.

“It sounds silly, but sometimes I still get caught up in the fact that you’re in Green Day.”

Billie Joe looked at me strangely, wondering what I meant. He scrunched his nose. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not in the way you think. You have dealt with so much in your life, personally and with your fame, but you’re still just a regular guy. And sometimes I forget that. You’re so confident and self-assured all the time. As stupid as it sounds, sometimes I forget that you have insecurities, and flaws, and problems. And you’re allowed to; Lord knows I have my own issues. But just remember that I’ll be here to help you through the rough patches, Billie Joe. But you need to talk to me so I know what’s going on in that head of yours before the situation, whatever it may be, can escalate.”

“I will,” he promised.

Billie Joe took his hands out of his pockets and moved towards me, eliminating the space between us. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he leaned in to kiss me. I closed my eyes and relished the sensation. Billie Joe and I had just survived our first real fight, and it had brought us closer together.

Ending our kiss, Billie Joe peered into my soul with his glowing emerald orbs. “Will you forgive me?” He searched my eyes, waiting for a reply. Nodding, I claimed his lips in another passionate kiss.

I was startled when I felt a hand on my shoulder since I could feel both of Billie Joe’s hands on the small of my back, holding me close. Breaking from our kiss, I turned and saw Mike watching the two of us with a smile on his face and amusement in his crystal blue eyes.

“Sorry to interrupt, but Tre is asking for you two.”

Billie Joe seemed excited by the news. “We can see him now?”

Mike nodded. “Yup. Let’s go.”

Mike led the way as I grabbed Billie Joe’s hand in mine and headed back into the hospital.