Trust

They were still sitting when Richie said to him, “It’s nice to see you laughing Kidd.”  

“Yeah well it was a nice thought. But I know she’s not going to go for it.” Jon said sadly as reality set in.

“We need to get back to work. Do you think we can continue with things or do you want to call it a day? It’s up to you.” Richie told him.

“No let’s get back to work I can try her later. I really need to dive right into this and try to forget a few things right now. Let’s go.” Jon said as he got up and Richie followed. They worked until late that night then the other guys went off to the club as Jon went back to the apartment.

At the club the guys got settled and were watching the show when a couple of the girls joined them. Kelly the one that was hanging with Jon the most asked where he was.

Alec the gentleman he is came right out and told her. “He went back to the apartment. He had to call his girlfriend right? Had to smooth things over I guess he’s so pussy whipped it’s pathetic.” Alec laughed.

“Shut the fuck up Alec you no nothing.” Dave told him as the girls were giggling. Richie just glared at them.

“Well I don’t know why he’s so upset about the girl back home for. If she loved him why isn’t she here taking care of him instead of him here every night watching us? I mean granted I’ve been trying to get him in bed instead of doing high school crap with him. With his looks and bod I bet he’s a dyno mo in bed.” Kelly said smiling and almost drooling.

Looking at her and shaking his head Richie said, “He has his reasons and if he wanted you to know he would have told you.”

“Well what is she a dog or something?” she asked him.

Well Richie wanted to blow up at her but he didn’t. “No of course not. She‘s beautiful and she has the kindest most loving heart. She intelligent and strong, driven doesn’t put up with anyone’s crap especially his and she’ a great Mom.” He told her with this look in his eye as the guys just looked at him in shock.

“Ah Rich is there anything you want to tell us?” Dave asked him.

Richie just looked at them confused. “No why?”

“No reason.” Dave said.

“Um yes reason did you just hear how he described her or was I the only one?” Alec said.

“Shut up Alec will deal with this later not here.” Tico told him. Well Alec saw Tico’s face and shut the hell up real fast.

At first Richie didn’t catch on what was going on until Tico yelled at Alec then he realized what he had said. “Oh God Tico it’s not what you think I’m not…” but Tico cut him off.

“Not now Richie we will discuss this later!” Tico told him in a calming but stern voice. Richie shut right up seeing he didn’t want to make matters worse. But as far as he was concern he was not in love with Ellie. He wouldn’t do that again to Jon seeing what it did to him the last time. But the way Diane had put it to him she wasn’t in love with him and felt that he wasn’t in love with her and being high and drunk at the time didn’t help either.

************************************************************************

Back at the apartment it was quiet so it would be easier to talk. Jon got a drink and sat by the phone and tried calling her number several times but never quite finished as he kept hanging up. He was never like this with any other girl before. Maybe because he never cared about another girl like this before. Finally he gathered up the courage to finish the whole number and let it ring and ring and ring. What he didn’t realize was it was real late there so when the phone did pick up there was a very tired voice on the other end of it. “Hello?”

“Ellie? It’s Jon did I wake you?” he asked her.

Looking at her clock it read one-ten a.m. “What the hell do you think?” she told him in an attitude.

“Oh Baby I’m sorry but we worked late into the night and then I came back to the apartment to call you.” he explained to her.

“Before or after the strip club?” she asked him.

“I didn’t go tonight. I just told you I came back to the apartment to call you.” He tried to sound calm.

“Well don’t I feel special then. What do you want?” she asked him now sitting up.

Taking a deep, “Well you hung up on me the last time we talked so I thought I’d try again.” He told her taking a gulp.

“Well you do know it’s very late and you woke me up so I really don’t feel like talking right now. So I’m going back to bed. So I suggest you do the same thing. Oh and tell whoever your sharing your bed with you like to sleep on the right.” She told him sarcastically.

“Ok you see right there we need to talk! I’m not sleeping with anyone Ellie! I’m here all alone right now. Where the hell are you getting all these ideas that I’m cheating on you?” he demanded to know.

“Oh I don’t know that receptionist for one. And then I call the Blue Lagoon and they told me that a bunch of American rockers have been in for about a month watching the girls and have been associating with them every night.” She told him pissed.

“The club told you that?” he asked her shocked.

“Yeah believe me I’ve learned a lot being around you Jon. And having the security team here. You learn a lot of tips.” She told him.

“El ok you want to know the truth? I’ll tell you but I’m not going to tell you over the phone ok? I want to tell you face to face are you ok with that?” he asked her.

She thought about it for a minute then said, “I don’t know Jon I’m not sure that I can leave Jimmy here with your Mom stalking him. I just don’t trust her.” She told him unsure.

“I get that believe me. Why can’t you bring him with you? The guys can babysit him while we talk right?” he asked her hoping.  

“Not that I’m that over protective Jon but are you nuts? They can’t watch themselves. No I’m not bringing him into that den of iniquity sorry I just can’t do that Jon.” She told him upset.

“Baby I get that but I can’t come home right now you do understand that right? I don’t want to talk to you over the damn phone about this because I need to see your face and your reaction so I can handle you when you hear me tell you everything.” Jon told her.

Well when Ellie heard him say handle her that didn’t go over that well. “Handle me Jon? You want to handle me? How are you going to do that Jackass! Please explain this to me.” She asked him.

Jon thought for a second. Did he say handle her? Oh shit! “Oh did I say handle you?” he asked her holding his breath.

“Yes you did.” She told him.

“That was a bad choice of words. I’m sorry for that. But I do need to see you when we talk Babe because it would be easier when I tell you why we’re going there and stuff. Please Baby I just really need you here ok?” he asked her.

“What about your Mother?” she asked him.

“What about her? Look Jimmy will be safe because he’ll be at the Sambora’s and Jared will be by his side the entire time right? So he couldn’t be in better hands Baby. And if she did try something Jared would be on her in two seconds. Look I thought this relationship meant something to you and because I can’t come home right now and you can come up here I thought you would want to clear this whole thing up?” he told her condescendingly.

She didn’t know what to say to that. She was a little speechless to say the least. Finally Jon asked her, “El are you still there?”

“Oh I’m still here I’m just trying to find the right words to answer you.” She told him as calmly as she could.

The way she answered him he knew he said something to piss her off again. “Ok now what did I say to upset you now?” he asked her annoyed.

“Jon if I listed everything that you have said tonight that has pissed me off tonight we would have to start this whole conversation over again. Now look it’s very late and I’m pissed so I’ll think about it ok? And I’ll give you my answer sometime in the next few days. But maybe I should start to do the same thing you’re doing seeing I’m missing you just as much as your missing me.” she told him.

Well that thru him for a loop. “What the hell Ellie! I just told you…” but just then he heard a knock on her bedroom door.

“Yes come in.” she said as the door open and Jared walked in, in nothing but a pair on sweat shorts on.

“Um Ellie not to intrude but I could hear you from all the way down my room. Is everything ok?” he asked her. Well Jon could hear a man’s voice in her room. And she could hear him yelling her name thru the phone.

“Everything is fine Jared it’s just Jon on the phone so don’t worry I’ll try to keep it down ok. If for some reason I wake Jimmy would you take care of him for me until I get off the phone?” she asked him.

“Sure no problem you try and have a good night.” He told her as she wished him the same.

Now she had to see if she could calm the raving lunatic screaming on the other end of the phone. “Jon, Jon stop shouting will you.” She told him trying not to yell.

“Who the fuck was that!” he wanted to know.

“That was Jared he heard me yelling and wanted to know why I was yelling and came in here so I wouldn’t wake Jimmy up.” She told him annoyed.

“Well fine but what the hell is he doing in our bedroom this late at night!” he wanted to know livid.

“Oh my God! He’s living here and staying in the room next to Jimmy’s you Twit. You would have known this if you were ever home or at the studio or if that girl ever gave you your messages to call me. I was trying to call you and tell you this when I got that fucking message Jon. It kind of threw me for a loop. But right now the only guy in my life that I give two shits about is Jimmy and his safety. So you can get your mind out of the gutter. Now I’m going back to sleep because I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow so if you don’t mind you can call me back at a decent hour.” She told him and hung up.

Again Jon just looked at the phone and this time he threw it but it didn’t go far because of the bulky base. Jon decided it was too late to go out so he decided to just go to bed too. He was just too tired to deal with anything else tonight.

***********************************************************************

They were sitting at the console as Jon was just staring at it and Richie could tell he was just not into doing anything today. The other guys were still watching Richie close because of the remarks he made last night. Finally it was getting to Richie as he was trying to put some notes to this one lyric and he just couldn’t seem to get it right as Jon was yelling at him that it was wrong. The other guys were looking at each other trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with him. Finally Derek called a time out and told them to take a break and go get something to eat and to chill out. The guys decide of course to go to the Blue Lagoon for lunch but Jon didn’t want to go he just thought he would order his lunch in. Richie told them that he would join him so he could find out what was going on and that he would give them a report later.

“Ok Kidd the others are gone so talk to me. What happened when you called Ellie last night?” he asked curiously.

Jon just stopped everything he was doing and turned around to face him. “Yeah well she wasn’t too happy with me last night. She’s convinced that I’m cheating on her.” He told his best friend.

“Ouch. Why?” Richie asked him.

“Well that Bitch of a receptionist told her that I’m constantly at the strip club and that the strippers are glued to our hips. And that’s basically why we’re not at the apartment to answer the phone. So I’m sure being home her little mind is going in over load at the moment.” Jon said pissed.

“Ok I’m going to let that one go for a minute (Jon just gave him a look) but you are at the club almost as much as we are and you are fooling with one of the strippers so aren’t you lying to her Jon? I mean I love ya brother but you are being a jackass and shouldn’t be pissed at her for being mad at you.” Richie told him just as mad at if for being mad at Ellie.

“I’m not mad at Ellie I’m mad at myself ok!” he told Richie.

“Why are you mad at yourself for getting caught?” he threw at him.

“What the hell is wrong with you? You know how much I love her. But you know how bad it gets here without her. So I’m mostly flirting with these girls and I’m not really doing anything wrong you guys said you agreed. I wouldn’t leave Ellie for any of them. They don’t mean anything to me. And I did ask her to come here so I can talk to her face to face and tell her everything but she won’t come.” He told Richie as he rubbed his face.

“Wait what do you mean she won’t come? Doesn’t she want to clear this matter up?” Richie asked a little surprised by that.

Pushing back his hair, “She doesn’t want to leave Jimmy because of my Mother even thou she knows he would be safe with your parents and the security company that’s watching him. She thinks that if she’s there well I just think it’s a mother thing that’s all. Or she could be that pissed at me and she’s making excuses. I don’t know.” He told him looking really tired. “But I just want to tell her to her face you know so I can see her expression not over the damn phone.” He said exasperated.

“Jon I get that and I’m sure she does too but right now she just needs to calm down and realize what you’re going thru that’s all. She loves you so much. You know when you were going thru that crap with the stimulants she told me just how much she loved you and when Tico had to take you down because he thought you were going to hit me and maybe even her Ellie blew a gasket. And told everyone that she knew that you would never in a million years hurt her even thou we told her that under the stimulants we weren’t sure we could trust you too.” He explained to him confidently.

Jon just looked at him and couldn’t believe that Ellie actually had that much confidence in him. “She really said that?” he asked him.

“Yeah she did and never left your side when you were out cold either.” He told Jon who was now feeling a little guilty that he ever doubted her.

“Ah Rich I feel like a creep.” He told him sitting there not knowing what to do now.

“Well I’m going to tell you what to do. First you’re not going to say a damn thing about anything we do at The Blue Lagoon got it? All you do is watch the girls and go back to the apartment and jerk off. I know you only goof around with them but you tell her that you’re getting lap dances then blow jobs afterwards and she’ll drop you so hard it will make your head spin. Girls consider that sex just as much if you jump in bed with them. At least my High School girlfriend did when she caught me with the cheer leader one night. Ugly scene. Anyway they say they want you to tell them but actually they don’t so don’t do it!” he stress to him.

“But if I don’t she’ll never trust me again Rich. And if I tell her this was my first time falling she just may forgive me.” Jon said hopefully.

“Jon are you nuts! She’s going to know that you’re lying! She’s not stupid. You’ve done it to other girlfriends and deep down she knows you’re doing it to her. And now with this innocent act it will just confirm it for her. No you have to come at it differently. We didn’t try to shut down Doc and those damn girls for nothing.” Richie told him heatedly.

“God your right Rich I don’t know what I was thinking. Besides It’s not like I was fucking any of them right?” Jon told him.

“Right you have to smart about this. And don’t worry we’ll back you up.” Rich told him.

“Yeah well I already tried that one and she told me that you guys would lie for me so that’s out the window. But thanks away.” He told him.

“Oh well yeah I guess she’s right on that one. Oh by the way I need to confess something to you.” Rich said to him and hoped he would take it with a grain of salt.

Jon just looked at him carefully trying to figure out what he wanted to confess to him. “Ok Rich what it is?”

“Well you might as well hear it from me before you hear it from one of the guys. Only because they are um not understanding the whole situation.” He told him.

“Rich just tell me ok” Jon told him getting antsy now.

“Ok It goes back to when you were under the damn stimulants and Ellie and I were trying to help you and well we were pretty close and that’s when you first accused us of cheating on you.” He told him.

“Yeah she told me that and balled me out for it so go on.” He said coolly.

“Ok well the guys noticed too and made some off handed comments which I just ignored but then last night they really came down on me for me about Ellie.” He told him trying not to look at him.

“What kind of comments Rich?” he asked him trying to stay calm.

“Well when you didn’t come back to the club with us the girls were asking why so Alec told them why and well of course he made a dumbass joke and the girls were laughing and then were saying nasty things about Ellie and why she wasn’t here taking care of you so I couldn’t take it anymore and jumped in and told them what a wonderful woman she is and kinda went with it and how much she loves you and then Tico told me to quiet down and if they should worry about me and Ellie and if I have to talk to them about it before I speak to you. Now I want you to know I like her as a friend Jon nothing more. She’s my best friend’s girl and that’s it. I would never do that again to you in fact I didn’t do that to you the first time you know that Diane wasn’t in love with you. You were with her but she wasn’t with you she was just riding you’re coat tails. She would have never gone after me if she was…”

“Rich! It’s ok I know we already sorted everything out with Diane ok? So chill we promised to forget that. And as for Ellie I already told you Thank you for being there for her during that time. Rich you’re my best friend and if she feels that she can go to you and talk to you if she can’t talk to me then I’m thankful for that I really am. I know she’s not in love with you but I do know she trusts you and loves you like a brother like I do. It’s you then the rest of the guys she loves all you guys and I’m so grateful for that. And what’s even better is that you guys love her too. And Jimmy has four of the best Uncles there are on this planet. I know I drive you guy’s crazy at times but I wouldn’t trade any of you in for anything.” Jon told him.

“Yeah well we feel the same way Jon. And thanks for not punching me. The way the guys were acting I really thought you were going to go ballistic on me.” Richie said in relief.

“Nah I guess I’m growing up or I’m just so in love with her and know her I’m just confident.” He told him.

“Well then that’s what you need to tell her Jon. Look we have a weekend coming up just go to Desmond and Derek and tell them that you have an emergency at home that you need to take care of. I’m sure they’ll understand.” Richie told him.

Jon thought about it and smiled. “Yeah I will Thanks Rich.”