Chapter 17

Brianna slid into her car and gripped the wheel, her conversation with Dorothea swirling around her head.  She still couldn’t believe it. Cancer! Wow! And from what she picked up from Dorothea’s expressions and tone even more than her words, a good outcome was not expected. Poor Dorothea! Those poor kids!  Poor Jon!

She closed her eyes and leaned her back against the seat. How was she supposed to help him through whatever was going to happen during the tour?  She was his assistant, not his social worker! What the hell did she know about grief counselling?

The thought of what the next few months would bring added to her fatigue and fanned the embers of the headache smouldering behind her eyes. What she’d been looking forward to as a dream adventure was going to be more like a nightmare journey.

A knock on the window startled her. She opened her eyes to see Stephanie standing beside her door and rolled down the window. “Hey Steph.”

“Dad said this is to go back to Paul.” She handed over a thick folder.

“Thanks.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just tired.” Brianna managed a weak smile.

Stephanie shot a glance towards the house. “Lot of that going around lately.”

“Mmmmm. Tour preparation is taking its toll on everyone I guess.” Brianna was pleased to be able to keep her agreement not to tell the kids while avoiding an outright lie.

That agreement for silence was harder to keep over the next few days.  She didn’t like lying to people, but she respected Dorothea’s right to her privacy. But it wasn’t easy. While Jon no longer ignored her calls and tried to be more available, he still didn’t want to talk about it – which was fine by her since she had no idea what to say anyway – and he still missed several meetings and a few interviews had to be rescheduled. When that happened, Brianna was forced to field a lot of questions without giving any concrete answers. I could be a politician! Brianna shook her head at herself as she hung up after rescheduling yet another interview, then trying to calm an agitated PR department. Good thing the band is already well established, because this isn’t enticing the media to help them out any.  It wasn’t doing much for crew morale either. And she had a feeling it was only going to get worse.

Finally it was tour departure day.  Brianna arrived at the Teterboro airport three hours before takeoff to make sure everything was in order and she hadn’t forgotten anything.

Vicky, the band’s long time flight attendant, smiled sympathetically as she watched Brianna pace the length of the plane, checking that everything Jon could want or need was available. “Relax Brianna. We’ve pretty much got this down pat by now. He won’t have any reason to get upset.”

Not here anyway. Brianna grimaced. “I know. You and the rest of the flight crew are extremely competent.” At Vicky’s raised eyebrow she shrugged. “Jon wouldn’t hire you otherwise. It’s just....”

“That this is your first tour and you want everything to be perfect.” Vicky finished for her. “I get it. Stop worrying. You’ve got everything under control.” Her lips twitched. “Jon wouldn’t have hired you if you weren’t extremely competent.”  

Brianna smiled at having her assuring words given back to her. “I guess we’re about to find out.”

By the time the band members started to arrive, Brianna was pacing the tarmac, checking her watch every few minutes and ignoring the brisk November wind.

“Nina! What are you doing standing out here?” Tico handed his bags to a crew member to store in the baggage compartment and gave her a hug. “Why aren’t you on the plane?”

“I’m waiting for Jon.”

“And trying to wear off some nervous energy?” Richie guessed as he joined them.

Brianna smiled wryly. “Maybe.”

“Why don’t you pace inside the terminal?” Richie shivered. “It’s the fucking Arctic out here!”

“You’ve been in California too long Swingman.” David announced his arrival. “This is just a nice fall day in Jersey.” He bent to kiss Brianna’s cheek. “You look tired Beautiful and we haven’t even gotten started yet.”

Brianna grimaced. “Gee, thanks David.”

One strong arm circled her shoulders and squeezed. “Don’t worry, you’ll adjust.” David glanced around. “Where’s our fearless leader?”

“Not here yet.” Brianna checked her watch yet again. “You guys should board. I’ll wait for Jon.”  

“You should board too.” Richie argued. “You don’t want to catch a cold.”

Brianna couldn’t hold back a shiver as a gust of wind blew over them. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

The guys had barely disappeared from sight when Brianna’s phone rang. A glance at the display told her it was from the Bongiovis, but not the one she was waiting for. “Brianna speaking.”

“Hi Bri, it’s Dot. I just wanted to let you know Jon’s on his way.”

Brianna checked her watch again. “Did he just leave?”

“Yes. Jake threw a bit of a fit about his daddy going away.” Dorothea hesitated. “All things considered, he had a hard time leaving.”

“I’m sure.” Brianna grimaced. “I’ll let the crew know.” They were supposed to be wheels up in ten minutes, but that obviously wasn’t going to happen. “How are you feeling today?”

“Not too bad. Better than I will tomorrow.” The next day was her next chemo treatment. She swallowed and took a deep breath. “Bri.....take care of him for me.”

“I will.”

“Please don’t let his foul temper chase you away. He....needs you. Be patient with him.”

“I’ll do my best.” Amber eyes filled with tears. “I promise.”

“Thank you. I’ll touch base with you regularly and let you know what’s going on.....and try to help you deal with him.”

Hanging up, Brianna took a moment to bring her emotions under control then boarded the plane in search of the pilot.

“We’re going to be delayed about an hour.”

“Jon get held up?” Vicky asked. Brianna nodded.

“What’s the matter, didn’t want to leave hearth and home this time?” David asked.

If you only knew! “Jakey threw a fit about his daddy leaving. It took him awhile to calm him down and get away.” Again, not the whole truth but not a lie.

When Jon appeared an hour later one look at his face warned everyone to give him a wide berth. He was not a happy man.

Paul decided to ignore the warning. “Jon, there’s a few things I need to go over with you before we land in Des Moines.”

“Can I not have five fucking minutes to sit down and get settled before you bombard me?” Jon snarled.

The group fell silent while eyebrows rose and glances were exchanged.

Oh yay. Here we go. Brianna took the seat beside Paul as Vicky closed the doors and prepared for takeoff. “What do you need from him?”

Paul eyed her for a long moment. “This is going to be a long tour isn’t it.”

“I have a feeling that it isn’t going to be an easy one at least.”

“What the fuck is going on with him?”

“Who can say?” Brianna replied noncommittally.

Paul sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “There’s a bunch of guitars and other merch I need him – and the others to sign, and a local promoter would like a few minutes ....”

Brianna made notes as he reeled off the list of items he felt Jon should be aware of. “Okay. I’ll make sure he’s got it and get you what you need.”

“Thanks.” Paul was more than a little pissed that he had to deal with Jon’s assistant instead of Jon himself – he thought their relationship was beyond that – but if that’s what it took to get the job done, he’d suck it up. And it wasn’t her fault. “Brianna....I’m sorry you have to deal with this.”

She smiled and patted his hand. “No problem. I’m happy to help any way I can. And it’s not the worst I’ve ever dealt with.”

When they reached cruising altitude and the captain gave the signal they could release their seat belts, Brianna approached Jon. “Coffee or wine?”

He looked up at her and grimaced. “Better make it coffee.....please.”

The politesse was obviously an afterthought, but at least it was something.

“Food?”

This time he just shook his head.  Brianna hesitated, set her hand on his shoulder and squeezed before retreating down the aisle to pass on his request to Vicki.

Returning, she took the seat facing him. “Are you ready to take a look at what Paul needs?”

Jon sighed, but nodded. “Yeah.” He glanced around the plane until he found the head of his management team. “Paul!” He waved him forward. A glance at Brianna had his lips twisting. “Yes, I’ll apologize.”

At Paul’s approach, Brianna moved over and let him take her seat.

“Sorry man, what do you need?” Jon forced himself into work mode.

On the other side of the plane, Richie nudged David. “Did you see that?”

“What?”

“Brianna and Jon.”

“Yeah. Wonder what the deal is. Looked like a little more than boss and assistant to me.” David eyed the two in question.

“Yeah. Me too. I warned him hiring her might not be such a good idea.”

“I hope this doesn’t blow up in his face.”