Chapter 86

“I asked her why she smoked pot.”  Lexie told him.  “She said you and Dorothea moved her and Jesse to Polly Prep because of the drugs that were ramped at their old school.”

“You knew she smoked pot.”  It wasn’t a question, Jon made a statement.

“I knew she smoked it that night, I told you I did.  I found out after we got home, that it’s been ongoing.  In her words, Dorothea was the cool mom, so I take it she allowed this in her house by Stephanie and her friends.”  The driver pulled up to the entrance to the same day surgery.  “We’ll finish this up at home.”

Jon nodded his head, this was another shocking thing he had found out about Dorothea and how his house was ran when he wasn’t there.

“Yeah, and we will talk about this Lex.”  Jon said as the driver let them out.

They took Jon back to prep him for surgery.  Before the actual surgery they let Lexie go back and sit with him.  He was dressed in a hospital issued gown, a cap covering his hair.

“Now that’s a new look for the sex symbol.”  Lexie came in and sat beside him.

“I have been shaved.”  He grumbled. Lexie gave him a funny look, then she got a huge smile on her face. 

“Did she give you a kiss afterwards?”  Lexie asked, trying not to laugh.

“She was a he and thank God no.”  Jon shivered thinking about the two hundred plus male nurse that prepped him for his surgery. 

“You’re gonna be fine.”  She took his ice cold hands in her two.  “Men do this all the time.  You won’t even go all the way under.”  She had sat in on his pre opt meeting with the doctor and the anesthesiologist so she would know what to watch for. 

“Mister Bongiovi, I’m going to draw some blood, you haven’t anything to eat or drink since midnight?”  The nurse approached the bed.

“I followed the instructions, I’m ready to get this done.”  He held out his arm.  All too soon they were taking him back. 

Lexie waited out in the family waiting room.  She checked in with the nanny and then her editor.  Checking her email she saw one from her lawyer.  Dorothea wanted to visit the kids, mostly Stephanie, as her graduation was coming up.  She would have to talk to Jon.  She could visit them at their house but not at hers.  Going over to the coffee machine she put a tea bag in and punched for hot water.  Checking her watch, she took her tea back to her seat and waited for the nurse to come and get her.  Checking in with Matt, he sent her pictures of them going into the medical center.  Good thing they didn’t get the information why they were there.  They were speculating if she was pregnant again. One place even pulled up a picture of her when she was pregnant with the trio.  My God was I that big? She thought. Looking up as the door opened and Jon’s surgeon stood in the doorway.

“He’s in recovery, you can go in and sit with him.”  He came toward her holding his hand out. 

They went back and he showed her the incisions and what to look for.  She signed the paperwork for his release.  She had sweatpants for him to wear.  She looked down into his drugged eyes.

“Hey sweetie, the doctor said you did really well.”  She moved a lock of hair from his eyes.

“This stuff is good, I didn’t feel a thing Dotty.”  Jon gave her a loopy smile.

She stopped short at the name.  He had never called her by his Ex’s name before.  She knew he was under the influence of some good drugs.  Should she let it slide or correct him?

“You changed your hair, its redder. I like it.”  He reached up and touched a curl that had fallen out of her ponytail.

“That’s because I’m Lexie, your wife.  Dotty is you Ex-wife.”  Lexie said as she stepped back and turned to sit beside his bed.

“Oh, that’s right.  We have seven kids.”  He said after another loopy smile.

“That’s right, we do.”  She gave him a short answer.

It got quiet for a few minutes.  She looked over to make sure he was still awake.  The nurse came in to check on him and remove his IV.

Once he was dressed and into a wheelchair, which he didn’t want, but after trying a few steps, he ended up in the chair.

“Only to the door Lex.”  Jon said from his spot in the wheelchair.  The nurse offered him an ice pack, but he was still a little numb. So he refused the pack.

“Okay Jon, only to the door.”  Lexie got behind his chair and they headed toward the private exit. 

The ride to the townhome was quiet, Jon had his peas and Lexie was in a chat with her editor.  He ended up leaving the peas in the car, there were several paps along the sidewalk.

They all yelled out asking questions, about Lexie being pregnant. Didn’t they think seven kids were enough?  Is it true Richie went onto rehab during the break?

Jon gritted his teeth not to answer, the numbness was all but gone and just the walk to the elevator was enough to bring tears to his eyes.  Lexie just held his hand and smiled.  He knew he must be about to break her hand.  Never show the paps you’re weak.  Once they made it inside, Matt was there to lend a hand getting him to the elevator.

“You can’t carry me.”  Jon said through his gritted teeth. 

“Fireman carry.”  Lexie said. She and Matt linked arms and scooped up Jon.  Lexie elbowed the button for the door to open and the easy part was done.

“Bedroom or living room?”  Matt asked Jon.

“My office, I have a meeting at noon.”  Jon said as they rode up in the elevator.

“Jon, don’t you think you’ll be more comfortable in the living room on the sofa?”  Lexie asked.

“All my files are in the office, I need to be at my desk.”  Jon hissed as the elevator stopped with a jolt.

Matt looked between Lexie and Jon.  Something was not right.  Lexie was really quiet, not her bubbly self.  It seemed like the fire has been banked in her eyes.

Nothing more was said till they had Jon settled in his office, a bag of frozen peas in his lap.  One he didn’t like the after buzz of the drugs and the fact that he felt like a castrated bull.

Lexie left him pretty much all alone, once she made sure he was settled.  Matt sat across from him, waiting to see how the meeting went. 

The meeting went like clockwork, if not a little tense.  Matt could tell Jon was in pain about an hour into the meeting.

“You need a new bag of peas?”  Matt asked when Jon winced as he reached for a file he had dropped.

“No I don’t need any more damn peas.  I’m fine.”  Jon snapped at his brother. He smacked the folder onto the desk.

“Uncalled for big brother.”  Matt said to Jon. “What’s got your panties in a knot?”

“Sorry, lot on my mind.”  Jon looked up at Matt.  “Lexie told me that Dotty might have allowed the kids to smoke pot, or knew more than she let on.”

“Well, to be honest, I think she did a lot more than we first knew.”  Matt told him.

“Man, has my head been in the sand that long?”  Jon asked Matt.

“Can’t say Bro.”  Matt told him.

~.~.~

The school’s parent-teacher meeting went smoothly.  Jacob was doing above grade work.  Romeo was on course and he would make his grade.  She was proud of the kids, with all the things that have been going on. 

On the ride home she brought up the email from the lawyer.

“My lawyer called, Dorothea wants to visit the kids and talk about Steph’s graduation.” She said waiting on the bombs to drop.  It was going on a year since they had seen their mom.  Even though she let Lexie adopt the kids, she still wanted some visitation rights.

“Hell no, she gave up that right.”  Jon hissed as the car hit one of the many pot holes in the city.

“Jon, she is their birth mother.”  Lexie tried not to bump him any more than the roads were.

“Which she sold for a price.”  Jon hissed. 

“I think you should ask Stephanie if she wants her mother there.”  Lexie sighed, they were about to hit the worse section of the drive.  “She’ll be going to college and she’ll be eighteen and she’ll be an adult.”

“She hasn’t shown how adult she can be.” He snorted “Sneaking out and smoking pot.  To me that was childish.”   Jon almost yelled as they hit another pot hole.  “Fuck are you aiming for the pot holes Peter?”

Jon’s driver pulled up in front of the townhouse and rushed to open the door. 

“Sorry Mr. Jon, since we had such a bad spring, there are more holes than road.”  Peter apologized.

“It’s okay Peter, Mr. Whiney Crotch isn’t himself today, and you can’t miss all the pot holes.”  Lexie gave Peter and smile.

Jon didn’t say a word but grumped into the doorway to the townhouse.  Lexie wasn’t about to give into his grumpy attitude.  They rode up to their floor in silence, Jon went first in the door and went right to his office.  Lexie waited for the door to slam.  She knew she was taking her life into her own hands when she teased about his moodiness.

Checking on the nanny and the trio, she walked in and picked up her son from the floor.

“Hey my buddy, Momma needs some little man time.”  She laid him down on her legs and tickled his tummy.  Listening to him giggle made her smile.  Thinking back on the day, the low point was Jon calling her by Dorothea’s name and the look of love in his eyes.  That look bothered her the more she thought on it.  All the hate he had in his voice, when she told him about the request from the lawyer.  He was giving her mixed signals, did he miss Dorothea subconsciously?  Did he still, in some recess in his mind still love her?  She looked down into Jon’s second mini me and felt a mist fill her eyes.  Looking out the window, and took a deep breath to banish the hurt. 

She had to leave the nursery and get snacks ready for the kids and decided what to do for dinner.  Putting Cull back in his swing she headed down to the kitchen.

Jon fumed for about an hour.  She turned on him, when he was doing this all for her.  He couldn’t help it, every pot hole they hit sent him a shock of pain.  Yeah he didn’t use the ice pack or peas, the way the doctor had told him. He felt silly sitting behind his desk with a pack of thawing peas in his lap.  He was about to go check on why she hadn’t brought him his pain pill, when there was a knock on the door.

“Hey Daddy, is it safe to come in?”  Stephanie asked laughing at the door. Slowly opening the door, her arm stuck out waving a tissue.

“Hardy har har.” Jon fake laughed.

Stephanie came in laughing. 

“I saw Momma Lex in the kitchen making dinner, and she asked me to bring you your white pills.” She held out her hand holding his two pain pills.  “She said you jumped down Peter’s throat for the street conditions.”

“It was like he aimed for them.”  Jon said as he popped the pills in his mouth and sipped the water he had there from that morning.

“I got a strange email, Momma Lex said I should ask you about it.”  Stephanie sat at the chair by the desk.

“Let me guess, your mom.”  Jon tried not to let his anger get the best of him.

“Yeah, she wants to go to graduation.”  Stephanie picked up the paperweight off his desk and twirled it in her hands.

“What do you think about that?”  He ask, Lexie would be very proud of me right now, damn she’s rubbing off on me.

“Well, I haven’t seen here her since, well since before the wedding.”  She told her father.  “I was out with some of the girls from school and she just showed up at the movie theater.”

“How did she know you would be at the movies?”  He said as he took a deep breath and counted to ten.  He paid her all that money to get her to sign over full custody.

“We have been emailing each other, talk on the phone once in a while.”  She put the paperweight down on his desk.

“Stephanie Rose, she isn’t supposed to have contact with you kids.”  Jon told her through clinched teeth.

“I know, she told me, but she wanted me to know she still loved us kids.  She wanted to make sure, now that the trio was here, but that we weren’t being pushed aside.”  Stephanie rushed through her statement.

“Pushed aside, by who?”  Jon asked.  Damn he was gonna have to have a talk with his lawyers, again.

“Well, by you and Momma Lex.”  Stephanie looked down at the paperweight.

Neither of them heard the door open, but there was no mistaken the pain in her voice.

“Have I ever made you, or your brothers feel unloved?”  Lexie asked quietly, as she had come to tell them dinner was ready.

Both Jon and Stephanie looked at her with a shocked look on their faces.