Water Ch. 127 - I Did It For You

 

She was a sight for sore eyes and a mixed up mind.  Walking in the door, there she stood, waiting for him.  Coming together, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.  She could feel him melt into her and her heart was breaking.  “HI.” She whispers in his ear.

“Hey.” He replies and kisses her cheek.  “Are you ready?”  He nuzzles her neck with his nose.  “It was a long night, I am exhausted.  What are the kids doing?”  The two of them walk into the kitchen where all 4 kids were waiting with warm chocolate chip cookies, for dad.  He kisses every one of them on the head, and says hi to them.  Romeo was the most excited to see dad, but he was stuck in his booster seat and couldn’t run to him.  Jon grabbed a chair and sat down with the kids.  Looking more to Stephanie and Jesse with compassion on his face, he explained “Kids, your mom is okay.  When I left the hospital she was sitting up and talking to me, yelling at me actually – but she’s okay.  She feels really bad, but in a couple of days she’ll start to feel better.”

Jesse wasn’t waiting, he and Stephanie had talked while dad was at the hospital and he had an idea of what happened, but he had to ask, "Did mom really try to kill herself dad?"  Jon could see the tears in his eyes welling up and he swore he would never lie to his children, but this is an exception.

"Mom is really confused and sad right now, Jess.  She made a mistake and she feels terrible, but she wants you to know that she's okay and she loves you."

"When can we go see her?" 

"It's going to be a while.  She has to stay in the hospital and get better before they can let her go home.  But maybe we can go see her in a couple of days.  Right now she needs to focus on getting well and being happy."

"I don't want to see her!"  Stephanie states as she gets up from the table and gets something to drink.

"Well Steph, that's a choice you have to make, but I won't force you.  I'm sure your mom would love to see you though."  Jon affirms and leaves it at that.  He didn't think she would want to talk about it, so he wasn't going to push the issue. 

 

Stephanie is 13 and understands, Jesse only being 11 thinks he understands it all, but he really doesn't.  Jon knows that this will need to be done  little  better when he understands it himself.

Gramma interrupts and tells Jon, "You two better get going or you're going to be late."

"Where are you going?" Steph asks.

"Beth has a doctor appointment this afternoon, do you want to go?" he asks his daughter, knowing that she could use a distraction; something to take her mind off of her mother and what she seen last night.

Beth jumps in, "Yeah, Steph come with us!"  She was only trying to lighten the mood and take her mind off it.  "Jesse, you can come too.  We could stop and get a bit to eat after.  Grandma is staying with Jake and Romeo."

"Can we stop and see my mom?" Jesse asks Beth, unexpectedly. 

That wipes the smile off of Beth's face in a hot second, she felt like she had been punched in the stomach and she truly hurt for the kids.

Jon steps in and tells Jesse that now isn't the best time to see mom, but they would try to call her tonight.  Jesse was okay with that answer but decided he didn't want to go to the doctor with them, he'd stay home and play video games.  With it being summer time, the kids had a pretty light schedule and considering what they are now going through, Jon didn't give him the normal 30 minute time limit. 

Jon hugged and kissed the kids that were staying home, as well as his mother.  He held his mom a little longer and just told her, "Thanks, Ma."

"You guys take your time, no hurry.  Take Stephanie to do something nice, something fun."  Mrs. B told the 'kids'.

Grabbing his cell phone as they walk out to leave, he holds it up and says, "I have my cell if you need me, and Beth probably has hers.  Call us if Dot calls, please Ma?"

"I will Jon.  Now go, before you're late."

Suddenly, Stephanie says, "I have to pee, I'll meet you outside."  And she runs upstairs to her bathroom.  Jon and Beth go out and get in the car.

Beth reaches over and put her hand on Jon's leg and asks him, "Honey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm shocked, pissed and my heart is breaking for my kids.  I can't fathom what was going through her head.  She did this once before when we split and I hit the road, way back in the beginning.  She'll never admit it, but I know it was over Diane.  She hated her and she had no reason too.  I just don't get it."  He shakes his head.

"Together, we will get her and the kids through this, we have to.  Stephanie will need to talk to someone at some point.  I think she's pissed right off at her mom, as she should be.  But I don't think she grasps the concept of mental illness."

He leans over and kisses her on the cheek.  "I don't know what I would do without you, seriously.  Thanks for being here, with me and for me."

She smiles, and it pops into her head, "Did she try to call you last night, at all?"

He looks at her out of the corner of his eye and cracks a small smile, and confesses, "She called many times but my face was buried in you.  She called about 20 times.  I missed many calls."

"Oh my God, are you kidding?  Where was your phone?"

"Down in the kitchen with yours."

"Did she ask why you didn't answer?"

He nods, "I told her that my phone was in the kitchen and asked why she didn't call the house phone.  She didn't know.  I'm just glad my mom called."

They see Stephanie coming and ended the conversation.  She hops in the back seat and says, "Let's go.  Where is the doctors?"

Jon looks back at his beautiful daughter and tells her that he's in the city. 

The three of them head into the city.  Traffic wasn't bad so getting in was the easy part.  Finding a parking place was the problem.  Jon dropped the girls off in front and told them he would park the car and meet them inside.

Beth and Stephanie went in and Beth registered, and sat down and waited.  As soon as their butts hit the chair, the nurse comes out and calls, "Beth Adams?"

Beth hold up her hand and says that she is waiting for dad, and that she would be back in a few minutes.

The nurse copped attitude and said, "The doctor is very busy.  We have allotted 15 minutes for this visit, please come back so I can get your vital signs."

"I don't mean to be rude, but I want to wait for the daddy to be. He wants to be here for the first visit.  He is just parking the car."

"Ma'am, please come back to your room."

Just then, the waiting room door opened and in walks the man, Mr. Jon Bon Jovi and the nurse about died.  Beth stood up and said, "Okay, lead the way." 

"Miss Adams, I am so sorry.  I was pretty rude, I just want to get through today's patients and go home."  Looking at Jon, she says, "I'm a big fan, it's a pleasure to meet you.  I'm Nurse Rhonda."  She reaches for Jon's hand and he obliges. 

Nurse Rhonda ran Beth through a quick triage and set of vitals and out her in a room, with a pair of paper shorts.  "Doctor will want to do a pelvic, please strip from the waist down.  He'll be in in a few minutes.  Can I get you anything?"

All in the room said no.  And Rhonda excused herself.  The three of them sat there and talked about the pictures on the wall.  The ones that show a side view of the uterus and the ones that show the baby in the various stages of development.

Stephanie was looking at one and asked, "Where are my baby brother and sister at?  What stage?" 

Beth walked over and pointed the one at 8 weeks and the one at 10 weeks, telling Steph that "They are in this stage.  We should soon be able to see the gender, but dad and I don't want to know.  We want it to be a surprise."

"Cool.  I want one of each, a little sister would be great, but a little brother would be too.  Do you want me to leave when the doctor checks you out?"

"Might be a good idea, baby.  Mom might flip her lid" and he covered his mouth, "Steph I am so sorry.  But I think mom would get very mad if she knew you were in here for that type of exam."  Jon rubs her shoulder and continues with, "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I was worried about how I was supposed to act, make it easier, dad.  I'll wait out in the waiting room."

The doctor appears, Stephanie steps out and the doctor examines Beth.  Patting her knee caps he tells them that everything looks great and he wanted to see her in another month.  They would then take measurements again and see how well they are growing.  He asked about her morning sickness and she told him it was better, just not gone yet.  He told her, it will pass and at some point it will go away completely.

Happy with their visit, they leave the office and ask Stephanie what she wants to do.  And she point blank tells them, "I want to go see Dorothea."

Both are shocked by it and don't know what to say.  The level headed less angry one, Beth, says to Jon, "If anyone should go see her, it's Steph.  Steph has alot going on in her mind right now and at the very least - it may help her."

Jon looks at her and then at Stephanie and says, "If that's what you want to do, we'll take you, but you need to know - she looks terrible Stephanie.  Really bad.  She had alot of drugs in her system and she's really groggy."

"Dad, I don't care what she looks like.  I need to talk to her, I have some things I want to say.  She pissed me off, and she needs to know that.  She didn't care what she was doing to us, and I don't care what me going to see her does to her.  She did it to herself."

"Okay, I'll take you."  And they head to the hospital.  When they get there, Jon asks, "Do you want me to go with you?"

"Nope.  I won't be long."  She jumps out of the car and heads up to her mom's room.

"God help Dorothea, my little girl is pissed and heartbroken - I would not want to be on the receiving end of that."  And he just shrugs his shoulders.  He needed to be strong for the kids and for Beth.  They sit there in the car and wait for Stephanie to vent to her mother, hopefully it will help the both of them.

Stephanie tells her mother off, out of anger and she's done.  The last thing she said to her mother was, "Why are you so determined to interfere with dad's happiness, mom?  Had I not found you and you died - did you think that dad would mourn you forever and never move on?  Nope, he would have married Beth and they would have had a great life.  You'd be dead - you couldn't stop that.  When you can be a big girl, call us - until then, leave me and my dad and my brothers alone.  You're sick and I hope you get the help you need in here."  Not giving Dorothea the opportunity to respond, Stephanie left her mother, alone.

Dot is left o odeal with the venom that Stephanie spewed at her.  She cried for hours, eventually falling asleep.

Stephanie wanted to go home and be with her brothers.  They annoyed her 99.9% of the time, but she knows that they need her and she needs them.  She was their rock and they were her bros.

Back at the house, Jon thanked his mom and she left - after asking what the doctor said.  Beth told her, "They both look great and so do I.  He wants to see me next month for measurements, but he was happy with where we are at.  And NO, we didn't peek at the gender, we don't want to know.

The evening flew by and the kids went to bed without a fight - even Steph.  She was mentally and emotionally spent today and it didn't take her long to crash.  Jon and Beth retired to their room, got ready for bed and that's when it started.  Beth asked what all happened today?  She told Jon, "Peter called here and I told him to call you in your cell.  Is everything still on schedule, your divorce?"

He swallowed hard and knew he needed to tell her before she found out from someone else.  "Bad news.  What Dot did today has delayed the divorce until she gets out of the hospital - at the very least.  I guess you can't divorce someone when they are in a mental hospital since they are unable to defend themself or testify.  So, we have at least another 37 days before it's final.  But we aren't stopping there, Peter knows to push forward."

Beth looks at him and he look went blank.  What the hell?

Jon follows that up with, "I think this was all calculated, her plan to stop the divorce.  And as long as she's in there, no legal action can be taken against her.  I am so sorry."

Beth's eyes are tearing up and Jon can see that.  She gives him the same blank look and asks, "Where does all of that leave us?"

"Babe, we are right where we were before this happened.  Having babies and one day getting married.  Unless you have changed your mind?"

"Jon, being with you gets harder and harder - why?"  She gets up to get a glass of water and finds herself falling apart in the bathroom.  Why can't they have a week without drama of some kind?  And why can't Dorothea let him go?  What's will stop her from trying this again?