Ninety-Five

The bed shaking and her hand being lifted caused Jesse to stir the following morning, her eyes opening to big bright blue eyes of a boy’s face that was just inches from hers. “Morning Romeo” she chuckled stretching out her arms and poking him playfully in the side of his ribs. He squealed and erupted into giggles rolling on the bed.

She glanced over at Jake who was stirring and to the clock that sat behind him on the oak bedside table, it was after eight in the morning! Shit, she sat up and felt around for her cell phone which had slipped under the pillow in the night. Flipping it open she saw she had one missed call, a text and a voicemail. She’d missed them contacting her? Shit. She sat up clutching her stomach which had taken a dive-bomb.

HE IS AWAKE. HIS USUAL SMARTASS SELF. RING ME IN MORNING. RICH.

She sighed clutching her phone against her chest, thank god. “Daddy’s awake” she said to the boys happily as she hit Richie’s number to connect.

“Hey Jesse, I’m just on my way home to you. Thought I’d come and relieve you so you could go and see the boy” his deep rich voice chuckled in her ear.

“So he’s ok really? God I must have missed the call, I fell asleep last night. I have no idea how” she said scratching her head surprised she slept so well at all from the worry that had been eating her alive.

“Yep, sure is a little sore but that is to be expected right. But he’s himself and worried about you”

Jesse smiled feeling tears prick at the corners of her eyes “He’s worried about me? Only Jon” she sighed. Here he was lying in a hospital bed, battered and bruised and he was worried about her? God bless his soul.

She hung up from Richie and organised the two youngest some breakfast. While they sat happily in front of the TV with their cereal she walked down to see Steph and Jesse to tell them the good news.

“I want to come” Steph said seriously folding her arms.

“Me too” Jesse chimed in standing right beside his sister.

Jess held her hands up “Ok, I’ll go first though and Jon’s Mom will be here later this morning so you can come and relieve me so I can get back to the boys ok?” she asked. She needed to check with Jon first, not quite comfortable enough on making that decision without consultation and Carol had already suggested that’s what they do.

“OK” Steph grumbled.

Jess patted their shoulders “I know it’s hard but you guys need to get some food and cleaned up its going to be a big day with your mom and Grandma coming back”. Truth is she desperately wanted to see Jon by herself to find out what the hell happened to him, as she knew for a fact he wouldn’t talk so blatantly in front of the kids about it.

Fifteen minutes later Richie was home and she’d had a quick shower, slipped on some jeans and one of his soul football t-shirts leaving her hair hanging loosely around her shoulders. Squirting on some perfume she grabbed her things and was given a list of things by the kids to tell their dad that she squeezed in her pocket before making her way to the hospital. Her thoughts were frenzied as she drove trying to keep her mind on the road. She had no idea what had happened to Jason, assuming that he was in police custody by now.

She parked and quickly raced through the hospital, the click of her heels echoing loudly on the lino floors. Finally she was there, signing in at ICU she rushed to his door. He’d been moved to the far end of the corridor in a more private room. She stood at the doorway, him unaware of her. He was lying with his eyes closed, she breathed a sigh of relief to see the ventilator gone and the heart monitor was off. She still couldn’t bear how battered and bruised his body looked, but realized she’d have to suck it up as healing would be a slow process.

“What are you doing just standing there, I don’t bite?” a voice knocked her out of her thoughts and two familiar blue eyes pierced her gaze.

She smiled and walked in “Hey” she said standing at the edge of the bed, wiping his brow gently with her forefinger. “It’s so good to see you” she whispered leaning down and kissing him lightly against the lips.

“You too baby, you have no idea” he lifted his hand and scraped his thumb across her cheek. “Or I figure that I must be dead if there’s an angel standing right here in my room” he whispered.

She laughed shaking her head “Good to see you can still roll out those lines”
He frowned when she went to pull the chair behind her up, and patted the side of his bed “Sit here Jess”

She nodded and slid onto the side of the bed dangling her legs over the side, clasping his hand in-between hers taking a deep breath. “I’m so unbelievably sorry” she said tightening her grasp on his hand.

Jon’s heart fell at the guilt that clouded her eyes “Hey now. None of that Jess ok? This was no one’s fault except his” his eyes searched her brown ones to give him the agreement he needed from her.

“But if I’d-“

Jon brought his finger to her lips “No Jess, I won’t hear of it. Don’t go there. I won’t allow you to” God she was riddled in guilt, the way her shoulders slumped forward he’d never seen it before. If anything this was his fault, he SET Big Tony onto Jason and probably angered the bastard further.

“I’m ok, just a few broken ribs and bruises...I’ve been worried about you and it seems rightly so. I knew you’d beat yourself up over this Jess. I won’t have any more of it, ok?” he asked. He dragged his finger down her cheek before bringing her hand to his lips.

She nodded “I’m just so glad to see you awake, the kids and I have been so worried”
“How are they?” he asked wincing as he tried to shift up the bed.

She smiled shifting his pillows for him “Unbelievable, in some ways what kept my sanity over the last few hours, the boys have been adorable. And Steph and Jesse have been very brave. They wanted to come but your mother said she’d bring them in, and I didn’t know if you would want them in here” she explained.

“Steph and Jesse would have been ok, but Mom can bring them in. She wanted to come up immediately huh?” he asked cringing knowing what fussing he was in for.

Jesse laughed “Yes, couldn’t have her boy all injured on his own you know, and Dot is coming back early as well”

He pinched the bridge of his nose “Yeah Rich told me that and she’s not going to be happy as she’d been looking forward to that vacation for a long time”

“Come on Jon like you could help it, and we didn’t know ...” Jesse paused meeting his gaze “If you would wake up ok” she finished. “What happened?” she had to ask it had been bugging her from the beginning.

He let a low whistle out when he exhaled “Well he knocked me out on my way into the studio and I woke up tied to the chair, he’d thrown me around a bit...... and you can guess the rest” Jon said absently looking straight ahead.

“Tell me” she said holding his hand tighter.

“Jess, there is nothing to tell he bet the living shit out of me, and wanted me to stay away from you. I said no, fuck you and it went in that cycle” he snapped unintentionally. He cursed himself when he watched her stiffen.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap Jess. I just would rather forget about it until I have to relive the whole story to the police”

She nodded, she understood. He was still angry with Jason that was easy to see. “I know, I just wish this hadn’t happened....you’ve got the album and everything coming up” she said worried how this would affect his schedule.

“Eh, it can wait. It will just be a couple of day’s bed rest” he said confidently. She rolled her eyes.

“It’ll be more than a couple of days Jon, it will be weeks” it was going to kill him. The man that never sat still would have to be bed ridden for a couple of weeks while his body healed.

His eyes grew wide “Uh, no I won’t need that long”

She grinned “It’ll be ok; I’ll be there for you.... every step of the way I’ll take time off to look after you”

“Jess, you’re meant to be going to Milan you’ve got your career to worry about here, I won’t allow it” he said for the second time in minutes.

“You’ve got no say in that one, for better or worse right? That’s what I agreed to when I accepted your proposal” she stated. He wasn’t the only one that could play hardball here. “I’ll forgive myself if YOU let me look after you, do we have a deal?” she asked holding out her hand, her lips poised.

Jon closed his eyes, god she was just like him in the worst way. “You drive a hard bargain woman” he shook her hand. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it” Fuck this was going to be hell. Weeks of doing nothing? If he thought about this logically he could work out how to run the album launch preparations from home somehow... yeah... that would do it.

Jesse already could see his eyes calculating ways to work from home. She knew him too well, and she’d sure as shit be the one to make sure he kept to his end of the deal.