Water Ch. 128 - It's Hard Letting You Go

Jon gave her a few minutes before he went in after her.  When he did, he found her sitting on the edge of the bathtub with her face in her hands, he could hear she was crying.  Grabbing a few tissues off the bathroom counter he sits next to her and puts his arm around her, sliding her closer to him.  "Hey, I'm sorry.  I really don't know what else to say.  I never seen this coming."

"Why is she having such a hard time?  Why does she have to ruin every ounce of happiness that we find?  Why can't she just fucking stop?"  Beth gets up and wipes her nose, looking at herself in the mirror.  "Look at me, 8 weeks pregnant and a crying mess over my baby's fathers wife that's in the hospital because she attempted suicide.  I feel so selfish right now, yet I'm mad as hell."  She wipes her eyes, trying to avoid the raccoon look.  "She does this and we are left to explain it to the kids.  She let Stephanie find her Jon."  She is letting herself get mad, that's something she tries to avoid.  It's a wasted emotion, not much good comes from anger. 

Jon stands and walks up to her, placing his hand on the small of her back. "Come on, you need some rest.  We aren't going to solve anything tonight."  He applies a little pressure to her back, hoping to direct her to bed, but she's like concrete and not moving.  "Beth, come on." 

She looks at him in the mirror and can see that he's affected by all of this too, and again, she feels bad for someone else.  But, she's supposed to feel bad for him.  And she does, her heart breaks.  She can see it in his face, she can hear it in his voice - and she has no idea how to help him.  She needs to help herself first and put her babies and their health above all others, atleast for now.  Turning to Jon, she reaches up and brushes his cheek, "I'm going to go for a walk.  Go to bed.  We have another long day tomorrow."

"I'll come with you."

"You can't, the kids are here.  Go to bed, or go read for a little bit.  I won't be long."  She leans in and kisses his cheek. 

He grabs her, "Don't go!"

Slightly pulling away she tells him, "I need to clear my head, I won't be long."  She pulls away completely and grabs her robe and goes downstairs.  She had no intention of leaving the grounds.  It was a beautiful night on the river, the sea air was comforting and the river sound was soothing.  She walked around the grounds and just breathed it all in.  She looked up at the house and she seen that their bedroom light was still on.  She knows he's watching her out a window of an unlit room, that's something Jon would do - to make sure she was okay. 

Aimlessly walking the grounds, she found herself at the river bank.  She sat on the bench and just watched the river flow, in the light of the moon.  She thought, "Why can't all my problems wash away with the river water?"  She just sits and thinks and thinks.

After while, she realizes that she's having a conversation with Brian.  Brian hasn't been in her thoughts for a while, and that was a sign, to her, that she was doing the right thing with Jon; even though he was married.  Why is he in her thoughts now?  Beth knows what Brian would tell her to do.  He would tell her to get her ass back in the house and embrace the love that her and Jon have because that is what will get them through all of the bullshit that comes with sleeping with a married rockstar, getting pregnant and dealing with his wife's cry for help.  Brian adored Beth and knew what she was doing to herself.  She was blaming herself for it all.  Out loud she says to herself, "None of this would be happening if you didn't go to Las Vegas for that weekend." 

 

She sits on the riverbank for a while longer and starts to head back to the house when the flood lights come on and out walks Jon.  She smiles when she sees him walking toward her in nothing but cotton pajama bottoms.  She sees the chest hair and she just loves the way he saunters when he walks.  They get a little closer and he says to her, "Little lady, it's time to come inside."

 

"Oh really?  You're not the boss of me, old man."

 

"Are you okay?  Do you want me to go back in?"  They meet and stop face to face.  She gets on her tippy toes and kisses his forehead like he always does hers, because that's comforting for her; maybe it would be for him too? 

 

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulls her close, he pulls her tight and she face plants in that heavenly chest of hair. She tells him,  "I'm okay, and no I don't want you to go back in.  Let's walk."  Taking his hand and leading the way, the two  of them walk the grounds and call it a night.

 

The next week was hell on earth for everyone involved.  Dorothea's story hit the paper and the house in New Jersey was the hot spot for visitors, fans and reporters.  The kids couldn't play outside, none of them could do the activities that they liked outside.  Leaving in a car took longer than normal, the drivers were getting better at it, but it was just a hassle.  Jon and Beth decided that they would take the kids and go into the city and  stay at Beth's place.  It's been a while since anyone had been there, but all they needed to do was get groceries and a few other things.  They would run into Whole Foods before they got to her place.

 

Kids were packed, the Denali was packed and they were out of there.  Jon had enough.  This was worse that being on tour, he would rather be on tour than deal with all of what they had going on. 

Dorothea was transferred to a mental health hospital, under court order.  The kids were able to visit her once, because that's all that Dot could handle, but she talked to them on the phone a few times.  Her therapy seemed to be helping and she was looking forward to the help that she was going to get while she was in the psych hospital.  The therapy was introducing Dorothea to Dorothea, someone she hadn't known in years.  She was always part of Jon and Dot, and she liked what she was learning.  Everyone involved hoped that it was helping and that there would be no setbacks once she was released.

 

A few days in the city was the best therapy for Beth and Stephanie.  They did a little bit of retail therapy, in disguise but it was just what they needed.  While they shopped, they would talk and they really started to understand once another.  Stephanie admitted to Beth that she didn't like her at first and that she blamed Beth for her mom and dads divorce, but over time she seen the truth.  She seen that her mom and dad were both to blame.  She also noticed the change in her dad, about the time he met Beth, and she thanked Beth for putting up with all of the drama and BS that's gone on in the short time that she was with her dad.  Stephanie also confessed that she was thrilled that there were babies on the way, she was looking forward to having more siblings, and she secretky wished they both were girls.

 

The Bongiovi/Adams family was right where Jon and Beth wanted it to be, with the excepion of geographically.  They waited a few days before heading back to New Jersey.  They wanted the media mess to die down and everyone to leave it alone.  Dorothea was on the road to recovery, and that road had stops along the way that included Jon.