Water Ch. 98 - Welcome to Wherever You Are

 

It wasn't easy shopping after being served by a process server, but they tried.  Walking around the Garment District wasn't as fun as they each remember it to be.  Beth finally asked Jon, "What time is it?" She sounds defeated and suddenly exhausted.  Her phone is tucked in her purse and she didn't want to dig for it.

Jon looked at his watch and told her, "We can head back to the car, by time we get through Brooklyn the kids will be done at school."  Grabbing her hand and squeezing it tight, as if to say 'I am sorry that your day was fucked up by Dorothea'. She squeezed back and kind of rested her head on his arm while they walked.  They noticed from time to time that people recognized them, but maybe Jon was giving off a vibe because no one else bothered them.  

"Can we get a cab? My leg, actually my ankle is starting to hurt." She quietly asks, embarrassed.  And she should have known better, of course he's going to oblige her even if its only for a few blocks.  He hails a taxi and they take it back to the private car they had waiting at the studio.  Once they get inside the car, Beth digs through her purse.  She pulls out her cell phone first.  Several missed calls, several voice mails and several emails. She didn't care.  She wanted the Tylenol that she knows is in there.  Digging and digging, frustrated she's not finding it, she hands her purse to Jon.  "Can you dig out that Tylenol? Jesus Christ, who would have thought it would be so tough finding two Tylenol in the bottom of a miniature purse."  Jon takes the purse and calmly removes its contents, one by one. And the last thing he sees is the two Tylenol, in no container, on the very bottom of the purse.  Handing them to her, and his bottle of water she takes the two pills ad sits back in the seat.  Like a heroin addict that has just shot up.

She nudges him with her foot and says. "Thank you. I was getting a little frustrated."

"Really, I couldn't tell.  We could have taken the car.  We didn't need to do all that walking, ya know." He picks on her and she knows he's only kidding.

"I love walking in NYC. You can't do that in L.A.  I'll be fine once my hardcore drugs kick in. Just give me a few." She winks at him, thanking God that he led her to that show that day.  She looks at Jon without lifting her head to look at him and asks, "Why do you love me so much?"

He's a little caught of guard by the very random question but he has an answer, without even thinking about it.  He looks into the windows of her soul and simply says, "You take my breath away."  His face is expressionless and Beth likes his answer, kind of.

"I mean really, what drives you to want to be with me?  Other than taking your breath away, I'm sure over the years there have been women that 'took your breath away'."  She even air quotes for emphasis.  

He thinks for a minute and confesses, "From the moment you were stand offish backstage at that show, I knew I wanted to be with you. I knew it.  Ask the guys.  They'll tell you that you and my children are all I ever talked about." He laughs thinking back to that time and continues with, "I really think they were getting sick of hearing your name.  But I knew it.  I just didn't know HOW to do it.  I've never had to 'work' at getting a woman.  They were always falling all over me."  

Beth sits up and positions herself to look at Jon without having to tweak her neck. She puts one foot under her leg and shimmy's in close, the look on her face being that of someone hearing something interesting, hanging on baited breath. 

Jon puts his hand on her lap, tucking it between her thighs and continues..."I can honestly tell you that I'm baffled by it, because your blonde.  Never been attracted to blondes, but then I've never been as attracted to anyone like I am you.  You literally take my breath away."

"You told me that already, but what takes your breath away?  I snore when I sleep, I hog the bed and I don't cook" she laughs at herself for coming up with such lame examples, but he's picking up what she's putting down. "I suck at laundry and I'm funny about my teeth.  So what is it?"

"Babe, all I can say is its because you're you. There is nothing about you I want to change, except your address.  I think that you are easily the yin to my yang.  You make me want to be happy. And that's all I want, to be happy with you and the kids." He sighs, because he knows she's going to want more of an answer that that.  The word wizard is struggling to put how he feels into words.

"I get that you like the way I look and feel." She moves in quick and kisses him, "But what is the draw? I mean you dropped life and flew to the Bahamas in the middle of the night to be with me. You stayed at my bedside when I took that nap and now, here we are on our way to pick up your children from school.  Who love me, by the way.  I would think that you could have picked an easier woman. One that didn't have dead ex fiancee baggage, childhood damage and a career that demands a lot of time." She inhales, saying that on one breathe.

"I kind of thought that you'd quit your job now that you're going to have a baby. Honestly.  You don't need to work, you know that, right?"

She perks up, not sure if she's feeling irked or anxious and quickly responds, "Yes, I do know that and I appreciate you pointing that out, but know this, when I move back here, I will take care of and support myself.  Shit, that reminds me - we need to get the receipts together so I can reimburse you for my medical bills."  She pauses for a moment, pissed that she forgot about those bills that he paid. She didn't like to owe anyone anything.  "And I don't think I'm going to quit my job. I like my job Jon." She adds. 

"I know you like your job, and you great at it, but why wouldn't you quit and enjoy your pregnancy?  Take it easy, lighten your stress load?"

"And what would I do with myself? I would get so bored.  I'd go crazy."

He has to say it, she has to know it so she can plan for it, so between his teeth he says, "You can go on tour with me."  And he waits.  It doesn't hit her at first, but the look on his face tells her she should have picked up on something.

"What did you say? Go on tour with you??" She blurts out. 

He shakes his head and says, "I have to finish the tour.  We have Europe and some other countries to hit yet.  You can come with me, I would love that."

"Jon, I have no....wait a minute, why are you telling me this now? How long have the dates been set?" She pissed.  She just came to New York to be with him and his children and he has to hit the road? "When do you leave? I have no desire to go on tour with you. Damn it Jon!"  And the car pulls into the circle driveway of Poly Prep.  Standing outside with a classroom aide are all 4 Bongiovi children. All looking very debonair in their uniforms.  The car stops and Jon pushes open the door so the kids can climb in.  Romeo and Jake both have to sit next to Beth, so she helps them with their seat belt. Jon asks the kids how their day was and he listened to all four stories.  Beth is a little preoccupied by the tour conversation that was cut off because they had arrived at school, but she knew the conversation wasn't over.

"Mom called.  I have to take you guys out there tonight because she has a play she wants to take you to. So make sure you get any homework done before you leave for the show." Jon says to all of his babies, with it more directed at Stephanie and Jesse. 

"Do we have to go with mom?" Stephanie questions. "She wants to take us to a play at the dumb community theater that she's been raising money for. I don't wanna go."

Jon smiles the 'I'm sorry but you have to go smile' and tells her, "Yes you have to go. It's important to your mother, Steph."  

She rolls her eyes at her dad, "That's dumb."

Beth thought maybe she could help here, "Steph, you might like it. You have to give it a try. You might be surprised" 

"I just hate the people that my mom hangs out with. They're so stuffy and fake. I don't like people like that. They pretend and only donate to look good. They don't care if the theater burns down, as long as they can say they donated." She informs everyone within hearing distance. 

Jon and Beth both knew it was a losing battle and that if they kept talking to her about it, it would only make her madder. So, Beth changed the subject.

"When you guys come back to dads on....." She looks at Jon.

"Friday, you're at moms until Friday.  I have to do some press stuff for the football team this week, down in Philly. So you'll be in the city with mom."

"Ok, when you come back this weekend, why don't we go shopping or something fun?" Beth says to Stephanie Rose.

Stephanie is wiser beyond her years and growing up with a dad like Jon, it was definitely forced. She didn't and couldn't have a normal childhood, and Beth could identify with the not normal part, maybe that was their connection?

Stephanie looks at Beth and says, "I'd like that. But can we do it in New Jersey or Connecticut? New York City sucks."

Beth laughed and told her, "We'll go anywhere you want. We'll have a girls day.  Just me and you.  We can send your dad off to do boy stuff with your brothers, it'll be fun."  Stephanie looks at Beth and smiles.  Beth could see that her and Stephanie would be close, and she hoped that Stephanie seen it too.  Beth loves Jon and it's important to her that the kids like her, but she won't pretend to be anything or anyone that she's not.  Stephanie and the boys will like Beth, the real Beth.  And Beth has wondered a few times how a baby would change the dynamic.  She's worried that a baby so soon might hurt their newly formed relationships, but she tells herself that she has to keep the faith.

 

The drive to the helipad at LaGuardia seemed to go quick.  Maybe it's because they all were talking, or maybe traffic was good, either way Beth was surprised to be at the helipad.  And Jon seen that.  He caught Beth's eye and asked her, "What's the matter?"  Really having no idea why she has the surprised look on her face.

 

"You're flying the kids out there?"  She asks with a little bit of sarcasm in her voice.

 

Jon, not seeing the big deal, said, "Yeah, why?  It's about 2 hours by car, on a good day.  I don't want them to get out there too late and miss the show.  Dorothea is meeting me at the pad out there to get the kids.  Then we can just lift off and come back to the city." It makes sense to Jon, so she just shrugged her shoulders and accepted  it.

 

With the car in park, the Bongiovi - Adams clan exited the car and the kids grabbed their bags.  Jon walked them to the helicopter and noticed Beth wasn't right behind them.  Beth had decided that she didn't want to go out there, not yet.  She wasn't ready for dealing with Dorothea.  Dorothea has been pissed for weeks, and Beth hadn't even been around.  Physically, anyway.  She was first and foremost in Jon's thoughts and Dot could see that and hear that in Jon.  Beth wasn't afraid, Beth just wasn't prepared.  She would have been fine in the car, she thought she'd just have Jon drop her at the Blue Parrot and then he could drop off the kids alone.  But that obviously wasn't going to happen.

 

Jon puts the kids in the chopper and tells the pilot that he will be right back.  He turns and starts to sprint towards Beth.  She loved watching him run, his blonde hair bouncing.  He looked like a football player in his Soul jersey.  Stopping in front of her, he asks, "You're not going?"

 

Beth just shook her head no. 

 

"How come?  It will be quick." He puts his hands on her waist, trying to pull her toward the helicopter.  "Come on, we can stop at the bar and have dinner." 

 

"Jon, I don't want to deal with Dorothea today.  We can do dinner out there another time." feeling bad, she tells him, but she really wasn't up for it.  "I just want to go home.  I'll take a cab and when you're done, come to my place."

 

"Babe, what's going on?"

 

"Nothing.  We'll talk later.  Go, take the kids to their mom.  They're waiting."  taking his hands and removing them from her waist.  "Get going, they are waiting." 

 

All he can do is accept her decision, he know it's a battle that he won't win.  He takes her face in his hands, kisses her on the lips once, twice, three times and says, "I'll see you in a little bit.  I love you."

 

Beth smiles, "I love you too."  He turns to go and she cracks him on the ass.  He looks back and blows her a kiss. 

 

He gets in the helicopter and Beth watches them take off.  The kids are all waving to her, and she waves back.  She seen Jake blow her a kiss, so she blew him one back.  When they were out of sight, she turned to the driver and asked him if he could take her to a terminal so she could get a cab. 

 

He asked her, "Where do you need to go?  I can call another car out?" 

 

"Just to the financial district, no need for another car, I can grab a cab from up front."  she explains, "can you run me up to a terminal?"

 

"Absolutely."  he opens the rear passenger door and Beth gets in.  It takes just a few minutes for him to get her up to a terminal.  He lets her out and asks, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

 

Beth shakes her head no, hands him a $20.00 and says, "I'm all set.  Thank you."  And she walks away.  The driver gets back in the car and heads back out to the helipad, to wait for Jon Bon Jovi.  Beth hails a cab and goes home.

 

She's happy to be back on the city, she misses the non stop action and yet, that's what she hated the most about the city.  New York was home for her, for many years and she's always felt a connection to it.