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Chapter 15 - 'Loves Requiem'

Joey dozed off again not long afterwards, tightly clutching Mick's hand. He was so tired he was shaking slightly, and Mick felt awful he'd woken him up. Watching over him as he slept, he couldn't help thinking he didn't deserve Joey. He knew those thoughts were bad, but they played at the edge of his mind, forcing him to think about those things he could have done for Joey, but didn't.

His negative thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was the same nurse from earlier. She stepped in, glancing at Joey sleeping quietly.

"How is he?" she asked.

"I woke him up when the doctor was here. He's feeling ok, just really tired," Mick answered.

She nodded. "I'm not surprised. Don't worry yourself about it, it'll take a few days for him to get his strength back." Almost straight away, Mick started to feel a bit better. So it wasn't his fault?

"I brought you some breakfast. It's just hospital food, but believe it or not, it's better than the breakfasts in the cafeteria." She smiled and passed the tray to Mick, who took it gratefully.

"Thanks," he said, slightly surprised. The people around here were nice. Well, most of them, Mick thought, remembering the nurse from last night.

"I hope you don't mind scrambled eggs,' she grinned. "I found a bed for you too. An orderly will bring it in later. Might improve your sleep a bit. I know how hard those chairs are to sleep in."

Mick was starting to feel overwhelmed. "Thanks," he said again, trying to think of something better to say to this nurse who was being so helpful. "That helps, a lot. It's really nice of you." Ah, Shawn would be proud of him right now. The percussionist was always telling Mick he didn't have any manners. But what were the point of manners in Slipknot, anyway?

*

So the scrambled eggs were a bit rubbery and tasted like something you'd get on a plane, but Mick was so hungry he didn't really care. There was also something that Mick supposed were hash browns, which were, well, brown, but quite possibly not made out of potatoes.

He made a mental note to get the guys to bring in some proper food for Joey, he wasn't going to let him eat this crap. He put the tray on a cabinet by the door and wished he had more coffee.

Mick was just starting to doze off in his uncomfortable plastic chair when there was a thump on the door. It was accompanied by a muffled shout, and some sort of shuffle.

Sighing and smiling at the same time, Mick got up to open the door.

"They let you bastards through the front door?" Mick asked, smirking.

"Shud up and let us in!"

Mick stood back to let the rest of the band trickle in. Heck, were they mind-readers or something? Sid, Paul and Chris all carried plastic bags full of food, while Corey had magazines, Shawn had two laptop bags, Craig's arms were full of DVDs and Jim seemed to have snuck in... flowers?

"Awwww!! You know he's gonna love those!" Despite his jesting, Mick knew Joey would be touched. None of them knew what kind of flowers they were, they had apparently been bought on the fact that Sid thought they were 'pretty'. Jim promptly stuck the flowers in Joey's water jug, artfully arranging them so they didn't all fall on one side.

"How is he?" Seven voices all spoke at once. They stood around the bed, looking at a sleeping Joey.

"Well, err, he's sleeping like mad, and he has a bit of a temperature," Mick answered.

Craig narrowed his eyes at him. "That doesn't sound so good, does it?"

"The doctors aren't worried about the sleeping, and they are keeping an eye on his temperature," Mick said hurriedly. He hadn't meant to spook them. "It's just going to take a few days to get him back to normal."

"What are all those things stuck in him?" Sid looked up with a questioning look at Mick. "I thought he was going to be ok?" He looked anxious, and Mick thought maybe all the tubes and machines had scared him a bit.

"He will be ok, Sid. All that stuff is there to make sure he gets better. That's a feeding tube, umm, that's a cardiac monitor, it measures his heart rate, and that's the thingy - um, pump - for the feeding tube, and that's his IV. Simple, really, when you know what everything is for. It's ok Sid, really."

Sid nodded silently, but Mick wondered if he'd gotten through to him. The DJ was holding the bar on the side of the bed, just staring at Joey. Craig was watching him too, and came up to slide an arm around him. "C'mon, Sid," he said quietly, and led him away to sit down.

The others relieved themselves of their burdens, and Paul ventured out to find some more chairs. In the midst of all the food shelving and chair-finding, an orderly managed to turn up with a spare bed for Mick. It wasn't a fold-up bed, it was literally a spare hospital bed. Corey immediately jumped on it and lay down.

"This isn't too bad, Mick. And look, look! It goes up and down!" Corey had found the button that made the front of the bed do exactly that, and was having a great time.

Shawn rolled his eyes and smiled at Mick. He came closer.

"Look at him" - he nodded at Joey - "I always knew he was a great sleeper, but I think right now he'd sleep through a hurricane."

They laughed, but Mick didn't take his eyes off Joey. He looked so peaceful, surrounded by the chaos the guys were causing. Mick contemplated waking him up so he could see everyone, but he knew Joey was so tired. Shawn seemed to read his mind.

"Leave him be, Mick. If he wakes up he wakes up, but if he doesn't, we'll just come back tomorrow and try again. And bring an amp, or something." He smiled and patted Mick on the back.

Despite having just had a hospital breakfast, Mick filled himself again with potato crisps and poptarts. Corey had relinquished his command of the spare bed, and kindly allowed Craig and Shawn room to sit. Mick hoped he wasn't going to be finding crumbs in it tonight. The others were on hospital chairs, apart from Paul who was on the windowsill. Mick sat on Joey's bed, one hand in a bag of crisps and the other on Joey's leg.

Shawn pulled out of the laptops. Mick recognised it as his.

"Mind if I check out a few things?" Shawn asked Mick, tilting the computer in his direction.

Mick shook his head. "Nah, go ahead. Don't mind the porn, though."

They all laughed and went back to their food. Shawn turned the laptop on and clicked into Google. After a few minutes, he swore under his breath and started to chuckle.

"What?!" Corey asked beside him, craning his neck round to see.

"I googled Joey's name. Everyone seems to know it was Joey we stopped the concert for last night. They all know he hasn't been playing. But man... you gotta check out some of these sites. This kid thinks Joey's dead. Another one thinks Joey got kicked out of the band. And this fucking arsehole, reckons Joey up and left and is playing for Cradle of Filth. Fuck man. This shit is good."

Mick watched as the guys all crowded around Shawn. "So they haven't issued a press statement about him yet?"

"No. I think they are going to, today at some point. Tell the truth. Joey's sick, he's in hospital but he'll be fine. Still, you know there'll be kids who think he really is dead." Shawn rolled his eyes for the second time that day.

"Well, he don't look dead to me," Jim pointed out. "Maybe we could take a photo and post it," he grinned.

"Don't be so evil, Jim!" Chris said. "He'd hate you for life. He hasn't had a chance to do his hair or makeup!!"

"Now now!!" Shawn called over the laughter that followed. "Leave him alone. Let the stupid public think what they want. If they want to think that he's dead, let them get a shock when he starts playing drums live again."

"They'll think we just found another midget and stuck a mask on him," Sid said, who by now had brightened up. The laughter started again, and even Mick joined in. It was nice that things were getting back to normal. That they could stand around and joke, and not have something evil hanging over them.

Mick looked back at Joey, so tiny on the bed, just to make sure he was still ok. He had being doing that so much lately it had become an unconciousness habit. He found himself checking on him all the time, even to the point last night where he was waking up every so often to make sure he was still sleeping.

The others had calmed down now. Corey was reading over Shawn's shoulder, and Craig and Chris were watching on in interest. Sid was reading a magazine they'll brought with them, Paul was staring out the window at something Mick couldn't see, and Jim was gazing at Joey. They had descended into silence, with the odd laughter issueing from the group around the laptop. Mick moved up so he was sitting next to Joey, careful not to sit on anything important.

It was a warm day and the atmosphere inside the room was comfortable and drowsy. Mick was content to sit with Joey, watching the others. He felt sleepy, and thought about kicking everyone off his bed so he could have a nap. He was starting to close his eyes when he felt Joey move on the bed next to him. He wriggled again, and Mick snapped his eyes open and sat up.

Jim got up too, and the others looked up, confused.

"What's up?" Paul asked.

"I think he's waking up," Jim replied.

Mick was bending over Joey, a hand on his cheek. "Joey? Wake up."

The smaller man groaned and started to blink. He dragged himself awake from the abyss of sleep and gazed tiredly at the men standing around his bed. He tried to sit up, but Mick pressed a hand to his shoulder gently.

"Hey you!" Corey exclaimed. "We've been waiting for you."

Joey smiled sleepily, and feebly lifted a hand in greeting. He felt his eyes closing again and forced them apart, trying to focus on Mick. His boyfriend's worried face swam into view, and he tried to smile just for him. A hand enclosed his, and he squeezed it as hard as he could. Mick squeezed back, and as if they were alone, leant down to kiss Joey tenderly.

Joey let his eyes close as he felt Mick on his lips. The world fell away when Mick loved him like this, and he forgot about their audience as he kissed back. It was sweet, and delicate, and precious. His blue eyes opened as Mick pulled away, and he knew Mick was the reason he had had to wake.

The others stood in uncomfortable silence, a stark contast to the affection before them. Mick and Joey had only eyes for each other as they sat on the bed, and it wasn't just Craig who felt the need to look away, if just to give them a semblance of privacy. And when he did look back again, it was with some trepidation. But Mick and Joey didn't acknowledge their devotion, and the conversation soon turned to things less awkward.

Sid helped with that. "People think you're dead, Joe. Just thought you'd want to know."

It broke the silence, and eased the air in the room. Joey giggled, and Mick gazed at him, enamoured.

"Yeah dude, you shoulda have seen this one site.... all sorts of conspiracy theories! Apparently you're playing for Cradle of Filth," Paul told him.

Joey shrugged thoughtfully. "I like that idea... good band!"

Jests and threats followed from all corners, ending with a blunt statement from Jim regarding the musical talent of said band. Joey agreed to disagree, and the subject was changed to food.

"Aren't you hungry Joey?" Corey asked.

Mick stared at him, grinning. " You heard a word I said before? He's got a feeding tube in. Doctor said he might take it out later though."

Joey grimaced. "Looking forward to that." He swallowed as if uncomfortable.

"You alright?" Mick asked.

Joey nodded. "It's just, I think it literally goes all the way into my stomach. If they want me to stop throwing up, it wouldn't be a good idea to pull it out."

They all laughed, Mick not as much as the others. Joey saw his concern. "It'll be ok. I really don't feel sick anymore." He clasped Mick's hand tightly, and saw the bigger man smile.

"What's in it then, Joey?" Jim asked. "Chocolate? Sandwiches? Roast beef?"

Shawn smacked him in the arm. "Don't be stupid. It's obviously pickles and crackers."

"Tripe and kidneys," Sid piped up.

"Yeah, you know I heard that's really good for you," Paul said seriously, raising his eyebrow at Sid. "Might be good for you too."

Sid turned a sickly shade of pale, and poked his tongue out at Paul before closing his mouth. Paul grinned at him and got him in a headlock. Sid struggled free, laughing, and ran to hide behind Jim.

Joey watched happily from the bed, now snuggling up to Mick. He was feeling a bit better now that he'd woken up properly (thanks to Mick) and was enjoying seeing the banter going on around him. His hand was still firmly enclosed in Mick's, and the guitarist stroked his thumb ever so softly over Joey's. It was nice to be awake, and not feeling sick. The dull exhaustion that ate away at him would hopefully go away soon, but Joey felt he could cope with it while the nausea was at bay.

*

They enjoyed the afternoon together, as much as anyone could enjoy spending time in a cramped hospital room. Mick barely left Joey's side, feeling very protective of the drummer while he was recovering. The others knew to keep their distance; at one point, Corey referred to Mick as 'mother hen' (behind his back, of course. He didn't want to be mortally wounded). And it was true that Mick kept a sort of invisible shield around Joey, as if something one of the others could do might damage or hurt Joey in some way. Joey didn't mind, he felt so safe and comfortable that he wouldn't want it any other way.

Around 1.30pm a new doctor stopped by to check on Joey's progress. He decided not to remove the feeding tube just yet, feeling that Joey could do with another day of guaranteed nutrition. He declared Joey fitter, and was pleased his temperature seemed to be abating. A nurse changed the IV bag, and checked that the feeding tube was still working.

Mick felt such a sense of relief as he watched the professionals work around Joey. Why hadn't he taken him to hospital earlier? Vowing never to compromise Joey's health again, he thanked the doctor and nurse as they left. The rest of Slipknot looked on silently, not keen on being kicked out for raucous behaviour.

The door had slid closed and the others had returned to their pre-doctor activities when Joey turned his face up to Mick.

"Mick?" he whispered.

"Yea?" Mick said, just as quietly.

"I'm so tired."

"Baby...." Mick stroked Joey's face gently as he closed his eyes. "Go to sleep,
sweetheart. I'll be here when you wake up." He kissed Joey's forehead tenderly and brushed his hair back. He waited as Joey fell into a deep sleep, shushing the boys when they got too noisy.

He spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on Joey's bed. He browsed the net for a while and chuckled at the theories that abounded on forums about Joey's mysterious problem, shaking his head and wondering how people could think of some things. Someone had videoed the very point in the concert last night where Mick left the stage and the others had followed - the clip had over 10,000 views already. He watched the grainy picture, just making out the panic that struck his body when he was alerted to Joey's condition. There was confusion and disorder on the stage after he deserted, and he saw each member put down their instruments and run after him. Sid made his little speech - pretty good too, Mick thought - and then the stage was empty. The buzzing of the crowd was like a swarm of angry bees, but the video cut off before Mick could find out how the organisers had pacified the audience.

After he grew bored of the net, he went on to the magazines that had brought along. He read an article about himself, which he didn't normally do, and regretted it when he saw how badly he had been misquoted. Again. Fuckers, Mick thought.

At 3.45pm, a nurse came round to encourage everyone to start leaving. After promising to be back tomorrow, same time, with more supplies and new magazines, Slipknot trooped out. They each glanced at Joey as they left, who was still asleep.

"Take good care of him, Mick," Shawn said quietly, the last to leave. "We'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

Mick nodded and smiled, not relinquishing his position on the bed. "Thanks, guys."

One last wave, and the door shut behind them. The room was suddenly quiet and still, and Mick was alone with Joey. Tiredness was creeping into his movements, and putting the laptop away carefully, he kissed Joey several times, not willing to make each kiss the last. Finally, he straightened, and eyed his hospital bed.

He picked up his blankets and pillows from by his chair, now thankfully redundant, and checked out his new bed. Yep.... crumbs!! Mick cursed Corey and his messes, and brushed the bed as clean as he could. Climbing into it and laying down, he was immediately grateful for it's comfort. It wasn't long before he was sinking into the same deep oblivion as Joey.