Chapter Twenty One

She opened the door and walked in, exhaustion painting pallor to her normally tanned face. The day had been an unholy horror from start to finish. The students would NOT be still, the Xerox machine broke, and every other fucking song on the goddamned radio was Jovi, or so it seemed. She let her briefcase and books literally fall to the floor beside the door as she went into her room, fell face first into the bed and decided she was gonna stay there the entire weekend.

Wasn't a fucking reason to get up any hows. She wasn't dating, hell she'd been asked out repeatedly but she'd turned them all down. Once you've had the best, you damn sure don't wanna make do with second best, ever.

She sighed and rolled over to stare at the wall. It had only been three or four weeks since they got home but it felt like years, long dull painful boring years of not seeing his smile or feeling his touch. He hadn't called, but then she hadn't expected him too either. Vacation flings were what they were after all, transitory and temporary.

She closed her eyes, and pulled a pillow over her head to muffle the soft whimpers that would soon turn into tears. Mom didn't need to hear that, she had enough on her plate. Her misery was her own, so she had to pull it together, because right now Mom needed her smiles most of all.

CC watched Frankie come home, flash her a smile, say her day was busy then go to her room. She heard the sound of the thuds and guessed it to be her briefcase and books hitting the floor. She sighed, she wasn’t taking the separation from Richie well at all, in fact, she'd been miserable, but CC knew that she was trying to hide her disappointment, especially since he hadn’t called or tried to contact her.

CC knew that they had been busy as hell, rehearsing and now they were on tour so Richie's time would be pressed. Frankie had been so strong and so brave for her, but CC knew her daughter was hurting. Jon had called a couple of times to ask how they both were and made sure CC was ok. She had never bothered to ask what happened with his marriage but she could only assume that things were all off as she'd read in the papers that they had split.

He flipped his cell open and hit the speed dial for CC. Fuck it all he couldn't take much more shit today. Richie was roaming around looking like someone had cut his cock off entirely. He livened up during the shows but always headed right back to his room after. There were times he could swear he smelled alcohol on his breath, but he hadn't been able to catch him drinking yet.

Jon listened to the phone ring and cursed, "Fuck it babe answer."

CC watched her phone light up with Jon's number, she had to admit she was getting accustomed to his little calls.

"Hey you" she said as answered the phone.

Hey baby, How’s my favorite girl?" Jon smiled as her voice washed away the stress of his day. "How’s my second favorite girl too?"

CC laughed "I am fine sweetie, and Frankie is, well," Cee Cee looked at her closed door. "She's ok I guess, what about you? How’s life on the road?"

He sighed softly, "Its long its boring and its tiring as hell babe. Just like always." He closed his eyes as worry crept into his voice. "What do you mean she’s just ok you guess?"

"Oh but its what you do best Jon, and Frankie, well she is mending a broken heart and depressed as hell. She thinks she’s hiding it so well, but I know that she's missing Richie like crazy, but I expected that," she told him.

Jon winced. "She's actually missing him? I figured it would blow over for her."

"Not in the least, hell there’s been guys ringing here for her but she’s just not interested, I guess Richie must of moved on by now though right?" she asked.

Jon winced again and groaned. "Hell yeah he’s moved on, right into a morose sack of shit that sticks to his room night and day. I think he's drinking again too." Jon shook his head as he began to pace.

"But he hasn’t called her or tried to get into contact with her. I just figured he was over it," she said

"He doesn't have her number. He mentioned it once. Cursed for hours when he got home. He tried calling information. Do you KNOW how many Cecilia Bensons and Joanna Bensons live in the United States?? Well I do now." Jon managed a chuckle.

CC laughed, "I think our number is unlisted, but Jon, why didn’t you just give him my number?" CC asked confused

Jon winced before trying to respond. "Shit Ceece, I figured she was just playing and having a fling. Richie's a grown man, he'd get over it, I didn’t wanna Frankie having to deal with the insanity of this life if she weren’t serious. I guess I wanted to give her time to let it die. Ya know? So she could find a guy her age."

CC shook her head "Jon she doesn’t want a guy her age, didn’t you see them back there, they were inseparable. You and I both know that sort of love doesn’t die, well least for a long time," she quickly added not wanting to sound too obvious that she still was very much in love with him after all these years. "You idiot! She's been miserable for this long and you could have stopped it? Jon!!" Her voice was soft, but it carried a very firm scolding tone.

The guilt that had ate at him for weeks pounded into his skull, intensifying the headache he had before the call. "Yeah, your right, I’m a Fuck. And I gotta fix it. Ceece I didn’t wanna hurt our girl, I wanted the best for her. "He sighed softly into the phone, "and I guess if her best is my cracked Brother then so be it right?"


"It sounds like he's just as bad as she is, don't you want the fun loving Richie you know so well back? So, yes Jon you're an idiot. How do you propose that you fix this?" she asked.

He started to smile. "Well that's the initial reason I was calling. There's a doctor here, making some inroads into research on pain management for Cancer patients. He's agreed to see you. I was going to have you flown down here to see him, but now? I think you're just gonna have to fly down sooner and drag that daughter along."

His eyes began to glimmer as he plotted, "Then I'll handle getting her to the oh so morose one."

CC frowned "Jon you didn’t have to do that, I told you I can manage just fine on the morphine, you are very naughty for doing that..... " she winced a little, she couldn’t lie that even now the morphine was starting lose its ability to keep the pain at bay. "If it wasn’t for Frankie I wouldn’t agree to even come you know," she said teasingly knowing that he was only trying to help her.

Jon laughed, "Sure ya would babe, if just to thump me on the head. Be at the airport tomorrow at 2. I'll have a limo pick you up at the airport when you fly in. I'll handle it all, just get Frankie there ok?"

She chuckled "Yeah well there is that, and it would be good to see you again, well just incase," she paused. "You know?"

"I know baby, I know. See you tomorrow." Jon shut the phone and laid his head back. Tomorrow was gonna be something else.