Chapter 119

“I need my lap top upstairs and those contracts.” Jon said as soon as they were in their apartment in New York. The band would have a seven-week break now that would give Jon time to heal.

“Yeah.” Kim whispered and watched him climbing the stairs with his crutches.

The last three weeks had been very hard for her. He was impossible. She tried to not let it get to her, because she knew how hard it was for him to stick to the rules she had set up, but she was close to giving up.

He ordered her around all day and it was getting to her not only emotionally, but physically. If he had really watched her just for a second in the last couple days, he would have realized how pale, tired and exhausted she looked, but he was too focused on his own misery.

Richie, David and Tico tried to help her during the last weeks. They knew how hard it was to keep Jon in line and happy. They managed to give her some time to relax two or three times, but it wasn’t enough to charge her batteries again.

On top of that they had to make sure Fran and Jon wouldn’t be alone with each other. Fran’s protectiveness kicked back in when she realized how Jon was treating Kim. Richie was afraid she would freak out like back in London, attack Jon and feel bad again afterwards. He was scared something might happen to her or the baby this time. Kim sighed while thinking about the last couple weeks.

“Hey, boys.” She whispered and sat down on the couch where her dogs greeted her excited. She smiled a little sad. Their nudging on her hands and licking her face was all the love she got in the last couple weeks. She wrapped her arms around Sambo’s neck and buried her face in his soft fur. Her dog answered with pressing his head to her heated face as if he was returning the hug.

Her eyes travelled out of the huge patio doors to the Park. It looked so peaceful. She had to admit she couldn’t wait to go there with her dogs and get away from him. She shook her head about her thoughts. She loved him. She shouldn’t want to get away from him.

She stretched and tried to relax a little. When she closed her eyes and took a deep breath she had to cough again which caused a pain in her chest and wouldn’t stop until she spit out on a tissue and stared at the yellow sputum. Her eyes grew wide when she was running a list of her symptoms through her mind.

“Fuck!” she muttered and grabbed her phone. Fastly she typed out the same message to Fran, Ali, Lexi, Dorothea and Obie. Everyone who was in contact with her during the last weeks needed to get checked, especially Fran and the children.

“KIM! MY LAP TOP!”

She closed her eyes when his voice ripped through the silence and tried to keep her cool when she grabbed his bag and walked upstairs. Sambo and Kidd watched her a little confused.

“Finally. And I want a sandwich and something to drink.” He said while getting settled on their bed. That was the last straw.

“THAT’S IT, JON! I’M DONE!” she yelled and threw his lap top bag at him.

“What the?!?!” He looked at her shocked. “Are you nuts?”

“Yes, apparently I am. How could I be so stupid to deal with you. You are the biggest jerk that ever lived on this god damn planet. You are self-centered, arrogant, demanding jerk without any kind of appreciation and have absolutely no manners.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. You ordered me around the last time, Jon. I never heard the words ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ during the last weeks. All you do is demand. Well, that stops here and now. You better get someone you will take care of you, because I will no longer do it!” She turned on her heel.

“What about my shot?” She turned back and her eyes narrowed dangerously. Was he really that stupid?

“Of course, baby.” Sarcasm was dripping thick from her voice. She opened her bag and got out the syringe with his heparin shot. She smiled evilly.

“Turn around, baby.” He gulped and paled lightly. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to have her near with a sharp object right now.

“You know, that can wait.” He tried to move away from her.

“Dammit, move, Jon. I won’t let you sue me, because you got a thrombosis after I didn’t give you your damn shot.” She pushed hard at his shoulder and he rolled to his side. She pulled his jogging shorts down and stuck him rather ruggedly with the needle.” He grunted, but didn’t dare to say a word.

“Kim…look….I’m…” he started while he was rolling back, then he looked at her.

“Honey, are you alright?” he asked worried. She was trembling and looked awfully pale and red at the same time.

“I’m fine.” She whispered, but had problems getting enough air into her lungs. He touched her left cheek concerned.

“You have a fever!” he said surprised. She snorted and turned away. Carefully she removed the needle from the syringe to put it in a secure container. She had to use all her strength not to collapse.

“Big surprise for you, huh? Already have it for two days. Here’s your phone. Better find someone to wait on you.” She threw his mobile on the bed.

“Kim, wait. Where are you going?” He asked.

“Not your damn business.” She said and closed the door. She could hear him calling her name from the other side of the door.

On shaky legs, she moved into the guest room that was as far away as possible from Jon. She couldn’t deal with him right now, even though he needed to be checked out later too.

She collapsed on the bed and checked her pulse. It was elevated. She had a fever, but was freezing at the same time. The pain in her chest from coughing was still present and her breathing rate was elevated as her body tried to get enough oxygen into her lunges.

She managed to call her general practitioner and was focused enough to discuss medication with him. She was never doing self-medication. It was never good. After checking her bag, she popped in some antibiotics, and agreed to pay him a visit the next day.

She piled up some pillows and winced when she realized she would probably sleep sitting to make sure she could breathe easier during the night.

Chapter 118

“How is he doing?” Paul asked when he entered the waiting room, in which Kim sought shelter after some other patients realized that Jon Bon Jovi and his girlfriend were at the hospital. Now two security guys were waiting by the door.

“They are examining him. He is in a lot of pain.” She said and kneaded her hands nervously.

“Hey, he’ll be fine.” Richie assured her and pulled her into a hug after he helped Fran sit down in one of the chairs. Tico, David and Hugh nodded.

“He won’t like what the doctor is telling him.” Kim told them and sighed.

“How bad is, Kim. Grade 2?” Fran wondered. Kim shook her head no.

“Grade 3?!?!” Fran asked a little shocked.

“Yeah, I think so.” Kim got up and started pacing the room.

“Can someone tell me what that means?” Paul asked concerned.

“Uhm….” Fran looked at Kim for a second, but realized her friend wasn’t going to answer that question.

“It means that about 90% of the muscle are damaged and the chance for surgery are pretty high, right Kim?” Fran looked at Kim for confirmation. She nodded.

“Oh, fuck. He will never agree to cancel shows.” Paul cursed and sank down in a chair as well.

“Well, maybe he won’t have a choice. When surgery is really necessary, he won’t be putting any weight on that leg, I can promise you that. And if I have to tie him down.” Kim said sternly.

“Careful Kim, you might fulfil one of his wildest fantasies for him.” David said grinning and made everyone laugh.

“Uhm….Dr. Anderson?” They all turned when a doctor showed up at the door.

“Yes, Dr. Mitchell….how bad is it?” Kim took several steps towards him.

“Well, your suspicion was right. But he is…..uhmm…..” The doctor tried to find the right words without hurting anyone’s feelings.

“A pain in the ass?” David offered.

“Not thrilled?” Paul jumped in.

“A simple nightmare?” Richie said and got a smack from Fran. Kim sighed.

“A very difficult patient.” Kim ended it and gave them all a long look. “Let me talk to him.” She straightened her back and switch into her doctor mode before entering the examination room.

“I’m not cancelling.” Jon growled at her. She just shook her head.

“Dr. Mitchell…what’s the diagnosis?” Kim asked ignoring Jon’s icy glare.

“It’s a Grade 3 calf strain. Luckily though not all muscles fibers ruptured…which wouldn’t make a surgery in general necessary….”

“See!” Jon said triumphant. She glared at him.

“…but Mr. Bon Jovi is an avid runner and when he is on stage he is walking, jumping and dancing around. So, I recommend the surgery.” Dr. Mitchell finished. Jon wanted to protest, but Kim stopped him.

“Thank you, Doctor. Would you give us some time alone, please?” she asked.

“Of course. Take your time.” He said and left the room.

“Kim…”

“No, Jon…I want you to listen…I don’t think you get the whole picture here. This is not a minor injury. This will take months…I repeat MONTHS to heal. In that time you won’t be doing any sports, you won’t be dancing, hell….in the first four weeks you won’t even put any weight at all on your leg….do you understand?”

He gulped at her clear words. And she could see fear in his eyes. He knew this could turn into a real nightmare. His daily training kept him from getting cranky and blowing up because of the smallest problem and there was no insurance for him getting sick on a tour. He would lose money.

“What would I have to do if I don’t have surgery? And how long would it take?” he asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Jon…please…”

“No, Kim…tell me, help me to understand it. I need to know so that I can make a decision.” He begged her.

She sighed and pulled a chair next to the bench he was laying on. She closed her eyes for a few seconds before starting to recite monotonously like she had done it so many times in the different test she had as a student.

“A Grade 3 calf strain takes 3-4 months till full recovery. The typical rehab for a calf strain depends upon the severity of the injury, and includes the following: Rest the Muscle, that means avoid activities that cause pain. Avoid impact activity or excessive stretching, which for you means no running, jumping, or weightlifting. You can’t return to your sport until you are pain-free, Jon.” He nodded understanding.

“Second: The Calf can be taped. Some patients find that taping the calf can reduce pain and help protect from further injury. Third: Only, and I stretch that word O-N-L-Y, when acute pain is gone, begin stretching the muscle moderately with passive range of motion stretching, which means gently pull your foot and toes up with legs straight if possible to stretch the calf muscle. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 5 to 10 times.” He looked down at his leg.

“Don’t even think about it.” Kim told him. He swallowed.

“Fourth: As you heal, you can begin using a regular stretching and flexibility program to gain range of motion and prevent future calf injury. You will need a therapist who can advise you when to begin these exercises. You can also perform gentle self-massage as your calf injury heals that can help reduce scar tissue formation and improve blood flow to the area.” Jon nodded again.

“Only after that you can return to exercise with light resistance. Once you have healed and experience no pain with basic strengthening exercises, you should probably start strengthening your Achilles tendon to prevent related lower leg injuries.” She sighed when she realized what he would do.

“The goal is to return to normal activity as quickly as possible without any long-term effects, Jon. But if you return too soon, you risk developing a chronic injury.” Kim looked him straight in the eyes when she said those last word.

“What’s your advice, Kimi?” he softly grabbed her hand. She tried to blink away the tears that were forming in her eyes.

“As my patient …surgery…..as my stupid, always in control, hard-headed and totally irresponsible boyfriend…” He chuckled at her words.

“….don’t do the surgery. I know you can do it without.” He smiled.

“But Jon, you really need to follow doctor’s orders or your leg will never be as it was before.” She told him sternly.

“I know. How do I deal with the shows till the break?” She sighed deeply, but knew she wouldn’t get him to cancel.

“Well, you have three days until the next show…you will keep that leg iced and up, and I guess I will be the one giving you Heparin shots, so you don’t get a thrombosis, because you won’t move.” Jon gulped. He hated shots.

“Then there’s 12 more shows before the big break, right?” Jon nodded yes.

“It’s simple Jon, when you are not on stage that leg is up. No pressure on it. If there are interviews, they come to you, when you need to get from the hotel to the venue, you use crutches or a wheel chair. You keep the moving around on stage to a minimum, we will tape the leg and you will probably need rather strong pain medication on show days…you should think about getting a tool or a chair up there…” She added, even though she knew he wouldn’t do it.

He wanted to argue with her about all of it. Maybe he could negotiate, but before he could even say one word Kim gave him a long stern look.

“When I see you not following these rules, you can move your stuff back at your old place.”

His eyes grew wide. He knew she meant it.

Chapter 117

A couple days later Kim was standing at the side of the stage while the band was just starting their encore for their fourth show at the Meadowlands Stadium.

“It’s gone be a short one. Wanna go backstage already?” Matt asked her.

“Nah, I think I will watch this one and then go back.” Kim smiled when Jon whistled at Tico to start ‘Glad all over’.

“One, two…One, two, three, four…” he yelled and started jumping around on stage in his way too tied black jeans and a red sleeveless shirt that showed his tats.

The song wasn’t half finished when Jon made a lunge with his left leg and grabbed his calf in pain. Kim gasped in shock and grabbed Matt’s hand.

“Shit! What happened?” Jon’s brother wondered.

“I think he tore his calf muscle.” Kim whispered.

“Are you sure?” Matt asked shocked.

“I hope not.” She answered and watch Jon trying to move around on stage.

He was clearly in pain, but didn’t miss a beat or stopped singing. She could see him testing how much weight he could put on his leg, but after a while it seemed to sink in that this was more than just a cramping muscle.

He was limping around on stage and touching his calf over and over again. David watched him worried from his keys and tried to figure out what happened. He wasn’t taking his eyes of Jon hoping for a sign from his frontman to let him know how he could help.

Finally David turned to the backstage area and told them over his mic that Jon would need help. Kim turned on her heel immediately and started rushing backstage.

“Get a wheel chair or anything he can sit on, he shouldn’t walk.” Kim instructed Matt and Paul when she rushed pass them. She stopped at the kitchen area.

“Juliana, I need crushed ice…fast,…. Jon got injured.” The older woman pulled open a drawer from her freezer and handed her some freezer bags with ice.

“Thanks.” Kim hurried back to Jon’s dressing room.

“You think, he needs to go to the hospital?” Matt asked while pushing an office chair past her. He knew his stubborn brother would never sit down in a wheel chair.

“Yep, get a car ready.” She said and pulled the bench, on which Jon always got his massages, from the corner. When she had just prepared everything, she could Jon hear over the mic.

“My calf muscle just blew out.”

She grabbed the ice and rushed back to stage, hoping he would get off now, but he wouldn’t, but planned on starting ‘Living on a prayer’.

She was close to get up and tell him to stop, but Matt only shook his head at her. Kim closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was simply hard for her seeing him in pain.

Richie walked over to Jon and asked if they really wanted to continue. Jon only nodded and it seemed he was listening to some of the backstage radio chaos, because he nodded several times when Obie voice could be heard.

“I’m old what can I tell you……but I’m still good looking.” Jon joked on stage and Kim nearly broke down in tears. If he would just stop walking around. He was leaning heavily on his white mic stand when the intro started. Kim never wanted a show to end faster than today.

When Jon finally introduced each band member to the audience everyone backstage started to relax a bit, soon the show would be over.

After the final bows Richie and David helped Jon down the few steps into the backstage area. He winced at every step he took.

“What’s that?” he asked grumpy and pointed at the chair.

“Sit down, Jon!” he took one look at Kim and knew he was in major trouble when he wouldn’t follow her instruction. She grabbed his left leg as soon as he was sitting, held it up and pressed the ice against his calf.

Jon cursed when the cold spread through his leg, but didn’t dare to pull away. Just a few seconds later they were at his dressing room and David and Richie helped him to get up on the massage bench while Kim still held his leg and pressed the ice to it.

“Get out!” she told everyone when Jon was laying down.

“Do you need any help?” Richie asked, but got shoved out the door.

“I will need your help in a few minutes to get him into the car, but right now, I need you to leave.” She closed the door and locked it.

“What’s your plan, honey?” he asked with a smirk on his face. She just shook her head and removed his shoes. He winced when she gently removed the one of his left foot.

“I’m pretty sure you wanna wear something else when we reach the hospital. And I think it’s necessary you put on underwear.” His eyes wided when realization sunk in.

“You think it’s that bad?”

“Jon, I think you can be very lucky when you won’t need surgery.” He paled visible.

“I won’t cancel shows.” He said demanding. She sighed and gently ran her hand through his sweaty hair.

“How about we see how bad the damage really is, ok?” she said softly. He nodded grumpy.

“Here, take some.” Kim handed him some painkillers and Jon gulped them down with some water.

“Ready?” she asked after opening his jeans and pulling it down to his calf. He swallowed and nodded. Kim raised his leg and pulled the tight jeans off.

“FUCK DAMMMMMMITTTTT!” You could hear his curse well through the door.

Kim checked his calf and winced when she spot a bruised swelling. That didn’t look good.

“What do you think?” he asked her through clenched teeth when she helped him put on some underwear and one of his short jogging pants.

“I think this looks like a Grade 3 calf tear.” He looked at her confused.

“Sorry, that means that probably 90%, if not all, muscle fibers are ruptured. I will put on a compression bandage now, we will continue to ice it and keep it elevated on our way to the hospital.”

Jon watched her wrap the bandage around his calf and tried not to scream in pain.

“Kimi…” he sound scared.

“I’m not a specialist, Jon. Let’s get to the hospital and find out for sure.” She opened the door again and managed to roll him out to the car with the guys help. Jon gulped when he saw the open backdoor and wondered how he should get in there without using his left leg.

“David, go around, crawl inside and grab Jon under his arms, pull him slowly in. Richie lift him at the hip and his RIGHT leg. Jon make yourself as stiff as you can. I will hold the left leg.” Kim took charge again.

He cursed when his friends pulled and pushed him onto the backseat, so he could lay down again. When the doors were closed he looked up at Kim who was cradling his head in her lap. They hit a bump and Jon screamed, because he was stupid enough to flex his leg against the movement.

Shocked Matt looked into the rear-mirror. His stubborn, hard-headed big brother had tears in his eyes and looked up pleading at Kim. He turned his attention back on the road when she leaned down to kiss his brother deeply and tried to distract him from the pain.

Note: If I'm not mistaken this is one of Bayaderra's concert pics. Hope you don't mind me using it. ;)