Water Ch. 22 - Bad Medicine 2011

Leaving Jon and Romeo on the street broke Beth's heart. She had a lovely time with them, but she can't keep thinking about that. She needs to remember the heartache, that's a lot easier to swallow. Beth has a great way of dealing with heartache, she works. She forges her way up the corporate ladder leaving the dead weight behind. She was a workaholic and thrives on success. But how can she be so successful in her career and suck so bad at love? She was good to Jon and his entire family. His friends and band mates loved her, too.

Beth arrived back at home and went straight to her apartment. She had thought about stopping into the bar in the building to have a drink, but just didn't have it in her. It was a long day, she wanted to relax. She needed to relax. Kicking off her shows when she walked in she looked around for her slippers. Didn't see them. Walked into her bedroom to find them and there it was....that teal Tiffany bag. She wanted so badly to cry, but she just took a deep breathe and picked up the bag. What could her possibly have gotten her? They've been so out of touch, he couldn't possibly have a way of knowing her current taste or style.

She pulled open the cinched bag and let its contents drop into her left hand. It was cold and silver. When she seen what it was, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen and it was also the saddest thing. She couldn't do anything but sit there and look at it, tears rolling down her cheeks. 'He remembered, he remembered' was all she could think to herself. The tears began to come a little stronger, they were starting to burn. When she felt her nose start to run, she reached for a tissue off her nightstand. Wiping away her tears, the lump in her throat got bigger. The feeling in her stomach got worse. 'How can he do this to me? Why?'

She sits there until she can't sit sit there any longer. She grabs the phone on her nightstand and dials Jon's phone number.

"Hello." Jon says, answering the phone with his heart in his throat. He was so pleased she had called.

"I just opened the Tiffany bag you left in my bag. All I want to know Jon is, why would you do that? Why would you give those to me? What did you think I would do or how I would feel?" Giving him a brief moment to respond.

"Honey, I know what those meant to you. They mean the exact same thing to me. I have held onto them this whole time. I thought you might like to have them now."  He takes a deep breathe and asks her if she's okay.

"I'm fine. I have to go. Goodbye Jon." The line goes dead. She sits there and cries while Jon is left dumbfounded. How could that have gone so wrong? He gave her the one piece of them that they both cherished, the one thing that linked them.

Jon put his phone down and had to put his attention back towards Romeo. He was busy watching cartoons in the family room. Jon got up and said, "Hey bud, are you okay if I go to my office for a few minutes? You can come with me, I can put the TV on in there?" Romeo looks over his shoulder at his dad and says, "No daddy, I'll stay here. Your office is boring." Jon laughed and said, " I won't be long and you know where I am if you need me." Jon walks down the hall way and into the west wing of the house. The place is empty with the family gone.  He keeps thinking he should sell the place and get something smaller, but this place has so many memories- good and bad, he's not ready to let it go. Beth might come back.

In his office, he picks up the phone and calls Paul. Paul is is manager and one of his best friends. He just needed one simple answer. "Paul, can we get any information off of a phone number? And please don't ask why."

"Yes, Jon we can do a reverse search with the number. If you're lucky you can get a name and address. IF the number is listed. Ok, what's the number?"

Jon rattles off the number and he can hear Paul clicking away on his computer and he said, "Jon, what are you doing?"   Paul sees the name and the address of the person that has that number listed.

Firmly Jon asks, "What did you find Paul?"  Paul clears his throat and says "its an address on 5th Ave in New York and its Beth's house?" Jon is stumped! She's been here this whole time? Just a few blocks away. How does he not know this?

"Thanks Paul, I owe you one man. I have to go. Call me tomorrow." And Jon hangs up. He sits there for a few moments and with his head in his hands.  Thinking, she's been here the whole time???  He gets up and heads back out to be with Romeo. He sits down on the couch and processes this information. He sends a quick text to his mom and her response was, 'I knew you would find her. I love you son.'

Beth had not been thinking when she called Jon. She used the land line that no one knows about. She has it primarily for the security system.

Jon and Romeo finish the cartoons and Jon tells his son that its time for bed. Romeo goes and gets his superman pajamas on and brushes his teeth. Jon tucks him in, kisses him good nite and leaves his room. Romeo is allowed to read until he falls asleep, but no video games or TV. Jon goes back into his office and sits at his piano. The words flow like water onto paper. He is having a moment of clarity and needed to feel it, needed to get it out.

Beth is still sitting on her bed where she was when she hung up with Jon. She couldn't move, she was holding kryptonite in her hand and it was very powerful. After a few more moments, she got up and place the Tiffany bag contents on the top of one of her jewelry boxes. Stands there for a few minute and just stares at it.  When she snaps out of the trance that she was in, it kind of dawns on her that she better get some work done.  She's had a long weekend and needed to get some of the work done, some of the work  that she took two days off for.

The Tiffany bag contents was eating at her. She couldn't get it out of her head. It was tearing her heart out. What was she going to do with it? Why did he send it? What was he thinking?