Chapter 33

Olivia knew that this conversation was heading her way at some point, but the timing could not have been any worse.  

Over the years, Olivia has cared for the Bongiovi children and at the point that she became their private doctor, the time that she became a kept woman she had thought about what the effect she might have on the children; rather it be good or bad.

She told herself that she would always be honest with him and that included his children, however, she doesn't think that this is a conversation that she should have without him, and definitely not a conversation that they should have when Dorothea is hot and in the hallway.

Stephanie, feeling like Olivia was treating her like a child quickly responds, "It's the middle of the night and we are in a hotel room in Seattle, I'm not stupid, doc."

Olivia feeling tense alone with exhaustion replies, "Stephanie I never said that you were and if I made you feel that way, I'm sorry."

"Are you my dad's girlfriend?"  the young woman asks, looking at her oldest little brother for help.  "We know that you are, why can't you just admit it?"

Jesse can see that Olivia is uncomfortable, "Steph, we know.  Let it go."  Olivia gives her attention to Jesse, waiting to see what else might pop out of his mouth.  "It won't change anything if she admits it."

Stephanie quickly goes on the defensive, watching Olivia take a seat on the ottoman, "I just want to know that she can be trusted.  Why can't she admit that she's sleeping with our dad?"

"Stephanie, I don't think that you should concern yourself with that."  Olivia tells her, "I would think that you would want to focus on whether your dad is happy or not."

"You are all we heard about the entire plane ride here, Olivia did this, Olivia did that,"  Stephanie starts to get cocky, "Our mother is obsessed with you."

Jesse jumps back into the conversation and says, "Ever since she seen you on the news with dad yesterday."

"The news?"  Olivia has been cut off from the real world, enjoying every second of her reunion with Jon on the road.  "What do you mean?  We were on the news?"

Stephanie stands up and starts to get Italian animated with her hands, "Oh yeah, you're the doctor with the great bedside manner."  With each word her voice gets louder, loud until it gets cut off mid sentence because her dad appears in the doorway. with Dorothea right on his heels.

Romeo sees his father and makes a mad dash for him.  He's daddy's little boy and he loves his daddy.  Jon picks him up, kisses his cheek and looks to Stephanie and Jesse, "Did I hear you say what I think I heard you say?"

Stephanie plops down on the bed next to Jesse, "What did you hear?"  She chuckles.

"What is it with Olivia and her bedside manner?"  he asks his daughter.  "Do we have a problem?"

"I was just telling Olivia what's on the news and what mom says."  

Jon turns to look at Dorothea, rolls his eyes and knows that the subject was dead.  It was late and they didn't need a world war.  Everyone was too tired, "Do you have a room here?"

"No."

"Jesus Christ Dorothea, you fly across the country with four kids in the middle of the night and you didn't make sleeping arrangements?"

Dorothea, feeling a little embarrassed snaps back at him. "I'm sorry Jon, I don't have an assistant to take care of every thing for me."  

Jon, with a level of anger that he's not felt in a long time, walks over to the phone and calls the front desk.  As luck would have it, he was able to get her a small suite that would hold her and the kids.

After taking care of that, Dorothea took Romeo and Jacob to her room, and Jesse and Stephanie stayed with Jon and Olivia.  "Why does she have to make everything so difficult?"  He asks, wringing his hands and holding her breath.

"Dad, what is going oin between you and our doctor?  Why is she on the road with you, is what we heard on the news true?"  Stephanie wastes no time, she wasn't going to let the subject go.

"What's being said on the news?" Jon asks, sitting next to Stephanie.

Jesse starts to say, "You left mom for your doctor."

Jon laughs, "That's what they're reporting?"

"Dad, it's embarrassing."

"What is Stephanie?" he asks his baby girl.  "What embarrasses you?"

"My dad is on the road with his girlfriend, leaving his family in New York while you trotted around with her."

Jon reaches over and squeezes her knee, "Well kids, that is exactly what's going on - but I am not doing this to be with Olivia, she's with me while I work."

"We know you're working, but did she have to be with you before the divorce is final?"  Jesse kind of whines, "Our friends moms and dad talk about it dad.  I don't like it."

"I'm sorry that we didn't get the chance to talk to you about it before you found out, but it is what it is, kids" he tells them, trying to be as delicate as he can, while keeping their feelings in mind.

Stephanie turns to Olivia, "Do you love our dad?"

"With all of my heart, Stephanie, with all of my heart."  Olivia assures her.

"How long have you guys been hiding this?"  Stephanie wants all of the answers, answers for things that her mother has raised question about.  "Is it true that my dad paid for your apartment?"

Jesse gets up and asks dad, "Where am I sleeping?" 

Jon looks at Olivia and then back at him.  "Well, there is the other room.  There's a bad in there, I can have them bring up a bed if you both want to stay here."  Jon focuses on Stephanie, watching her facial expression as he says that.  "Steph?"

"I get the bed." She demands, with a smile on her face.  

Jesse is tired and has had enough of the drama talk, "Will you get me a bed, dad?"  He turns to walk to the adjoining door, "I'm going to lay down."  The door is unlocked and he walks through, leaving their sight.

Olivia and Jon are startled when Stephanie yells, "You better not fall asleep on the bed Jesse."

Jon calls down for a bed, and within  minutes that had one in their suite.  Jesse set it up and went to bed.  Stephanie felt the need to hang with her dad.  In her mind, the conversation isn't over.  "So, how long have you guys been hiding this?"

Olivia is stunned, she thought it was a dead subject.  Jon, making sure that Jesse was good, came back to the girls.  He laid on the bed, his head leaning against the headboard.  "Do we have to do this now?"  He asks her with a long yawn and a big stretch, "Can't we talk about it over breakfast?"

Stephanie crawls on the bed and lays with her dad, "No dad.  It can't wait until morning, mom will be around and so will the boys."

Olivia wants to help,  and with the little mental reminder of the promise that she made to Jon, she asks, "Stephanie, we'll tell you anything you want to know."

Stephanie rolls on her back, tucks her hands under her head and says,  "I know this has gone on for a while, right?  Are you the reason that my parents are getting a divorce?"  She looks to Olivia, with a smirk on her face.

Olivia takes a deep breath and turns to face them a little better, all three of them are on the king size bed.  "It started a long time ago.  Your dad and I would meet up at various places all over the world, but I ended with your him a while ago, because I wanted more than he could give me."

"Like what?"

"Well, I was going to school and working at the hospital.  I had a promising career that afforded me some great opportunities, but your dad was never able to be there with me or for me.  I wanted a man in my life that could go out in public with me, I wanted to be with a man that I could see whenever I wanted to see him."

"So, for how long?"

"It was a couple of years?" the daughter asks, trying to put the time line together in her young adult mind.

Olivia nods her head, "Yeah, we seen each other for a couple of years, and then I broke it off."

"Were you ever at our house?"

"No."

"None of them?" she questions, again.

Olivia shakes her head no and says, "Never been to any of your homes."

"But you have a place in New York?"

"No, not anymore.  It was sold when I moved out West." Olivia shares, "I had to get away from anything that reminded me of your dad."

"Why?" her voice cracks, with a tone of that's crazy. 

"I love your dad very much, and when I realized that I couldn't have him like I needed him in my life, the reminders only hurt.  So, we got rid of the apartment, he got his car back and when I moved, I took very little."

"But you're with him now?"

Jon scoots up a little, grabbing their attention.  "Stephanie, she came to see me two days ago, I had no idea that she was coming and she had no idea that I have filed for divorce.  So, just so you know, she was out of my life when I filed.  She is not the reason that I left your mom and no longer want to be with her."

"Did mom know about you and Olivia?" Stephanie is starting to over think the whole thing, "Who knew, dad?"

"Just the guys."  he confesses, knowing that that answer just might piss her off.

"Uncle Richie knew?"  the young woman gets a little louder.  "Really, dad?"

"Stephanie, yes he knew, but only because he needed to."  Jon reiterates his point, "They all know, because I would see Olivia when we were on the road."

"Why, she was in the city dad.  You could have seen her in the city."

"Steph, honey, it's all ancient history.  We're here now and that's all that matters."  Jon leans over and kisses her on the cheek.  "I can only hope that you try to understand and accept that Olivia is going to be around from now on."

Stephanie sits up and faces her dad, her knees resting on his side, "I have always liked the doc dad, just not sure how I'm going to like her being with my dad."

They was a momentary silence that was broken up when Olivia spoke, "Stephanie, is there anything I can do to help or make it easy on you?"