Chapter 61

The elation of being a pop lasted way after all the visitors and D and my baby had all gone home. I felt weak and tired but exhilarated all at the same time, and it seemed every few minutes the congratulations train pulled into the station and more messages passed through my room door.

When Dr called in too see me and perform simple obs she was smiling too.
"What? Cause your a pop your the only one that can smile?"

I held my hand up in protest, "not at all, its nice to see you smile, you should do it more often it suits you..."

"Sarcasm is not your strong point Jon, can I suggest you don't indulge in it?"

"hey, I wasn't being sarcastic, I was being honest...."

Doc paused and looked at me, as slowly the smile disappeared. "What you mean?"

"just that, well I get your job is serious, but your face lights up when you smile and its a real nice change from the serious Doc face..."

she sat on the edge of my bed. "truth is Jon, I am dealing with patients facing the possibility of death, I need to be focused, and how would it look to my patients If I went around smiling all day? huh?"

"maybe that you had hope for them? like you did for me?"

She rose from the bed, and finished writing on my chart, "Thank you for your comments Jon, but Ill stick to being a Doc, and you stick to being a rock star and we will get on just fine ok?"

It was clear I had pissed her off, though that was not my intention, all I wanted was to give her praise, which had totally back fired... as she was reaching the door, I tried in one last vein of hope to turn her visit around, "thank you again Doc, for delivering my daughter, for being there for me and my family...." I paused, she smiled again and her face softened, "You are very welcome, it was my pleasure, and congratulations again...."

this time I smiled as she asked, "have you thought of a name yet?"

"Yeah kinda, couple of idea's mulling around but nothing we can both agree on..." then it hit me, so I asked, "Doc can I ask what's your first name?"

She smiled again as she answered, "Stephanie Rose, my mom wanted me to have a double name, not a first and second like most kids, so she called me Stephanie Rose, its a mouthful, but you get used to it. I hated it when I was in school, but I guess as we get older our mind-set changes, and now, well I like it..."

"Doc that's a beautiful name, thank you for sharing it with me..."

"Well you did ask..." she giggled as she walked back to the door way, as she opened it, she gave one last smile as she left.

I just kept repeating her name over and over, "Stephanie Rose, Stephanie Rose," then I added " Stephanie Rose Bongiovi..." I liked it, really liked it, knowing D as well as I did I knew she would love it too.... when she visited I was gonna run through my idea of the name.

then there came a knock, before the door was pushed wide, and Sambora and the boys were back,

"hey hey hey, its papa Bongiovi....."

Rich came over and we palm hugged, the others filtered in behind, they had cold six packs, balloons and pennants to hang up round my room... Dave started hanging the decorations, while Tico opened a can and sat on the window ledge and head back took a deep gulp of the amber liquid flowing down his throat, his sigh of joy after told me it tasted good... he looked over  with a look of guilt on his face, "sorry bro, no offense but you gotta wet the babies head...." he raised the can towards me as he took another drink... Rich had oved to the chair and after giving Dave instructions on how to put up the pennants Rich asked the same question as the doc had... "so what are you gonna name your little princess?"

I didn't wanna share my thoughts with the guys until I had spoke to D, so gave them names that were herrings... "yeah, Diana May, Olivia Sara, Georgia Marie, we just don't know... anyways you guys aint all come over to talk baby names have ya? what's up?" All three of them held each others gaze, but Rich was the one that spoke, "Thing is, when your fixed real good, and there's no rush, we wanna go back out of the road again, but its your band and ultimately your call, we wanna know what you think?"

"Right and what's brought all this to a head you have to ask me now?"

again that look between them that told me something was going down....

"What?, shit you guys are freakin me out, what's with you all?"

Rich spoke again, "thing is, we have been asked if we wanna go join a band, you know keep us working.... and we thought given alls you have gone through and now with the baby an all, well nothing is clear...."

Wait a god damn minute, I am out of action for a while and you guys are looking to ditch and go some place else?"

"this time Dave spoke, "no, its not like that Jon, and its fair to say its been more than a while, and hey we aint blaming you, but we are musicians you know, we came on the jovi ride, and its  been a blast, but we aint earning right now, and well, bills have gotta be paid right?"

"your broke?, but we toured for two years? where's the cash? we should all be good to live well for years off the back of that tour?"

I was getting more and more pissed as the looks kept passing between them....

"Will someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?"

Rich spoke again, "Doc MgGhee, Jon, he, well..."

"Well what?"

"he stiffed us man, we got very little from that tour, its gone, man all gone..."