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The Babysitter	By : redqueeninwonderland Category: Singers/Bands/Musicians > Green Day Views: 12260 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not know the members of Green Day. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Title: The Babysitter Chapter 20
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Don�t own �em. Don�t
want �em. Seriously, think about it, can you imagine
the cost of food alone?
Notes: Hey guys, sorry it took so long again, long story. To suffice let�s say I hate boys.

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Hospital
smells.
It
was late. She had no idea how long she�d been asleep. If it�d
been days or hours. She blinked once. Then again.
Slowly she opened her eyes. She was in a room with a window. The walls were
painted a cheery yellow that should�ve been soothing but reminded Ava of piss colored lemonade. She was under a silky feeling
coverlet.
Well,
let�s here it for California, she
thought turning her head on the bed.
Her
father was staring at her, silent.
Ava jumped. �Dad?�
�Hello,
little one.�
�How
long�ve I been-�
�A few hours. You were very lucky, darling,� Tom gestured to
her arms and Ava noticed for the first time that she
wasn�t hooked up to anything. �You�ve a few broken ribs, a concussion, you�ll
be on crutches for a bit, and that bandage on your head�ll
stay there for a good bit. But other than that�� his voice broke here, �you�re
absolutely fine.�
�Oh,
dad,� she reached for him and Tom
leaned over the bed, pulling her into a bear hug that would have hurt if he�d
been holding her loose enough for her to think straight. �Daddy, I�m fine,
really daddy,� Ava laughed finally, fighting for
breath, �Don�t worry about me, daddy, I�m fine.�
�Telling
a father �not to worry� is like telling a cat to act interested.� He tweaked her
nose, sitting on the edge of the bed, �You should know better, Aviva.�
�Where�s-?�

�Cara? She�s downstairs in the
waiting room.� He rubbed a hand over his face, �Billie�s there too. And his kids.�
�Oh, God. They must be going nuts. Dad, I�ve gotta-� Ava
fought to rise and Tom put a hand on her shoulder.
�You�re
not moving until a doctor says you can,� he leaned over and murmured a few
words into the phone before placing it back on the cradle. �Your mum says
she�ll call you later.�
�She�s
not coming back?�
Tom
sighed and Ava sat back, not particularly surprised.
�You see, she�s got an opening, Ava, and-�
�Don�t,
dad. How�re Billie�s kids?�
�They�re
shaken up, love. They saw the whole thing. Once a doctor looks at you, we�ll go
down there. They wouldn�t let so many people who aren�t family up here, you
see.� Tom looked at her sidelong, �Billie Joe was pretty shaken up too.�
�Oh?�
Ava couldn�t help that she was suddenly on guard. Tom
arched an eyebrow at her expression.
�Cara
said he was giving the doctors fiery hell before I got here.�
�Why did you leave me with Ma, dad?�
Tom
stopped, his train of thought cut. Ava �Whatever do
you mean, Ava?�
�Daddy,
don�t, okay? Since I�ve been here I�ve only talked to
her a few times and every time it was her bitching about something you�d let me
do. And Billie said that you told him she wanted me back in Japan. We
both know that�s a damn lie. So what gives, dad?�
�What�d
you tell Billie?�
�That
she was in Munich so it
didn�t happen. Don�t change the subject.�
�She
is in Europe,� Tom
answered carefully.
�Really? When�d that happen?� Ava
crossed her arms over her chest and winced when it hurt. �Doesn�t
matter. Seriously, dad.�
�Because you were young. And you should be with your mum.�
�Bullshit.
She didn�t want me.�
�Aviva-�
�She
told me, dad. You paid mom like double what you should
have so she�d take me in the settlement. Admit it.�
�Your
mother told you�� Tom shook his head, rose, looked out the window, then looked to Ava to answer her
question. He laughed shortly and looked back out the window. �Emma was always a
bit� was she angry with you when she told you that?�
�Yeah,
it was right after Cara got into that magnet school. Remember? You�d just given
me the-�
�Fender. Right. Did you ever get
around to�?� At her look he trailed off, �Right. I�m evading. Don�t look at me
like that, Aviva. She was-well the thing about your
mum�Ava she� One day I came home. And she was with
this other man. They were �together� on top of a canvas that was covered in
paint. She had the nerve to tell me it was art. The name of the painting was The Death of a Marriage. That was her
way of telling me she wanted a divorce.�
�What�s
that got to do with me?�
�Ava� The only time she ever acted like an adult was when
you were there. I thought that if I� left you with her, then, well she�d-�
�Straighen up and fly right? Come on, dad, you know Ma.�
�She
was tame around you, darling. You might not believe that, but it�s true. Emma
took her role as a mother very seriously. You never saw her like I did. Drunk. Stoned out of her mind. With men. Women. Aviva, the only time she was ever� When she was with you
she was how she thought a mother should be. I thought if you stayed then she�d
be forced to grow up.�
�Are
you serious?� Ava was thinking back. All the fights. All the times her mother left the house and
was gone all night. All the times Ava had to fend for
herself until finally Ava
said fuck it and stopped asking for help. �Did you really have to give her
money to convince her to keep me?�
�What?�
Tom looked affronted. �Is that what she told you?�
Ava just stared at him.
�Darling,�
Tom crossed the room, taking her hand gently in his. �Do you remember that time
you spent with my sister?�
�Aunt
Monica? Yeah, that year right after the divorce. Ma said it was so she could decide
what city she liked best.�
�Yeah�
Ava I paid your mother to go to rehab.�
�So this Japan
thing?� Ava laughed, �And now you�re
telling me she�s in Europe. Was
she ever in Japan?�
�For about a week.� He looked sheepish. �Look, Ava, your mother does
love you. She�s just� well, to put it bluntly she�s
very selfish. When she thought you could be the next Georgia O�Keefe she wanted
to groom you.�
�And
when she found out I�d rather be Joplin?�
�She
didn�t know how to relate to you. Darling it was never about her not loving
you.�
�What
about you?�
�Do
you know how difficult it�s been for me to hear my little girl crying and not
go give that rock �n roll prick what for?�
Ava laughed in spite of herself.
Tom
tweaked her nose, �There�s the smile. You know he asked my permission?�
�What?�
�Yeah,
not in so many words of course, as I�d have had to trounce the bastard, but
when he took you to New York he called
me from the hotel. Told me about the tattoo. Asked my advice. Asked what he should do
if he caught anybody putting the make on you, as it were.�
�What�d
you tell him?�
The
doctor walked in and Tom got off the bed, letting the man examine his daughter.
�I
told him I�ve got a daughter who knows her own mind. And if she wants
something, there�s no point in trying to protect her.� He nodded to the pile of
what was left of Ava�s clothes. �And she�ll probably
have a matching utility belt for the occasion anyway.�
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In
the hall outside of the waiting room Tom glanced at Ava
sidelong. �Alright?�
�Yeah,
I�m fine.�
�Good,
sure you still want to do this?�
�Yeah,
I hate it when people worry about me.� She looked over her shoulder at the
orderly steering the wheelchair. �Can this thing do wheelies?� Ava winked, �I gotta make an
entrance.�
�Sorry
ma�am.�
�Ava!� Joe was out of his father�s lap and across the
room in half a second. Tom caught him around his middle and lifted, placing the
child more gently on Ava�s lap and she looked at her
dad gratefully. �We thoughted you died! Well, Jake did. But I knew you were okay cause
you said you�d be at my next year�s party too!�
�I�m
okay, dude,� Ava looked over Joe�s head. Cara grinned
at her, obviously relieved.
�I�ma make a phone call. Kurt�s
probably frantic.� She got out of the ugly plastic chair, jerking her head at
Billie discreetly on her way out. �Total
drama queen, some people just can�t handle pressure, you know?�
Ava looked at her meaningfully before turning her attention
back to the other occupants of the room. �I really am alright, see?� She waved
to prove her point.
�Right
then, I�m off for some coffee,� Tom shot the orderly a meaningful look and the
guy muttered something about being down the hall. Ava
wondered if discretion were another California thing
because in Chicago the guy�d be going all kinds of crazy about abandoning his post
or whatever.
�Jake?�
Ava murmured. �You wanna come say hi?�
Jakob looked at his dad. Billie raised his eyebrows at him
and nodded at Ava. When Jake didn�t move Billie
sighed, �Will you go if I go?�
Jake
nodded solemnly, one finger in his mouth. Ava
furrowed her brow at that. She�d only seen Jake suck on a finger once. And that
was the week Fats had the puppy flu or something and everybody thought he was gonna die. She was more worried about Billie being all
standoffish, though. It was weird. Not really strange considering the
circumstances, but she�d sort of been hoping from the way Tom was talking that
as soon as he saw her he�d run over, roses in hand and take it all back. So
much for wishful thinking, she thought with a sigh.
�See,
Jake? She�s fine! I told ya.� Joe
bounced on her thigh triumphantly and Ava winced. At
Billie�s worried look she waved her hand away. It was just awkward. She was
holding him well away from her ribs. She�d be fine.
�I
really am fine, dude.� Ava ruffled his hair.
�Honest.�
�Really really?�
�Really.�
Jake
smiled tentatively, then bit his lip, �Are you mad?�
Ava furrowed her eyebrows together, looking finally up to
Billie. �Why would I be mad?�
�He
thinks you�re mad because he made you run into traffic,� Billie Joe murmured,
leaning over the side of the wheelchair and covering it by taking Joseph off
her lap. Ava looked up at him, eyes wide, he winced
at how banged up her face was. Her right eye was bandaged pretty heavy. Tom
said gravel or something cut it pretty close.
The
car hadn�t been going to fast, but fast enough that if not for Tom and Billie�s
clout combined, a really talented plastic surgeon, and three hours where all the doctor did was pick gravel and grit and dirt and
broken glass out of her skin, she�d have permanent scarring.
He
wondered if the reporters were still gathered in the lobby.
When
one of punk rock�s veterans cum pop/punk heart-throb goes absolutely ape-shit
in the emergency room of one of California�s
biggest hospitals and wholly demands
that a nameless teenager be taken to a more private
facility for seemingly no reason� well, people notice.
And
he didn�t give a shit.
Well,
he did.
But
only because�
Fuck
it. He�d deal with Adrienne later.
��
please, Jake?�
Billie
realized Ava had been trying to talk Jakob into her lap. Jake was having no part of it. When the
kid latched onto an idea he didn�t let go. �Jake, it�s okay, really.�
Jake
stared at Ava some more, not convinced. She sighed.
�Jake, it�s really really really
not your fault.�
�How
come you�re in a wheelchair?�
�Because
I broke my ankle and messed up my knee.� She flicked the hospital gown up and
gestured to the bandage on her left knee, �I�m gonna
have a really cool scar.� She sighed, looking at Billie. But he was at a loss
too. �Listen, doll. I�m not that smart, so could you
maybe tell me why you don�t want to believe me that I�m fine?�
�Because a car hit you!
I saw it! And you looked like the dead people on television. And daddy was scared. And that girl was scared too. And the nurse lady wouldn�t
tell us anything! And you weren�t here for a really long time! And it�s all because I didn�t leave you alone when you
said you had to go!� At that point he
was crying pretty hard.
�Fuck
it,� she muttered, reaching out and hauling the kid into her lap. Billie was
probably the only one of the three who realized how much the move cost her, but
aside from the sudden white pallor to her skin, she was doing a pretty fair job
of covering it up.
Ava sort of collapsed back into the wheelchair, doing a
deep breathing exercise a yoga instructor had tried to teach her years ago.
Back then she�d told the fruity guru to go double-mint himself. But she was
finding it helped a lot. Deep breath. Slow in, breathe
in the good. Slow release, breathe out the pain. Ow. Lots of ow.
She
held him, not saying anything other than soothing murmurs, rocking him as best
she could in the wheelchair. Ava basically let him
cry himself out. She sighed, bone deep and wondered
again how she was supposed to make a little person understand what she was
trying to get across. She finally gave up and was just honest. No, it most
certainly was not his fault. Yes, she
still liked him. But she didn�t know when she�d see him again.
Ava reached blindly at Billie and he gave her a pen. She
scrawled her cell phone number on Jake�s forearm so he could call her whenever he
wanted. She figured that that was really the best she could do. She probably
would have done more, but Tom was back in the room. Muttering
urgently to Billie.
Apparently
there was press downstairs.
�They
know she�s my daughter.�
��What
about�?�
�Just
that she was in an accident. That she�s babysat for you. That
your children are close to her. For now that�s appeased them. But
someone got a pretty good shot of you going ballistic and Jake having hysterics
at the E.R. Jane�s working on that.�
�They
are not-!�
�I know. She�s threatening to sue
anyone who prints it on your behalf, mine, your son�s. Anything you can think
of. But I�ve got to be honest-�
�It
looks bad,� Ava finished for him. Tom glanced at her.
He�d hoped to shield her from the mess downstairs. Ava
looked at Billie. He read regret in her eyes. From the beginning she�d been
almost obsessive about not creating any kind of bad publicity for him. He shook
his head at her. Not her fault. Hardly her fault. If
she blamed herself he�d kill her.
She
smiled back tentatively as though she understood and then bit her lip. He�d
have to go. With the kids. Now.
If they stayed much longer then someone would get upstairs. Someone would get
pictures. Someone would notice something about the way she looked at him.
He
was Billie-Joe-fucking-Armstrong and if he wanted to stay with her he would.
They had a lot to talk about. Besides, the way he looked at her was pretty
telling too.
�Do
you really want to explain what they�ll say to the boys?� she asked finally.
He
let out his breath slowly. �No. You�re right. You�re fucking right. Tom?�
�Jane�s
sent a car �round back. There�s a security officer outside the door waiting to
take you to it.� Tom looked at him apologetically and the two men had a moment
of complete understanding that Ava didn�t even try to
get. She gently disengaged Jake from her neck and set him on the floor.
One last kiss on both cheeks, Jake�s and Joe�s. �I�ll see
you guys real soon. We�re goin� to see Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory at the dollar theatre, okay?�
Billie
held Tom�s gaze for a few moments longer. �I�ll be by tomorrow��
�She�ll
be released early morning. They�re holding her for observation.�
�Good.
Tom-�
�S�alright. Call Jane as soon as you get in the car. She�ll
want to speak with you.�
�Right. Ava-�
�Just
go, please, Billie.�
And
then, because his eyes were what she loved about him the most and because they
were so very expressive and because he knew she could read them so well. We�ve
got a lot to talk about. So there.
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The Babysitter