John's Revenge
Home Again
Eugh, a horrible chapter that I did not enjoy writing, and I'm pretty sure you won't enjoy reading! xxxx
*Adrienne’s POV*
10 days after we arrived at the hospital, we were finally going home. Seeing as Liv dropped Billie off here, and I came in the ambulance, we had to take a cab home.
We put Jakob in a car seat and I sat in the middle, with Billie on the left behind the driver. I leant my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. These had been the worst ten days of my life, and I just wanted to get away from the hospital.
We soon pulled up outside the house. I took Jakob out of the car and walked up to the house. Billie hugged me and kissed my cheek. He unlocked the door and we walked in.
“Mommy! Daddy!”
We spun round and saw Addy and Joey running towards us. I picked Joey up and hugged him tight. I kissed him and rocked him.
“Hey, sweetie, I’ve missed you so much.”
“Is Jakob better now?” Joey asked, looking over my shoulder to see Jakob, asleep in his car seat.
“Yes he is, and he’s missed you too.”
Joey jumped down and went to Billie and Addy attached herself to my legs.
“Don’t leave again Mommy.” Addy said into my legs.
“I’m sorry sweetie, but I had to take Jake to see the doctor because he was very poorly.”
“Oh.”
Addy jumped down and kissed Jake on the cheek. “Sorry Jakey.”
Joey joined her, as Liv and Tré walked out of the kitchen.
“Hey, how are you?” Liv hugged me.
“I’m good, better now I know Jakob’s ok.” I looked around. “My God, you cleaned! Thank you, Liv. You’ve been so wonderful, I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
*Billie Joe’s POV*
Later, we put Jake and the twins to bed, and sat downstairs with a glass of wine. It was the first drop of alcohol we’d had in over a week, and fuck it tasted good.
“Billie, why weren’t you answering your phone when Liv called you?”
I almost choked on my wine. “Huh?”
“She called you, like, a million times before you picked up. Why weren’t you answering?”
I swallowed, trying to hide my guilt at the fact I’d been out drinking when Jake was so ill.
“Um, well, I was on stage and I’m not allowed my cell phone on stage.”
“What, you were on stage for 36 hours straight?” Adrienne glared at me and I knew it was going to be a long night.
“No, but I was absolutely knackered, I went straight to sleep.”
“Well, as far as I can figure that’s maybe about fifteen hours, what about the other 21?”
“I was out, shopping, sight-seeing, buying presents for you guys, and sleeping again,” I could feel a blush creeping up on my cheeks as I tried to fight it back.
When Adrienne replied, her voice was low, and I knew that this would be the biggest fight we’d ever had. “You were out drinking with Tré, weren’t you?”
I hung my head, not even bothering to deny it.
She jumped up and hurled a cushion at me. Her voice was louder now, and I was grateful that the doors were closed.
“You were out drinking when our week-old son was dying?” she yelled the last word.
“That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you!” I was on my feet now too. “Don’t you think that I am so fucking ashamed that I was drinking when you were going through Hell?”
“Hell has nothing on what it was like,” she hissed, getting closer. “Do you know what it was like when he had the convulsions? No because you weren’t there. You were drinking and playing your fucking guitar whilst I was watching Jakob’s eyes roll back into his head and he was shaking and jerking….”
She broke off and, apprehensively, I reached out an arm to comfort her. She slapped my arm away.
“No! No, Billie! Don’t you dare!” Tears were streaming down her face, her mascara was bleeding down her cheeks. “I am tired of having to do all of this alone! The twins were devastated when you couldn’t be there on their birthday, and I had to deal with the tantrums, the sulking, Hell, they even locked themselves in the bathroom, and I had no idea what they were doing. Imagine if while they were sulking in the bathroom, they were messing around in the cupboards and accidentally cut themselves on a razor or something? Then, they’d be too scared to open the door, and God knows what would happen next!”
“Wait, now you’re getting angry at me for things that never happened? Where the Hell are you getting these ideas from?”
“Because I worry! I am their mother! When I can’t see them, I come up with insane scenarios that there are one in a million chances of, and I worry and worry and worry until I see them again and know that I’m being stupid, but I do not need you telling me I’m being stupid, especially when you could not be bothered to be around.”
I almost screamed, I was so frustrated. “You know that it’s not up to me! You know that we will be kicked off the label unless we schmooze big time after this! I wouldn’t mind if it was just me, I’d take a break, then find a new label, but it’s not just my life that would be messed up by this, it’s Mike’s and Tré’s, and their families lives too.”
“What about us, Billie Joe?” Adrienne folded her arms. “You mentioned Mike, Tré and their wives and kids, but you didn’t mention me or Joey or Addy or Jake.”
“You know what I mean!”
“No I don’t Billie! I have no idea what you mean anymore.”
Before I knew what was happening, she had walked out of the room, and I could see the car pulling out of the drive. I saw Adrienne crying again through the window, her mascara leaving ugly tracks down her cheeks. What was even uglier was the fact that I knew I had made her cry.
Suddenly overcome by it all, I picked up my wine glass and threw it the reflection of myself in the mirror. The mirror shattered and I heard Jakob crying upstairs. Walking into his room, I sensed no signs of recognition from him when I picked him up. With Joey and Addy, they’d always made some reaction when they saw me, but now nothing. The tears finally came as I realised my son didn’t recognise me.
*Adrienne’s POV*
10 days after we arrived at the hospital, we were finally going home. Seeing as Liv dropped Billie off here, and I came in the ambulance, we had to take a cab home.
We put Jakob in a car seat and I sat in the middle, with Billie on the left behind the driver. I leant my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. These had been the worst ten days of my life, and I just wanted to get away from the hospital.
We soon pulled up outside the house. I took Jakob out of the car and walked up to the house. Billie hugged me and kissed my cheek. He unlocked the door and we walked in.
“Mommy! Daddy!”
We spun round and saw Addy and Joey running towards us. I picked Joey up and hugged him tight. I kissed him and rocked him.
“Hey, sweetie, I’ve missed you so much.”
“Is Jakob better now?” Joey asked, looking over my shoulder to see Jakob, asleep in his car seat.
“Yes he is, and he’s missed you too.”
Joey jumped down and went to Billie and Addy attached herself to my legs.
“Don’t leave again Mommy.” Addy said into my legs.
“I’m sorry sweetie, but I had to take Jake to see the doctor because he was very poorly.”
“Oh.”
Addy jumped down and kissed Jake on the cheek. “Sorry Jakey.”
Joey joined her, as Liv and Tré walked out of the kitchen.
“Hey, how are you?” Liv hugged me.
“I’m good, better now I know Jakob’s ok.” I looked around. “My God, you cleaned! Thank you, Liv. You’ve been so wonderful, I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
*Billie Joe’s POV*
Later, we put Jake and the twins to bed, and sat downstairs with a glass of wine. It was the first drop of alcohol we’d had in over a week, and fuck it tasted good.
“Billie, why weren’t you answering your phone when Liv called you?”
I almost choked on my wine. “Huh?”
“She called you, like, a million times before you picked up. Why weren’t you answering?”
I swallowed, trying to hide my guilt at the fact I’d been out drinking when Jake was so ill.
“Um, well, I was on stage and I’m not allowed my cell phone on stage.”
“What, you were on stage for 36 hours straight?” Adrienne glared at me and I knew it was going to be a long night.
“No, but I was absolutely knackered, I went straight to sleep.”
“Well, as far as I can figure that’s maybe about fifteen hours, what about the other 21?”
“I was out, shopping, sight-seeing, buying presents for you guys, and sleeping again,” I could feel a blush creeping up on my cheeks as I tried to fight it back.
When Adrienne replied, her voice was low, and I knew that this would be the biggest fight we’d ever had. “You were out drinking with Tré, weren’t you?”
I hung my head, not even bothering to deny it.
She jumped up and hurled a cushion at me. Her voice was louder now, and I was grateful that the doors were closed.
“You were out drinking when our week-old son was dying?” she yelled the last word.
“That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you!” I was on my feet now too. “Don’t you think that I am so fucking ashamed that I was drinking when you were going through Hell?”
“Hell has nothing on what it was like,” she hissed, getting closer. “Do you know what it was like when he had the convulsions? No because you weren’t there. You were drinking and playing your fucking guitar whilst I was watching Jakob’s eyes roll back into his head and he was shaking and jerking….”
She broke off and, apprehensively, I reached out an arm to comfort her. She slapped my arm away.
“No! No, Billie! Don’t you dare!” Tears were streaming down her face, her mascara was bleeding down her cheeks. “I am tired of having to do all of this alone! The twins were devastated when you couldn’t be there on their birthday, and I had to deal with the tantrums, the sulking, Hell, they even locked themselves in the bathroom, and I had no idea what they were doing. Imagine if while they were sulking in the bathroom, they were messing around in the cupboards and accidentally cut themselves on a razor or something? Then, they’d be too scared to open the door, and God knows what would happen next!”
“Wait, now you’re getting angry at me for things that never happened? Where the Hell are you getting these ideas from?”
“Because I worry! I am their mother! When I can’t see them, I come up with insane scenarios that there are one in a million chances of, and I worry and worry and worry until I see them again and know that I’m being stupid, but I do not need you telling me I’m being stupid, especially when you could not be bothered to be around.”
I almost screamed, I was so frustrated. “You know that it’s not up to me! You know that we will be kicked off the label unless we schmooze big time after this! I wouldn’t mind if it was just me, I’d take a break, then find a new label, but it’s not just my life that would be messed up by this, it’s Mike’s and Tré’s, and their families lives too.”
“What about us, Billie Joe?” Adrienne folded her arms. “You mentioned Mike, Tré and their wives and kids, but you didn’t mention me or Joey or Addy or Jake.”
“You know what I mean!”
“No I don’t Billie! I have no idea what you mean anymore.”
Before I knew what was happening, she had walked out of the room, and I could see the car pulling out of the drive. I saw Adrienne crying again through the window, her mascara leaving ugly tracks down her cheeks. What was even uglier was the fact that I knew I had made her cry.
Suddenly overcome by it all, I picked up my wine glass and threw it the reflection of myself in the mirror. The mirror shattered and I heard Jakob crying upstairs. Walking into his room, I sensed no signs of recognition from him when I picked him up. With Joey and Addy, they’d always made some reaction when they saw me, but now nothing. The tears finally came as I realised my son didn’t recognise me.