Chapter 118: No, Jon, It’s Not A Joke

Goddess’ Note: Most of this post was lifted directly from the Football Forum fanfic on [the old] T’s Place. I made some modifications to make it fit into my view of the story, but the Sam/Jon stuff was written by T.

Stephanie, Lucy, and even Hath got up and danced for most of the show, but Sam just wasn't quite up to it.

The guys rocked through several songs and had just finished Whole Lot of Leavin' when Jon stepped up to the white mic stand and began to talk to the crowd.

"How we doin' so far, okay?" The crowd roared in response. "This next song wasn't a song that we did very much live, but it happens to be my wife's favorite song." The crowd let out another round of screams, even though they had no idea which song he was talking about. "Well, okay, it's her favorite Bon Jovi song, and since she's here tonight...." he finished the sentence after nodding to David, "Gimme some keys please!"

David began to play, and Sam smiled as Jon began to sing In These Arms. She stood up for that one and just swayed slightly as Jon sang to her. There had been many nights they'd talked on the phone with him in some anonymous hotel room somewhere else in the world, and he would sing the chorus of that song to her.

"And, I would give anything, my blood, my love, my life,
if you were in these arms tonight.
I'd hold ya, I'd need ya,
I'd get down on my knees for you, and make everything all right,
if you were in these arms....

I'd love ya, I'd please ya,
I'd tell ya that I'd never leave ya,
And love you 'til the end of time,
If you were in these arms tonight"

Jon had barely finished the song, when Sam grabbed Hath's arm with her left hand and Lucy's with her right. Stephanie, who stood on the other side of Lucy, didn't realize anything was amiss; she just continued clapping and screaming.

In unison, Hath and Lucy asked, "What's wrong?"

"My water just broke," Sam exclaimed.

"Holy shit," Hath cried.

"FUCK!" Lucy yelled at the same time.

Stephanie's head jerked around at their expletives. "What's wrong?"

Lucy quickly explained, while Hath took charge.

"Stephanie, go to the side of the stage,” she said. “On the way, if you encounter any security people send one to help Lucy and I get Sam to the cars in back. Have the next one get you to Jon as quickly as possible. Then meet us at the hospital. Massachusetts General is the closest."

Sam interrupted Hath's litany of commands. "No! Don't tell Jon. He'll freak."

“Relax, he won't freak," Hath said calmly, "he's been through this four other times."

"Stephanie," Sam commanded, "find someone to tell Richie. Let Richie tell Jon. Make sure that they tell Jon I said for him to finish the show, then come to the hospital. I'm sure Lyndsay will still be a few hours before making an appearance."

"Are you sure?" Stephanie asked. At Sam's nod, she turned to go, but Lucy's hand on her arm had her spinning back around.

"Find Takumi, Richie's guitar tech. Tell him," Lucy told her. "He'll handle the rest."

Stephanie took off at a run. Slowing down only slightly when other fans blocked her path.

Hath and Lucy each held one of Sam's arms and followed behind Stephanie more slowly. They were almost to the metal barrier between the crowd and backstage area when one of the security guys came running up to them.

"I've got one of the golf carts waiting just beyond the barrier, we'll get her to the backstage exit quickly. Paul's already called for an ambulance. It should be waiting there when we get there." He bent down and scooped Sam up in his arms, before he'd even finished talking and walked away with long strides, leaving Hath and Lucy to follow along behind. "I'm sorry about this Mrs. Bongiovi," he told Sam.

"For what, my daughter's lack of timing?"

"No, for just picking you up without asking first."

"No worries, OWWWW!" she finished on a scream.

"Hang on, Mrs. B, please don't have that baby in this arena, the boss'd kill me."

When they got to the golf cart, he put her down gently, and Hath and Lucy quickly got on the seats on the back. At the back door, the guard seemed relieved to hand Sam off to the paramedics, and Hath and Lucy had a minor argument with the paramedic that tried to tell them that only one of them could ride with Sam. He only acquiesced when Hath subtly suggested that she might be in labor as well; so, technically they were taking two patients and only one passenger.

Once Sam was up in the ambulance, she pleaded with the driver not to run the siren, at least not until they were well away from the arena, because she didn't want any of the reporters that might be hanging around to get noisy enough to follow them to the hospital. The driver agreed, but only because they weren't that far from the hospital, and could be there in just a few minutes, with or without the siren.

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After sending a security guard back for Sam and the others, Stephanie determinedly went in search of Matt. She knew he would be just to the side of the stage with his eyes on the fan pit on Richie's side of the stage. His job was to make sure that none of those women 'attacked' Jon and to pry any off that got that brave. When she got to her fiancé, she quickly told him the problem, and he took her by the hand and practically dragged her to Takumi. When they reached the guitar tech, they were actually under the stage. He had just come down the ramp from handing Richie the guitar for It's My Life and was putting the other one back on the long rack of guitars. It only took Stephanie a minute to explain the problem, while Takumi kept at his job. He had only been half listening to her excited chatter until she got to the phrase 'her water broke'. Then he realized just how important of a job she was asking of him.

"Are you shitting me?" he asked. "You want me to tell Rich instead of Jon? Why?"

"Sam wanted Rich to tell Jon so that he wouldn't freak out. She doesn't want him to interrupt the show."

"Gotcha. I can handle this," Takumi told her. He decided to wait and tell Richie right after I'll Be There For You while Jon was making his way to the platform. Richie could tell the boss when he made it back to the stage.

That wasn't exactly the way it went down though. After Takumi told Richie, the guitarist made a beeline for the platform. Jon didn't even bat an eye when his friend joined him during the first verse of Make a Memory. Rich had been joining him every so often; it just depended on how the show was going and Richie's mood.

Jon noticed that when Rich joined him at the mic, his friend was wearing a smirk like he knew something Jon didn't. During the bridge, Jon found out just what that was.

Richie leaned over and yelled in Jon's ear, "Sam's having the baby."

It took a three count for it to sink in. Jon's eyes went wide and with his mouth still at the mic, he yelled, "You mean, now?"

Being the professionals that they are, the rest of the band never missed a beat. When Richie nodded, Jon's eyes scanned the section where he knew Sam had been sitting while he continued to sing the song. He was really hoping this was one of Richie's sick practical jokes. But, when he couldn't find Sam where she was supposed to be, he began to worry. When the song was over, Richie quickly told him about Sam's wishes that he continue the show. Jon took a moment to explain to the crowd that his wife was in labor, told them about her wishes that he continue the show, and apologizing in advance if he seemed distracted for the remainder of the concert.

During the break before the encore, Jon explained to the other band members what was going on, and told them there would only be a two song encore. He was dropping Mercy and only going to do Wanted and Prayer. He wanted to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Their bows were brief, with Jon being the first to leave the stage instead of the last as usual. He ran straight to the exit where Obie was waiting to take him to the hospital.