Tre's Angel

Adrienne was at the hospital door as Tre approached. He felt calm actually for some reason and he didn’t know why. Adrienne looked pale and she was chewing on her thumbnail.

“Tre,” she said coming towards him and giving him a hug, “there’s something I need to say to you,” she said.

”What is it Adrienne?” said Tre with suddenly scared eyes.

Billie came up to Adrienne and took his wife in his arms as she spoke to Tre.

“Angel’s parents are already here, apparently as soon as they got back from the hotel they got a call from the hospital saying… saying that there is a donor heart waiting. They have a heart donor and its come at the right time, its Angel’s last chance the doctors have said.”

“Oh my god,” said Tre. “Just how ill is she? What the fuck happened?”

“She passed out in the hotel lobby and apparently she’s …veryill. She’s having trouble breathing and talking so you can’t stay with her for long and chat, her parents are in there now and they’ve spoken to the doctor but they need to speak to you, you’re her husband so its really up to you.”

“Oh sweet Jesus,” said Tre covering his face with his hands.

“Yes Tre, its up to you whether you let Angel have this operation or not.” She said hating every minute of this; watching Angel suffer and watching Tre suffer too. She was so glad that Billie was here and was holding her tight. She felt she might faint too.

“Oh my god Adi,” said Tre rubbing his hands through his hair.

Then Adrienne left her husband’s side and went to Tre. “I know honey but… they need to know as soon as possible.”

**

Angel’s parents, Ron, Tre and the Doctor were all talking quietly and the doctor made it clear that this was Angel’s last chance, the operation was a dangerous one obviously but it could be Angel’s chance, a chance to live and breath and to carry on as normal.

“I think she should have the operation,” Tre said to the doctor.

Ron put his arm around Tre then and Angel’s mother started crying and sniffing into a tissue.

“What does everyone else think?” Asked Tre looking at the pale drawn faces.

“We think you’re right Tre,” said Ron’s dad. “What other choice do we have? Of course we want her to have a chance.”

“But my baby, she could die on the operating table,” sniffed Angel’s mother but her husband just held her to him.

“But this is her chance. Her chance to live and be happy,” said Tre his eyes filling up and feeling in a daze because this was finally happening, the very thing he dreaded.

“At least she has this once chance,” said Ron. “What if there were no heart for her? Then we would have to watch her die, right there, right here, and probably soon.”

“Don’t Ron please,” said Angel’s mum.

“Its true mum, Angel hasn’t got that long now, the doctor said a couple of weeks at very most and we’d have to sit by and watch her deteriorate. I can’t do that.” Angel’s brother said, his eyes puffy and red where he’d been crying earlier.

“Neither can I,” said Tre.

“Then the decision has been made,” said Ron.

“Yes. She should have the operation,” said Tre then sighing and hoping that he’d made the right choice for his Angel.

Then Angel’s mother started sobbing loudly and like a Mexican wave, one by one the four of them started sobbing openly because they knew it was their last chance to cry before they had to be calm for Angel.

Suddenly Tre pulled away.

“I have to see her now,” he said then walked out of the room.

**

On his way to the room that Angel was in Billie had approached Tre and told him that they were cancelling the Paris gig for the next night. It was obvious that Tre wouldn’t be able to play and neither could they, it was a dreadful situation. Tre was fine about it and it was the one and only gig that they’d ever had to cancel. They didn’t give the fans a real explanation either but he was sure that once they knew, they would fully understand.

**

She was an Angel lying there thought Tre. He’d been sitting there for ages and nothing had changed. She was asleep and hadn’t spoken to him yet but suddenly she opened her blue eyes wide and looked straight at him.

“I’m… sorry Tre, I …didn’t overdo it, I’m …sorry,” she said tears forming in her huge scared blue eyes and her voice a mere croaky whisper, it was obvious to Tre that she found it difficult to speak.

“Its OK sweetheart,” he had said to her, taking her small hand in his. A very small, very cold hand.

“Tre?” She whispered then breathed heavily catching her breath

“What is it honey?” Asked Tre who couldn’t take his eyes off her surprising himself by realising once again how beautiful she was, even in her current state.

“I’m… scared,” she croaked.

This broke his heart but he couldn’t show it.

“I know you are but you know what? I’m not moving from this spot so if you need anything, anything at all I’m right here,” he said reaching up to stroke her hair off her forehead.

“I love… you,” she whispered.

“And I love you and I have a gift for you. You want it now?” He said smiling at his wife.

“OK.”

Then Tre went into his jacket pocket and brought out two items.

“I’ve actually bought myself something too,” he said, “but let me show you yours first.”

He opened a small packet wrapped in bright yellow tissue paper; it was a silver brooch, two drumsticks crossed over, to form an X, like a kiss.

“This is yours, a pair of drumsticks, just to remind you of me,” he said.

“As if… as if I can… forget,” she said as Tre pinned the brooch onto her bed gown.

“And this is mine,” he said unwrapping a similar looking parcel.

It was another brooch, this time a silver angel with tiny wings.

“And this is to remind me of you,” he said pining it onto his t shirt.

“An… angel,” she whispered.

“Just like you,” he replied.

“Except…that one hasn’t got…a broken heart.” She said but he didn’t answer, he couldn’t speak for an instant.

“Tre?” she said looking up at him with her crystal blue eyes, very much similar to his own.

“Yes sweetheart,” he said stroking gently on her hand with his thumb.
“If… if the operation doesn’t….work will you….do something for me?” she asked of him.

“Oh Angel don’t speak like that, think positive,” said Tre hating this conversation.

“No I…. have to say….this,” she said finding it harder and harder to speak.

“Will you….tell your children about me,” she managed.

“Of course I will, why wouldn’t I?”

“I wanted so… much to meet them and be a…..part of your family,” she said.

“You still can, you will,” insisted Tre.

“But just in…. in case I don’t get….that chance I had to….let you know that I feel bad for sometimes…thinking I wish Id….never met you because its not fair….on you and I’ve caused…. you such sadness.”

“You’ve brought me so much happiness too though Angel, don’t forget that.

“Tre, I love you….and I….wish it could have been… ,” she was having difficulty breathing.

“Please don’t speak anymore baby,” said Tre hating to watch his Angel struggling with her breath.

“But… I have to… just…. let me… finish.”

“You have such beautiful…children, gorgeous and…. I wish I could have…met them,” she said, “and I wish I could have grown…old with you… travelled… done all those…. things and… had your child.. I love you…Tre, so much.”

Tre kissed her on her cracked lips then, telling her he loved her as his tears fell onto her gown.

Angel didn’t even brush them aside, she was too weak but she didn’t want to brush them away she just let her husbands tears seep through her gown and onto her skin.

**

“So this is it honey,” said Tre walking alongside Angel’s bed as they wheeled her to theatre. He was leaning over, practically in the bed himself, he wanted to get in the bed with her, to hold her close to him as they wheeled her into the clinical operating theatre.

But then he had to let go of her hand, well, they had to prise his hand away as she whispered to him, “Tre I….love….you so much.”

“And I love you too Angel,” he said as he backed out of the operating room, not wanting to take his eyes from her.

Then they all went and sat in the relatives room and they sat and sat, drank coffee, bit their nails, paced, looked out the window but not really looking at anything in particular.

For about 7 hours they did this until the operation was complete then someone opened the door. Every one of them turned, Tre, Ron, Angel’s parents, Adrienne, Billie, Mike and a couple of other crew members that had grown attached to Angel all turned to see who it was.

It was the surgeon who had conducted the operation and he had come to tell them all how the operation had gone…

…and how Angel was.