Rollercoaster (The Circle Series - Part 3)

Chapter 16

Julie nodded numbly. "It should have been me," Julie whispered. "I shouldn't have walked out like that. It's all my fault."

"Don't say that, J," Leesha said as firm but comforting as possible. "It shouldn't have happened to anyone. If anyone is to blame, it's me. You were right. If things had gone differently, none of this would have happened."

"I told him...I told him just now, he has to come back to us... to see his child. Leesh, I'm not angry or blaming either of you. I...I just want my Rockstar back." Julie rested her elbows on her knees and buried her face into her hands.

"You know he's a fighter, J. He's resilient and stubborn...he loves you and the kids more than anything." Leesha rubbed Julie's back and fell silent. Her phone rang in her lap and she picked it up. "Hey...they just took him up to surgery...yeah I'm here with her...ok good...um, yeah her bubble bath is on the top shelf in the bathroom...ok I love you too..." She hung up and shove the phone into her purse.

Julie listened to the one-sided conversation absently as she picked at the side of her thumb, a bad habit she'd picked up from Jon, and stared off into space praying to every god and goddess she could. She looked up as the door burst open, Steph and Jesse rushed to her.

"Mom? Where's dad?" Stephanie tearily asked her step-mother.

"Steph! Jesse!" Julie stood and took the kids into a tight hug, "Honey, they've taken him up to surgery. I'm sorry...they couldn't wait any longer."

"Surgery? What the hell for?" Jesse asked as he pulled back a little.

"Ahh...he has internal bleeding, fractures, and lacerations. They're worried about the head injuries though," Julie sighed. "He was in the 'Vette so things are a little worse than if he was in the SUV."

"What was he doing in that car?" Jesse questioned.

Julie looked at Leesha for support. "Let's all sit and we can talk," Leesha piped in. The kids nodded and sat with the women. "Your Dad grabbed a set of keys and rushed out. All he wanted to do was get to Julie."

"We...oh fuck...we had a fight," Julie started, "I drove off in my car. Your dad... your dad came after me."

"Another fight?" Stephie said, "What was it about this time?"

Leesha bit her lip and looked down into her lap, weaving her fingers in and out. "Me..." She rested her hands on her stomach and sniffed quietly. "I'm...uh...fuck..."

"It doesn't matter what we fought about," Julie interrupted Leesha, not wanting to distress the kids even further, "What's important right now is your dad. He needs all his family around him." She squeezed Leesha's hand when she saw the surprised look on her face.

"I called mom to tell her," Jesse said, "She's bringing Jake and Romy. She wants to know if she can see dad too?"

"Let's see how the surgery goes first, huh?" Julie offered as a compromise. She and Dot hadn't really been on speaking terms much over the past almost-two decades, but she understood why she'd want to see him.

The four of them sat in the waiting area talking and binging on cheap hospital coffee for nearly three hours before the door opened to reveal the doctor. "Mrs. Bongiovi? Sorry, are these two Jon's children?" Dr. Courser asked.

"Yes, we are," Stephanie confirmed, "There's more of us though. How is my dad?"

"Well... we did lose him twice but we were able to relieve the pressure on his brain. The bleeding is under control but we will be keeping him in ICU for the next week," the doctor said kindly. "He's stable at the moment but we have him in an induced coma for now."