Chapter 79

Lexie was on first name basis with all the Neonatal staff, she would spend much of her day with the trio. Stephanie would come after school to spend time with the trio.  Jesse would bring his brothers with their grandparents.  Jon was either at the hospital with Lexie, or he would be with Stephanie looking at larger townhomes in the area.  He would bring pictures of the places. 

Today Lexie was going home.  Jon was there early, they both went down to visit the trio.  Maddy and Livie were almost at five and a half pounds, Calen was a little slow.  They kept changing his formula, they had even thought he would take to her breast, but that didn’t work either.  Finally one of the older nurses came in with something he took to. 

“My son had the same problem, he finally hit on canned milk with sugar in it.” He joked, “Your little Calen is starting to put on some pounds.”  Nurse Henry told Lexie.

The day she was to go home, Jon found her in the Neonatal Unit.  Maddy and Livie were moved to a warming bed, they would come home once they hit six pounds, fingers crossed it would be by the end of the month.  If Calen kept packing on the pounds he would come a long with his sisters.

“I’ll be back tomorrow to see you guys.”  They let her sit in the rockers to hold Maddy.  “You have your daddy’s smile little girl.  Were you the one who tried to kick my kidneys all through the night?”  She kissed the top of her head.  All too soon Maddy was replaced with Livie.  “Look at all those curls.”  She ran her fingers through the dark curls.  “Daddy’s gonna have to beat the boys off with a stick.”  Soon Calen was in her arms, that was when Jon walked in.

“I thought I would find you in here.” He went over to the other rocker by her.  “Jesse is getting your bag.  Hey little boy.”  He reached for his son.   Your big brother Romey can’t wait till you’re home.  He wants to teach you football.” Jon kissed the top of his head.

“Did Mitzy hear anything about that six bedroom house?”  Lexie watched Jon count Calen’s toes and fingers.

“Yeah, the family wanted to know who the buyer was, she wouldn’t tell them since they would up the cost.” Jon rocked Calen.  “We’ll get the keys, it needs paint and carpet.  Mitzy called the decorator we meet her at the place.”

“So we’re meeting them on the way home?”  Lexie got up and went over and looked at her girls.

“Yep.”  Jon let the nurse take Calen and he went over and put his arms around her waist and put his chin on her shoulder looking down.  “They’ll be home before we know it.”

“I know, it’s just so hard.”  She sniffed. 

They headed out, past the paps, to the waiting car.  They headed into the city and by the new house.  Getting out of the car Lexie looked up at the façade.  “We own the whole building?”  Mitzy met them in the foyer.

“Welcome home.”   Mitzy handed Jon the keys. She introduced the Bongiovi’s to the security doorman.  Then they headed to the elevator.

“We own the top two floors, similar to the SoHo home, just extra bedrooms.”  Jon explained as they rode up to their floor.  There was a small foyer to the door.   He opened the door and let her walk in.  Mitzy introduced them to the decorator she had arranged to redo the house.  Marie was an older woman, she had spray cans in her hands.

“Congratulations on your new house.  These are for you, I was told Jon wanted open floor plan. “Marie said as she shook her spray can up.  “If we agree on the walls coming down, we’ll mark and with an X.”

They walked through downstairs marking walls to come down.  Then they moved upstairs, to the bedroom floor.  They started with the kid’s room.  The older kids would have their own rooms.  Romeo had requested his little brother room with him.  Lexie had told him once Calen got older that would work out, but until then the trio would share a room.  Then they moved into the master bedroom.

“Wow, what a view.”  Lexie walked over to the window.  Thinking back to when she moved into Jon’s townhome from her little walk up was a big adjustment, this took her breath away.

“You said you needed Lexie’s office up here.  The walk in closet is here and we can place her desk over here.”  Marie told her.

Lexie looked at the spot she would place her desk.  It was a step up from her closet office.  She would have a window looking out toward the financial district.  There would have to be a black out shade, so Jon could sleep.

“I think that looks great, it’s temporary.”  Lexie told Marie.  Lexie watched Jon.  He seemed to agree.

“We’ll start on the downstairs today, we should be through when the triplet’s come home.” Marie said as they went back downstairs.  Jesse had waited on them in the car, he had already seen the place when he went with his dad and sister.

Jon thanked Marie and the two of them headed back down to the lobby.  Lexie was starting to get tired, and he could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice.  He got her back to the SoHo house and into bed, before she dropped. 

Jon brought her up the lunch that Carlotta made.  Carlotta agreed to go to the SoHo house to help the new mommy.  Jon bumped the door open to find Lexie sitting up in bed working on her iPad.

“You’re supposed to be sleeping.”  He carried the tray over to the bed.

“I got an idea so I jotted it down, yum that smells good.”  She sat the tablet down and took the tray.  “Seems like there is enough to share.”  She balanced the tray and patted the bed beside her.  Jon toed off his shoes and crawled into bed with her.  “When do you go back out?”  She picked up half the sandwich and took a small bite.

“In a week, we head west. “He said before he took a bite of his half.  “Lots of one nighters, about two months, but I’ll be here to bring the trio home.”  He finished his part of the sandwich and took a sip of her juice.

“Your mom and dad said they would come and stay with me until you finish tour.”  She finally finished her half and downed the juice.

“Steph and Jesse will be here to help also.”  He took the tray and sat it on the floor and pulled her close.

“Jon, they have school and need to sleep.”  She cuddled close.  “They offered and I know I’ll need them.”  She yawned.

“Sleep the kids will be here soon.”  He held her until she was asleep, then went down to see the kids.

They spent most of Jon two weeks off between the hospital and the new townhome.  Each of the kids had an idea for their rooms.  Romeo and Jake were sharing a room and they would have a half wall so each of them had their own space.  Jesse wanted a sports room, and Stephanie wanted a more modern bedroom to go with her fledgling modeling career.

Lexie watched Jon take off from Teterboro airport, it was hard, and those two weeks went by so fast.  Between the hospital and the new house, she would miss him so much.  She went by the hospital and held the trio.  Once they were home, Jon had wanted David Bergman to do their first family portraits.  Gifts had been dropped off at the hospital for the trio from fans all over the world.  She opened them all after they had been x-rayed.   Many of the gifts were donated to many of Jon’s charities.  It was the same with all the kids, in the hospital.  They were moved in an area for the three of them.  Reporters and photographers had been sneaking on the floor and into the unit to see the trio. One more week or two and they would go to their new home.  The driver dropped Lexie off at the emergency entrance, she told Joe that she would call him when she was ready to go to the new house.

Lexie walked along the hallways, onto different elevators that other guest of the hospital were never told about.  Lexie walked into the Neonatal Unit and pulled on all her covers and washed her hands.  She wasn’t sure about the mask.  The Charge nurse checked her bracelets, she had three of them, one for each baby.

Maddison and Olivia were being washed so she went to get Calen.  He was on his back like a turtle moving his arms and legs.  Nurse Nance said that Calen almost flipped over this morning.

“Momma’s little boy is on the move after being cramped by his big sisters.”  Lexie teased her son.  Picking him up in her arms she moved to the rocker.  “Your daddy is out making women scream to pay for you and your sisters and your brother’s college tuition. “  She laid him on her legs and looked down at the little face that had his daddy’s eye, nose and chin.  “You got some of the good parts of your dad, his little mini me, like your big brother Jakey.”  She held his little hands and pulled out her phone and snapped pictures of him smiling and giving his momma duck lips.  Soon it was Calen’s turn to be weighed, measured and bathed.  Maddie was brought to Lexie first.  Her big blue eyes taking in all that was going on around her.  She paid attention to what her mother was saying about her new room at the new house. Then it was Olivia’s time with her momma.  Lexie passed one over for the other.  Olivia was going to look just like her mom.  Dark brown curls and hazel green eyes and her grand momma Maddison’s nose and that too was like her momma.  She had been there about an hour and a half when Stephanie came in.  Jesse followed his older sister into the unit.  He went right for Calen and watched the nurse bathe him and then Jesse took the bottle to feed Calen.

“Have you two been to the new place yet?”  Lexie asked them.

“No, we wanted to go with you.  Jake and Rome’s rooms were done just the furniture to be brought over. Mine and Jesse’s were a little harder.  I wanted my bed suspended from the ceiling and Jesse finally decided on his is paint and poster.”  She lifted held Maddison on her lap.  “I didn’t know he was wanting all this Notre Dame stuff.”   

“Jess, you want to play sports for Notre Dame?  I thought you might go Princeton or U Penn, I would never thought Notre Dame.”  Lexie asked Jesse as she put Olivia on her lap and rubbed her back.

“I talked to dad when we went to the cabin this summer, the scouts came out and talked to us at school and Dad attended the meeting.  They really want me to go on the team as a walk on freshman.”  Jesse told his mom.  “But I got this year and senior year, get these two football seasons over, the scouts will come to different games, the Lacrosse team wants me too.”

“Wow Jess that’s great.  I’m so proud of you, and you too Stephanie, your dad told me that you’ve got two shows coming up.   It was hard on me being laid up and not being able to help you, take you to tryouts.” Lexie felt the tears well up.  She had days like this when she was pregnant.  They had warned her about postpartum depression and what to look for. 

“My friends took me and then dad went with me.  It was easier with you or my friends, they seemed to be more interested in him than me.”  Stephanie took the bottle from the nurse and started to feed Olivia.  “The three of them don’t look anything alike.”  She said as the baby ate.

“They have their own personalities too.  I think it’s great they don’t look alike.”  Jesse said as he burped his brother.  “Calen looks a little like Jakey did when he was born.  But, you can tell his eyes are gonna change.”

“What do you mean Jess?  I think he looks just like your dad.”  Lexie asked him.

“Well, his eyes are getting lighter, when I saw him the first time they were dark blue like daddy and Jakey, now they are lighter.”  He sat Calen up and finished the bottle.

“Yeah they are getting lighter.”  Stephanie told her.

They were heading to the new townhome.  Letting themselves in; the walls were down and the kitchen was almost finished, the drapes were up and the new furniture was set up.  They went upstairs and split at the hall to look at the rooms.  Lexie headed to the nursery first, opening the door she smiled the room was perfect it was a pale mint green the cribs were white.  Three rockers sat by the windows.  The teddy bears that Lemma and Richie sent were in the crib.  Over each crib the baby’s names were painted on the walls. 

“Wow, this looks great.”  Stephanie said as she and Jesse walked into the room. 

“It does look great.”  Lexie said as she went over and sat in one of the rockers.  Stephanie and Jesse sat in the other two.  “These will come in handy at 2am feedings.”

“Ah man, how did I forget the two in the morning feedings?”  Jesse slapped his head with his palm.

Stephanie and Lexie laughed.

Jon flew into Teterboro and then grabbed a chopper to the city, the trio was coming home.  Lexie had sent him text and videos of the babies and the house.  He couldn’t wait to sleep in his own bed, even if it was for a short three days then he would be back at his day job.  He walked into the hospital and met Lexie outside the room with the babies.  He had brought David Bergman to capture it all for him, he couldn’t mess with it.  All he wanted to do was get his family home.

Lexie met him in the hallway, she just fell into his arms.

“I’ve missed you so much.” She told him between kisses.

Jon just held her while she welcomed him home.  David caught a few pictures of them before they were joined by his parents.  After all the photos the kids they were soon headed down to the cars.  Jon made sure the car seats were installed right.  Soon they were sneaking out of the emergency exit, no Paps.  Lexie kept checking to make sure someone wasn’t following them. They pulled up at the new house, they older four were waiting in the living room.  There was cake and party food, the trio went into their room and around ten at night, monitor in hand Lexie and Jon finally set down exhausted. 

“I’m so glad they’re home.”  Lexie said as she curled up beside Jon on the sofa as they watched the city lights flicker in the huge windows. 

“I’m glad I got to be here for them to come home.”  Jon wrapped his arm around her shoulder and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

“Poor Paul, tell him thank you for arranging this.”  Lexie reached over Jon’s lap for the baby monitor.  “It was nice of your mom and dad to help us.”  She made sure the volume was turned up.

Jon hummed his agreement.  He left the west coast at four in the morning and just sitting there and holding Lexie, his body was starting to shut down.  The catnap he had on the plane was slowly petering out.

Lexie looked up as Jon’s head slowly fell back on the back of the sofa.  She reached for the remote and closed the curtains and turned off the television. 

“Jon, Honey why don’t we go up to bed?”  She rubbed his chest.  Getting up and took his hand and started to pull him off the sofa.  She was rewarded with grumbling.  Shaking her head she lifted his feet up and swung his legs up on the sofa and moved his head down to a pillow.  Pulling the throw off the back she covered him up.  Turning down the lamps she bent down and kissed his cheek.  Grabbing up the baby monitor the climbed the stairs and checked on the sleeping trio.  Checking on the girls first, their little butts tucked in the air.  Moving to Calen she noticed he was still watching the mobile lights shining on the ceiling.

“Hey little man,” She whispered as she checked his diaper.  Picking him up she went to the rocker and began to rock and hum to her son.  It wasn’t long till he was asleep.  Putting him down on his stomach, she giggle when he grunted and rooted till he was comfortable.   Checking the monitors again, she headed to the bedroom.  Closing the drapes she changed into her night gown and crawled into the big king sized bed placing the monitor on her bedside table she pulled her iPad out and checked email from her fan site.  Soon her eyes were starting to close.  She had put her iPad on the bedside table and dimmed the lights.  Knowing soon the babies would wake for a feeding, she drifted off to sleep.