Photograph

Nine

"Dude! I fucking broke my foot and I ask for Coke or Pepsi or some shit and I get fucking sparkling water? Tastes like ass, man. I'm dying and you're giving me ass juice? Is this what y'all think of me?"

"This is like when you were in Italy but much worse Billie, you can't be making jokes right now. Are you okay? How was the X-ray?"

"I'm gonna make jokes all I want. It's the only way I cope with trauma. Look at how I turned out." She beamed a small little smile at her brother. "And, anyway, why do you care? The X-ray was just a big beepy machine all up in my shit."

Billie was gripping onto my hand with red, tear stained cheeks. But, she was still being lighthearted as she lay in the hospital bed, her foot slightly elevated and her left pant leg rolled up to expose the purple swelling and pink bruises painted up her leg that she was left with.

I felt so bad for her.

She had been rushed into hospital shortly after she fell onstage. We were now in the small, bright white gloomy hospital room with her, I was sitting next to her and Finneas and Maggie were both sitting on the other side of the bed.

I watched her face completely drain when Finneas pulled her up and beckoned Sully to carry her off to aid her— she was so still and emotionless. It's like she didn't even know she was injured.

She was so used to her injuries, pain didn't even correlate. It was a delayed reaction.

Katie had drove me here, after a long, shaky and paranoid phone call later and had comforted me, calming down my racing thoughts.

"You're my sister, I love you." Finneas mumbled.

Billie let out a humourless laugh.

"No, you don't. If you loved me you'd let me drive Dragon. And, you'd get me six bean burritos. Six. Specifically six. Not four, not seven— God, I hate that number. Six. And they're bean ones. Only beans. I love beans."

All I've seen Billie eat this week was bean burritos.

And bubble-mint chewing gum.

That can't be healthy, right? Unless she's allergic to everything else. But, I'm pretty sure that's not the case. I'm yet to see her eat something healthy.

"Billie, I'm not going out of my way to get you your car and six— not seven— bean burritos just because you're convinced I don't love you." Finneas said, pulling out his phone from his jean pocket. "That's out of the picture."

Billie rolled her eyes and shifted in her position. "Whatever." She started, "This bed is making my ass hurt. The sheets are like fucking paper. My foot and my now asshole are both broken. Anyone wanna kiss it better?" She joked. "Ha! I can literally tell bitches to kiss my ass now!"

I stroked her palm with my thumb. "Shut up, Billie. Won't be long now, the doctor is still running tests."

I watched her instantly soften.

"Does it hurt?" Finneas asked, his eyes glued to his phone.

She let out another humourless laugh at her brother. "No, actually. I think Imma just stand on up and skip on outta here!" She said sarcastically. "Of course it fucking hurts, genius."

An awkward silence fell over the group as she said that, before a small, petite voice perked up from the corner, making her way towards the green haired girl.

She had dark, slicked back hair in a tight bun that rested on the top of her head, and she had prominent laugh lines on her face. She was very small and dainty, like a tiny, frail Disney character.

Or, like a button.

"Billie Eilish, right?" She beamed.

"Mhmm."

The doctor sighed, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose and cleared her throat. "I- um, can I speak to your mom first?" She turned to Maggie and gave her a quick nod before pulling her outside the room.

I watched Finneas type away on his phone, and he bit his lip, bracing himself to talk.

"Dad is coming soon. Everyone else is back at the hotel— what do I tell them?"

Billie grumbled. "Uh, I don't know. Maybe that I'm dying and they all need to bring me takis so I don't end up six feet under?"

"I'll tell them you're good, then." He responded.

I looked through the small narrow window in the centre of the door to see Maggie talking with the doctor in the bright hallway, her eyes glassing over with a fresh batch of tears as she tried to contain a sad smile on her face.

This couldn't be good.

For the whole week I've known her, she never cries.

Well, unless it's pride. Her kids are incredible.

But, she looked like she was about to burst into tears. She was nodding along to the small doctor, trying to keep it all in by rubbing her nose and looking away in all different directions. I felt a lump form in my throat at the sight of her struggling.

The nurse rubbed Maggie's arm to try and comfort her, but she was completely zoned out.

"You aight, dude? You look like you just saw a ghost. Or, like, a spider. Ion know if you're an arachnophobe though so maybe you didn't." She stated, making Finneas snort.

I tore my eyes away from the tiny window, simply nodding at Billie.

"No, lil mama, tell me what's up. What did you see?"

I cleared my throat. "I uh—"