chapter 68

 

Colleen thought about texting Jon, but her phone was in the kitchen, and Albert said to stay here.  Slipping from the sofa to the love seat in front of the fireplace she reached over and grabbed the fireplace poker.  She wasn’t going to sit there and let this make her feel week.  “I’m a Irish, I am strong.”

 

Jon sat in the car and wished he had a gun, Matt had tried to get him to get his carry and concealed license.  Here he thought the fan setting the fence on fire at the Somerdale house was the worse he’d ever see, but this knocks that one out of the park. 

 

Just when he thought no one was showing up, his dark street was lit up with choppers and police cars.  It happened so fast, they had him surrounded, and in seconds he was dead.  It seemed he got this close, due to the ankle monitor had been cut off.  Jon looked at his security staff on the other side of the fence, with guns drawn.  He finally got what he deserved. 

 

While Jon and Wilson talked to the police, Tank got the word that the danger was over and brought the house out of lockdown. Colleen was still sitting in front of the fireplace holding the poker like a baseball bat.

 

“It’s safe now Miss Colleen,” Albert told her as he walked in and took the poker from her shaking hands.  “You did great Miss Colleen.”

 

“I don’t feel so great,” Colleen told him.

 

She must’ve been turning green, Albert grabbed the nearest trashcan and put it close to her chin, when she began to retch.  Making sure Colleen had the trashcan, Albert went to the table, and grabbed napkins and a bottle of water that sat unopened by her laptop.  When she finally stopped retching, Albert swapped the napkins and bottle of water, for the trashcan.  He was leaving the family room when the front door burst open and Jon came in calling Colleen’s name.

 

“She’s in the family room,” Albert told him as he ran past him into the family room.

 

He found her sitting in front of the fireplace, he dropped to his knees and looked into her eyes.

 

Colleen’s eyes finally saw Jon at her knees and the tears came and she hurled herself at him.

 

“Oh Jon, I tried to be brave, but,” she started speaking to Jon but he pulled her closer into is arms.

 

“But you were so brave,” whispered as he rocked her as she cried.

 

They sat on the floor till her tears became sniffles.  Jon sent up a prayer thanking God that she was safe.  He heard the front door open and the lockset, Wilson came to the door and looked in at Jon and Colleen.

 

“Is everything alright Mr. Jon” he spoke softly so as not to upset Colleen.

 

“We’re getting there Wilson, thank you for your protection tonight,” Jon said as he got upbringing Colleen with him.  “We’ll meet tomorrow, I’m sure this is all over the news already?”

 

“I would think so,” Wilson smiled when Colleen looked at him.

 

“I need to call Polly, tell them you’ll be out for the rest of the week,” Jon told Colleen.  Who for once didn’t fight him on it, instead she nodded her head. “Wilson, let’s meet tomorrow around noon,” Jon smiled down at Colleen. “The whole security staff.”  Wilson agreed as Jon walked Colleen to the elevator and they went up to their bedroom.

 

Jon and Colleen took a shower and he got to take something so she could get some sleep.  He got her into the bed and cuddled her till she was in a deep sleep.  Getting up he grabbed his cell, and went into her office off the bedroom, in case she woke up scared.  He punched in the code for Max, after giving him the update, he call the dean.  That call made him so upset, if he had his way, Colleen would never go back there.

 

His phone started lighting up with text messages.  The ones from the band wanting to let him know they’d be arriving around noon to move in. They asked about Colleen, he told them she was ok, but it would take a while before she was great.  David said he’d do what he could.  Then the parents called, it hit the national wire. He told them they could talk to Colleen tomorrow, of course, his mother pointed out she knew “that woman”, was bad news.  Soon all he wanted to do was throw the phone in the river and head to bed. The kids wanted to come home for the weekend to check on Camo.  He told them to facetime, till the next weekend, and about the band staying all over the property.

 

Finally after a glass of wine, Jon headed to bed.  He made sure the bathroom light was on and the door cracked, along with the bedroom door locked.  Colleen was where he left her, in the center of the bed.  Getting under the covers he put his phone on the nightstand and moved to the center and pulled Colleen close. He drifted off to sleep.

 

It was somewhere around two in the morning, Colleen sat up in the middle of the bed screaming.  Jon bolted up in the bed and tried to pull her into his arms to calm her down.  She kept screaming as she fought him. He called her name over and over, telling her over and over that she was safe. She finally heard him and the screams turned to loud sobs that broke his heart. He would call Sister Mary tomorrow to see what she thought would help Colleen. 

 

As he sobs turned to sniffles, Jon laid back down and pulled her down to his chest.

 

“Do you want to tell me about it?” Jon asked Colleen as he rubbed her back as he held her close.

 

“I was in my house and I thought it was you at the door, but it was him,” Colleen explained.  “He grabbed me and threw me down on the sofa and he had a knife.”

 

Jon was quiet as she explained the dream.

 

“He was going to cut out my tongue, so I couldn’t tell them what I had witnessed all those years ago,” Colleen's voice was a little whispered. “You broke the door in and shot him.”

 

“He’ll never bother you ever again,” Jon lowered his voice.  “I promise you.”

 

He’d never hurt anyone ever again, as he was in the morgue.  Jon remembers it in flashes.  The thug turned and flashed a big knife and the police shot him.  He noticed her breathing was evening out and her eyes slowly blinking till they finally closed and she was back asleep. Jon watched her and said a prayer, thanking God that her dream had never come to fruition. He slowly fell asleep hold Colleen’s hand.

Chapter 67

 Chapter 67

Colleen finished her day at good old Polly Prep, she really missed the boys.  They kept her laughing when they were home for a visit, and when she offered to teach them to slow dance. That was the funniest night of all, she even got Jon up there and taught him a little waltz. There would be no swaying dances anymore.

Wilson called that he was at the side entrance, and she gathered her bags and backpack and headed for the side doors.  Her phone buzzed with messages after she got out of the school and turned it back on.  If the kids weren’t allowed to have their phones, she wouldn’t use hers during the school hours.

Desi: running late, but I’ll be there. Open the wine and let it breathe.

Colleen: Yes mother ;)

Another one was from Jon, reminding her, he would be late.

Her mother called letting her know she was cleaning out the attic and was sending her two boxes of college boxes.  Colleen tried to remember what was in those boxes.  Books may be, Old CD’s and DVD’s, she knew she had tossed the old VHS tapes since her player broke. Or did she?

Wilson met her at the door and took her briefcase and her eco bag and took them to the car.

“Did you have a good day, Miss Colleen?” Wilson asked Colleen after they got into the car.

“It was okay, just miss the boys,” Colleen said as she grabbed a soda out of the cooler that Wilson kept in the car for the trip home.  “I need to stop at the cheese shop for a few minutes.”

“Ok, Miss Colleen,” Wilson pulled away from the school and headed toward Jersey. “Have they been calling for homework help?”

“Not much, I’m helping Ro with his SAT pretest.  Thank God they haven’t changed much over the years.  Math is still a bitch,” Colleen laughed.

Wilson laughed also.  They approached the Ferry, Wilson asked her if she was hungry, but he already knew the answer, Colleen always carried snacks in her eco bag.

“I got what I need, I have extra if you want a muffin?” Colleen asked him.

“Did you make them?” Wilson asked, knowing she baked a lot as sort of a therapy for being scared.

“Sure did, Jon loves them too,” She handed him a napkin wrapped muffin.  “But don’t tell him these were carrot muffins.  I sent the boys a care package each with muffins, cookies, and quarters.”

Soon they were headed to the cheese shop, she was only in there for an hour.  Once home they unloaded and Wilson headed to his apartment, and Colleen went to the kitchen to open the wine and make the cheeseboard.  Then she started making the soup out of containers out of the freeze and put it in the crockpot.

Colleen went into the family room, while they were gone the crew stripped the wallpaper and painted the room in a gray-blue with royal blue drapes on the windows.  It was so them, she had even found her parents coat of arms from Irland and one of Jon’s family's coat of arms from Italy, they looked great framed on the mantle. The room had been purposely rearranged and now felt cozier and the seating area around the fireplace with the coat of arms showing the joining of their two families.  She loved the family room, when the drapes were opened, the crew coated the windows so they could see out but no one could see in. She looked out at the water thinking about having her wedding in the yard and coming to Jon as they stood on the little bridge to say their vows.  The ones she had secretly been writing on her iPad.

Her phone let her know her soon to be sisters were on the way and at the side gate by the studio.  Walking to the front door she glanced out the peephole to see the park close to the front door.

Colleen opened the door to let them in.

“Is the wine breathing? I could really use some,” Desi said as she handed Colleen a bag of magazines.

“In the family room on the table by the hallway,” Colleen followed Desi and Nina back into the family room.

“Oh good we got cheese and nibbles,” Nine gasped at the spread Colleen had set out.

Gone was the seating area in front of the projector, which was the perfect place for the huge sectional sofa with the chases on each end to seat the whole family.  Colleen put the magazines on the low coffee table in front of the sectional sofa and went to get a plate.  She walked past the cozy love seat sitting close to the fireplace to the table with the snacks.  Gone from French Proventil to the cozy family room that the whole family loved to sit in.

“Was traffic bad?  When Wilson and I came down from 35 it wasn’t so bad” Colleen told then as she put her glass of wine on the coffee table and picked up a Modern Bride.

“Seems there is some road work about two blocks off 35, we had to turn around and come across the bridge,” Nina told them.

They got down to business and pick out four dresses to go find, Desi told her Jon would love the skin-tight dress, but Colleen said No, not just no but hell no.  After that was done they had Soup with Tank, better known as Albert.  Seems Wilson was picking up Jon, this wasn’t unusual so no red flags popped up. She always felt safe with either of her bodyguards.  She walked Nina and Desi out to their car.  It was starting to get dark, they promised to call when they got home. Colleen went back and put the pot on warm and headed to the family room with Alexa playing oldies music, while Colleen looked back at the pages she had pulled out of the magazines.  Putting them into her bride’s folder.  She loved the sweetheart neck, A-Line dress.  It sparkled without being gaudy, and it didn’t cost an arm and a leg, her mother’s veil would look beautiful with it.

Albert was in the kitchen when he got a buzz on his walkie-talkie, suspect at the front gate.  He went into the family room to check on Colleen, watching her tapping on her laptop, possibly with Romeo. She looked up at Albert in the doorway and then heard the sounds of the house going on lockdown.  “Stay in here Miss Colleen, Either me or Wilson or Mr. Jon will come and get you.” He put the house on lockdown from his cell and brought up the window covers on the ground floor pulling out his gun and went to the front door and set his scope on the front gate. 

Chapter 66

 They had been home for a week, back to school for the boys and Colleen.  Jon and the band were meeting in the City, so Jon rode in with Colleen a few mornings.

“Are you going to be late tonight, I need to plan dinner,” Colleen asked him.  She was going to meet with Nina and Desi after school.  Desi wanted to bring over some dress ideas.

“We’re working on your song, setting the harmony on it, so maybe,” Jon sat his kindle on the set beside him.  “I’ll get uber home.”

Colleen closed her folder and put it in her briefcase.  “I thought I would clean out the freezer, and make soup with what’s salvageable,” Colleen reached for his hand and locked pinkies with him.  “I can leave it on low and you can eat when you get home.”

Jon raised their hands and kissed her knuckles, the band wanted to meet her, he thought of recording the song out at his studio. Then they could meet his muse.  “Sounds like a plan,” Jon pulled her across the seat and rested their joined hands on his on his knee.  He loved how she loved to hold his hand. On the yacht he would wake up to her holding his hand, even in her sleep she needed that connection with him.  This made him think she needed to talk to someone.  He’d talk to Dave about it, he was is head doctor.

They pulled up to the school Jon got out of the car and helped her out, with a sweet kiss he waited till she got into the school.

Wilson was also on watch, he did it every morning and every afternoon.

“Mr. Jon, have you heard any more on Miss. Colleen’s hearing?” Wilson asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

“I was going to call them this morning when I got to the studio,” Jon told Wilson.  “I’ll let you all know about the outcome, this has got to end soon.”  Jon thought about the hand holding, “Hey Wilson, do you notice Colleen, being quiet a lot?”

“She’s talkative till I get close to the school, then she gets quiet,” Wilson turned toward the south end of Broadway and the financial district.  “Then in the afternoon, I text her where I’m parked, then she comes out.  She’s never waiting on the sidewalk, unless the football coach is with her.”

Jon thought on what he said, he had seen that on the weekends.  It was like pulling teeth to get her out of the house, and walking the property she never goes up to the gate or the fence.  This seems to have started when those thugs made bail.

The first thing he did when he walked in was pull out his cell, and called his lawyer.  “Max, this is Jon Bon Jovi, have you got any news on Colleen’s case?” Jon leaned on the stair banister.”

“Hey Jon, I was going to call you later,” Max shuffled papers on his desk and pulled up Colleen O’Sullivan on his laptop.  “Hey forgot to ask, did she say yes?”

“Of course, asked her on Christmas holiday,” Jon smiled remembering his proposal.  “What news do you have?”

“Seems like one of these thugs got himself shot, so he’s at a higher court.” Max told him.  “The main thug, Devin, he’s going to be in court next month on the third. I know the court appointed lawyer, he wants to deal.”

“What kind of deal? I want to be at this meeting,” Jon shook his head when Lema came to check on him.

“Jon, I don’t know if it will help Colleen to listen to what he wants,” Max didn’t want this to turn into a media circus. 

“But we can counter offer, can’t we?” Jon asked wanting this to be over and done.

“We have to see what they want before we can counter offer,” Max told him.  “I know you want this over with, but we have to do this by the book, so he doesn’t do this ever again to any woman.”

“I still want to be there, you can put me in another room so he doesn’t know I’m there,” Jon started to climb the stairs to the studio.

“I’ll think about it, I need to meet with Colleen in the next day or so,” Max told him.  “I want to go over what she saw and everything.”

“Tomorrow night, in Jersey,” Jon told him.

They hung up and Jon went to tell the guys about the change of venues and the reason.  Jon would put them up in the Inn and the apartments for the staff, since it was just the Wilson and Albert.

They went to work on the song, when they ended the night, Dave stayed back to talk to Jon, after over hearing some of the conversation on the phone earlier.

“Hey Jonny, is this because of all the hell Colleen has been going through?” David asked.  “I heard you talking to Max.”

“I just want this over with,” Jon told his friend.  “Lema, I want to show the world what I’ve found. To shout it to the mountain tops this is my woman.”

“We get that Jonny, and I want that for you too,” David told him.  “After what Dot put you through, you deserve that.”

“I had a dinner to go to and she suggested I take Steph, she won’t walk out close to the gate or any further than the Inn,” Jon put his hands up to his face and shot them through his hair. David has been such a huge support to him since all this shit with Richie. “Maybe you can use some of those online classes in physiology that you’ve been taking to use.”  

“I think she needs to talk to someone,” David said after thinking for a few seconds.

“Would you talk to her, I trust you and I know you wouldn’t need a NDA.” Jon looked at David pleading. “Can you see the press sinking their teeth in to this, ‘Jon Bon Jovi can’t get a break from women with mental issues’ it would be blasted all over the world.” Jon gave a maniacal laugh.  “Just what my kids would be brought into this.”

“I’ll talk to her, but I’m no professional,” David told him with a pat on the back. “But I’ll try.”

“I hate coming home in the dark, when she’s alone in the house.  Every light is on in the house and on the lawn.  The only time I saw her truly let go and have fun, was on the cruise.” Jon told David.

“Let’s get you home then, I’ll move in tomorrow,” David said as they went down to the lobby where Jon called for a driver.

“You think maybe you should run this by Lexie, she might not be too happy you moving in?” Jon laughed.

“She’ll be fine, we can have little conjugal visits,” David laughed and rolled his eyes.

He didn’t have to wait long when Wilson pulled up.

“I left Albert with her, he’s having homemade soup with cornbread,” Wilson explained.  “They’re saving us some.”

“Thanks Wilson, damn it’s cold, those look like snow clouds out there tonight.” Jon told him as he got in the car.

“You might be right, my shoulder said its coming,” Wilson laughed. Wilson was a former Army sniper, that was suggest by Matt when Jon needed professional Security.

The ride was faster tonight with less traffic on the highway.  Wilson slowed down when he got near the house, almost coming to a stop.  Pulling out the gun from his shoulder harness.  This caught Jon’s attention. When Jon leaned forward to ask what was going on, Wilson pointed to the dark figure standing close to the gate.  Wilson tapped his earpiece “This is victor 052 on Navesink River Road, I have a dark individual at the gate. Going to do a drive by and come up behind him. I need back up.”