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Chapter 37: Another State Of Mind

[Billie's POV]

I dry my eyes to see Alex blankly staring at the wall with eyes the size of tennis balls. Mike is sobbing on her shoulders while Tre is trying to comfort them. I help him pry Mike off of her and get him to the couch. Alex drops her arms, but her gaze stays on the wall. Tre waves his hand in front of her face. She doesn't even react to it! Mike lays on on the couch, his sobs being muffled by the pillows. I stand in front of her to put my hands on both her shoulders. What's her problem? I cock my head to the side. She's not even moving! Her eyes stay glued on the wall behind me.

Billie: Alexis?

She doesn't answer, of course. I bite my lips nervously. We examine her a bit, making sure that she's still breathing. Her heart rate is alarmingly high, but otherwise she's fine.

Billie: Alex, please calm down. You can slip into a coma if you keep this up.

She still doesn't respond. Tre waves her hand in front of her face again. Once more, she doesn't move. I scratch my head, confused. What more can I do? I'm not going to hit her, because we already know what almost happened to Mike. Tre would pour a bucket of water on her hair, but we aren't sure how she'd react to that. We're not going to risk it.

Billie: What's wrong with her?

Tre: I think she's broken dude.

[Alex's POV]

She's gone...

[Billie's POV]

Billie: She's not a doll, Tre.

I wave my hand in front of her face with no luck. My heart starts to race with worry. Tre puts his arm around my shoulder. Did I just lose Alex too? The thought causes my heart to snap. Oh god. Maybe we shouldn't have told her like that. That was a bad decision. Mike's sobs get louder, not helping my irritation. I grit my teeth, looking to Tre for help. This is a first. Tre is usually the absolutely last resort. We've looked at Tre for help once and that was to find out who drank the last beer. It turns out that it was him. He rubs him chin thoughtfully, thinking of ways to solve this problem. Every time he opens his mouth to say something, Mike sobs get louder. It not only cuts off his sentence but his train of thought too. Eventually, he get overly irritated with him.

Tre: The first thing we need to do is get rid of him.

Billie: But, I don't wanna leave Alex here.

Tre: Then, I'll take him.

Billie: What am I supposed to do then?

Tre: Use your imagination.

My jaw drops to the floor as Tre hurries to help Mike off the couch. He pats my shoulder to encourage me as he carries Mike over his shoulder. Once the door is closed and they're gone, I drop to my knees. What am I supposed to do? Tears swell up in my eyes. I'm not crying because of Alex. No, I'm crying because of everything that's been going on today and every day before that.This is just too much.

[Alex's POV]

I can't believe she's gone...

[Billie's POV]

I stand to my feet with tears streaming down my cheeks. Alex needs me right now. I can't afford not to be there for her. She's my wife and she's grieving right now. Before I can second guess myself, I pick her up bridal style. She wraps her arms around my neck and buries her face in my shoulder blade. I carry her to the bedroom and lay her gently on the bed. Her eyes swell with tears as she lays in fetal position. For the first time since she froze, I can hear her voice as she sobs. My heart snaps at the sound of it. I lay with her, wrapping my arms around her waist. She sniffles as she goes quiet.

Alex: What are we going to do now?

Billie: I don't know.

I kiss her forehead and entwine my fingers with hers. She leans into me, staring down at her ring.

Billie: I do know that we're going to be okay. You're going to be okay.

Alex: How can you be so sure?

Billie: Because you're an Armstrong now. We're strong, enduring, and determined. Nothing will make us give up.

Alex *chuckling slightly*: I don't think I'm qualified to be one then.

Billie *laughing*: Oh trust me. You belong more than I do.

I kiss her again. She turns to face me, planting another kiss on my lips. My hand cups her cheek as I deepen the kiss. She moans into my mouth, shifting her weight so that I'm laying back and she's on top of me. I kiss her neck and cheeks. My arms wraps around her waist, holding her closer to me. I stop kissing her just to look her right in the eye.

Billie: I love you, Alexis. I promise we'll get through this.

Alex: I love you too, Billie Joe.