Chapter 111

Lexie came fully awake, as the bottom dropped out of her stomach.  This must be what was hanging over her all day.

“Officer Davis, has something happened to my daughter?”  Lexie put her phone on speaker and got out of bed. Slipping on her shoes, she grabbed her purse as she listened to the officer explaining what had happened.

“Miss Bongiovi was brought just brought in and we got her contact information from her cell phone.  Seems she was attending a party on campus, and was found unresponsive by her friends, who called 911. The doctor is checking her out now, if you will hold for the nurse, she will explain.” Officer Davis told her.

“Officer Davis, can you tell me why you’re calling me?”  She picked up her phone and started out the door and ran smack into Jesse.

“Whoa mom, is everything alright, I heard you on the way to the bathroom.” Jesse grabbed hold of her as she leaned into him.

“Miss Bongiovi is a celebrity’s daughter and when they come in unconscious barely breathing, the hospital notified the police and contacts the family. We want to get to the families before the media does.” Officer Davis explained.

“Unconscious, is Steph okay mom?” Jesse asked as he followed his mom downstairs.

Lexie grabbed her keys out of the bowl and turned to Jesse.

“I don’t know Jesse, tell Sally where I am going and call your father.”  Lexie told Jesse as she listened to the officer.

“The nurse has some questions for you, if you’ll hold on.” Officer Davis asked her.

Lexie went down and crossed the street to the garage that held their cars. Plugging in her phone into the Bluetooth she waited on the nurse to come on the line and prayed as she pulled out of the garage and headed to Clinton.

Jon sat on the balcony overlooking the Thames River, sipping his second cup of coffee.  The rest of the guys, he guessed, where still sleeping off the booze after their late night bar crawl.  While he woke up at the crack of dawn and did paperwork.  Getting up he headed back in to fill his coffee cup and turned on the television on the way to the room service cart.

“A former hair band front man’s daughter was rushed to the hospital with a drug overdose, more to come up?”  Said the news announcer just as his cellphone went off and the room telephone rang, not a good sign.

Noticing that the cellphone call was from Jesse just solidified that the hair bands front man was him.  Grabbing his cell he sighed a little prayer that he was wrong.

“How bad is she Jess?”  Jon asked as someone banged on the door to his suite.

“Mom just got a call from a police officer in Clinton and she’s headed there.” Jesse told his dad as he went to tell Sally what was going on.

“Does she know what she took?”  He went to the door and peaked out of the security peep eye. Seeing it was Obie and Matt, he let them in the door and held his finger to his lips for them to be quiet.

“The officer was turning the call over to the ER nurse as she headed out the door.  She told me to call you and tell Sally what was up.” Jesse told his dad as he went back to his room and crawled into the bed.

“I’ll call Lexie, if you hear anything else, let me know.” Jon said as Matt tapped him on the shoulder and held his hand out for Jon’s cell.  Jon handed the phone over to his brother and went to the room phone and took it off the hook to stop it ringing.

“Hey Jesse, this Uncle Matt, you boys stay home from school today and wait for either your dad or me to call.  Don’t open the door for anyone but Grandpa and Grandma, you got that?”  Matt had been in the lobby when the news hit.  He had met with Obie as he got off the elevator.

Jon held his hand out for the cell, but Matt handed him his and went on talking.  He had to talk to Lexie, and Jesse said she had left when he called his dad.  Jon started to go back on the balcony, but the vultures were already out there waiting for a sign of him, he sighed and moved into the bedroom and called Lexie.

Lexie took in all the information and pulled into the all night gas station. As the guy filled her tank, Lexie went into the shop and got coffee and a candy bar. The Nurse had said they’d taken Steph’s blood and were waiting on the lab results. The nurse told Lexie that there were no old or new needle marks on Steph’s body, so whatever she took had to be by mouth or inhaled.  Lexie got back into the car she drove about a mile down the road when her cell when off again. It was Matt, she shook her head.

“Matty, I’m about an hour and a half to Hamilton, does Jon know yet?” Lexie sipped her coffee and turned onto the highway

“Lexie, it’s me Jonny, tell me where you are and what the hell is going on.” Jon asked as he sat on the foot of the bed, the television was on across the room with the sound muted. Pictures of them arriving and pictures from outside the small Clinton hospital flashed across the screen.

“All they would tell me she was brought in unresponsive and barely breathing from a possible drug over dose.  The police gave her something when they responded to the emergency call. The Nurse called it Narcan, apparently they give it to all suspected narcotic overdose patients.  Then in the ER they drew blood to see what she took. I’m bringing her home when they release her.”  Lexie told Jon.  “I just hope they don’t arrest her.  This could get her expelled from Hamilton.”

“I’m coming home as soon as possible.”  Jon told her.

“Let me know when you’ll be here. I just had this nagging feeling all day that something was not right. Dorothea and I were talking about it today.”  Lexie told him as she followed the direction that the nurse gave her for the hospital.

Jon was a little shocked that Lexie would discuss anything about her feelings about Stephanie with his ex. They haven’t seen eye to eye on the pot issue and now her feelings concerning Steph.

Lexie couldn’t believe how fast the drive went as she chatted with Jon.

“Listen I’m pulling into the ER and there’s a ton of media people out here. I have to let security know I’m here.  I’ll call you after I’ve talked to the doctor and Stephanie.”  She pulled into a parking space.  “Oh Jon, you better give Dorothea a heads up, she doesn’t want to wake up to this being all over the news and reporters in her yard.”

“I will, call me as soon as you know anything more.”  Jon closed his eyes and said a prayer that this will be over quick.

Security had her park in the employee’s lot and come through the side entrance.  She was taken to a small room off the Emergency waiting area where that was used for grieving families.  She has a long talk with the doctors, who brought her up to speed on the situation. The blood work was back showing that Stephanie had ingested methadone.  The doctor explained it reacted like heroin in the system. It looks like she ingested too much and it acted like a heroin overdose.  She would stay overnight and that the school had been contacted, since she was brought in from a dorm on campus.  That was not a good news, the college has a huge no drug policy. This was the one thing Lexie was afraid would happen.

Walking into the room, the lights were low and Stephanie was in the only bed in the room.  Moving slowly to sit in the seat by the bed, looking at a very pale Stephanie with the covers tucked under her chin. She looked a little like Maddie, her blonde hair spread over the pillow.  Lexie felt tears prickle the back of her eye lids. Blinking them out she reached her hand and touched the hand that lay on top of the blanket, it was cool to the touch.  Bringing her eyes up to Stephanie face, she noticed her eyes were open staring at her.

“Hi, how do you feel?”  Lexie asked softly,

“You came?” Stephanie whispered. Silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Did you think I would abandon you, because you took an overdose of drugs?”  Lexie pulled her chair closer to reach up and wipe her eyes.

“I broke the rules, I broke your rules, and I let Ryan talk me into trying these pills.  I didn’t want to take them, I was only going to try one.  Ryan must have slipped more in my drink.  I swear I only took one.” Stephanie cried harder.

Lexie got out of the chair and crawled into the bed to hold her crying daughter.  She whispered soothing words as she rocked her shaking body.

The nurse came into to draw more blood and to give her some medication.  Lexie held her until she slowly feel asleep.  Waiting till she was sure Stephanie was asleep, she slipped from her grasp and off the bed.  Lexie grabbed her phone and stepped out of the room, walking to the nurse’s station she asked a nurse where she could go to make a phone call.

“There is a waiting room down the hall,” The young nurse told her.

“Is there somewhere more private, I don’t want to advertise we are here.”  Lexie asked again.  The Charge nurse that had come in to work with Stephanie, overheard Lexie request and motioned for her to follow her.  “Thank you.” Lexie whispered as they walked into a small office.

“You can make your call in here, we were told by the manager to be all the help we can.”  Nurse Crandle told her.

“I assume my brother in law, Matt, must have called. He runs the security for my husband and the family.”  Lexie smiled.

“Yes, he called before you arrived.” Nurse Crandle told her.  “I have put in for a breakfast for you from the kitchen, I can’t say its top of the line, but the coffee is better than the sludge we have in the nurse’s lounge.”

Lexie waited till she was alone, turning off the light so no one could see her through the window.  She lifted the blind and looked down on the photographers outside the emergency entrance.  Letting the blinds drop she went over and turned the light back on.  She noticed she had four missed calls. Two were from Jon, one from Jesse and one from Matt. Calling Jesse first she left him a voice mail.

“Hey Jess, she’s fine, just upset and scared. We might be home tomorrow. I’ll call you and let you know something more after I talk to the doctor.  Give the Trio a hug for me and make sure your brothers know everything will be better soon.”  Lexie closed off the call and debated on which call the make next.  Matt’s voice mail was short and to the point. Don’t talk to anyone and his men would be there tomorrow at the hospital to keep them safe.  That only left Jon, his voice mails were the about the same as Matt’s.  Checking the time she took a deep breath and called Jon.