Chapter 40 - More Than He Bargained For

 

 

"Beth, what do you mean WE?" he snaps at her.  "Who is we?"

Beth looks up at Stephanie and gives her a look like she can't believe that she messed up like she just did.  But, they promised honesty and openness, Beth has to tell him the truth.  "How did you even find out about it?"

"Beth, what do you mean we.  Who else knows about this?" Jon gets firmer with her, but Beth is stronger now.

"How did you find out about it, Jon."

"Beth!!"

She repositions Brianna and tells him, "When she was in the hospital getting checked out, she called Richie and he called me."

"RICHIE?  And neither one of you fucking bothered to call." Jon yells at her.  "Neither one of you could let me know, you needed to let me find out like I did?"

"Who told you?"

"That doesn't fucking matter Beth, the fact is that my daughter was in a car accident, under the influence and you and my best friend didn't call me."

"She didn't want us to call you."

"So."

"Jon, she is an adult." Beth starts to get up, dropping the phone to the floor.  Stephanie scrambles to help her with the phone, handing it back to Beth, "Sorry, I dropped the phone."

"I'm done with this conversation anyway.  This is the last time that you will do this.  She's MY daughter, I should have been called."

"Don't you think..........." And she sees the phone go dead.  She stands there, dumbfounded for a second and then hands Stephanie her phone.  "He's pissed."

"Want me to call him back?" Stephanie asks, with apology in her voice.  "He didn't need to be a dick like that."

Beth starts to burp Brianna and as she walks the nursery floor she reminds Miss Stephanie that, "This is the 2nd emergency that you called me for that he found out after the fact, he's pissed, hurt and scared."

"So he has to be a dick to you?"

Beth just gives her a look, "I'll deal with it later."  The two of them finish taking care of the twins and then they head downstairs to have some coffee and breakfast.  Beth was shocked when she opened the curtains in the kitchen to see a bunch of reporters and paparazzi standing in wait.  "Jesus Christ, how did they find out?"  She closes the curtains.

Stephanie walks over and peeks out, "Oh no, how did anyone find out?"  She looks back at Beth.  Beth, unaffected and even less interested in the media says to Stephanie, "I wonder how your dad found out."

 

Beth makes them a pot of coffee while Stephanie rummages through the fridge, gathering what they both like to eat for breakfast.  Together they sit in the sunless kitchen, because Beth closed the curtains.   At the little kitchen table, Beth looks over at Stephanie and asks her,  "What are your plans?"

"What do you mean?"  The young woman asks Beth, sitting back, crossing her legs to sit Indian style.

"Do you have to go to court?"

"Uncle Richie said I probably wouldn't have to, that I could get a lawyer to appear for me."

"Yeah, you probably can.  What about school?"  Beth has always been on her about her schooling, encouraging her to pursue what ever dream that she had.  She confessed to Beth one day that she wanted to be an elementary school teacher.  Beth was all about that.

"I want to switch schools, I just don't know where I want to go."

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Stephanie stayed with Beth for one more day, after she was able to enlist the help on a west coast lawyer.  Peter took her case and all but assured her that it would go away.  When she heard that, she decided to head home and talk with the mom about switching schools.  Beth was sad to see her go, but she needed to right her wrongs and make better choices with her life.  Neither of them talked to Jon in the last day, so when Stephanie left, Beth decided to give him a call.  He was still in Chicago. 

She's on the patio while Maria cleans the house, sitting there watching her vineyard thrive she grabs her eye phone and calls Jon.  It rand several times before it went to voicemail.  "Hey, it's me.  Just wanted to let you know that Stephanie is on her way to Jersey to talk with her mom about switching schools.  I have no idea what she has planned, she was pretty scared until she talked to Peter.  I'm home, give me a call.  I love you."  And she hung up.  Looking at the time, she realizes that he is in the middle of a show, no wonder her didn't answer.  Feeling like an ass, she sat back and laughed at herself.

She had gone on with her day and when she was about ready to give the twins a call, she heard her cell phone ring.  With Spencer in her arms, she races to her phone to at least see who is was.  When she seen it was Jon, she slid it to accept and then picked it up.  "Hey." she says to him, with a smile that he can hear. 

"I'm downstairs, can you come let me in?" he snaps at her.  She ends the call and sets the phone on the dresser and walks down to let him in.

"I had no idea you were coming, what's going on?" she asks, as she stands back and lets him in.  He has his bag in his hand.

Once he's inside she turns to kiss her.  "Hi.  I didn't plan to come, this is so spur of the moment, I have not a minute to spare."

"Okay, why are you here?" she starts to walk away, needing to get her babies bathed.  "I'm about ready to do baths, want to help?"

Jon follows her into the nursery, wanting to see his baby girl.   As he enters the nursery, he sees that she's not in her bed, "Where's Brianna?" he looks at her, confused.

"She's on our bed.  She just ate and fell asleep.  Going to bathe this little guy while he's up." She holds Spencer up and kisses his face, inhaling deeply.  "Do you want him while I fill his tub?"  She hands the baby over.  Jon takes his leather off and tosses it onto the floor.  With extended arms and a smile on his face, he takes Jon Spencer and kisses him right where his mother just did.

"Hey, little guy."  Jon says to his son, kissing him again.  "Your daddy missed you." He holds the little boy close to his heart.  Beth is filling the infants bath tub when she hears him says, "Why did Steph leave so soon?"

Beth grabs a towel and dries her hand, walking in Jon's direction, peeking her head into their room to check on Brianna.  She's still sound asleep on her daddy's pillow, with several other tucked around her.  "She wanted to get home and get on with life."

"Did she give any indication what school she wanted to go to?" he asks, walking into their room.  He starts to undress Spencer.  "I'm so worried about her."

"Why?"

"The heroin and now this?"

Jon and Beth talk over giving the babies bath's.  Beth is thrilled that he's back unexpectedly, but knows that there is a price to pay for this unplanned, unannounced visit.  In her mind, she's in trouble and in his mind - he's mad as hell that they kept Stephanie's arrest from him.  Beth can see the tension in his jaw and she can see the distance in his eyes.  She can tell that they will have a late night.