Chapter 77

Everybody loved their birthday, everybody but Jon.  Lexie not being there just made it harder to be excited.  They would hit the stage right on time, no running late, he had to be on that chopper right after the show. 

Tony was following him around the stage with his camera. 

“Hey Birthday boy say hi to your wife.”  Tony said as he whipped in front of Jon.

“Hey Lex, hey mom, dad and the kids.”  He smiled at the camera.

“He’s not happy.”  Lexie told her Mother in Law.  “Something about making a show of him getting older.”  She laughed as she watched Romeo hang another streamer.

His cell rang, hoping it was Lexie and praying it was not his mom.

“Hey birthday boy, funny you don’t look any older than you did yesterday.”  Lexie giggled in his ear.

His prayers were answered.

“Hey Inkie,” He laughed.  Every time she gets depressed she isn’t with him, she calls herself the Incubator.

“Ha ha,” she laughed.  “I got an idea, you come sit in the bed day in and day out and I’ll go prance on stage and shake my ass.”  She teased back.

“I’m glad you called.  I’ll be there as soon as I can.”  Jon went over and sat on a travel speaker case.  Matt said I need to make an appearance at the after party.”

“You should, all those people came to wish you a happy birthday.” She shifted in the bed, the trio made sure she got very little rest these days.

“I hope you all aren’t making a big fuss about today.”  He heard the kids in the background.

“Now why would you say that?”  She giggled again.  She knew he loved it, but would never say anything.  But the grin on his face would last for days.

“Hey daddy.”  Stephanie called out as she tied balloons to the fetal monitors for the babies.  They were part of this celebration too.

“Hey baby Girl.”  Jon laughed. 

 “Have a good show, we’ll be watching.  I promise this time to stay awake.”  She told him.

“Okay Lex, Tony has to get in the pit, see you on stage.”  He made a kiss sound when he about to hang up the phone.

“Oh God I’m going to be sick.”  Tony lowered the camera and faked a gag.

“Fuck you little brother.”  Jon gave him the jersey salute. “Got to go, Paul is coming to get me, see you as soon and I can get there.”  Jon said as he closed off the call.  “Love you”

“Love you too.”  Lexie said as she ended the call.

The family left when the concert ended.  John Senior had to pull Carol out of the room, she wanted to wish her son a happy birthday. 

Jon finally got there, he pushed the door open to Lexie room and smiled, it was just them.  He looked at all the birthday stuff in the room.  He put the cake box down and took his go bag into the bathroom, changing out of his jeans, shirt and boots, which smelled like a backstage party of smoking drunken sots.  Pulling on his sweats and tee shirt and scuffs.  Turning off the light before opening the door, to try not to wake Lexie.  He came into the room and noticed the light over her bed was on.

“Happy birthday Hotness.”  She giggled.  She found a whole new world out there, fan fiction.

“Where did that come from?”  He laughed as he crawled into the bed with her.

“Oh, I was bored and went on line, found this whole new world out there.”  Lexie said as she cuddled her husband, as close as she could.

“Ut Oh, you and the World Wide Web could be very dangerous.”  He wrapped his arm around her.  “Your mom is going crazy.”  He spoke to her bulging belly. 

Lexie was rewarded with several kicks to her belly

“They agreed with you.”  She took his other hand and placed it were she was getting kicked.

Jon eyes went wide, sure he had felt all four of his kid’s kick, when Dorothea had been pregnant, this time it felt different.  It was more of a kick kick kick, not kick wait a while and kick.  It was like a machine gun fire.

“Wow, this going on a lot?” he asked her.

“Yeah, I rest when they rest, nights are rough.  I’m stuck in this bed and I can’t go to the concerts, yes I want healthy babies.”  She was starting to cry.  She was so frustrated, she couldn’t help Stephanie with her modeling assignments, even the boys, se missed going to their games.  She felt so useless. 

There was a tap on the door, it slowly opened and Stephanie poked her head around the edge of the door.

“Hey, ready for some fun?”  She asked, she could tell Lexie had a sad look in her eyes.

“Come on in.”  Jon said.   He watched his four kids come into the room with packages.

“Happy Birthday Daddy.”  Romeo said as he came over to the bed.  He leaned over toward Lexie tummy, “hey baby brother.”  He whispered.

Lexie reached for a tissue, trying not to let the kids see her tears.  Hearing Romeo whisper to her tummy almost did her in, she hoped the Mystery Passenger was a brother for him.

“Baby girl you know we’re always ready for fun.”  He got off the bed to put his arms around Stephanie.

Stephanie hugged her dad and whispered in his ear.

“Mom is crying.”

Jon looked over at Lexie and put his arm around her.

“Hey, you okay” He asked as he hugged her close.

“I’m fine, really.  Is that cake I smell?”  She sniffed and nudged Jon.

He would get it out of her once the kids left.

They had cake and Jon opened the gifts.  The usual shirt and tie, Stephanie and Jesse got him his seats for the Patriots, it was Lexie gift that got him.  He had been looking at another antique car, similar to his Chevelle.  Inside the small box was a set of keys, with a familiar Chevrolet logo.

“How?”  He held the keys up and looked at Lexie, who had a big grin on her face.

“All I do all day long is sleep, eat, write and incubate.  I have a laptop and a huge bank account.”  Lexie said, “I have ordered cribs, cradles, clothes, and all this baby stuff.  I had to get you a birthday present.”

“It’s this the Corvair?”  Jon asked her still holding the keys, like they will disappear if he put them down.

“Your dad has been a huge help, he picked it up for me and parked it in the garage at home, with a huge bow on top.”  She told him with a giggle.  “You did pick out the blue one?”

“Yes, Aqua, you got me the Aqua one?”  He was holding his breath waiting on her to answer him.

Reaching over she grabbed her cell, pulling up the picture icon she handed him the phone.

Jon looked at the car, yep it was Aqua, and it was the one they had talked about.  The dealer had told him it was sold, but wouldn’t give him the name of the buyer.  It was Lexie.

“I don’t know what to say?”  He handed her the phone.

“How about two little words,” she told him, “Thank you.”

“Thank you, Lex.” He leaned over and gave her a kiss.

“You’re welcome.” She whispered to her lips.

March was coming to an end, Lexie had been in bed for almost two months, and it was getting harder and harder.  She had shifted in the bed all night long.  Stephanie came that morning, she knew something was up.  Lexie was cranky, more so than usual.  They had a fight the night before, it was all Stephanie’s fault, she was complaining about missing a possible modeling job.  She had taken it out on Lexie, not being able to watch the three musketeers so she could go to Los Angeles.  Her dad was doing a double show at Mohegan Sun. 

She walked into the room and saw Lexie rubbing her belly struggling in the bed.

“If you three will stop poking me, augh my back is killing me.”  She groaned and flipped the covers off the bed.

“Lexie, Mom do you want me to get the nurse?”  Stephanie asked as she dropped her school books in the chair.

“Can you?  I lost the call button and I started to get up and they said Hell no, Stephanie please get the nurse.”  Lexie was half up, half down in the bed and rubbing her belly, her voice coming out as a plea.

“Be right back, breathe.”  Stephanie rushed out the door to the nurse desk.  “I think my mom is in labor.”  Stephanie leaned over the desk and used her Bongiovi voice to get their attention.

“Why didn’t she call us, we have a call into the doctor from the monitors.”  The nurse rushed down the hall ahead of Stephanie. 

Stephanie placed a call to her dad.  The doctor had given him a daddy cell, so he would know when it was time. 

Jon was sitting in a group interview when the phone went off.  Everything came to a stop.  They all had their jobs to do when the call came, Richie was to call the diver, David the pilot and Paul was to rush Jon out and end the interview.

“Daddy, it’s time” Stephanie said.

“On the way.” Jon had a feeling after talking to Lexie last night.  His hospital go bag was already on the plane. 

“Good, I think they are prepping her for a C section, Doctor Sally just went into the room.”  She leaned on the door outside the room, it was too busy in the room to be in there.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”  Jon said as he ran out of the room.

Doctor Sally came out to talk to Stephanie.

“Where is your dad?”  Doctor Sally asked Stephanie.

“On the way to the airport and with luck be here in an hour and a half, plane to airport, helicopter to the roof and from the roof to the elevator here.”  Stephanie said, they had tested it last week.

“Well, I’m going to have you get dressed, just in case.”  Doctor Sally patted her on the shoulder as he passed.

“Dressed?”  Stephanie questioned as the doctor rushed down the hallway.