Chapter 115

“Oh daddy, I trusted him.”  She started to cry.

“But you knew he did this drug and you still went out with him Stephie?”  Jon said as he walked into his dressing room.

“Daddy we’ve been together for years, I knew him when we lived in Redbank. It was always just smoking a joint, this was all new to me.”  The tears were drying up and she started to get on the defensive.

“A joint or two, Steph this is more than a few joints, this was heroin and based on what that shits lawyer says, you got him into heroin.”  Jon repeated what the lawyer had reported.

“Daddy believe me I had one pill, and he must have put more in my beer.  I had told him I would only do one, since it was my first time.”  Stephanie told him.

“First time, Stephanie Rose, how many times have I told you that it only takes one to kill you, even Lexie has told you about drugs?”  Jon tried not to let his anger take over the call. But she doesn’t seem to understand that drugs could have killed her, and if she had any of the Bongiovi luck she wasn’t going to be kicked out of school.

“I can see that now, I’ll never do it again, I promise daddy.”  Stephanie told Jon.  Almost dying opened her eyes to how fragile life was.

“Don’t promise Steph, I’ll keep you to that promise.”  Jon told his daughter.  “I got to go to the arena, I’ll be home as soon as we can so I can be there when you go before the Dean.”

Stephanie was shocked at how her father was talking to her.  The kid gloves were off and all hell was about to break loose when he got home.

“Not to do drugs, I’ll never try them again, I promise daddy.” She tried not to anger him anymore.  “Mommy Lexie has me on lock down and I broke up with Ryan.”

They hung up with love yous, Stephanie took a deep breath, and this was an easy call. Once her dad got home she would be doing a lot of babysitting as she will be grounded to the max.

Jon had slept through most of the flight, the closer to home he got, the more worried he because of what he was walking into.  He and Lexie had talked all the way to the flight taking off.  They would make a unified front, he on the talk show circuit and her though her writers circuit.  He looked out the window at the clouds parting as they flew into Philly, his heart rate upped as the flight attendant asked them to prepare to land soon.

Matt put the papers up he had been working on, got a juice for Jon and a coffee. 

“You get some sleep?”  Matt handed him the coffee and the juice.

“Some, not enough, but once I get home and though the meeting with the Dean, I can crash and burn.”  He sipped the coffee and handed the juice back to Matt. “I was thinking about rehab in California, the second one Richie was in that helped him, I’ve looked into putting her there.”

“I read a lot of bad ones from the one in Utah.  Bad reviews, but I’m still looking. I want her clean.”  Jon put his seatbelt and pulled out his phone and showed Matt the one he found.

Matt told him he would look into it once he hit his house then call him with the news.

They exited and went into Customs and right out to the driver that would take them to the heliport, he was waiting for them.  Jon climbed into the helicopter and Matt got up with the driver and soon they were winging to the Heliport at Teterboro.  One more hour and he would be home.  Jon leaned his head back and closed his eyes, home he was on the way home.

Touch down and the car was waiting on him, Jon grabbed his go bag, he and Matt jogged to the car and they were on the way to his house

“Have him take us to the back.” Jon saw photographers out front and the back would be quieter and safer.  “How do they know, the band is just now loading to come home.”

Punching the key code into the back door, he waited for Matt to drive off before going in.  Taking the steps two by two he made it to the landing and hit the pass code for the door and walked in.  The house was quiet, he went into the kitchen and checked on the four legged family members and then dropped his bag outside the Trio’s room, checking each of the beds and touching fingers and tucking them in.

“Welcome home Mr. Jon” Sally whispered. 

“Thanks Sally, didn’t mean to wake you up.”  Jon whispered.

“It’s ok, I thought I heard Lexie coming in to check. Livie has a cold and she isn’t sleeping too well.” Sally told him.  We were going to move her into the office so the other two didn’t get it.”

“Go back to sleep Sally, these three will have you up soon.”  Jon left the room and picked up his bag. Checking on his other kids, finding them all where they should be. He finally made it to his and Lexie room.  Quietly walking in and dropped his bag in the closet, skimmed out of his jeans and shirt and headed to the bed.  Slipping in he cuddled up to Lexie. Taking in a deep breath, taking in the sweetness of her lotion she used at night and the smell of her shampoo.

“Welcome home Rockstar.”  Lexie sighed. Feeling him relax behind her, she smiled. It was so good he was home, and that he would be there for the last meeting.  She felt his breath on her next and shivered a little. Knowing the alarm would be going off soon, she let him just hold her till he relaxed and fell back asleep.

Jon rolled over and noticed the bed was empty, stretching he listened to the noises in the house. Kids getting ready for school, one of the trio was not happy and his wife trying to keep them all quiet for him to sleep.  How he missed this being on the road.  Getting out of bed he scratched his chest and yawned.  Pulling on his discarded jeans and a tee shirt he went to greet his family.

The first thing that hit him was the smell of coffee, then bacon.  Walking into the kitchen, where he thought he would find his wife, instead he found his little brother frying bacon.

“I see you’ve been domesticated.”  Jon teased Tony.

“Yeah, I sort of help out when I can.  Now that you’re home I can head to mom and dads.”  He took the last of the bacon out of the pan and started cracking eggs.  “Cullen is into everything and the puppies are his main target when he’s down here.”

It dawned on Jon how much he’s missed listening to Tony.  They weren’t due to go out on tour till after the holidays, but he would have to do damage control over this over dose problem.  He could hit all the New York talk shows and he might have to go to Los Angeles to hit the late night shows. 

“Hey Dad, welcome home.”  Jesse said as he came into the kitchen.

He was followed by Jacob and Romeo, who were excited to see their dad.  He heard all about what had been going on at school and sports.  Jesse hooked up Snowball and put the puppies in a carry bag and took them out for their morning romp.

Lexie came in with Cullen and put him in the high chair.

“Good morning Rockstar.”  She got the tray clicked in and turned to look at Jon. “Look Cull there’s daddy.”

Cullen smiled at Jon and made noises that might have been daddy or momma it was still garbled.  Sally came in with Olivia and Maddie, who squealed out for their daddy, which made Jon smile.  Lexie cut up a banana and put a third on each try while Sally got sippy cups for them.  More banana was smashed on their face as got into their mouths.

“Okay boys, you got twenty minutes to get down for the bus.”  Lexie finally got her cup of coffee and some bacon.  Sipping her coffee she looked up at Jon.  “You ready for the day?”

“As I ever will be, I got Matt setting up some talk shows, I might have to go to LA for a week.  Martin coming by before we go?” Jon got up for another cup of coffee and snagged some bacon and put it between a slice of bread.

“Martin will be here at ten and we leave at twelve to head to Hamilton.”  Lexie told him and she got another cup of coffee.  She put her cup down and turned Jon to face her.  “I missed you.”  She leaned in and gave him a kiss.

Jon leaned into the kiss and put his hands on her hips and pulled her in closer. Just about then they heard the kids coming down for school.

“Take the boys out for the bus, I need to help get these three cleaned up and I need a shower.”  Lexie stayed snuggled in his arms for a little while longer.

“Save room for me in that shower.” Jon said with a smile.

“Always.”  Lexie stepped away.

Chapter 114

The doctor informed them, that Stephanie would be discharged tomorrow. Martin would meet them at the house to bring them up to speed.    Jon on the other hand would be home four days later and he wasn’t too happy about that idea. He wanted to be there when Martin was there to let them know what was going to happen. 

Stephanie was up in her room, while Lexie and Tony were in the living room when the door opened and Jesse, Jacob and Romeo rushed in. They stopped in their tracks, shocked to see their mom and their Uncle Tony, dropping books and book bags on the hall table.

“Hey Guys, snacks are on the counter, I picked up some goodies on the way home.”  Lexie told them from her cocoon on the end of the sofa.

“Hey Uncle Tone, you gonna be here for dinner?”  Romeo asked his favorite uncle.

“I’ll be here till your dad comes in. We have to go back to the college on Monday, and your dad will be home on Tuesday.  I’ll be heading back to California for a while, but I’m always a call away, right Ro?”  Tony hugged Romeo and made sure Lexie understood that the last part was for her too.

Lexie nodded her head and watched the boys head off to the kitchen for snacks.

“Thanks Tone, you’re the best little brother I could ever ask for.”  She uncurled from the sofa and got up to hug her brother in law.

“Make sure you say that in front of Matty.” Tony chuckled.

“Will do.”  Lexie laughed.

“Is there any juice?”  Stephanie asked coming down in her pajamas.

Lexie stepped around Tony and watched her step daughter, no she’s my daughter, bought and paid for.

“We have about four kinds, there’re also snacks.  The boys just got home and they’re in there raiding the fridge.”  Lexie smiled and watched her go into the kitchen.  When she heard the boys and then her laugh, Lexie sighed.

“Everything’s gonna be fine Lex, you got to believe it.”  Tony said softly.

“Yeah, I know.” She turned to him.  “It’s got to be, we have six other kids to raise.”

Martin showed up the next day, and it didn’t look good.  Drug possession, expulsion, and rehab were a few words thrown around.  Jon didn’t like not being there, but speaker phone was the closest thing for him right now. Two more days and he would be home, and he would do what needed to be done.  Lexie and Martin would go to the college with Stephanie and be with her when she appears before the student court and when she had to go before the Dean. Martin had made sure any court dates would happen when he was home.

The press finally found someone else to harass for a while, but he knew that once he got home he would have to make the rounds of talk shows.  He would make plans to take the family to the Hamptons on fall break, then he was taking Lexie to London.

Matt stopped at the hotel bar and grabbed a beer, spreading out the itinerary for the next two days.  He got the last two seats in first class from London to Philly, then chopper to Kennedy, driver to the house.  They would drive up to the college themselves.  There they better keep that little shit of a boyfriend away from Jonny, and maybe I could get Uncle Guido to take him on a long walk off a short pier.

He ignored his cell for about an hour’s worth of calls from his big brother. Speaking about him, he just about made him pull what little was left of his hair out.  Downing the dredges of his beer, he pulled all the paperwork back into the folder and headed out the bar and to the elevator.

Jon was on his second lap of twenty around the suite when he heard the key in the lock.

“About fucking time.”  Jon mumbled as Matt came in and sat the folder down on the table.

“I just got off the phone and waited for the fax to come through. Contrary to your beliefs, things don’t just happen when you snap your fingers, it takes a little bit of time.”  Matt walked over to the mini bar and pulled out a bottle of water.

“But you got it done.”  Jon walked over and started riffling through the file on the table.

“Damn it Jonny don’t mess up the whole damn folder. Give me a fucking second to swallow some damn aspirin for this Bon Fucking Jovi headache I got.” He grabbed the folder from Jon and tried to put it all back together.

“Fuck it Matt, this is my daughter’s life and I’m in fucking London.”  Jon slammed his hand on the table, then regretted it as the pain rain up his arm to his shoulder.

“That’s it asshole, break you fucking hand before the last shows.”  Matt sat down at the table and began to put the papers back in order. “We leave right after the last number, so no multiple encores or will never make the flight.”

Jon sat down and rubbed his hand under the table.

“Okay one encore and I’m out, we can do Prayer and I can leave, quick run through the shower and out the door.”  Jon grabbed his cell and made a quick change to the set list for tonight’s show.

“Do you really need a shower? We can wipe you down with diaper wipes in the limo.”  Matt gave him a look that said no shower.

“I’m not flying home a stinking mess.” Jon gasped.

“We’ll hose you down with water once you get off the stage, then dry you off and dump you in the limo.”  Matt tried to state it with a straight face.  “I can arrange for you to shower at the airport.  We have two hours to get from here to the airport shower and board the flight.”

“Okay shower at airport and then sleep across the Atlantic to Philly, Chopper to Kennedy, finally car to home.”

Knock on the door got Matt up and to the door, it was the pre-show meeting. They all came in, hit the bar and dropped their notebooks on the table.

“Okay Kidd, what’s the news from home.”  Richie flipped to an empty page in his tour book.

“Steph’s home, the lawyer came by to take her to the student court, they send the recommendations to the Dean.”  Jon told Richie.  “The police will not prosecute since she is a first time offender and something about charges being dropped due to a local law that prohibits prosecution of people who have a drug overdose.  Now the college could suspend her or kick her out.”

“So that’s good, the not prosecuting her?”  David said as he took the top off his water bottle.

“Yeah, that’s good.  I just can’t believe we didn’t see this coming.”  Jon ran his hands through his hair.  “Pot I could understand, thought we had nipped that bud, but heroin, what was she thinking?”

“She wasn’t, you said her boyfriend gave it to her.”  Richie told him.

“He gave her more than she took herself.”  Jon told him.  “Enough about this, I’ll deal with it when I get home.”

They went over the set list for the next two nights. Jon told them he was leaving after the last show, one encore.

They left to go eat and then head to the arena, Jon called home.

“Hey Rockstar, on the way to work?”  Lexie said as she adjusted her laptop over and looked over at Stephanie who was reading on her tablet.

“Yeah, one more show, I wanted to send you the flight times.  I’ll have Matt fax it to you when we get there.”  Jon said as the streets of London rushed past.

“Good, you want to talk to Steph?  She’s right here,” She looked up at Stephanie, who had a shocked look on her face. “Steph, your dad wants to talk to you.”  Lexie got up and took the phone over to her.  Once she took it, Lexie left the room to go check on the kids.

“Hi Daddy.”  Stephanie said as she felt tears stinging the back of her eyelids.

“Hey, baby girl.”  Jon said softly.  “Are you okay?”

Chapter 113

Stephanie was going to have to stay one more day, the doctor wanted to make sure the drugs were out of her system. Tony was going to stay with Stephanie while Lexie hit the local shops for some clothes, since she couldn’t live in scrubs for two days. She had called Dorothea and she was coming up to visit. It was a good thing Lexie was going to be shopping for clothes while she was visiting. She felt really rotten not warning Tony of the impending arrival of Dorothea.  Ah he’s a big boy, he can handle the wicked witch of New Jersey, Lexie thought as she ran the maze of the hospital to get to her car in the employees parking lot.  Getting in her car she pulled up the stores in the area and just decided on Walmart. She wouldn’t get recognized and she could also do some recon on her latest book to see how it was selling.  Pulling out of the hospital she took the long way just to make sure she wasn’t followed. Breathing a sigh of relief she made it to the store with no tag along.

Stephanie was watching television, and Tony was talking on his cell, when the door burst open and Dorothea stormed in like a hurricane.

“Oh my baby girl, I have been so worried since your father’s call and Lexie wouldn’t let me come right away.”  Dorothea cried as she rushed to her daughter who was sitting up in the hospital bed.

“I’m fine mommy, Jesus I just passed out, I wasn’t going to die.” Stephanie was shocked at her mother’s dramatics. 

“Why didn’t they call me, I am your mother, the woman who gave birth to you.”  Dorothea sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed Stephanie hand.

Tony got up and hurried out of the room.  He would have a talk with Lexie and then to Jon to see when he was coming home.

Back in the room, Dorothea got off the bed, and pulled the chair that Tony had vacated over to the bed.

“Mom, you might have given birth to me, but you sold away your rights for Lexie to adopt us.”  Stephanie rolled her eyes, this was what visits to her mother had come to. Every time she had met with her mother since the graduation party, her mother had harped on the fact the boys hadn’t visited. Or she would grill her on what were her father and stepmother were up to. The on top of all that, Sarah, her step sister, had turned on her since the party also.  Dorothea kept pitting her against Stephanie. Stephanie wouldn’t do that, or Stephanie would have done this that way. The straw that broke the camel’s back was, no drugs anymore in the house.

“You know why I had to sign the papers, Graham had lost his job and we were going to lose the house. I had to take your fathers deal. You wouldn’t want your mother to be on the street would you?”  Dorothea gave Stephanie her patented poor pitiful me look.  She had seen that look the whole time she was growing up.  When her dad failed to let it work on him, it was over for them. Graham had come along and he fell for the look and was caught hook line and sinker. The alimony helped sweeten the deal, till mom fucked that up too.

Stephanie grabbed the remote for the television and changed the channel. She didn’t want to get into it with her mother, again. “Maybe if I fake being tired she’ll leave, naah I’m not that lucky or I wouldn’t be where I am now.  She faked a yawn and rubbed her eyes, hoping her mother would take the hint.

Tony pulled out his cell and texted Lexie.

TBJ: You’re in big trouble sis, no warning that tornado Dotty was coming. That’s gonna cost ya.

LBJ: Would you have let me leave?

TBJ: Hell no.

LBJ: That’s why I left, but I might redeem myself with lunch?

TBJ: Hell no, but it’s gonna cost you much more than that!

LBJ:  Lunch from the hospital cafeteria?

TBJ: You trying to kill me?

LBJ:  How about a couple of burgers and fries?

TBJ: That might just save ya, sneak in a couple of beers and you’ll live.

LBJ: Deal.

A noise from Stephanie room caused him to look up.

TBJ:  Seems like Tornado Dotty has worn out her welcome.

LBJ:  Grab a nurse and send her to clear the room.  I’ll stop and get lunch, I was leaving Walmart anyway, there’s a burger place in the parking lot.  You’ll have to go out for your own beer.

TBJ: You got it Sis.

Tony closed his cell and went in search of the charge nurse.

“Why don’t you leave Mom, I’m tired and it’s almost time for my medication.” Stephanie finally got tired of yawning and listening to everything that has gone wrong in her mother’s life. Welcome to our life mom, ours wasn’t all roses and wine either.

“What type of medication are they giving you?  You just about died, should they be putting more drugs into your system?” Dorothea’s voice got louder and louder.

The room door opened and the charge nurse and a security office came in.

“Ma’am I’m going to have to you ask you to leave, we’ve had complaints from other patients and their families.”  The charge nurse informed Dorothea.  The security held the door open, indicating for her to leave.

“You can’t throw me out of my daughter’s room.”  Dorothea got in the charge nurses face.

“Mom, don’t cause problems, just leave.”  Stephanie begged her mother.

“Listen to your daughter, ma’am.  Mr. Bon Jovi has left rules that is there was a problem we could bar you from the hospital.” The security guard informed Dorothea. 

“Mr. Bon Jovi can’t bar me from my daughter’s room,” Dorothea started.

“Yes ma’am he can and with the complaints that we got, we’re going to ask you to leave now please.”  The Charge nurse informed her as she got between Dorothea and Stephanie.

“Come on Dotty, I’ll walk you to your car.” Tony came and took Dorothea by the arm and started walking her to the door.

“Go on mom, I’ll call you when I get to go home.”  Stephanie tried to appease her mother.

“I’ll leave now, only because it’s what my daughter wants.”  Dorothea informed the security guard and Charge nurse.

Dorothea stopped at the door and looked back at her daughter, smiled and left with Tony.

Tony made sure she went all the way to the car and not out to the media still camped out the front door.  Getting into her beat up Audie she rolled the window down and looked at Tony.

“Tell that brother of yours, I plan on getting court ordered visitation to see my children!  So get his lawyers to not even try stop it. Or I will go to the media and tell them what’s happening in his precious family.”  She rolled the window up and started the car and left.

Tony watched the car roll out of the parking lot as Lexie’s Mustang rolled in.

“Was that Dot?”  Lexie tossed him the bag of burgers and fries.

“Yeah, she’s talking about lawyers.”  Tony said as they headed back into the hospital.

As they approached the room there was a Jon’s lawyer Martin was outside the door.

“Hi Martin, what’s going on?”  Lexie asked the Lawyer.  Lexie got a horrible feeling.

“Stephanie’s going to be charged.”  Martin told her.

“Stephanie’s going to be arrested?” Tony and Lexie questioned together.

Chapter 112

Jon wanted to go home.  His family needed him, and here he was in London, fucking London England.  The band was already walking on egg shells around him, and Jon was walking around with a black cloud over his head. He was snarling like a bear with a thorn in his paw.  He would only talk to Matt and he would also handle the media.  The media wanted Jon, not a stunt Jon, and he wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened.  They were supposed to be here for two weeks, Jon had told Matt he was going home in three days, they could reschedule half this shit, but the concert would go on.

He sat in his suite, feeling like he was going to be a prisoner in his own room. He would have to take his meals there and left only to go to the hotel gym at four in the morning, slipping down the stairs and back before people were up and about. Sound check would be the worse time, just getting out of the hotel, he would slip out through the kitchen in the laundry truck.  Matt had moved into the other bedroom in the suite. His room was like command central with security detail.

Matt brought him his phone that was ringing, it was Lexie.

“Hey Rockstar.”  Lexie used her greeting for him.

She had sounded so tired, with the early morning phone call and the two hour drive and she still called him Rockstar.

“Hey Lex, are you okay, is she okay? I’ve worn a whole in the carpet and the guys are giving me a wide berth.” He said as he flopped down on the bed.

He had her spell out the names of the drugs that she had taken and that the doctor had given her so he could google then. First he was mad, they had warned her and warned her about drugs and once she got away from the house rules, she almost killed herself. Then he was on papa bear mode when he worried about her health.

“So we have that little ass to thank for all this, was he arrested?”  He wanted to have him strung up by his balls, and he would have Matty take care of Ryan. He would never get within a foot of his daughter every again.

“From what I have been told, yes, but that came from the security officer.  Not sure what the school is going to do, I haven’t heard from the Dean or the student court yet. But the resource officer called to say he will be here around noon to get her statement.” Lexie leaned on the wall, she knew if she sat down and closed her eyes she would be asleep in seconds. The nurse said that she would get coffee in a few hours, she needed something to keep her awake.

“So there still might be repercussions from all of this after all.” Jon rolled his eyes, he wanted to put his fist through a wall, where did he go wrong with his daughter.

“It’s a wait and see kind of thing, Jonny. I hate it as much as you do. Before I go back to Steph’s room, what did Dot say when you called?”  She stepped away from the wall and swayed a little, she was so tired. Looking at her watch it was only four in the morning, doctors made rounds about nine, she could grab a few hours of sleep.

“She wanted to go up there and I told her to wait for your call. She wasn’t too happy, but I told her that the school doesn’t recognize her as Steph’s mom since you adopted her.”  Jon didn’t go into all the yelling match that ensued after he told her that.  It didn’t help that she took the money and signed away her rights away. Guess hind sight isn’t twenty twenty.

“Oh great, listen Rockstar, I need to get some sleep before the doctors make their rounds at nine in the morning.  Love ya and will call when I know more.”  Lexie yawned.

“Get whatever sleep you can, love you too sweetness.”  He let her hang up first. 

Jon threw the phone onto the bed and had to get out of this room, he felt like a caged lion.  He could go to the gym and hit the treadmill, but this was a more of an outside run.  He went looking for Matty and told him to be ready and to find the fastest, safest way out of this this damn hotel. If he couldn’t keep up, he had better find someone who would.  He changed and paced the floor until Matt was ready.

~~~~~~~~

Once she had made the call to Jon. Lexie sighed and left the room, she quietly slipped back into Stephanie’s room and she found her still asleep.  Thankfully the nurse had left a blanket in the recliner next to her bed. Toeing off her kicks, she got in the recliner and pulled the blanket up around her, wishing she had her roll pillow for her neck. She closed her eyes and was asleep in a few seconds.

Lexie woke with a start when she felt someone new in the room and heard voices. One was the nurse checking on Stephanie, the other was Tony. Matt must have thought family was the best security for them.

“Hey Uncle Tone,” Stephanie said softly.  “Momma Lexie is still asleep.” She was sitting up eating breakfast.

Raising the recliner into a sitting position Lexie yawned and looked at her watch, It was almost nine in the morning.

“Hey Lex, didn’t want to wake you up, Jon said you were here at two this morning.” Tony was sitting in the chair by the bed.

“When did you get in?” Lexie folded the blanket and wished she had thought to bring a change of clothes, or even a toothbrush. 

“Matt called me and it was a good thing I was home for a meeting with Sparkart.  I hit the road right after I got the call.”  He smiled at his sleep rumpled sister in law.  “The nurse brought you a package, said you got here around two and you might need it.  You’re to go to the nurse’s station and they’ll get you the tray they ordered.”  He pointed to the bag on the nightstand.

“Thanks Tone, I should keep a go bag like the Rockstar.”  She got up and stretched, her body wasn’t too pleased with her right now.  “How are you feeling this morning Steph?”  Lexie walked over and looked in the bag. Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant wash cloth and towel a bar of soap, a hair brush and a pair of scrubs.  It looked like a Godsend right now, if we had to stay here longer she would need clothes.

“Okay I guess, my head still feels really fuzzy, but the nurse said it would be like that.”  Stephanie looked down at the plate of congealed eggs and made a face. They had put her on what they called soft diet, soft and yucky.

“I’ll go tell the nurse you’re ready for your tray.” Tony got up, “I think I’ll go down and grab some breakfast myself.”  He told them as he headed out the door.

“Thanks,” Lexie said as the door closed.

“Mom knows about what happened?”  Stephanie pushed the tray table away.

“I had your dad call her, so she would have a heads up.” Lexie said as she went to the sink and looked in the mirror hung over it.  She looked like hell, and felt like it too.

“Oh, they took my cell and I wondered if I will get it back?” Stephanie pulled her knees up and hugged them to her chest.  “I bet my roommates are worried about me?”  What she really wanted to know if Ryan had been worried.

“We’ll ask the nurse when she comes in with your medication.” Lexie said as she started the water to warm and wet the cloth. She still had on her sweatpants and one of Jon’s tee shirts, with no bra and looked like worse than hell.

When the nurse came in with the tray, Lexie thanked her for the bag of goodies.  The nurse just smiled and started checking on Stephanie.  

Eating and listen to the nurse, she knew she would have to tell Jon what was being said.  She also needed to call Dorothea, she was Stephanie’s mother, biologically, even though the paperwork says that Lexie was the legally her mother.  After the doctor came she would know more and would call her.

Tony came back up after breakfast and a quick call to his brothers. Security had talked to him, it was good that Matt had called and given them the heads up, that talking to Antony Bongiovi who was in charge of the family security.  He got Stephanie’s handbag and cellphone, and headed back to the room.  Stopping before the door he checked the phone for messages, Ryan texted I was arrested and they should be coming to the hospital to arrest you, you better get your dad to get us off, you wanted that trip Steph, you know you did. I’m not taking this fall alone.   Jon will have his balls hung over this.  That little rat had been hanging around for years, think it’s time the rat left the nest. He copied the text to his phone and he would send it to Matt, he sure as hell wasn’t going to send it to Big Brother.

He came in with the phone and dropped it into Lexie purse, he had to buy some time.

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.

Chapter 110

“Mom, it’s not what you think.” Jesse blurted as he turned to face Lexie.

“What I see is you two kissing.” Lexie put the mail down with her bag and went over to her chair and sat down.

“Well, I guess it was what you were seeing but, not why. Sal has been helping me with math class, she had just gone thought it last year. I wasn’t getting the concepts and she’s been helping me to understand it. I just took the pretest and aced it. I was just thanking her for helping me get through it.” Jesse tried to explain.

Lexie looked between Sally and Jesse, Sally quickly added to the explanation. “I had the class last year and I knew if it was hard for me, than Jesse would be lost too.  Mark is the math whiz and taught me and so when Jesse told me he was taking the same test, I showed him what Mark taught me.”

Lexie thought back to everything she had been told about the wonderful Mark, Math Whiz, was not the first thing that came to her mind.  She looked between the two of them and decided that keeping an eye on them, was her new part time job.

There was a noise on the monitor on the coffee table.

“Someone is up from their nap.” Sally made a quick exit.

“Oh, Mom D called and asked you to call her.” Jesse said as he headed to the kitchen.

Lexie got up shaking her head, she got up and grabbed her handbag and mail on her way up to the office. Grabbing the phone she punched in Dorothea’s number.

Getting Dorothea’s voice mail, she started leaving a message when Dorothea picked up the call.

“Lexie, thanks for calling back.”  Dorothea sat at her kitchen table.

“I just got back from dropping Jon off for two weeks.”  Lexie shifted through the mail again.  “What’s up, are we still on for Saturday Girls day?”

“That’s why I’m calling, have you talked to Steph lately?”  Dorothea asked as she sipped her coffee.  “She hasn’t returned my calls for the past two days.”

“Nope, not since we set this weekend up. Jon said he talked to her and she apparently has a new guy in her life.”  Lexie kicked off her shoes and checked the nanny cam on the trio.  “I sent her a text yesterday on my way to a meeting.”

“What does Jon say about this new guy?”  Getting up to fill her coffee cup, looking out at the skyline of lower Manhattan.

“I don’t think he trust him, something about not liking how she hasn’t shared any details, except he’s a little older and lives near the campus.”  Lexie told her as she got up and went to the mini fridge for a bottle of water.  “Has Sarah heard from her lately?”

“Sarah and I aren’t speaking to each other right now. I caught her smoking pot in the house and she informed me I wasn’t her mom, and that I let MY daughter smoke pot but not her.” Dorothea sipped her coffee.

“Sorry to hear that, I know Stephanie and Sarah are friends and I thought she might have heard from Steph.” She opened her water and took a sip. “Well, we’ll see if she returns our call, or blows us off this weekend.”

“I asked Sarah if she was going to go with us and I got a grunt.” Dorothea rolled her eyes.

“Well, I have a question, were we like them at that age?” Lexie asked.

“By the time I was Steph age, I was with Jon and traveling with the band.” She thought back to when she was eighteen, drinking and having sex.

“I was working and putting myself through college, eating peanut butter and dill pickle sandwiches.” Lexie laughed.  “My parents didn’t care, I was a late in life baby of two business people, who didn’t understand my dreams.”

They ended the call with plans to meet at Bloomingdale’s in SoHo. Lexie went to check on the trio and made dinner. Snowball and the puppies were taken care of, homework done and checked, and after a little bit of television, it was time for bed.  She sat in the Trios room, rocking Cullen and watching her daughter’s sleep.  Yes she was worried about Stephanie, she was also worried about her daughters growing up and trying drugs and sex. 

“He’s asleep Lexie, do you want me to take him now?”  Sally asked.

Lexie had been so deep in her thoughts, she hadn’t heard Sally come into the room.

“I’ll do it.”  Lexie told her as she got up from the rocker and put Cullen on his back in the crib.

“Are you still upset about Jesse and me kissing?”  Sally asked her, as she sat down in one of the rockers.

“No, you two are old enough to have a relationship.” Lexie told her as she sat down in the other rocker.

“You just seemed so quiet and upset, I thought you might let me go.” Sally watched how she reacted to her thinking of being fired.

“I won’t fire you, I trust you to not let your romance get in the way of Jesse’s school and the trio’s care.” Lexie gave her the way things were going to be from now on.

“Thanks Lexie, I won’t let you down.”  Sally was close to tears.

“Don’t,” Lexie got up and headed to the master bedroom and changed into her grubby workout clothes and headed down to the kitchen.  Fixing her a cup of hot chocolate she decided to walk up and down the back steps before it got too late.  Checking on Snowball and the puppies she sat on the floor by the little family.

“What am I going to do Snow?  I have this bad feeling that somethings bad is going to happen.”  She pulled Inky onto her lap and stroked his fur, the same way she used to stoke Snowball when she was a puppy.  Leaning back on the wall she thought about this coming weekend and the girl’s day with Stephanie, Sarah and Dot.  This was going to be a new experience.  Putting Inky back with the others, she decided not to work out and instead she took her cup of hot chocolate to the bedroom and grabbed her laptop and propped herself up on the headboard and fired up her computer.

She was writing when she got the text from Jon, that they had landed and were headed to the hotel. He said they were dead tired and he was hitting the bed, and that he would call her tomorrow.

She felt bad for him, he wasn’t feeling too good before he left. The kids had brought home a bug, which had traveled through the whole family, except for her. Setting her phone on the bed she checked the time and went back to writing.

She must have fallen asleep, because the laptop was sitting beside her and asleep. Her cell was ringing and she had lost it in the covers. Glancing at the alarm clock and saw it read two in the morning. Who the hell was calling her cell at two in the morning? It wasn’t Jon, his ring was Thank You For Loving Me. She finally found it when it stopped ringing. She was checking her missed call and it read Clinton, New York. That was where Stephanie went to college, but it wasn’t her number.  Thinking the worst she was about to call the number back when her cell went off again.

“Hello?”  She asked.

“Mrs. Bongiovi?” The male voice asked.

“Yes, this is Mrs. Alexis Bongiovi, how can I help you?”  Lexie sat up and wiped the sleep from her eyes.

“Mrs. Bongiovi, this is Officer Davis of the Clinton P. D., I am at the Clinton Memorial Hospital.”  Officer Davis stopped to draw in a breath.  “You are listed as an emergency contact for your daughter Stephanie Rose.”

Chapter 109

The whole family wanted to go to the vet for the weigh in.  The boys were in charge of the crate.

“Inky got sick in the car, Mom.” Jesse said as he held the pup. “So I held him up to the crack in the window to calm his stomach.”

“That’s good Jess” Lexie said as she herded them toward the office. It was going to be hard for the kids to let the puppies go. But the “Don’t name the puppies, strategy didn’t work. The black one has already been called Inky, Charcoal and Smudge.

Jake and Romeo carried the crate in with Snowball and the puppies into the vet’s office, the rest of the family followed.  Jon told the driver they would call when they were done and brought up the rear.

The whole clinic fell in love with the puppies.  They were weighed and their dewclaw clipped, which Romeo had a hard time understanding why it had to be done.  The vet told him, “Puppies don’t need it and it makes their paws not hurt when they walk once it’s gone.”  He still winced when the puppies yelped.

Jon was on his phone to his parents who said they would come and check out the new additions.  Matt was worried about the puppy and the bull dog, so he nixed the idea of a small puppy with Duke. So that meant they had four puppies that needed homes.  He just about went through his phone when he hit on Richie, he knew Richie wanted one for Ava.  Lorenza said she might want one, when she met Snowball.  What is it with women in his life and small white balls of fur?  The boys were getting attached to Inky, if truth be told so was he. He tugged at his heart strings just the way that Snowball did.  So that brought them down to one puppy.  Jon sent a picture of their new arrivals to the band and puppy number four had a home out in Utah,

Huge McD: “You’re a dead man Kidd, Kelli fell in love and        when it’s ready to weaned, it’ll come to Utah.”

Kidd:”What is it about white fluffy dogs and our women?”

Hugh McD: “Don’t know man, but it was instant love.”

Jon laughed as he pocketed his phone.  Soon they were paying the vet and the car was called.  It was decided that the boys would be dropped off at school, with Lexie taking them in and explaining why they were late.

All too soon Jon and the boys were heading back to Europe.  Lexie went with the driver to take him to the airport. They would be gone for two weeks, one in France and one in England. Sally told her to go with Mr. Jon, but she had a meeting with her new editor and one with the illustrator for her new kid’s book.

“I got everything packed,” Jon told her. He had packed himself, as she had been in the nursery.  The trio had been to the doctor, they didn’t like the medication, and it seemed as one got close to being well the other two got it. But each one was cutting a tooth, at seven months old they were right on target. Cullen being smaller than his sisters, was right with them.

“Good, so I don’t need to check your bag?”  She Gave him an under the lashes look.

“You know I went by the list you put on my phone.”  Jon laughed at the look on her face.

“I didn’t know you looked at that message.” Lexie joined in the laughter.

“I always read your text.” He told her as they pulled off the Parkway.  “I got a text from Stephanie, she’s dating some new guy, I got a bad feeling about this guy.” He told her. Lexie didn’t want to tell him that she felt the same way too.

Soon they were pulling into the private airfield, where the Jovi jet was waiting. They sat there waiting for the band.  Just as they were just starting to say their goodbyes there was a tap on the glass.

“Jonny boy, say goodbye to the Mrs., and let’s go get this plane in the air.” David kept tapping on the window of the car.

Lexie rolled down the glass and gave David a dirty look.

“Lemma, do you plan on being a pain in the ass the rest of your life?”

“Whoa momma bongie has teeth!  I’ll be on the plane.”  David backed away from the car.

“I guess I got to get on the plane.” He gave her a kiss on her pouty lips.

“It seems like you just got home, and you’re leaving me again.” Lexie pouted.

“Cancel your meetings and come with me.” Jon gave her a little longer kiss, drawing it out till there was another knock on the window.  “Okay Lemma, I’m coming.”

“TMI Bro, TMI.” Matt said with a snicker.  He had to back up fast as the door came open.

“Just remember who writes the checks.”  Jon said as he climbed out of the back.  Lexie followed him out of the car. “I’ll see you in two weeks, Lex. Keep me posted on the trio.”

“I will, text me when you land.”  She followed him to the steps to the plane.

“I will, I’ll call you before the show.” He passed his go bag to Matt who took it on the plane.  “Next month, you and me, second honeymoon.” He turned to face her.

“London and free range on the black card at Harrods.” She gave him a watery smile.

“Hey no tears,” He pulled her into a bear hug, “I’ll be home before you know it.”

“I know, know, but I’ll still miss you.”  Lexie sniffed.

“I’ll miss you too.”  He gave her a kiss and stepped back.  “Two weeks.”  He starts to go up the steps.

“Two weeks.” Lexie whispered as she watched him board the plane.  When the door shut on the plane she headed toward the car, and just like last time, she watched until it was a speck in the sky.

On the drive home she called Stephanie, she was supposed to be home for the weekend and Lexie was planning a long of Girls day out for the two of them. The call went right to voice mail. It seemed like every time they called, it went right to voice mail. Even Dorothea hadn’t heard from here lately.

The driver dropped her off at the front door of the building. She knew she had to take Snowball out for a little bit, before the boys got home. Checking the mail, she tossed the stuff that were advertisements and tucked the fan mail and bills into her message bag. The bills would go to the accountant and fan mail divided between hers and Jon’s clubs. She let herself into the apartment, walking in on Jesse and Sally kissing on the sofa. They jumped apart when she came in.