Chapter 50

Brianna sat down gratefully at an empty table, glanced at her watch and sighed. It was the end of tour party and she was counting down the minutes until she could go home. But first she had to convince her boss that meant her apartment in Manhatten, not his home in New Jersey.

"Well, you made it through your first tour." Richie commented as he sat down at the table and handed her a glass of wine. "What do you think?"

"I'll let you know after I've slept for about a week and feel human again."

Richie laughed. "Yeah, it tends to have that effect. You'll probably have flashbacks in a few months. Are you taking some time off?"

"That depends on the boss. I hope so."

"Nina!" Tico patted her on the shoulder as he sat beside her. "You survived your first tour!"

"That remains to be seen Teek. I'll let you know when the fog has lifted from my brain."

The echoes of Tico's laughter had several people looking in their direction. "If it helps, it gets easier each tour."

"Good to know." If this last year had taught her anything it was that life was unpredictable. Who knew where she'd be by the time the next tour rolled around...if another tour rolled around. She'd just have to wait and see.

"Bri! You're still here. Good!" Jon sat down and set a glass of wine in front of her.

Brianna eyed the offering warily. "Is it good news or bad news?"

He grinned. "Relax. I just wanted to say thank you for a job well done, especially under some difficult circumstances." He sobered, "Seriously Bri, you went above and beyond and did a great job."

"Thank you."

"Why don't you take the next couple weeks off. You deserve a break."

"Thanks!" She started making a mental list of what she wanted to do. Then she thought about Dot and frowned. "But...."

He knew where her mind had gone. "We'll call you if we need you sooner."

She was gathering her belongings preparing to leave when David approached her. "Did you get your time off?"

"Yes." She eyed him speculatively. "You spoke to him, didn't you."

David shrugged. "I just reminded him to look at the bigger picture." He hugged her with one arm around her shoulders. "Enjoy the time and recharge." He paused. "Don't forget when things get....rough....in the next while, that I'm close by. Don't be afraid to call in reinforcements."

Brianna smiled. "Thanks."

Home! Setting down her keys, purse and suitcase, Brianna sighed in relief. Flipping on the lights, she was gratified to see that the cleaners had been there. The fridge was empty, but food wasn't a priority at the moment - sleep was. In fact, everything else could wait until she'd gotten at least eight straight hours of unconsciousness. Turning off the lights again, she made her way to the bathroom where she quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth. In the bedroom she stripped off her clothes and sank gratefully into bed. She was asleep within seconds.

Bright sunlight streaming through the window woke her. She wasn't really surprised to look at the clock and discover the afternoon was fast approaching. Sighing, she debated getting up or going back to sleep. Suddenly, she realized she hadn't put her phone on its charger - hadn't even taken it out of her purse! She jumped up to find it, hoping she hadn't missed any urgent calls, relieved to find she hadn't. Now wide awake, she headed for the bathroom and a bubble bath. After a long soak she ordered in some food, unpacked and sorted laundry while she waited for it to arrive.

Over the next few days she settled into a routine.....of doing whatever she felt like doing. She didn't travel - she'd done enough of that for awhile. She got caught up with friends, went to the new shows on Broadway, but mostly spent her time reading and relaxing....and researching what Jon and his family were going through and how she might help them.

It was a peaceful, relaxing time. And if she turned multiple times a day to say something to Jon it was only because she was so used to him being there -  not because she missed him or considered him so much a part of her every day, private life.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey things were not quite as.......serene. Jon wasn't sure who was more upset about Brianna not being there - Jake who sulked for three days and couldn't understand why she couldn't spend her 'bacation' with them, or Dot who understood, but wasn't overly happy about it. Her cryptic comment of 'I hope she gets back before it's too late' haunted him and had him debating calling her back early. He'd even had his finger on her number a couple times. He told himself it was for his wife, not because he missed her.

But he did. He missed their late night conversations. He missed having her close by to bounce ideas off of, share a joke or a story with - not that he was alone. Dorothea was there, but they'd been together so long they knew all each other's stories. Plus her obvious fatigue and discomfort made him hesitate to push her for idle conversation.

And it wasn't as if there weren't other adults constantly around. One or several members of their families were always around, particularly Dorothea's sisters and his mother.

But none of them were Brianna.

At the beginning of her second week off, Brianna's phone rang and a glance at the display made her stomach clench. She took a deep breath before she answered. "Hello?"

"Brianna?"

"Hi Steph. How are you?" she didn't know whether to be relieved or more concerned.

"Okay. Aunt Linda's taking me shopping for school clothes tomorrow and I wondered if you wanted to come with us. Maybe have lunch?"

Brianna didn't know what to say. She wasn't opposed, but..... "Um....does Aunt Linda know you're calling me? Maybe she'd rather it just be the two of you."

"She knows. She's okay with it."

Knowing Linda's......concerns....about her relationship with Jon, Brianna was surprised......and curious. "In that case, sure. I'd love to go shopping with you."

"Great! We'll meet you at Kenneth Cole's at....ten?"

Brianna smile at Steph's choice of meeting place. She just might have to do a little shopping herself! "Sounds good, I'll meet you there."

While Stephanie was in the change room, Linda turned to Brianna. "I have to confess to an ulterior motive to inviting you today."

"Oh?"

"Stephanie needed a day away from.....everything. She missed you and wanted to shop with you. Apparently she likes your choice of stores. And I thought it would be a good opportunity to fill you in on what's happening with Dot."

Brianna grimaced. "How bad is it?"

"We're bringing in a hospital bed....and setting it up in the sitting room near Jon's office."

"Wow. She fought that for so long. What made her finally agree?"

"She collapsed on the stairs a couple days ago. If Jon hadn't been there she would probably have broken her neck." Linda had to pause to blink back tears. "She's fading fast Brianna. It's like she was hanging on, waiting for Jon - and you - to get home from the tour, but she just doesn't have the strength to fight anymore. I don't think she's going to last much longer."

"Those poor kids." Brianna was fighting her own tears.

"Bri? Aunt Linda? What do you think of this?"

Both women sniffed and forced smiles. "Looks great sweetie."

"And I know where to find the perfect top to go with it." Brianna added.

Three days later, Brianna was sitting on her balcony reading when her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Brianna, it's Dot." She had to pause to take several breaths before she could speak again. "I need you to come home. Today."