Chapter 28

The rest of the band, along with Paul, Obie and Brianna were sitting in catering debating Jon's attitude - well, the guys were, Brianna just listened and tried to diffuse tempers where she could.

"I'm sure he must have a reason for being so....testy." She suggested.

"I don't give a fuck what his problem is! It doesn't give him the right to treat people like shit!" David argued.

"I just don't understand why he won't tell us what's going on." Tico added.

Richie had been watching Brianna and noting her reactions. "You know something, don't you."

At that moment she could strangle Jon for putting her in this position. She didn't want to lie to them, but she'd promised to keep quiet. "I…"

Luckily, Jon walked in and saved her from answering. "We need to have a band meeting. Now. Paul, Obie, you guys too." He looked at Brianna. "You'd better come too."

When they were all inside his dressing room, Jon nodded at Brianna to lock the door. He needed to get through this without any interruptions.

Leaning against the table, Jon looked at his friends and tried to figure out where to start. Brianna wanted to help him, but sensed it was best to let them sort this out themselves.

It was Richie who took the bull by the horns. "What's going on Jon?"

Jon sighed and just blurted it out. "Dorothea has cancer." He didn't know how else to say it.

The group sat in stunned silence. Then they all started talking at once.

"Aw man, that blows."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"How's she feeling?"

Then there was the question that no one knew how to ask.

"How long....?"

"What.......?"

They couldn't get the words out, but Jon knew what they were trying to ask.

"The doctor says a year.....tops."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" David demanded. "No wonder you've been pissed at the world lately. Why didn't you let us help? I thought we were family."

Jon sighed, but answered honestly. "Because I needed one area of my life where I could escape......a cancer free zone."

"So instead you decided to go it alone." Tico's opinion of that was evident in his harsh tone.

"Not completely, though,..right?" Richie turned in his chair to look at Brianna. "You knew didn't you." It wasn't really a question.

She glanced at Jon, but there was no point in hiding anything now. "Yes."

His head swivelled back to Jon as the pieces fell into place. "And all the yelling at her and treating her so badly......that was you venting your pain and frustration." He barely waited for Jon's curt nod before returning his gaze to Brianna. "And that's why you took it."

"Yes. I knew it wasn't really directed at me."

"And the times you were seen coming out of his room early in the morning that you said were work related...."

"It really was work. He needed the distraction."

Richie nodded his understanding and fixed his gaze on Jon once more. "That's a pretty heavy load to put on her man, no matter how strong she is. No wonder she's exhausted."

Jon grimaced.

"It hasn't been that bad." Brianna rushed to assure him. "I don't mind."

"It's not a matter of whether you mind or not, it's about what's fair to expect from you." Tico informed her.

"But no worries. You've got us to help now." David assured her.

"But only the people in this room please." Jon requested. "It's not technically a secret, but I'd rather it wasn't spread around the world at this point."

They knew what he meant - keep it away from the media for as long as possible.

"Agreed." Paul spoke for the group. "Any thoughts of cancelling dates?"

Jon shook his head. "No. Dot wants to keep things as normal as possible for as long as possible."

After a couple minutes silence, Obie stood up. "I've got to check a few things before the show." Clapping a hand on Jon's shoulder, he squeezed before turning and starting for the door.

His words seemed to signal a mass exodus. Brianna unlocked the door and let them all out, but remained inside herself.

Jon picked up his phone. "Bri..."

She understood that he wanted to be left alone. "I'll go get your ginseng ready." Her lips twitched. "Yell if you need me."

He gave a snort of laughter and waved her out the door.

In the hallway, Richie grabbed her arm and urged her into his dressing room where David, Tico and Paul were waiting.

"How is Dot doing?" David asked. "And where is the cancer?"

"It started in her pancreas, but it's spreading. They've found a spot on her lung. From what I've seen, she's doing pretty good, all things considered. They gave her meds to manage her pain and she seems......calm and accepting, and only a little sad. She's determined to make the most of the time she has left with her family and is trying to help prepare them for when she's gone."

They shook their heads in wonder.

"She always was the logical, practical one." Tico commented, unsurprised.

Richie nodded. "Zen warrior."

Paul caught Brianna's eye. "Talk to me about Jon."

  

She debated her response. "He's doing.....okay. But he doesn't want to talk about it. I think he's still hoping for a miracle."

He nodded. "I figured that when he said no to cancelling tour dates. You will tell us if there's anything we can do, right?"

"Yes, I will."

"And make sure you tell us when he's leaning on you too hard." Richie pointed a finger at her. "He's dealing with a lot of shit. Don't try and cope with it by yourself. Share the load. Let us help."

Brianna's eyes filled as she looked around and smiled at her new friends. The sense of family surrounding this group of men was not just hype or pretty words for the media or to project an image. It was real. And once you were accepted into the group you always had someone looking out for you....whether you wanted them to or not.

Richie stepped up and hugged her. "We'll look after him tonight, you get some rest."

She frowned. "But you guys need to rest too."

David shook his head. "You've been carrying the load alone for far too long. You've done a great job, but you deserve a break. We've got this tonight."

It felt like a huge weight had been taken off her shoulders. "Thanks."

The guys had just taken to the stage when Brianna felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Pulling it out, she saw Dorothea's name on the screen and quickly moved away from the stage to a quieter area of the arena. "Hi Dot. Is something wrong? Jon just hit the stage."

"Then I timed it right. We can talk without him interrupting."

Brianna stepped into Jon's dressing room and sat down. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to see how you were holding up. Jon told me what happened there today."

"Yeah, it's been a...day."

"Well, now that the guys know, you'll have some help."

"So I've been informed. In fact, I've been instructed to leave him to them tonight and get some rest."

Dorothea chuckled. "They can be a bit overwhelming at times, but they mean well. And they will be a big help to you."

"I know." Brianna felt herself choking up again.

Dorothea could hear it in Brianna's voice. "Bri? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired."

"And maybe realizing what it means to be a part of the inner circle?" Dorothea's voice was knowing.

"It really is like a family."

"Yep. With all the good and bad traits that go with it. You just gained three more brothers. Luckily, you're familiar with how that works. I only have sisters. It was a bit of a shock for me."

Brianna didn't bother to explain that it would be a bit of a shock for her too. Aside from her mother, her family wasn't real close. Her brothers took after their father - business first and foremost, and family when there was time.

She wondered if she was finally going to find out what her girlfriends with brothers were always talking/complaining about. What it felt like to be cherished and protected by the men in her family.