Chapter 5

“Fuck!” Jon yelled, jumping to his feet and leaning toward the bed, then Richie grabbed him and hauled him bodily out of the way as a team of doctors and nurses burst into the room.

“Stay back, bro.” Richie growled in Jon’s ear as he fought the restraint, then Jon relaxed and nodded.

“I’m okay, Rich.” He muttered, staying well back as the medics worked on Jay.

After a tense ten minutes, and a few injections of various drugs, Jay’s condition stabilised enough that Jon could breathe again, and the doctors started to smile again. One by one, the medical staff left the room, until only the original doctor remained, and after a final check on the monitor he turned to Jon and Richie.

“What the hell happened?” Jon asked, the panic beaten back but his worry evident.

“Don’t…..well, as much as it sounds like bullshit….” The doctor smiled. “Don’t worry. This sometimes happens with head injuries, but it’s really not as serious as it looks.”

“No?” Jon wasn’t convinced, but the doctor was calm and relaxed about it, which helped reassure him.

“No.” The doctor repeated. “Think of it like……like his brain is trying to reboot, like a computer, and sometimes it gives off static. We will take him down for another scan, just to be on the safe side, but I’m ninety five percent certain there’s no problem.”

“It’s the five percent I don’t like.” Jon muttered. Shit, he’d been a lucky sonofabitch since the day the doctor slapped him on the ass, but it had to run out sometime. He just hoped today wasn’t that day.

“Maybe we should head back, let Coach know what’s going on.” Richie suggested, thankful the doctor didn’t see Jon’s venomous look at the suggestion he leave his ailing son.

“Well, our patient is going to be heading down to the MRI pretty soon.” The doctor confirmed. “Then he’ll be staying sedated for another day or so, before we start backing off the drugs, give him a chance to wake up naturally. I’m sure his family will be here soon, too.”

Jon bit it back. The words that surged to his lips, that he was family, dammit. He looked at Richie again, knowing he was right. As much as he wanted to stay here, it would raise more questions than were good for anyone. At least until he’d spoken to Billie. And Dot. Because there was one thing for certain - now that he’d found Jay, he wasn’t going to back away and leave him in the dark about his parentage. No matter how much pain it caused, Jon would weather it, because he wanted his son.

“Got a pen?” Jon asked the doctor, and when one was offered he took it, scribbling his number on the back of Jay’s chart. “Please - if anything changes, call me.”

“Okay.” The doctor agreed, finding it a little strange how interested Jon was in the player’s welfare, but figuring that rockstars - and football team owners - were different from most other people. Taking the chart, he left the room.

“Hang in there, kiddo.” Jon said softly, touching Jay’s blanket-covered foot, feeling Richie’s hand on his back again. He turned his head to look at Richie - the guy who’d had his back through all these years - seeing the commitment in the dark eyes, the assurance that, yet again, he’d back Jon to the hilt. “Thanks, bro.”

“Anytime.” Richie nodded.

As they left the hospital, though, they almost literally bumped into Coach Munsey, followed by Tony Graziani, Mike Brown and a few other players, all serious-faced as they came to see their fallen team-mate.

“Boss?” Tony spoke first, the rest of the guys crowding around to hear what - if any - news there was of Jay.

“Hey guys.” Jon said, pleased that his son had obviously made enough friends at the team that these senior players were here to check on him right after the game. “He’s heading down for another scan right now.”

“Has he woken up yet?” Coach Munsey this time, and Jon shook his head slowly.

“No. He was stable for a while, then he started fitting, so they got him stabilised again and they’re going to run more tests.” Jon saw the worry on the faces around him, and tried to reassure them with words he wasn’t sure even he believed. “His doctor said this is fairly common with head injuries. He’s not worried, though.”

“Easy for him to say.” Muttered Brown, and there was a soft chorus of agreement from the rest of the players.

Jon shrugged slightly. “We’re gonna head back - the doctor said he’ll be kept sedated for a day or so after the scan, give him a chance to recover more before they let him come around again.”

“Thanks for coming with him, boss.” Munsey said, reaching to lay a hand on Jon’s shoulder, a slight smile finally creasing his face as he leaned closer. “And the boys did as you asked.”

“Huh?” Jon didn’t get it. The past few hours, the last thing on his mind had been football.

“Dallas got their asses handed to them.” The coach clarified, and Jon forced himself to react appropriately, even though the first words that rose to his lips were - shockingly - ‘it’s only a fucking game’.

“Yeah?” He looked around the grinning faces, drawing on his acting lessons to give the right response. “Fuckin’ beautiful! Nice goin’ guys!”

“Nice!” Richie said beside him, joining in with the round of high fives and hugs, understanding just what Jon was thinking, and inordinately proud of his friend for his believable pretence.

“I’ll come back later, maybe.” Jon said to coach. “I’ll leave you guys to visit with him when he gets back from the scan. Fourth floor, room four eighty four.”

“Yeah. Later, boss.” Was a chorus of voices, Jon and Richie heading for the doors as the others went for an elevator.

Jon and Richie grabbed separate cabs, since Jon was going back to Wachovia to get his car and driver, while Richie was just heading back to his Philadelphia apartment. They parted with a hug, Richie muttering in Jon’s ear.

“I’ll try to come back later, bro.”

“Thanks, Rich. I’ll be back tomorrow - guess I need to get back to the kids right now. At least until I find a way to tell Dot about all this.”

“Rather you than me.” Richie murmured, and Jon chuckled.

“You know it. Later, bro.”

Jon rode the cab, then his own car, back to the apartment, lost in his thoughts, occasionally checking his cellphone in case he’d missed a call from the hospital. The phone stayed silent, though, and he just had to hope it was a case of no news being good news.

Back home, the boys were still subdued, but his worry over one son had evaporated his anger at the other three, and he called them all through to the living room, gathering them into a group hug. Not really understanding, they just knew he wasn’t mad at them any more, and they hugged him back until Jon eased back a little, looking at them seriously.

“You guys know I love you, right?”

The three boys nodded, and Jon smiled, ruffling each blond head in turn.

“I only get mad ‘cause I love you and I want you to be good. And you have been, right Tina?” He looked past them, seeing the girl nod. “So why don’t we order in a pizza and watch a movie?”

“Yeah!” Jake blurted, just thankful he’d gotten away with it, since it had been his wild throw that toppled the vase and caused their punishment. Something his older brother wasn’t about to let him forget easily. “Thanks, dad!”

“Okay.” Jon got to his feet, walking toward Tina. “Thanks, Tina. Why don’t you call it a day. I’ll deal with this lot tonight.”

“Are you sure, Mr Bongiovi?” She could see the strained lines around his eyes. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” The grin was tired but relaxed. “One of my players got put in the hospital this afternoon, and I’ve been up there with him.”

“Oh, no! Is he okay now? Which player?” Tina wasn’t a huge fan of football, but with her boss’s connection to the team she’d seen a few games.

“He’s still unconscious, but the doctor reckons he’ll be okay. The rookie quarterback - Kelsall.”

“Well, I hope he’s okay.” She said, unwittingly adding another worry to Jon’s mind. “Good thing Stephanie isn’t here, though. I think she has a crush on him.”