Chapter Sixty Four

Frankie sat and placed her hands on the table, "Mom died. We buried her today, and well, I wanted to thank you I guess."

Dots heart wrenched, no wonder she looked terrible. "I'm sorry to hear that honey, but thank me for what?" she asked confused. What was she doing her on the day she buried her mother she wondered.

"You could have made the last few months horrible, but you didn't. Jon, Dad," she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "He risked it all and you could have just taken it all from him. He made it better you gotta know that. I think him being there kept her alive longer."

Frankie glanced up as the tears started to fall. "He risked everything to get to know me, to make Mom's final days good. He’s a great guy and I know he loves you too. I've seen him sometimes, when he thinks no one is looking?? He’s always staring at this picture. I saw it once, it was of you and him. He risked losing you to help my mom though."

She stopped and studied Dot intently, "You can't hold it against him, I mean I know he’s been a dog in the past, hell anyone that knows the band knows that, but its sorta an odd situation, and well I guess I wanted to know if you could forgive him. He's hurting Mrs. Bongiovi, and I think you could help that."

She started to sob softly, "He knew he was gonna lose Mom, he risked you to give her peace. Don’t make him lose you too."

Dot watched her as she explained the whole thing to her. Her husband, the one she knew she still loved and adored, did risk everything for Frankie, and her mother, and it seemed it was the right thing to do in this instance.

"Oh honey" Dot said as she reached out her hand to hers. "I am glad he was there for you both, I really am, it seems me to now that it was the right thing in a very odd situation to do, and maybe I should have given him a better chance to explain, I knew about CC, that was before he met me, and I know how much he loved her, she was his first love, and I need to thank your mother because she pushed him to be who he is today" Dot admitted.

Dot knew that she couldn’t hold this over Jon, she hadn’t been entirely convinced it was the right thing to do in the first place and now seeing his daughter, here defending him, she knew what she had to do, she missed him like crazy and so did the kids, she had to forgive him for having a heart, and that was the end of it.
"Joanna, I will talk to him, I promise you, I will"

"I do miss him a lot and I still love him" she admitted.

Frankie smiled. "I'm getting married, in two days believe it or not. I'd like for you to be there." She glanced up as she heard the cab take off. "Well hell he didn’t wait." she glanced up at Dot, a rueful look on her face.

Dot smiled "Wow, congratulations, who’s the lucky guy?" she asked, there was something about this girl Dot liked, something good.

Frankie grinned and brightened, "You won't believe me, but its someone you know."

Dot shook her head, the brief vision of her back at the amusement park in the Bahamas with Richie crossed her mind."Its not!" she exclaimed erupting into a laugh.

Frankie started to laugh. "Well if by its not you mean Richie?? Then yeah It is."

Dot shook her head "Sambora the devil eh, well all I can say is he’s a crazy man, but he has the purest and biggest heart, oh wow, Jon must of freaked at this," she said her eyes widening. "Now I am sad I missed out on all that" she teased

Frankie managed a blush, "Well lets just say he's getting a crash course in adult daughters who have boy friends with rather active libidos?"

Dot laughed "Oh no, well that’s Richie for you, that is so Richie, and if Jon allows me, I would love to come to the wedding," she smiled "I better give these guys a call to come and get you, do they know you are here?" Dot asked.

Frankie blushed, "Umm, well no, I sort of slipped away from the funeral to come here."

Dot shook her head "Determined aren’t you just like someone else I know well" she smiled as she flipped her cell phone open and dialed Jon’s number.

Jon flipped his cell open without checking the ID. He and Richie had looked every where for Frankie and Richie was starting to get worried. "Talk to me."

"Hey babe its me, how you holding up"

Jon's eyes widened as he stopped dead in his tracks. "Dot?"

She chuckled "Yeah its me, surprised huh? I was just as surprise to get a visit this afternoon from a very familiar looking young lady, she’s right here, we've been having a good talk."

Jon's brow winged into his hairline. "Frankie's there?"

"Yeah she is, she came here after the funeral to tell me all about how her father looked after her mother and her so well in the last month or so, and risked all he had for that, and how possibly he was feeling very lost now, and missed his family," her voice broke a little as she got it out

Jon's eyes closed as he gripped the phone tighter, his voice going hoarse at what he heard. "She said that huh?”

Dot smiled "She did babe, seems that Bongiovi heart of gold runs deep. I miss you so much, and I'm sorry"

"Are you saying what I think you're saying Dot?" He closed his eyes and prayed for absolution, that she'd forgive him this one time meant more than he'd admit.

Dot smiled feeling her own tears "I'm saying we have a lot to talk about for sure, but I'm saying its time for you to come home Jon, it sounds like you will need it having Sambora as a son in law" she snorted lightly.

Jon snorted then started to laugh, "Oh god babe, don’t remind me of that one."

"I am still reeling myself, but how about you both come and pick her up and we can introduce her to her new brothers and sister huh"

Dot smiled at Frankie.

"We'll be there as fast as possible babe, and Dot? "

"Yeah babe" she said

"Thanks." Jon smiled as he closed his phone and looked up, "YO DEAN!"

Richie looked up at Jon who had a shit eating grin on his face. "You just win the lottery?"

Jon nodded, "Something damn near close. Come on we're going to Jersey."

"Jersey? Is this really the time Frank, I mean I need to find Frankie," Richie said confused that Jon seemed to damn happy all of a sudden.

Jon walked up and grabbed his friend by the arm. "Well considering she’s in Jersey Richie, ya might wanna ride along with me. Seems my girl, your bride took a little trip to Jersey today."

"What in god’s name is she doing there?" Richie asked confused

Jon snorted, "Repairing my marriage bro."


Richie raised his eyebrows "Well I'll be god damned she did huh, its about bloody time, leave it to us, we'll sort ya love life out Kidd, Jeesh" Richie rolled his eyes with a grin.

Jon laughed, "She's a surprise a second that girl. Now come on. We got a ride ahead of us."

"And she's all mine" Richie said proudly.

Jon shook his head, "She was mine first man, I helped in the production."

The two men laughed as they strolled to the car, their destination a home by a river that held both their futures.