Not Enough Mike Stories So Here's One
The Heart Attack
"So that was Famous Last Words by My Chemical Romance." I say smoothly into the microphone."There's a lot of controvercy with that band," Johnny says casually, "I mean, some people say they're metal, but the metal community won't take them. Then people call them emo, but they're not all that emo either, and their sounds are too crisp for punk."
"Why does it even matter?" I chortle, "I mean, you either like their music or you don't? Why do you have to categorize them? Let's just say they actually put something original out there."
"Fair enough." he replies, "I went to the show actually, they're quite theatrical."
"Yeah, them and Panic! At the Disco, have very elaborate stage shows."
"Jade!" one of the interns hisses at me from the door way. I motion to her as if to ask what she wanted, "Phone, its an emergency!" Johnny nods to me.
"And now our Jadey-gal is being called off." he says comically, "But we have The Red Jumpsuit Aparatus to keep us occupied."
I take off my headphones and head out the door where the phone is waiting for me.
"Hello?"
"Jade!" my mother gasps, "Your father just had a heart attack."
"What?!" I exclaim, "Is he okay? What's happening?"
"We're at the hospital now, and he's in the ICU."
"I'm on my way." I say hanging up the phone.
After quickly telling my boss what happened I head out of the building and start driving towards Sacremento. Halfway there I realize no one's going to be there to pick Maddy up after school. I pull out my cellphone and go to call Dehlia but soon realize she's probably on her way to Sacremento now too. I scroll the numbers and see Lyle's. Might as well.
"Hello?" he answers.
"Lyle, its Jade."
"Oh hey, what's up?"
"Umm, my dad just had a heart attack so I'm heading home, do you think you'd be able to go to San Francisco and pick Maddy up from school?"
"Uhh okay, what time?"
"She finishes at three-thirty." I say quickly as I keep my eyes on the highway, "But if you can't I could find someone else."
"Its okay, but, uhh what do I do with her after, do I bring her home with me, or go back to your place or what?"
"Umm, well she has house keys so take her to go get her stuff and then take her back to your place."
"So, can I have her for the weekend then?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, so three thirty?"
"Yeah, do you know where her school is?" I ask.
"What's it called?"
"Gabriel Ropert Elementry."
"Okay, I'll look it up."
"Thanks again." I sigh as I hang up my phone.
Just as I reach the exit for Sacremento, my phone starts ringing.
"Hello?"
"Hey!" Mike's voice says happily, "Wanna do something tonight?"
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"I'm in Sacremento."
"Umm why?" he asks with a slight chuckle.
"My dad had a heart attack today."
"Oh shit, is he okay?"
"I don't know yet. I still haven't gotten to the hospital."
"Okay, what about Maddy?"
"Lyle is taking care of her."
"You could've called me." he says quietly.
"I uhh, didn't want to impose."
"Impose? Don't be ridiculous, Maddy's a great kid."
"Yeah, well Lyle's been bugging me to have her for the weekend and yeah-" I say lamely.
"Well alright, let me know what's happening." he says in a kind of down voice.
"Alright, bye."
"Love ya."
"Love ya too." I say as I hang up my phone.
I pull into the hospital parking lot before heading to the front desk.
"Can you tell me which room Kenneth Prelia is in?" I ask nervously.
"Room 752." the receptionist says after clicking away on her computer. I head towards the elevators and take one up to the seventh floor where I see my mother's silhouette from a nearby room instantly. I hurry towards it and she grabs me into a hug right away.
My mother cries against my shoulder for a while, I see my father lying on the bed, with about a million things plugged into him.
"Have you heard from the doctor yet?" I ask.
"They're still running tests." she sobs.
"He'll be fine." I reassure her, "Its Dad, he's invincible." she sort a half-laughs as she hugs me again.
"Oh you're here already." Dahlia says joining us in the room, my mother pulls both of us into a death hug, "Is he okay?"
"They're still running tests." I murmur.
"Who's taking care of Maddy?" my mother asks suddenly.
"Lyle." I say and Dahlia half stares at me in disbelief.
"Why didn't you just call Mike?" Dahlia says confused.
"I uh, I dunno." I say rubbing my face, "Lyle's been bugging me to let him take Maddy every second weekend."
"Well that's nice." my mother says softly.
We sit around my father's bed for what must be hours before the doctor comes in.
"We've got the test results." he informs gathering out attention in an instant, "He did in fact have a heart attack and not a stroke."
"Oh thank goodness." my mother gasps.
"We got him into surgery early enough so he'll be just fine in a week or so." the doctor continues, "But he will have to make some major lifestyle changes, diet, excercise."
"Of course." my mother says nodding.
"But we've got him on some heavy medication right now, so you might as well go home and come back tomorrow morning."
"Alright." I say putting my arm over my mother's shoulders. The doctor leaves the room and my mother kisses my father's forehead before we head out.
Back at my parent's house, in my old room, I pick up the phone and call Mike.
"Hello."
"Hey Mikey." I squeak.
"Hey, is everything alright?" he asks worriedly.
"Yeah, my dad's gonna be okay." I sigh, "They got him into surgery in time, but its gonna be a week or so before he's on his feet again."
"Oh, so are you coming home anytime soon?"
"Only to get some stuff but I'm going to stay here until my dad's out of the hospital." I murmur.
"Oh bummer." he says, "Maybe after all this is through we can take a little vacation. Ya know, de-stress."
"Mike, please." I say rubbing my forehead.
"If you want I can take care of Maddy this week, I'll even pick her up from Lyle's if you want."
"No Mike, that's okay."
"Its fine, I mean I have Stella this week and everything so-"
"Jesus Mike! I said it was okay!" I exclaim in an angry tone, "Quit trying to fucking help me all the time! I'm not some fucking charity case! Maddy and I have been getting along just fine up to now we don't need your fucking help!"
"Calm down Jade." he says in an annoyingly soft voice.
"No! You just don't get it! Being a rockstar must've rotted your fucking brain or something!"
"Excuse me?" he says insulted.
"Yeah you heard me!" I say, losing total control of my mouth, "Its all fucking fun and games for you!"
"Honestly Jade, where's all this coming from?!"
"Listen, and please try to understand. I have a fucking family and a fucking real life. I can't just pick up and leave to go on vacation with you! I have a job and I'm already taking a whole goddamn week off to be here. My whole life can't be a series of fucking in public places, and bar hopping! I have goddamn responsiblity!"
"And I don't!" Mike exclaims, "I do believe I have a daughter, a family of my own! Yeah, it may not be orthodox but I do have a goddamn job! I know what goddamn responsibility is. Maybe you need to open your eyes!"
"You have Anastasia to take care of her most of the time!"
"Goddamnit Jade! I'm not talking to you when you're being so fucked up!"
"FINE!" I yell as I smack the phone down on the receiver. I wipe my eyes against my pillow and fall asleep.
"Why does it even matter?" I chortle, "I mean, you either like their music or you don't? Why do you have to categorize them? Let's just say they actually put something original out there."
"Fair enough." he replies, "I went to the show actually, they're quite theatrical."
"Yeah, them and Panic! At the Disco, have very elaborate stage shows."
"Jade!" one of the interns hisses at me from the door way. I motion to her as if to ask what she wanted, "Phone, its an emergency!" Johnny nods to me.
"And now our Jadey-gal is being called off." he says comically, "But we have The Red Jumpsuit Aparatus to keep us occupied."
I take off my headphones and head out the door where the phone is waiting for me.
"Hello?"
"Jade!" my mother gasps, "Your father just had a heart attack."
"What?!" I exclaim, "Is he okay? What's happening?"
"We're at the hospital now, and he's in the ICU."
"I'm on my way." I say hanging up the phone.
After quickly telling my boss what happened I head out of the building and start driving towards Sacremento. Halfway there I realize no one's going to be there to pick Maddy up after school. I pull out my cellphone and go to call Dehlia but soon realize she's probably on her way to Sacremento now too. I scroll the numbers and see Lyle's. Might as well.
"Hello?" he answers.
"Lyle, its Jade."
"Oh hey, what's up?"
"Umm, my dad just had a heart attack so I'm heading home, do you think you'd be able to go to San Francisco and pick Maddy up from school?"
"Uhh okay, what time?"
"She finishes at three-thirty." I say quickly as I keep my eyes on the highway, "But if you can't I could find someone else."
"Its okay, but, uhh what do I do with her after, do I bring her home with me, or go back to your place or what?"
"Umm, well she has house keys so take her to go get her stuff and then take her back to your place."
"So, can I have her for the weekend then?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, so three thirty?"
"Yeah, do you know where her school is?" I ask.
"What's it called?"
"Gabriel Ropert Elementry."
"Okay, I'll look it up."
"Thanks again." I sigh as I hang up my phone.
Just as I reach the exit for Sacremento, my phone starts ringing.
"Hello?"
"Hey!" Mike's voice says happily, "Wanna do something tonight?"
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"I'm in Sacremento."
"Umm why?" he asks with a slight chuckle.
"My dad had a heart attack today."
"Oh shit, is he okay?"
"I don't know yet. I still haven't gotten to the hospital."
"Okay, what about Maddy?"
"Lyle is taking care of her."
"You could've called me." he says quietly.
"I uhh, didn't want to impose."
"Impose? Don't be ridiculous, Maddy's a great kid."
"Yeah, well Lyle's been bugging me to have her for the weekend and yeah-" I say lamely.
"Well alright, let me know what's happening." he says in a kind of down voice.
"Alright, bye."
"Love ya."
"Love ya too." I say as I hang up my phone.
I pull into the hospital parking lot before heading to the front desk.
"Can you tell me which room Kenneth Prelia is in?" I ask nervously.
"Room 752." the receptionist says after clicking away on her computer. I head towards the elevators and take one up to the seventh floor where I see my mother's silhouette from a nearby room instantly. I hurry towards it and she grabs me into a hug right away.
My mother cries against my shoulder for a while, I see my father lying on the bed, with about a million things plugged into him.
"Have you heard from the doctor yet?" I ask.
"They're still running tests." she sobs.
"He'll be fine." I reassure her, "Its Dad, he's invincible." she sort a half-laughs as she hugs me again.
"Oh you're here already." Dahlia says joining us in the room, my mother pulls both of us into a death hug, "Is he okay?"
"They're still running tests." I murmur.
"Who's taking care of Maddy?" my mother asks suddenly.
"Lyle." I say and Dahlia half stares at me in disbelief.
"Why didn't you just call Mike?" Dahlia says confused.
"I uh, I dunno." I say rubbing my face, "Lyle's been bugging me to let him take Maddy every second weekend."
"Well that's nice." my mother says softly.
We sit around my father's bed for what must be hours before the doctor comes in.
"We've got the test results." he informs gathering out attention in an instant, "He did in fact have a heart attack and not a stroke."
"Oh thank goodness." my mother gasps.
"We got him into surgery early enough so he'll be just fine in a week or so." the doctor continues, "But he will have to make some major lifestyle changes, diet, excercise."
"Of course." my mother says nodding.
"But we've got him on some heavy medication right now, so you might as well go home and come back tomorrow morning."
"Alright." I say putting my arm over my mother's shoulders. The doctor leaves the room and my mother kisses my father's forehead before we head out.
Back at my parent's house, in my old room, I pick up the phone and call Mike.
"Hello."
"Hey Mikey." I squeak.
"Hey, is everything alright?" he asks worriedly.
"Yeah, my dad's gonna be okay." I sigh, "They got him into surgery in time, but its gonna be a week or so before he's on his feet again."
"Oh, so are you coming home anytime soon?"
"Only to get some stuff but I'm going to stay here until my dad's out of the hospital." I murmur.
"Oh bummer." he says, "Maybe after all this is through we can take a little vacation. Ya know, de-stress."
"Mike, please." I say rubbing my forehead.
"If you want I can take care of Maddy this week, I'll even pick her up from Lyle's if you want."
"No Mike, that's okay."
"Its fine, I mean I have Stella this week and everything so-"
"Jesus Mike! I said it was okay!" I exclaim in an angry tone, "Quit trying to fucking help me all the time! I'm not some fucking charity case! Maddy and I have been getting along just fine up to now we don't need your fucking help!"
"Calm down Jade." he says in an annoyingly soft voice.
"No! You just don't get it! Being a rockstar must've rotted your fucking brain or something!"
"Excuse me?" he says insulted.
"Yeah you heard me!" I say, losing total control of my mouth, "Its all fucking fun and games for you!"
"Honestly Jade, where's all this coming from?!"
"Listen, and please try to understand. I have a fucking family and a fucking real life. I can't just pick up and leave to go on vacation with you! I have a job and I'm already taking a whole goddamn week off to be here. My whole life can't be a series of fucking in public places, and bar hopping! I have goddamn responsiblity!"
"And I don't!" Mike exclaims, "I do believe I have a daughter, a family of my own! Yeah, it may not be orthodox but I do have a goddamn job! I know what goddamn responsibility is. Maybe you need to open your eyes!"
"You have Anastasia to take care of her most of the time!"
"Goddamnit Jade! I'm not talking to you when you're being so fucked up!"
"FINE!" I yell as I smack the phone down on the receiver. I wipe my eyes against my pillow and fall asleep.