Chuck vs. The Courtyard Bench
Well, in the previous chapter: Chuck sat in his office and reflected back on the conversation he had with Sarah after his heated discussion with Jill. A conversation where Sarah shared with her nerdy boyfriend what Cole said and tried to do in her office. At one point, Charah compared themselves to two cursed ships from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, The Black Pearl and The Flying Dutchman. The two cursed ships represented their cursed hearts and how they never thought the curse would ever be broken. It wasn't until they crossed paths with each other that the curse broke. Move forward to Chuck sharing with Sarah, Morgan, and Kathleen that he has Bryce file that he hack from his phone and is going to finally watch. With the support of the aforementioned individuals all 4 watch and learn that Bryce was indeed correct in what he told Chuck and Sarah. They watched and listened as Bryce secretly wore beta tested glasses in a spy sort of way and had conversation with Jill and Allan Watterman. When it came to the conversations Bryce had with Jill, Chuck finally got the closure he needed to close the door on that part of his past. So, what happens in this chapter? Here are the who, what, where, when, why, how's? Who does Lester emulate dance wise when it comes to iconic singers when he sings a popular Depeche Mode song? What type of disorder did or continues to experience Zondra because of her relationship with Carina? Where is the particular cancer located that it causes the newest Rockster Rebel constant pain to the point where there is memory loss? When does Jill show up or does she show up at all? Why does Chuck reference the movie 50 First Dates starring Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler? How does Chuck's Bash and The Bench song performance add a bit more to the emotional component knowing what the newest Rockstar Rebel enjoys doing? Read and find out! I hope you enjoy the read and leave a comment to share your own thoughts on this particular chapters. As always, reviews are awesome.
Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment, I truly appreciate it. Please continue to do so as it gives me the incentive to write more chapters.
I don't own Chuck.
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
XXX
Bash At The Bench Friday finally arrived and there was a considerable amount of buzz, as well as excitement that circulated within the hospital. Essentially, the show started off with Jeffster on stage and the sound of two notes being rhythmically played on the electric keyboard by none other than Jeff Barnes. Although it's repetitive, there was most definitely an 80's style beat to it and the crowd within the courtyard not only felt it but didn't have to wait long as Lester stepped forward and addressed the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, with a sense of showmanship and flair. His voice momentarily echoed within the courtyard. "This song is by Depeche Mode. We," Lester motions to the band's name on their shirts. "Jeffester, give you…Photographic," he softly breathed out.
Afterwards, the lead vocalist of Jeffster did a Michael Jackson-esque 360 spin and then grabbed the mic/mic stand with both hands. He briefly paused and posed for the crowd in case anyone in the crowd wanted to take a picture. Nobody did, much to his disappointment. Undaunted, he started the vocals to the song.
A white house, a white room
The program of today
Lights on, switch on
Your eyes are far away
As the crowd got into Jeffster's performance, Sarah made an interesting observation while she stood next to Chuck. Both of them were positioned by the camera stage where Morgan was busy following Lester on stage. The Chief Operating Officer leaned over, tapped Chuck on his left arm, and got his attention.
"Hey, is it just me," she said, seemingly mystified, staring at Lester on stage. "Or are Lester's eyes hypnotic in a psychotic kind of way."
Chuck shook his head. "It's not just you." The nerdy couple turned their attention back to Lester singing on stage. What made the duo's performance so Jeffster-esque was the colorful light show that added to the already over the top, but at the same time extravagantly stellar spectacle. A few seconds later, Chuck spoke up again. "It's like you're looking into the eyes of an acid induced fever dream, not that I know what that feels like or anything."
"I feel like I need drugs to get through this," faintly muttered Sarah, under her breath.
"Or," added Chuck. "That scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark where the Nazi's opened the ark. All the Nazi's faces ended up melted," he added. Sarah turned her head and just stared at Chuck blankly. "The awesome thing was Indy and Marion kept their eyes closed throughout the entire horrific event." Chuck paused for a moment then turned to face the stage. Afterwards, he spoke up again, "I think it's the lighting."
Maybe, babe. As much as she wanted to close her eyes and not witness what she believed was a face melting performance in the scariest of ways, she couldn't do it. Fortunately for her, the sound of a familiar voice caught her attention.
"No worries, Sarah," She turned toward Morgan behind the camera. "We made sure to announce on our channel and throughout the hospital before the show started to watch with caution. Jeffster's performance may possibly cause strobe lighting induced seizures. Hey, if it happens they don't have to go far to get treated," he shared, expressing a smile. He then threw up two thumbs up her way.
"That's awesome to hear." She exchanged a halfhearted thumbs up of her own to her boyfriend's bearded best friend.
"Truth be told," Chuck chimed in. "Jeffster themselves are the personification of a warning label," he firmly remarked, with a sense of amusement behind it.
He, along with everybody else, were totally transfixed and mesmerized by Lester's movements. In Chuck's mind, he summed it up at what can be best described as the combined dance moves of Mick Jagger and an early Guns N' Roses Axl Rose. He looked like he was unapologetically dancing like nobody was watching while simultaneously telling the audience, "look what I can do" in a Stuart from MadTv way. A sight to behold of a man who quite possibly wore eyeliner just for today's performance.
As for Sarah, she couldn't help but agree with what her nerdy boyfriend said. Ever since she started her position of Chief Operating Officer of Westside Medical Center she knew she would encounter staff that stretched the rules or just went past it enough to receive a slap on the wrist. When it came to Jeff and Lester they were considered an entirely different type of breed altogether, she thought to herself. A breed of slackers who got by doing as little as possible while wreaking havoc with their chaotically destructive and childish antics.
After doing a general rundown/overview of the employees she'd be in charge of, she was absolutely astonished at what she found. Essentially, of all the profiles and past reports two names repeatedly were noted on a seemingly daily basis. Lester Patel and Jeff Barnes. The laundry list of offenses that involved Jeffster simply astounded her so much that she actually got angry, and she was only on page two. She was beyond disbelief at how much they were able to get away with until she became part of the Westside family.
In her mind, she'd like to think she was able to get through to them by actually offering an incentive, which apparently has worked on them. She hoped it continued to work. It's not long before her thoughts of Jeffster of the past returned to them performing on stage. More specifically, her attention returned to Lester and his freakishly hypnotic eyes. A chill ran down her spine.
"He looks like he's undressing me with his eyes or something. I feel violated," she added, reaching up and clutching her blouse.
"That's how most of the female nursing staff have felt over the years. Still do actually," Chuck retorted. After she heard that, Sarah instinctively clung to Chuck for safety and comfort as they continued listening/watching Jeffster's performance.
I said I'd write a letter
But I never got the time
And looking to the day
I mesmerize the light
The years I spend just thinking
Of a moment we both knew
A second boss looking into
It seems it can't be true
The next thing the Chief Operating Officer of Westside Medical Center heard that suddenly caught her attention was her hulking partner's growling voice,. "Let me taze the moron."
Her attention was then directed to her auburn -haired boss who stood to her left, on the other side of Chuck. She was peering up at Casey. "Stand down, Colonel." Chief Beckman commanded, calming her hulking Head of Security. A look of disappointment appeared on his face. His shoulders slouched a bit as if he was a kid not being allowed to play with his favorite toy. Instead, he expressed a firm grunt as he begrudgingly complied with the Chief Administrator of the hospital.
Awesome. I'm not the only one who reacted in a knee jerking way to Lester's freakishly scary eyes, she thought to herself. In her mind, she truly believed his eyes would end up burned in her memory for the rest of her life. Of course, Casey chose violence by wanting to light up Lester with fifty thousand volts of electricity. It would solve Casey's and my nightmarish problem, that's for sure. However, it would abruptly stop the performance that everyone in attendance and watching online is enjoying. She wondered if there was a way to actually mentally scrub out the image of Lester's eyes from her memory. That or at least somehow get her hands on an actual working Men in Black Neutralizer so she could completely erase it from her memory altogether.
Sarah's attention eventually returned to the stage. She, her peers/colleagues, the courtyard crowd, and viewing audience continued to be thoroughly engrossed with Lester's performance on stage. The remaining lyrics of the song were sung after Jeff finished his keyboard solo.
I take pictures
Photographic pictures
Bright light, dark room
Bright light, dark room
Bright light, dark room
Bright light, dark room
Bright light, dark room
Bright light, dark room
Bright light
When the last words of the lyrics to the song were spoken by Lester, he opened his arms wide then slowly backed away from the mic/mic stand in a Jim Morrison from The Doors kind of way. The same two notes that were rhythmically played at the beginning of the performance were once again heard on the electric keyboard by Jeff. A few seconds later, the music suddenly stopped playing, which signified the end of Jeffster's performance. There's a brief moment of complete silence before the crowd erupted with applause. As Lester returned to center stage, he soaked up the celebration of applause. He was eventually joined by Jeff who stepped out from behind his keyboard. Both men bowed and waved with confident smiles expressed on their faces.
XXX
"Yeah," said Zondra, standing alone in the hallway. A closed door behind her. Her iPhone was up to her right ear. "He's here. Once you reach that point of the show we'll escort him down. In the meantime, put on an awesome show, Chuckles." After she hung up, she turned around and looked at the man standing by the door. "Thanks, Big Mike. I know we're asking a lot from you."
Big Mike reached up then waved his right hand. "Any friends of Bartowski and Chief Walker are friends of mine," he happily declared, expressing a hearty smile. "Besides, the donuts you provided are an adequate bribe," he added, lifting up the bag of delectable, powdered treats.
"Gift," firmly corrected Zondra. She reached up to tap her nose. A soft smile expressed towards Big Mike. "Bribe sounds so," she paused and mentally searched for the right word. "Shady."
The man responsible for keeping all the orderlies in line, Jeff and Lester mainly, responded by tapping his nose with his left finger as if it were a covert mission or something. Afterwards, Zondra stepped forward and before she reached for the door to open it, she leaned over to him to give a quick peck on the right side of Big Mike's cheek. Speaking of Big Mike, he expressed the biggest smile afterwards as he turned and reached for the knob and opened the door for Zondra, as a gentleman should. A polite and courteous nod was given to her by Big Mike as she stepped through the door.
After the door closed behind her, she only took a few steps inside before she suddenly stopped. Why? Her red headed counterpart was bent over and showing part of her ass to their special guest. The flatscreen tv broadcasting Bash At the Bench behind both of them. Zondra immediately quickly reacted.
"Carina!"
"What!?" she responded, lifting her head and looking at Zondra innocently. After she pulled her pants and stood straight up, Carina was face to face with the professional photographer in a matter of seconds.
"What the hell!?" she whispered. Zondra intently glared at her.
"I wanted him to check a mole I have on my ass. Get his take on it."
I can't leave you unsupervised for a second! In Zondra's mind, it truly was a dangerous risk to leave her alone with someone, especially a guy no less. She learned that the hard way back in college whenever she either left her date or any male friend alone for even a moment. She ended up finding Carina either kissing, sitting in their lap, or far worse with the guy in question. It was something that she always did just to annoy either her, Amy, or Sarah because she found it to be absolutely entertaining for her to do. Unfortunately, when it comes to this particular situation there is an absolute risk of having it all fall apart because of Carina's antics, she thought to herself.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. LaFleur," Zondra apologetically said. She reached over and yanked Carina over to stand beside her. "She hasn't been trained properly."
"I told her that's not my realm of expertise," insisted LaFleur, shaking his head.
"It was worth a shot," responded Carina. She turned around and faced LaFleur. She shot a wink over to him. "Besides, he's cute-ish so I just thought why not let him do an examination."
LaFleur was visibly flustered with the overt flirtation and attention he was getting from the attractive redhead. He nervously cleared his throat and responded. "I'm more on the administrative and research side of what I do," he shared.
A mixture of impressed surprise was expressed on the face of Zondra after hearing what Carina said. "Examination." Zondra jabbed, in a joking manner to her red headed bestie. "It's such a big word for you."
"Funny," Carina dryly retorted back. "I dated a med student or two, remember."
"Of course you did. Back in our college days."
"2 months ago, actually," shared Carina, expressing a wicked smile. She then turned her attention to LaFleur and shot a wink over to him, which made him even more uncomfortable. She then spoke up again. "He examined my body and…"
Zondra instantly cut her off by placing her right hand over Carina's mouth. For her, it's not an image that she wanted burned into her brain. Granted, there were so many images that have been burned into her brain in the past involving Carina that she would gladly get erased from her memory banks. Her thoughts on C.T.S.D, otherwise known as Carina Traumatic Stress Disorder, are set aside and she briefly focused on the red head before LaFleur.
"Behave!" she sternly admonished, intensely glaring and pointing at Carina.
Her attention on the red headed vixen is directed back at LaFleur. A man she did research on and after talking with Chuck on who the next Rockstar Rebel is, she was proud of herself. Although it started out as a way to completely embarrass and humiliate Jill, it gradually turned into a life changing moment that will never be forgotten as long as she lived.
"I talked with the show's host, Chuck Bartowski, and he wanted me to inform you to make yourself comfortable," Zondra shared, cautiously removing her hand that was placed over her bestie's mouth. After she took a moment to wipe her right hand on her pant leg, she continued on. "Drinks and snacks are provided," she pointed out, to the counter to their left. "Also enjoy the show and Big Mike will escort you to the courtyard when the time has arrived to introduce you."
"Excellent," he replied back. "When you initially called, I was a little skeptical as to why I was picked as a special guest for this YouTube show I never heard of. However, I did my due diligence and researched it. I got to say, this Chuck Bartowski is doing a fine job in bringing to the forefront special medical cases in a very unique way that aren't often given attention."
"That's Chuckles for ya," Carina chimed in. "He's a super nerd to those rugrats. Looks out for those little guys and girls. He's pretty much their big brother."
"I agree," nodded Zondra. "Listen, if you need anything, Big Mike is outside and let him know."
"Much appreciated ladies." LaFleur nodded. "Wait till my fiancé hears about this. She'll never believe it,." he added, shaking his head in disbelief.
He turned left then headed towards the drink and snack table, but not before gazing his sights on the flatscreen tv. The image of Chuck standing in front of a blue courtyard bench on the screen. As for Carina and Zondra, they stood there staring at LaFleur then turned to each other with their eyebrows raised. Both of them knew what the other was thinking after they heard what he said that concerned his fiancé, Jill Roberts.
XXX
"Bartowski Brigade," Chuck announced, with a mic in his right hand. A small stack of notecards held in his left hand. He stood in front of the blue courtyard bench addressing the courtyard crowd and viewing audience. "Our newest Rockstar Rebel is a very resilient young girl. She's dealing with a rare form of brain tumor called Convexity Meningioma. We'll find out more when we not only speak with her, but with her parents as well." he shared with the crowd. "Let's give it up for 8 year old Liliana Aguilar and her parents Enrique and Rosa."
All 3 walked up to meet with and shake hands with Chuck who provided the family a mic of their own to share. When it comes to the crowd, they showered the family with cheers, whistles, and the usual loving fanfare. Of course, it was emotionally overwhelming for the Aguilar family who didn't quite know how to handle their newfound sense of stardom. Yet, they took it in their stride the best they could, and after getting situated on the blue courtyard bench, Chuck started his interview with 8-year-old Liliana. Before he did, he suddenly spotted Jill standing by Morgan, Sarah, Chief Beckman, and Casey. In his mind, he's thankful she actually showed up and whether or not she'll hold up her end of the bargain remained to be seen. His momentary focus on Jill was returned to the Aguilar family, but more important to Liliana.
"First off," Chuck said. He stood a foot away from the blue courtyard bench and gave some breathing room for the Aguilar family as he continued on with his interview. "Do you remember me?" Liliana shook her head. "That's okay," he calmly retorted. "I like your pajamas," he pointed out. The young girl wearing Dora the Explorer pajamas, fuzzy slippers, and holding tightly against her chest a stuffed Dora doll.
For Chuck, he knew this would be a far different interview than the past Rockster Rebel interviews because of what Liliana was dealing with. Beforehand, he assured her parents that he would most definitely be respectful when it comes to not only interviewing her, but her parents as well. In addition, he wouldn't push them to answer anything they weren't comfortable being asked, which he was very conscientious of.
"Would you like to be called Liliana or is there something else that your parents or friends call you?" he asked, flashing his toothy smile towards the young girl.
There was a brief moment of silence before Chuck was able to coax the young girl to say the name she wanted to be called as. "Lily," she softly answered. The 8-year-old was noticeably shy and skittish while she's adorably wedged in between her parents, as if she was trying to hide.
"Awesome. Well, welcome Lily as you are the newest Rockstar Rebel," he softly said, then lightly clapped for her.
The crowd in the courtyard took Chuck's cue and did the same, knowing how much of a sensory overload Lily could be experiencing right now. The nerdy host of Nerdy Nerfherder and Fuzzball turned his attention from Lily to her parents.
"So, Mom and Dad," started the nerdy host. He briefly peered down at his noted cards then returned his attention back to Lily's parents. "After talking with her doctor, he shared with me that Convexity Meningioma involves a golf ball sized tumor pressing against part of her brain."
"Yes, sir," Lily's mom responded, a clear accent.
"Please," said the nerd, briefly holding up his left hand. "Call me, Chuck," insisted the humble host.
"Si, Mr. Chuck," she nodded.
There were some audible chuckles after Rosa responded, causing Chuck to simply express a humorous smile of his own. He continued on with the interview, but not before removing the top notecard and placing it in the back. After glancing over the information, he continued on.
"I mentioned earlier that because of the tumor pressing against and putting pressure on her brain, one of the systems that she's dealing with, other than headaches and mild to severe vomiting, is memory loss.
This time, Lily's father, Enrique, spoke up and answered, "That's right, Chuck."
Speaking of Chuck, he mentally noted that Lily's father speaks better English and doesn't have much of an accent. He didn't want to mentally delve further as to what type of profession he worked in, so he pressed on with the interview.
"My daughter has had seizures and muscle spasms that she can't control. It not only scares her, but us too."
"I would be too, even though I'm not a parent myself. I do consider myself a big brother to those kids over there,." he shared, pointing over to the group of kids and nurses. Those aforementioned group of kids happily and excitedly waved back after being acknowledged by Chuck.
Unfortunately, he doesn't see one specific nurse, Alex. In his mind, it's for good reason, as Jill is in attendance, so he guessed she didn't want to be recognized and cause the surprise to fall apart. In any case, he returned his attention back to the Aguilar family. He took a deep breath and spoke up again.
"What has been the hardest thing to deal with when it comes to this rare form of cancer?" He peered down and briefly read the notes on the notecard. "According to her doctor, it has affected more males than females. Unfortunately, Lily wasn't able to avoid being part of that particular statistic."
"We've put trust and faith in her doctor, but in Jesus too,." Rosa said, doing the sign of the cross. She then cast her eyes up towards heaven and briefly closed her eyes afterwards
"I'm sure we'll all cast our prayers to her doctor and the Lord Jesus Christ to lay his healing hands on Lily," Chuck empathetically retorted.
The crowd acknowledged what Chuck said and showed their continued love, as well as support by respectfully clapping for the family. After the clapping gradually died down, Chuck pressed forward again with his interview.
"What about surgery? Again, after talking to her doctor," Chuck flipped through his notecards and found the information concerning surgery. "From what I've been able to research, if the convexity meningioma is large and has a rich vascular supply, it's open for a pre-surgery embolization." Chuck paused for a moment because what he read went over his head. Afterwards, he shook his head and returned his attention back to Enrique, "I'm guessing that meant surgery is possible."
Lily's father shook his head. "It depends on the size of the tumor pressing against her brain," answered Enrique. "Her doctor said it's not considered a major issue right now," he added, shaking his head. "It's less than the size of a golf ball."
"I take it you've sought out a second opinion."
Enrique nodded. "Even if it's less than the size of a golf ball, my daughter still experiences pain. I just want to help her relieve that pain. I just feel so helpless." He sighed, expressing stressed out frustration in his voice. "Plus, he said it's considered too high of a risk since the tumor is located in part of the brain where there aren't any clear boundaries or limits from brain tissue. Whatever that means,." he added, shaking his head out of pure frustration.
"I mentioned earlier that one of the symptoms Lily deals with when it comes to Convexity Meningioma is memory loss. How has it affected her and your family?"
"It's been tough," responded Enrique. "My daughter has experienced highs and lows like many kids suffering from cancer,." he shared, peering down at her in between him and his wife. "One of the scariest lows is not remembering who we are or who her friends are. She becomes frightened and it takes us a while to calm her down. Thankfully, we were able to come up with a way to help her remember."
"How?" wondered Chuck.
"She enjoys taking pictures," Rosa shared, miming an invisible camera. "We helped make what you call…uhh…how you say…pictures with a board."
"Memory board?"
"Si!" Rosa happily pointed to Chuck, with grateful appreciation.
"Awesome."
Enrique chimed in,"Pictures we took together, or Lily took. Placed it by her bed and whenever she wakes up it's the first thing she sees," Enrique shared.
Chuck expressed his toothy smile after he heard that. "Sort of like the movie 50 First Dates starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Instead of a memory board, it's a video she watched." Rosa and Enrique just stared blankly at the nerdy host's movie reference. "Never mind."
Enrique continued speaking, "We thank Jesus for every moment we're able to spend with her and continue making memories with her regardless of whether or not she remembers. We love her and we'll never stop loving her."
The youngest Bartowski sibling nodded then turned his attention to the crowd and the viewing audience. "What many of you don't know is in the past couple of days Lily was given a camera by the pediatric nursing staff and encouraged to take pictures all over the hospital."
After he said that, white screens started to rise all around the courtyard. As this happened, Chuck continued to speak with his attention directed towards the newest Rockstar Rebel. "Lily, what I'm going to do next is dedicate a song to you now and you'll see all the pictures you took. So, sit with you mom and dad and I'll go up there," Chuck pointed and briefly turned behind him. "To sing for you. Okay?" he said, flashing a smile towards her.
It took a second before Lily emerged from in between her parents. A smile that showed her adorably cute dimples that most definitely impacted Chuck, causing the nerdy host to be heart warmed. Afterwards, he leaned forward and reached out hoping to exchange knuckles with her. His hopes were fulfilled when Lily reached out and did the knuckle exchange much to the nerdy host's delight. The emotions were welling up not just inside of him, but everyone within the courtyard as tears were being wiped away from people's cheeks, both outside and inside of the hospital. One of those people actually affected in a truly genuine way…Jill Roberts. A few seconds later, Chuck turned his attention to the crowd and the viewing audience of the camera manned by Morgan Grimes.
"Up next, Bartowski Brigade," he announced, while controlling his emotions. "The dedication song for Lily Aguilar." he added, pointing to the camera.
XXX
"The song is for Lily, but I've also dedicated it to her parents," Chuck turned his head to the right and gave a nod to them. "A way of saying thank you." He briefly paused. "This family," he proudly stated, pointing over to them. "Rockstar Rebels." Afterwards, he returned his attention to the crowd and viewing audience. He then shared the title of the song he's about to sing, "Here we go. This is 'Pictures In My Head,'" announced Chuck, standing center stage. "By a group from across the pond known as Westlife."
Afterwards, he glanced over to Jeffster who were at the ready behind the keyboard and drum set to bring the courtyard down, in a good way. Chuck then nodded to Jeff who started playing the keyboard and would eventually be accompanied by Lester on the drums. A few seconds went by before the nerdy host stepped forward, grabbed the mic still on the mic stand with both hands, and let his singing voice take over.
Thank you for tomorrow when you're gonna call me
Thank you for the weekend when you're gonna see me
Thank you for the memories we haven't made yet
You've always been a part of me, even before we met
Thank you in advance for the love you'll give me
I've had a glance of the good life
You'll be there when nobody believes me
I've gone through it all in my mind
Before the first set lyrics were done, pictures from the camera that 8-year-old Lily took all around the hospital started showing up on the white screens all around the courtyard. The images of pediatric kids showed off the fun they were having and proving it with not only their smiles, but goofy faces that were expressed for everyone to see as well. The combination of the images on screen and the song itself livened up the crowd to the point where they started clapping. For the nerdy host, he didn't waste any time whatsoever and immediately jumped into the 1st stanza of the second set of lyrics.
I can see me looking at you
At the start of the day for all my life
I can see me dying to hold you
On the way when I'm driving home at night
I've got these pictures in my head
These pictures in my head, yeah
I've got these pictures in my head
These pictures in my head
As the song reached its first break, more pictures were shown, and this time the pediatric nurses appeared with one of them being Alex. Luckily, she was wearing oversized pink glasses and a pink boa around her neck so anyone who does know or recognize her could tell, except for those who don't, such as Jill. Chuck stood there for a moment and smiled as he looked at picture after picture that were taken by Lily. Yet, the pictures weren't just taken in the pediatrics area hospital of Westside Medical Center, as they were also taken within many areas of the hospital.
Images such as a grumpy looking Lazlo, who ventured out from his IT bunker. He was pictured bent over and grabbing his snack from the snack machine that he just purchased. Other pictures shown were of Ellie and Devon smiling with Lily, Bryce with his physical therapist Hannah, Jeff and Lester playfully wheeling around Lily on a stretcher, a visibly angry Emmitt who was soaking wet from head to toe after presumably being pranked again, and a shot of Chief Beckman flanked by Casey. Lily sitting on top of the hulking Head of Security's left shoulder. However, the picture that one person within the courtyard did not expect to see was evident by how her eyes suddenly widened.
Of course, that aforementioned picture shown is of Jill sitting in the cafeteria. She's holding hands with Cole and looking at each other in a seemingly intimate way. Unbeknownst to the both of them that a picture was even taken. It wasn't just Jill who reacted that way, as they were varied reactions from Sarah, Morgan, and most definitely Chuck. In any case, as the pictures continued to show on the white screens throughout the courtyard from Anna to Head Nurse Forrest, Chuck suddenly realized he was in the middle of singing a song. He quickly slid over, grabbed the mic and started singing the next set of lyrics and played it off as he didn't forget he was in the middle of a performance.
Thank you for tomorrow when you're gonna call me
Thank you for the weekend when you're gonna see me
Thank you in advance for the time you'll notice
I'm all you've wanted all of your life
Thank you for every single moment
I've gone through it all in my mind
I can see me looking at you
At the start of the day for all my life
I can see me die to hold you
On the way when I'm driving home at night
I've got these pictures in my head
These pictures in my head, yeah
I've got these pictures in my head
These pictures in my head
When the second break to the song was reached, Chuck pointed to Jeffster and gave them a chance to shine the only way they knew how. As Chuck stood back, giving Jeff and Lester their opportunity to let loose for a bit, he was suddenly made aware of Lily who was on her feet and happily dancing to the music. Her parents were dancing along with her, making memories with their daughter. Thankfully, a picture was taken by one of the pediatric nurses to capture that special, heartfelt, as well as candid moment of the family together. It's that moment in which Chuck smiled, as the nerdy host stepped up to the mic to sing the remaining set of lyrics of the performance.
Pictures in my head
Thank you for the best times, thank you for the journey
I can see me looking at you
At the start of the day for all my life
I can see me die to hold you
On the way when I'm driving home at night
I can see me looking at you
At the start of the day for all my life
I can see me die to hold you
On the way when I'm driving home at night
I've got these pictures in my head
These pictures in my head, yeah
I've got these pictures in my head
These pictures in my head
Pictures in my head
Once the song ended, Chuck briefly closed his eyes then stepped back from the mic. The crowd erupted in exuberant celebration for another performance. A performance where the crowd never stopped clapping, which uplifted Chuck even more. After taking a bow, he turned around and acknowledged Jester for their stellar contribution as well. He then returned to the mic and addressed the lively crowd, as well as the viewing audience. It took a couple attempts but the crowd noise gradually subsided and he was able to speak up.
"The show is not over yet, Bartowski Brigade," announced Chuck. "We're changing things up a bit when it comes to the donations part of the show. So, after a short break, you'll be introduced to someone who wants to donate in person. Who knows what surprises are in store when it comes to giving from a place within your own heart?." he shared, placing his right hand on his chest.
Chuck then directed her attention straight to Jill. The look on her eyes as both of them widened expressing a mixture of panicked nervousness. For the nerdy host it told him all that he needed to know, which was there's no turning back for her now. The point of no return. Speaking of Jill, she had no idea what was about to happen as there was certainly a surprise that awaited her, she never saw coming.
XXX
NOTE: Whenever I research types of cancers especially for kids, it does get me a bit emotional knowing there are parents going through what I'm writing about. The inner mental, spiritual, and emotional strength to stay positive, as well as keep the faith in hopes of having their child or children be fully cancer free is certainly a journey in every sense of the word. I tip my hat to any and all parents who went through and are presently going through this because they are the true Rockstar Rebels. Anyways, share your thoughts and leave a review of what you thought of this chapter. Also stay tuned because I know the next chapter is what you've anticipated for involving Jill, which I'm currently working on. In any case, tip of the hat to NEVR for doing the beta! You rock once again dude!