Chapter 36

Jon looked over at Colleen, ‘she’s in shock’.

“Babe, have you had anything to eat,” Jon asked?

“What,” Colleen asked, as she blinked her eyes.  “No, not since I stopped and got coffee,” she said softly.

“I can get you settled, and make us a couple of omelets,” Jon said as he finally pulled in front of his high rise apartment.

“I have to make some calls, I’m not hungry,” Colleen looked over at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

“Well, I’ll still make them, in case you get hungry later,” Jon said reaching out his hand to take her hand. Giving it a squeeze, he dropped it and gets out of the car, going around to open her door. 

Taking her suitcase and computer case out of the backseat, he sees the doorman rush over to help.

“Hal, watch the car, I’ll send Jake down to move it to the garage,”  Jon said over his shoulder as he escorts Colleen into the building.  It’s a quick elevator ride to his floor.

Once they got out of the elevator, Jon used his key to get in the apartment.

“Jake, Jake I want you to go move Colleen’s car to the garage and park it,” Jon called out to his son who came running.  Catching the keys as Jon tossed them he heads out the apartment. “Make sure you lock it,” Jon yelled out to his son as the elevator door shut.

Romeo came down with downstairs to grab her two cases, taking them back upstairs.  Coming back down, he found them in the kitchen.

“Miss O, I put your suitcase in the closet and your laptop bag on the bed,” Romeo said as he got up on one of the bar stools.

“Thanks, Ro,” Colleen tried to smile.  “Your dad’s making omelets, do you want one,” Colleen asked?

“Can I help dad,” Romeo asked?  “I can chop the vegetables and the ham.”  

“Sure Ro,” Jon said, as he walked Colleen into the family room.  “Babe, you can make your calls after you eat.  You can use my office,” Jon led her to one of the barstools at the kitchen bar.

“Thanks, Jon,” Colleen said as she looked for her purse.  “Jon, have you seen my purse,” Colleen asked.

Jon and Romeo were working together, cutting onions, peppers, and ham.

“I thought we brought everything in, I’ll ask Jake he’s parking your bug in the garage,” Jon dried his hands off and took his phone out to text Jake.  Just as Jake came in the front door.

“Miss O, I found this on the floorboard, thought you might need it,” Jake said as he entered the kitchen, carrying Colleen purse.

“Oh, Jake, thank you so much,” Colleen took the bag he held out to her.  “I thought I might have left it at the house,” She shuddered.

Taking her purse she pulled out her phone and the charger cord.

“I need to charge it,” Colleen looked at the blank screen.

“I’ll take it into my office, and after you eat,” Jon took the phone and charger and started to head out of the kitchen.  “You can go in there and have privacy for your calls.”

Romeo took over cooking the omelet.  Jake got the plates down, as Romeo got the first huge omelet out of the pan and on the plate.  Cutting it in half, siding half onto the other plate, putting one in front of Colleen.  Jake had toast in the toaster, putting the butter on the bar.

Jon came back into the quiet kitchen, he watched Romeo and Jake watching Colleen.  She did look fragile, sitting there, nibbling on a slice of toast.

“That’s taken care of,” Jon said as he came back into the kitchen.  “The boys taking care of you.” Jon asked as he sat down beside her.  “Romeo, this looks great,” Jon added salt and pepper to his omelet. Reaching for a piece of toast.

“Thanks, Dad,” Romeo said taking the last omelet out of the pan and turning off the stove.  He divided the omelet with Jake and they joined them at the bar for a late breakfast.

Colleen ate half of her omelet and a piece of toast and drank her juice.  Pushing her plate away.

“Where is your office, I really need to make those calls,” Colleen got up and took her plate, and glass to the sink.  Turning to look at the three Jovi men watching her, still clutching her purse in her left hand.

“I’ll show her dad,” Romeo offered finishing his plate.  No one saw Jake kick his brother in the leg, to get him to offer his services.

“I’ll take care of your plate, Ro,” Jake smiled at his brother.

Colleen followed Romeo to Jon’s office, showing her where her phone was plugged in.  He left her to her calls and pulled the door to, leaving a crack, so if she needed anyone they’d hear her.

Jake took his and Romeo’s plate to the sink and started loading the dishwasher with pans, bowls, plates, and silverware.

“Dad, Ro and I were talking on the way home, and we agreed that Miss O’ needs a lot of help,” Jake told his father.  Romeo came back into the kitchen.

“Yeah, I put Miss O’s stuff in your bedroom, we don’t think she should be alone,” Romeo said, with Jake nodding in agreement.

“So, you two okay with me and Colleen staying together in the same room,” Jon asked his sons.

“Yeah, and so do Steph and Jesse.  It’s time you lived again,” Jake said.  “We saw this week, how much more you smiled and laughed, sort of like the old days.”

“You guys don’t think it’s too soon,” Jon asked?

“Dad, after what mom put us through the last two years,” Romeo said.  “No, it’s not too soon.”

“Dad, I called some of the guys in my class, they’re going to talk to their parents.” Jake got his father’s attention. “A few of them are calling the cheerleaders and other girls who have Miss O’,” Jake smiled, “You won’t be the only parent supporting Miss O’.”

“Jon,” Colleen called from the office. 

Jon got off and jogged to his office. Pushing the door open to find Colleen sitting there in tears, handing him the phone.

“Hello,” Jon questioned?

“Mr. Bon Jovi, this is Officer Jamison,” the voice over the phone introduced himself.  “I was telling Miss O’Sullivan, we don’t think she should come back here, we’ve got the place watched, and there have been several cars case the place.”

“I’ve got her here with me,” Jon told the Officer. 

“Good, we don’t think it’s safe for her to come back,” Officer Jamison told him.  “We’d like to come by and talk to Miss O’Sullivan tomorrow, if you think she’s up to it?”

“She goes back to work,” Jon started to see when Colleen shook her head no.  “Officer Jamison, can we call you about coming by later, we need to talk over what she wants, right now.”

“Okay, I’ll wait on your call,” Officer Jamison said before he hung up.

Jon closed off the call and went over and pulled Colleen up into his arms.  He held her as she cried it out, murmuring soft words of encouragement. 

“I have nowhere to go, I don’t want to move back home,” Colleen hiccupped through her tears.

“You don’t need to move anywhere but here with me,” Jon told her.  “The family and I agreed, you’re staying right here with us.”

“No I can’t,” Colleen started to say.

“Yes you can, we’ll face this together,” Jon said as he walked her over to the sofa in the room.  Sitting down he pulled her onto his lap.  “I want you to stay.”

Colleen looked up at Jon with watery red-rimmed eyes.  She so wanted to believe him, she loved him so.

“Did you call your mom and dad,” Jon asked?

Colleen nodded her head, her lip trembled.

“Did you call the school,” Jon asked, afraid of what they had said?

Again she nodded her head, tears threatening to fall again.

“Meeting tomorrow at ten,” She told him and wiped her eyes. “I told them what had happened,” Colleen sniffed.

“Good,” Jon smiled and reached for a box of Kleenex on the table and handed her the box.  “Jake has been talking to some of his classmates, and they started a Save Miss O’s campaign, they are getting their parents to support you.”

“Oh Jon,” Colleen said as that started another barrage of tears.

“Your students don’t want to lose their favorite teacher,” Jon smiled as he could tell these were happy tears.  “I don’t want to lose you either,” Jon said as he kissed her tears away.

Jake peeked in the door.

“Everything okay,” Jake asked?

“Yeah, thanks Jake,” Colleen said.

“Dad, Ricky called, my dorm will be ready by Friday, we can move in this Friday,” Jake told his father.

“Dorm,” Colleen looked shocked?