Chapter 51 - I'd Clip Off His Wings

 

 

 

There's a knock on the door and Beth says, "Come in."  The door slowly opens and when Beth sees that it's her doctor, she's very pleased. 

She worried that she might get a partner with it being the day after New Years.  "Hello" Beth says with a smile, "I was worried that you were on vacation and that one of your partners was going to give me my check up." 

 

"No, no - when the doctor called from St. Bart's with all of your information, I made sure to be here today, your case concerned me." her doctor says.

 

"Oh yeah, why's that?"  Beth asks, with a growing concern.  She looks at Jon and watches his head perk up, having caught what the doctor just said.

 

"Well," the doctor pulls out the stool on wheels and has a seat.  Flipping through Beth's chart she continues with, "I'm surprised that you survived the ordeal, truthfully.  When I see the white blood cell count on your lab report, your infection was so severe I am amazed that you didn't become septic and die."  The doctor looks up at Beth and gives her a half smile.  "You're a Christmas miracle."  She gives a little laugh.

 

Beth chuckles with her and says, "If that's what miracles feel like, I'll pass.  I can't remember ever being that sick."

 

"You were pretty sick." the doctor slides over to the counter and sets Beth's chart down.  She gets up, washes her hands and helps Beth lay back.  Beth lifts up her shirt and pushes the top of her pants down so the doctor can examine her incision.  Jon is at her side, holding her hand.  "I see they removed your right ovary and fallopian tube, have you had any period like cramping or spotting?"

 

Beth shakes her head no, "Nope, nothing like that."

 

"How do you feel?" she asks as she's pressing on Beth's abdomen, "Good appetite?"

 

Jon chimes in and says, "It's not back to normal, but she is eating more."

 

"How are you doing, Jon?" the doctor looks up at him, with a smile.  She's been Beth's doctor for as long as Beth has known Jon and the doctor doesn't hide the fact that she has a little crush on Jon.

 

Jon shifts his weight and says, "I'm good.  Thanks." 

 

The doctor looks closer at Beth's incision and says, "That should heal real nice and not leave very much, if any scar at all."  The doctor steps back and helps Beth sit up.  "That doctor did great work."

 

"I hope you're right.  I do not want a scar, at all."  Beth lets a little bit of her vanity shine through, not really caring what the doctor thought. 

 

Jon stands next to Beth and leans on the exam table, arms crossed and a look of relief on his face.  He knows that she was lucky and he knows that he will never dismiss the flu again like he did with Beth.  "Well, how does it all look?" he asks.

 

The doctor stops writing in Beth's chart and looks at the two of them.  "I give her a clean bill of health.  I do want to get a blood sample to check your white blood cells again, to be sure that the antibiotic is still working."  The doctor sits back on the stool, "You are still taking the antibiotic, right?"

 

Beth nods her head and says, "Yeah, it will be gone tomorrow."

 

"Then I definitely want a blood test.  On your way out, stop at the lab and they'll draw it right away." the doctor scribbles an order and hands it to Beth.  "When I get the results, I'll call you if I need to - other than that, you are free to resume the life that you want.  Just don't over do it."

 

"Thanks Teresa."  Beth says to the doctor as she gets up to leave.

 

"I'll call you if I need to." Teresa looks back over her shoulder and adds, "Bye Jon."

 

"Bye Teresa, thank you." he winks at the doctor as she leaves. 

 

Jon and Beth leave, stopping at the lab for a quick draw.  In and out, they were on their way back home when Jon's cell phone rang.  Taking it from his pocket, he seen it was Dorothea.  He looked at Beth, rolls his eye and says, "Here we go." 

 

Beth looks at the caller ID, "Let me answer it."  she reaches for the phone and he gives it up to her.  Beth presses answer and says, "Hello Dorothea."

 

"Beth?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Is Jon right there?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Can I talk to him?" she snaps, not wanting to play a game with Beth, she needed to talk to Jon.

 

"What's this regarding?  He's driving."  Beth answers, with a little bit of mimic in her voice.

 

Dot exhales loudly and says, "It's regarding our children."

 

With a bubbly sound, Beth replies with, "I can help you, what's up?"

 

"I need to talk to Jon."

 

"Dot, what do you need?  He's driving and I can help you with anything regarding the kids."  Beth firmly tells her.

 

"Tell him that I'm going to pick the kids up in about an hour."

 

"You can't do that.  There's a restraining order still in place."  Beth reminds her.  "And it's not your time, Dorothea."

 

Dot is getting angrier by the second and she has met the level of 'Beth' that she's going to tolerate.  She's had enough of Beth dictating what will and will not happen in her life, "Damn it Beth, let me talk to my husband.  This doesn't concern you, AT ALL!!!"

 

Beth turns her head and looks at Jon from the top of her sunglasses, "She's pissed, she wants to talk to you."  And she lets her hand go limp for him to take the phone.

 

"Will you put it on speaker please"  Jon asks Beth.  Beth presses the button for speaker and Jon says, "What Dorothea?"

 

"Jon, my dad died."  Dorothea started to cry and Beth could here it.  She makes Jon take the phone and talk to her with some respect.

 

"When?  What happened?" Jon asks her, totally blown away by what he had just heard.

 

"I don't know yet, I'm trying to get the kids so I can head to Florida to be with my mom."  she says through her tears.  "All I could get out of my mom was that he was in an accident."

 

"Beth and I are on our way home from the city.  Get your things and I'll meet you at the airport with them.  I'll fly you down."

 

Beth can't hear what Dot is saying now, but when Jon says, "Yes, I'll have Pete pack them a bag." she can figure it out.  They need to send clothes and stuff for the kids.

 

He finishes the call with, "Okay, see you in a little bit."  And he hangs up.  He looks over at Beth and says, "That's too bad."  and he shakes his head.

 

"That is sad, how will she handle this?"  Beth asks, knowing that Dot's mental health isn't always tip top shape and this is a pretty big deal.

 

"She'll be fine once she's with her family."  he gets lost in thought.  He knows that her mom and dad had just gone to Florida a week ago, he can't imagine what type of accident he would have gotten in. 

 

Beth reaches over and rubs his leg, "Are you going to be okay?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"I know you two were close at one point, are you sure?" Beth can see the expression that left his face.  She knows Jon.  She knows that this is a big shock to him, it's going to affect him and his kids. 

 

"I'll be fine.  Stephanie is going to not take this well." he tells Beth, realizing that someone needed to tell her and that someone is going to have to be him.  "She's going to be devastated."

 

"They were close?" Beth asks, knowing very little about Dorothea's family.

 

"They used to be really close, but when Dot and I split, Steph kind of kept her distance.  Dot's parents think that she can do no wrong and when she tried to kill herself, her parents blamed me and then they blamed Stephanie."

 

"Blame her?"  Beth questions, with a look on her face that told Jon that was the most stupid thing she had ever heard.

 

Jon runs his fingers through his hair and makes a sound that expresses that he's frustrated, "From what Stephanie said they told her that she should have seen that her mother was going to do something - they claim she should have seen her mood change."

 

"That's bullshit.  How could they say anything like that to a young girl?"  Beth shakes her head, but she really isn't surprised.  "Why is it...........nevermind"

 

"What?"

 

"Why is she never held accountable for the stupid shit that she does?  Is she still playing the whoa is me card?"

 

"I don't know what she's doing anymore.  I try to stay uninvolved when it comes to her."

 

"I know"  Beth takes his hand, "I'm just feeling bad for the kids now.  It seems they have one crisis to get through and then another."

 

Jon looks at her and smiles.  He didn't have anything to say to what she just said, because it was the truth.  They seemed to have one issue after another.  "They're tough, they'll get through this too."

 

Beth looks out the passenger window and watches as Jon darts in and out of traffic.  He was in a hurry to get the kids ready and to the airport, so they can be with their mom in her time of need.  He's called his pilot and they have a flight plan in place - Chris will be at the airport when everyone arrives.

Jon couldn't help but feel sad, not only for his children - but for Dorothea too.  She wasn't in his life anymore and he fell out of love with her a long time ago, but his heart breaks for her right now.  He can't imagine life without his dad.