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.