Chapter 84

“I’ll go check on her.”  Lexie headed to the kids bedroom and knocked on the door.  “Steph, your dad wants you to join him in his room,” She said as she walked into the room.

Stephanie gave her a look, Lexie just shrugged her shoulders at her, to let her know she had no idea.

Stephanie got off the bed and headed across the living room to her parents room and shut the door.

Jon was pacing the room.  Walking over to where she had come in the bedroom, he took a deep breath.

“Did we have a discussion the other night, a discussion about the drugs?”  He felt his voice get a little tighter and sterner. 

“Daddy, I was out with the roadies and well, I just had one hit.  I wasn’t even thinking, it was handed to me and I just,” Stephanie knew she couldn’t lie her way out of this one.  “How did you find out?”

“Stephanie Rose, I am not stupid, I can smell it on you.  That and that sickening sweet crap you try to cover it with.”  Jon sat down hard on the bed, like his body couldn’t hold him up anymore. 

Stephanie watched her father, it was like he had aged ten years since they sat on the edge of the stage.  Anything she said now would sink her deeper into the hole she had dug.

“I don’t know what else to say or do.” He put his head in his hands.  They, he and Dorothea, had tried everything short of rehab.  He hated the idea of sending her away, but he was almost at the end of his rope with her.

“Daddy, I promise,” Stephanie started but one look from her father stopped her.

“You promise, you always promise not to do it anymore and the last time being only two days?”  Jon got up and walked to the door and opened it. “I can’t trust you anymore with the promises, I’m so disappointed in you.”  He looked back at her. “Go back to your room, I,” He stopped and took a deep breath.  “I’m so disappointed in you right now Steph, just go.”  He watched her walk out of the room, it took every ounce if his control not to slam the door.  Where did his little girl go to, where did he and Dotty go wrong?

Stephanie ran across the living room back to her room, passing Lexie standing at the balcony.

Lexie went to the bedroom door and knocked softly and waited for Jon to let her in.  When the door opened and Jon stood there in tears she just held her arms open for him.  She held him until he got control over himself.

Stephanie rushed into the room and right into the bathroom, slamming the door.  Jesse got off the bed and went to the door and knocked.

“Hey, you okay?”  He tried the door, finding it unlocked he walked in.  “What happened?”

“What do you think happened, he busted me.” Stephanie said from her position on the closed lid to the toilet, tears running down her face.

“You knew this was coming, but the little princess doesn’t think that far ahead.”  He stood with his back to the door. 

“I’m not the princess anymore, Livie and Maddie are the princesses.” Stephanie pulled off a wad of toilet paper and blew her nose.

“Keep telling yourself that, you’re first born, the keeper of all things Bongiovi.”  Jesse told her.  “In other words, your shit don’t stink.”

Stephanie laughed at her brother’s joke.  “Yeah, but right now, he said he was disappointed in me. He’s never said that.”

“Maybe you pushed him too far, Steph he just warned you the other night.” Jesse told her.

“No he said no drugs at the party, Jess it was just a little pot.” Stephanie blew her nose.

“Steph, the last I heard Pot was a drug.  He’s gonna send you to drug rehab if you don’t stop and use that thing in your head called a brain.”  He pushed off the door and tapped her on the head. 

“I can’t want to graduate and go to college, then I can do anything I want.” She got off the toilet and pushed past Jesse and left the bathroom.

Jon stepped out of her protective arms.

“I got to call Matty.” Jon said wiping his face.

“I’ll go check on Steph.”  She left him to make his call.

Lexie went to the kid’s room, Romeo was asleep half on the bed and half off. He had a game control still clinched in his hands.  Jacob was reading on his laptop.

“Not much longer Jakey,” She noticed Jesse and Steph weren’t in the room. 

“They’re in the bathroom.” Jakey said not looking up.

Just then the bathroom door opened up and the older Bongiovi children came out.  Lexie waited and watched.

“I’m fine Lex.”  Stephanie said getting her sleep shirt and boxers out.

“I was just checking on the boys.” Lexie said.  “I wanted you to know I didn’t betray your trust, I never said anything to your dad.” 

“I know you didn’t, he smelled it. Guess I’m not as smart as I thought I was.  You caught it and so did daddy.” She went back into the bathroom.  When she came out, her eyes were damp.

“I saw you, didn’t smell it, but smelled the cover up.”  Lexie finally told her.

“What’s Daddy gonna do?”  Stephanie asked as she got into bed.

“I don’t know, when I left he was calling Matt.”  Lexie went over to Romeo and got him more into the bed and took the controller out of his hands.  She took

Jacob laptop and got him tucked in.  Jesse joined to the boys in the king size bed.

“Oh God, he called uncle Matty?  That’s not good.” Stephanie sighed.  “That is not good at all.”

“Well, it’s over and done with tonight, get some sleep.”  Lexie headed to the door.  “Sleep tight.”  Lexie told them as she left the bedroom and made her way across the suite to the master bedroom.  She heard Jon still on the phone with Matt.

“Tomorrow, don’t care how you do it, just get it done Matt.”  Jon’s voice was still raised.  Lexie was worried about what this was doing to her family.  She tapped on the closed door, before opening the door to go in.

“Kids in bed?”  Jon asked sitting on the foot of the bed.  The still full glass of wine sat on the bed side table.

“Yes,” She grabbed her sleep shirt on and headed to the bathroom.

She watched him though the open door, he looked like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.  Coming out she crawled across the bed and reached for his shoulders. The muscles under her fingers were like boulders. 

“That feel’s good.”  Jon moaned as her fingers worked their magic.

“Just returning the favor, how many nights did you work the kinks out of my shoulders while I was marathon writing?”  She got working on one really tight muscle.

“What am I going to do Lex?  I don’t want to find her hooked on harder drugs or God forbid dead for an over dose.” Jon leaned his head back.

“Jon, this scares me as much as it does you, but I can’t tell you what to do, you have to do what’s best for her.”  She stilled her hands.  “Yes the papers say she is my daughter, but I will stand by whatever you decide.”

Jon reached back and took her hand. 

“I think I can call Sister Mary and she can help me.  When we get home and off the road for a while, I’ll see what she suggest.”  He pulled her around on his lap.

“Go take a hot shower, tomorrow is another day.” Lexie kissed him tenderly.

“Take one with me?” Jon groaned in her ear.

“Anytime rock star.”  She got off his lap and took his hand.

With the blackout drapes closed Lexie wasn’t sure what time it was.  It was the quiet tapping on the door that woke her up.  Pulling on her robe she headed to the door.  Jon made an un-intelligent remark, as he turned over and pulled the pillow over his head.  Granted after the shower, that he ended up pulling her in, they had made love till Jon fell asleep.

Opening the room door, she found Jacob and Romeo on the floor with empty cereal bowls and Juice glasses, while they were playing a video game, Jesse was flopped down working on a school project.  She didn’t see Stephanie, she might still be asleep.  Carol Bongiovi always said, Stephanie was just like Jon, but she wore a skirt.  Looking through the peep hole in the door she saw Matt, and he wasn’t smiling.