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.