Remember Me

I cried my eyes out in Billie's lap while Mike drove. Every memory I had had triggered the final fall in me. He sat there quietly and took it all in. I can't blame it though, I mean he found me sobbing in the middle of the swamp and I hadn't even told him what I'd seen. Only that I'd hit my head an after that, he was insisted I go to the hospital. Even though the hospital doesn't scare me as badly as it did before but they are still looking for me after my escape. The thought of going back triggered a whole new wave of tears from me.

“Baby girl... What happened?” Billie asked. Brushing my bangs from my forehead. His fingers brushing across the makeshift bandage of his t-shirt he'd been wearing. He was so warm and I felt really greedy all snuggled up into his lap against his bare chest while Mike drove in silence and Tré, amazingly sat quiet.

“I... Just have a lot of head pain that's all...” I murmured.

He nodded. And the ride stayed silent even though I ended up falling asleep right there in his lap. I woke up to being carried but I didn't open my eyes. I knew the route to his house like the back of my hand and I was patiently awaiting the jostling movement he'd make trying to carry me up those two pointless steps to the porch in front of his house. But it never came. I opened one eye a little to catch gist of where we even were. Bright lights glowed from the double doors of a building made mostly of glass. Tré's pickup truck parked several yards behind us as we walked toward my impending doom. The hospital.

He carried me inside with ease and then asked if I'd like to walk. I nodded because I needed to walk to not appear as the babied mental patient they had all seen before.
I stood on my own feet for a minute and felt dizzy doing so, so I figured that there was no harm in leaning into Billie for support. We walked towards the counter and I zoned out for a bit. Closed my eyes while they explained what they knew about my injury. They didn't even know the liner notes about it.

They led me over and sat me down into a cold folding chair by the door that squeals when you sit-down. The others all sat down around me in a protective streak, I couldn't keep my eyes closed because here, I am on red alert. I don't need some psycho doctor running up to me and stabbing me in the neck with a syringe for no damn good reason. I listen to my own thoughts and already believe I'm pretty paranoid.

The nurse steps out of the office and calls us in. I stiffen noticeably and lean on Mike's shoulder while Tré walks behind me and Billie walks on my left with his hand around my waist.

We were met by a familiar doctor in the hallway. The ultimate look of surprise on his face. I suppose being him, your escapee patient is the last person you'd expect to see. I nod at him slightly and drop my eyes to my bare feet. The mint green tiles on the floor making me sick. I just close my eyes and breath in slow, jagged breaths through my mouth While Billie and Mike answer questions for me. A warm drop of  blood freed itself from the bandage across my forehead and drips down my cheek. The doctor ushers me to a room and I'm feeling dizzy and sick fo my stomach. When I open my eyes I have tunnel vision and when I blink it didn't go away. I keep feeling like I'm going to fall down. My movements feel numb. I brush a hand across my cheek and it tingles. My ears are ringing and I can't see...

I wake with a start at ten in the morning. I'm dressed in a crinkly pale blue hospital gown and my hair has been tied back in a pony tail. My room is familiar of course. To the left of my bed is the window I escaped out of and fell to the ground. The walls are a dusty rose color. With the wooden border around the room. Talk about prison eh? 

I quickly become anxious though. Because I am indeed alone. Where is Billie? Mike and Tré? They left me? Or did the doctor force them out while I was unconscious and unable to fight for myself? I breathed rapidly and my heart monitor beeped loudly and I growled a profanity to it. I've been through so fucking much in the last twenty four hours I could just scream.

I witnessed the dying of Billie's hair 
I was apart of the blowout between Billie and Ollie over Brad.
I had to fight Brad off of my dog and we had to leave. 
I went to Christie Road which turned out to be Billie's sacred stomping grounds.
I jumped on and off of a moving train. 
I was in Berkeley.
I went to a playground in the middle of the night. 
I rode in the redneck pickup of Tré's.
I chased a mouse out of the truck when I was abandoned.
I practically killed myself trying to find them.
I had to face all those memories and get wounded. To make it all that much worse, I had to face the hospital in the same night. So yeah. I'm tired and pissed off.

I close my eyes to slow my heartbeat but instead those visions startle them open and the monitor goes crazy again. Two nurses enter the room with concerned expressions.

“It's ok. I'm fine, sorry if I bugged you.” I wave then off. Though I'd kill for some company right now. I'm right back to square aren't I?

I closed my eyes again briefly when I heard the voice as sweet as any honey. My eyes popped ion instantly again and met his emeralds.

“Oh Billie don't ever leave me again!” I scolded, reaching my arms out awaiting his embrace. He smirked and leaned carefully over the IV to hug me. 

“I won't mother...” he laughed in my ear.

I laughed back in relief and noticed Tré, Mike  come through the door. Ollie hesitantly coming in like she was scared of me seeing her. But as she stood in the doorway her hand held out into the hallways awkwardly.

“Mom just bring him in...” Billie sighed barely casting a look over at the doorway. For a minute I thought Ollie had been holding Checkers leash out in the hallway when her hand was connected to another hand, an arm, shoulder, torso and neck and eventually head. Of which was Brad. Still wearing his close from yesterday and scrutinizing my face as he walked in. I instantly dropped my gaze to the pastel bed spread.

“Hey Ollie.” I smiled up at her in a forgiving way.

“Hey Adeline.” she murmured. A soft smile on her face. I smiled back and avoided the eyes of Brad.

I looked down again out of habit. Today would probably be just as taxing as yesterday...

“Are you ok dear?” she asked walking towards me.

I nod “Never better. Healthy as a horse.”

She smiled and sat down on the chair by my bed.

“That's good.”

I nod “Yes. It is.”

“So about last night. I'm really sorry. It's your home too and I just brushed you out.”

I sigh. I really was not ok with how she handled it but I know it will make her feel better if I say it was. No matter how I feel in the end.
“Just don't worry about it. Say where is Checkers?” I ask. I already know there is a no dogs allowed policy in the hospital but still... I want to know that my baby is ok.

“Mikey drove him back to our place last night after you were settled into the hospital.” Billie answered nonchalantly.

I nod slowly “What exactly... Happened?” I ask.

“I was going to ask yo the same question.” he smirked.

“What happened in the forest?” he asked.

I shrugged as I recall the horrific, blurry events of my near death experience. I shiver at it's memory and wish it bury it away within my unconscious mind again. I wouldn't have thought about it again had Bill not brought it up again.

“Well... I know who I am now.”

“Who? Tell us Adeline.” he encouraged.

“My full name is Adeline Elizabeth Stewart. I am seventeen years old, I do not know my birthday. My parents are Dave and Connie Stewart and they own both the record store on Bayview and the instrument store on Main. I have a brother, named Embry Who is in the military currently. I am supposed to graduate school next year and my plans apparently were to go to collage for musical engineering. I had to take on a job at my parents instrument store for two reasons. One being because we were short handed during vacation season. And two was because I wanted to pay my own way into collage shout any help. Which meant working at my parents shop. I was working the night shift at the store one night...”

I told them the whole story if what I could remember and they were Absolutely baffled by it all. I'd just let them all in on the biggest secret of my life with open arms and now they sure as hell was acting like it.

I got a sweet little hug from Billie that spanned over five minutes but I loved every second of it. He stayed all afternoon while doctors and nurses would drift through every so often at intervals. Asking if I'd like anything and stuff like that. My answer was always no though. I wanted to go home, back to our home. But they wouldn't let me leave because they were X-raying my head for any damage and things like that. I hugged Billie's waist while he stood beside my bed. I didn't want to do it. Surely they couldn't make me right?

“Come on sweetie, you'll be ok and I'll be right here when you get back. I swear I won't leave.” he pled with a sweet look on his face as he knelt before me. He just wanted my safety, which is why he kept pushing me to go get the X-ray done. I wanted to avoid it though.  I grumbled and he finally agreed he'd walk me to the room. But he couldn't be inside while they did the X-rays. I begged him to stay regardless and then the doctors started stepping in saying he couldn't stay and I was starting to get pissed off at them.

“You can't keep me from him!” I shouted. Thrashing standby the table they were beginning to strap me too because apparently I'm being too wild for this test and they need me calm.

“He's mine, you can't take him from me. I love hi—...” I slurred. My anger fading up the needle injected into my neck. My muscles relaxed and there was no more fight left. I couldn't raise my left hand or really do anything. I just felt really tired...

I woke up an hour later back in my own room and my fear of doctors was back good and strong. I was extremely wary and most of all- I was alone. Billie was gone, the room was darkening with end of the day light. The rose colored walls fading darker and darker by the minute until they became a dull grey. Nothing to look at anymore and my head was still a little sore from my tumble the previous day. I reached up to probe my fingertips along the length of soreness. 

Despite my forced nap, I felt tired from all the shit I'd put up with today. I hadn't seen Mike Tré or even Ollie since this morning and I wondered if they had left.

I closed my eyes for a second just to rest them and ended up falling unconscious.

In the morning light, my eyes flashes open to a familiar face beaming cheekily in mine. I instantly pouted. Crossing my arms tightly across my chest and he already guessed what I was pissed about.

“Oh come on Adie, I had to leave: visiting hours were over and you were still out cold so I didn't get to say goodbye.” he stuck out his bottom lip.

“Ugh, don't remind me of being put down...” I grumbled. Unfolding my arms and looking at his face. His blue hair hung in his eyes a bit and I continued to look at his face before he said 
“I talked to the doctors this morning. They think you might be able to head home today, with close supervision of course.” he grinned.

I sighed and reached up to ruffle his hair “Cool. I hate this place and really don't want to overstate my welcome.” I say looking around the boring hospital room again.

He laughed and offered to help me out of bed so we could go talk to the doctor to be sure about my freedom. Not like they could do much if I did leave, cause they didn't do a very good job stopping me before. I was very gracious about my first steps. I clung to Billie's arm with white knuckles and took tentative steps forward that could pass as tip toeing.

We found Dr. Jacobson in the hallway. The balding man was a pretty easy one to find given how tall he is. Like 6'9". I stared up at him. Pretending to size him up when I felt scared shitless about the whole thing. Having Been this close to the man who could have killed me.

I lowered my eyes and looked around myself at the other people in the surrounding lobby while Billie talked to the doctor in a low voice. But of course once Jacobson figured out that Billie was not my official guardian, he refuse to let me go with him. Which made me begin to protest.

“That's not fair! My parents on on a vacation around the world right now. He is the closest thug to family I've got. Oh and BTW I'm fucking eighteen!” I snapped. 

“Oh really? Let's see your ID then.” he pursed his lips and put his hands on his hips. Only making me want to punch his lights out more. I glared at him. My ID was most likely still at the music store or police station as evidence or whatever. The hospital will have to sort all of that out if I want my freedom. 

I groaned when he said it would be a couple hours so me and Billie just went back to my temporary room. I missed being free and was beginning to debate the window again... No because how in the hell would I smuggle him out? I bit on my nubs of nails while he watched Bugs Bunny on the tv. I zoned out completely and submerged myself in my thoughts for a bit while I dreamed of my freedom.